Fate of strip club remains in judge's hands

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Galleria area strip club is locked in a court battle that will determine if it should be shut down. The city and county both have accused Treasures of being a haven for prostitution, human trafficking, and drug use. Both sides were back in front of a judge on Friday.

The defense was putting on its case until late in the afternoon, trying to prove it has taken appropriate steps to curb illegal activity in the club.

Attorneys for the city and county played surveillance video showing the entrance at Treasures. They point out more than one dancer that particular day partially exposed -- an apparent violation, they say, of the strip club's own policy against showing certain portions of the body.

Plaintiff's attorney Fred Keys, Jr., said, "If you're seeing this at the front door, you can imagine what's taking place inside."

Keys notes that even managers who saw the dress didn't appear to stop the dancers.

The city and county are trying to prove that Treasures is a place where prostitution and drugs run rampant. They want a judge to deem it a public nuisance in order to shut it down. KTRK legal analyst Joel Androphy says that is not likely.

"The purpose of this lawsuit is to scare them into compliance, is to force Treasures to comply more with the law," Androphy said. "That's all this is about."

Testifying for the defense on Friday was a waitress who has worked at Treasures for the last year. In that time she says she has never seen prostitution.

She did testify however that on several occasions, "A dancer would get too close to a customer and start rubbing inappropriately."

The waitress says she would report it to a manager and that the customer would be removed and the dancer fired. She says the club has a strict policy on prostitution and drug use. The city and county claim 43 arrests dating back to 2008 prove a history of illegal activity there.

Attorneys for Treasures presented several forms that dancers have to sign showing they acknowledge they can be terminated for anything illegal including prostitution or drugs while on the job. They say they have taken this and other steps in order to limit such activity.

If the judge doesn't believe this and considers it a nuisance, she can shut Treasures down.

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

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Kelly, Giffords reunite, hold hands for 2 hours

  HOUSTON -- Endeavour commander Mark Kelly and wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords reunited Thursday evening after more than two weeks apart and they weren't letting go.

Kelly, who landed Wednesday after a 16-day flight that was Endeavour's final mission, finally got back together the next day with Giffords, who is recovering from a gunshot wound to the head.

The reunited couple held hands for two hours, said Giffords spokesman C.J. Karamargin.

"It was actually a very touching moment," Karamargin said Thursday evening. "They are smiling ear-to-ear and haven't let go of each other's hands."

Kelly had rushed to Giffords' rehabilitation center after a public celebration that lasted more than an hour for the six-man Endeavour crew's return home to Houston. He caught Giffords still putting on her makeup, Karamargin said.

Giffords, who was shot in the head during a mass shooting in Tucson, Ariz. in January, changed from sweats to jeans and a blouse. She had already eaten so it wasn't a dinner date, but that didn't matter.

It had been 18 days since they had last been together, right before Endeavour's May 16 launch. Then Endeavour blasted off, traveling to the International Space Station. Endeavour landed Wednesday and the astronauts returned to Houston's Ellington Field where hundreds of people cheered them on.

It was an emotional curtain call for the next-to-last shuttle flight, with the astronauts signing autographs after each talked about the support from co-workers and family.

While the crew singled out individual workers and departments at Johnson Space Center, they emphasized the sacrifices of their loved ones.

"I want to thank my family -- Gabby who is not here today -- Claudia and Claire who are here in the front row," Kelly said, referring to his wife and daughters. "I could not do it without their support."

Endeavour astronaut Drew Feustel added a special note to his wife, Indira: "Honey, happy anniversary today."

And the astronauts also praised the ship that will no longer be flying. After 19 years and 25 flights, "Endeavour performed as if it was brand new," Kelly said.

"It's not the end of Endeavour either," Kelly said. He said Endeavour will continue to inspire young people to study science and engineering at its new post at a Los Angeles museum.

And future spaceships will learn from the space shuttle fleet, which is retiring after the scheduled July 8 launch of Atlantis, said Endeavour astronaut Roberto Vittori.

Kelly called Giffords almost daily via telephone, and had one video hookup during the mission, Karamargin said.

Giffords left rehab in Houston to be at Endeavour's May launch. Johnson Space Center Director Mike Coats, a former astronaut, praised Kelly for the way he compartmentalizes family and NASA duties, like most astronauts: "He's probably had a bigger challenge than most. He did a terrific job."

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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