Residents fighting against proposed landfill

  By Pooja LodhiaHOUSTON (KTRK) -- Imagine seeing signs reading "proposed landfill site" popping up near your neighborhood. That's what's happening in one Waller County community, and nearby residents are floored and ready for a fight.

Protest signs line the streets all the way to the proposed site.

"Our concerns are the potential environmental impact it'll have on Waller County and the community of Hempstead," said resident Bill Huntsinger, who's protesting against the landfill. "We are also concerned about the traffic and public safety impact it'll have on State Highway 6."

Pintail Landfill wants to build a 250 acre landfill near the intersection of Highway 6 and Highway 290. It has agreed to pay the county $1.50 per ton of garbage collected here and has applied for a permit with the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality.

On Wednesday, Waller County commissioners voted to hire an attorney to look into the proposal.

Waller County Judge Glenn Beckendorff said, "No one wants a landfill in Waller County. At this point it's TCEQ's decision. These people bought land as a real estate transaction. That's something we do not have control over as commissioners."

County Judge Beckendorff says the county wasn't prepared when Pintail applied for the permit last year.

"We did not have an ordinance at the time to prevent them from coming to Waller County," he explained. "We have since produced such an ordinance that would prevent any landfills from coming."

But for now those protesting against the landfill blame both Pintail for wanting to build here and the county commission for letting the project get this far.

"It is kind of a David and Goliath story," Huntsinger said. "We, being the citizens, are having to utilize our own resources, our own expertise to fight the landfill."

Pintail is owned by a Georgia company called Green Group Holdings. They issued a statement reading, "The Pintail site is ideal for this project based on the results of the environmental studies and the site's location on a major four-lane highway away from schools and dense neighborhoods."

The state has not issued any permits at this time, and public input meetings are being planned.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Proposed change to help ease rape kit DNA testing backlog

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A woman raped as a child is speaking out. Critical evidence in the attack sat in a room for more than two decades before it was tested. And by that time, her attacker had struck again and again.

For years we've been telling you about a massive backlog in the testing of rape kits. Victims have been living in fear, when the evidence that could lock up their attacker is set aside and stored. Now lawmakers are working on a possible solution.

In the city of Houston, there are more than 6,600 rape kits collecting dust on a police shelf. They've never been tested. This legislation aims to change that.

Rape survivor Lavinia Masters said, "If they had found him after he assaulted me, because a lot of the women were after me, maybe they could have stopped him."

Masters was raped when she was 13 years old.

She recalled, "A stranger broke into our home one night and raped me at knifepoint. My parents were sleeping upstairs. My siblings were on the floor."

For more than 21 years her rape kit went untested. Evidence untested and a crime unsolved. Nationwide there are 400,000 cases like hers. US Senator John Cornyn is introducing a bill to eliminate that backlog.

Sen. Cornyn said, "What I want to do is make sure that more of the money that the federal government spends -- it will be roughly $117 million this next year alone -- goes to testing these untested kits."

Right now roughly 40 percent of federal dollars go toward ending the rape backlog. That's under the Debbie Smith Act. The SAFER Act would amend current law, requiring that 75 percent of funds be used to analyze untested DNA evidence. It's money Masters says would be well spent.

She said, "No price tag should be put on my sanity, on my life, on my living, on my life after, on my happiness."

Senator Cornyn is touting Houston's efforts to help rape victims and shrink the backlog in this city.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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ABC13 Exclusive: Southwest CEO speaks out about proposed Hobby Aiport expansion

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- United Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek exclusively told Eyewitness News reporter Ted Oberg the politicians celebrating Wednesday will be to blame for hundreds of lost jobs in the future. And now a one-on-one with the man at the head of Southwest, as his airline tentatively claims victory in the battle over international travel.

Southwest Airlines says it will take 15-20 years to make back its $100 million investment at Hobby Airport. We started our conversation asking why it's worth waiting so long and why it's so valuable to do international business here in Houston.

Gary Kelly: You know what the best opportunity is? Right here in Houston. And you know why? Because the fares are so high. Why is that? Because there is no competition. It is a high fare market, that is monopolized by United out of Intercontinental Airport. Those are the kind of opportunities we look for around the country.

Ted Oberg: How long do you expect fares to stay low? Can I come back to you in two years, compare apples to apples and you're confident your flight will still be cheaper?

Gary Kelly: Absolutely, absolutely.

It is a promise that won't come true for years. If Southwest really does drive international fares down, they won't start until 2015. In the meantime, United Airlines says it will mean hundreds of job losses.

Ted Oberg: Do you think United is scared of you?

Gary Kelly: You know I can't really say what motivates any of our competitors. Clearly this is an attempt to keep us from growing.

Ted Oberg: Will it hurt United?

Gary Kelly: That's for them to assess, but clearly it should not be the policy of a city or government to protect one company.

The $100 million deal is not done -- not yet -- and while Kelly and his co-workers were celebrating Wednesday morning, he knows he's not even close to selling his first international ticket out of town.

Ted Oberg: It appears you have the votes, next week, week after, whenever council passes it on. You have a worthy adversary in United Airlines is probably a nice way of saying it. How tough do you expect this fight to be in Washington?

Gary Kelly: Well, I can't speculate about what might happen in the future. We're used to this. We've had opposition from legacy carriers from the very beginning, before we even started flying. So it wouldn't shock me if we continue to see resistance going forward. But we're on the side of right here and the administration is I know for a fact is concerned with creating jobs. This is a great way to create jobs.

Ted Oberg: Do you believe 10,000 jobs can be created as a result of this deal in Houston?

Gary Kelly: I believe it's more than 10,000 jobs. No one can guarantee what the jobs are, but opportunities to grow are hard to come by and this is a wonderful opportunity to grow, not just at Hobby but also at Bush.

That 10,000 job figure comes from a city report. It's been widely criticized as outlandish, but Southwest embraces it despite the fact they don't anticipate hiring any more than 50 to 100 additional Southwest employees at Hobby.

Our entire conversations with the CEOs of United and Southwest are in the video player at the top of this page.

Stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for the latest on this story.

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Proposed auto repair ordinance sparks controversy

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- City leaders are considering a new ordinance meant to protect drivers from jaw-dropping auto repair bills. But auto shop owners worry it could be bad for business.

The issue was discussed at length in Council Chambers, but a vote has been delayed for two weeks. Supporters say this measure is designed to keep consumers from being taken advantage of. Opponents call it an attack on small auto repair businesses.

As the owner of an auto repair shop, Michael Poutous says when it comes to customer service, honesty is everything.

"It has to be. Our livelihood depends on it. There's a dozen other shops they can pass to get to me so it has to be," he said.

The problem is not all repair shops are as forthcoming, so some city leaders are a proposing new ordinance that would make it illegal for mechanics to charge customers for added services without signed pre-approval.

"I just don't see where it's wrong that you ask a business owner if they are going to change the cost of the repairs to give you the option to say yes," Councilwoman Sue Lovell said.

Not everyone is giving it a thumbs up.

"We're using a cannonball to swat a fly," Councilwoman Jolanda Jones said.

Some council members say the proposed changes would hurt smaller auto repair shops.

"In some instances, it will increase business costs of more than $100,000. We are going to run smaller to mid-size companies out of business," Jones said.

Poutous say tracking down a customer first might cause a slight delay in getting the work done but admits doing business any other way would be dishonest.

"Our practice is to call every time we're going to add anything, that the customer needs to know about it," Poutous said.

The new rules would also require businesses to comply with a host of requirements.

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

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Kemah residents oppose proposed oyster reef

KEMAH, TX (KTRK) -- A business proposal in Kemah has an entire neighborhood upset. The plan is to build an oyster reef right off the coast along Kipp Avenue and those who live there say it'll ruin more than just the view from their homes.

This is a dispute that's not just about friction between neighbors, but about what's good for Galveston Bay as well. The argument centers over restoring oyster reefs. If there's anything the neighbors on Kipp Avenue in Kemah agree on, it's that the Joiners and former Kemah Mayor Bill King don't get along. "It has kind of destroyed our lives in our own home," neighbor Colene Joiner said. "It makes no sense whatsoever," King said. And a proposed oyster reef restoration project off King's shoreline is the latest thing the Kipp Avenue neighbors are fighting about. The Joiners have gotten dozens of other people in the neighborhood to sign a petition against King's plans. They say they weren't told until the Texas General Land Office asked for their approval and say it was approved despite their objections. The Oyster Reef Restoration Project is led by the Galveston Bay Foundation, which drew up the application filed by King to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Land Office. "Mr. Joiner doesn't want to see oyster shell down at the bay. In my mind that's a pretty extreme case of what I call NIMBY (Not in My Backyard)," said Bob Stokes with the Galveston Bay Foundation. There are dozens of artificial oyster reefs under the waves off the shore of San Leon not too far from Kemah installed after Hurricane Ike destroyed 50 percent of the natural oyster beds along the Texas Gulf coast. "We put down about five to six inches of crushed concrete on these reef pads. Typical reef pad is about 200 feet long by 40 feet wide," said Bill Rodney with the Texas Parks and Wildlife. Baby oysters are then laid on top and latch on. King, who once served as the chair of the board of the Galveston Bay Foundation, says he just wants to see oysters flourish in Kemah like they do in San Leon. "There is no rational objection that you can formulate to the bringing back of the natural environment of Galveston Bay," King said. But the Joiners next door say they're trying to get the Texas General Land Office to revoke approval because they say the bed of concrete chunks will affect the view and the value of their waterfront property -- especially when the water washes out from time to time. "Why can't it be somewhere where it doesn't destroy people's lives and property values? And almost every house along here has signed our petition," Colene Joiner said. Not the case, says King. "If you have a live oyster reef anywhere close your property, your property immediately becomes more valuable because the fishing dramatically improves," King said. The Joiners say they have hired an environmentalist to evaluate the shore, and have gone to Congressman Ted Poe's office for help. King in the meantime says the reef will go in sometime before June, and if his approval is revoked, he'll appeal. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

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