Houston news

• CPS wins temporary custody of boy living in tiny closet of feces-infested drug house

  03-01-2018 23:39 via chron.com
  Officials have taken custody of a 4-year-old boy who they said was found living in the tiny closet of a rat feces-infested home that was also being used to sell drugs.
  
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• Central Care's 6 clinics could close next week after funding loss

  03-01-2018 21:09 via chron.com
  Houston health centers serving vulnerable residents has sued the federal government to prevent the loss of federal funds that local officials say would close six clinics as early as next week.
  
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• Video: Two armed suspects attempt to rob a store while two other suspects act as lookout

  03-01-2018 18:37 via chron.com
  Police are asking for help identifying four men who were caught on surveillance video attempting to rob a Houston store at gunpoint.
  
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• Reports: Former Texas pharmacist on trial after being accused of paying a teenager for sex

  03-01-2018 18:29 via chron.com
  The pharmacist tried to pay the girl's mother $2,000 to not tell police about the sexual encounter, according to a report.
  
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• Turner press secretary suspended for conducting personal business on city time

  03-01-2018 17:20 via chron.com
  Mayor Sylvester Turner's press secretary was suspended for two weeks without pay last month for conducting personal business on city time and for failing to turn over public records requested by a local journalist.
  
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• On the go: Events and happenings this week around Houston

  03-01-2018 17:13 via chron.com
  Charity Cat Show
  Pedigreed and nonpedigreed cats compete for prizes. Cats and kittens from local shelters will be available for adoption.
  When:10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. SundayWhere:George R. Brown Convention Center, 1001 Avenida de las Americas
  Information:houstoncatclub.org
  Steve Byrne
  Stand-up comedian and actor known for his appearances in the hit comedies "The Dilemma," "Couples Retreat," "Four Christmases" and "The Goods: The Don Ready Story."When: 8 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 and 9:4
  
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• Stage performances: Jan. 4-10

  03-01-2018 17:10 via chron.com
  Theater
  "The Color Purple"
  Broadway revival, based on Alice Walker's novel. Presented by Broadway at the Hobby Center. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, through Jan. 14; $115; Hobby Center, 800 Bagby; 800-982-2787, thehobbycenter.org.
  Classical/Opera
  Disney's "Fantasia" and "Fantasia 2000"
  Live performance with the film. Presented by the Houston Symphony. 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday; Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana; $35-$148; 713-224-4240, houstonsymphony.org.
  Dance
  "The Nutcracker"
  Final "hom
  
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• Bar star: Kimberly Paul at Étoile Cuisine Et Bar

  03-01-2018 17:08 via chron.com
  Length of time working at current place?
  Three-and-a-half years.
  Nickname?
  KP.
  Lamest pickup line you've heard at the bar?
  "What are you drinking? I hope it's Tennessee whiskey, 'cause you're the only ten I see."
  Most famous person you've ever served a drink to?
  In L.A, I waited on Ice-T back when he was a rapper. He and his entourage were super cool.
  Becoming friends with customers: yes or no?
  Eh, I'm kinda weird about that. There are guests I'm closer to than others. They call me when they hav
  
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• FEMA rule change opens door for hurricane disaster aid for Texas churches

  03-01-2018 16:58 via chron.com
  The Trump administration has followed through on its promise to reverse a longstanding disaster aid policy that denied relief to houses of worship in the wake of a federal lawsuit by three Texas churches damaged during Hurricane Harvey.The announcement of a Federal Emergency Management Agency rule change on Tuesday -- which an attorney for the Justice Department had said was pending --means the three churches and any other religious institutions that provide service to their broader local commun
  
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• Texas spa still has license after multiple prostitution charges

  03-01-2018 16:29 via chron.com
  The Bryan Police Department said it received numerous tips from the public.
  
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• Braddock: In 2017, Patrick distracted Texas with bathrooms while Trump may flush NAFTA

  03-01-2018 15:13 via chron.com
  The decision to retire is often deeply personal. Everyone has their own timetable and reasoning. For some, as soon as the Medicare paperwork has been filled out – or the government pension has been locked in – it is time to exit the stage.For others, it's more complicated.As 2017 winds down, it is not just the retirements of officeholders that will help shape future discussions at the Texas Capitol. Many longtime lobbyists representing hundreds of years of institutional knowledge hav
  
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• Autopsy of 3-year-old Sherin Mathews reveals she died of 'homicidal violence'

  03-01-2018 14:09 via chron.com
  The autopsy of 3-year-old Sherin Mathews of Richardson reveals she died of "homicidal violence," according to reports.
  
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• Hard freeze warning remains in effect for 'the coldest morning so far'

  03-01-2018 13:46 via chron.com
  The National Weather Service is calling today "the coldest morning so far" amid this week's cold snap, saying that freezing conditions are "forecast everywhere, including beaches."
  
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• Metro board reports sporadic, but improved transit use

  03-01-2018 13:00 via chron.com
  Most board members have a few light rail trips, mostly in downtown corridor, under their belts as they decide on regional transit planning
  
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• Houston City Council to reconsider recycling deal

  03-01-2018 13:00 via chron.com
  City Council is poised to reconsider a recycling deal Wednesday that would lock the city into a 20-year, $37 million agreement and bring an end to two years of controversy over contracting.
  
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• Houston City Council again delays consideration of recycling deal

  03-01-2018 13:00 via chron.com
  City Councilman Mike Knox tagged Houston's proposed recycling deal Wednesday, delaying a vote on the 20-year, $37 million agreement till next week.
  
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• Electric car drivers are too smart to own electric cars

  03-01-2018 11:00 via chron.com
  (Bloomberg) -- Jeffrey Jablansky is the very model of a savvy electric-vehicle early adopter. He opted for a Chevrolet Bolt early last year, choosing a vehicle far ahead of all others by his preferred metric: electric range per dollar. But he never considered buying the car; instead, he pays $220 per month to lease the vehicle. “I just think in three years I’m going to be delighted at what else is available,” said Jablansky, who writ
  
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• Winning numbers for Jan. 2, 2018

  03-01-2018 05:28 via chron.com
  Lottery winning numbers
  TEXAS
  Lotto: 12/30 9-14-16-27-45-51
  Estimated jackpot $5.75 million
  Winning tickets None
  Next jackpot 1/3 $6 million
  Pick 3 morn.: 1/20-6-2 Sum: 8
  Pick 3 day: 5-9-2 Sum: 16
  Pick 3 even.: 3-7-1 Sum: 11
  Pick 3 night: 8-2-9 Sum:19
  Daily 4 morn.: 1/29-5-8-4 Sum: 26
  Daily 4 day: 9-1-8-2 Sum: 20
  Daily 4 even.:7-3-3-6 Sum: 19
  Daily 4 night:0-4-8-0 Sum: 12
  Cash 5: 1/213-22-24-35-37
  Two Step: 1/11-14-22-27
  Bonus Ball:9
  POWERBALL
  Powerball: 12/30 28-36-41-51-58
  Powerball: 24
  Estima
  
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• Houston-area boy, 4, confined to closet says rats were his friends

  03-01-2018 05:08 via chron.com
  HOUSTON (AP) — A 4-year-old boy who authorities believe was living in a closet at a Houston-area home has tested positive for methamphetamine exposure and told investigators "his friends" were rats and roaches, according to an attorney representing the child's interests. A Harris County judge Tuesday allowed child welfare officials to keep the boy in their temporary custody while the case remains under investigation. Investigators are not sure how long the boy was living at the home when d
  
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• Former Taliban captive arrested, charged with sexual assault

  03-01-2018 04:55 via chron.com
  OTTAWA - Joshua Boyle, the Canadian man who was freed after five years in Taliban captivity in October, has been arrested and charged with 15 criminal offenses, including sexual assault, uttering death threats and misleading police - all of which allegedly occurred after he returned to Canada with his family.
  According to multiple Canadian media outlets, the 34-year-old Boyle first appeared in court on New Year's Day in Ottawa and will remain in custody at least until a hearing Wednesday. All of
  
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• Former Galveston deputy pleads guilty to asking teen girl for sex

  03-01-2018 04:02 via chron.com
  GALVESTON - A former Galveston County deputy plead guilty Tuesday to asking a 14-year old girl for sex online and sending her explicit text messages.
  Ruben Ornelas, 35, submitted his guilty plea to Judge Patricia Grady in the 212th District Court, waiving his right to appeal in the process.
  Ornelas was indicted in November 2016 on charges of soliciting sex from a 14-year old girl and sending her lewd and graphic text messages, including a photograph of his genitals. He had been scheduled to
  
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• Bitter cold tests winter-wise, delivers shock to South

  03-01-2018 03:24 via chron.com
  INDIANAPOLIS - Bitterly cold temperatures gripped much of the nation on Tuesday, testing the mettle of even winter-wise northerners and delivering a shock to those accustomed to far milder weather in the South.
  The cold has been blamed for at least a dozen deaths, prompted officials to open warming centers in the Deep South and triggered pleas from government officials to check on neighbors, especially those who are elderly, sick or who live alone.
  In St. Louis, where temperatures dipped 30 degr
  
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• Cabinet official: Immigration plans may include citizenship

  03-01-2018 03:21 via chron.com
  SAN DIEGO - The U.S. Homeland Security secretary said Tuesday the White House would consider immigration legislation that includes a pathway to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of young people, but she emphasized it wasn't an endorsement.
  Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said President Donald Trump would consider any legislation Congress passes and noted that some lawmakers want to include a pathway to citizenship for about 800,000 people who have been temporarily shielded from deportation.
  Asked
  
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• Reality TV show of billionaire Rockets owner enters third season

  03-01-2018 03:10 via chron.com
  Tilman Fertitta may not be the richest man in Houston's billionaire club, but he's certainly one of the most public.
  
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• American Red Cross opens temporary shelter due to cold

  03-01-2018 03:02 via chron.com
  The shelter opening is in addition to three short-term shelters the Salvation Army currently has open.
  
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• Most colleges don't track student suicides, causes

  03-01-2018 02:59 via chron.com
  BOSTON - Most of the largest U.S. public universities do not track suicides among their students, despite making investments in prevention at a time of surging demand for mental health services.
  Tabulating student suicides comes with its own set of challenges and problems. But without that data, prevention advocates say, schools have no way to measure their success and can overlook trends that could offer insight to help them save lives.
  "If you don't collect the data, you're doing half the job,
  
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• Person shot in chest in NW Houston expected to live

  03-01-2018 02:41 via chron.com
  The  gunman and a motorist had an argument before the shooting
  
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• Two men found dead near homeless camps as bitter cold engulfs Houston

  03-01-2018 02:36 via chron.com
  Two men huddled near homeless encampments on the edge of downtown Houston were found dead Tuesday in the near-record cold temperatures that have buffeted Southeast Texas. One man was found about7 a.m. Tuesday in the 300 block of Hamilton near Minute Maid Park, not far from the Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen. The other man was found about 9:15 a.m. in the 100 block of Richmond near a homeless camp. Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said in a tweet that both deaths are "believed to be the result of
  
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• Top U.S. commander wants more aggressive Afghan push this year

  03-01-2018 02:14 via chron.com
  WASHINGTON - The top American commander for the Middle East wants a more aggressive Afghan military pressuring Taliban and other insurgents over the normally quieter months of Afghanistan's winter, and then quickly going on the offensive in the spring. It's all part of a plan the United States hopes will change the course of a war now entering its 17th year.
  Gen. Joseph Votel of U.S. Central Command said an influx of new American trainers can help escalate the fight. They'll be operating with Af
  
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• Trump faces hurdles in effort to steer judiciary to the right

  03-01-2018 01:45 via chron.com
  President Donald Trump's appointment of federal judges at a record pace may endear him to conservatives, but that alone won't be enough to push the judiciary to the right.
  A big obstacle is Barack Obama's legacy of stacking the courts with his own lifetime appointees. When Obama took office in 2009, Democratic appointees made up the majority of active-status judges on just one of the nation's 12 regional appeals courts - a step below the Supreme Court. Even if Trump fills all the currently vacan
  
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• Trump threatens to cut U.S. aid to Palestinians Authority

  03-01-2018 01:27 via chron.com
  WASHINGTON - Acknowledging his push to broker peace in the Middle East has stalled, President Donald Trump on Tuesday appeared to threaten to cut off U.S. aid money to the Palestinian Authority, saying they were no longer willing to negotiate.
  Trump, in a pair of tweets, said the U.S. pays "the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don't even want to negotiate a long overdue ... peace treaty with Israel."
  "We have taken Jerusalem, the toughes
  
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• Second man charged for October killing that ended with woman, daughter carjacked

  03-01-2018 01:26 via chron.com
  Deandre Watson, 19, was arrested Oct. 26, court records show
  
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• Ala. newspaper exec accused of assaulting female workers

  03-01-2018 01:12 via chron.com
  ANNISTON, Ala. - The chairman of a company that publishes six newspapers in Alabama has been accused of assaulting female employees by spanking them while he was a newsroom executive decades ago.
  In reports published in Alabama news outlets, at least three women say H. Brandt Ayers, who became a nationally known voice of Southern liberalism during his tenure as editor and publisher at The Anniston Star, assaulted them in the mid-1970s, once using a metal ruler. The women and other former newsroo
  
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• Houston mayor and police chief speak out after death of two homeless men from bitter cold

  03-01-2018 01:05 via chron.com
  Two men huddled near homeless encampments on the edge of downtown Houston were found dead Tuesday in the near-record cold temperatures that have buffeted southeast Texas. One man was found about 7 a.m. Tuesday in the 300 block of Hamilton near Minute Maid Park, not far from the Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen. The other man was found about 9:15 a.m. in the 100 block of Richmond near a homeless camp. Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said in a tweet that both deaths are "believed to be the result o
  
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