Some families changing Mexico holiday travel plans due to cartel violence

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The holidays are a time for families to come together, but when your loved ones live south of the border it can give you pause. With drug-related violence still a major concern, some families are changing their plans.

At the Mexican Consulate in Houston, the lines are always long; and during the holidays, even more so, with people going home to visit their families.

"They spend Christmas there and also New Years is a very important date for Mexicans," said Fernanda Villanueva with the Mexican Consulate.

The problem is getting there safely for those who travel by car. Cartel violence is ongoing and the military has been sent in to some areas after Mexican police officers were killed this month. The consulate provides a list of travel safety recommendations to those going home. Even so, Eddie Aragon says there's still a risk and fewer people are willing to take it.

"There aren't as many vehicles as there used to be and the other thing, the place where you're going, not as many of them; not half of the vehicles that used to," Aragon said.

Carmen Aguillar is one of those who's decided to let someone else do the driving after a bad experience across the border.

"I think it's better and more sure to travel by bus," said Aguillar.

Apparently more people are. It's a busy time of year for bus companies that serve cities in Mexico. It's the way this cab driver travels home.

"I take a bus. I don't take no money, no nothing," said Alfonso Vasquez.

The Mexican Consulate recommends not taking a lot of presents if traveling as that might attract unwanted attention and invite problems. And that, says Vasquez, is "pretty sad, I hope soon it gets better."

The consulate says there will be additional federal police on duty at checkpoints to assure travelers.

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Salvation Army hosts holiday lunch at shelter

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houstonians with nowhere else to go for Christmas found a home at the Salvation Army.

The group hosted a holiday lunch at its shelter for homeless women and families near downtown Houston.

Everyone was invited to enjoy a homemade meal of turkey, dressing and all the trimmings.

The Salvation Army also held a lunch at its men's shelter to serve hundreds of others in need.

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Local man helps out homeless for holiday season

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A man named Willie Davis says he's just trying to pass his blessings along and today he did just that.

This holiday season, we have seen so many acts of generosity. For one group of friends, they didn't need a sponsor or an organization, just the spirit of the season and a desire to help.

Willie Davis embraces these strangers as if they were old friends; kindred spirits meeting in a Midtown parking lot.

"I'm here giving back to these people, man, because it's something that just came upon my heart to do," said Davis.

Recently, his grandmother encouraged Davis to think about the real meaning of Christmas, and that's all it took.

"I think it's in the spirit of Christmas, and helping the less fortunate, and we'd like to tell them thank you," said Dawn Jones, who is homeless.

Davis rounded up some friends and co-workers, gathered donations and rolled up on this parking lot. The impact was immediate. For some, it was a warm blanket.

"It's awesome, God bless us all. We're homeless and we need their help," said Kimberly James, who's also homeless.

For others, it was some much needed food. And for Paul Yarbrough, it was something to keep the wind out.

"A jacket with a zipper," Yarborough said.

Tears of joy from a man who admits 2011 has been tough. But when strangers come to brighten the season, there is hope that 2012 may be just a bit better.

"This is the season for giving, not just this month, it's for giving for the whole year," said Davis.

Davis says he and his friends were so inspired today that they plan on getting a head start next year. They want to raise more money and help more people.

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Busy holiday travel day in Houston

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The holiday travel rush has begun and it won't slow down until after the Christmas weekend. For those of you who may be flying over the next couple days, weather in other parts of the country could disrupt your travel plans.

Airline workers say Thursday was the first major travel day for this holiday period. At Hobby Airport a long line of cars could be seen waiting to drop people off and pick people up. And that's just a little of the business we saw.

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, more than 2.1 million people are expected to fly in and out of Houston area airports between now and January 2.

"I checked in like 24 hours early, thinking that we might get bumped. I was worried," said traveler Phillip Saxton.

And the thought of crowds flying out to visit families for Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year's Day isn't the only thing that has some passengers we talked to concerned.

"I just think people are traveling with a lot of stuff, and trying to fit gifts in bags, or bring gifts back, so it's just extra stuff," said traveler Laura Kaplan.

Remember, any gifts you're taking with you need to be unwrapped for screening. Surprisingly, most passengers we talked to say things seem to be pretty smooth out of Bush Intercontinental and Hobby. Airline staff told us extra workers were brought in to help deal with the holiday flow.

"It was good. We just checked in same as normal. Nothing too crazy that kept us longer," said traveler Robbie Kubiak.

We checked with the airlines and the FAA and it appears the major delays travelers are experiencing right now are with flights out of Denver due to the storm, along with several late arrivals out of New Jersey.

Speaking of delays, AAA estimates about 6.9 million people will be driving on Texas roads to visit loved ones. So, expect some back-ups.

For those of you who may be concerned about parking at the airport, we did some checking for you. There is still parking available at the airports, but some of the private vendor lots are filling up quickly.

To better help you plan your trip, check out our holiday travel guide here.

Earlier Thursday

It was a very soggy start to the holiday travel rush. At least 7.5 million Texans are traveling over the next 11 days.

We checked the crowds at Hobby and Bush Airports and while it was busy with bustle of the holiday season, everything appeared to be moving smoothly.

"Toys, baby gifts," said passenger Kelly Owen.

With an oversized duffle bag full of Christmas presents, the Owen family is heading home for the holidays. They are among thousands of passengers who will board planes at Houston airports today.

"Myself, my husband, our nine-month-old Grayson, my sister-in-law Kendall," said Owen.

Tens of thousands of people will fly out of Hobby Airport. Not to mention thousands more at the big airport, as today starts the busiest travel days of the year.

"This is the first time I have flown during Christmas," said traveler Kathy Gibson. "It's an experience."

"We are traveling with a baby for the first time and it's been good," said passenger Jay Barnett.

With rainy conditions in the south and snow and ice causing problems in the north, some travelers are feeling the affects from delays. For passengers like Barnett, its the longer lines that have caused a slight setback.

"I got here and hour early and I missed my flight and now I'm on standby," said Barnett.

Airport officials say passengers should brace themselves for crowded airports and advise against wrapping gifts before going through checkpoints.

Airport officials are still advising travelers to get there early. And here's something to keep in mind if you're headed to Hobby. The roadway leading to the airport's ticketing level is under construction. Traffic is being diverted to the parking garage.

The Houston Airport System expects to see more than 2.1 million passengers going through Bush Airport during the holiday season. The busiest days there are Thursday and Friday. At Hobby Airport, nearly 280,000 passengers are expected to fly out and the busiest days there are expected to be today, Friday, Monday and Tuesday.

For all your holiday travel needs, make sure to check our holiday travel guide. You'll find the latest status on flights, road conditions, weather anywhere and more.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Holiday shoppers beware: Thieves on the prowl

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- There's just about a week left to do your last minute Christmas shopping and while you're looking for a good deal, thieves may be looking to make you their next target.

Today is Super Saturday. It comes with huge savings and deep discounts.

By some estimates, is the busiest shopping day of the year -- even exceeding Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

But while you're looking for a steal, there are some people looking to steal from you.

Harris County Precinct 4 deputy constables will be out in full force at residential and business areas throughout north Harris County. The holiday initiative will be in place over the next couple of weeks.

Shoppers are warned to not leave purses or other valuables visible in their vehicles and to take someone with them when they shop.

"Certainly as crime attracts itself to the holiday season, people are looking for opportunities for attacking our homes and shopping areas," Pct. 4 Constable Ron Hickman said. "We want to make sure we put as much available visibility and manpower out there to meet the need and to make sure we add to the comfort of our community at this time."

Officials offered tips for shoppers, including have your keys in your hand, don't leave packages visible in your car, don't leave your purse in your seat and do things to minimize yourself, your car or your home as a target.

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Holiday wishes granted for essay winners

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- While some children are waiting for Christmas to unwrap their holiday wishes other kids' wish lists cannot be fulfilled with gifts under a Christams tree.

If given three Christmas wishes, what would your children wish for? Chances are their lists would look different from the ones these children created.

"Some of these children, they wish mom doesn't hit them anymore and daddy doesn't yell at mama," said founder of Navidad en el Barrio, Israel Gomez, Jr.

Two thousand elementary school aged boys and girls, from 50 Houston-area elementary schools wrote essays, detailing their special Christmas wishes.

"Some of our essay winners asked for food for their refrigerators, clothes for their brothers and sisters," said Gomez.

In Guadalupe Arredondo's winning essay she wished for jobs for immigrants and an end to poverty -- and there's one more thing.

"And I want a laptop to do my homework because sometimes my mom doesn't go to the library," Arredondo.

Thanks to the annual "Navidad en el Barrio" and angels like Cathy Perez, kids like Guadalupe are getting a bicycle, in addition to some of the basics, for writing winning essays.

"They're mature in ways that the average child may not be," said Perez.

Retired Houston police officer Israel Gomez, Jr. started the program nearly a quarter century ago and says granting little wishes.

"Like a bible, like a bag of cheetos, like sheets for their twin sized bed," said Gomez.

The charity can inspire big changes in the future of these young writers.

"We can't have kids stop dreaming." said Perez. "When they stop dreaming, things stop to happen."

Part of the program includes uniformed police officers handing out gifts. Gomez says that's because he wants the children to strengthen the positive links between police officers and the community and allow children to identify police officers as their friends.

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Needy kids get to 'Shop with a Cop' for holiday wish list

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Christmas came early for dozens of local kids who are in the care of Children's Protective Services. Houston police officers and volunteers took the kids on a shopping spree.

Santa wears blue when he works with the Houston Police Department. Today, at a Target store in the Heights, 20 children received $100 gift cards to shop with the assistance of HPD officers. The kids ranged in age from 5 to 15, and were each paired with an officer who helped them pick out items on their wish list during the Shop with a Cop event.

As with every child it seems, those wish lists were impressive.

"A Wii DS, PSP, Playstation 3, a phone, an iPod and a computer," said one child.

"It's really a blessing and as I told him earlier people don't have to be nice, but when they are nice, you need to learn to appreciate it and say thank you," said parent Jaqueline Benjamin,

"It's great. I love this. It's something that we do in the community," said HPD Officer Mark Leija. "The type of job that we do, we work out of storefronts and so this is a great feeling for me as well."

The kids were all pre-selected through CPS as in need this holiday season.

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Police demo steps to deter holiday theft

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Thieves often try to take advantage of shoppers during the holiday season, so police are asking you to take steps to avoid being a victim.

Houston police say theft is a crime of opportunity and proved it with a stage purse theft at the HEB store on Buffalo Speedway. The demonstration showed how easy it is for someone to snatch a wallet from an unzipped purse while the shopper has her back turned for just a few seconds.

"So we're really asking to close those purses up, clutch them very tight and stay focused and be aware of your surroundings," said HPD Officer James Sobota.

Officers also went through the grocery store parking lot handing out warning notices to cars with valuables left in plain sight.

Police say that's to tempting burglars and you should always lock your purchases in your trunk.

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