Hispanic community urged to register to vote

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- National and local Hispanic leaders banded together Saturday in Houston with one goal in mind: to encourage the Hispanic community to register to vote.

It's all part of the "Todos a Votar" tour, hosted by LULAC.

Visitors to a southeast Houston neighborhood brought a reminder to Patricia Telles and her neighbors that Election Day is around the corner, and it's time to register to vote.

"I've never voted before, so this year we're planning on voting," Telles said.

Latino voter advocates were out in full force Saturday morning, walking city streets and talking about the importance of registering to vote in the November election.

"It's important for the Latino community to vote because it's their turn to get heard," registered voter Manuela Alvarado said.

Those voter advocates feel recent controversy in Texas over the passing of a state voter ID law in addition to a prolonged re-districting battle, may have Latino voters more confused than ever about the process.

"We're educating our community, making sure that they undertsand that their right to go vote is still there, and that they must register," said Baldomero Garza, LULAC national vice president for the southwest. "They must go vote."

So that's where Saturday's efforts came in: education and registration as the first steps to getting voters to the polls.

"I feel like I'm finally going to put my two cents in," Telles said.

The deadline in Texas to register to vote is October 9.

For more information, visit votetexas.gov or in Spanish at votetexas.gov/es.

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

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Faulty cash register may be to blame for store fire

The fire broke out early this morning along the East Freeway near Federal Road. (KTRK Photo / Marvin Suggs)

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Family Dollar store went up in flames in east Houston and firefighters say a faulty cash register might be to blame.

The fire broke out at the store on Federal near the East Freeway around 4:30am. When firefighters arrived, they had to break in the front door to put out the flames near a cash register.

Investigators say it looks to have been an electrical problem of some sort, but the fire is still under investigation.

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

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Notorious attacker faces charge of failing to register as sex offender

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Twenty-two years ago, Pam Lychner became a crime victim, but she refused to be just a victim. She started on a mission that changed Houston and even federal laws. Well now, her attacker has been arrested again and it has to do with that crime from 1990.

William David Kelley, you could say, inspired the creation of a crime victim's group by committing crimes.

He was arrested this week and is now back behind bars. He was nabbed by the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force and the sheriff's sex offender tracking squad for failure to update his address in the sex offender registry. He may never be off law enforcement's radar, and one of his victims is the reason why.

Kelley was a twice convicted sex offender when he targeted victim No. 3, a young wife and mother named Pam Lychner. She was a Realtor showing a Houston home when Kelley showed up. He choked her and tried to kidnap her, but he never counted on her husband being upstairs. We spoke to Joe Lychner by phone Friday night.

"When he was released after serving his time, I thought, well it won't be very long before he's back inside again," Joe Lychner said.

Andy Kahan was in his first few months as a victim's advocate when he met the Lychners. Kelley had been sentenced to 20 years for attempted kidnapping. He was up for parole within two years.

"And as Pam put it best, that is enough, I'm no longer cowering to this guy and I'm going to come out blazing and the rest was history," Kahan said.

From that, the Justice for All movement was born. It was founded by Pam Lychner. Her work ended the state's mandatory prison release policy and elevated the cause of crime victims' rights. The Pam Lychner Sexual Offender Tracking and Identification Act of 1996, which established the National Sex Offender Registry that the FBI uses to track certain sex offenders, also is named in her honor.

Sixteen years ago, she and her two young daughters were killed in a TWA flight explosion near New York. But her work lives on, and certainly less than two years after his release from prison, Kelley is still feeling the impact of that. He's back in jail.

"What do you think Pam would be saying?" we asked Joe Lychner.

"I think she would be saying, 'I told you so,'" he said.

And in her honor....

"And we'll be done there keeping an eye on him again, and once again the eyes of Harris County, the eyes of Houston and the eyes of Texas will be on William David Kelley," Kahan said.

Kelley was required to register as a sex offender with the sheriff's office every 90 days, but hadn't done so since May 2011. Failure to do so is considered a felony crime. Kelley is being held in the county jail without bond.

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Register early for Chevron Houston Marathon

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Early registration begins Tuesday for the 2012 Chevron Houston Marathon. However, it's for a limited number of runner who qualify for guaranteed entries.

Early registration begins at 8am Tuesday and ends May 31. Lottery registration for the general public opens on June 1.

Next year's race is expanding by 2,000 to 24,000 participants total.

All the details can be found on the Chevron Houston Marathon website.

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