After two venue changes and a whole lot of national attention, an adult expo in Houston finally opened its doors on Thursday at an area gentlemen’s club.
Houston man heads to prison for making ‘crush’ videos of killing puppies
A Houston man is headed to prison for five years for making “crush videos” of the torturous deaths of small animals, including puppies, chickens and kittens.
Body found in Matagorda County last year identified as missing teen
Large fire reported at Sugar Land-area gymnasium
Fire crews fought a large blaze at a gym in Sugar Land on Thursday afternoon, according to reports.
Does Harris County discriminate against poor defendants?
Couple demands training after deputy allegedly shoots dog
A Houston couple is demanding that law enforcement officers get more training after a Harris County sheriff’s deputy allegedly shot their dog as she arrived at their home for a non-emergency.
Teen appears in court in fatal shooting of parents
Prosecutors on Thursday outlined the case against a 16-year-old accused of killing his parents, saying inconsistencies in his story to police raised suspicions leading to his arrest.
Woman dies, two children injured after crash in southeast Houston
A woman died and two children were rushed to the hospital Wednesday night after traffic crash in southeast Houston.
Man charged with murder in death of Cleveland mother of five
The investigation is ongoing, but the news release stated authorities had information that “seems to indicate there was an on and off relationship” between Green and Rucker which led to the woman’s death. Crime scene tape initially marked the area where the investigators searched for evidence. On Monday, Cleveland police officers, working with the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Rangers, developed leads that resulted in a person of interest being named and the recovery of Green’s body.
A few things invented in Houston (and a few we’re pretty sure should have been)
Houston birthed the Screwpull wine bottle opener, breast implants, the Weed Eater, and the Table Jack.
Police: Man who fell off roof was naked, having sex and on meth
In East Texas, Lufkin police arrested a 31-year-old naked man on meth after he fell from a roof while allegedly having sex.
Why do moon landing conspiracies live on?
Nearly 50 year after men first landed on the moon, the conspiracy theorists won’t give up the lunar ghost.
Egyptians may ease rules for creating churches in Islam-majority nation
Egypt’s persecuted Christian minority is hoping that leadership of the predominately Muslim nation soon may ease restrictions on creating churches.
Mother accused of drowning two children had mental health problems, lawyer says
The Houston mother accused of drowning two of her children in a bathtub last week was diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and severe depression as early as 2012, her lawyer said Wednesday.
Couple said to leave 2 kids in hot car while getting high
A north Houston couple remains in jail after authorities said they left two small children in a hot car while they were getting high.
Man shot, killed at west Houston apartment complex
Investigators are searching for clues after a man was found shot to death Tuesday night in a vehicle at an apartment complex in west Houston.
Police subdue man with stun gun after chase in southeast Houston
Police shocked a man with a Taser early Wednesday morning after he led officers on a car chase and then ran away from them in southeast Houston.
CPS twice stepped in to help children allegedly killed by mom
On Friday, with the children back in her care, their mother, Sheborah Thomas, systematically drowned them in a bathtub and stuffed their bodies under a neighbor’s house, then later told an acquaintance she had killed them, according to prosecutors. A confidential court document obtained by the Chronicle paints a troubling picture of the life the children faced in the years leading up to their deaths, including the bout of homelessness in 2012. Kayiana appeared healthy to hospital workers, aside from a healing wound on her stomach from having a cyst drained the previous month. Thomas admitted to the investigator that she had recently used marijuana and PCP, and said she left her daughter at the bus stop with the homeless man after catching a ride with someone else when the buses stopped running. “Miss Thorn [Thomas] does not have a stable home environment and her drug usage prevents her from properly caring for her children,” the investigator wrote. Since early April, when a landlord and neighbors said Thomas started renting the house in the Third Ward, police visited three times for family disturbances, two of which involved a weapon. None of the police calls was generated in response to abuse or neglect allegations made to Child Protective Services, said Houston Police Department spokeswoman Jodi Silva.
Youth pastor convicted of sexually assaulting a child in Montgomery County
A onetime volunteer youth pastor from Willis has been sentenced to life in prison and won’t be eligible for parole until 2046 after his recent conviction for aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Dell Ivan Godkin, 48, was convicted Aug. 11 by a Montgomery County jury, prosecutors said in a news release Monday.
The victim — whom prosecutors say was a relative — told the jurors the abuse began when she was 13 and continued until shortly before her 17th birthday, when they “made a deal” that he would stop abusing her if she would not tell anyone.
Injured worker in Sunoco explosion files lawsuit
A worker injured in an explosion at a crude oil terminal Friday night in Southeast Texas filed a lawsuit Monday against Sunoco and Carber, accusing the companies of causing the explosion.
Houston activists call for criminal justice reform
Community activists and organizers on Tuesday called for reform of Houston’s criminal justice system, including pre-trial release and appointment of a special prosecutor to review police shootings.
Vaccination exemptions on the rise in certain Texas counties
This week the Houston Chronicle reported on the increasing number of children who attend public and private schools in Texas whose parents are opting for them to be exempt from taking basic vaccinations.
Houston Zoo’s newest Komodo dragon makes his debut
Phoenix, age 2, has lived behind the scenes at the zoo getting acclimated to his surroundings.
Firefighters have elevated risk for PTSD, cancer, new study finds
Firefighters can experience post-traumatic stress disorder at rates similar to combat veterans, according to a new report released Tuesday by the International Association of Fire Fighters.
HPD: Man stabbed, killed during argument at north Houston apartment
A man died early Tuesday morning when he was stabbed during a dispute at an apartment in north Houston.
Gunman fires shots at police officer in northwest Houston
A burglary suspect opened fire on a police officer early Tuesday morning during a chase at an apartment complex in northwest Houston.
Family vacation to San Antonio turns deadly
The Gallow family wanted one more vacation trip before school started for the fall, so they piled into an SUV with friends and headed for Six Flags Fiesta Texas. They never made it to San Antonio.
Man pleads guilty in counterfeit Viagra and Cialis case
A Philadelphia man pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a ring that trafficked in counterfeit Viagra and Cialis pills that were smuggled into the United States.
University of Texas student matched with gold medalist
Sabryna Salazar, a 20-year-old University of Texas student in Austin, matched with gold medalist Joseph Schooling on Tinder but didn’t go on a date with him.
Hurricane Alicia hit the Houston area 33 years ago this week
The Category 3 storm was the costliest in Texas history at the time. Hurricane Ike and Tropical Storm Allison later surpassed the approximate $2 billion in damage done by Alicia.
11-year-old who accidentally shot himself declared dead in Houston
An 11-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself in the neck on July 31 died last week after being taken off life support, Houston police said Monday.
Residents of Waggoner Ranch allegedly told to vacate property
Billionaire Stan Kroenke bought the sprawling W.T. Waggoner Ranch earlier this year. The historic property, considered the largest U.S. ranch behind one fence, had been on the market for 18 months at an asking price of $725 million. The new owner apparently isn’t playing nice with some of the people who have called portions of the 535,000-acre North Texas estate home for some time.
HPD: Mom faces capital murder charges in children’s drowning
Houston police are investigating reports of a double homicide on the 3000 block of Tierwester. The bodies of two children, 5 and 7, were discovered underneath a neighbor’s home. Their mother is currently the main suspect.
Metro: Technical problems cause delays on Metro Rail’s Red Line
Morning commuters on Metro rail face delays Monday morning after technical problems hit portions of the system.
Texas leaders double back with anti-abortion proposals
AUSTIN – Texas officials have wasted little time advancing new anti-abortion policies after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned state law for building what it deemed to be unconstitutional barriers to abortion. Since the high court opinion decimated parts of the Texas’ abortion law in late June, Gov. Greg Abbott’s administration has unveiled a new fetal burial policy, published revisions of a mandatory pre-abortion brochure that medical experts say inserts inaccuracies and granted $1.6 million to a group run by an anti-abortion advocate. Between pending changes mandating fetal tissue cremation or burial and contested edits to a “Women’s Right to Know” handout, more than 21,000 reactionary comments have flooded state agencies. All of those comments came after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state’s 2013 requirements that facilities adhere to costly standards of ambulatory surgical centers and require doctors performing abortion to gain admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, calling them unconstitutional barriers to abortion. The state clearly favors childbirth over abortion and should be able to promote that viewpoint in its policies and brochure, said Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life, a leading anti-abortion group. Days after the proposed revisions came out, state officials began moving forward with the second policy change: the Texas Health and Human Services Commission on July 1 quietly revealed plans to require fetal remains, regardless of gestational age, be given a burial or cremation. Estimates for the cost of cremation and burial vary, although the basic fee for funeral services is $2,000, according to the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Texas, adding a significant cost for abortion providers to absorb or pass on to patients. The governor’s office, which took credit for pushing the agency to write the policy, said the unveiling of the proposed rule had nothing to do with the timing of the Supreme Court’s opinion. With an administration and state laws that stand in steadfast opposition to abortion, critics fear the changes will further damage a woman’s ability to obtain an abortion, whether by higher costs associated with cremating their fetus or in wading through coercion in the state-sponsored information.
Despite hurdles, space shuttle was key to a grander vision
Not long after he had put his Nazi past behind him and turned his thoughts to more peaceful pursuits, rocket engineer Wernher von Braun laid out a plan for the future of the American space program, sensible enough for any politician and simple enough to write on a napkin. […] put a real person up there to prove that we could, and that he can remain alive. […] no one imagined then that von Braun’s functional “ferry,” the modest plane-like vehicle that would run back and forth to space, would end up as a 30-year endeavor that would summarize human space exploration for a generation and consume more than $200 billion of the agency’s budget. The sum of human space knowledge may have been more enriched by the robotic probes assembled in California and sent throughout the solar system, but the key human element bore a familiar Texas twang, just as in the Apollo days. By most any measure the iconic Space Shuttle was an impressive achievement, instilling pride as it blasted into blue skies with a booming orange tail and amazement when its lifting body design allowed it to glide back to a runway for a perfect soft landing. The Challenger accident, which occurred on a crisp winter morning in 1986, stunned a nation that had come to regard shuttle flights as routine – so routine that television networks no longer carried live broadcasts of the launches, so routine that one of its crew members was not a scientist or military aviator but a teacher, whose presence was to be used to promote human space flight as a worthy endeavor that would teach us much in coming years. […] when Hubble turned out to have a problem with its optics, the shuttle took up new parts and a crew trained to install them, saving American astronomy’s greatest achievement. Political reality then stepped in, with President Richard Nixon deciding to go with what he saw as the least ambitious and expensive of his options, other than calling a halt to the human side of the space program. Former late congressman and cabinet member Les Aspin, often a critic of NASA’s spending habits and vision, said the shuttle’s original role as a piece of a large scheme was lost as its supporters wanted to give it something to do beyond send out robotic probes. NASA never got the funding it needed to build the fully reusable, two-stage vehicle that was always desired, so designers scaled back.
Woman dies after being ejected from car
Police are probing whether rainy conditions or possible intoxication contributed to the crash.
NW Houston carjackers shoot man, lead police on chase
A man was shot multiple times by carjackers who led police on a brief chase by car and foot, Houston police said. Northwest patrol officers responded at 12:30 a.m. to reports of a shooting at 1700 Gessner, near Timberwood. They learned a man had been shot at least two times and taken to Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center by private vehicle, said Lt. Larry Crowson with the Houston Police Department.
Reports: 2 children found dead near Texas Southern University
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