By Scott Harvey

– Preliminary figures for the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards show mixes results for Texas schools and school districts.

They're graded on three measures: Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, and either Graduation Rate (for high schools and districts) or Attendance Rate (for elementary and middle/junior high schools).

According to the Texas Education Agency, 78 percent of school districts and 85 percent of schools met AYP for 2010. Locally, five area districts and ten individual campuses did not meet AYP.

By Scott Harvey

Lamar County – A Lamar County man is dead after being struck by a vehicle Thursday night.

Authorities say 41-year-old Jerry Pennington, of Powderly, was walking along the center lane of northbound HW 271 when was hit by a female driver. She was not injured.

The driver told authorities she did not see the man until it was too late. Reports show Pennington was wearing dark colored clothing.

Host Scott Harvey speaks with David Cleveland, the executive director for the East Texas Council of Governments, on broadband service for rural Texas. Our Friday feature is on keeping our environment clean.

The Lead: Friday, August 06, 2010

By Scott Harvey

Commerce – Four adults and one juvenile were arrested Thursday following the issuance of a narcotics search warrant in Commerce.

Cruz Tyrone Hines, Cedric Earl Hines and Raymond John Deleon, all of Commerce, and Cecelli Dawn Buruss, of Point, were taken into custody after police found marijuana and cocaine in the 2100 block of Washington Street. The juvenile was transported to a detention center in Greenville.

By Scott Harvey

Canton – District 2 Representative Dan Flynn is calling on area superintendents to attend a meeting Monday to discuss education funding and other public school issues.

Flynn, who represents the citizens of Hunt, Rains and Van Zandt counties, has invited Chairman of the House Committee on Public Education Rob Eissler and Joe Smith, executive director of Texas ISD, to the meeting.

It is to take place at 2 p.m. Monday, August 9, in the board room of the American National Bank Building in Canton, 401 East Highway 243.

By Brad Kellar

West Tawakoni – Hunt County authorities have identified the body of the woman found Tuesday near Lake Tawakoni.

Funeral services are scheduled for Monday for 29-year-old Heather Leann Pope, of Royse City. Pope had been reported missing for about two weeks.

Autopsy results confirm she was murdered due to blunt force trauma to the head.

The body was discovered by Pope's father at a vacant house on Cedar Hill Road, in a residential subdivision off of Farm Road 751 in far south Hunt County.

By Scott Harvey

Commerce – Commerce Police have arrested a woman on charges she attempted to rob a resident while threatening him with a knife.

Officers were called to an apartment in the 800 block of Culver on Wednesday, where they were able to detain Vonisha Brown and obtain the weapon she alleged used.

A victim reported that the Brown had knocked on his door brandishing a knife and demanding money. After searching the man's pockets the woman entered the apartment, which is when the man escaped and called police.

By Brad Kellar

Greenville – A shooting suspect from Caddo Mills was in court Thursday. 41-year-old Dane Ray Clark had his total bond of $400,000 reduced to $85,000.

He's charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm by felon.

Clark was arrested following a disturbance on July 29 near the intersection of Private Road 2526 and County Road 2532, during which time one person was shot.

The victim was said to be doing fine at Parkland Hospital in Dallas.

By Scott Harvey

Sulphur Springs – Sulphur Springs officials hope to speed up the process of a possible traffic study along TxDot's new Highway 11 bypass after a motorist was severely injured Tuesday.

The City had already submitted a letter to the state agency, but now plans to formally approve a resolution at its next meeting calling for a traffic light at the intersection of Highway 11 and Arbala Road.

A 79-year-old woman was flown to an area trauma center in stable condition after her vehicle was t-boned by a truck.

By Scott Harvey

Hopkins County – A Hopkins County home is destroyed by fire following a blaze yesterday afternoon. There were no reports of any injuries at the site along CR 2310.

Hopkins County firefighters were first on the scene, only minutes after the fire was reported and could see flames coming from left of the house. Sulphur Springs firefighters were next followed by volunteers from numerous departments in the county.

The blaze had to be fought defensively due to manpower and water shortages.