Alvin woman jumps on hood of beer thieves ...

Wild fires plaguing Texas

Firefighters from Cut and Shoot, Caney Creek, Splendora, Montgomery County and Bear Creek fire departments were still at work by deadline Monday trying to put out a nearly 200-acre wildfire about 10 miles northwest of Cleveland.
No structures were harmed.
Four bulldozers, including one from the Texas Forest Service, worked to set up a fire perimeter to keep the fire contained.
Helicopters made 38 drops of water to squelch the flames. The cause was undetermined Monday night.

Texas Local Web Site Blooms into a Flower for the Community

New exciting things are developing in the Summer of 2011 for ExploreHouston.com

Best Publications wants to welcome the public to this new web business directory and informational mecca for ExploreHouston.com that will continue to be filled with. . . Community Links and Events, Guide Pages for Restaurants, Weddings, Florist, Services, Auto Sales, Entertainment, Real Estate, Eye Care, Dental, Medical, Employment, Shopping! Read a variety of Articles | Forums Topics | Daily Deals | Coupons | Directory Hot Links | Interact Page to Join the Community Fun!

Register with ExploreHouston.com site so you can gain the benefits. User can post Social and Public Events.

Take the opportunity for High School and University Students to announce Sports and School Events, Professional Sports Links and Ticket Information | Post a photo or comment on other people’s Photos, Comment of Articles or Forum Topics | Post a Scan of your Child’s Artwork | Free Classified Postings & Add Your Own

The staff of ExploreHouston wants the community to benefit from the information we can share... as well as encourage you to participate. Send us a comment.

Post your event or Your Organization Benefit in ExploreHouston.com Event section. We want our information to accurate, so we depend on our community to help us stay in touch.

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Drowned swimmer washes ashore in Galveston ...

GALVESTON, Texas — The body of a man that washed ashore late Tuesday is believed to be a swimmer presumed to have drowned in rough rip currents, authorities said.

Galveston police responded about 9 p.m. to a report of a body washed ashore in the 400 block of East Beach Drive, police Capt. Jeff Heyse said.

The body is believed to be that of Michael Fasola, 23, of Houston. He was tentatively identified by skin moles and his tall and thin body type, Galveston Island Beach Patrol Chief Peter Davis said.

Conroe teen dies after high speed chase ...

HUNTSVILLE, Texas—A 14-year-old driver was killed and his 13-year-old passenger injured after their joyride led to a high-speed chase, then a horrific crash near Huntsville early Tuesday, according to authorities.

Authorities said a State Trooper attempted to pull over the two Conroe teens after spotting them joyriding in downtown Willis around 1 a.m., but the driver refused to stop.

Instead, he floored it and led authorities on a high-speed chase up Highway 75.
Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies joined in the chase, which ended after the teen failed to negotiate a sharp curve on Highway 1374.

"The suspect was traveling over a 100 miles an hour," said Sgt. Terry Barnhill. "He came through about a 45 degree turn, lost control of his vehicle and slammed into a telephone pole."

The impact of the crash nearly split the vehicle in two.

The passenger, Gustavo Roberto Casillas, was ejected from the vehicle and broke his leg. He was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in stable condition.
The driver, Collin Johnson, had to be cut from the floor panel. He died at the scene.
The family Johnson lived with said they took the teen in when he had nowhere else to go. They confirmed the vehicle was taken from their property.

Conroe ISD confirmed the teens were junior high students, but would not reveal which school they attended. They will, however, provide grief counselors to students in need.

Humble family of Quints have hands full on Mother's Day ...

HUMBLE, Texas—At the Mayorga household in Humble, there’s no such thing as a typical day. That’s because Veronica Real-Mayorga delivered quintuplets in August.
With three boys and two girls all born on the same day, it seems the fertility drugs she had been taking really worked.

"I cried because I was overwhelmed with the news of five," said Mayorga. "I wondered how I was going to handle it."

Then she remembered something she’d heard in church.
"God will not give you anything you cannot handle," said Mayorga. "So I said, OK, I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I’ll be fine.
And fine she is, with five nine-month-olds and one nine-year old.
So it makes sense that on Mother’s Day Veronica felt five times the love.

"Yes," said Mayorga, "as well as the work."
Work that includes 40 diaper changes a day.

"She’s the best of the best," said her eldest son, 9-year-old Fernando Mayorga. "She takes care of everybody."

READ MORE HERE AT KHOU

Texan heads Bin Laden raiders

The commander of the U.S. military unit responsible for killing elusive al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden — Vice Adm. William H. McRaven — is a San Antonio native and graduate of the University of Texas in Austin.

McRaven, 55, earned a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1977, although a campus dean said a computer listing didn't indicate whether the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps member had an interest in the print side of news coverage, broadcast or public relations.
A fellow ROTC member recalled McRaven as eager for military service.

"He was extremely focused on preparing for special forces details," said Curtis Raetz, of McKinney, who majored in engineering at UT, served in the Marine Corps and now works in private business.
'He had drive.'

Raetz, who graduated a year before McRaven, said the ROTC program included required courses such as naval science.

James Gruetzner, who served in the same Navy ROTC batallion as McRaven, told Cox Newspapers, "He had drive. He went on extraordinarily long runs to stay in shape. He was very dedicated."
McRaven's Navy biography states he attended the Naval Postgraduate School and was its first graduate in Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict. In 1995, he wrote a book called Spec Ops: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare Theory and Practice.

McRaven became commander of the U.S. military's Joint Special Operations Command in 2008.
In that role, he reportedly led the planning and execution of bin Laden's death Sunday at the hand of Navy SEALs, an acronym that stands for Sea, Air and Land.