BEAUMOUNT, TX (KTRK) -- Two firefighters, one from Houston and another from Georgia, were hurt in a training accident yesterday. This happened at the 17th annual east Texas area Fall Smoke Diver School in Beaumont. Investigators did not release specific details. They would only say the two firefighters suffered heat-related injuries in two separate accidents.
Both firefighters are listed in critical condition.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »The Harris Co. Sheriff's Office invited us to get an up-close look at just how the jail deputies are transitioning back to street patrol.
This is an election year. And Sheriff Adrian Garcia told me the transition is not about politics. He says it's about increasing visibility and cutting crime.
Burglary victim Fabiola Rocha recalled, "They just broke the windows, and they tried to steal my register."
Workers at All Paints say they know about crime first-hand. Their shop in north Harris County was recently hit by burglars. They agreed all of Houston needs more security.
That need for an increased presence is partly why 25 Harris County deputies who'd spent years working in the jail are back in class, now training to tackle street patrol.
Major Ronnie Silvio with the HCSO Patrol Bureau said, "We're down approximately 250 patrolmen over the past two and a half years. Now being able to get people on the street we feel is going to help us go from a reactive response to crime, to a proactive response."
This training and transition is part of Sheriff Garcia's push to get a large number of deputies back on the street, while hiring more than 200 civilian officers to take their places in the jail. It's part of a plan the sheriff announced back in March due to a lifted hiring freeze and coming in $3 million under budget.
"We've had 16 sucessfully deployed," Sheriff Garcia said. "We've got 25 in cue right now that are completing the training. That'll get us to 41. And we've got three more classes planned to redeploy folks out into the field."
These deputies must go through a rigorous 20 week training before they can fully work patrol beats.
"They'll spend about six weeks in the classroom doing different scenarios such as officer safety, shoot, don't shoot, traffic stops," Major Silvio said.
The remaining weeks will be spent in patrol cars in field training.
The workers at All Paints say they look forward to seeing more deputies on patrol.
Right now about 575 deputies are patrol. The sheriff says he hopes to have an additional 100 deputies back on patrol by the end of the year.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local » HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Officials have been called to a commercial diving school for a possible drowning accident. Houston police and fire departments received the call at about 10am to the 10800 block of Rockley in far southwest Houston. The Ocean Corporation, a commerical diving training facility, is located at that address.
Two people had to be rescued from a diving tank at the school. LifeFlight was called to the scene. The details of the accident and the conditions of the victims are unclear at this time.
Stay with ABC13 Eyewitness News for the latest on this developing story.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »
Cell phones, telephones, cell phone and laptop batteries and rechargeable batteries are just a few of the items accepted by CompuCycle HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Houston electronics recycling company recently announced that it will provide jobs and training to people living with disabilities, thanks to a new partnership with Easter Seals. CompuCycle will offer permanent employment positions to Easter Seals Greater Houston's clients and Easter Seals will provide initial training courses to its clients to teach necessary job skills including recycling, refurbishing electronics, and basic computer proficiency.
Easter Seals serves clients with cerebral palsy and all other kinds of disabilities.
"Our clients have a difficult time finding employment, and often, an even harder time maintaining these jobs," Easter Seals Greater Houston CEO Elise Hough explained in a release. "What's most exciting for us is that through comprehensive training, our clients will have job skills that aren't only applicable to their work at CompuCycle, but for the rest of their lives."
CompuCycle and Easter Seals representatives are seeking corporate electronic waste donations in place of a grant or cash donation in order to provide the capital to fund and maintain the program.
Through the new initiative, corporations will donate their electronic waste to Easter Seals Greater Houston. CompuCycle will collect, audit and process the waste and then donate net proceeds from the equipment to the program instead of paying it back to the corporation.
Eventually, CompuCycle hopes to expand this long-term program on a national level.
Clive Hess, president of CompuCycle, describes the initiative as a "win-win for everyone."
"Corporations can responsibly dispose of equipment that they no longer need, or don't know what to do with, using CompuCycle, a certified company, to safely refurbish the equipment," he said in a release. "Through dropping off these goods with us, these businesses are also simultaneously donating to a terrific initiative, and helping to create jobs for employable people living with a with disability."
If you or your corporation are interested in donating end-of-life electronic waste in support of this program, contact CompuCycle online or call 713-869-6700.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »If you saw Eric Yollick running past you on the street you might not notice him. But there's something special in each stride, each thump of his soles against the pavement.
"I am going to be in my first Ironman triathlon," he said.
Eric has been training for a year.
He admitted, "Yeah, I am a little nervous, I have to admit."
He's been running, biking, and swimming to get ready for an epic day of competition that he undersells.
"I think that I have a pretty good chance of finishing," Eric predicted. "Other than that, it's just a day of exercise."
But that is where Eric's story begins -- there is much more to him. In fact, there used to be a lot more to him.
He said, "As of this morning, I've lost 230 pounds since July 1, 2010."
Two years ago Eric weighed 406 pounds.
"I really just decided that it was really time for me to start taking care of myself," Eric said.
So here he is, less than half the man he was, about to run a marathon after biking 112 miles and swimming 2.4 miles.
Eric said, "It has really made a huge difference in my life. Every moment of my life is different than when I weighed more than 400 pounds."
His story is inspiring enough if it ended there. But with Eric, there's more.
In 2003 his son was diagnosed with leukemia and is still fighting it. And two years ago, his wife was told she had uterine cancer, but is now in remission. So those steps and those strokes and the spin of the wheel are for them.
Eric explained, "We really have a serious chance at this point in human history to defeat cancer once and for all."
Six months ago Eric started the Team Yollick Foundation to end cancer. The goal is a million dollars.
"It's a reality to see it end in our lifetime," said Geoff Litke, Team Yollick Executive Director.
Litke says they've raised nearly $25,000 so far. He says as Eric runs his hope is to help the researchers who discovered the drug that's saving his son, as well as those who detected his wife's cancer early enough to save her, and to create prevention and counseling centers in Houston.
"We want to put money to the people who are doing something to end cancer," Eric said.
Team Yollick believes they can help end cancer. And if Eric can lose more than half of his weight...
"Actually even my wife said to me about a week ago that she can't remember the way I used to look," he said.
And he can finish a triathlon, who's to tell them they can't beat a disease.
"If someone puts their mind to it, someone can accomplish pretty much anything they want to accomplish," said Eric.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »
Artist's rendition of the new GE Energy training facility planned for the Houston area
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Good news for Houston's economy as GE Energy plans to invest millions in a new facility to train workers in the oil and gas industry. The new $10 million facility is planned for the North Sam Houston Tollway near JFK Blvd. GE Energy says they'll use space to offer state of the art training in energy innovation, specifically when it comes to oil and gas.
The company also announced plans to create 100 new technical jobs in Houston.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)At age 13 she is not afraid to square off with the boys. Milana Diaz's family moved to Houston from El Salvador only four years ago. She put on a pair a gloves three years ago and now has a 15-5 record.
And when her girlfriends ask her why she likes to step into the ring, she says why not.
"I think its for both. If the girl is tough and she can take it, I think she can do it with boxing," said Diaz.
She is one of dozens of kids that train at Savannah Boxing Club. It's settled in the Sharpstown-Gulfton area where the owner will tell you it's easy to get into trouble. So the boxing club has become the de facto community center in the area.
On a weekday evening it's packed. But before opening it, Willie Savannah was retired and maybe headed the wrong way himself.
"I said, 'Man. I'm going to go to happy hour like everybody else do.' So I went to happy hour for about two months. I said, 'Man, I wake up every morning with a hangover. There has got to be something better than this,'" Savannah told Eyewitness News.
So he began frequenting boxing matches, then helped out in the corners, and in 1980 opened his first gym. Now the kids training in here are thinking bigger than before.
"I want to study medicine, but boxing is my life, too," said Getzemani Lagunas.
"I'm working at getting a lot better," said Paul Trevino, Jr.
For Diaz, who calls Savannah her grandpa, the goals are even higher.
"My dream is to go to the next Olympics and go to college," said Diaz.
Savannah's wife of 22 years is also there with him every day and last summer he spent over $30,000 sending to kids to boxing tournaments when their parents could not afford it.
(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- We are just weeks ago from NASA'S final shuttle mission. Atlantis is getting ready to blast off for the international space station.
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- It's the first day of training for dozens of new recruits at the Houston Police Department. Chief Charles McClelland was on hand earlier this morning as 73 men and women started their training courses. This is the 211th police academy cadet class. These future officers will undergo 26 weeks of rigorous training prior to graduation. Chief McClelland says it's important to keep young, fresh talent coming into the agency, as many veterans start to retire.
"Our department is greying a little bit, so as individuals like myself with time and tenure, we can't stay on forever," said Chief McClelland. "So we need an infusion of young talent."
Just last week, HPD laid off 153 civilian workers. No officers are expected to lose their jobs.
(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »Learn How To Start Your Own Internet Business and Create your own minisite from scratch using High-End Software like Frontpage, Dreamweaver and Photoshop, step by step video training
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