By Scott Harvey

Commerce ISD seeking volunteers for Communities in Schools program; Commerce PD to begin purchasing equipment for Emergency Operations Center; Bank robbery trial to begin Monday in Hunt County; Grand Jury issues indictments for murder and Commerce child abandonment case; Tyler authorities still seeking missing 11-year-old girl who went missing Sunday.

By Scott Harvey

Commerce – The Commerce ISD Communities in Schools program is asking for your help in mentoring and tutoring students; as well as, providing training programs, organizing after school programs, or being a guest speaker to a class.

By Brad Kellar

By Brad Kellar

By Brad Kellar

Hunt County – The Hunt County Grand Jury has issued indictments for capital murder and a Commerce child abandonment case. Jerry Lynn Phelps was indicted Friday on one count of capital murder in connection with the shooting death of Charlene Hoover Jones , the owner of the Jackpot Game Room located between Quinlan and West Tawakoni. Phelps was arrested following a traffic stop about an hour after the shooting occurred. He remains in custody at the Hunt County Jail.

CLOSINGS, TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009

COLLEGES
- Texas A&M University-Commerce campus closed at 4:30 pm
- A&M-Commerce Metroplex Center in Mesquite closed at 3 pm
- A&M-Commerce campus at Universities Center in Dallas closed at 5 pm
- Collin County Community College closed

SCHOOL DISTRICTS
- Greenville ISD sporting events cancelled
- Cumby ISD all activities cancelled
- Rockwall ISD all activities cancelled
- McKinney ISD all activities cancelled

GOVERNMENT

By Scott Harvey

Commerce – The search committee for the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Texas A&M University-Commerce are moving forward.

In an email this week, committee members are said to be on schedule with the search, presently making calls to listed references from a pool of applicants they deem qualified. The next step is for the committee to meet and determine the candidates that will be invited to a neutral site interview, then eventually be invited by the President for campus interviews within the next couple of months.

By Scott Harvey

Hunt County – Fire danger in Hunt County and the surrounding region remains a high priority this week, as conditions have not shown much improvement over the past several weeks.

Hunt County Fire Marshall Richard Hill stressed the importance of citizens in the County to obey the current burn ban in place. The ban makes it illegal to burn trash and brush, and is in effect for 90 days, or until the Commissioners Court vote to remove it. The burn ban does not include outdoor cooking or outdoor welding. Violation is a Class C misdemeanor.

By Scott Harvey

Hunt County – Fire danger in Hunt County and the surrounding region remains a high priority this week, as conditions have not shown much improvement over the past several weeks.

Hunt County Fire Marshall Richard Hill stressed the importance of citizens in the County to obey the current burn ban in place. The ban makes it illegal to burn trash and brush, and is in effect for 90 days, or until the Commissioners Court vote to remove it. The burn ban does not include outdoor cooking or outdoor welding. Violation is a Class C misdemeanor.

By Scott Harvey

Commerce – The Commerce Police Department will soon begin purchasing thousands of dollars in communications equipment for both the City's Emergency Operations Center and police force.

Commerce PD was awarded the non-matching $83,000 grant in November through the State Homeland Security Program, and last week given approval to begin purchasing items.

Officials have formulated a shopping list that includes $9,000 in laptops, an assortment of radio equipment, and GPS navigation systems, among other items.