Pharmacy sustains major damage in fire in southwest Houston

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A fire broke out at a shopping center in southwest Houston overnight.

The Houston Fire Department was dispatched to an apartment in a strip center in the 14500 block of Main Street at Fondren at 12:46 this morning. Firefighters arrived on scene within four minutes and discovered a smoldering fire in the Main Stop Pharmacy.

Approximately 45 firefighters responded to the incident which was extinguished about 1:20am. Officials say the fire started in the back room and spread.

A business next door sustained smoke and water damage, but no one was hurt.

The fire caused heavy smoke damage throughout the strip center. The fire is still under investigation, but investigators believe it was likely an accident.

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Couple sues CenterPoint after electrical shock leaves husband with major health issues

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A family in Katy are prisoners in their own home. They say they don't feel safe after a loved one got a strong electric shock while getting out of the shower.

The homeowner says the shock was so intense, he can't remember what happened right after it. Now, the man's family wants answers and is pushing to stop it from ever happening again.

The Katy-area couple hopes a lawsuit filed in civil court sends a strong message. They say their lives, all their way down to the what appliances they can use, have changed ever since the day the husband was injured.

For 50-year-old James Fivash, there is now a before and after in his life.

"I've had pain ever since. My eyes don't ever stop hurting," he said.

A man who once spoke easily now has trouble

"It's frustrating, I forget a lot of things," Fivash said.

The difference, he and his wife say, came in early 2011, just a few days after CenterPoint did work on the electrical box in their backyard responding to a neighbor's power issue. James says he finished up a shower, reached for the faucet and was shocked.

"And I remember it was bad," he said.

He went to the hospital while CenterPoint went to the house. The Fivashes say every outlet, every appliance was fried and the thing is before the shocking, they knew something was wrong.

"Things would dim and then get bright, dim and get bright," James' wife, Debbie Fivash, said.

The couple have now filed a lawsuit, claiming CenterPoint was negligent. CenterPoint declined to respond, citing the pending litigation.

But the company has sent the Fivashes three letters, acknowledging in one that the neutral wire -- important to complete an electrical circuit -- was loose at the time James was shocked. They say it was repaired and deny any liability.

"They're not owning up to what they should be doing," the couple's attorney, Joe Stephens, said.

Stephens believes the entire house must be re-wired, costing tens of thousands of dollars, not to mention James' ongoing health issues.

For now, they've learned to adjust to life without many appliances or electronics and to life after James' incident.

"It's tough for us," Debbie said.

The couple says they complained to CenterPoint about the surging issues in their house before the incident.

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

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Major closure planned for North Loop this weekend

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- If your plans this upcoming weekend take you along the North Loop, you might want to find a different route. A major closure is planned.

On Friday night at 9pm, all westbound lanes of the North Loop will shut down at Ella, including the entrance ramp from Shepherd/Durham. It's not scheduled to re-open until 5am Monday.

Drivers will be detoured to the frontage road at the Ella exit.

Three inside main lanes on the North Loop eastbound will also be closed from T.C. Jester to Ella from Saturday at 9pm until Sunday at noon.

Law enforcement will be present to help you get around the closures.

The closures are necessary as construction crews make repairs on the bridge deck, as well as work on part of an improvement project for the 610/290 interchange.

Check real-time traffic information in our ABC13.com traffic section

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Major road closures scheduled this weekend

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Attention drivers: There are several closures along Interstate 45 North and a major one along 610 North Loop scheduled for this weekend.

Beginning 9pm Friday, crews will shut down the following entrance or exit ramps until 5am Monday:

Southbound entrance ramp from Shepherd. Detour to Parker entrance ramp. Southbound entrance ramp from Little York Road. Detour to Parker entrance ramp. Southbound exit ramp to Parker Road. Detour Tidwell exit ramp. Southbound entrance ramp from Gulf Bank Road. Detour to next entrance ramp. Crews also will close two southbound lanes of the highway from Little York Road to Parker Road. For drivers using the Interstate 45 North frontage roads, crews will close both the eastbound and westbound directions at Little York also between 9pm Friday and 5am Monday. Drivers heading eastbound on Little York will be forced to detour southbound on Interstate 45 to Tidwell and u-turn back to IH 45 North to Little York. For drivers heading westbound, they will be detoured to the 45 North to Gulf Bank and u-turn back on Highway 45 South to Little York.

Crews also are shutting down both directions of the Interstate 45 frontage roads at Parker. Drivers heading eastbound on Parker will be forced to detour to Interstate 45 South to Tidwell and u-turn back to IH 45 North to Parker. Drivers heading westbound will detour to Interstate 45 North to Gulf Bank and u-turn back to Parker.

Then between 4am and 2pm Sunday, crews will completely shut down the northbound lanes of Interstate 45 at Crosstimbers. Drivers will be forced to exit and re-enter the freeway at the next entrance ramp.

-------------------

610 North Loop closure

Between 6am Saturday and 5am Monday, both northbound and southbound lanes of East T.C. Jester at the North Loop are scheduled for closure. Drivers heading northbound on East T.C. Jester will detour to IH 610 eastbound frontage road, turn left at Ella and left on IH 610 westbound frontage road to E. T.C. Jester. Drivers heading southbound will detour to IH 610 westbound frontage road to W. T.C. Jester.

Check real-time traffic information in our ABC13.com traffic section

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Historic Houston library given major face-lift

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houston's iconic Ideson Library opened not long before the "crash of 29," for the grand sum of a half million dollars.

Today, it's been cleaned, restored and expanded. The cost -- more than $32 million, and more than half of that came from private donations, ranging from one dollar to several million.

Those old enough to recall how it first appeared will feel like kids again. The stunning atrium, with its coffered ceiling has been cleaned, its faded stain painstakingly returned to the look it first had. In place of beige paint on stucco walls, there's a rich terra cotta red -- the original color.

Then there's the new wing -- modern and climate-controlled to contain its huge collection of early Houston documents and rare books.

The jewel box building was reintroduced today with a ribbon cutting. It is hoped to become a center of "civic celebration," including weddings.

See it today on Hometown Live on Eyewitness News at 4pm!

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Surveillance images released in major theft case

Surveillance cameras captured the woman police are looking for, as well as the Ford Explorer the suspects were in.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houston police are asking for the public's help to find several suspects involved in a major theft case in southwest Houston.

On March 11, a 77-year-old woman was shopping at the WalMart at 2727 Dunvale. Investigators say when she went to the parking lot, she couldn't find her vehicle. That's when they say four Hispanic males offered to help her. They convinced her to that her vehicle needed major repairs and to give them her keys.

Detectives say the suspects then persuaded the victim to accompany them to her bank, where she withdrew $10,000 and gave the suspects $8,000 for car repairs.

Then the suspects, against the victim's will, took her to the Plazamericas shopping center on Bellaire near the Southwest Freeway and convinced her to charge more than $14,000 worth of jewelry to her credit card.

The victim was then taken to her car and left behind the PetSmart at Westheimer and Dunvale.

The suspects are described only as four Hispanic males. One of them appeared to be in his late 20s, tall and thin. He was accompanied by a female, also in her late 20s, wearing a blouse with the number "46" on the front. They were last seen in a white, late-model Ford Explorer, with a missing front license plate.

Anyone with information in this case or on the identities of the wanted suspects is urged to contact the HPD Major Offenders Division at 713-308-3100 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

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