RodeoHouston changes 16 carnival rides' policies after accident

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- There are new developments following this week's accident at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo carnival.

By now, many of you have probably seen our exclusive cell phone video of the 3-year-old girl falling from the ride. Rodeo officials have seen it, too, and now we've learned they're making more changes out at the carnival.

The crowds were out on force on Friday, but many people probably didn't realize there was a change in the ride policies prompted by what happened on Wednesday to that young girl.

A video taken by a parent capturing his own child's ride on the Techno Jump inadvertently recorded the girl's fall. Her mother couldn't fit into the seat so she let the girl, who met the minimum height rule ride, with her brother. In one image, she appears to be slumping in the seat. A few seconds later, as the car sweeps by again, she is seen trying to hold on with her body swinging in the air. Moments later, she was flung to the ground.

She has been released from the hospital after what's been called a concussion. Her family has hired an attorney.

The Techno Jump ride was put back into operation Wednesday evening, and people were lining up for it as soon as the rides opened Friday.

Despite all the publicity, some parents were unaware of the incident.

"You heard about this ride, right?" we asked Latonya Roberts, a mother of two kids.

"No," she said.

"The one where the little girl fell off," we said.

"This is the one?" she said.

Rules for the Techno Jump ride were enhanced after the girl's fall. After touring the midway late Thursday night, Rodeo CEO Leroy Shafer ordered that a total of 16 similar rides to now require a "supervising companion" who is 16 years or older.

"That supervising companion is going to have to be an adult. That's the way it will have to be from now on and that's gong beyond industry standards," Shafer said.

The images of the falling child, while dramatic, still don't show how she managed to elude the restraints of both a seat belt and a lap bar.

But for Roberts, it was the fact that it happened at all that scared her; her kids will be going on only the tamest of rides.

"The rides I don't feel are appropriate for them, I'm not going to put them on it; we'll just pass that up," she said.

We contacted the Texas Department of Insurance for comment. A spokesman for the agency acknowledged officials there had seen the video but said an opinion would not be appropriate.

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

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New Astros owner Jim Crane considering name, uniform changes

  HOUSTON -- New Houston Astros owner Jim Crane is considering changing the name of the franchise as well as its uniforms.

New Houston Astros owner Jim Crane is considering changing the name of the franchise as well as its uniforms.

Crane said Monday the team will conduct a study to decide whether or not to switch the name.

"We're going to study the information both from the fans and from all sorts of marketing people," Crane said. "I'm not saying we're going to change. We haven't made the decision yet whether we're going to change."

The team was established in 1962 as the Colt .45s and has been called the Astros since 1965 when it was changed to coincide with the move to the Astrodome.

Crane said switching uniforms is something they are "highly considering." Any changes wouldn't happen until 2013 when Houston makes the move from the National League to the American League.

"We had the Colt .45s and everybody liked that one," Crane said. "So you can imagine how upset they were when we switched that. What you get when you look at the fan base is the older we get and I'm old, you don't like to change. But the younger fans are very receptive to change and the older ones aren't, so that's what we saw with the American League."

Crane's comments came at an event to announce several fan initiatives. The biggest move is a 5 percent rebate on full-season and 27-game season ticket accounts that are renewed by Jan. 31. The cheapest at the park will be cut from $7 to $5. Children's tickets in the lowest priced sections will remain $1.

They also have a new $35 ticket located on the club level that includes a $15 credit for food, beverages and retail items. These tickets cost $46 last season and did not include any food or retail credit.

The Astros will also allow fans to bring water and a small amount of food inside the stadium.

Crane and his staff met with many fans before deciding on these initiatives. He has been looking into ways to improve the team, which finished a franchise-worst 56-106 last season, and the fan experience since the sale from Drayton McLane was completed in late November.

"We felt that with the new ownership and the way the team performed in the last couple of years that we needed to step forward and try to get the interest back with the fans," he said.

"We're making some very positive moves to put a better product on the field, and we wanted to get people in the ballpark to experience that."

The Astros name is a nod to Houston's role in the space program as the site of NASA's Mission Control. Aerospace is a major industry in the metropolitan area, but now that the space shuttle program has ended, the city may be less likely to base its identity on the space program.

Still, Crane wanted to make clear that no decisions have been made yet.

"We haven't said we're going to do that, so don't jump to any conclusions," he said of a possible name change. "Sometimes change is good."

He said they haven't hired a marketing firm yet, but they are considering doing that soon. There isn't a lot of to make a decision. Crane said they must inform the league by the beginning of the season if they are going to make a change. They wouldn't be allowed to announce the new name or release the logos until the season is over.

"Baseball has to approve all of those logos and all of those changes and there is a lot of expense to it. We've got signs here and if we do change it, it's going to be expensive," Crane said.

The Astros have had several uniform styles in their history, including the shooting star jerseys and the now infamous rainbow ones. They've had their current uniforms, which include road grays and primarily home reds since 2000. They also have alternate home white and white with black pinstriped jerseys.

Crane said some past uniforms could be incorporated into a new design.

"We've been studying the uniforms and we think there are some good ideas with the past," he said. "We have had baseball's people in to talk to them about what needs to be done. We're trying to follow the proper protocol. They have very tight rules. We're going to get some fan input together and put a study group together."

What do you think? Should the Astros consider a name and/or uniform change? Talk about it on our Facebook page.

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

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Fight prompts changes at DeKaney High School

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- More than a week after a massive brawl at DeKaney High School, the Spring ISD school is announcing police changes.

This was no five-minute fight. It was a brawl that lasted more than half an hour. Parents we talked to on Friday night welcomed changes in how the school is run. It was student cell phone video of the brawl that unnerved some parents. "It scared me, it scared me," one parent said. "Really bad, really bad," Dekaney High School parent Randy Caraway said. The principal at the high school is now making changes after Thursday's brawl, which lasted 40 minutes, left blood on the floor and two students transported to the hospital. Students say they've already noticed a change. "It's pretty common but like, after it happened, it doesn't happen anymore," Dekaney High School student Rodniqua Gould said. An investigation into the bloody brawl by the administration and Spring ISD district police revealed they had too many students in the downstairs hallway at once, and when one student punched another, it sparked multiple fights. "I really believe it was just a one-time deal. Someone got out of hand, some knucklehead and with friends around, you know everything, it all happened," Caraway said. In a statement released to parents, principal Delie Loyde says, "I am adjusting schedules for when students transition to control the number of students in the hallway during the school day. In addition, I am increasing adult supervision throughout the hallway during transitions." Parents are welcoming the new policy and hope the brawls are behind them. "The more people we have, the more adults we have in the classrooms and in the halls, we'll make it better," Caraway said. In all, 19 students were suspended or sent to an alternative school. One of those students was arrested by police for refusing to obey an officer. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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School changes policy on standing during Pledge

 HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Students in one local school district do not have to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance if they don't want to. It's a policy change that even the superintendent doesn't agree with, so why did the district do it?

In this town of 3,600 people, there's an American flag around just about every street corner and for school kids, the daily routine of standing up and saying the Pledge has never been questioned until now. "They refused to say the Pledge and everyone's talking about it," said student Cherissh Garrett. She is a classmate of the two students that have become the talk of Sweeny. The high school seniors did not want to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance, something that the school district required. "There was no disciplinary action taken. It was just a request that they stand for the pledge," said Superintendent Randy Miscke. The students took their complaint to the The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas, who sent the school a request on April 14 to review its policy. This week, after consulting with attorneys, the school district changed its policy and it will no longer require students to stand during the Pledge. "Just let them sit there and be quiet, and if they don't want to, and everybody who knows what's right will stand up and do it," said Gary Woodard, school board member. In a statement, the ACLU of Texas says "Our bill of rights and American tradition protect dissenters and the majority just the same, and the right to express disagreement is a patriotic value that all Texans should fight for." "I might not necessarily agree with that, but I'm going to be legal," said Miscke. Friends of the students say it's more about teenagers wanting the freedom to choose. "I don't think he's opposed to the pledge, just that forced to do the pledge, and he just doesn't like it," said student Preston Freeman. We reached out to the two students, but they did not want to speak on camera. According to Texas law, students are required each school day to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States flag and to the Texas flag. The law does not say anything about standing. Students can be excused from saying the pledge, but only with a written request from a parent or guardian. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

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