Man accused in fatal birthday party shooting due in court

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A man arrested for a deadly shooting at a Sweet 16 birthday party is set to appear in court today.

Deputies say shots were fired at a home on Lauder near the Eastex Freeway yesterday.

Dozens of teenagers were there. Police say Johnny Benavidez and a group of friends showed up to the party uninvited. They were asked to leave and a fight broke out.

The group left the party, but returned with a gun and fired shots into the crowd. Edgar Garcia, 27, was shot in the face and died at the scene.

Benavidez was scheduled to appear in probable cause court at 6pm Sunday, but officials said he was being combative. His bond was raised to $105,000 and he is set to appear in court today.

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Arrest made in fatal birthday party shooting

  Crystal KobzaHOUSTON (KTRK) -- An 18-year-old was arrested Sunday for an overnight murder at a Sweet 16 birthday party in northeast Harris County.

Johnny Robert Benavidez is charged with the murder of 27-year-old Edgar Garcia.

Garcia was shot to death in a driveway at a home in the 5700 block of Lauder near Homestead. He was there for his relative's 16th birthday party.

Dozens of teens were just feet away when the shooting happened around 12:30am.

Harris County Sheriff's Office investigators said Benavidez was part of a group of uninvited males who showed up at the party. They were asked to leave and a fight broke out between the group and Garcia's brother, officials said.

The group left the party, but they reportedly returned with a handgun and began firing shots into the crowd.

Garcia was shot in the face and died at the scene.

Witnesses were all visibly shaken after the shooting. Many of the teens' parents arrived to pick up their children after the shooting. One witness said that most of the teens who were at the party attend MacArther High School.

Benavidez was scheduled to appear in probable cause court at 6pm Sunday, but officials said he was being combative. His bond was raised to $100,000 and he is set to appear in court Monday.

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Man accused of attacking people with machete at birthday party

Javier Aragon, 26, is charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapons.

  GALVESTON, TX (KTRK) -- A man in Galveston is locked up, accused of attacking people with a machete at a birthday party.

Investigators say Javier Aragon got into a fight early Thursday morning at a home on 46th Street. That's when they say he grabbed a machete and tried to cut several people there.

Guests used chairs to block the slashes. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Aragon, 26, fled the scene. He was arrested later and is facing two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapons. Bond has been set at $160,000 total.

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Battleship Texas celebrates its 100th birthday

  LA PORTE, TX (KTRK) -- Battleship Texas will celebrate its 100th birthday today with a party that could include hundreds of former crewmen that have manned the ship over the years.

The nation's oldest battleship launched on May 18, 1912.

Today's "Celebrate a Centennial Launching" ceremony in La Porte starts at 2pm and will feature a cake cutting by the great-great-granddaughter of the woman who christened the ship and a keynote speech by Lt. Governor David Dewhurst.

Invitations were sent to as many as 500 crewmen believed still alive.

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Hire a Houston Limo to Celebrate Your Kid's Birthday

Galveston's Grand Opera celebrates 117th birthday

  GALVESTON, TX (KTRK) -- The Grand 1894 Opera House" in Galveston celebrated its 117th birthday Tuesday in grand style, with cake and, of course, singing.

Visitors to the Grand received a tour of the theatre, which was the largest theater in Texas when it was built in 1894.

And if you're doing the math and wondering why this is the theatre's birthday, opening night was on January 3, 1895.

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Happy 80th birthday, Kitirik!

Dave Ward and Bunny Orsak, who played Kitirik on Channel 13 from 1954 to 1971, at her birthday party on December 3, 2011

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A member of the ABC13 family celebrated her 80th birthday Saturday.

Bunny Orsak played Kitirik, the old Channel 13 mascot, from 1954 to 1971.

Friends who worked with her, including Eyewitness News anchor Dave Ward, wished her a happy birthday at a party in southwest Houston.

The birthday cake had a picture of Bunny in her Kitirik cat costume.

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