Humble Harris County Recycling Program

Humble to sponsor household hazardous waste collection

By OBSERVER STAFF

The city of Humble has teamed up with the Harris County Watershed Protection Group in providing residents with the opportunity to safely dispose of hazardous household waste in an environmentally responsible way.

In addition, participants will receive information on less toxic alternatives to common hazardous household products and can also receive free items at the reusable products booth.

In preparing materials for transport to the collection site, residents are asked to adhere to the following guidelines:

Whenever possible, bring products in their original, properly sealed and labeled containers

Do not mix products

If the container leaks, pack in a larger container and use absorbent, such as cat litter, to soak up leaks

If you do not know the contents of a container, mark it “unknown”

If possible, place materials in cardboard boxes

Place materials in areas away from drivers and passengers

Household Hazardous Waste Collection

WHEN: Saturday, March 7, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.

WHERE: Humble Civic Center, 8233 Will Clayton Parkway

COST: free

INFO: call Cheryl Burton-Fentress, Harris County Program Manager, at 713-290-3000, e-mail cburton@swq.hctx.net, or log on to www.cleanwaterways.org

What to bring

HAZARDOUS WASTE: fertilizers and pesticides, paint and paint related products, motor oil and filters, antifreeze, gasoline and fuels, household cleaners, solvents, car batteries, pool chemicals

RECYCLABLES: aluminum cans, all plastics, newspapers, magazines, phone books, cardboard, up to five automobile tires per household

ELECTRONIC WASTE: televisions, computer monitors, laptop computers, CPUs, printers and scanners, fax machines, cell phones, stereos, VCR/DVD players

What not to bring

Business waste, medical waste, radioactive waste, PCBs, dioxins, ammunition, explosives, compressed gas cylinders, smoke detectors, washers, dryers, refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, household trash

Humble Area Calendar of Events

FEBRUARY NETWORKING BREAKFAST
Thursday, Feb. 26 - 7:30 p.m. Chamber Office
Sponsored By: 1st Community Mortgage
Chick-fil-A Deerbrook Mall
Mortgage Express
Redstone Realty

$100 CASH GIVEAWAY



Penworth Publishing Associates will host - Marketing Bootcamp: Networking Techniques on Wednesday, Feb. 25th from 9 am to 12 pm at Kingwood.com Executive Offices, 562 Kingwood Dr. Cost: $35, RSVP to Carmen Wisenbaker, carmen@penworth.com. For more info: www.penworth.com/bootcamp .

Penworth Publishing Associates will host Publishing Bootcamp: Promoting Your Book on Friday, Feb. 27th from 9 am to 12 pm at the Humble Area Chamber Offices located at 110 W. Main St. in Humble. Cost: $35, RSVP to Carmen Wisenbaker, carmen@penworth.com. For more Info: www.penworth.com

Constable Ron Hickman is proud to announce that the Annual Golf Tournament tradition is back on Monday, March 23, 2009 at 10:00AM at Cypresswood Golf Club. Lunch will be served at 11:00AM and a 12:00PM Shotgun Start. There will be a number of games to "Beat the Constable" from: Longest Drive Contest, Chipping Contest and Putting Contest. At the end of the tournament you will be served a BBQ Dinner and Door Prizes and Awards. Its a great time for everyone. For more information call 281-821-6300.

On March 27th a couple who has given countless hours and dollars to numerous charities will be the beneficiaries of proceeds from The Bill Cantrell Recovery Fund Golf Tournament, to be held at the beautiful Atascocita Country Club. Last May Bill was diagnosed with Small Cell Lung Cancer. The tournament will attempt to help the Cantrell's pay some expenses. Registration begins at 7AM with a continental breakfast. The tournament will include Closest to the Pin and Longest Drive competions as well as a Tiger Drive. Play will conclude with awards at an All-American Lunch at 1 PM. Sponsors and auction items are currently being solicited, and registration for team play is ongoing. For information regarding sponsorship, donating for the live or silent auctions or to register a team, visit www.RecoveryFund.org or call 281-319-6240.

The City of Humble and the Humble Senior Activity Center are proud to present the 29th Annual Good Oil Days Festival on April 4. This will be a fantastic event with Arts Crafts, good food, and plenty of fun. The Festival features 2 music and entertainment stages with continuous performances during the Festival! Proceeds will benefit the Humble Area Seniors. Booth Fees, Donations and In Kind Services are Tax Deductible. For information on Booth rental or Sponsorship, call 281-446-4140 or visit www.goodoildays.com.

Kingwood Chamber Golf Classic - Date Changed To May 7

To get involved with the Golf Classic committee or for more information contact Stephanie at 281-319-8902.

March Luncheon To Feature Award Winning Author Anita Higman

March Luncheon To Feature Award Winning Author Anita Higman

Luncheon Sponsored By Wells Fargo

The Humble Area Chamber's March Third Tuesday Luncheon will feature award-winning author Anita Higman who's debuting her new book, "Love Finds You in Humble, Texas". The luncheon is sponsored by Wells Fargo and will be held at 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, March 17 at the Humble Civic Center.
Higman, has twenty-four books published (several co-authored) for adults and children, and has two novels coming out in the next two years. She has been honored in the past as a Barnes Noble "Author of the Month" for Houston, and some of Ms. Higman's publishers are Bethany House, Barbour Publishing, McGraw-Hill, Lillenas Drama, Howard Publishing, and Summerside Press.

A few of Higman's books are Another Stab at Life, Another Hour to Kill, The Celestial Helix, Pokeweed and Mrs. Gasp, and Big Book of Holidays and Holy Days. She also has contributions in ten nonfiction compilations.

One of Ms. Higman's co-authored books entitled, A Tribute to Early Texas, has a foreword by Elmer Kelton and has won a San Antonio Conservation Society Citation as well as a Westerners International Book Award. She was also named a Favorite New Author in the 15th Annual Heartsong Presents Awards and her co-authored novel, Castles in the Air, was a Favorite Contemporary Romance in the 16th Annual Heartsong Presents Awards.

In addition, Higman has won two awards for her contribution to literacy and has raised thousands of dollars for literacy with her book, I Can Be Anything, while serving on the board of directors of Literacy Advance of Houston.

Higman has also written for radio, television, ezine, and advertising. She has a B.A. degree combining speech communication, psychology, and art from SNU, and she is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Higman lives with her husband near Houston, Texas.
Reservations for the luncheon must be made by 12 p.m., Friday, March13, and the cost to attend is $20 for chamber members and $25 for non-chamber members. To RSVP visit the calendar section of the chamber's website at www.humbleareachamber.org, or call the Humble Area Chamber office at 281-319-8907.

Chamber After Hours At H Ranch On March 12

H H Ranch will host the Humble Area Chamber of Commerce's March After Hours from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 12.
Chamber members, their family and friends are invited to come enjoy an evening of complimentary hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Located at 4000 Greens Rd., H H Ranch has been Houston's premier outdoor company picnic facility since 1947 and now boasts a brand new indoor banquet hall available for corporate and social events.
The evening will feature door prizes and fun for all those attending, so come and network with various businesses from Atascocita, Humble, Kingwood and Spring.
Chamber After Hours is a free quarterly networking event which is sponsored and hosted by chamber members. The purpose of the event is to allow chamber members an opportunity to make new contacts and promote their business in a relaxed, social atmosphere. If you own a business, work for a business or plan to start a new business, you are welcome to come.
Businesses wishing to donate a door prize worth $50 or more can drop their items off at the Chamber office or bring it with them to the event.
For more information about the Chamber After Hours call 281-319-8903.

Humble ISD takes concerns to Austin

Originally posted in The Observer: Kingwood

By COREY L. TURNER
Updated: 02.18.09
Kingwood resident Ted Mandel has seen his share of legislative committees make trips to Austin. But even he had to admit that Humble Independent School District’s Feb. 10 trip to the capital was a special occasion.

“Over the years, I’ve never heard the kind of comments I’ve heard coming out of this most recent trip,” said Mandel, who has served on Humble ISD’s Legislative Committee for more than five years.

“I don’t want to jinx it, but there may actually be some money coming this time. Legislators are really listening and you can tell they want to help.”

Mandel didn’t make the trip to Austin, but several dedicated members did, led by Legislative Committee Chairman Charles Cunningham and fellow board members Dan Huberty and Robert Scarfo.

While in Austin, the committee met with several legislators including Sen. Tommy Williams, who serves on the Senate Education Committee. Williams has been a constant supporter of addressing the public school financing issue. The committee also met with Sen. Dan Patrick, Rep. Debbie Riddle, Rep. Senfronia Thompson, Rep. Joan Huffman, Rep. Joe Crabb and Sen. Royce West.

Superintendent Dr. Guy Sconzo was pleased with the feedback the committee received while in Austin.

“Our state-elected officials were extremely responsive to our needs,” Sconzo said. “It was very encouraging that they expressed a sincere willingness to work this session to change the funding system and add new money for schools as a bridge to the 2011 legislative session, when there is a strong intent to completely fix state funding for schools.”

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst also met at length with representatives from Humble. The meeting lasted more than an hour and Sconzo stated that Dewhurst showed “exceptional understanding” of the financial crisis and issues facing Humble and other school districts across the state.

“We must continue to work diligently to keep our needs and the importance of fixing the state funding system for schools right in front of all our state-elected officials throughout this legislative session,” Sconzo added.

Read this entire story at www.thekingwoodobserver.com

“They are hearing us and we just need to keep it up.”

The district’s next trip to Austin will be Feb. 26 for the Parent Teacher Association rally at the capital, and the next committee meeting will be March 9 at the Humble ISD Administration Building.

2 injured as SUV plows through home

Originally posted in the Humble Observer'===

By STEFANIE THOMAS
Updated: 02.17.09

An Atascocita couple was hospitalized in stable condition after an SUV crashed through their front door in the 18000 block of Singing Woods Drive at approximately 10:45 p.m. Feb. 16.

“[We] found a 2008 Chevrolet Suburban completely inside the living room of a single story residence,” said Atascocita Volunteer Fire Department spokesman Bob Kelshaw. “The two home owners were on the ground in the back yard where they had been pushed while watching television on their couch.”

Ray Vargas, a family friend of homeowners Raul and Lisa Valles, said the driver of the SUV was intoxicated when he smashed into the residence.

“He was being followed by another truck because he had started something with someone at a bar,” Vargas said. Kelshaw noted that the driver apparently targeted the truck, whose owner ultimately gave pursuit, with a paintball gun.

Vargas said that the SUV was reportedly traveling west on Echo Pines Drive, disregarded the stop sign at the T-intersection of Singing Woods and continued straight.

“He must have been going very fast,” said Kelshaw. “It looked like he hit the curb and didn’t even touch ground again until he hit the house.”

The driver and passenger where taken into custody by Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s deputies. Charges are pending the completion of the investigation.

Authorities said that the driver, whose name was not immediately available, exited his SUV once it came to rest in the Valles’ living room, and attempted to hide in the kitchen. The driver of the second car reportedly detained the man until first responders arrived at the scene.

The damage to the Valles residence is extensive. Utilities had to be disconnected, Vargas said, to prevent gas leaks and portential fires.

Raul Valles, who owns Skeeter’s Mesquite Grill in Kingwood, was recovering from brain surgery at the time of the accident. He and his wife were transported to Kingwood Medical Center Hospital.

“They were very lucky,” Kelshaw said.