KTBB News, Weather, Talk

LONGVIEW – Longview authorities have arrested a man they accuse of trying to set his brother’s house on fire. Arrested Tuesday was Kevin Darden, 31, of New York City. Longview Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary said Darden was staying with his brother at his home in the 500 block of Oak Street. When the homeowner returned home Tuesday, he said Darden was pouring “an ignitable substance” inside the house. Authorities are also looking into whether Darden could be linked to an early Monday morning blaze in the 500 block of Church Street, which destroyed a small home.

LONGVIEW – Longview police have charged a woman with attacking a man with a small wooden bat that had been drilled out and filled with led. Charged Monday with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon was Wendy Danielle Warren, 39, of Hallsville. The incident happened in the 1300 block of East Marshall Avenue in the parking lot of a bikini bar. The victim told officers that Warren hit him on the elbow with a small bat with a pink handle and punched him in the face. Investigators said the victim had a cut on his eye and had swelling from being hit by the bat.

JACKSONVILLE — The State Department of Child Care Licensing tells our news partner KETK it’s looking into allegations of unnecessary discipline on a three-year-old boy at a Jacksonville day care. The mother says she’s upset and believes an employee at Kids N Motion hit her son in the mouth for saying a bad word. But the owner of the day care says the incident never happened. State officials say with any allegation, they have to get involved and investigate. Right now they’re interviewing staff and reviewing tapes, and they say everyone at the day care is being cooperative.

AUSTIN – Wildfire survivors in Gregg County have one more day to meet with state and federal specialists at a recovery center that opened Monday in Longview. Through today, specialists from the state of Texas, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration will be on hand to answer questions and provide information on the types of assistance available to survivors. They also have brochures and other written materials on disaster recovery.

The location and remaining schedule are as follows:
Maude Cobb Activity Center
100 Grand Boulevard
Longview, TX 75604
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, September 28

Any Texas survivor who has questions about the recovery process or who needs help registering with FEMA is urged to stop by a center. Visiting with a recovery specialist is not a requirement for survivors who want disaster assistance, but officials say the centers are an excellent way for people to get answers to their questions about disaster aid and help applying for it.

Texans can register online at http://www.disasterassistance.gov or via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov. They can also register by telephone via FEMA’s toll-free numbers: 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 1-800-621-3362. Operators are available by phone from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.

BEAUMONT – The United States Senate has voted and, with unanimous consent, confirmed John Malcolm Bales as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. Bales is expected to be officially sworn in by a United States District Court Judge in the near future, but the date is not yet set. On June 28, 2011, President Barack Obama nominated Bales to be the 32nd U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas.

Bales, 56, of Nacogdoches, is a career prosecutor who has been the Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas since May 1, 2009. Previously Bales had served as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney and the Chief of the Criminal Division. The Eastern District of Texas is comprised of 43 counties stretching from the Oklahoma border to the Gulf of Mexico. The district includes six fully staffed offices in Beaumont, Plano, Tyler, Sherman, Texarkana, and Lufkin.

TYLER — According to Smith County officials, 16-year-old Nathaniel Anderson’s trial has been set for October 24. KETK has learned that Anderson has been indicted in his sister’s murder. Amanda Anderson, 19, (pictured) was found shot to death in their Chapel Hill home in September of last year. A short time later, her brother, then 15, was taken into custody. Indictment records obtained by KETK also show that Anderson’s bond has risen to $1.5 million dollars.

AUSTIN – More than $5.8 million in state and federal grants is on its way to eligible Texans, just two weeks since the state requested, and received, a federal disaster declaration for the historic wildfires. Officials from the Texas Division of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) say the money is headed toward eligible homeowners and renters in 13 Texas counties, including several in Northeast Texas. Those counties are Bastrop, Cass, Colorado, Gregg, Grimes, Houston, Leon, Marion, Montgomery, Travis, Walker, Waller and Williamson.

Officials say to date, nearly $4.7 million in Housing Assistance has been approved for Texans and nearly $726,000 in Other Needs Assistance (ONA). Almost $379,000 in Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) has been allocated for Texans whose jobs were lost or disrupted by wildfires. As of Friday, more than 3,000 Texas individuals and families had registered for that aid. Meanwhile, nearly 2,300 Texans had received answers to their questions about recovery programs or help with registering from specialists at six recovery centers in affected communities — and more centers are opening regularly.

MARSHALL — After years of overcrowding at the Harrison County Jail, the sheriff’s department will not have to house inmates in neighboring counties any longer. A new jail annex facility has been completed and passed its final inspections Friday. Sheriff Tom McCool says staff reported for last-minute training Monday, a day ahead of inmates’ anticipated arrival.

NACOGDOCHES — A fire that started in the vicinity of FM 343 and CR 839 Monday afternoon is believed to have been ignited when a truck caught fire, according to local authorities. About 10 acres and an out structure at Caney Creek Moulding at the intersection of Farm Road 343 and County Road 839 were consumed by fire, but firefighters’ quick response kept homes from being destroyed, according to County Sheriff Thomas Kerss.

At last report, firefighters appeared to be getting the fire on CR 839 under control. But as Sheriff Thomas Kerss said, “that could change at a moment’s notice.” Very few houses had to be evacuated. Officials said the residents weren’t being allowed to return home yet, just as a precaution.

TYLER – Tyler police are investigating an aggravated robbery at the Woodland Hills Apartments, 400 Grande Boulevard. It happened around 8:45 Monday night. A woman told officers she answered a knock at her door to find three men, who were armed, and who demanded money and valuables. They took several items and then fled in an unknown direction. No injuries were reported.

The suspects are described as black males in their early to mid 20s. One was about six feet talk with white tank top, tan shorts and gold bottom teeth with a do-rag on his head. The second was described as short with a white tank top and tan shorts. The third suspect was also wearing a white tank top with tan shorts and also wearing a do-rag.

LONGVIEW – Longview High School’s UIL coordinator resigned Monday after allegations of misconduct were made, district officials said. English teacher and University Interscholastic League Coordinator Josue Diaz’s resignation was immediately accepted by administrators, said Longview ISD spokesman Adam Holland. “At this time, the district is reviewing allegations to determine what, if any additional action might be necessary,” Holland said. Details on the nature of the allegations weren’t immediately available.

LONGVIEW – An uninhabited Longview home has been destroyed by fire. The fire was reported around 1:30 Monday morning the 500 block of Church Street. The home was being used for storage. No injuries were reported and the cause remains under investigation.

NACOGDOCHES – A two vehicle accident near Nacogdoches has left one person dead. The head-on collision Sunday night occurred on State Highway 7. Dead at the scene was Clarence Braddock III, 28, of Center. The Department of Public Safety reports his pickup, which was east bound, veered across the center stripe and hit a one ton pickup towing a 2009 Big Tex utility trailer. That driver was not injured.

TOPEKA, KAN. (AP) — Environmentalists are lining up in Kansas to tell State Department representatives they oppose the $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline, which would move oil to the Texas coast from Canada. The pipeline would go through eastern Smith County.

Rabbi Moti Rieber, coordinator of Kansas Interfaith Power & Light, joined the orderly procession of speakers Monday. The religious and environmental group leader called the 1,700-pipeline “a direct threat” to Kansas’ natural resources because of possible spills.

Gov. Sam Brownback says he supports the pipeline because it would boost national security by giving the U.S. a steady source of oil from a “friendly nation that’s next door.”

Labor union members support the pipeline because of the jobs it would create.

The State Department also is holding hearings in Texas, Montana, and elsewhere this week before deciding whether to approve the pipeline.

JACKSONVILLE — A recent attack near a Jacksonville elementary school, in a normally quiet neighborhood, has some on edge. And the biggest concern is that a small child could be next. According to KETK, Brady Street in Jacksonville was the scene of a horrific attack last Tuesday. One man says he came home from vacation to find several of his goats dead, and a few that were beyond saving, after a pack of wild dogs went after the animals. Neighbors say wild dogs in the area are nothing new, but an attack like this so close to a school is concerning. It’s reported that a few of the dogs have already been captured, and the city has allowed traps to be set up in the area near the incident in case the dogs return.