Houston's new plan to improve our recycling habits involves recycling revenue from recycling into a pilot program where — yes! — we could put all our recyclable stuff into a single, wheeled container The woman who left her two kids in a hot car Monday had been drinking before the incident, according to court records An off-duty HPD officer shot and killed a man who was trying to break into his home yesterday afternoon —......

18-year-old Gerson Funes-Reina has been charged with murder after his girlfriend's mom's body was found stuffed into a suitcase in northeast Harris County And, in Rosenberg, a 20-year-old mother has been charged with two counts of injury to a child for leaving her 1- and 2-year-old kids in a car for eight hours; the children are in ICU Before Gustav, observers worried that the price of oil might spike because of damage to Gulf infrastructure......

Folks relaxed in the Gustav-free zone of Galveston yesterday Meanwhile, in the tropics, it looks like Hanna will hit the Southeast and Tropical Depression Nine probably won't be a danger to us — maybe And, meet one of the new tools in a mass evacuation: GM's OnStar service, which saw a spike in calls as people fled the Louisiana coast Looking back on Labor Day: Union membership in Texas is down these days, but that......

Gustav update: Folks in Galveston aren't too worried, but maybe they should be, given that the storm's likely to strengthen in the Gulf City Council on Wednesday held up a $750,000 contract for police recruitment ads, saying it doesn't know enough about what HPD is doing to attract new officers Two men were sentenced to jail time in a mail and wire fraud scheme in which they stole more than $13 million from a petrochemical......

Despite a new law that relaxes restrictions on where prosecutors can carry guns, Harris County DA Ken Magidson has asked the attorney general whether he can make his assistants stick to his rules when packing heat The attorney for Jameel Cook, the former Texans fullback who was arrested on a marijuana possession charge, is suggesting that Cook might have been the victim of racial profiling Hurricane Gustav weakened a bit yesterday as it passed over......

A train full of chemicals derailed in Galveston County on Saturday, leading to a temporary evacuation of a few area homes A motorcyclist died Saturday after being lodged in the windshield of a vehicle after a crash on FM 1960 A Brookland family had to be rescued twice in four days during a trip to Galveston Opinions are split on the operator whose bus was involved in a fatal Aug. 8 accident: Some say he......

Byron Weinle, a local dentist, has been charged with improper photography for allegedly taping patients and employees using the restroom A pair of would-be bank robbers were thwarted Wednesday when bank employees recognized them from a previous robbery and locked the doors Parents may not care for video games in the renovated downtown library, but according to library personnel, the games have made books fly off the shelves Houston Texans fullback Jameel Cook was arrested......

Mayor Bill White to Harris County: Give us $10 million or there may not be a new soccer stadium A police chase Wednesday ended when the suspect crashed into a condo in southwest Houston Does the Texas Lottery's new Slingo game lead Web surfers to porn? All the recent rain has left us with a break in the summer heat, but what's it doing to our drought? And, speaking of the rain, some customers at......

Valero's warning system for its Manchester plant didn't warn nearby residents to stay inside during a fire earlier this month, some residents claim And, in other refinery-related news, victims of the 2005 BP Texas City blast say the company's $50M fine doesn't cover even half of a portion of their medical bills Transportation Secretary Mary Peters: No federal money for Houston transportation projects right now, but we're trying to put things on a (relatively) fast......

A tornado caused very minor mayhem near the Sawyer Heights Target store on Saturday Car plunges from elevated section of the Westpark Tollway — City Councilwoman Jolanda Jones to the rescue! A police chase Friday night led to the discovery of illegal immigrants hiding in the back of a stolen truck A hiker from Denver found a Houston family's wrecked plane in Summit County, Colo., over the weekend; none of the Jacomini family aboard survived......

Matthew Wilson, the Rice student who has been missing for the last eight months, was arrested Wednesday at UC-Berkeley while using a laptop that police say was stolen Jury: Victoria Osteen didn't assault that flight attendant after all A high-speed chase through northwest Houston yesterday ended when the suspect was hit by a patrol car; he's facing charges of evading arrest and aggravated assault of a police officer A 3-year-old boy was found dead in......

Houston's first Hispanic female police officer has died at 78 due to injuries sustained in a drive-by shooting Super Unleaded for $2/gallon at Houstonist HQ! Kidding. But someone has a few extra gallons after stealing 7,000 gallons of fuel from a Galveston filling station. Sharon Brown may take the stand today to make her case against Victoria Osteen The back-to-school tax break happens this weekend A Katy cheerleading squad has to put their herkies on......

The tragedy of Friday's bus crash in Sherman: At least 17 are dead and 30 are hospitalized as federal investigators begin their inquiry And the frustrating news: Despite a few fatal accidents, there's been little done to reform the bus business in the last few years At Moody Gardens, a poisonous viper has gone missing again, triggering a closure of the rainforest pyramid; police say someone tampered with the exhibit, freeing the snake HPD officers......

Victoria Osteen acted in a racist manner during a flap aboard a Continental flight three years ago, a witness implied during Osteen's trial Thursday Police have identified a person of interest in the case of a body that was set on fire in a Missouri City apartment complex Thursday morning A 12-year-old northwest Harris County boy accidentally shot and killed his stepbrother Wednesday night while playing with a handgun And, in the Medical Center, an......

Forget Judge Judy. The jury is seated in the lawsuit against Victoria Osteen alleging assault of flight attendant Sharon Brown. Open arguments start today. Let the side show begin. Damage from Edouard was minimal the blood bank's supply is running low A pair of dolphins survived being beached in Galveston by Edouard. Now they're back in the sea and worrying about other things like tuna nets. Heliberto Oli may become the second foreign national to......

Edouard wrap-up: It's pretty much gone now and the ports are open again; as far as the storm's effects, there was a little street flooding in Baytown and some flight delays, but not too much else Not to say there weren't dramas: In Galveston, three swimmers learned the value of lifeguards as Edouard's rip currents slammed them against the rocks, and in Baytown, a big-rig driver had to be rescued from his truck when it......

Tropical Storm Edouard is on his way to Houston. We've seen worse (amember Tropical Storm Allison), but you should still be prepared. Tropical storms bring wind and rain and stuff. But, what's Edouard packing? The Sci Guy knows. Rejoice, ninos! School's closed! Woo hoo! The Greater Houston Area Red Cross opened two shelters last night. Bring your own supplies (bedding, drugs, diapers, etc.) and leave Fido at tu casa. Our boy, Edouard, may cause some......

Needless to say, everyone should be getting acquainted with Edouard, the tropical storm that popped up in the Gulf over the weekend and could be headed our way — but how strong will it be? Speaking of which, here are some hurricane preparedness tips, just in case And, in other weather-related news, a line of strong storms caused some damage in Montgomery County yesterday Turning the Astrodome into a hotel would hurt Rodeo parking and......

A 3-year-old local boy watched his father kill his mother and himself late Wednesday, police say Thinking of parking in the new Discovery Green garage? Bring an umbrella — looks like the garage is leaking This just in: Exxon Mobil is making more money than God And, in other oil-related news, Houston's Marathon Oil is considering splitting in two to help deal with poor margins Moody Gardens officials knew a poisonous viper was loose in......

New developments in the case of missing Rice student Matthew Wilson: Does he want to be found? A Willis real estate agent found a man's body inside a vacant home — and an autopsy shows that the man had been shot in the head Michael Ryan, a patron at a local Chili's restaurant, has been charged with murder for allegedly shooting the restaurant's manager to death in the parking lot last week Grace Evangelical Lutheran......

A Harris County grand jury declined to indict two HPD officers in the April 29 shooting death of Roland Carnaby, the man who claimed to be a CIA agent A 15-year-old northeast Houston boy who stabbed his brother Thursday has a history of mental illness, his family says Hurricane Dolly wrap-up: Significant damage in South Texas, a welcome amount of rain locally and not nearly enough rain in dry Central Texas And, in other Dolly-related......

Dolly came to Texas, tore the roofs off of homes and knocked out power in the area; but surfers love Dolly for her waves Houston gets a taste of Dolly today as remnants roll through the area. 70% chance of thunderstorms. High: 88. Low 76. The Air Force decorated a pilot from Kingwood with the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor for saving the lives of German soldiers How much did you spend on gas last......

As Hurricane Dolly heads for Texas, Galveston is preparing for high tides while Houston gets ready for slightly cooler weather Speaking of Dolly: This is the third most active July in history in terms of hurricanes Sunmart, a The Woodlands-based gas station chain, has been short-changing customers at the pump, a state official says Two men robbed two convenience stores within 25 minutes in April, police said yesterday; officers are still searching for them The......

Huge digital signs along our commute warned us that it's Hurricane Season. Really? That makes sense since Tropical Storm Dolly may be hydrating our coastal region this weekend. The "Houston is a boomtown" theory is all a matter of perspective. What do you think? An investigation of the captain of ill-fated Texas A&M sailing vessel Cynthia Woods has brought to light prior accidents in the same vessel that may have contributed to the tragic accident......

Now appearing in the Caribbean: Tropical Storm Dolly, which could make landfall near the Texas-Mexico border Families and friends remembered victims of the LyondellBasell crane collapse this weekend as OSHA investigators began combing the wreckage for clues to the disaster Bobby's on the Bayou, a nightclub near Intercontinental Airport, burned for the second time in a week yesterday afternoon; investigators suspect arson Last month's flood at the country criminal courthouse, which was caused when the......

Tragedy struck at a Houston apartment complex where two children were crushed to death by a stairway collapse Reliant plans to http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/consumer&id=6269001" target=new>increase charges (tee hee) for electricity in August The FBI is tracking a Houston bank robber who has held up three banks in a month Your credit card numbers may not be safe even if you don't lose them A Katy teacher couldn't keep it in her pants and has resigned after allegations......

KTRK has more information about what the Joe Horn grand jury saw when it decided not to charge Horn Oil prices fell more than they have in 17 years yesterday, finally settling at $138.74 a barrel, down 4.4 percent Houstonians paid their respects to Dr. Michael DeBakey as he lay in repose in the City Hall rotunda Tuesday A man who tried to abduct a Fresno teen got more than he bargained for when his......

Houston Grand Juries have been busy this summer. They just indicted Carolyn Sue Krizan-Wilson on murder charges from 1985. Three years of construction on Katy Freeway have finally yielded to "completion" and drivers are enjoying some different scenery Adios, Kirby Trees. We'll miss you. This just in. Kids playing with lighters may start fires. Huh. Obama's heading to Houston in a couple of weeks. You can eat dinner with him if you write a fat......

Remembering Dr. Michael DeBakey, who will lie in state Tuesday in the City Hall rotunda Oilman Roy Huffington died while traveling abroad at age 90 The mother of missing Rice student Matthew Wilson makes a plea: Tell me you're OK or I'll spend the rest of my life looking for you Officials are testing soil from the back yard of a home in Galena Park to determine whether a fetus was buried there A Montgomery......

Houston added 38,932 new residents between July 2006 and July 2007, making us the fastest-growing city in the U.S. during the period Galena Park police are searching the lawn of a home for an aborted fetus that a teenage mom says her mother buried a couple of weeks ago A Brazoria County sheriff's deputy was injured by a bullet in the shoulder in a bizarre suicide accident The infant son of Kimberly Trenor, the mother......