tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17861461604839928232024-02-06T19:39:01.260-08:00Best Of Texas Blog: HumbleAn information blog for the community of Humble, Texasjohn@bestpublicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325359310900682169noreply@blogger.comBlogger191125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-82791738902751726762013-01-02T05:13:00.001-08:002013-01-02T05:13:22.438-08:00May 2013 be your BEST year ever! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Please visit our corporate website at <a href="http://BPYP.COM/">BPYP.COM</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-60271131177514502332012-12-09T16:37:00.001-08:002012-12-09T16:37:24.856-08:00Houston area flu cases spike! <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: RobotoRegular, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.chron.com/default/article/Texas-among-top-5-states-in-early-flu-outbreak-4099803.php">THE CHRON: </a>If you've been putting off your annual flu shot, don't delay any longer: Texas is already being hit hard this flu season.</div>
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Houston-area hospitals have seen a spike in the number of emergency room visits for flu-like symptoms, said <a href="http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Fhouston-texas%2Fhouston&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Porfirio+Villarreal%22" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #ea4a12; font-family: RobotoBold, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Porfirio Villarreal</a>, spokesman for the <a href="http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Fhouston-texas%2Fhouston&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Houston+Department+of+Health+and+Human+Services%22" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #ea4a12; font-family: RobotoBold, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Houston Department of Health and Human Services</a>. During the week of Nov. 18, about 1,580 visits to emergency rooms were attributed to flu-like illnesses, compared with just 249 visits during the same week last year, Villarreal said.</div>
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Influenza is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization or even death, the <a href="http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Fhouston-texas%2Fhouston&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22CDC%22" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #ea4a12; font-family: RobotoBold, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">CDC</a> says.</div>
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Every flu season is different, and even healthy people can get very sick from the disease and spread it to others. From 1976 to 2007, estimates of U.S. deaths each year due to flu ranged from 3,000 to 49,000.</div>
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"Flu is predictably unpredictable," said Dr. <a href="http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Fhouston-texas%2Fhouston&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Gail+Demmler-Harrison%22" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #ea4a12; font-family: RobotoBold, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Gail Demmler-Harrison</a>, pediatric infectious diseases specialist at <a href="http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Fhouston-texas%2Fhouston&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Texas+Children%27s+Hospital%22" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #ea4a12; font-family: RobotoBold, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Texas Children's Hospital</a> and pediatrics professor at <a href="http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Fhouston-texas%2Fhouston&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Baylor+College+of+Medicine%22" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #ea4a12; font-family: RobotoBold, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Baylor College of Medicine</a>. "There's no cause for alarm but cause for action. People should get themselves vaccinated so it doesn't get any worse."</div>
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National Influenza Vaccination Week, a campaign established in 2005 to counter the notion that December is too late to get a vaccination, ends Saturday. Once a vaccine is administered, it takes about two weeks to develop immunity.</div>
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Although the influenza season usually peaks in February, 48 states and Puerto Rico have reported cases, with rates rising quickly nationwide, the federal <a href="http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Fhouston-texas%2Fhouston&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Centers+for+Disease+Control+and+Prevention%22" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #ea4a12; font-family: RobotoBold, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> said this week.</div>
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Along with Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee are also reporting high levels of activity.</div>
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In Houston, Texas Children's Hospital has seen an early start to the season with 123 confirmed cases of Type A influenza and 32 cases of Type B, compared with just two Type A cases in the same span last year, Demmler-Harrison said.</div>
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Everyone who is at least 6 months old should get a flu vaccination, but the CDC says it's especially important for these groups:</div>
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» People at high risk of developing serious complications like pneumonia if they get the flu, including those with medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and chronic lung disease.</div>
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» Pregnant women.</div>
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» People 65 years and older.</div>
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» People who live with or care for others who are at high risk of developing serious complications.</div>
john@bestpublicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325359310900682169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-83781064069203688052012-11-15T09:08:00.000-08:002012-11-15T09:08:02.158-08:00Man killed after slamming into tow truck <br />
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MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas – A driver died late Wednesday night after they slammed into the back of a tow truck stopped in the shoulder lane of I-45 near Highway 242, deputies said.</div>
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The crash happened just after 10 p.m., according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.</div>
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A deputy searching a stopped vehicle called for a wrecker, and several showed up and parked on the interstate’s shoulder lane.</div>
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As they waited, deputies said the 36-year-old driver of a Honda Accord slammed into the back of one of the tow trucks at full speed.</div>
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The driver of the Honda died on impact. The tow truck driver, a resident of Spring, was sent to the hospital in stable condition.</div>
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Deputies said the tow trucks all had their overhead lights on. They weren’t sure why the Honda’s driver was in the shoulder lane.</div>
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The impact was so great, the wrecker slid about 30 feet while still in park.</div>
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Deputies did not release the identity of the car’s driver</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-52157662069808250702012-10-08T13:38:00.002-07:002012-10-08T13:38:46.210-07:00Execution blocked man condemned for the 2000 abduction, rape and strangling of a 12-year-old girl.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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HOUSTON -- A federal judge has blocked this week's scheduled execution of a Montgomery County man condemned for the 2000 abduction, rape and strangling of a 12-year-old girl.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Atlas ruled Monday that attorneys for 44-year-old Jonathan Green weren't properly allowed at a state competency hearing to present testimony from mental health professionals who treated him. The hearing was two years ago.
Atlas also says a judge who found Green competent for execution relied on an order drafted by prosecutors, that Green's lawyers had no opportunity to object and that at least one legal standard in the ruling was incorrectly applied.
Green was set to die Wednesday in Huntsville for the slaying of Christina Neal. Green lived near Neal's family in Dobbin, about 45 miles northwest of Houston.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-70478019920740639642012-09-26T09:03:00.002-07:002012-09-26T09:03:48.108-07:00Services held for fallen firefighter. <span class="storyDateline" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8822495">HUMBLE, TX (KTRK) </a>-- </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Funeral services were held Monday morning for an Atascocita volunteer firefighter who died during a training exercise in Beaumont.</span>
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Captain Neal Smith died last week from injuries he received during a specialized <a href="http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8822495#" id="_GPLITA_1" in_hdr="null" in_rurl="http://i.trkjmp.com/click?v=VVM6MjI0MjY6MTEyNTp0cmFpbmluZyBjb3Vyc2U6MDA1MzU5NGViMWEyNDA3YWY2YWYyYmRmYzA5ZmVmZTg6ei0xMjQyLTg2NTk5OmFiY2xvY2FsLmdvLmNvbToxNDk1NDppbWFnZV9vbmx5" style="color: #0b5292;" title="Click to Continue > by Giant Savings">training course</a> at the east Texas-area fall 'Smoke Diver' School.</div>
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The funeral got underway around 10am at the First Assembly of God in Humble. It began with a huge procession including about 150 fire trucks. One of those was carrying the body of Captain Smith. His family stood nearby as his flag-draped casket was brought down from the fire truck.</div>
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Captain Smith, a five-year veteran of the Atascocita Volunteer Fire Department, was undergoing training earlier this month in Beaumont. Something went wrong and he died from his injuries suffered in a fire training field exercise.</div>
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The 46-year-old was surrounded by family when he was taken off life support.</div>
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Training for firefighters can be just as risky sometimes as fighting fires. According to the US Fire Administration, last year eight firefighters died during training.</div>
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A Georgia firefighter also became ill during the exercise but is recovering. The accident is under investigation.</div>
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Captain Smith is survived by his wife and two children.</div>
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(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)</div>
<object id="otvPlayer" width="400" height="268"><param name="movie" value="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/static/flash/embeddedPlayer/swf/otvEmLoader.swf?version=fw1000&station=ktrk§ion=&mediaId=8823109&parentId=8822495&cdnRoot=http://cdn.abclocal.go.com&webRoot=http://abclocal.go.com&configPath=/util/&site=" ></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed id="otvPlayer" width="400" height="268" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allownetworking="all" allowfullscreen="true" src="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/static/flash/embeddedPlayer/swf/otvEmLoader.swf?version=fw1000&station=ktrk§ion=&mediaId=8823109&parentId=8822495&cdnRoot=http://cdn.abclocal.go.com&webRoot=http://abclocal.go.com&configPath=/util/&site="></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-27008506645675702092012-09-17T08:36:00.003-07:002012-09-17T09:14:00.076-07:00Man investigate for poisoning boy with salt - forcing him to watch horror flicks <br />
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<a href="http://www.khou.com/news/crime/Humble-PD-Boy-4-poisoned-with-salt-also-locked-in-closet-forced-to-watch-Chucky--168043766.html">HOUSTON</a></div>
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A Houston man is accused of pouring salt down the throat of 4-year-old Angel Maldonado and torturing him on a number of occasions.</div>
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Rolando Tomas Mendez, 21, was charged with injury to a child this week after a year-long investigation.</div>
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Angel was rushed to Memorial Hermann Hospital Northeast after vomiting and losing consciousness on September 28, 2011. He was then airlifted to Memorial Hermann Children’s Hospital. Doctors there said he could’ve died if they’d waited any longer.</div>
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Poice questioned Angel's mother and Mendez, her live-in boyfriend. He is not the boy’s father, but does have a 2-year-old daughter with the mother.</div>
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Mendez told police he was keeping both kids while their mother worked the first day of her new job. He said after feeding them, he noticed Angel had vomited in the bedroom and bathroom.</div>
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The child’s mother said she noticed her son was walking sideways and was unable to keep his balance so she ran and picked him up. As she rushed her son to the hospital, she noticed his bottom lip was blue and hanging down.</div>
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Mendez told the mother he had given the boy a piece of lemon with a little salt on it and fed him spaghetti, but denied doing anything wrong to the child.</div>
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Doctors, however, said the child had elevated levels of sodium and had to be either poisoned with salt or deprived water. After numerous tests, they determined there were no underlying medical conditions that could explain the sodium levels.</div>
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When Angel returned home, relatives say he would often cry uncontrollably and had developed a fear of the salt shaker. His grandmother said he’d say "no touch, that’s bad" when someone would reach for the shaker at the dinner table.</div>
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They put two and two together and called police.</div>
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Angel told investigators that "Lando" was mean and often forced him to eat "a lot of salt" when he got mad. The boy showed how Mendez would tilt his head back and shake the salt directly into his mouth. He also said Mendez would place him into scorching hot baths.</div>
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"I was real, real mad. I didn’t know what to do," said Alberto Maldonado, Angel’s father.</div>
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Angel's paternal grandmother was also interviewed. She told investigators the child told her that Mendez would lock him in the closet and make him watch scary "Chucky" movies.</div>
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Mendez told police he did let the child watch the "Chucky" movie with him, but said he never locked him in the closet or poured salt down his throat.</div>
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He refused to take a polygraph examination.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-2604193908277228452012-09-04T07:18:00.001-07:002012-09-04T07:18:39.258-07:00Stranger danger! <object id="otvPlayer" width="400" height="268"><param name="movie" value="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/static/flash/embeddedPlayer/swf/otvEmLoader.swf?version=fw1000&station=ktrk§ion=&mediaId=8795794&parentId=8795793&cdnRoot=http://cdn.abclocal.go.com&webRoot=http://abclocal.go.com&configPath=/util/&site=" ></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed id="otvPlayer" width="400" height="268" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allownetworking="all" allowfullscreen="true" src="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/static/flash/embeddedPlayer/swf/otvEmLoader.swf?version=fw1000&station=ktrk§ion=&mediaId=8795794&parentId=8795793&cdnRoot=http://cdn.abclocal.go.com&webRoot=http://abclocal.go.com&configPath=/util/&site="></embed></object><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="storyDateline">HUMBLE, TX (KTRK) -- </span>There is an important conversation that parents should have with their school-age children if they haven't already, particularly if your student is in Humble Independent School District.Officials in Humble say children need to be especially cautious of people they do not know after several recent incidents.</div>
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At the neighborhood pool, this Labor Day weekend was as it should be, but Shannon Fairchild and his kids remember what happened just across the street last Wednesday morning.</div>
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"My daughter was in line at the bus stop and they noticed it," Fairchild said. "Luckily, some parents noticed the stranger with binoculars, lurking. And they called the cops."</div>
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Investigators arrested Brandon Brown and charged him with indecent exposure. It happened within a few blocks of Oaks Elementary.</div>
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"It's ridiculous kids can't go to school without having to worry about going to school," Mindy Snell said. "Going to school used to be fun."</div>
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Neighbors are angry because this wasn't a rare occurrence. In fact, it's just one of four "stranger danger" incidents to hit Humble ISD in the past week.</div>
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That same Wednesday afternoon, a seventh grader was approached by a man in a car. It happened in an area near Timberwood Middle School and Eagle Spring Elementary.</div>
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"It does seem like the last few weeks there has been incidents," Michelle Boorn said. "I don't know what else we can do other than watch out for each other."</div>
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Then last Thursday at Deerwood Elementary, a Houston police officer reported that a man 18-20 years old was acting suspicious. The man reportedly asked the officer for the location of the nearest elementary school.</div>
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The fourth incident happened Friday when a dark blue SUV slowed down and a man leaned out, trying to talk to two Humble Middle School students. Officials said the girls immediately ran away, so they did not hear what he said.</div>
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"Oh no, here we go again," Boorn said. "All we're trying to do is keep an eye out for each other, keep an eye out for the kids."</div>
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Fortunately, no children were harmed in any of the incidents. Parents tell us they are more vigilant than ever and are teaching their kids to stay safe.</div>
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"It's really good that schools are getting out the message and what the kids need to know," Fairchild said.</div>
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Humble ISD principals have sent alerts to parents, warning of the incidents and encouraging them to discuss stranger danger rules with their children.</div>
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The district suggests you go over the following with your kids:</div>
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<li>Walk to and from school in groups.</li>
<li>If anything unusual occurs, tell an adult immediately. Parents and teachers need to know right away what happened.</li>
<li>Never talk to strangers or accept rides from them.</li>
<li>Don't panic. If you are afraid or have a problem, call a parent or a trusted adult.</li>
<li>Arrange for immediate access to neighbors and other trusted adults who could answer questions or be contacted in an emergency.</li>
<li>Tour the neighborhood with your child to identify safe and dangerous circumstances and places.</li>
<li>Never tell people at the door or phone callers that you are home alone. Say your parents are busy and offer to take a message.</li>
<li>Keep your house key hidden. Don't give it to anyone and don't keep it in a visible place that would tell people you are going home to an empty house.</li>
<li>Never get into a car, enter a home, look for a lost pet, and accept candy or toys from an adult, unless your parents know what you are doing and have given you their permission first.</li>
<li>Tell a trusted adult parent, teacher or counselor if anyone ever makes you feel uncomfortable. When children are abused, it often is by someone they know and trust.</li>
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If you see suspicious behavior, let school officials know. Call 911 for emergencies or call appropriate law enforcement authorities.</div>
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(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)</div>
</div>john@bestpublicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325359310900682169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-44611791414124709342012-08-27T13:28:00.001-07:002012-08-27T13:28:39.452-07:00Houston/Gulf Coast Hurricane warned <br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #231f20; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">By Eric Berger, Houston Chronicle McClatchy-Tribune Information Services</span><div style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #231f20; font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana; font-size: 14px; list-style: none; padding: 5px 0px;">
Aug. 27--Tropical Storm Isaac moved into the Gulf of Mexico late Sunday, setting the stage for a midweek rendezvous with the northern Gulf coast.</div>
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In response to the growing threat, the National Hurricane Center issued hurricane warnings for the coast from Morgan City, La., to Destin, Fla.</div>
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Forecasters said it remained difficult to determine the storm's most likely track, but New Orleans was in the middle of the hurricane center's "cone of uncertainty."</div>
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Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal called a state of emergency on Sunday and suggested that people leave low-lying parts of the state. A voluntary evacuation of New Orleans began Sunday, and mandatory evacuations could begin as early as Monday.</div>
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An emergency declaration was also issued in Mississippi by Gov. Phil Bryant amid concerns of storm surge threatening low-lying areas.</div>
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By late Sunday Isaac remained a powerful tropical storm, with 65-mph sustained winds, and forecasters anticipated it would grow into a hurricane by Monday. The official forecast predicts Isaac will come ashore as a Category 2 hurricane along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast, although some forecast models strengthened it into a major hurricane before landfall.</div>
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Isaac could reach the northern Gulf coast by Wednesday -- the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.</div>
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Passing through the Florida Keys as a tropical storm, Gov. Rick Scott said Sunday evening that only minor damage was reported in Florida.</div>
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In Tampa, Republican National Convention officials said they would convene briefly on Monday, then recess until Tuesday afternoon, when the storm was expected to have passed.</div>
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Offshore, energy companies were preparing for the storm, as they stepped up evacuation of workers from the Gulf and shut down some production.</div>
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By midday Sunday, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement reported 24 percent of the current daily oil production in the Gulf had been shut down, along with just over 8 percent of current daily natural gas production.</div>
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Satish Nagarajaiah, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University, said the evacuations and production shutdowns were routine. More platforms will be shut down by Monday, he said, most of them in the eastern Gulf. And once the storm passes, production will be restarted quickly unless the platform sustains damage, he said.</div>
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Drilling in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico accounts for 23 percent of domestic crude oil production and about 7 percent of natural gas production, according to U.S. government statistics.</div>
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More than 40 percent of the country's refining capacity is located along the Gulf coast, too. So far, refineries are continuing operations.</div>
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BP said Sunday it had temporarily suspended production at all of its operated production platforms in the Gulf. Apache Corp. and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. both said they shut in some production. BP had begun evacuating workers Friday; by Saturday, Chevron, Murphy Oil, Shell, Exxon Mobil and other companies were evacuating nonessential workers.</div>
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On Sunday afternoon some forecast models suggests Isaac could move as far west as the Texas-Louisiana border before moving inland, possibly posing a hurricane threat to Texas.</div>
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But that scenario remained unlikely, forecasters said. "There's not a zero percent chance on Texas, but it certainly is still an outlier" that the state would get hit, said Bill Read, the recently retired director of the National Hurricane Center.</div>
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Depending how close Isaac moves to Texas, waters offshore Galveston could see some higher waves, and winds could rise over the region on Wednesday and Thursday. Some rain is also possible.</div>
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Staff writer Jeannie Kever contributed to this report.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-74633317807335272772012-08-16T13:22:00.000-07:002012-08-16T13:22:09.593-07:00Thieves targeting Humble churches for copper<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="storyDateline" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">HUMBLE, TX (KTRK) -- </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Thieves are targeting a church in Humble. They've burglarized it more than once and it appears they're only after one thing.</span>
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Three central air units worth $55,000 were gutted for the copper that thieves were intent on stealing. It happened at night on July 28. The next morning was Sunday services at St. Luke's Missionary Baptist Church, also known as The Luke.</div>
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"That's when I found out we were gonna be a little warm that morning," Pastor Timothy Sloan said.</div>
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Once was not enough for the copper thieves apparently. Three nights ago they returned, taking two more units. They timed their visit after a security guard ended his shift.</div>
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"They come back for more. No regard, no sacred regard whatsoever," said Pastor Sloan.</div>
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Lightning was about to strike a third time Wednesday night, but security ran them off before they could steal any more copper.</div>
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Throughout all this, the church has never missed a service. Attendance is said to be at an all-time high, although the building isn't at full AC power.</div>
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Doctrine teaches forgiveness for one's enemies, but it also promises justice and consequences. You see, a security guard managed to get a license plate number from the attempted theft.</div>
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"We have turned in their license plate number to local authorities and hopefully they're investigating it right now," said Pastor Sloan.</div>
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This story was brought to you through our partnership with <a href="http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/feature?section=news/local&id=6199688" style="color: #0b5292; text-decoration: none;">Houston Community Newspapers</a>. You can read more about the church thefts in <a href="http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/East%20Montgomery%20Co" style="color: #0b5292; text-decoration: none;">The Humble Observer</a>.</div>
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(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)</div>
john@bestpublicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325359310900682169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-60951610621000846472012-07-31T11:46:00.000-07:002012-07-31T11:46:22.247-07:00Police looking for fake Feds who rob<br />
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<a href="http://www.click2houston.com/news/Police-Fake-federal-agents-arrest-rob-man/-/1735978/15466942/-/eppjny/-/index.html" orgfontsize="12px" style="color: #075099; text-decoration: none;"><strong orgfontsize="12px">Courtesy Click2Houston.com</strong></a></div>
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HUMBLE, Texas - Police are searching for two men who, they said, pretended to be federal agents when they robbed a man.</div>
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Humble police said two men approached an employee at an auto dealership in the 19000 block of U.S. 59 North about 10 a.m. on May 26.</div>
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David McCall was at work when he said the men walked up to him. He sells cars at Tejas Toyota in Humble and said the men acted like they were interested in buying a truck when no one else was around.</div>
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"He throwed me against the vehicle and said that I was under arrest for drug charges," said McCall. "At that time I said, 'Sir, you've got the wrong person. I've never done a drug in my life and I'm a 68 year old grandfather.' I thought they were federal officers. On the back of the guy's shirt it said federal officer."</div>
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McCall said the men were also armed. They handcuffed him and threw him in the back of a 2004 Dodge Durango SUV. They then drove him about 9 miles away, where they robbed him.</div>
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"They took a Rolex watch, a gold diamond ID bracelet, four diamond rings, a GM ring, a gold nugget that I got in Alaska," McCall said. "They left me with nothing in my pockets. They took everything, period."</div>
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McCall said he thinks about the robbery every day and hopes that a newly released composite sketch will help police catch the suspects.</div>
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"The likeness of the picture and the man are pretty cotton stinkin' close," he said. "They need to be caught because eventually they'll end up hurting somebody."</div>
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One of the men was described as Hispanic, 45 to 55 years old and 6 feet to 6 feet 1 inch tall. A description of the second attacker has not been released.</div>
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Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.</div>john@bestpublicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325359310900682169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-33100610438211509372012-07-19T08:10:00.000-07:002012-07-19T08:10:11.594-07:00Historic rains soak Houston and vicinity<br />
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<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57472401/100-year-rainfall-event-drenches-houston-area/">CBS/AP) HOUSTON</a> - Historic rainfall levels that drenched the Houston area this week flooded dozens of homes and caused widespread street flooding, but the rain also is likely to result in the end of drought conditions in Southeast Texas, officials said Friday.</div>
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Officials estimated that fewer than 100 homes were flooded after Cypress Creek, located in the northwest part of the Houston area, rose above its banks after getting about 14 inches of rain over the past couple of days, said Francisco Sanchez, a spokesman for the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.</div>
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County officials were still trying to reach flooded neighborhoods oan Friday to better assess the damage, but initial reports had homes affected anywhere from a few inches to a couple of feet of water, Sanchez said.</div>
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"Some areas along Cypress Creek got more rain in the last 24 hours than in Hurricane Ike (in 2008) or from major flooding in 1998," Sanchez said.</div>
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CBS Affiliate KHOU reports it will be mostly dry Saturday morning, but there is a 60-percent chance of rain beginning in the afternoon.</div>
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A flood warning is in effect until 8:50 a.m. Sunday for northwest Harris County and Montgomery County. A flood warning is in effect until 10 Sunday night for the Spring Creek area of Harris County.</div>
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In northwest Harris County, a good portion of the subdivision called the Enchanted Valley Estates was only accessible by boat. Homeowners could be seen using canoes, pontoon boats and even a jet ski to navigate around the area.</div>
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Firefighters rescued several families from the Norchester subdivision near Cypress Creek Friday when two to three feet of water seeped into their homes overnight.</div>
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Several people also had to be rescued early Friday morning after driving into high water.</div>
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Gary Whitaker Jr., who lives in one of the areas affected by Cypress Creek, said street flooding in his neighborhood had started to recede on Friday but a nearby subdivision still had streets that were impassable. Water from the creek was flowing "like a waterfall" across one street and into a golf course, he said.</div>
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"Quite a few people in our subdivision couldn't go to work today. They couldn't get out (due to flooded streets). It was pretty risky," he said.</div>
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Whitaker, 36, who lives in Cypress, an unincorporated area in northwest Harris County, said there were no reports of flooded homes in his neighborhood.</div>
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The American Red Cross in Houston sent out workers Friday to affected neighborhoods to assess the flooded homes, said spokesman Cameron Ballantyne. The agency had not opened any shelters.</div>
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In Montgomery County, located just north of Harris County, officials reported seven to eight flooded homes.</div>
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A shelter had been opened in Montgomery County at Living Stones Church in Magnolia, but church secretary Linda Arnold said no residents had used the facility.</div>
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Victor Murphy, a climate expert with the National Weather Service, said one rain gauge on the border of Harris and Waller counties recorded 10.3 inches of rain in a 10 hour period.</div>
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Murphy said that amount of precipitation within that short period of time suggests that area experienced a "100-year rainfall event," which caused Cypress Creek to overflow.</div>
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Other areas in Southeast Texas also got large amounts of rain, including just west of Bay City in Matagorda County, which received about 18 inches this past week.</div>
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"Rainfall in the entire (Southeast Texas) area this week was in the 8 to 10 inch category," he said. "The average weekly rainfall for this time of year is about 1 inch or so."</div>
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While the current U.S. Drought Monitor shows some parts of Southeast Texas as being abnormally dry, that does not include this week's rainfall totals.</div>
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"When the next U.S. Drought Monitor comes out Thursday, there will not be any drought in Southeast Texas," Murphy said. Most of the rest of the state was expected to remain in drought conditions.</div>
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Even if Southeast Texas only experiences average rainfall or dry weather the rest of the summer, drought conditions should be kept at bay until at least the fall, Murphy said.</div>
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Sanchez said officials were hopeful Cypress Creek, which was still rising Friday, would eventually recede if the area was not inundated with more rain. Water levels at two other nearby creeks which had also flowed out of their banks, had started to fall.</div>
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Rain was forecast for this weekend but the chances of showers were expected to be lower than earlier this week.</div>john@bestpublicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325359310900682169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-50654213072986355252012-06-29T12:08:00.001-07:002012-06-29T12:08:31.571-07:00KIngwood & vicinity July 4th events slated<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/katy-news/article/Events-planned-to-mark-July-Fourth-holiday-3664274.php">THE CHRON</a>: Fourth of July celebrations will soon blast off in Kingwood and surrounding areas.</div>
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Organizers promise a full schedule of events to commemorate the nation's birthday, culminating in one of the largest firework displays in the Houston area.</div>
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There are several options for neighborhood celebrations, complete with parade, fishing rodeo and bicycle-decorating contest.</div>
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1 <a href="http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=neighborhood%2Fkaty-news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22The+Kingwood+Civic+Club%22" style="border: 0px; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Kingwood Civic Club</a> is hosting a Fourth of July Parade on Wednesday. Lineup for the parade begins at the corner of Feather Lakes and West Lake Houston Parkway at 7 a.m.</div>
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Float judging starts at 9 a.m. and the parade kicks off at 10 a.m. from <a href="http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=neighborhood%2Fkaty-news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Creekwood+Middle+School+on+Sandy+Forks%22" style="border: 0px; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Creekwood Middle School on Sandy Forks</a>. Parade participants must register and complete an application. Applications may be requested online at <a href="http://www.kingwoodcivicclub.org/" style="border: 0px; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">www.kingwoodcivicclub.org</a> or picked up at the Kingwood YMCA.</div>
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For more information, email <a href="mailto:kingwoodcivicclub@yahoo.com" style="border: 0px; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">kingwoodcivicclub@yahoo.com</a>.</div>
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Several activities are scheduled before the parade begins. A fishing rodeo begins at 6 a.m. at the Foster's Mill ponds, located on the corner of Kingwood Drive and Forest Garden. Children younger than 15 are invited to bring their fishing gear and compete for trophies in different categories. No registration is required.</div>
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A bike-judging contest begins at 8:30 a.m. at <a href="http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=neighborhood%2Fkaty-news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Kingwood+Bible+Church%22" style="border: 0px; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Kingwood Bible Church</a>, located at 3610 West Lake Houston Parkway. Children are invited to decorate their bicycles to impress the judges and compete for a trophy. The decorated bicycles will then join the parade. No registration is required.</div>
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Organizers encourage residents to park at the Kingwood Park and Ride.</div>
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The July Fourth Festival will be held from 2 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. Residents can gather at Town Center Park, located at the intersection of Kingwood Drive and West Lake Houston Parkway, to enjoy live music and shop for arts and crafts. There will also be activities and bouncing castles for kids.</div>
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Music will be provided by "DJ KW" Mark Linabury from 2 to 6 p.m. There will be live music from 6 to 9 p.m. The event will culminate with a fireworks display.</div>
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Residents can enjoy a free concert from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday at Kings Harbor.</div>
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A classic rock band, the Acoustic Villains, will perform in the plaza. Guests are invited to bring blankets and lawn chairs. Kids are invited to cool off and play in the fountain.</div>
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1 <a href="http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=neighborhood%2Fkaty-news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Atascocita+Community+Improvement+Association%22" style="border: 0px; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Atascocita Community Improvement Association</a> will hold its annual children's parade, beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 4, at the parking lot of the <a href="http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=neighborhood%2Fkaty-news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Atascocita+Library%22" style="border: 0px; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Atascocita Library</a>, 19520 Pinehurst Trail Drive, Humble.</div>
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Registration begins at 9 a.m., and entry numbers will be assigned to all participants before the parade steps off at 10 a.m.</div>
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The parade will proceed down Pinehurst Trail toward Incredible Delights, the site of the former Country Club, 20114 Pinehurst Drive. The event will end with prizes and refreshments for children.</div>
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</div>john@bestpublicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325359310900682169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-48649806108161251972012-06-29T08:20:00.000-07:002012-06-29T08:20:03.972-07:00Humble police arrest hit & run driver that killed woman<br />
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Humble police have made an arrest in the June 16 hit-and-run that killed Jacquelyn Froeba, 31, of Splendora, as she walked along FM 1960 after leaving the Alibi Club.</div>
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<img alt="Michael Ryan Button, 24, of Roman Forest" class=" " height="179" src="http://montgomerycountypolicereporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/BUTTONMICHAEL.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 5px 5px 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: auto;" title="Michael Ryan Button, 24, of Roman Forest" width="176" /><div class="wp-caption-text" style="border: 0px; color: #888888; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
ButtonMichael Ryan Button, 24, of Roman Forest</div>
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<a href="http://montgomerycountypolicereporter.com/?p=47203" style="border: 0px; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><strong>Montgomery County Police Reporter says in a story on its website</strong></a> that investigators initially were tracking a Mini Cooper reportedly seen that night, but determined it was not involved.</div>
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Instead, a piece from a Chevrolet Camaro found at the scene led to the Sunday night arrest of Michael Ryan Button, 24, of Roman Forest, Police Reporter says.</div>
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Investigators with Humble Police Department and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office determined that damage to Button’s Camaro matched evidence from the accident scene.</div>
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A friend with Button that night also confirmed that he had fled the scene, Police Reporter says.</div>john@bestpublicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325359310900682169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-80005912260707037322012-06-13T12:47:00.001-07:002012-06-13T12:47:40.529-07:00Car salesman's tale of kidnapping and robbery ...<br />
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<a href="http://www.khou.com/news/local/Humble-car-salesman-kidnapped-from-lot-and-robbed-157059675.html">KHOU: HUMBLE, Texas</a>—A local car salesman is still shaken after being kidnapped from a lot and robbed in broad daylight.</div>
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"It was the most traumatic experience that I’ve ever had," said salesman David McCall.</div>
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It happened on a Saturday morning—May 26th—at Tejas Toyota in Humble. A man walked up to look at a truck, and McCall started chatting.</div>
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"You get as quick to the item as you can where you see if you’ve got a buyer or a liar—that’s what we say in the car business," said McCall. "I had a liar."</div>
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As McCall walked up to unlock a truck, and he said the bad guys jumped into action.</div>
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"I went to the lock box like this, opened it like this," McCall said. "At the time, he handcuffed this hand, throwed it behind me, throwed me against the truck, handcuffed the other hand."</div>
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McCall was tossed inside an SUV and noticed a man with a federal U.S. Marshal shirt on, telling him that the arrest was for drugs.</div>
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"I thought to myself, ‘How could I be under arrest for drugs,’" said McCall. "I’ve spent 367 days in Vietnam where drugs are plentiful, and I never done a drug in my life."</div>
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McCall said he wears tens of thousands of dollars in jewelry, including a $30,000 Rolex, and it was all taken "as evidence."</div>
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"He took everything I had, even down to my handkerchief and lip balm," said McCall. The jewelry was not insured.</div>
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Humble police are investigating.</div>
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"It’s very rare for somebody to be abducted and taken away from the location," said detective Eric Squier.</div>
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Police are looking at all possibilities, including an inside job. McCall said he would be shocked if a coworker was behind the kidnapping and robbery.</div>
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If you have any information in this case, call Humble police at 281-446-7127 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS</div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-9595703734049876492012-06-13T12:39:00.001-07:002012-06-13T12:39:47.137-07:00Kingwood soldier court-martial for slayings because of messy room.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">FORT STEWART, Ga. (AP) A Texas soldier has been found guilty by a court-martial in the 2010 slayings of two of his Army roommates in Iraq. Neftaly Platero of Kingwood was convicted yesterday after jurors deliberated for 90 minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Prosecutors say Platero shot and killed two fellow soldiers hours after he complained about their room being messy.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-80206083877776070352012-05-29T07:47:00.001-07:002012-05-29T07:47:47.033-07:00Humble mom forces kids to take nude photos of herself<br />
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Posted on May 11, 2012 at 9:33 AM</div>
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HUMBLE, Texas – A local mom who allegedly had her young daughters take naked photos of her so she could send them to her boyfriend is facing serious charges.</div>
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Rebecca Lynn Burrell, 34, is charged with indecency with a child.</div>
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According to court documents, she had both of her daughters, now 10 and 12, take nude or semi-nude photos of her in the past.</div>
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The youngest daughter said, when she was 8 or 9, she took photos of her mother’s exposed private parts with a cell phone in her mother’s bedroom. She said Burrell told her the photos would be sent to Burrell’s boyfriend.</div>
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The girl also said she saw a photo of the boyfriend’s privates on her mother’s cell phone, while her mom was in the shower.</div>
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The older daughter told investigators she took photos of her mom wearing a dress with no underwear, bending over and showing her buttocks. She also said Burrell told her the images were for her boyfriend.</div>
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When investigators interviewed Burrell, they said she denied ever having her daughters photograph her nude, calling both girls liars.</div>
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Charges were filed on May 9</div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-9544393021432049412012-05-10T07:55:00.000-07:002012-05-10T07:56:01.450-07:00Humble couple fighting to save home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="storyDateline"><a href="http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/consumer&id=8655483">HUMBLE, TX (KTRK)</a> -- </span>A homeowner in Humble is fighting to save his house after it was sold at auction to pay off a debt. Texas law protects homeowners from that if they have a homestead exemption, but the sale went ahead anyway.</div>
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In Texas, your house can not be sold to pay off a court judgment of a debt if it has a homestead exemption. Richard Sisney's home carries that exemption, but the house ended up on the auction block anyway.The homeowner admits he owed $3,000, a debt racked up by his business. But he never thought his home would be sold at auction to pay that debt.</div>
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"There was a letter in the mailbox, handwritten, and another on the back gate, handwritten," Sisney said. "It said get out of your house in three days."</div>
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Sisney tells us the person who bought the home at auction paid just $780.</div>
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"I knew I had a judgment against me, but never knew it was going to go to this extent," he said.</div>
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The reason the home ended up at auction dates back to last year when Sisney pulled his business out of a property where he still owed $3,000 rent.</div>
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"I left out of the lease owing the money that I owed," Sisney explained.</div>
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A court judgment against Sisney led constables from Precinct 4 to file a writ of execution to cover the $3,000 Sisney owed. Constables tell us they then researched the property and found no homestead exemption, and then sold the house to satisfy the judgment, but there was a problem.</div>
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Sisney said, "My wife filed for it as soon as we could file for the homestead exemption."</div>
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Precinct 4 officials say after Precinct 4 researched the property and before the auction, a period of a few weeks, the Sisneys were granted the homestead exemption. Sisney's attorney, Lauren Allen, says that means the sale at auction never should have taken place.</div>
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She said, "The county attorney has told us he thinks it's going to take about a week for them to kind of get everything undone and to get the buyer his money back."</div>
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While it appears the home is safe, the county attorney tells us a final resolution is still in the works.</div>
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(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)</div>
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div>john@bestpublicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325359310900682169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-69967968564720247552012-04-18T08:42:00.000-07:002012-04-18T08:42:44.267-07:00Humble AISD offering healthy lunch options ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdAR4rQABtgSi9tVmCxLw8MdEIND6_Vjp88E2BBuOcErE2j9qTTKoJ9sncALBd76NpNgFBaZf7YtDQNOQQnOjahfLRE4ptdeaYL4TlbrGMoe2E31KSNjzdHc38pw-EBuZrJfLYDA_S44/s1600/33-%257BFED11FE4-E366-48B3-B105-7EAAE443AE4D%257D_school_lunch_1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="141" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdAR4rQABtgSi9tVmCxLw8MdEIND6_Vjp88E2BBuOcErE2j9qTTKoJ9sncALBd76NpNgFBaZf7YtDQNOQQnOjahfLRE4ptdeaYL4TlbrGMoe2E31KSNjzdHc38pw-EBuZrJfLYDA_S44/s200/33-%257BFED11FE4-E366-48B3-B105-7EAAE443AE4D%257D_school_lunch_1.gif" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/katy-news/article/More-healthy-options-are-on-school-cafeteria-menus-3488774.php">THE CHRON:</a> With school lunches shaping up across the country due to new federal guidelines, Humble Independent School District is staying ahead of the curve - offering menus with plenty of healthy options.<br />
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Robin Young, Humble ISD child nutrition director, said the district has been working to create more nutritious options for years.<br />
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At Humble ISD, almost all of the bread products are whole grain - from pizza crusts to biscuits. The crumbs used as breading for the chicken nuggets are also whole grain.<br />
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All of the milks offered are fat-free or 1 percent, and even the gravies are low fat. There are also daily offerings of fresh fruit and vegetables.<br />
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Eating healthier in Humble ISD<br />
The Humble ISD Child Nutrition Department has taken several steps to ensure that all students have healthy food choices by:<br />
1 Increasing whole grain bread choices<br />
1 Allowing students two fruit and two vegetable choices with every lunch<br />
1 Offering fresh fruit several times per week<br />
1 Replacing desserts with fruit selections<br />
1 Increasing fiber-rich legume servings<br />
1 Using reduced-fat cheeses on pizza and other items<br />
1 Using baking and steaming for food preparation (no foods are fried)<br />
1 Offering only nonfat and 1 percent milk choices<br />
1 Offering more meatless entrees<br />
1 Serving only fat-free and reduced fat gravies<br />
1 Using nutrient analysis software for menu planning to ensure meeting 1/3 of the Recommended Dietary Allowance for required nutrients at lunch and ¼ of the RDA at breakfast. These nutrients are energy, protein, calcium, iron, Vitamin A and Vitamin C.<br />
1 Providing nutrition facts on all foods served through a Virtual Cafeteria at www.nutri-cafe.com<br />
1 Providing nutrition information and helpful links via the district's website.<br />
1 Strictly adhering to Texas Nutrition Policy regulations, including sugar and fat restrictions.john@bestpublicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325359310900682169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-78668397540343517322012-04-04T06:15:00.001-07:002012-04-04T06:15:44.188-07:00Tornadoes ravage Arlington/Dallas Ft Worth<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6rt8CvbcU12VSnEnNnZ8apz9h4XrjvKXFnHmui8BTxjJRCfK6w9sjB69K92O4fCfPMN1NEhuFAzlTMzfdICHIQYvX5SP_fUtD2rvaPyu6Tooty3M5DSh8AvojOAG1cnCBK4mb30nNEew/s1600/dallasjpg-12db41fed9370013.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 131px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6rt8CvbcU12VSnEnNnZ8apz9h4XrjvKXFnHmui8BTxjJRCfK6w9sjB69K92O4fCfPMN1NEhuFAzlTMzfdICHIQYvX5SP_fUtD2rvaPyu6Tooty3M5DSh8AvojOAG1cnCBK4mb30nNEew/s200/dallasjpg-12db41fed9370013.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727533016210817938" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i-kWwEpD_8vqNdwJGTNzeM39GE0w?docId=49ba6f062c294ab19900923f068454a7">Tornado-wrecked Dallas begins assessing damage<br />By PAUL J. WEBER, Associated Press –</a><br /><br /><br />ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The tornado hurtled toward the nursing home. Physical therapist Patti Gilroy said she saw the swirling mass barreling down through the back door, after she herded patients into the hallway in the order trained: walkers, wheelchairs, then beds.<br />"It wasn't like a freight train like everybody says it is," said Gilroy, who rounded up dozens to safety at Green Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. "It sounded like a bomb hit. And we hit the floor, and everybody was praying. It was shocking."<br /><br />The National Weather Service said as many as a dozen twisters touched down in a wrecking-ball swath of violent weather that stretched across Dallas and Fort Worth. The destructive reminder of a young tornado season Tuesday left thousands without power and hundreds of homes pummeled or worse.<br /><br />As the sun rose Wednesday over the southern Dallas suburb of Lancaster, one of the hardest hit areas, it was clear that twisters had bounced in and out of neighborhoods, destroying homes at random. Vehicles were tossed like toys, coming to rest in living rooms and bedrooms.<br /><br />At one house, a tornado had seemingly dipped into the building like an immersion blender, spinning directly down through an upstairs bedroom and wreaking havoc in the family room below before lifting straight back up and away. A grandfather clock leaned slightly but otherwise stood pristine against a wall at the back of the downstairs room that was filled with smashed furniture and fallen support beams.<br /><br />Despite the intensity of the slow-moving storms, only a handful of people were hurt, a couple of them seriously, and no fatalities were reported as of late Tuesday.<br />The Red Cross estimated that 650 homes were damaged. Around 150 Lancaster residents stayed in a shelter Tuesday night.<br /><br />"I guess 'shock' is probably a good word," Lancaster Mayor Marcus Knight said.<br />The exact number of tornadoes won't be known until surveyors have fanned across North Texas, looking for clues among the debris that blanketed yards and rooftops peeled off slats.<br />April is typically the worst month in a tornado season that stretches from March to June, but Tuesday's outburst suggests that "we're on pace to be above normal," said National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Bishop.<br /><br />An entire wing at the Green Oaks nursing home in Arlington crumbled. Stunning video from Dallas showed big-rig trailers tossed into the air and spiraling like footballs. At the Cedar Valley Christian Center church in Lancaster, Pastor Glenn Young said he cowered in a windowless room with 30 children from a daycare program, some of them newborns.<br /><br />Ten people in Lancaster were injured, two of them severely, said Lancaster police officer Paul Beck. Three people were injured in Arlington, including two Green Oaks residents taken to a hospital with minor injuries, Arlington Assistant Fire Chief Jim Self said.<br /><br />Gilroy said the blast of wind through Green Oaks lasted about 10 seconds. She described one of her co-workers being nearly "sucked out" while trying to get a patient out of the room at the moment the facility was hit.<br /><br />Joy Johnston was also there, visiting her 79-year-old sister.<br />"Of course the windows were flying out, and my sister is paralyzed, so I had to get someone to help me get her in a wheelchair to get her out of the room," she said.<br />In one industrial section of Dallas, rows of empty tractor-trailers crumpled like soda cans littered a parking lot.<br /><br />"The officers were watching the tornadoes form and drop," Kennedale police Chief Tommy Williams said. "It was pretty active for a while."<br /><br />Most of Dallas was spared the full wrath of the storm. Yet in Lancaster, television helicopters panned over exposed homes without roofs and flattened buildings. Residents could be seen walking down the street with firefighters and peering into homes, looking at the damage after the storm passed.<br /><br />Hundreds of flights into and out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field were canceled or diverted elsewhere Tuesday. About 500 flights remained grounded Wednesday, airport officials said.<br /><br />The storms knocked out power for thousands. Utility Oncor said nearly 14,000 homes and businesses, mainly in the Arlington area, still had no electricity early Wednesday.<br />Meteorologists said the storms were the result of a slow-moving storm system centered over northern New Mexico.<br /><br />Dixon reported from Lancaster. Associated Press writers Nomaan Merchant, Terry Wallace and David Koenig in Dallas, Betsy Blaney in Lubbock, Angela K. Brown in Fort Worth and Robert Ray in Lancaster contributed to this report.<br />Copyright © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-48825655914016986262012-03-19T12:15:00.002-07:002012-03-19T12:17:51.596-07:00Police drone crashed during flight test - police reveal.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxi74LPPTcJYQV5l3Ao1iyIfr-5pmPG2RoVC_c038ZiYRb8cS6ygx-fnnBvflOIa8pZZ5t0cPntT8pwJUfOuTOh3y44VITDpA9p9QQL3FnAq0ncjy95IwjLcCBjex3l_R22YCrEoBMlzqf/s1600/NA-BO525-DRONES-G-20111212175427.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxi74LPPTcJYQV5l3Ao1iyIfr-5pmPG2RoVC_c038ZiYRb8cS6ygx-fnnBvflOIa8pZZ5t0cPntT8pwJUfOuTOh3y44VITDpA9p9QQL3FnAq0ncjy95IwjLcCBjex3l_R22YCrEoBMlzqf/s400/NA-BO525-DRONES-G-20111212175427.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721689563231503618" /></a><br />A prototype military test drone crashed into a SWAT team’s armored vehicle last fall during a test flight, according to an official at Spring-based Vanguard Defense Industries, which developed the drone.<br /><br />The drone crashed during a test flight at Vanguard’s flight test and training facility in Conroe in September 2011 after the operator “observed a vibration in the aircraft and elected to conduct an emergency landing,” said Vanguard CEO Michael Buscher.<br /><br />The operator was trying to the land the drone when its rotors clipped a Montgomery County Sheriff’s SWAT vehicle. Sheriff’s officials were on hand photograph the test drone.<br /><br />The SWAT vehicle sustained minor damage, while damage to the drone was confined to the rotors, Buscher said.<br /><br />MCSO recently used federal homeland security grant money to purchase a $300,000 police drone from Vanguard, and is moving forward with its separate program. The crash will not impact the Montgomery County SO’s drone program, a sheriff’s spokesman said.<br /><br />“They (Vanguard) are continuing to develop their particular aircraft, and they’re experimenting, I assume, with various types of engines,” said Chief Deputy Randy McDaniel. “It (drone) was not ours. Ours has been flying perfectly, and I’m not concerned in the least.”<br /><br />The test drone was powered by a turbine engine designed for military use only, while Montgomery County’s Shadow Hawk drone is piston-driven, Buscher said. Both drones are miniature helicopters.<br /><br />Emergency landings during test flights are part of the landscape of the aerospace industry, Buscher said.<br /><br />“It’s (crash) certainly not anything significant,” he said. “We do prototype testing regularly, and this was advanced testing, lower-level flights. This happens in the aerospace industry.<br /><br />“The beautify of having something unmanned is you’re not putting any humans in harm’s way,” Buscher said.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-8622934126130472922012-03-08T10:57:00.004-08:002012-03-08T10:59:06.649-08:00Postal worker finds 2 children living in abandoned bus near Splendora<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGTzvwdDFLkwjXqW3yRibW2qlqq7YTha8lALeKqNxeirFhKF-Y6nrMTLrnlnsyNX9oIlz-lHLBXVwNMEhFPj3Pb7WkLalL-WDYV5kY5zy_FiJwdXEnD_0nTFMynRP-6ZNCsG-bm0_ULlQ/s1600/Children+Abandoned+Bus.JPEG-04a70.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGTzvwdDFLkwjXqW3yRibW2qlqq7YTha8lALeKqNxeirFhKF-Y6nrMTLrnlnsyNX9oIlz-lHLBXVwNMEhFPj3Pb7WkLalL-WDYV5kY5zy_FiJwdXEnD_0nTFMynRP-6ZNCsG-bm0_ULlQ/s400/Children+Abandoned+Bus.JPEG-04a70.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717602740168850770" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2-children-found-living-in-abandoned-bus-in-texas-parents-imprisoned-for-embezzlement/2012/03/08/gIQAdoThyR_story.html?tid=pm_national_pop">WASHINGTON POST:</a><br /><br />SPLENDORA, Texas — Two children who were found living in a stench-filled abandoned school bus near Houston, its windows blocked and the lot around it covered in trash, are in the custody of Texas child welfare workers, officials said Thursday.<br /><br />A postal worker discovered the children, ages 11 and 5, at the bus in Splendora about 10 a.m. Wednesday, officials said. Their parents are believed to be in prison for embezzling money from Hurricane Ike victims in 2008. The children are not enrolled at local schools.<br /><br />The bus appeared to have electricity, an air conditioning unit installed in one window and bunk beds inside for the children. But several neighbors told the Houston Chronicle that the children typically looked unkempt and could often be spotted running around at night.<br /><br />“They always had dirty clothes on (and) no shoes, even in the winter,” said nearby resident Gayla Payne, who said the 11-year-old girl told her daughter that she bathes twice a week.<br /><br />Investigators told KTRK-TV that the children have been living in the bus since the beginning of the year.<br /><br />The children told Texas Child Protective Services workers that they were home-schooled. A woman on the property — believed to be the children’s great-aunt — told CPS she worked 12-hour shifts Monday through Friday but that she stayed with the children at night.<br /><br />“The aunt said that she does provide meals for them during the day,” Montgomery County Constable Rowdy Hayden told KTRK-TV. “Looking around the (the bus), we didn’t see a lot of food readily available. One of the neighbors had told us earlier that from time to time she will bring food over for the children.”<br /><br />The children are in foster care pending an investigation by Child Protective Services, spokeswoman Gwen Carter said. CPS workers will appear in court Thursday to ask a judge for emergency custody of the children, she said.<br /><br />Splendora is 35 miles northeast of Houston.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-18029968069432324162012-02-15T07:44:00.001-08:002012-02-15T07:44:45.457-08:00Kingwood teen dies in truck wreck ...<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" id="video" width="320" height="280" data="http://www.myfoxhouston.com/video/videoplayer.swf?dppversion=11212"><param value="http://www.myfoxhouston.com/video/videoplayer.swf?dppversion=11212" name="movie"/><param value="&skin=MP1ExternalAll-MFL.swf&embed=true&adSizeArray=300x240&adSrc=http%3A%2F%2Fad%2Edoubleclick%2Enet%2Fadx%2Ftsg%2Ekriv%2Ftraffic%2Fdetail%3Bdcmt%3Dtext%2Fxml%3Bpos%3D%3Btile%3D2%3Bfname%3D120215%2Dkingwood%2Dfatal%2Dvehicle%2Daccident%3Bloc%3Dsite%3Bsz%3D320x240%3Bord%3D722676594974473100%3Frand%3D0%2E5115257997531444&flv=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Emyfoxhouston%2Ecom%2Ffeeds%2FoutboundFeed%3FobfType%3DVIDEO%5FPLAYER%5FSMIL%5FFEED%26componentId%3D136974811&img=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia2%2Emyfoxhouston%2Ecom%2F%2Fphoto%2F2012%2F02%2F15%2F120215speedcrash430am%5Ftmb0004%5F20120215074112%5F640%5F480%2EJPG&story=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Emyfoxhouston%2Ecom%2Fdpp%2Ftraffic%2F120215%2Dkingwood%2Dfatal%2Dvehicle%2Daccident&category=local&title=120215speedcrash430am&oacct=foximfoximkriv,foximglobal&ovns=foxinteractivemedia&headline=Fatal%20Pickup%20Tuck%2DFlatbed%20Truck%20Crash" name="FlashVars"/><param value="all" name="allowNetworking"/><param value="always" name="allowScriptAccess"/></object><p style="width:320px"><a href="http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/traffic/120215-kingwood-fatal-vehicle-accident">Fatal Pickup Tuck-Flatbed Truck Crash: MyFoxHOUSTON.com</a></p>KINGWOOD, Texas - A teen has died after the pickup truck he drove crashed into the rear of a flatbed truck in the Kingwood area.<br />
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The Isuzu flatbed truck was traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 59, the Eastex Freeway, near the North Park Plaza exit when the Isuzu driver determined one of the tires was flat. He began to decrease the speed of the Isuzu to move it to a shoulder lane.<br />
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The Toyota Tacoma following behind the Isuzu was traveling at a high rate of speed when the crash took place around 11 p.m. Tuesday.<br />
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A rescue crew removed the teen driver, later identified as 18-year-old Eduardo Garza, from the crashed Tacoma and he was taken to LBJ General Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Garza was a resident of Splendora.<br />
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Read more: http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/traffic/120215-kingwood-fatal-vehicle-accident#ixzz1mSvK5KfJjohn@bestpublicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325359310900682169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-91073080015729883692012-02-09T07:37:00.000-08:002012-02-09T07:37:54.388-08:00Humble Texas school plagued by bats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjAGaeeanqUxvS3JxXjQB2UN4QfFR0_O0wQY4TO3QFNimjjAC1J9lxr-scJYx1BdCxkjTzW84Zo917HQgib5oL3cztY1MLGmkCnSJO9KX_9wJft2OAWVUt1oH5gtuZDAa8dU3MI8bp_bo/s1600/bats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="128" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjAGaeeanqUxvS3JxXjQB2UN4QfFR0_O0wQY4TO3QFNimjjAC1J9lxr-scJYx1BdCxkjTzW84Zo917HQgib5oL3cztY1MLGmkCnSJO9KX_9wJft2OAWVUt1oH5gtuZDAa8dU3MI8bp_bo/s200/bats.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://www.khou.com/news/local/Houston-area-school-warns-of-bats-near-entrance-139011559.html">HUMBLE, Texas<br />
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Some unwelcome visitors have been on hand near the entrance to a Houston-area school.<br />
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The Humble Independent School District this week notified parents of a bat colony that has been discovered near an entrance to Humble High School.<br />
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Principal Charles Ned says no bats have been found in the building and no students have come in contact with the animals.<br />
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Ned says pest management specialists have been working to remove and block the bats, which were discovered Tuesday. Students have been advised to use another entrance during the bat removal process.john@bestpublicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325359310900682169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-67040242027617515122012-01-25T07:21:00.001-08:002012-01-25T07:21:47.593-08:00Severe weather expected today in Houston area<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmmZa0Be4ixHIcdq-2M_rU0ZyDKUMLELokrsrsC5VEQCsB0e_NFvM1uHorbIiE0wfQjxsH3gCHuXPSipi0lp5uhDg6gRhBdGU_G8_Nu9AbCc6lgCGayPcHmoe0-DGhyphenhyphenkYzN2RAYsFVjwx/s1600/SevereWeather.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmmZa0Be4ixHIcdq-2M_rU0ZyDKUMLELokrsrsC5VEQCsB0e_NFvM1uHorbIiE0wfQjxsH3gCHuXPSipi0lp5uhDg6gRhBdGU_G8_Nu9AbCc6lgCGayPcHmoe0-DGhyphenhyphenkYzN2RAYsFVjwx/s200/SevereWeather.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701589719248079490" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.click2houston.com/news/Severe-weather-brings-thunderstorm-atornado-warnings-watches/-/1735978/8492314/-/9l6k3e/-/">KRPC:</a> You can see a wall of heavy rain," KPRC Local 2 meteorologist Anthony Yanez. "From 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock is the time to watch for these dangerous storms."<br /><br />"Do not take these warnings lightly. Typically, whenever we get these and see a pattern like we had this morning, we'll see a handful of tornadoes," Yanez said.<br /><br />Gusty winds and scattered showers moved through the area at 2 a.m., knocking out power to 30,000 CenterPoint Energy customers. As of 6:30 a.m., approximately 18,000 people remained without electricity.<br /><br />"Earlier this morning, we had wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph," Yanez said. "That's what knocked down some of those trees and power lines. We could still see some 60 mph straight-line winds, hail and lots of lightning."<br /><br />A low-pressure system is responsible for strong storms in central and northern Texas, which are expected to drench the Houston area most of the day.<br /><br />"There's a couple of lines that we're tracking. The strongest one will arrive in Houston around noon. It's a concern for this morning until early afternoon. The radar is picking up a lot of twisting winds," Yanez said. "It's going to be wet from 8 o'clock all the way through 2 o'clock. By 5 p.m., this storm system will be in our eastern counties."<br /><br />Yanez said south of Interstate 10 is not expected to see the strongest storms.<br /><br />"It's a lot more scattered and not as well put together," Yanez said.<br /><br />Power outages caused problems for some southwest Houston businesses.<br /><br />Whataburger on the Southwest Freeway near Weslayan had to turn away customers when employees could not prepare food for the morning rush.<br /><br />"Their lights just came back on (at 6 a.m.), but they weren't ready to serve yet," customer Carol Bennett said.<br /><br />Many Houstonians were worried about flooding after severe weather left its mark on Jan. 9.<br /><br />Houston firefighters performed about 140 water rescues when people became stranded in high water.<br /><br />Officials warned drivers to "turn around, not drown" if they approached rising water.<br /><br />Flooding is the most common hazard in Houston and many times, individuals are not able to judge the depths of water along roadways and find themselves in perilous conditions.<br /><br />Officials said 6 inches of water can cause tires to lose traction and begin to slide, and 12 inches of water can float many cars. Two feet of rushing water will carry off pickup trucks, SUVs and most other vehicles.<br /><br />Water across a roadway may hide a missing segment of road or a missing bridge, officials said.<br /><br />In flash floods, waters rise so rapidly they may be far deeper by the time you are halfway across, trapping you in your vehicle.<br /><br />Be especially cautious at night, when it's even more difficult to gauge the amount of water in a roadway.<br /><br />The safest option is to simply avoid driving over water and find an alternate, safer route, or wait until the danger has passed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1786146160483992823.post-83836916273579427922012-01-19T08:34:00.003-08:002012-01-19T08:34:24.879-08:00Identity thieves sentenced<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY388U_S8BtvBGNrZUDOawlqL1x1Ld3KqbWbwcSHqYkjO6lZrwFeo7KSlyjyJ5Qe4LTbfAh8IdvaG9PB1E5-ID_fuomND1Oo58mSpflcADUp2dbSuA1B21obd4otWWFQ2lwAVP-3JaplY/s1600/ID-Theft5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="227" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY388U_S8BtvBGNrZUDOawlqL1x1Ld3KqbWbwcSHqYkjO6lZrwFeo7KSlyjyJ5Qe4LTbfAh8IdvaG9PB1E5-ID_fuomND1Oo58mSpflcADUp2dbSuA1B21obd4otWWFQ2lwAVP-3JaplY/s320/ID-Theft5.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Two men who, along with other conspirators, used the personal information of dozens of victims to obtain fraudulent credit cards have been sentenced to lengthy terms of imprisonment, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson has announced.<br />
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United States District Judge Melinda Harmon sentenced Richard Gaylon Conatser, 47, of Corpus Christi, Texas, and Geoffrey Michael Wentzel, 34, of Kingwood, Texas, to 124 and 65 months without parole, respectively. Conatser and Wentzel both previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft along with Troy Jay Bird, 43, of Corpus Christi, who will be sentenced on Feb. 10, 2012.<br />
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Officers with the Houston Police Department (HPD) arrested Conatser and Wentzel at Wentzel’s home in Kingwood on Oct. 8, 2010. Officers had recognized Conatser from the surveillance video of a Best Buy, where items had been purchased using a credit card obtained in the name of a victim. At the home, police seized multiple laptop computers, flash drives, laminating machines, credit card magnet readers and other equipment used to make fraudulent forms of identification. Police also discovered the personal identification information of dozens of victims on the laptop computer and in credit applications from Kingwood Air Conditioning & Heating, which were also seized during a search of Wentzel’s house. Wentzel is a former employee of Kingwood Air Conditioning & Heating.<br />
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Conatser and Wentzel used the personal information and fraudulent forms of identification to open credit accounts in the names of at least 45 different individuals at more than a dozen different retail stores in the Houston and Dallas areas, including Kohls, Sears, Dillard’s, Home Depot and Bass Pro Shops. After being approved for credit in the victims’ names, Conatser, Bird and other conspirators purchased thousands of dollars of merchandise, often being captured on video surveillance in the process. In some cases, Conatser then sold the fraudulently-purchased items to Wentzel, who in turn sold the items within days using his eBay account.<br />
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Law enforcement agents connected Conatser and Wentzel to Bird, who was previously arrested on July 15, 2010, during a traffic stop in Coppell, Texas. Police in Coppell discovered several items related to identity theft in Bird’s vehicle and a hotel room where Bird and other conspirators were staying. Among the items discovered by police were fraudulent identifications and other person information belonging to victims whose information was later discovered at Wentzel’s home.<br />
In addition to their sentences, the two men were ordered to serve supervised release terms of three years following their release from federal prison. They were also ordered to pay restitution to victims totaling $142,197.88. Conatser has been in custody since his arrest where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility in the near future. Previously released on bond, Wentzel was allowed to continue on bond and voluntarily surrender.<br />
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Houston Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant United States Attorney David Searle is prosecuting the case.john@bestpublicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325359310900682169noreply@blogger.com0