Humble Dr tops DPS list at prescribing addictive drugs

HOUSTON – A Texas Department of Public Safety tracking system shows that Harris County doctors rank at the top of the list in writing prescriptions for three highly addictive drugs that officials say give users a "heroin high" when taken together.

Over a 15-month period ending in March, one Houston doctor wrote more than 43,000 prescriptions for the drugs, the Houston Chronicle said. That doctor is one of six in Harris County topping the list of those writing the most prescriptions in Texas for the ingredients for the potent drug cocktail. Authorities have withheld the doctors' names.

DPS records show the top six doctors had each written between 23,907 and 43,383 prescriptions for the three drugs during that 15-month period.

After a new state monitoring law took effect 20 months ago, pharmacies were required to report to the state all prescriptions that doctors write for those controlled substances.

Investigators are using those records to look at pain management clinics writing frequent prescriptions for the cocktail.

Dr. C.M. Schade, a former president of the Texas Pain Society, said he knows of no legitimate medical reason for a doctor to prescribe all three together.

"It's a red flag that can be seen across the country," he told the newspaper.

The three drugs include: hydrocodone, a narcotic known by brand names such as Vicodin ; alprazolam, an anti-anxiety drug known as Xanax; and carisoprodol, a muscle relaxant known as Soma.

Authorities say that in Houston, customers can often be seen lining up around the block at such clinics.

"Sometimes they hire security officers to handle the crowd. I'm not kidding," said Schade, who said such clinics can easily earn $1 million to $3 million a year.

Louisiana adopted stringent laws from 2007 to 2009 to regulate and monitor pain clinics there.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman Wendell Campbell said that's when Louisiana customers, many times by the van load, started coming into Texas for the drugs.

Records show customers are also coming from states including Arkansas and Mississippi.

"You can find one of these pain clinics in a strip center in five minutes," said Tommy Hastings, a Houston attorney representing the families of four people who died of drug overdoses after going to Houston-area pain clinics.

Since Texas began monitoring prescriptions, five Houston doctors have been accused of conspiring to illegally distribute controlled substances at a dozen area clinics.

One of them, Dr. Christina Clardy, had dispensed more than 3.5 million tablets of Vicodin, Xanax and Soma in one year.

Investigators allege that Clardy was paid thousands of dollars a month for pre-signed prescription pads used by operators of two clinics. Both clinics where she served as medical director – one in Humble, the other in Houston – have since been shut down.

Clardy's attorney, Chris Downey, told the newspaper she looks forward to proving her innocence.

Schade said that a new state law taking effect in September will help cut down on the pain clinics that are churning out prescriptions for the drugs.

The law will require that clinics be certified by the Texas Medical Board if 50 percent of their patients get prescriptions for controlled substances. It also requires the clinics to be owned by a Texas doctor who must be on the premises for at least a third of the facility's operating hours.


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Texas Gulf Waits & Worries

LAPORTE -- Richard Arnhart spends much of his days monitoring wind trajectories, scientific bulletins and TV newscasts.

Parts of an oily blob three times the size of Rhode Island -- and growing -- are believed by many experts to be lumbering closer to the Texas Gulf, and Arnhart is part of the first line of defense.
As a regional director for the Oil Spill Prevention and Response Program in the Texas General Land Office, Arnhart is paid by the state to fight oil spills, and he's heavily involved in state and federal contingency planning for any possible impact on Texas from the massive oil spill lurking in the Gulf of Mexico.

Communities all along the Texas coast are making similar preparations as they join the rest of the world in tracking daily developments in one of the worst oil spill disasters in history.
No one knows for sure if remnants of the spill, which was about 160 miles east of the Lone Star State late last week, will reach Texas waters. The consensus seems to be that if there is an impact it will be in the form of tar balls or a frothy substance resembling chocolate mousse. Experts don't expect any residue to hit this far west for several weeks.

Beyond that, just what threat the spill poses for a region of the state whose economy and culture is tied to the gulf is difficult to gauge. Environmentalists warn of possibly irreversible damage to the state's fragile ecosystems and endangered wildlife. Others worry about potential losses to fishing and tourism, though local officials say they have yet to see any signs of an economic backlash.
"It's going to have an impact one way or another," said state Rep. Aaron Pena, D-Edinburg, chairman of the state House Select Committee on Emergency Preparedness, which has scheduled a Monday hearing in McAllen to examine Texas preparations for the spill. "We swim in that ocean. We eat the food that comes out of that ocean. It's part of our [committee's] charge to be prepared for emergencies, and this is certainly an emergency that Texas should be prepared for."
'No news is good news'

Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, whose office would be in charge of fighting residue from the spill and enforcing the cleanup, took steps late last week to calm fears about the oil slick.

"We're watching and waiting, but it's just not time to go to general quarters," said Patterson, who is scheduled to testify at Monday's hearing. "No news is good news."

Patterson sought to dispel TV reports that tar balls from the spill are already showing up on Texas beaches. Although tar balls occasionally wash ashore along the Texas Gulf, they may be decades old and could come from natural seepage or earlier spills, the land office said. An analysis on tar balls collected from Jamaica Beach on Galveston Island last week proved conclusively that the substance did not come from the oil slick in the gulf, said Cmdr. David Berliner of the Coast Guard.
Nevertheless, an out-of-control underwater gusher dumping more than thousands of barrels of oil into the gulf each day is impossible for Texans to ignore. Houston area residents watching TV last week, for example, might have seen ads aired by attorney Jim Adler offering his service to victims of the spill.

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Ice Cream for everybody!

HUMBLE, TX – Rewards can come in many forms, and that includes ice cream! Blue Bell Creameries will honor Ms. Nancy Mahlstadt, regional finalist of Texas Teacher of the Year and Splendora High School teacher, by treating the entire student body and staff of her school to Blue Bell Ice Cream, while celebrating the end of the school year. Blue Bell employees will arrive at Splendora High School, 23747 FM 2090, Splendora, on Tuesday, June 1, at 10:50 a.m. with a truck full of ice cream.

In addition, Blue Bell Creameries will present Mahlstadt with a cooler of her favorite Blue Bell flavors, natural Vanilla Bean and Dutch Chocolate, as well as a congratulatory letter from Paul Kruse, CEO and president of Blue Bell Creameries.
“At Blue Bell, we believe there is no finer work you can do in this world than be a teacher,” says Kruse. “The finalists for Texas Teacher of the Year are among the most outstanding members of their profession. We are very pleased to have the opportunity to honor Ms. Mahlstadt for her wonderful work.
“We want to recognize not only Ms. Mahlstadt, but the entire student body and staff at Splendora High School. Part of our purpose is to remind all the students how fortunate they are to have Ms. Mahlstadt and such dedicated teachers with them every day.”


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Oil spill threatens already weakened wetlands

by Brad Woodard / 11 News
khou.com


Crews depart with giant box to help Gulf oil leak
With millions of gallons of oil already in the gulf and massive underwater plumes that could poison and suffocate sea life across the food chain, experts say the damage from the spill could endure for a decade or more. For Galveston, however, the picture isn't quite as bleak.

"There may be some kind of effect coming this way, some little tarballs, but we'd be talking about almost three weeks into the future, which gives it more time to break up. More time to sink," said Peter Davis, chief of the Island's Beach Patrol.

If Davis doesn't seem overly concerned, it's because he's seen it all before.

"I've worked here for almost 30 years, and before that I was on the beach all the time," says Davis. "I remember in the 80s when there was less regulation; there was tar around a lot more."

Long before the Deepwater Horizon explosion, in fact, long before offshore drilling, tarballs were washing up on Texas beaches. The state estimates as much as a million barrels of crude oil leaked into the gulf through natural seepage in just the last year.

Although the coast is clear in Galveston, at least for the moment, some business owners along the seawall worry all the news surrounding the spill with scare off tourists.

"They don't know if there is oil or no oil," says Izzy Wolraich, the owner of four businesses on the Island. "And we know there's no oil.

There're afraid about poisoned fish and dirty water, but there's not a panic yet."

And that's what he fears the most.

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Texas All-Star Wrestling this Saturday (5/15) in Humble, TX

TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2010
TASW returns to Humble this Saturday night May 15th, for "Beat Down".

All the action will be at Magnolia Ballroom located at 2725 Wilson road in Humble. Easy to get to from either FM1960, Will Clayton, or Beltway 8.

This Saturday night the doors open at 6pm. Matches start at 7pm.

In the main event you will see an 8-Man Tag Team match.

Plus 4 other exciting matches....

Check out the TASW website for information on this card.

(Card subject to change)

Ticket Info: General Admission Seating.
Adults $15.00, Kids 12 and under $10.00.
Get there early to get front row seats.

Tickets will be available at the door this Saturday night starting at 6:00pm.

NO BEER AVAILABLE AT THE BUILDING BUT YOU CAN BRING YOUR OWN BEER. (CANS ONLY).

For more information on this event check out our website: www.TASWwrestling.com

TASW's 24hr. Event line number is (281) 548-5856.

If you have any questions about this event you can email us at TASWwrestling@yahoo.com
Join the TASW Wrestling school today!
Low down payment to get started. Low monthly payment. Call TASW at (281) 548-5856 to make an appointment, and start making your dreams come true today.

www.TASWwrestling.com
www.ProWrestlingWarehouse.com

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12 year old leads police on high-speed chase!

According to Humble, Texas Police, a 12 year-old boy was the driver of a car that lead police on a high-speed chase.

The chase started around midnight of Monday morning and reached speeds of 90 miles per hour and lasted for about seven miles. Due to the time of night and lack of traffic when the chase happened, no one sustained any injuries.

There was a second boy in the car with the 12 year-old driver. Both boys attend Ross Sterling Middle School

The chase began when police received a call about a suspicious vehicle. Police tried to pull the vehicle over, but the driver refused to stop for police. The chase went through several neighborhoods and finally ended on a dead-end street in Humble, Texas.

The driver was arrested and charged with evading officers in a motor vehicle and was then taken to a juvenile detention facility. The passenger was arrested and charged with criminal trespassing and subsequently released to his parents.

The parents of the passenger had reported him missing earlier in the day. Humble, Texas Police said that no charges would be filed against any of the parents involved, but Child Protective Services would investigate the incident.


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OIl spill threatens Gulf Coast

(CNN) -- A huge oil spill oozing toward the Gulf Coast on Thursday threatens hundreds of species of wildlife, some in their prime breeding season, environmental organizations said.
The Coast Guard said Wednesday that the amount of oil spilling from an underwater well after an oil rig explosion last week has increased to as many as 5,000 barrels of oil a day, or 210,000 gallons, five times more than what was originally believed.

Although efforts to minimize the damage are under way and options under consideration include asking the U.S. military for assistance, wildlife conservation groups say the oil could pose a "growing environmental disaster."

"The terrible loss of 11 workers (unaccounted for after the rig explosion) may be just the beginning of this tragedy as the oil slick spreads toward sensitive coastal areas vital to birds and marine life and to all the communities that depend on them," said Melanie Driscoll, director of bird conservation for the Louisiana Coastal Initiative, in a statement.
Coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida could be at risk, the organization said.

"For birds, the timing could not be worse; they are breeding, nesting and especially vulnerable in many of the places where the oil could come ashore," she said. "The efforts to stop the oil before it reaches shore are heroic, but may not be enough. We have to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, including a true catastrophe for birds."

"The best case is, the wind shifts and the oil doesn't hit," said Tom MacKenzie of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "I'm not real confident about that. ... We're doing everything we can to prevent it, but it could be a bad one."

It's not just birds that could be affected, although they are usually the first to feel the effects, said Gregory Bossart, chief veterinary officer for the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. The birds are right at the surface, get covered in the oil and swallow it, causing liver and kidney problems.

"They need to be rescued and cleaned," he said.
But the coastline of Louisiana, with its barrier islands and estuaries, "is a very unique ecosystem. It's very complex," Bossart said.
Plankton found in the estuaries nourish organisms all the way up the food chain. Crabs, mussels, oysters and shrimp feed on the plankton, he said. Oil smothers the plankton, meaning they cannot eat.

Also, "the estuaries here are a nursery ground, literally a nursery ground, for the entire fish population in this area," Bossart said.

River otters in the region eat mussels and other animals. And "we know, in this area right now, that there are sperm whales. There are dolphins right in the oil slick," he said.
If an oil spill is small enough, animals can leave the area.
"Some of them can get away," Bossart said. "It's totally dependent on the size of the slick, and this is huge."

Exposure to the oil for a prolonged period of time can result in a toxic effect on the skin, and mammals can suffer lung damage or death after breathing it in, Bossart said.
"When the oil starts to settle, it'll smother the oyster beds. It'll kill the oysters," he said.

The Audubon Society, which is affiliated with the Louisiana Coastal Initiative, is recruiting volunteers in Florida and making its Center for Birds of Prey available for bird cleansing and rehabilitation. Elsewhere, Audubon said it was gearing up to mobilize volunteers and provide assistance as the oil reaches land.

The spill also threatens the Louisiana and Mississippi fishing industry, as crab, oysters and shrimp along the coast could be affected, along with numerous species of fish. Gulf shrimp are in their spawning season.

More than 400 species are threatened by the spill, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported Thursday, citing the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
"When you stop and begin considering everything that this could impact, it really is stunning," Karen Foote, biologist administrator with the department, told the newspaper.

A handful of "Important Bird Areas" -- designated because of their value to bird species -- face immediate threat from the oil, the initiative said. They include the Chandeleur Islands and Gulf Islands National Seashore areas in Louisiana and Mississippi, along with the Active Delta area in Louisiana, which includes Delta Island National Wildlife Refuge and the Pass-a-Loutre Wildlife Management Area.

Several species of birds are cause for special concern, the Louisiana Coastal Initiative said. They include the brown pelican, the state bird of Louisiana, which nests on barrier islands and feeds near shore. The brown pelican's breeding season just began, according to the Initiative, and "many pairs are already incubating eggs."

The species was taken off the federal endangered species list last year, but "their relatively low reproductive rate means any disruption to their breeding cycle could have serious effects on the population."

More than 800 brown pelicans died when a smaller oil spill hit Louisiana's Breton Island National Wildlife Refuge a few years ago, MacKenzie said.

Species of beach-nesting terns and gulls, beach-nesting shorebirds, large wading birds, marsh birds and ocean-dwelling birds are also at risk, along with migratory shorebirds and songbirds, the Initiative said.

The migratory songbirds move across the Gulf during a two-week period from late April to early May, for instance.

"The journey across 500 miles of open water strains their endurance to its limits," the Initiative said. "They depend on clear skies and healthy habitats on both sides of the Gulf in order to survive the journey."

According to a 1998 study by Louisiana State University, more than 500 million birds fly over the Gulf and enter the United States along coastal areas in Louisiana and Texas each spring.
The barrier islands east of Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain have still not recovered from the blow dealt by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Bossart said, and a spill such as this one could seriously threaten their recovery.

"I think at this point it would be wrong to say it's catastrophic, because it really hasn't hit any area except out in the Gulf proper," he said. But "it's certainly a very serious thing" that could pose a long-term environmental challenge.

Plans have been under way to protect wildlife since the spill was discovered, MacKenzie said. "We know what we're doing to try to protect those key assets. ... A lot of people are leaning forward in the foxhole to address this."

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