Houston-area officials seek highway shortcut to Aggieland

  HOUSTON -- Harris County Commissioner Jack Cagle arrived late to a meeting in Magnolia last week about the need to improve Texas 249. He was stuck in traffic on that very highway.

"This is Exhibit A for why we need to get this 249 project done," Cagle said when he arrived about 20 minutes after the meeting started. "You plan, you add that extra hour to your journey and you're still running late."

But easing the workday commute for tens of thousands of residents around Tomball, Pinehurst and Magnolia is just one goal of the plans local officials have for 249. Montgomery County officials are hoping to extend Harris County's planned Tomball Tollway, expected to start construction late next year. And the Texas Department of Transportation, prompted by local officials clamoring for a Houston-to-College Station highway, is reviving study of taking the freeway all the way to Navasota, about 20 miles south of the Texas A&M campus.

The assorted projects, stacked behind each other annually from now until about 2016, rely on local cooperation.

"This is not a zero-sum game," Cagle said. "This is one where when the tide comes in, all the ships float."

Along 249, residents and officials have varying reasons to want a bigger highway. In Magnolia, which has exploded with residential growth over the past decade, there is huge demand to help commuters, said Deborah Rose Miller, executive director of the Magnolia Economic Development Corporation. Nearly 43 percent of the city's residents work outside Montgomery County.

A widened freeway also helps draw stores, restaurants and office buildings to the area, bringing some of the development Tomball has experienced to Montgomery County, Miller said.

All that's needed is a wider highway to accommodate the traffic, officials said. Helpfully, a 400-foot swath of right of way, acquired by the state in anticipation of future development, is available along 249.

"There is a segment out there screaming for concrete," said Montgomery County Commissioner Craig Doyal.

Harris County benefits from the easier access Montgomery County residents will have to Houston-area businesses and offices, Cagle said.

Work extending the Tomball Tollway from Spring-Cypress Road to Waller-Tomball Road is scheduled to begin next fall. From there, plans call for taking the toll lanes into Montgomery County, marking the county's first foray into pay-lanes.

Harris County officials are considering a proposal to partner with Montgomery County, lending up to $20 million to help design and build the northern expansion. Montgomery County would repay the money via its toll revenues.

"It is really more just a guarantee," said Harris County Judge Ed Emmett.

Harris County officials entered into a similar agreement to help Fort Bend County build its tollway.

As the region grows, development needs don't stop at the county line, or at the boundaries of TxDOT districts. That's the purpose of coordination among officials from multiple areas to sync highways, such as Texas' lengthy Farm to Market roads.

"That has worked over the years," Emmett said. "You don't have many examples of where someone built a road to nowhere."

Along 249, TxDOT officials are building on what Harris County and Montgomery County are doing. Environmental study will begin next year along two planned segments of an extension of 249, said Russell Zapalac, TxDOT's chief planning and project officer.

State officials are working with local leaders in the area, who for years have lobbied for an "Aggie Highway" from the Houston suburbs to College Station.

"I don't think we're talking about building something grand at this point," Zapalac said. "But we certainly consider it one of our strategic projects."

The sections, one mostly in TxDOT's Houston district and the other in the agency's Bryan district, would connect 249 to the College Station area through Pinehurst, Todd Mission and Navasota.

Once officials have more specific plans and environmental reviews, they could start construction in about four years, said Marc Williams, director of planning for TxDOT.

A highway linking Houston and College Station would be useful beyond getting to Saturday Aggie football games, officials said.

Research in College Station will lead to business opportunities, many relying on movement of products, predicted David Ellis, a researcher at the Texas Transportation Institute's Texas A&M office.

(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local

View the original article here

Houston-area officials seek shortcut to Aggieland

  HOUSTON -- Harris County Commissioner Jack Cagle arrived late to a meeting in Magnolia last week about the need to improve Texas 249. He was stuck in traffic on that very highway.

"This is Exhibit A for why we need to get this 249 project done," Cagle said when he arrived about 20 minutes after the meeting started. "You plan, you add that extra hour to your journey and you're still running late."

But easing the workday commute for tens of thousands of residents around Tomball, Pinehurst and Magnolia is just one goal of the plans local officials have for 249. Montgomery County officials are hoping to extend Harris County's planned Tomball Tollway, expected to start construction late next year. And the Texas Department of Transportation, prompted by local officials clamoring for a Houston-to-College Station highway, is reviving study of taking the freeway all the way to Navasota, about 20 miles south of the Texas A&M campus.

The assorted projects, stacked behind each other annually from now until about 2016, rely on local cooperation.

"This is not a zero-sum game," Cagle said. "This is one where when the tide comes in, all the ships float."

Along 249, residents and officials have varying reasons to want a bigger highway. In Magnolia, which has exploded with residential growth over the past decade, there is huge demand to help commuters, said Deborah Rose Miller, executive director of the Magnolia Economic Development Corporation. Nearly 43 percent of the city's residents work outside Montgomery County.

A widened freeway also helps draw stores, restaurants and office buildings to the area, bringing some of the development Tomball has experienced to Montgomery County, Miller said.

All that's needed is a wider highway to accommodate the traffic, officials said. Helpfully, a 400-foot swath of right of way, acquired by the state in anticipation of future development, is available along 249.

"There is a segment out there screaming for concrete," said Montgomery County Commissioner Craig Doyal.

Harris County benefits from the easier access Montgomery County residents will have to Houston-area businesses and offices, Cagle said.

Work extending the Tomball Tollway from Spring-Cypress Road to Waller-Tomball Road is scheduled to begin next fall. From there, plans call for taking the toll lanes into Montgomery County, marking the county's first foray into pay-lanes.

Harris County officials are considering a proposal to partner with Montgomery County, lending up to $20 million to help design and build the northern expansion. Montgomery County would repay the money via its toll revenues.

"It is really more just a guarantee," said Harris County Judge Ed Emmett.

Harris County officials entered into a similar agreement to help Fort Bend County build its tollway.

As the region grows, development needs don't stop at the county line, or at the boundaries of TxDOT districts. That's the purpose of coordination among officials from multiple areas to sync highways, such as Texas' lengthy Farm to Market roads.

"That has worked over the years," Emmett said. "You don't have many examples of where someone built a road to nowhere."

Along 249, TxDOT officials are building on what Harris County and Montgomery County are doing. Environmental study will begin next year along two planned segments of an extension of 249, said Russell Zapalac, TxDOT's chief planning and project officer.

State officials are working with local leaders in the area, who for years have lobbied for an "Aggie Highway" from the Houston suburbs to College Station.

"I don't think we're talking about building something grand at this point," Zapalac said. "But we certainly consider it one of our strategic projects."

The sections, one mostly in TxDOT's Houston district and the other in the agency's Bryan district, would connect 249 to the College Station area through Pinehurst, Todd Mission and Navasota.

Once officials have more specific plans and environmental reviews, they could start construction in about four years, said Marc Williams, director of planning for TxDOT.

A highway linking Houston and College Station would be useful beyond getting to Saturday Aggie football games, officials said.

Research in College Station will lead to business opportunities, many relying on movement of products, predicted David Ellis, a researcher at the Texas Transportation Institute's Texas A&M office.

(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local

View the original article here

Which Houston-area shopping centers attract most crime?

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Shoplifting is just one example of the kinds of crime that tends to increase during the holiday shopping season. This made us wonder, which shopping centers in our area attract the most crime.

What we found is based on last year's numbers. Houston police officers are firm believers that you control this year's. They advise leaving purses at home and taking only one credit card, along with your driver's license or ID.

In the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping, lugging bags to and from, shopper Tracey Parker is extra careful.

"Make sure I have my keys out, so that I'm prepared, and I make sure I'm definitely aware of what's going on around me, especially when I have my little ones with me," Parker said.

Paying attention is your best line of defense against those looking to commit a crime of opportunity.

Mary Hawkins has a second line of defense, her son.

"I always try to come with her wherever she goes," Deric Hawkins said.

So where are the safest places to shop?

Using our exclusive Crime Tracker, we added up last December's reported thefts, assaults and robberies in and around local malls.

Not surprisingly, we found the highest number of crimes at the biggest mall -- The Galleria. It had six vehicle break-ins and one pick-pocketing last December.

Greenspoint and Willowbrook are tied for second, with six crimes each.

Memorial City, Sharpstown and Baybrook all had five. Northline and Meyerland had four incidents; Town and Country had one, and Gulfgate had none.

Many malls like Memorial City have visible security, but Houston police officer Jim Woods says it's mostly about the individual.

"If you're not paying attention and you're not being aware of what's around you, you can be a potential victim," Woods said.

And you don't even have to be around. Shopping safety, he says, starts at your car.

"Before I came here, I emptied my car out," shopper Teresa O'Donnell said.

That's exactly what officers suggest. Also, they say you should make your most expensive purchases last and go immediately home from there.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local, jessica willey

View the original article here

Houston-area mom says 1 of 6 newborns is sick

  HOUSTON -- A Houston-area woman who had sextuplets says five are "cruising along as expected for preemies" while the sixth baby is sick.

Lauren Perkins of Pearland used her website to offer an update on the three boys and three girls.

The infants were born Monday at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. Authorities say five of the babies, born about two months premature, are now breathing on their own.

Hospital officials say no updates on the infants will be provided until Monday.

Perkins was allowed to hold one of her daughters Thursday. She also says the baby who's sick has been making progress. The new mom did not elaborate.

The Houston Chronicle reports the children have been named Andrew Noah, Benjamin Luke, Levi Thomas, Allison Kate, Caroline Grace and Leah Michelle.

(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local

View the original article here

Houston-area Marine dies in Afghanistan

  WASHINGTON -- The Defense Department reports that a Houston-area Marine assigned to Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii has died of injuries suffered while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan.

A Defense Department statement issued Saturday says 22-year-old Corporal Joseph Logan of Willis, Texas was one of six Marines who died Thursday in the southern Afghan province of Helmand.

The statement provides no details on the incident and does not explain how Logan or the others died. A spokesperson at the Marine Corps Base in Hawaii could not immediately be reached.

All were assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363, Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, of the Third Marine Expeditionary Force.

(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local

View the original article here

Houston-area Marine dies in Afghanistan

  WASHINGTON -- The Defense Department reports that a Houston-area Marine assigned to Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, has died of injuries suffered while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan.

A Defense Department statement issued Saturday says 22-year-old Cpl. Joseph D. Logan of Willis, Texas, was one of six Hawaii-based Marines killed when their helicopter crashed Thursday in the southern Afghan province of Helmand.

The others killed were Capt. Daniel Bartle, 27, of Ferndale, Wash.; Capt. Nathan McHone, 29, of Crystal Lake, Ill.; Master Sgt. Travis Riddick, 40, of Centerville, Iowa; Cpl. Jesse Stites, 23, of North Beach, Md.; and Cpl. Kevin Reinhard, 25, of Colonia, N.J.

The crash was the deadliest in Afghanistan since August, when 30 American troops died after a Chinook helicopter was apparently shot down in Wardak province in the center of the country. All six were based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, said base spokeswoman 1st Lt. Diann Olson.

Bartle and McHone were the pilots of the aircraft, while Riddick was the helicopter's crew chief.

Their squadron had been sent in August to Afghanistan as part of a seven-month deployment, Olson said.

"These men were not only experienced Marines, but they were husbands, sons, brothers and dear friends," Olson said in a statement. "The memories of our fallen Marines are engraved in each and every one who had the privilege to know and serve alongside them, and we will never forget the sacrifice they made to our country and our Corps."

All six Marines had served previously in Afghanistan, with Riddick on his fourth deployment, having served in both Afghanistan and Iraq, Olson said.

The cause of the crash was being investigated, but a statement issued by the NATO international military coalition said there was no enemy activity in the area when it happened.

German Brig. Gen. Carsten Jacobson, a spokesman for the NATO coalition in Kabul, said officials were looking at a "technical fault" as the possible culprit.

"The helicopter is one of the safest forms of transport," Jacobson said. He said not only does it protect troops the danger of roadside bombs on the ground, but it is a well-tested, well-proven way to travel.

The Vietnam War-era CH-53D is the same model as a helicopter that crashed and killed a Marine in a bay off Hawaii on March 29. An investigation revealed mechanical failure caused that accident.

All Sea Stallions in use are stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay. The military plans to replace them with the MV-22 Osprey.

(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local

View the original article here

Advocacy group says Houston-area homeless count up

  HOUSTON -- An advocacy group says the homeless population in one of the state's biggest metro areas has jumped 25 percent this year.

The count is by the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County. Volunteers also checked homeless numbers in neighboring Fort Bend County.

Coalition CEO Connie Boyd told the Houston Chronicle that the increase in homeless numbers is partly due to the recession. Boyd said Monday that the Texas economy has fared relatively well, but sometimes when people moved to the Houston area to find jobs it didn't work out.

The group's Jan. 31 census found 8,538 homeless people, compared with 6,819 in 2010. The count affects how much social services agencies seek in government help.

Houston is the state's largest city, with nearly 2.3 million people

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local

View the original article here