on ABC's World News with Charles Gibson.
It's not confirmed yet, but East Texas doctors are fearing the worst.
Tonight, the latest on the suspected H1N1 death of an East Texas child.
And the vaccines are coming, but the demand is going to be very high.
What you need to know to make sure you and your family can get a shot.
Well, just about perfect day outside, but don't get too comfortable.
The changes are on the way in the weather where you live.
KLTV 7 News at 6 starts right now.
Caring. Committed. Proud of East Texas.
This is KLTV 7 News at 6.
Your East Texas News Leader.
Good evening and thank you for joining us tonight. I'm Joe Terrell.
And I'm Inissa Centers.
Doctors say it could be a very long time before we know if an East Texas child's death was caused by the H1N1 virus.
Yeah, but tonight they are certainly leaning in that direction.
Nine-year-old Montrell Harris died yesterday at a Dallas hospital after testing positive for flu.
Harris, who was a student at Jack Elementary, and Tyler also suffered from severe respiratory conditions.
KLTV 7's Sarah Story met with Montrell's family today about what could be Smith County's first death from this virus.
He's a child. He just wouldn't stand still.
He runs and plays like everybody else and it was hard for us to keep up with him.
His family describes him as a boy who was full of energy.
But nine-year-old Montrell Harris' life was cut short yesterday by what health officials say was a flu-related death.
He's going to be well missed. Not just for me, but from his cousins, aunt, uncles, I mean everybody.
Stephanie Taylor with the Northeast Texas Public Health District says it may take weeks to confirm whether H1N1 is to blame.
The virus is attacking kids right around Montrell's age.
It's dramatically shifting to a younger population.
Another group, H1N1, targets the medically fragile.
And the kid's family says he battled chronic asthma since he was a baby.
He didn't let asthma get him down. That was one of his problems. He wouldn't stand still.
Tyler ISD says Jack Elementary will remain open and aggressive sanitary measures are being taken.
We had been taking a proactive approach since the start of school year.
We want to reassure parents that we are continuing with those practices of sanitizing our campuses.
And health officials say it's important parents don't panic.
But remember the flu virus is everywhere, not just in schools.
It's at your grocery stores. It's at your churches. It's everywhere.
From personal experience, this aunt says monitor your children closely.
If your child is sick, don't wait until the next day or two days later.
Get them to the doctor as soon as possible.
In Tyler, Sarah Story, KLTV 7 News.
The child's family is in need of money to help fund his funeral.
If you would like to donate, a memorial fund for Montrell Harris has been set up at Texas Bank and Trust in Tyler.
And Tyler ISD sent this letter home to parents this afternoon to better inform them of the death and what the district is doing in response.
The letter also urges parents to teach children the importance of washing hands and practicing good hygiene.
The CDC is warning that the virus could end up affecting 40 percent of the total U.S. workforce.
The Northeast Texas Public Health District announced today the vaccines are being shipped out and should arrive in the next few weeks.
We want to know how the shots will be distributed.
KLTV 7's Philippe Dujagal joins us now from outside a local clinic that could be receiving shots as soon as next week.
Philippe, can just anyone qualify to receive the vaccine?
Not exactly, Anissa. Hardly any of the cases of H1N1 flu virus reported have involved adults 45 years of age or older.
Only about 10 percent. That's, well, the average age has been about 10.
So doctors are recommending that young people and adults with pre-existing conditions are saying those people should be a priority.
It's been ordered, it's been produced, and it should be arriving in the community shortly.
Though, unlike the seasonal flu, the H1N1 vaccine will only be purchased and distributed by the federal government through public health agencies.
Of course it flows downhill to the state health department and then to local health departments to disperse in their communities.
I haven't heard of any shortages so I don't think it's going to be one of these things where they're stiff-arming people at the door and not allowing them because you're not sick enough.
There is no enforcement mechanism set forth by the government, but the CDC recommends that doctors administer the vaccine to those most at risk of catching the virus.
That's pregnant women, teachers, health care and emergency personnel because they're a potential source of infection for vulnerable patients,
adults with chronic illnesses, and a range of six months to 24-year-olds because they're in environments where the virus can easily spread.
The virus tends to be influencing younger populations, so the recommendations are for the younger population to receive the vaccination first.
There's not going to be the vaccine police at every doctor's office checking people's status or anything like that. This is a recommendation.
Meaning, once doctors receive the vaccine, it is entirely to their discretion as to who receives the shot.
And we're fortunate that the vaccine industry has been able to provide a vaccine with this amount of turnaround.
Anissa, it's important to note that the government is not charging an upfront fee to the patient for the vaccine.
That's free, but it's going to be up to the primary care physician or the health care administrator to decide whether or not to charge a co-pay for the shot. Anissa?
Philippe, we heard earlier reports that some people may have to receive several shots in order to build up immunity and not catch the virus. Is that the case?
Yeah, that's right, Anissa. Those 10 years of age or younger will have to get two shots, both within a month.
And that's essentially because children have no immunity to H1N1. Anissa?
Makes sense. Thank you so much, Philippe Jagal, for that live report.
A suspected East Texas murderer is dead tonight. Brigham County Sheriff's investigators say Brett Michael Birdwell was found unresponsive in his cell early this morning.
Birdwell was charged with the 2008 murders of Neal and June Killingsworth of Longview.
Right now, the Texas Rangers are investigating Birdwell's death as a possible suicide.
A follow-up now. Criminal charges could come tomorrow in the case of a four-year-old girl who took a loaded gun to school.
Tyler Police say they received several reports of the incident, which happened Monday at St. Gregory Catholic School.
According to the school, the child's parent accidentally left the gun in the girl's backpack.
In her own words, exactly one week after John Tyler teacher Todd Henry was stabbed to death, the school's principal says she's not going anywhere.
My focus, and I tell you this from the bottom of my heart, my focus has been on the students and staff at John Tyler High School.
What it does or doesn't do to my resume, I can't control, but what I can control is how we react and what we do to ensure success after such a tragedy.
And my number one priority and focus is to ensure our kids are safe and to ensure they get the education that they want and deserve.
New tonight at 10, Dr. Carol Saxenian speaks exclusively with KLTV 7's Laryn Livingston over campus security, the atmosphere inside John Tyler,
and what's being done to keep that campus moving forward. That's new tonight only on KLTV 7 News at 10.
Negotiations reached a dead end and now another GM brand is headed to the scrap heap. That's coming up a little later.
Plus, they offer a whole smorgasbord of fried, sugary, and on a stick foods. But where are the bargains?
Chief Eats, fair edition, next on KLTV 7, your East Texas News Leader.
You're watching KLTV 7 News at 6. Awarded Best Newscast by the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters.
Times Square Cinema.
Good news for East Texas drivers today. If you're heading east or west in Tyler, your commute should be cut some.
Sirens from Tyler Police and Fire Department vehicles celebrated the grand opening of Grand Boulevard in South Tyler.
Community leaders gathered as Mayor Bass cut the ceremonial ribbon, making the East-West thoroughfare officially ready for traffic.
Come trial Grand Boulevard. You're going to love driving on it. It's a wide open roadway and it is designed for safety
and it's designed to handle the traffic loads.
That 13 million dollar project extends Granday Boulevard from Sutherland Drive to Paluxy Drive and also widens stretches of New Copeland Road.
The next phase, expected to be finished by the end of the year, will expand Granday from Paluxy to Highway 110.
Tonight, we're bringing Chief Eats back for a special edition.
Yeah, paying the East Texas State Fair a visit could have you paying more than you need. So we sent KLTV7's Morgan Chesky out to find lunches
and a non-water drink for five dollars or less, including tax. He found some great food and yeah, he may have had some fun too.
The East Texas State Fair offers a smorgasbord of sights, sounds, and smells. And it smells I'm after, just not these.
The smells of fair foods are great ones. Translation, Chief Eats everywhere.
Like right here at Dubbs Barbecue Stand where a sign says it all.
We're in search of Chief Eats and we saw the 99 cent sign so we're good there.
And everybody's favorite was no surprise.
Just getting a 99 cent chopped beef sandwich.
99 cent barbeque sandwich.
Art serves up the delicious deal.
It's a chopped beef sandwich with fries and a drink.
And all of it only costs five dollars flat. I look to my left and get shorty. Shorties that is.
A Cajun institution looking to educate me.
It's about the spice. It's about the seasoning. Making it, you know, have that flavor.
No shortage of flavor here. Owner Karen Minnix dishes up a steaming bowl of gumbo, sending me straight to the bayou.
And oh yeah, it's only five bucks. I weave my way through crowds to Tater Hut, expert in all things spud.
They whip up a foot long hot dog with all the fixings and a tee for yeah, you guessed it, five dollars.
Next, when you see the giant cone, look to your left. Aaron's Smokehouse is hard to miss.
Owner Darryl Aaron gives me some of the good stuff.
An apple smoked chopped beef sandwich, chips and a drink for just five bucks even.
Yeah, it's pretty big. Hell yeah.
No tiebreakers here. Everyone today is a Cheap Eats champion.
Ann Tyler, Morgan Chesky, KLTV 7 News.
That last sandwich was pretty good. It was big too, wasn't it Mark?
Morgan says there are plenty more places to get Cheap Eats at the fair if you know where to look.
In fact, we have one deal exclusively on our website. You go there to KLTV.com, click on the Cheap Eats icon.
It's in the lower right. Come on. There it is right there. Click it.
And there you will find Cheap Eats Fair Edition. Click on that and you'll find our exclusive deal there.
I can't believe Morgan can still fit into his clothes.
That's that metabolism. He's like 16 years old. He's amazing.
He's not really 16. He's going to get me for even saying that. He looks younger than he is.
The weather. Yeah, you're heading out to the fair this evening. It's beautiful out there right now.
But tomorrow evening it may be a little bit of a different story, a little breezier. No question about that.
But as far as seeing any severe weather that may be after the fair closes, we'll give you more details on the next several days.
In a few minutes. Stick around.
Two can Dine for $19.99 is back.
The Storm Tracker 7 Live Doppler Network. The most accurate weather where you live.
Hey, you can get those Cheap Eats tonight. Weather's nice too.
Now tomorrow, as I mentioned, things are going to change a little bit around here.
We've got a front that's going to move out of the Rockies into the Texas Panhandle overnight tonight.
And believe it or not, I was just checking a few seconds ago, the Western counties right up along Texas and New Mexico.
They've got a freeze watch in effect for tonight. That's just how cold the air will be there.
Not here. Not here. Did I say not here, Anissa? Not here.
All right. So let's go and check Storm Tracker Live Doppler Network. Always live.
Not here, though. Freeze watch. Not here. Not for probably a few more weeks.
We're looking for conditions to just stay as nice here over the next several hours, slowly cooling down to around 66.
Humidity is increasing, though. You may kind of notice things have changed a little bit as far as the field,
although a great day starting to feel a little more humid and it's going to be windy tomorrow.
The rain should be moving in late in the day, increasing cloudiness as well.
Those winds out of the south, 12 to 20, maybe gusts 25, maybe to 30 later in the afternoon.
Well, because of a storm system, cold front is going to work its way out of the Colorado Rockies.
Not quite in Denver yet, but it's getting awfully close. And as it passes on through, things are going to change quite a bit around here.
90 in Amarillo, 90 in Midland. And again, things looking for a freeze watch over the Western counties.
They're 90 right now. There's a little punch to that front.
And as it makes its way again into the far northwestern parts of the Panhandle overnight tonight and in the morning,
we're going to see that front move through our area late tomorrow evening.
The storm should be out ahead and along that front. So it looks like by tomorrow afternoon or Friday afternoon,
weather conditions should be really nice. Saturday looking good, too.
But things are going to change on Sunday as this front slows and then eventually backs up as a warm front,
bringing rain chances back into our forecast.
This is where the slight risk will be as those storms make their way through the area.
There's a possibility of some large hail and very gusty winds as well.
So we've kind of warned you ahead of time. Just kind of keep that in mind.
September, though, just about over.
Look at some of these rainfall totals from the rain that we've had this month.
Over 15, almost 16 inches in Grand Saline, almost 11 in Mineola, 10.355 in Hughes Springs.
Longview had 6.70 inches. And that's just the biggest seven from our weather watch as it called in today.
Rec Law, which is Walker spelled backwards, 81 degrees right now. That is our weather where you live location.
And we've got Relit that is Tyler spelled backwards, but we say Tyler, 83.
And kind of a mostly cloudy sky. I'm not going to even try Longview. 80 degrees is the current temperature.
Jacksonville is 81, partly cloudy, and it's 83 in Lufkin with wind out of the east southeast at about 8.
Again, the fare for tomorrow, I would say if you're going to go, go early.
Chances for storms developing during the evening and nighttime hours.
So we start off with that 66, 85 again, gusty winds. Kind of keep that in mind too throughout your day.
If you're going to do fishing, a little golf, whatever you're going to do with wind as a factor, it is going to be a breezy day tomorrow.
But by afternoon, I think on Friday, 81 sunshine. Saturday looking pretty good as well.
But then, as I mentioned to you, that front backs up as a warm front late Sunday and into Monday and then Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Chances for those scattered showers will be in the forecast.
So it's going to be kind of humid, a little bit on the damp side, scattered showers possible each of those days.
All right. All right. Thanks so much for the warning. You're welcome.
Thanks, Mark. Backwards talker.
Into the road up next while you won't be seeing these cars in showrooms much longer.
Plus, it's not new Coke, but America's biggest soft drink brand is changing.
That's coming up on KLTV 7, your East Texas news leader.
The 7 Precision cast gives you the first alert days in advance.
So East Texans are always ready.
Notice this strong lineup from the storm.
The Storm Tracker 7 Advantage only from KLTV 7 and KLTV dot com.
The man who kidnapped, raped and buried a nine year old Florida girl alive has died.
Prison officials say John Cooey died of natural causes at a Jacksonville, Florida hospital.
Cooey was sentenced to death for the 2005 kidnapping and murder of Jessica Lunsford.
The case led to numerous restrictions being imposed on sex offenders.
Eighty-three people are now confirmed dead from yesterday's massive earthquake in Samoa.
Today, FEMA officials announced military transports are heading to the islands with food, medicine and setups for temporary morgues.
Debris had to be cleared from the runway at the main airport in American Samoa to let those planes land there.
Saturn the planet is fine, but Saturn the company is no more.
GM announced it is ending its Saturn production line after negotiations to sell the company fell through.
Penske Automotive had been announced as a buyer, but talks fell through on concerns about whether GM will continue to make the car.
A Senate vote on the president's health care overhaul could come within the next two weeks.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced today the bill could go to the full Senate by October 12.
This announcement comes just a day after the Senate Finance Committee voted against setting up a government insurance program or public option.
Well, the look of Coca-Cola is changing.
Today, the company announced it will change packaging on all Coke products to better display nutritional information.
This information will include calories per serving and will be added to the sides of most, almost all Coca-Cola products.
No hammer, no nails, just a lot of East Texans breaking a sweat to help put a roof over others' heads.
This warm-up exercise to help East Texans in need? That's next on KLTV 7, your East Texas News Leader.
East Texans hit the streets to help low-income families get homes.
Yeah, the second annual Buildopoly fundraiser for Longview Habitat for Humanity was held today at the High Street Shopping Center.
Volunteers and sponsors walked to First Presbyterian Church for a program on this year's Habitat goals.
The fundraisers life that I'm participating in today, it's an honor for people to come out and give to people who really need.
And I'm one of the needed people right now because I need a home for my kids.
Since its founding in 1985, Longview Habitat has provided affordable housing for more than 45 families.
Did you see those women in heels walking? That was impressive.
They did some stretching there beforehand, which is proper. That's good.
My hats are off to you.
Your shoes are off to you too.
For real.
Actually they are. Thanks for watching. Stay right here for KLTV 7 News at 10.
And remember, you can always find the very latest news, weather, and sports 24-7 at KLTV.com. Have a good night.
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