DUSTER: For the death of a Longview woman in a hit-and-run. On the evening of May 7, Carrie Evette Pickron, 39, was riding on a motorized scooter — the kind a driver stands on — and headed east in the 1500 block of East Marshall Avenue when she was hit by a car, according to police. The driver fled the scene toward Eastman Road, and police have said they’re looking for a two-tone black/grey Dodge Challenger with black wheels and possible front-end damage. Every aspect of this story is unfortunate, and we hope the suspect is caught as soon as possible.
GUSHER: For a new Longview Animal Care and Adoption Center fundraiser that honors a former employee. The recent Nina Effect Memorial 5K Nature Trail Run and 1-Mile Dog Walk was in memory of Nina Allen, who died in a wreck on Interstate 20 in Harrison County when her car struck another vehicle. Animal Services Manager Chris Kemper told us that after her death, the shelter knew it wanted to do something special to honor Allen’s legacy. “She was such a light in everything she did, whether it was helping animals or helping people, and that was just what she lived for,” he said.
GUSHER: For progress on a planned beer garden-sports complex in Longview. About a year ago, Kenneth Shore, owner of ShoreCarter Resources, received City Council approval to rezone about 11.5 acres on Bill Owens Parkway for the project. Since that time, Shore said he’s faced numerous setback related to the planning, but the development continues to advance. Shore said he believes he’s about six months away from breaking ground, and we look forward to seeing the completed project.
GUSHER: For a milestone achieved by the Bryant quintuplets of Hallsville, who are set to graduate this month and attend East Texas Baptist University in Marshall on full scholarships. The siblings — 18-year-olds Austin, Caleb, Kaitlyn, Peyton and Mackenzie Bryant — were guaranteed scholarships to ETBU when they were born in 2004, and the school has fulfilled that promise. Their mother, Darcy Bryant, said it was an achievement for her children to have come so far in life. “We feel like it’s a celebration because we survived,” she said. Congratulations to the Bryant quintuplets and good luck in the next phase of their lives.
GUSHER: For the latest quality guest brought to the Longview area by the East Texas Speakers Forum. Col. Martha McSally, the nation’s first female combat fighter pilot and also a former U.S. representative and former U.S. senator from Arizona, took the stage recently at Memorial City Hall in Marshall. Previous East Texas Speakers Forum guests are NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who spoke this past month at the University of Texas at Tyler, and former President George W. Bush, who spoke in December 2019 at LeTourneau University’s Belcher Center.
