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MARSHALL – An East Texas toddler died on Thursday after an apparent accidental drowning, according to Harrison County Sheriff Brandon Fletcher. At 4:45 p.m., deputies were called to a home on Underwood Road in Marshall after a 17-month-old girl was found unresponsive. According to our news partner KETK, the sheriff says the child was found “floating in a pond on an adjacent property and had exited the residence without the guardian’s knowledge.” The child was rushed to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. Fletcher says the initial investigation has shown it appears to be an accident. The identity of the victim was being withheld pending notification of extended family members.

LONGVIEW — Effective as of 11:20 a.m. Friday, April 8, the boil water notice in Longview is lifted. Water samples conducted Thursday, April 7, were determined by a third-party laboratory to be negative for coliform and therefore safe for consumption, according to a news release. The city issued the boil notice due to a drop in pressure throughout the system following a 30-inch water main break late Tuesday. The city is continuing to flush the water system. If you experience any discoloration in your water, you’re asked to run the system for a time to allow the water to circulate. You can go to this link, then navigate as needed to get the latest information and further details.

LONGVIEW — The Longview Parks and Recreation Department office at 130 E. Timpson St. is closed until further notice due to a power outage. Recreation Centers will be open on regular schedule and Parks and Recreation programming will continue as previously scheduled.

QUITMAN – A Wood County firefighter charged with eight counts of arson has been indicted by a grand jury. According to our news partner KETK, Mineola native Courtney Keel worked for the Hainesville Volunteer Fire Department. Chief Robert Holland with the sheriff’s office began investigating fires that the department had worked. Holland alleged Keel possibly started fires that happened over a 15-month period from the summer of 2020 to the fall of 2021. The eight fires were within two miles of Keel’s house. According to an arrest warrant, he was the only firefighter to respond to all of them. The warrant also states there was video of him driving away from a fire in July 2020 and that no other car was in the immediate area. Continue reading Firefighter indicted, accused of setting eight fires

TYLER — A Central Texas man has received a new sentence for a 2016 crash on Tyler’s Grande Boulevard that killed 21-year-old Haile Beasley. According to our news partner KETK, State District Judge Jack Skeen handed 46-year-old James Fulton a six-month term in the Smith County Jail along with ten years’ probation. The jury initially gave Fulton a seven-year probated sentence, but Texas law, allows the judge to set the terms of the sentence. If Fulton were to violate any of his probation terms, he would then spend seven years in prison, with the 20 months he served in his original sentence counting toward it. Fulton was earlier convicted of criminally negligent homicide and sentenced to 10 years in prison. But an appeals court ruled that he received ineffective counsel and ordered a new sentencing trial.

TYLER — The Tyler Neighborhood Services Department has added more sidewalks to the north end of the city connecting residents to schools, parks, bus stops, and major roadways, according to a news release. The recently installed sidewalks on North Palace Avenue run from West Gentry Parkway to West Queen Street, then from West Queen Street to the entrance of Hidden Palace subdivision. Officials say the sidewalks provide continued connectivity in the area near T.J. Austin Elementary School and the new Hidden Palace subdivision, a low to moderate-income housing development funded by the HOME Investment Partnership Program through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Continue reading North end sidewalk projects complete as first phase of Hidden Palace nears completion

MARSHALL — Detectives with the Marshall Police Department Wednesday arrested a 16-year-old juvenile male who is now charged with one count of murder in a March 30 shooting. Officials say Akeivyon Diez McMillan, 20, of Jefferson was shot to death in Powder Mill Cemetery. They say no information about the suspect’s identity can be released since he is a juvenile. According to authorities, police got a call March 30 about a man lying on the ground in the cemetery. Responding officers determined McMillan was dead and had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

LONGVIEW – Six East Texas men were booked into the Gregg County Jail late Wednesday night on charges of soliciting minors online. According to our news partner KETK, the men were from multiple East Texas cities that stretched across several counties. All six suspects were arrested by DPS troopers, according to the booking report. The suspects are 62-year-old Ken Schneider of Carthage, 41-year-old Rodolfo Lopez-Santos of Longview, 40-year-old Jason Fertitta of Overton, 40-year-old Gary Lowery of Gilmer, 34-year-old David Batalla of Longview, and 20-year-old Jose Ramirez-Torres of Marshall. DPS Sgt. Jean Dark said further information was pending.

TYLER — The United Way of Smith County surpasses the $2 million figure for the first time since 2007 in its recently-completed annual campaign. The effort brought in in $2,040,834, also surpassing its goal of $1.9 million. Campaign Chair James Sheridan says, “I think it was a testament to the generosity of our community” and also credits the United Way team. More than 200 local companies and nearly 7,000 individuals participated in the effort. The campaign, just part of the United Way’s work, funds nonprofits that address a variety of local issues.

SMITH COUNTY — Two firefighters and a resident were injured during an early morning house fire Thursday. At about 3:30 a.m., firefighters from Noonday, Flint-Gresham, and Dixie Fire Departments were dispatched to County Road 1237 in Noonday for a house fire. They discovered a resident who had suffered burns in the fire, but had already made it out of the house. While attempting to extinguish the blaze, two firefighters suffered burns. All three people were transported to a local hospital. One of the injured firefighters was later flown to Parkland Hospital’s Burn Unit in Dallas for advanced treatment. According to our news partner KETK, officials say that firefighter has been treated and released. Continue reading Firefighters, resident injured in early morning fire in Noonday

TYLER — Four people are under arrest in connection with a kidnapping and robbery in Fort Worth. Fort Worth Police Detective Brian Raynsford says 21-year-old Briyana Brooks (pictured) met the man on social media and on March 29th and invited him to her apartment. While there, four men ambushed him, beat and bound him, and robbed him at gunpoint. They also reportedly forced him to give them his ATM pin number and his home address.Two of those men, 22-year-old Corey McKnight and 18-year-old Tkyren James were arrested that night. Brooks and 21-year-old Colby Sanders were later arrested in Tyler are awaiting extradition back to Tarrant County. A fifth man is still on the loose.

GREGG COUNTY — Farm-to-Market 2751 in Gregg County, north of Longview between FM 449 and US 259, will be closed to through traffic Thursday for bridge and culvert maintenance. According to a TxDOT news release, the repair should take just one day, and the road is scheduled to be reopened to traffic on Friday.

TYLER — Tyler Animal Services was alerted Wednesday by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) that a stray bat found at Caldwell Zoo tested positive for rabies. Officials point out that the animal was not part of any zoo exhibit, but they say an unknown individual who alerted zoo staff to the bat may have been exposed. Any individuals who may have had contact with this bat or are concerned should contact Tyler Animal Services at (903) 535-0045 or DSHS at (903) 533-5243. Officials say it is critical for people to not handle bats, skunks, raccoons, or other wild animals. They say it is important for children to tell their parents of any contact with wild animals or any sick animals. If a person is bitten by an animal, the bite incident must be reported to the Local Rabies Control Authority, the Tyler Animal Services Director, for proper investigation. Continue reading Rabies advisory: Stray bat tests positive at Caldwell Zoo

TYLER — Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar was joined by University of Texas at Tyler President Kirk Calhoun Wednesday on the East Texas stop of his Texas Broadband Listening Tour. The visit was to get insights about internet access and collect input to develop the state’s first broadband plan, according to a news release. As quoted in the release, Hegar pointed out that “Tyler is in a 23-county region where 54 percent of households do not have access to high-speed wireline broadband, and 25 percent of households do not have internet of any kind.” He says Wednesday’s event “will help my office identify changes, chart goals and encourage investment to expand high-speed internet access to areas in need.” The tour is taking Hegar to a dozen locations across the state. Continue reading Hegar visits UT Tyler on Broadband Listening Tour