Man dead after gunfire in Houston’s Third Ward area

The collision, which wrapped her white Toyota Avalon around a post, happened in the 9300 block of North Wayside near Tidwell.

Houston police find man shot to death in his yard

A man was discovered shot to death Friday night near his northeast Houston home. Houston police found the body of Terrence Snowden, 45, in the yard of his residence in the 7900 block of Booker, said police  spokesman Kese Smith.

Chinese government charging Houston businesswoman

The U.S. State Department said Friday that Chinese authorities are officially charging a Houston businesswoman who was detained 16 months ago on allegations of spying and stealing state secrets in a case that has sparked condemnation from Congress and the United Nations. In October a bipartisan congressional committee asked Secretary of State John Kerry to consider issuing a travel advisory for China, saying it found Phan-Gillis’ detention “deeply troubling.” A Vietnamese refugee of Chinese descent who became a U.S. citizen decades ago, she helped lead and later served as president of the Houston Shenzhen Sister City Association since 1994 and founded Houston’s Chinese New Year festival. U.S. analysts say her case raises questions about the safety of Americans doing business in China under Xi, who has arrested at least nine foreigners on allegations of spying in the past two years and oversaw the passage of a sweeping national security law last summer that grants authorities broad discretion about what constitutes espionage.

Johnny Steele Dog Park opens again after flood-caused closure

Months after being forced into closure by Houston’s historic “Tax Day” flood, the Johnny Steele Dog Park is back open again on Buffalo Bayou.

Joy-riding 12-year-old will stay in detention, judge rules

A 12-year-old girl who steered a wild joyride through Montgomery County this month with her five-year-old sister in their grandmother’s car has been ordered to remain in detention until at least next week.

Family sues Texas Children’s over son’s death

A Houston couple is suing Texas Children’s Hospital, accusing the hospital of gross negligence in the death of their teenage son.

Canadian Anglicans provisionally approve same-sex weddings

Leaders of the Canadian Anglican church this week narrowly have provisionally authorized clergy to perform same-sex weddings, following the lead of the Episcopal church in the United States and risking the ire of conservatives in the Church of England.

Facebook courtship of Woodlands woman ends in wire fraud convictions

Two Nigerian citizens pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to their roles in a Facebook romance scam aimed at defrauding a Houston-area woman of $2 million.

The scam is one of a growing number schemes turning up across the country on social media sites that cost victims nearly $200 million in 2015, federal officials said.

Suspect in officer’s death appears in court

A Houston judge on Friday denied bail for an accused shoplifter who is facing a murder charge as a habitual offender in the death of a Bellaire motorcycle officer during a high-speed chase earlier this week.

Fiery crash blocks Interstate 45 near Parramatta

Traffic on Interstate 45 was snarled Friday morning during rush hour when a truck crashed and burst into flames in north Harris County, forcing officials to shut down the freeway.

Two dead, two wounded in shooting at northeast Harris County home

More details have emerged after two men died and two others were seriously wounded Friday night in a shooting during an apparent robbery at a home in northeast Harris County.

Reports: Texas father, son among victims in France truck attack

Protest in Houston denounces recent police killings

About 50 people gathered on Houston’s south side on Thursday at a protest of recent police killings.

NE Harris shooting leaves one person dead

Sheriff’s deputies are investigating a shooting in northeast Harris County that left one person dead and sent at least one other person to the hospital Thursday night.

Harris officer joins mourners at Dallas policeman’s funeral

DALLAS – Hundreds of law enforcement officers from across the country – included dozens from Harris County – turned out in force to join residents in mourning the loss of five Dallas officers from a sniper’s ambush.

Houston man pleads guilty in Air Jordans shooting

A Houston man pleaded guilty Thursday for his role in a fatal armed robbery over a few pairs of expensive Air Jordans basketball shoes.

Suspect in fatal crash that killed Bellaire officer appears before judge

An accused shoplifter is facing a murder charge as a habitual offender in the death of a Bellaire motorcycle officer during a high-speed chase, prosecutors said Thursday.

Houston Ship Channel reopened after spill of chemical compound shuts it down

The U.S. Coast Guard and Harris County Hazardous Material Response Team are investigating a spill of about 500 gallons of benzene, a component found in crude oil.

 

Singing Texas lawyers advise residents: Don’t eat your weed

Texas lawyers have an important message: Don’t eat your weed.

SWAT standoff reported at Baytown church

A SWAT standoff occurred at a Baytown church parking lot on Thursday, according to reports.

 

Requests to buy firearms jump across the nation

Requests nationwide to buy guns are skyrocketing as America grapples with violence, including the recent slaying of five Dallas police officers and a shooting at the Orlando nightclub.

The FBI reports that nearly 14 million requests for background checks to purchase a gun were made in the first half of this year – a 25 percent increase compared to the same period in 2015.

Five years after the height of Texas drought, Lake Buchanan ghost town back underwater

Five years ago Texas history fanatics marveled at a lost Lone Star town that was found on the banks of a dried-up Lake Buchanan. Now it’s back underwater, awaiting Texas’ next drought.

Man wounded following home invasion in north Houston

A man was wounded in a shooting late Wednesday night during a home invasion at an apartment complex in north Houston.

New director seeking to improve CPS
AUSTIN–The new commissioner for the state’s troubled Department of Family and Protective Services on Tuesday laid out plans to improve Texas’ child welfare system. In a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott made public at a legislative hearing, Commissioner Hank Whitman stated: There are positive efforts under way to protect children, and I see an agency desperate to do great work. Last December a federal judge called the department a “broken” system and in a 255-page report stated foster care children “leave the state custody more damaged than when they entered.” […] last month Judge Janis Graham Jack of the Southern District of Texas approved a work plan that orders nine experts to collectively spend up to 2,034 hours from June through September devising answers to problems that long have handicapped the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and moved children from one dangerous home into another. The proposals included Protective Services’ regional directors reapplying for their jobs, ensuring all CPS investigators are provided forensic training by September and collaborating with the Department of Public Safety. Scott McCown, director of the Children’s Right Clinic at the UT School of Law, said at the hearing the Institute for Organizational Evidence at UT conducted a survey for the department to understand why there were turnovers in caseworkers.

TEXXXAS adult expo coming to Houston in August

In late August Houston will be visited by a cadre of male and female porn stars and a sex-toy company showing off its wares.

2 arrested in raid on secret casino near U.S.-Mexico border in south Texas

A secret casino in Brownsville, Texas, near the U.S.-Mexico border was busted by investigators with the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office and federal Homeland Security agents.

 

Harris County confirms first baby born here with Zika-linked defect

Harris County Public Health on Wednesday confirmed the first Zika-related case of microcephaly — the birth defect characterized by an infant born with a smaller head — in Harris County.

County health department officials said that a baby diagnosed with microcephaly tested positive for the mosquito-borne virus. A previous test on the mother was inconclusive.

College Station police investigating approximately 60 cars shot by BB gun

The College Station Police Department is investigating complaints of cars being damaged BB guns. As of Tuesday, the College Station police have gotten complaints of approximately 60 vehicles with windows shot out.

County officials: Raise education requirements for CPS caseworkers

Texas A&M police say car wreck occurred after driver exited vehicle to catch Pokemon

There seems to be a Pokemon Go issue at Texas A&M.

Blue Bell teases new flavor announcement for Friday

This week the people at Blue Bell Ice Cream teased out an announcement of a new flavor. The company posted photos on Instagram and Facebook of two pairs of worn-out cowboy boots to tout the news.

Man who tried to rob Waffle House with an AK-47 is shot by customer

A man who tried to rob a Waffle House in DeSoto with an AK-47 on Thursday was shot by a customer at the restaurant.

Dallas begins laying slain officers to rest

PLANO – Pastor Rick Owen stood behind Lorne Ahrens’ flag-draped casket and addressed the Dallas Police Senior Corporal’s two children, who were sitting front and center in the packed auditorium of Prestonwood Baptist Church.

“Sometimes bad things happen to good people,” he said, speaking directly to Sorcha, 10, and Magnus, 8, as a crowd of about 5,500 listened. “Even when they’re doing the right thing.”

Houston Zoo releases cute video of its new female sea lion pup

On Wednesday the Houston Zoo released the first video of its newest addition, a sea lion pup born on site in late June and finally revealed its gender. It’s a girl, folks.

First funeral for slain Dallas officers set for today

Dallas will on Wednesday begin the process of laying to rest the five officers killed by a 25-year-old Army veteran during a protest last week.

Wednesday’ memorials will be for Dallas Police Officer Lorne Ahrens and Brent Thompson, a Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer.

Congressman Ted Poe diagnosed with leukemia

Texas Congressman Ted Poe announced Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with leukemia and will be undergoing treatment at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center during the summer recess.

Pokemons not welcome at Washington’s Holocaust Museum

“Pokemons not allowed.”

The anti-Pokemon Go sign doesn’t really exist, but the sentiment — at Washington, D.C.,’s Holocaust Museum, at least — is very, very real.

In what may be a case of the melding of the virtual and real worlds going awry, museum spokesman Andrew Hollinger told the Washington Post that “playing the the game is not appropriate at the museum, which is a memorial to the victims of Nazism.”

Deputy constable involved in crash on FM 1960 in NE Harris County

A deputy constable was involved in a crash early Wednesday morning in northeast Harris County, forcing officials to shut down portions of FM 1960.

Man wounded after shooting in northeast Houston

A man was wounded in a shooting early Wednesday morning outside an apartment complex in northeast Houston.

Hashtag demands UH student leader leaves office after ‘All Lives Matter’ post

#RemoveRohini was trending in Houston this week after Rohini Sethi reportedly posted on Thursday night: “Forget #BlackLivesMatter; more like #AllLivesMatter”.

Coalition to raise awareness on deadly airbags

Houston community leaders have formed a coalition to raise awareness of massive vehicle recalls for airbags that could potentially deploy and kill drivers following car accidents.

An estimated 70 million cars could be equipped with the recalled Takata airbags, which become increasingly at risk of exploding if they are exposed to high heat and humidity. Ten people have died across the U.S. because of the airbags, two of which were in Houston. Both of the incidents were auto accidents that caused the airbags to deploy, explode and send shrapnel into the driver.

A burning mystery: Ferrari near Allen Parkway bursts into flames

A burning Ferrari sent up a big cloud of black smoke over Allen Parkway on Tuesday.

Small fire reported in University of Houston-Downtown building

Students and faculty at the University of Houston-Downtown campus were alerted to evacuate certain floors in One Main Building on Tuesday afternoon after reports of a fire.

Russians enact laws restricting evangelizing activities

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a measure than bans preaching, religious teaching and evangelizing anywhere other than churches and other religious sites, Christianity Today reports.

Fun facts about Texas-based Yeti coolers

On July 1 the Texas-based brand Yeti filed paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to eventually take the company public, according to Forbes.

Ted Cruz joins Obama aboard Air Force One for Dallas police memorial

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is among the lawmakers accompanying President Barack Obama aboard Air Force One as he travels to Dallas to speak at an interfaith memorial service for five police officers killed on Thursday.

Miss Corpus Christi Latina forced to return crown, give up title

Weeks after a lawsuit from Miss Corpus Christi Latina contestants stated the winner should have been disqualified, the 25-year-old will have to give up her title.

Even TxDOT has weighed in on Pokemon Go safety concerns

By now we’ve heard all we want to hear about Pokémon Go and the way it’s sweeping the world. Even guys fighting ISIS in the Middle East are catching creatures on their smartphones. But now the Texas Department of Transportation has weighed in.

Aldine ISD teacher accused of sex with student back in court

Alexandria Vera, the 24-year-old middle school teacher accused of having a long-term sexual relationship with a 13-year-old boy, is in court Tuesday morning for a hearing.

High-speed police chases may never be the same again

A sticky GPS tracker deployed on a vehicle eluding officers and remotely activated spike strikes that deflate the tires of a pursued car are two new technologies the Houston Police Department is testing to make chases safer for the public and authorities.