Happy New Year!

The old give way to the young. New thoughts sprout from fertile ground.

While the New Year beckons us with many promises, don't forget to give the old year its due.

Learn from past mistakes and carry the lessons of time with you.

This year resolve to laugh more, love more, forgive more, friend more and learn more.

May 2011 be your best year yet!

Really - grave robbers!

by Ron Trevino/11 News
khou.com
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 7:10 PM
Updated today at 7:12 PM

HOUSTON – A search was under way Monday for seven people accused of stealing from a graveyard, The Houston Police Department and Harris County Sheriff's Office said.

Around 400 brass vases were stolen from grave markers at Brookside Memorial Park Cemetery in northeast Houston during the weekend of Nov. 5, investigators said.

The vandalism has broken the hearts of families visiting the graves of their loved ones this holiday season.

"A lot of the times when they went up to the gravesites that had the vases missing, the flowers that were inside them were just thrown to the ground, willy-nilly," said Lt. Jeff Stauber, with the Harris County Sheriff's Office.


READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE AT KHOU

Apartment blaze cause sought.

by khou.com staff
khou.com
Posted on December 5, 2010 at 11:19 AM

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – Authorities were investigating after a house caught fire early Sunday in northwest Harris County.
Firefighters said they arrived to the scene near the intersection of Battleoak and Woodland Oaks around 4 a.m. and found the home heavily engulfed in flames.

Authorities said fire crews had to leave the home, as the blaze burned through the roof. The fire was eventually put out.
Firefighters said no one was home at the time, and no injuries were reported.
Authorities said arson would be called to investigate the cause.

NW Houston apartment complex burns

Flames gutted at least four apartments and damaged several others Monday evening after a fire broke out at a northwest Houston complex, officials said.
Thick clouds of smoke poured from a downstairs apartment about 7:15 p.m. when Houston firefighters pulled into the Willowchase Apartments in the 8300 block of Willow Place South, HFD officials said.

Despite early reports that someone might be trapped inside one of the apartments, an initial search by firefighters indicated that wasn't the case, officials said.
The fire was brought under control within about 45 minutes. There are no official reports of any injuries, although HFD officials at the scene were checking reports that someone might have gone to the hospital by private car.

Joe Felix and his family returned to the apartments after dinner to find the street in front of the complex blocked by several fire trucks.
"We wondered what happened. It's very concerning," Felix said.
Felix was greatful that his apartment escaped any damage but was worried about his neighbors.

"You don't want anything to happen to anybody — especially during the holidays," Felix said.


The building that caught fire has 12 units — of which 10 were occupied, HFD officials said.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Candlelight vigil held for teen crash victims

T.J. Aulds / The Daily N

Galveston County Daily News website
DICKINSON, Texas — Hundreds of teenagers packed under a carport and stood in the street outside a classmate’s Dickinson home Monday for a candlelight vigil to mourn the loss of the 17-year-old and her sister.

Maria Guadalupe Castillo and her sibling Mayra Jaramillo Castillo, 22, died in a fiery crash in Webster early Sunday morning when the truck they were riding in slid off the interstate before slamming into a groves of trees and bursting into flames.

"I don’t know; I still think they are going to walk in (to the house)," Claudia Castillo, 24, Maria and Mayra’s older sister, said.

Claudia called her sisters "fun loving" and loved by all that knew them. They were the middle sisters in a close-knit family of five girls, their parents and dozens of cousins.

The family lives together in a collection of trailers just outside the Dickinson city limits.

Maria was a junior at Dickinson High School where she was a former class president, a member of the National Honor Society, a member of the soccer team and a student mentor in the school’s PALS program, Claudia said. The 17-year-old also worked at a local hotel as a front desk clerk, her older sister said.

HPD: Good Samaritan killed in gas station robbery near Meyerland

by khou.com staff
khou.com
Posted on November 11, 2010 at 8:58 AM
Updated today at 9:03 AM

HOUSTON—A good Samaritan was killed early Thursday trying to stop a purse-snatcher at a southwest Houston gas station, according to police.
Police said a woman pulled up to the Chevron gas station on Beechnut at the West Loop Freeway around 12:30 a.m. She walked up to the exterior window to make a purchase when a man with a gun ran up and snatched her purse.
A male customer who witnessed the robbery got out of his red Nissan pickup truck and tried to help the woman.
The suspect shot the man once in the head and fled the scene with the woman’s purse. The victim was taken to Ben Taub hospital, where he later died.

Relatives questioned in beating death of NW Houston woman

HOUSTON – Authorities were questioning two people Saturday night after an elderly woman was found beaten and strangled in her northwest Houston home.
Police said officers arrived at a home near the intersection of Candlemist and Marcella around 10:00 p.m. and found 86-year-old Mildred Johnson lying dead, face down on the floor.

Gary Thompson, the victim’s nephew, was the first to find Johnson. He said his aunt lived a long life and he was heartbroken by how she was killed.
"Her face looked like a pancake, like they stomped her," said Thompson. "Then, I saw the cord around her neck which told me someone had strangled her."
Family members said they did not see the woman’s car and noticed a bunch of her belongings were missing, including a flat screen TV.

READ THE FULL STORY AT KHOU HERE

Houston murders may be work of a serial killer

by Michelle Homer / khou.com
khou.com
Posted on November 1, 2010 at 1:38 PM
Updated today at 1:42 PM


HOUSTON – Police are looking into a possible link between the strangulation murders of at least three women since June.
The most recent cases involved homeless women. The body of Carol Flood, 62, was found on Oct. 10 in a stairwell behind the old YMCA building. She was partially nude. On Sept. 30, Retia LaFaye Long, 52, was found dead behind the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart at 1700 San Jacinto.

Now police believe the same killer may have strangled Raquel Mundy last June 17, then dumped her body in a field in the 300 block of St. Charles.
Mundy, 24, was murdered after accepting a ride from a stranger when she was stranded downtown.

She had dropped her mom and two kids off at the Greyhound bus station downtown around 1:30 a.m. Thursday. She then discovered her car had been towed from a McDonald’s parking lot across the street.
Mundy tried to call friends and relatives, but couldn’t find anyone to give her a ride to the tow lot. Witnesses saw her get into a grey car with an unknown man, according to police.

Mundy later sent a text message to her mother saying she thought she was in danger and feared the man was going to hurt her.
Angela Collins was still on the bus to California with her two grandchildren when she got the disturbing message.

She tried frantically to reach Mundy. Collins then called several relatives and asked them to try to find Mundy.
By the time the bus arrived in California, there was still no sign of her daughter.
"Next call we got, they had found the body. It was my baby, Collins said as she choked back tears. "This man took away my baby."
An autopsy revealed Mundy had been strangled.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE AT KHOU

Suspect sought in double shooting

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Authorities are asking for the public's assistance in identifying a suspect wanted in the fatal shooting of a male and wounding of a female in northwest Houston earlier this month.

A witness took pictures of the unknown wanted suspect who is described only as a black or Hispanic male with long hair, about 5 feet 9 inches tall and 160 to 180 pounds.

The suspect is wanted in the killing of Justin Thompson, 19, and wounding of a 52-year-old female.
The female suffered non life-threatening wounds and was transported to an area hospital.
Police say the unknown suspect and Thompson (the second suspect) went to a residence at 3341 Creekmont about 2:30pm on October 10 to meet with the female to conduct a drug transaction.

When Thompson and the female were inside the residence, the suspect fired shots into the home, striking Thompson and the female. The suspect then fled the scene.
Robbery is believed to be the motive in the shooting.

Anyone with information in this case or the identity of the suspect is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
(Copyright ©2010 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

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HPD: Cab driver found dead in burned taxi

by khou.com staff
khou.com
Posted on October 14, 2010 at 9:00 AM
Updated today at 9:48 AM

HOUSTON – Police were investigating after a cab driver’s body was found in a burned taxi in west Houston Thursday morning.
The man was discovered dead in the driver’s seat in the 12100 block of Overbrook around 5 a.m. The cause of death was not known.
It was the second time in a week that a cab driver was found dead in Houston. Police discovered an abandoned cab Tuesday in the same area. A body believed to be that of the cab driver was later discovered dumped in the 5400 block of Wheatley.
Police did not say if the two deaths were connected.
In a statement released late Thursday morning, Yellow Cab addressed the deaths.
"We join the Houston community in being very concerned and saddened by today’s news that a second independent contractor cab driver has been allegedly involved in a homicide. We are cooperating fully with the proper authorities," the statement rea

Breaking: 3 Alarm Fire in NW Houston

HOUSTON – A three-alarm fire displaced at least 37 families Wednesday in northwest Houston.

The fire broke out at about 2:30 p.m. at the Driscoll Place Apartments in the 1300 block of Gears Road at Greensmark Drive.

Air 11 video showed thick black smoke stretched across the sky as firefighters battled the large flames that burned through the units.

At least one person was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, fire officials said.

At least 37 units were affected by the fire, according to a preliminary damage assessment by the Red Cross. Red Cross volunteers were assisting families with emergency-disaster relief.

There was no word on what started the fire. Arson investigators were on scene.

9-11 call - backfires because of open laptop.

by Courtney Zubowski / 11 News
khou.com
Posted on October 12, 2010 at 11:37 PM
Updated today at 9:54 AM

HOUSTON -- A woman who called 911 to anonymously report a crime says she’s in fear for her life after the man she turned in called her just minutes after she placed the call.

According to the woman, who does not want to be identified, on Oct. 1, she was driving near Beltway 8 and Veterans Memorial Drive when she witnessed a man in the car next to her beating his passenger. She did not know either one of them.

“I saw him hitting her and he was taking his fist and he was just hitting her, aside her, just hitting her and I’m like this is crazy,” said the woman.

She placed the 911 call at 1:28 p.m. and thought that would be the end of her involvement, but 30 minutes later she learned it was just the beginning.

“About 1:54 p.m. my phone rang back and it was the suspect,” she said. “He was asking me ‘Who was this, who is this’ and I am like, ‘Who is this, you called my number,’ and then he hung up."

After that call came another, and this time it was a woman’s voice, she said.

“She called me just as he hung up and it was like, ‘Ma’am, are you the concerned lady that called about my welfare,’ and I am like,

‘Excuse me,’ and she said, ‘Well I’m OK,’ and I said, ‘Excuse me,’” said the woman.

She received another call the next morning from the Harris County Jail where the suspect was in custody. He was arrested for outstanding warrants, but never charged with assault.

“My phone rings again and it says, ‘You have a call from Harris County processing jail,’ and I immediately hung up,” she said.
“I will never, ever get involved with anything else again, not when it comes to me being fearful of the surroundings in my life.”

A spokesperson for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office says as far as she knows, this is the first time something like this has happened in their department.

HCSO spokesperson Christina Garza said the suspect was put in the back of a Harris County patrol car while the deputy talked to the woman he was accused of hitting. It was then he was able to read the woman’s phone number off of a laptop computer the deputy had left open in the front seat.

“It’s a very unique situation,” Garza said. “It’s never happened and we certainly don’t want this to discourage her, or anybody, from reporting crime to authorities.”

Garza said it’s common practice to keep laptops closed, but it’s not policy. In some situations, deputies are forced to rush out of cars quickly.

”If anyone is to blame in this situation, it’s the suspect who violated such important information and took it upon himself to do this,” said Garza.

Garza said the department is sending out e-mails to all deputies to remind them to keep their laptops closed.

The suspect is not facing charges for memorizing the information, or calling the woman. Garza said there is no proof that he ever threatened the woman.


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The 911 caller disagrees.

“I was threatened,” she said. “I was threatened when he received my information. My information should have been protected. I was threatened at that point, so what point of threat do they not understand?

13 Houston schools receive powder letters

by khou.com staff
Posted on October 8, 2010 at 8:09 PM

HOUSTON – At least 13 HISD schools received envelopes Friday containing a white powdery substance, according to an HISD spokesperson.
A Houston Fire Department Hazmat team was sent to each school to collect the envelopes.
Preliminary testing showed the substance appeared to be non-hazardous. The powder was tested for radiation, explosives and volatile chemicals. Further tests are being conducted.

The schools were Alcott Elementary, Almeda Elementary, Anderson Elementary, Ashford Elementary, Attucks Middle School, Barrick Elementary, Bastian Elementary, Black Middle School, Blackshear Elementary and Browning Elementary.
Fonville Middle School, Briar Meadow Elementary School and Bellaire High School were added to the list Friday evening.
HISD said its top priority is making sure all schools are safe before students return on Monday.

"All of our school administrators are going through their mail and are trying to identify any envelopes that may look suspicious," said HISD Police Chief Jimmie Dotson.
The typewritten envelopes were addressed to the schools, not individuals, and contained no notes. Each contained about a teaspoon of white powder.
The FBI, U.S. Postal Service, HPD and HFD are assisting HISD with the investigation.


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No waiting: Houston ship channel back in business

UPDATE 1-Coast Guard says no wait to exit Houston Channel

HOUSTON Oct 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. Coast Guard said no ships were waiting Thursday morning to leave the Houston Ship Channel, and 33 ships were lined up to enter the waterway to the busiest U.S petrochemical port after a three-day outage, which ended on Wednesday.

As many as 67 ships were waiting to enter or exit the waterway by the time early on Wednesday that workers had removed a leaning electrical highline tower that threatened to tumble into the waterway after being struck by a barge on Sunday morning.

Four Houston refineries were unable to receive crude oil by ship during the closure, but none said prodcution was cut during the wait that ended Wednesday when the first ships up the channel were crude tankers.

About 44 ships were waiting to enter the channel when it reopened on Wednesday morning and it might appear only 11 have moved up the channel, but the Coast Guard said several ships were added to the line waiting in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday.

"It's a consant flow," said a Coast Guard spokesman.

There are about 12 ships more than on a average day waiting to move into the channel, the spokesman said. (Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by John Picinich)


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Drug deal goes bad - two shot - one dead.

khou.com
Posted on October 7, 2010 at 7:26 AM
Updated today at 8:45 AM

HOUSTON—A 24-year-old man was killed and his brother injured after the two were shot in what appears to be a drug deal gone bad Wednesday evening, according to HPD Homicide detectives.
Police officers responded to a home on Winter Briar at Winter Seasons in southwest Houston for reports of a drive-by shooting.

They arrived around 9 p.m. to find two brothers had been shot. They said the actual shooting took place at another location about a half-mile away, but the brothers somehow made it back home.
Police believe the brothers drove their Cadillac a few blocks from their home to meet a group of men and purchase drugs. Some sort of altercation occurred and one of the men opened fire on the brothers.

"The exact circumstances are unclear as to what transpired a t the two locations, but we have one dead," said Sgt. Thomas Biggs, HPD Homicide Division. "We believe we have all of the players in custody.

The bullet traveled completely through one of the brothers. Police said he was shot in the chest or the back, but it is unclear which point is the entry and exit.
The other brother was shot in the foot. He was taken to Southwest Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he was treated and released. He returned to the scene to talk to police.
Several suspects were taken in for questioning and police said they definitely know one of them is the shooter.


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Breaking: Houston Ship Channel Closed!

HOUSTON, Texas

—A four-mile stretch of the Houston Ship Channel remained closed to marine traffic Monday after a barge slammed into a tower supporting a high-voltage electric transmission line, threatening to topple it into the channel.

Coast Guard officials said a towing vessel named Safety Quest was pushing three barges loaded with scrap metal about 6 a.m. Sunday when it smashed into a Baytown power line, which remained upright only with the support of one of the barges.
No injuries were reported, but the six-member boat crew moved to another vessel and to safety.
Officials said the section from Crystal Bay to the Blackwell Peninsula would remain closed until at least Tuesday night.

"The situation is a little bit unstable right now," said Capt. Marcus Woodring. "The lines are sagging and we cannot allow any vessels to pass underneath with the unstable situation and chance of those lines falling in the water."
Centerpoint Energy officials said the power had been shut off to the line because crews had previously been working on a nearby tower. They said no customers had lost electricity following the crash.
Eighteen inbound vessels attempted to get into the port early Tuesday afternoon, and many remained anchored off the coast of Galveston. Twelve outbound commercial ships were also stuck.
The 25-mile waterway is lined by the nation’s biggest complex of petrochemical plants. The Port of Houston ranks first in the nation in foreign waterborne tonnage and imports and second in U.S. export tonnage and total tonnage.

"Anytime you see something like this, you hate it, because it’s affecting people and how they make their money," said Richard Zeno, a tugboat captain who was not involved in the crash but watched the teetering tower as he was fishing with his family Sunday.

Coast Guard officials said the ship channel handles more than $320 million in cargo and crude daily, meaning the Port of Houston would lose about $1 billion if the waterway stayed closed until Tuesday night.

"Commerce, of course, is very, very important," said Chief Warrant Officer Lionel Bryant. "But we don’t want to put lives in jeopardy doing so."

"This is actually very difficult because the tower is actually sitting on the barge," Bryant said.
The Coast Guard said the boat’s owner is St. Louis-based AEP River Operations.

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Mayor shutting down fueling stations due to LUST

Mayor to shut most of city's fuel stations

Mayor Annise Parker plans to shut down two-thirds of the city's 99 fueling stations, a cost-cutting measure intended to reduce the city's potential liability for leaking contaminants.
While the closures will save the city in the long run, the process of removing underground fuel storage tanks can be expensive. The price skyrockets if underground tanks are found to be leaking fuel or oil, requiring expensive remediation to dispose of contaminated soil to safeguard surrounding neighborhoods. In some cases, monitoring wells have to be drilled to make sure the leaking fuel products have not contaminated the groundwater under the sites.

In the last three years, the city has paid private contractors $5.8 million to replace underground storage tanks at city fire and police stations, public works facilities and parks. A number of the sites where tanks had leaked had to undergo extensive soil removal and other remediation efforts, according to records obtained by the Houston Chronicle.

For example, in February the city had to increase a $323,375 tank replacement contract to haul off 200 tons of soil and dispose of thousands of gallons of contaminated fuel at its Northwest Vehicle Maintenance Facility, in the 1200 block of Judiway.

Last December, the city paid $840,000 to replace six older fuel tanks at Wheeler Park and install three new ones. The cost grew when a larger amount of contaminated soil and fuel than expected was discovered in the bottom of one tank pit, records show.
$1.1 million tab

Similarly, the city ended up with a $1.1 million tab in January 2008, after paying more money to contractors who had to remove buried electrical conduits and 284 cubic yards of contaminated soil as they replaced two leaking fuel storage tanks at the old Houston police station at 61 Riesner.
"We have dozens and dozens of fuel storage facilities," Parker said recently. "We want to have a certain number of them for strategic purposes — for emergency vehicles and post-hurricane, for example - but, for the most part, they are a liability issue and we end up with fuel inventory that just sits there. And in Houston, you're not very far from a gas station."

Parker has identified 55 city fueling stations she intends to shut down immediately. Eventually, the number of stations may be trimmed to as few as 30, aides confirmed. The city plans to retain fueling stations in locations that are distributed around the city to make it convenient for city vehicles to gas up.

Councilman Steve Costello, a civil engineer, backs Parker's plan and envisions some of the fueling sites being sold to bolster city finances.
"Anytime we can consolidate resources and make better use of our fueling stations, I think that's a great idea," Costello said. "If that means closing down some of these stations and having excess property we can sell, that's even better to help us bridge some of the budget gaps we have."

Reducing the number of fuel stations is one part of an ambitious effort under way by Parker to balance the budget by shaving $22 million from fleet operation costs this year and next, including a cut in the number of municipal employees with take-home vehicles and consolidation of city vehicle garages. Parker is searching for a director to head a new city fleet management office, and is planning to ask the City Council to approve the hiring of CST Fleet Services, a North Carolina consulting firm known for reducing fleet operation costs.

A LUST problem
Houston is not alone in contending with a serious environmental problem known as LUST - Leaking Underground Storage Tanks - that has festered quietly across the state and nation for decades. Texas environmental officials say their database of leaking fuel tanks dates back to 1972.
Texas currently has more than 55,600 underground storage tanks in use, including 7,536 in Harris County. Leaks have been discovered at 26,048 sites, including 3,411 in Harris County. To date, the majority across the state have been cleaned up, but there are 2,363 underground tank sites where cleanup operations are still going on, state officials say.

"Monitoring tanks that are being used is very important, because, if you have fuel in those tanks, we want to make sure it doesn't get out into the environment because it can definitely cause problems for people," said Victoria Modak, a specialist with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's leaking tank program in Austin. "As great as our technology is ... there still are releases, despite all of our efforts. So, it's good to keep a handle on that, make sure we're tracking when they have a release and things are getting cleaned up."

Modak said the TCEQ estimates the average cost for environmental cleanup of the site of an underground tank is $84,705, although she noted there is a procedure for sealing the tanks and leaving them in place. That practice can lead to problems in future land sales, however.
It makes sense, Modak said, for cities such as Houston to replace aging tanks, even if they are not leaking, and invest in storage tanks with updated technology to prevent and detect leak

Man found dead in NW Houston shopping center

HOUSTON -- A man was found dead in the parking lot of a Northwest Houston shopping center.
Houston police said the body was found on Kempwood Drive near Blalock Road at about 3:30 a.m. Sunday.
The man suffered multiple gunshot wounds, police said.

The man's name has not been released.

Detectives said they don't have any suspects or witnesses.
Anyone with information is asked to call the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

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Suspect ditches officers after chase in northwest Harris County

khou.com
Posted on September 24, 2010 at 10:38 AM


HOUSTON—Authorities were searching for a suspect Friday that got away after leading officers on a chase in northwest Harris County.
Precinct 5 deputy constables attempted to pull over a car on Patterson near Highway 6, but the driver refused to stop.
He took off down Patterson, before bailing out of the vehicle and running into the woods near the Addicks Reservoir.
Precinct 5 constables, Harris County deputies and K-9 units searched the perimeter, but could not find the suspect.


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Plane crashes in NW Harris County

HOUSTON—A small plane crashed Monday in a parking lot near Hwy. 290 at Telge Road in northwest Harris County, according to the Cy-Fair EMS.
Four people onboard the plane survived. They were treated at the scene and released.

The plane, however, was a total loss.
It went down around 1 p.m. in the parking lot of a business that sells used buses. The crash scene isn’t far from Weiser Air Park.

Officials said the plane apparently overshot the runway and crashed through a fence before coming to a rest in the parking lot.

The identities of the pilot and passengers were not known.

9/11 contrail explained.

No - it wasn't aliens - or "chemtrails" or fighters on patrol on the anniversary of 9/11 - but rather a NASA high altitude research aircraft that caused the "mysterious" contrails over the Houston area Saturday.

Houston Airport Systems spokeswoman Marlene McClinton told Local 2 that NASA's WB-57 is a high-altitude aircraft, operating out of Ellington Field.
"It is taking air samples between 45,000 and 51,000 feet," said McClinton.

According to McClinton, it was a normal operation, but due to atmospheric conditions, the contrails were extremely visible.

Many callers said the plane looked like a big commercial passenger plane with the NASA oogo on it.
"It was just circling," said Cindy Hamilton who lives in Friendswood.
She saw the plane around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.

"It would go north and just circle back to the south. I was just concerned because of what day it is. Seeing the plane brought back memories," Hamilton said.
Karon Wisdom saw the plane in Channelview circling for hours.

"Because its 9/11, everyone's keeping their eye on the sky," she said. "I thought either someone was watching out for us on the Gulf Coast, or something weird was happening."

NASA officials said the aircraft was testing out a new instrument and that "they have made several flights this week. It's unfortunate for the atmospheric conditions that made it very visible on 9/11."
Officials said it was nothing to be alarmed about.


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Breaking: Fire destroys Houston complex

by khou.com staff
khou.com
Posted on September 15, 2010 at 11:20 AM

HOUSTON—Eight units were completely destroyed and several families were displaced after a two-alarm fire damaged part of a southwest Houston apartment complex Wednesday morning.
Fire officials rushed to the burning apartments on Wilcrest at South Drive around 6:45 a.m.
HFD said they had a slight water pressure issue in the beginning, but managed to quickly get the fire under control. No firefighters were injured and all of the families got out safely.
One child standing outside was checked for smoke inhalation at the scene. He was determined to be OK.

Arson investigators do not know how the fire started at this time.


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Hawaii beats Pearland for Little League World Series title shot.

South Williamsport, PA (Sports Network) - Noah Shackles went 2-for-2 with a homer, two RBI and three runs scored to back Ezra Heleski's two-hitter, and the Waipahu, Hawaii little league team beat Pearland, Texas, 10-0, in the United States championship game of the Little League World Series.

In the international title game, Ryota Norimatsu tied the game with an RBI single in the sixth, and Ryo Motegi's run-scoring single in the seventh won it, leading Japan to a 3-2 victory over Chinese Taipei.

In addition to striking out six over five shutout innings, Heleski went 2- for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Kahoea Akau added three hits in the resounding win, helping Waipahu win its second U.S. title in three years. In 2008, this same Little League squad beat Matamoros, Mexico to win the championship.

Mason Van Noort had one of the two hits for Pearland, which came back against Georgia to reach this U.S. title game.

With two runners on and one out in the opening inning, Kaimana Bartolome opened the scoring with a two-run double. Shackles homered later in the inning to plate Bartolome for a 4-0 advantage.

Shackles scored in the third on a wild pitch, and Heleski's RBI single later in the same at-bat made it a 6-0 game. Akau's run-scoring double provided a seven-run cushion.

Three more runs from Hawaii ended the game in the fifth due to the 10-run rule. Shackles walked and scored on Cody Maltezo's triple, and Heleski followed with another RBI single. A wild pitch later scored Heleski to end the game.

Japan trailed, 2-1, heading to the bottom of the sixth, but Koutaro Kamikura singled to left to lead off the inning. Following a strikeout, Kamikura advanced to second on an error by the catcher before Norimatsu's hit tied the game.

Kamikura stayed on to pitch a scoreless seventh -- striking out two -- before Masaya Ishii singled with one down in the home half to start the winning rally. A wild pitch sent Ishii to second, and Motegi's two-out single to center won the game.


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3-alarm fire destroys part of SW Houston strip center

by Lisa Chavarria / 11 News
khou.com
Posted on August 25, 2010 at 8:23 AM
Updated today at 9:21 AM

HOUSTON—A three-alarm fire swept through parts of a southwest Houston strip mall, destroying several businesses in its path early Wednesday.
Houston Fire Department officials said the fire began inside the M. Trading Wholesale Shop on Fondren at Harwin just before 5 a.m.

The business houses wholesale supplies sold to dollar stores. HFD said there may have been hair products or chemicals on the racks that helped fuel the flames.
Two more businesses next door to the wholesale shop, Jessie’s Nail Salon and Sloreria Lee’s flower shop, were also destroyed.

The owner of Star Korean Karaoke Bar said he was inside his business when a man riding a bicycle knocked on his door and alerted him to the fire. He was able to get out safely and call 911. His business was not damaged by the flames, but may have smoke damage.

One firefighter was injured battling the blaze. He was treated at the scene for a laceration on his hand.


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NW Houston toddler found in hot car dead

by Courtney Zubowski / 11 News
Posted on August 19, 2010 at 7:32 PM
HOUSTON – A 2-year-old boy has died after being found locked in a hot car in northwest Houston, according to authorities.

The incident happened Thursday around 2:30 p.m. at 13813 Dentwood.
According to police, parents were arriving home from the grocery store when their 7-year-old child, who is autistic, began having seizures. While the parents went inside their home to tend to the 7-year-old, the 2-year-old boy was left locked inside the vehicle.

After going inside to help the 7-year-old , the parents realized their younger child was missing and eventually found him in the back seat of their SUV. Police said the boy was trapped inside the vehicle for about two hours.

One of the parents called 911 when they saw the toddler was not breathing. The boy was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators said the temperature inside the vehicle was 122 degrees when the toddler was found.
Neighbors of the victim’s family said it was an unfortunate incident that happened to good people.

"This is a good family, their children comes first with them," said Michael Carey. "I know for a fact that it was not intentional."

Investigators said the parents will probably not face charges, but the case will go to a grand jury.



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Houston Area Forecast: 100% Chance of Meteors

After a week-ling lead-up, tonight, August 12/13, 2010, is finally the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower. Wit this event, meteor season 2010 will kick off in a big way.

Every August, Earth passes through the stretch of space junk shed by comet Swift-Tuttle, reaching the deepest concentration of debris tonight. According to some estimates, under ideal conditions (dark country skies), one can expect to see 60 meteors per hour. The reason the meteors are called Perseids is because the meteors seem to radiate from the constellation Perseus. The best time to view the shower is in the pre-dawn hours, with 3-5am being best.

Don't want to stay up that late? Don't worry, Perseus rises in the Northeast around midnight and will climb higher as the night progresses. However, unless one lives out in the country, the early post-midnight hours will probably involve Perseus being low in a light pollution dome. To improve odds of seeing meteors, travel out of light-polluted Cleveland and to the suburbs or, even better, the country if you can. In the suburbs, just going from the front to back yard can make a dramatic difference as this will eliminate glare from those pesky street/house lights to a large extent.

Two things can ruin the meteor shower: clouds and the Moon. The clouds? Well, that's a regional thing. Check your local Clear Sky Clock to see what the clouds have in store for your location tonight. For us Northeast Ohioans, tonight is looking good. As for the Moon, that's an Earth-wide issue. The good news is that, this year, the Moon is just a few days past new, which means that there will be no Moon up during the time of the meteor shower. There will be a slight lunar glow in the South (opposite Perseus), but this will disappear about midnight, which is about the time Perseus clears the Northeast horizon.

So how about viewing tips?

First, plan to stay out awhile, as it takes the human eye about 15 minutes to get optimal night vision capability. The bad news is that, even one bright flash of white light will wipe out night vision, requiring you to start the process all over again. Next, grab a lawn chair or, even better, a lounge-type chair. Trying to lean back with a straight-back lawn chair can be a pain in the neck, literally! Eyes ready for dark and with something to sit/lay on, settle in for a night of hopeful meteor watching (or at the very least, stargazing), just try not to fall asleep and don't forget the bug spray!

Besides meteors, tonight can be a great time for binocular viewing, owing to your use of a chair. Under suburban (maybe) or rural skies (definitely), a pair of medium power (10x50) binoculars can yield some stunning wide-angle sights. For someone truly dedicated, why not try and keep a tally of how many meteors you see for every complete hour? Really ambitious? Why not try photographing the meteors?

Whatever you plan to do tonight, good luck and clear skies!

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XXXL bandit strikes again!

by khou.com staff
khou.com
Posted on August 11, 2010 at 3:17 PM
Updated today at 3:17 PM

HOUSTON—The FBI Bank Robbery Task Force is on the hunt for one really big suspect who allegedly robbed at least two Houston banks. The FBI said they nicknamed the suspect the XXXL Bandit because of his uniquely large stature.

The latest robbery occurred at the Associated Federal Credit Union located in the 16400 block of El Camino Real in southeast Houston on August 5.

Authorities said in the latest offense, the suspect entered the bank and struck up a conversation with one of the tellers shortly after 1 p.m. He then handed the teller a threatening note demanding money.

The teller handed over the cash and the suspect fled through an emergency exit in the rear of the Kroger store, where the bank was located. Authorities said they do not know if he used a getaway vehicle when he left. No one observed a weapon or was physically hurt.

Authorities said the XXXL Bandit is between 28 to 35 years old, stands 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall and weighs 245 to 270 pounds. They describe the suspect as overweight with an unkempt appearance. He wore a dark baseball-type cap, blue tee-shirt, jeans and sunglasses.

The XXXL Bandit is also suspected in the robbery of the Wells Fargo located inside the Randall’s store located in the 2300 block of Clear Lake City Boulevard on July 12.

Crime Stoppers of Houston is offering up to $5,000 for information leading to the charging and arrest of this robber, or any felony suspect. If you have information about this crime, please call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 713-222-TIPS (8477)


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Firefighter In Uniform Arrested At Walmart

Jane Draycott Accused Of Trying To Steal DVD Player

HOUSTON -- A female Houston firefighter who accused co-workers of harassment was arrested Monday night in Spring.

Harris County Precinct 4 deputy constables said Ena Jane Draycott was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting at a Walmart in the 21100 block of Kuykendahl Road at 9:30 p.m.
Court documents said Draycott tried to steal a DVD player.

Detectives said Draycott was at the checkout counter and left the line to go to the ice machine. She then walked toward the door with unpaid items and was stopped by loss prevention officials, investigators said.

Draycott was in uniform at the time of her arrest, officials said. She was charged with misdemeanor theft between $50 and $500.
She has bonded out of jail.

Last year, Draycott said she and another female firefighter at Station 54 at George Bush Intercontinental Airport were the targets of racist and sexist graffiti found scrawled on their lockers.
The city conducted an investigation into the graffiti, but it was inconclusive.

Heat Alert for Houston Area

HOUSTON CHRON

Put on your tank tops, shorts and sandals and grab your sunscreen. Muggy, searing heat will grip the Houston region for the most of the week and through the week.

A strong ridge of high pressure is parked above the area, sending temperatures near 100 degrees and the heat index near 105.

The high pressure area will keep rain at bay for days until it weakens slightly by the weekend, and a chance of showers is possible, according to the National Weather Service .

Today, the high temperature will top out near 100 under sunny skies. The low will be in the upper 70s.

The heat index (how hot the air feels when temperature and humidity combine) will be 106 degrees.

No rain is forecast.
The broiling heat and dry conditions have prompted the Texas Commission on Environmental
Quality to issue an air quality alert today because of increase ozone levels in the Houston, Galveston and Brazoria areas.

Elevated ozone can be a lung irritant and officials warn children and the elderly as well as people with chronic respiratory ailments, such as asthma and emphysema, to stay inside air condition rooms.

Everyone should avoid physical exertion outdoors in the later afternoon and early evening.
The scorching heat continues Tuesday and throughout much of the week. The high temperatures each day will be in the upper 90s and the lows will be in the upper 70s.

The heat index each day will top out between 103 and 109 degrees. No rain is forecast. Slightly cooler temperatures are likely along the coast.

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms is forecast Friday through Sunday when the high pressure ridge weakens. The showers may develop late in the day with afternoon heating and will be very scattered.

The temperatures each day will be in the upper 90s; the lows will be in the upper 70s under partly cloud skies.

Forecasters said they are watching a low pressure area that is about 950 miles west-southwest of the Cape Verde Island in the Atlantic. The system of thunderstorms is moving west-northwest at about 10 mph to 15 mph and is likely to develop into a tropical depression within a few days and could later become more organized.

Test your hurricane IQ.

By GREG AINSWORTH


This year's hurricane season in the waters adjacent to the Southeastern United States is drawing more attention than usual, thanks to the oil spill in the Gulf. The National Hurricane Center expects a busier than average year, so it's time to energize our hurricane IQ.
Whether you call them hurricanes, typhoons or cyclones, they are the scourge of tropical locales worldwide. Ocean water temperatures of at least 80 degrees seem to be one of the key ingredients in their formation. Think hot and muggy -- and lots of evaporation. If other conditions are favorable in the atmosphere, winds near the surface may begin to converge, and a low-pressure system may form.


In the Northern Hemisphere, those cyclonic winds spiral in a counter-clockwise direction. All of that water vapor in the atmosphere rises and condenses inside thunderstorm complexes, releasing a great amount of energy in the process. Bands of thunderstorms stretching from the system's outer margins to the center of circulation help feed the massive heat engine with warm, moisture-laden air.

As the system matures, the characteristic cloud-free and relatively calm eye may form at the center of circulation. But surrounding the eye is the eyewall, where the most intense convection and highest wind speeds occur.

Hurricanes pose a major threat to life and property because of their ability to wreak havoc in so many different ways. Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is wind damage -- not surprising since a storm isn't called a hurricane until it has sustained winds of at least 74 mph. In August 1969, Hurricane Camille made landfall along the Mississippi coast with sustained winds estimated at 200 mph.

An important, but often overlooked hurricane impact is the storm surge. This refers to the ocean water pushed onshore into low-lying areas by hurricane-force winds. Depending on the status of the local tides during landfall, storm surges of 15 to 20 feet are not out of the question. If you happen to live in a near-shore area at say, 10 feet above sea level, the surge can be bad news indeed. Hurricane Opal caused a 24-foot storm surge near Pensacola, Fla., in September 1995.

Even days after landfall, hurricanes, or their remnants, are still capable of producing tornadoes and flooding rains. After slamming into the coast of south Texas in September 1967, Hurricane Beulah spawned more than 100 tornadoes. Tropical Storm Claudette, whose winds didn't reach hurricane strength, nevertheless dropped 45 inches of rain on Alvin, Texas, in 1979.

For further information about these storms, check out the website for NOAA's National Hurricane Center.

Greg Ainsworth keeps an eye on local weather and climate issues. Contact him at ainsworth@theglobal.net.

HPD officer run over by his own patrol car

by khou.com staff
khou.com
Posted on July 14, 2010 at 4:55 PM
Updated today at 5:15 PM

HOUSTON — A Houston police officer was rushed to the hospital after a bizarre accident on I-10 Wednesday afternoon. He was run over by his own patrol car.
The officer was holding a radar gun near the West Loop interchange when the car began moving.
It rolled over part of the officer’s leg.
He was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in stable condition.
I-10 was briefly shut down to allow an ambulance to reach the officer. It has since reopened.

Switch to chloramine concerns residents

By JENNIFER COGAN
Updated: 07.10.10
The state-mandated switch from ground water to surface water was supposed to begin taking place in NW Houston in December of 2009 and be complete by 2011. Residents initially expressed concern regarding the new way the water would be treated.

“We’ve always had very good, clean ground water right here,” said resident Sue Arkell, “and it’s always been treated with chlorine.”

Arkell, along with several other residents, are concerned that the water is now being pumped in from Houston and is being treated with chloramine, which is essentially chlorine and ammonia.

“We get this letter, that looks like an ad with very small print, saying that it can kill fish, it can be harmful to people on dialysis, it can hurt kids or people with low immune systems; I don’t want to drink that stuff,” she said.

Arkell and her husband Ken immediately bought a home filtration system to prepare for the switch that was supposed to happen by Dec. 16, 2009. Now the couple is concerned with what’s being filtered out.

“The filters are supposed to last three to four months, and I have to change it roughly every ten days,” said Ken Arkell.

The home filtration system the couple purchased is a carbon-based system. It’s hooked up to the ingoing water line. Water is then pumped through a pre-filter and then two large carbon filters before being pumped out their taps.

Arkell held up a brown, sludgy filter.

“This can’t be good. I’m glad I have the filter, otherwise this is what I’d be drinking. It smells horrible, like chlorine, and it’s very expensive to change the filters,” he said.

The Arkell’s are concerned that the sludge from the filter is from the miles of pipe the water must go through in order to get to their tap, but Barbara Payne, spokesperson for the North Harris County Regional Water Authority, explained that new pipe was installed to avoid that problem.

“It was a huge and amazing undertaking. We replaced over 75 miles of pipe (in Northwest Houston),” she said.

Payne, who lives in the same area as the Arkell’s, said that she hasn’t noticed any particulate in her water and feels very comfortable drinking it.

“Now the pipes in their neighborhood haven’t been replaced and they’re 30 years old, but like I said, I live there and I feel perfectly safe drinking the water,” said Payne.

Arkell has sat in on board meetings and called Water District 52 to voice her concerns. She has also requested to have her water tested.

“But no one’s ever come out. I even left water samples outside for them to pick up and no one ever came,” she said.

Though Arkell’s neighborhood was supposed to switch from ground to surface water in December, Delise Keim, vice president of communications for Southwest Water, said that the switch hasn’t been made yet.

“They are not yet using surface water. They have switched over the chloramine, though,” she said.

A chemist at Lone Star College, who asked that her name not be used, explained that chloramine is formed when ammonia bonds to chlorine. It’s an inexpensive way to kill bacteria in the water, but, she said, it cannot be filtered out.

“It can be treated out with metabisulfite, which is what a lot of home brewers use, but it cannot be filtered out,” she said.

The Sun asked the chemist what it could do to a human body. Ultimately, while communities across the country have been using chloramine in small doses for years, no studies regarding long-term effects have been done and so the Environmental Protection Agency hasn’t gotten involved.

“I don’t know what it can do to humans,” she said, “but I can tell you what (chloramine) does to pipes. It erodes them; it separates the metal. While it’s not an acid, it does have acidic results, so you can imagine what it could do to the intestines.”

The metabisulfite, she said, turns the chloramine into a semi-solid, a gel-like substance, and that allows for it to be filtered out.

She did say, however, that her water comes from the City of Houston, and she feels comfortable drinking the water.



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Tar balls found on Texas beach

(CNN) -- Texas authorities have traced a small number of tar balls found near Galveston to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Coast Guard and state officials said Monday.
The tar balls collected from beaches in Galveston County over the weekend could fit in a five-gallon bucket, but have been confirmed to have originated from the ruptured BP well off Louisiana, said Jim Suydan of the Texas General Land Office.

Galveston is about 400 miles west of the site of the worst oil spill in U.S. history, which began in late April with the sinking of the offshore drill rig Deepwater Horizon. Coast Guard Capt. Marcus Woodring said authorities weren't sure how the tar balls made it that far, but tests confirmed that at least the first batch collected Saturday came from the Deepwater Horizon spill off Louisiana, he said.
None were found Monday, and the area's beaches and waterways remained open.
"Until we see a greater sum of oil, I can be cautiously optimistic that maybe this is something that will pass," Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski told reporters.


Tar balls occasionally strike the Texas coast, in part because of seepage from undersea oil deposits or from sunken vessels, Woodring said. "Seventeen or 18" cases of tar balls unrelated to the

Deepwater Horizon disaster have been reported to Woodring's Houston-Galveston Coast Guard sector since the spill erupted in April he said.

And though the ones found Saturday and Sunday were confirmed to have come from the ruptured well off Louisiana, they were less weathered than officials would have expected -- leading the Coast

Guard to suspect the oil was either stuck to the side of a ship's hull or mixed in with ballast water from a passing vessel, he said.

Ships passing through the spill are are supposed to be decontaminated before they head into port, he said.


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Freedom Over Texas Fireworks Show!

Houston will set the stage for an extraordinary patriotic celebration at Mayor Annise Parker’s official Fourth of July event, Freedom Over Texas with Fireworks Presented by Shell. Texas singer-songwriter Pat Green will headline the annual event held from 4 to 10 p.m. on Sunday, July 4, with his performance culminating in the nation’s largest land-based fireworks show, presented by Shell Oil Company. Admission to the event is FREE with the donation of one canned item per person to the Houston Food Bank.

"As Americans, I believe it is our civic duty to celebrate the birth of our nation and reflect upon those brave men and women who have made great sacrifices for us to live in a free country," said Mayor Annise Parker. "I invite fellow Texans to join us in honoring our country, respecting the values of the founding fathers and instilling pride in our diverse community.”

Headlining the evening’s celebration on the Freedom Stage is Pat Green (with Cowboy Mouth and Little Big Town), an artist who has blazed his own trail and recorded a total of 10 studio albums. Fifteen of his singles have charted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, of which the highest-peaking is the #3 "Wave on Wave" from his gold-certified album. Green has toured with many popular country music artists including Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, Kenny Chesney, and many more. At this year’s event, Green will be presented by the Texas Music Charts with an award recognizing him as the “Most Played Texas Artist” of the last decade.

When the concert comes to a close at 9:30 p.m., eyes will turn skyward for an extraordinary fireworks spectacular perfectly set to a selection of America’s favorite tunes, from patriotic songs to rock ‘n’ roll hits to classic bestsellers. Shell Oil Company is the underwriter of the 2010 fireworks show for the fifth consecutive year, and with their contribution, the city’s official fireworks show will enliven Houston’s skyline. Producing the show will be world-renowned fireworks artists from Pyro Spectaculars North by Souza.

"For more than 80 years, Shell has been a strong supporter of the Houston community and our nation. As a country, we have much to celebrate, and we at Shell are thrilled to participate in the festivities this year,” said Ben Dillon, Vice President Corporate Affairs, Shell Oil Company.

In addition to this year’s entertainment headliner, the festival will also spotlight a top-notch selection of local and regional music. Throughout the day, four stages will keep toes tapping with music ranging from country western and rock 'n' roll to Latin, R&B, and oldies.

Booth exhibits and family friendly patriotic activities will encompass Buffalo Bayou and Eleanor Tinsley Park:

KBR Liberty Park

Encompassing more than three football fields in length, KBR Liberty Park will showcase military artifacts and vehicles including representation from all five military branches and more. The branches and the Houston Police Department will offer recruiting on site.
The U.S. Army will showcase an Apache Helicopter flight simulator and a 55-ton M-60 Battle Tank.
The Museum of Printing History and the Military Museum of Houston will exhibit historical items that have helped shape our nation’s history in this area.
Bud Light Zone

Cool off with a cold one at the Budweiser Beer Garden, and enjoy a prime view of the sixth annual Bud Light Texas Volleyball Championship Series Finals.
Make a rest stop at the Bud Light Build-A-Bar, which will offer a shaded sitting area equipped with plasma TV screens. Also, don’t miss a sneak peak of an event performer during their official Bud Light Sound Check.

Be sure to stop by the Budweiser Good Sport’s Booth and learn how you can save lives by being a designated driver.

Walmart All American Kids Zone

More than 30,000 square feet of free educational programming and entertainment await children.
Houston Public Library’s HPL Mobile Express computer lab, will teach child how to use a computer.
Houston Fire Department’s Smokehouse will teach kids the importance of fire safety.
Historical costumed characters will talk with children about the documents that defined our government.

Juno Baby will have sing-a-long activities for children and little aspiring stars are invited to perform in the Rising Stars Search contest for a chance to win an all-expense paid trip to San Francisco and be featured in the next Juno Baby production.
Free games, rides, face painting and interactive activities will be open to children of all ages.
Additional activities:

Gexa Energy will be giving US Flag hand fans to the first 30,000 people who enter the gates. Booths will be setup for families to take fun photos with Shrek The Musical characters, enter for a chance to win a trip for two to Hawaii or Cancun, and also for a chance to win a Home Theater System, which includes a Sony Bravia 40’ LCD TV.
Visit KBR’s five primary beneficiaries on site: Career and Recovery Resources, Goodwill Industries, Houston Community College, Soldier’s Angels and Wreaths Across America-Houston.
The 2010 Land Rover models will be on display including the all new 2010 Land Rover LR4 and award winning Range Rover and Range Rover Sport.
Freedom Over Texas with Fireworks Presented by Shell will be simulcast on ABC-13/KTRK-TV from 7-10 p.m. on Sunday, July 4, and will be syndicated statewide from 8-10 p.m. In addition, KILT 100.3 FM will simulcast the music medley specially choreographed for the fireworks spectacular.

With the donation of one canned item per person to the Houston Food Bank, admission for the event is FREE. Without the donation, tickets will be $8 per person. Children two years and under will be admitted free. In keeping with last year’s theme, Freedom Over Texas with Fireworks Presented by Shell will expand its offering of recycling receptacles, encouraging all patrons to recycle.

Freedom Over Texas with Fireworks Presented by Shell sponsors include: Fireworks sponsor: Shell; Anchor Sponsors: Gexa Energy, Bud Light/Silver Eagle Distributors, KBR, Houston Area Land Rover Centres, and Walmart; Co-producers: City of Houston/Mayor’s Office of Special Events; Additional sponsors include Doubletree Hotel Houston Downtown; Houston Chronicle; 100.3 KILT; HOT 95-7; Mix 96-5; SportsRadio 610 and Mega 101 FM; Texas Lottery; Juno Baby; Enterprise Rent-A-Car; Texas Southern University and LifeGift. In-kind sponsors include Houston Dynamo, Houston Rockets, Houston Astros, Houston Aero and Metro. The event benefits Houston Central Improvement, Inc.

For more information, call 832.393.0868 or visit the Freedom Over Texas with Fireworks Presented by Shell Web site at www.freedomovertexas.org or www.houstonspecialevents.org.

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Houston-area mom on trial over 4-year-old daughter's death, TX

By Associated Press
6:12 AM CDT, June 30, 2010
HOUSTON (AP) — Prosecutors say a Houston-area nurse on trial for failing to prevent the death of her 4-year-old daughter lied to doctors and investigators about a boyfriend now accused of raping the girl.

But an attorney for Abigail Young of Spring told jurors that the woman had her daughter tested for leukemia when she noticed her frequent bruising and consulted doctors.

The child -- Emma Thompson -- died last year after suffering from a severed pancreas and fractured skull. Prosecutors yesterday displayed autopsy photos of Emma's injuries.

Texas Child Protective Services revamped its investigations into alleged sexual abuse after the death. Investigators say the girl had genital herpes.

Young could face up to life in prison if convicted of injury to child by omission.

Her boyfriend at the time, Lucas Coe, faces trial in September on charges of aggravated sexual assault.



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Recovery Effort in Gulf Expected to Continue Despite Storm

By JOSEPH BERGER

A tropical storm moving across the western Gulf of Mexico that is likely to strengthen into a hurricane is not expected to seriously disrupt efforts to capture oil gushing from the stricken BP well, officials of the Coast Guard and BP said Monday.

Adm. Thad W. Allen, of the Coast Guard, who is commanding the federal response to the disaster, said at an afternoon press conference that high seas produced by Tropical Storm Alex should not force the evacuation of rigs and other equipment from the blowout site, which is 50 miles off the Louisiana coast. Should an evacuation take place, he said, it could halt the work of collecting oil and drill relief wells for about 14 days.

“As it stands right now, absent the intervention of a hurricane, we’re still looking at mid-August," to have relief wells shut off the gusher entirely, Admiral Allen said.

However, BP officials said that what could be delayed, even by current wave heights, is an effort to prepare what is known as a “floating riser system” that will help raise the daily total of collected oil from, about 25,000 barrels to as much as 50,000 barrels. At a briefing Monday morning, Kent Wells, a senior vice president of BP who is overseeing BP’s efforts, said the storm is expected to follow a track that will take it well west of the blowout site, but it may produce waves of 10 to 12 feet, which Mr. Wells said was too high for the “very precise work” on the surface needed to prepare the floating riser system.

Mr. Wells said the containment cap and a second system that are collecting 25,000 barrels of oil a day would not need to be disconnected and the drilling of two relief wells should continue on schedule. The first relief well is supposed to pump in heavy mud and shut off the gusher sometime in August.

Tropical Storm Alex is on a course heading for northeastern Mexico and a stretch of Texas. Meteorologists at Accuweather.com said they are anticipating a landfall between Tampico, Mexico and Brownsville, Tex. Wednesday night or early Thursday.

Meanwhile Associated Press reported that BP had filed documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission that indicate the cost of capping and cleaning the spill have reached $2.65 billion. BP has lost more than $100 billion in market value since the drilling platform the company was operating blew up April 20. The costs include spill response, containment, relief well drilling, grants to gulf states, claims paid, and federal costs, but not a $20 billion fund for damages the company created this month.

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Alex may effect Gulf oil production ..

HOUSTON (Dow Jones)--Tropical Storm Alex, expected to become a hurricane Tuesday, seems to be headed on a path away from the bulk of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico's oil and gas production and refining infrastructure. But some production impact will be felt as one of the largest energy producers in the Gulf said Monday it was shutting down several platforms as a precaution.

Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA) said it had pulled 700 workers from its Gulf operations, and some 835 workers remained offshore. The company is shutting in production from its Western and Central Gulf of Mexico assets to prepare for the potential full evacuation of personnel Tuesday. The company started pulling workers from the Gulf over the weekend. The company didn't specify how much production would be shut or how many platforms were being evacuated.

At 11 a.m. EDT, Alex was located about 85 miles west-northwest of Campeche, Mexico, in the western Gulf of Mexico, and was heading towards southern Texas and northern Mexico. Most U.S. offshore oil and gas platforms are located in the eastern part of the Gulf, far from Alex's forecast path.

Alex "is not likely to have a major impact on production or refining in the U.S.," Doug MacIntyre, senior analyst at the Energy Information Administration, told Dow Jones Newswires Monday. "Alex's current path appears to avoid most of the oil and gas production platforms and any of the major refining centers."

Energy markets Monday seemed to take the storm in stride. Light, sweet crude for August delivery ended 61 cents lower at $78.25 a barrel a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Natural gas for July delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange settled 2.96% lower at $4.717 million British thermal units.

Gulf producers Apache Corp. (APA), Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM), and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (APC) also said Monday they have started evacuating non-essential workers from the offshore facilities expected to be in the path of the storm but none have so far reported any impact to their production.

BP PLC (BP, BP.LN) said Monday it pulled non-essential personnel from three offshore facilities in the the Gulf, and that production was not affected. The company evacuated workers from Atlantis, Mad Dog and Holstein platforms.

Alex may delay BP PLC's plans to increase the amount of oil collected from a leaking well in the Gulf by a week, a company official said Monday.

While the storm's winds are expected to stay far to the west of the Deepwater Horizon spill, high seas are likely to become an issue this week, said Kent Wells, a senior vice president with BP, in a press briefing. Waves up to between 10 feet and 12 feet would prevent BP from hooking a third rig up to an underwater containment system, a process that needs three days of good weather, Wells said.

Two rigs, the Discoverer Enterprise and Q4000, are already collecting between 20,000 and 25,000 barrels of oil a day from the well, which has gushed ever since a rig working at the site caught fire and sank in April.

Chevron Corp. (CVX) and ConocoPhillips (COP) said that they have not evacuated workers, but that they are closely monitoring the forecast for Alex.

A hurricane watch was issued for parts of the south Texas Gulf coastline area and parts of northern Mexico, the National Hurricane Center reported Monday on its website.

The NHC, in its advisory, also said Alex likely will become a hurricane Tuesday and has increased in strength, now with winds of 60 miles per hour.

The watch area for the U.S. extends from south of Baffin Bay to the mouth of the Rio Grande in Texas, with Mexico issuing a hurricane watch from the Rio Grande to La Cruz.


-By Isabel Ordonez, Dow Jones Newswires; 713-547-9207; isabel.ordonez@dowjones.com

(Brian Baskin and Angel Gonzalez contributed to this article

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Breaking: Houston women drowns in tub/3-year old present.

by khou.com staff
khou.com
Posted on June 22, 2010 at 7:36 AM
Updated today at 9:08 AM
HOUSTON – Police are investigating after relatives found a woman dead in her bathtub Monday evening. A 3-year-old child was also alone inside the home.
Police said around 7 p.m., worried relatives went to the home located on Briar Seasons at Winter Park in southwest Houston after not hearing from the woman. They found the little girl alone with her mom's body and called 911.
Police said the house was secured from the inside and there were no signs of forced entry. They said the woman appeared to have drowned, but the official cause of death is pending an autopsy.

A woman was apparently sexually assaulted and beaten to death Friday inside her apartment while her son slept in another room, Houston police said.

The woman identified as Bridgette Jones was found lying on the living room floor in an apartment at the Luxor Park complex in the 5800 block of West Sunforest in northwest Houston about 8 a.m., police said.

She had been beaten in the head.
Jones' 10-year-old son was asleep in his bedroom at the time of the slaying. He was not hurt and is now with relatives.
Police said there were no signs of forced entry, leading investigators to believe Jones may have known her attacker. Officials said a large-screen television and Jones' white Mazda 626 four-door car were missing.

A passer-by found Jones' body, after seeing the door ajar at the first-floor apartment.
Police are looking for a man they said is a person of interest in the slaying, but they declined to identify him or disclose his possible relationship to Jones. The also are searching for Jones' missing car, which has Texas license plate FGR 230.

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Man falls in open manhole in NW Houston

A man walking across a busy northwest Houston street stepped into an open manhole and fell 10 feet Tuesday afternoon, according to the Houston Fire Department.

Emergency responders placed the man in neck and back braces as a precaution and transferred him to Memorial Hermann after hoisting him out of the opening, according to Asst. Fire Chief Kevin Alexander.

Private contractors were cleaning and examining city sewer lines with a remote controlled camera from a van next to the manhole at Northwood and North Main when the man walked past two employees, three safety cones and a loud generator and into the hole, according to Parrish Anderson of Cleanserve.

“He walked straight into the hole,” said Anderson, who was outside the van and described the man as disoriented and stumbling before the incident.
The open manhole was not in the crosswalk and a few feet within the intersection.

After the fall, the man was moving around but unresponsive according to Anderson, who tried to talk to him while a co-worker called 911.

The man, whose identity officials are not releasing, was conscious and alert throughout the rescue and did not appear to be under the influence of any substance, according to Alexander.


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