Houston news

• TV ads start in Houston congressional race

  05-01-2018 22:53 via chron.com
  The first television campaign ads in the race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Ted Poe in Congress are already hitting the airwaves. Republican Kathaleen Wall became the first candidate in the race to go release an ad, putting out a minute-long biographical television spot that talks about her upbringing, educational background and flashes images of her with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
  
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• 250 cold-stunned sea turtles being rehabilitated in Port Aransas

  05-01-2018 22:11 via chron.com
  The Amos Rehabilitation Keep at the University of Texas Marine Research Institute in Port Aransas reopened this week just in time to provide a safe haven for about 250 cold-stunned sea turtles.
  
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• Comcast bumps internet speeds for most customers

  05-01-2018 20:58 via chron.com
  Comcast is again boosting speeds for Houston-area customers in many of its internet tiers, telling them the increase is coming at "no extra cost to you." But the speed jump comes in the same month that Comcast is raising prices for both cable TV and internet access.
  
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• Figure skater picks hip-hop song 'Turn Down For What' for routine

  05-01-2018 20:52 via chron.com
  A New York figure skater is bringing the winter sport roaring into the 21st Century.
  
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• Dean Corll accomplice in notorious Houston mass murder could be released on parole

  05-01-2018 20:52 via chron.com
  A Harris County man convicted of helping notorious serial killer and sadist Dean Corll lure at least 28 boys to their death is up for possible release following a Thursday hearing.
  
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• Realtor of the week: Kim Hohman is 'always thinking three steps ahead'

  05-01-2018 18:48 via chron.com
  Those in the market for a new abode often have set wants.
  "I always suggest my clients to be open to different types or styles of homes. For example, a family might be looking for a two-story home, but a one-story home might offer many of their wants. I show them the one-story and they love it," said Kim Hohman, a Realtor with Beth Wolff Realtors Real Living.Hohman, who has been on both sides of the table as a real estate investor, home buyer and seller, and involved with numerous real estate tr
  
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• GHBA Remodelers Council: Keep chill out, warmth in, at your residence

  05-01-2018 18:47 via chron.com
  The last thing you want to worry about during the winter when temperatures cool down is whether or not your home will be warm enough, or how high your energy bill is going to be. If you've already taken measures to decrease the amount of heat that escapes from your home by adding insulation and sealing drafty floorboards and doors, the next step is to take a look at your windows.
  Windows are often the draftiest part of an older home or apartment, allowing heat to escape and cold air to enter. Ev
  
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• On the move: HAR's 2018 chair discusses opportunities in Houston market – Part 1

  05-01-2018 18:46 via chron.com
  Each new year brings new opportunities. For many people, that might also include a relocation to a new city. If that city is Houston, the opportunities are abundant.
  Just ask Kenya Burrell-VanWormer, the 2018 chair of the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR), who also serves as an affordable lending relationship manager for JPMorgan Chase.During a recent interview, she shared her perspectives on the local real estate market, and what newcomers can expect as they move to Houston.
  Following are e
  
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• Prime property: Classic River Oaks estate is located in Tall Timbers

  05-01-2018 18:45 via chron.com
  Designed by renowned architect Lucian Hood, this estate is on a .78-acre (33,807-square-foot) lot in River Oaks' Tall Timbers.Listing agent Cindy Burns of Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty describes the property as a River Oaks estate with rolling topography.With more than 8,900 square feet, the four-story home is surrounded by extensive manicured grounds.Massive double doors open into a foyer with a sweeping staircase, marble floor and stunning chandelier.Large, elegant formals inclu
  
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• GHBA supports two charities with Benefit Homes Project

  05-01-2018 18:43 via chron.com
  HomeAid Houston and Operation Finally Home are two Greater Houston Builders Association charities.The GHBA raises money for these charities through their 38-year-old fundraiser, the Benefit Homes Project. Each year two to three homes are built for the fundraiser with donated materials, labor and services by GHBA members.The homes are sold at market value and proceeds from the sale are presented to the charities. The homes are constructed on donated homesites and are finished out with several upg
  
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• End-of-year donations make a difference for HomeAid Houston

  05-01-2018 18:43 via chron.com
  Finch Properties, a HomeAid Houston supporter, served up more than crispy fried fish at its Charity Fish Fry last September. In addition to the $4,000 raised at its annual event, Stephanie Finch, Finch Properties owner, also announced that Finch Properties would be donating 5 percent of its revenues, from the date of the event, to the end of the year, to HomeAid.The last week of 2017, HomeAid received an additional $9,950.
  The initial $4,000 was designated for HomeAid's Hurricane Harvey initiati
  
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• Realtor view: Do research before buying home, condo governed by HOA

  05-01-2018 18:42 via chron.com
  If you plan to buy a home or condominium this year, keep in mind that the property may be governed by a homeowners association, or HOA. More than 63 million people live in communities overseen by HOAs, according to the Community Associations Institute. That means 24 percent of U.S. homes are part of community associations.
  Many buyers appreciate the benefits provided by HOAs, but the mandatory dues and covenants, conditions and restrictions (CCRs) occasionally rub some people the wrong way. Befo
  
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• Ask George and Chuck: Reader should reconsider before deeding half of property to boyfriend

  05-01-2018 18:41 via chron.com
  Q: I'm buying a new house. I qualified for the loan, but my boyfriend (we have been engaged for three years) put up half the down payment. Now that I've closed, I want to deed half of the property to him. How do I do this?
  A: In our humble opinion, don't. Transferring title to him probably violates a provision in your mortgage. It also vests him with real property rights that may be very contentious should your three-year engagement hits the rocks. Could he not qualify for the loan? Then you hav
  
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• BBB on homes: Hiring organizer firm requires care, consideration

  05-01-2018 18:39 via chron.com
  The arrival of the new year kindles enthusiasm in some people to tackle clutter and create a more organized environment, but when it comes time to actually do the work, you realize organization takes more time and patience than first thought.Some people may choose to hire a professional organizer rather than focusing on it themselves.The Better Business Bureau of Greater Houston and South Texas offers advice to homeowners before they hire someone to come into their space to sort through confiden
  
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• See where U.S. Reps. from Texas were flown to in 2017, thanks to lobbies

  05-01-2018 18:26 via chron.com
  From west Africa to the Middle East, congressional members in Texas traveled around the world in 2017 thanks to lobbies.
  
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• Turner: Houston drinking water is safe, but some chlorine levels too low

  05-01-2018 17:52 via chron.com
  The level of chlorine in some of Houston's drinking water was too low last year, city tests revealed, though Mayor Sylvester Turner said Friday that the city's water remains safe.
  
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• Bail lowered for man arrested at Hyatt with weapons cache

  05-01-2018 17:07 via chron.com
  A Tomball man found in downtown Houston hotel room along with a small stash of guns and ammo that sparked concerns of a possible Las Vegas-type shooting plot on New Year's Eve is expected to be released from jail after a Harris County judge reduced his bail Friday.Russell Lawrence Ziemba, 49, was arrested Sunday at the Hyatt Regency Houston after hotel staff called police over Ziemba's allegedly drunken behavior - and officers then found an AR-15, shotgun and handgun in his hotel room.
  
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• Davis fires back at fellow House member trying to oust her

  05-01-2018 16:38 via chron.com
  Republican infighting boiled over onto social media this week as two well-known GOP House members took shots at each other on Twitter.
  
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• Man driving a Jaguar leads police on high-speed chase, ending in crash and criminal charges

  05-01-2018 13:51 via chron.com
  A man driving a Jaguar led police on a high-speed chase across Houston before crashing and attempting to flee early Friday morning, police said.
  
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• Free speech squelched on college campuses? Texas senate panel to talk rules, ramifications

  05-01-2018 13:00 via chron.com
  The Texas Senate's state affairs committee will hear testimony about college campus free speech later this month at Texas State University. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Houston Republican, asked the committee to discuss the issue. One Texas lawmaker, Rep. Briscoe Cain, has suggested that lawmakers should consider cutting the budgets of schools that squelch free speech.
  
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• Winning numbers for Jan. 4, 2018

  05-01-2018 05:37 via chron.com
  Lottery winning numbers
  TEXAS
  Lotto: 1/3 6-8-21-33-34-47
  Estimated jackpot $6 million
  Winning tickets None
  Next jackpot 1/6 $6.25 million
  Pick 3 morn.: 1/4 2-2-0 Sum: 4
  Pick 3 day: 0-2-8 Sum: 10
  Pick 3 even.: 4-5-2 Sum: 11
  Pick 3 night: 1-9-7 Sum: 17
  Daily 4 morn.: 1/48-9-3-9 Sum: 29
  Daily 4 day: 4-1-9-2 Sum: 16
  Daily 4 even.:3-4-0-8 Sum: 15
  Daily 4 night:4-5-9-6 Sum: 24
  Cash 5: 1/44-5-11-22-31
  Two Step: 1/417-18-27-35
  Bonus Ball: 28
  POWERBALL
  Powerball: 1/3 2-18-37-39-42
  Powerball: 12
  Estimated
  
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• Houston's top 20 elementary schools

  05-01-2018 04:25 via chron.com
  Children at Risk, a nonprofit organization that studies Texas' public education system, recently released its annual rankings for the Lone Star State's best elementary schools.
  
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• Judge sides with House panel in records demand from firm behind Trump dossier

  05-01-2018 03:47 via chron.com
  WASHINGTON - A federal judge Thursday denied a request by Fusion GPS to block the House Intelligence Committee from demanding bank records of 70 of the private investigative firm's transactions with law firms, journalists and contractors, ruling that the request did not violate the company's First Amendment rights to political speech and association.
  In a 26-page opinion, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon of Washington said the data sought by the House GOP-led panel in its investigation int
  
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• 2 GOP lawmakers want Sessions to quit, say he's lost control

  05-01-2018 03:31 via chron.com
  WASHINGTON - Two Republican House members are calling on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign, criticizing his Justice Department for not cooperating with Congress and for leaks related to its Russia investigation.
  Reps. Mark Meadows of North Carolina and Jim Jordan of Ohio criticized Sessions in an opinion piece published Thursday on the Washington Examiner's website. The headline said: "It's time for Jeff Sessions to go."
  They wrote that Sessions "has recused himself from the Russia invest
  
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• Trump, GOP senators sound hopeful on immigration deal

  05-01-2018 02:37 via chron.com
  WASHINGTON - With the deadline clock ticking, President Donald Trump on Thursday huddled with Republican lawmakers and invited a bipartisan group to the White House next week to try to work out a deal on immigration.
  Lawmakers have been trying to come up with a plan Trump will agree to that extends legal status for hundreds of thousands of young immigrants, many of whom were brought to the country illegally as children.
  Trump announced last September he would be ending the Deferred Action for Ch
  
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• Man's throat slashed after trying to save wife from robber

  05-01-2018 02:27 via chron.com
  Authorities are searching for two men who were involved in slitting a man's throat and trying to kidnap his wife outside a Whataburger in northwest Houston, according to a Houston police.
  
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• Republican Yancey picked in random lottery, declared winner of pivotal Virginia House race

  05-01-2018 02:19 via chron.com
  RICHMOND, Va. - A Virginia elections official reached into an artsy stoneware bowl, pulled out a name and declared Republican David Yancey the winner of a House of Delegates race that could determine which political party controls the chamber.
  Virginia staged a dramatic, rare election lottery, livestreamed across the country, to settle a tie between Yancey, an incumbent from Newport News, and Democrat Shelly Simonds.
  The spectacle drew national attention as an odd way to decide a highly conseque
  
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• Stoners on Twitter have some advice for Jeff Sessions

  05-01-2018 02:10 via chron.com
  Social media users were quick to take on Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday after he threatened to crack down on marijuana use.
  
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• Blizzard rolls up the East Coast, with cold blast to follow

  05-01-2018 01:52 via chron.com
  HARTFORD, Conn. - A massive winter storm roared into the East Coast on Thursday, threatening to dump as much as 18 inches of snow from the Carolinas to Maine and unleashing hurricane-force winds and flooding that closed schools and offices and halted transportation systems.
  Forecasters expected the storm to be followed immediately by a blast of face-stinging cold air that could break records in more than two dozen cities and bring wind chills as low as minus 40 degrees this weekend.
  Blizzard war
  
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• Off-duty Precinct 6 constable discharges weapon near burglary suspect

  05-01-2018 00:12 via chron.com
  An off-duty Harris County Precinct 6 deputy constable apparently discharged his weapon near a suspect Wednesday evening trying to burglarize his neighbor's car in north Houston, according to a news release from the Houston Police Department
  
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