Harris County cut off from state funds after refusal to purge voters suspected to be dead

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade is withholding more than $700,000 from Harris County; it's money that was supposed to be used for voter registration efforts. That comes after a dispute over the effort to purge so-called dead voters.

A spokesperson for Texas secretary of state said that Harris County had been warned it would be out of compliance with the state's new voter registration law. On Friday, the state lowered a very expensive hammer.

At the Harris Co. tax assessor's office Friday, people were filling out voter registration forms.

"It's one of my treasures. It's a right that we have to vote and we need to exercise. I think it's important," said Merle Ozenne.

Tommy Thomas was here to check that his family members are on the list.

"I think a lot of them just want to make sure they got the opportunity to vote," he said.

All this in the midst of a showdown between the county and the state over the purging of dead voters' names from the registration rolls. It's part of a new state law to cut down on voter fraud, which the county attorney says is not a problem.

"And it just doesn't happen very much. All this effort supposedly is intended to clean up the roles of dead people who can't vote anyway," said Harris Co. Attorney Vince Ryan.

By order of the state, a letter was sent out to voters asking them or their families if they were dead and to inform the county of their status. But the Harris County tax assessor said the roles would not be changed for the upcoming election because of a matter of time.

On Friday, the secretary of state's office responded by locking the county out of the state's website and freezing $702,000 intended for county voter registration efforts. And that's a problem.

"It would slow dramatically the processing of voter apps at this point in time which of course have to get done by October 7 in order for those people to be on the official voter roll," said Don Sumners, Harris Co. Tax Assessor.

The funding affects only voter registration, not the election itself.

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

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Runners raise funds for veterans, honor 9/11 victims

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Thousands of area runners raised money Saturday for veterans and honored victims of the September 11 attacks.

About 3,000 runners took part in the Travis Manion Foundation 9/11 Heroes Run at Ellington Airport. This year's theme was "Honor the Fallen by Challenging the Living."

In addition to Houston, the run was held in Iraq, Afghanistan and 21 states across the U.S.

The Travis Manion Foundation works with veterans and the families of fallen service members. The foundation was named for U.S. Marines First Lieutenant Travis Manion who was killed in Iraq in 2007.

"It's grown into this national organization that's able to honor help and serve our veterans first responders and military community," James Brobyn, executive director, said.

Organizers of the event say the primary goal is to pay tribute to the thousands who were killed that day and the millions of men and women who have helped keep America safe in the 11 years that have followed -- a group that includes military personnel, police officers and firefighters.

"We are proud to be involved with this terrific event," Ellington General Manager Brian Rinehart said. "Ellington Airport already has a strong working relationship with the U.S. military and the Houston Police and Fire departments, so it makes perfect sense for us to be involved."

Half the proceeds from the local run go to the Travis Manion Foundation. The other half will be split between Assist the Officer, which helps Houston officers injured in the line of duty, and Team Red, White and Blue, which supports wounded veterans.

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

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Marathon baseball game to raise funds for local teen

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Baseball players and fans are uniting this weekend for a 12-hour marathon game to raise money for a local teen with muscular dystrophy.

The third annual Midnight Madness Marathon charity baseball game is Sunday from noon to midnight at the new Constellation Field, home of the Sugar Land Skeeters, on Highway 6 at Highway 90A.

Amateur players and former professional players of all ages will participate in 12 hours of non-stop play in just one game, and it's all for a good cause.

The funds raised by this event will go to 16-year-old high school student David Gonzalez -- a sports fan who loves school and wants to go to Rice University one day.

David has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which causes muscle degeneration, loss of movement and difficulty breathing. He will be a wheelchair-user for the rest of his life.

Proceeds from Sunday's event will be used to pay for expensive medical equipment David needs that insurance doesn't cover, including a specialized van and a bathroom in his family's home that is wheelchair-accessible.

You can play in this charity marathon game or go as a fan. It's a family-friendly event with a baseball dunk tank and other activities. The playground and concession stands will be open.

And the fun begins even before the game. A Home Run Derby is slated for 10am Sunday. The winner gets $500.

The Midnight Madness Marathon is organized by the Global Sports Foundation's Baseball Gives Back nonprofit and the Houston Hardball League.

Baseball Gives Back works to provide new and gently-used baseball equipment to underprivileged children and adults in the U.S and around the world. They also do special events such as this to raise funds for individuals with illnesses.

Last year's Midnight Madness Marathon raised $19,990 for nine-year-old brain cancer patient Ariel Leal and her family.

Admission on Sunday is free. For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit globalsportsfoundation.org.

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

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Driver accuses League City of misusing red light funds

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- There's a new battle in the ongoing controversy over red light cameras. A group that has been fighting the cameras in League City accuses city leaders of misspending money coming in from red light tickets.

The Galveston County District Attorney's Office says it will investigate this allegation that the red light camera money was spent by the city of League City illegally. The city says its own review has led them to already start paying back some of the money.

Byron Schirmbeck admits he doesn't live in League City. But he commutes through it, and so he says he has the right to question what happens to the money the city makes from red light violators -- money he and others contend is being used illegally.

"This is and always has been abut the money. The city will lie, cheat, steal, beak the law to do anything they can to protect this revenue coming in," Schirmbeck said.

He filed a complaint with the Galveston County district attorney, alleging that the city went on a "binge spending spree," purchasing things like rifle optics, entry rifles, a crime scene imager and finger print station -- even a tactical observation tower, which the city showed us last year as they touted its crime-fighting value.

"League City spent over a quarter-million dollars on things that aren't traffic safety related," Schirmbeck said.

The Texas transportation code says the money may be used only to fund traffic safety programs, including pedestrian and public safety programs, intersection improvements and traffic enforcement.

A League City Spokeswoman Kristi Wyatt tells us the city attorney has now reviewed the expenditures, and its interpretation of the law. She says the city has determined some of the money -- about $80,000 worth -- will now be paid back to the traffic safety fund and items will instead be purchased with general fund money.

But Wyatt insists the city didn't violate any law.

"Once that was brought to our attention and the opinion was received from our attorney, then we took action immediately to correct that," she said.

League City is also seeking an attorney general's opinion on what the red light camera funds can and cannot be used for.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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