Friday, July 15, 2011

What do Port officials really think of Wayne?

See it on TV? Check here. HOUSTON (KTRK) -- It's been several months since 13 Undercover started investigating the Port of Houston's very expensive and still very empty cruise terminal. It's a multimillion dollar waste of public money, and it's clear that some people don't like it.

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The script below is verbatim of 13 Undercover's report

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I don't often get to hear some of the nasty stuff they say about 13 Undercover behind our back, but you got to love the Port because they put the feelings in emails.

We've shown you $106 million of your dollars going to waste, the empty state-of-the-art cruise terminal at Bayport. Guess we don't need to build the other two terminals the Port Authority planned to build on this land they already own. "Hundred million dollars is boarded up and wasted this afternoon. Whose head rolled over that decision?" Sen. John Whitmire said. Good question, but Chairman Jim Edmonds doesn't talk to us. "I have no comments," he once told us. "I don't care to talk to you about anything." So we can't ask the Port Authority why it still grossly exaggerates the financial benefits of the cruise project. By 2012, the website claims the cruise terminal was scheduled to bring more than $665 million to the area economy, 2,865 jobs. Of course, you'd actually need a cruise ship to have a shot at job number one. And we clearly don't have that. "There ought to be an urgency about this accountability," Whitmire said. You know there's trouble when the cruise terminal has officially become a joke in Port emails now obtained by 13 Undercover. Take the negotiations to fix up this dilapidated Ship Channel dock for lease to a company called Houston Ship Repair. Listen as a company official makes a funny counteroffer: "I think it's better to have the Port build us a new terminal like the Port did for the nonexistent cruise ships at a mere $100 million." The Port-of-Plenty investigation has focused the public spotlight on the Port and so you won't be surprised to find out 13 Undercover isn't exactly popular with the Port or their friends. Take Esther de Ipolyi. She's even paid to write speeches for a Port commissioner and the Port Chief Executive Officer, Alec Dreyer. Just look at the eloquence in this email about me. She called me a "slimeball." Another vendor warns, 'Don't let Dolcefino touch you with his slimy hands"... "heard Dolcefino is a jerk." Port official Ricardo Arias is clearly not a fan. He called me a "jackass." Maybe that inspired this photo of me sent to another Port official. "No I don't recognize you," Whitmire said. Flattering, isn't it? Are my ears really that big? "Obviously they got some children hired up there. Somebody needs to check on their child labor laws because only a child would engage in this," Whitmire said. Even a Port lawyer must not realize that government emails are public: 'Keep in mind that Wayne Dolcefino is not a rePorter ... 'think tabloid." Hopefully this email was not included in the billings from law firm Fulbright and Jaworski: "That Wayne Dolcefino better watch his back... Somebody might pop a cap in him." Since March, we've been exposing the Port-of-Plenty, like the money wasted trying to get a deal in Libya, the free Saharan vacation for the Port chairman. Port Vice President Tom Heidt was just glad he didn't make the trip. "Once again looks like I've stayed below radar," Heidt said in an email. Of course that email came before we show you how Heidt's kid got a paying internship and before we questioned all that first-class travel, the lavish entertainment expenses, quoting, "They don't get we are not the city. We are a business." "The vice president thinks that they're above public review and inspection and accountability, he probably needs to reconsider what his role is," Whitmire said. A sentiment shared by Port Chairman Jim Edmonds last April. "You don't consider every dime here to be the public's money?" we asked Edmonds in April. "I do not," he replied. "Really?" "Really," he said. By May, our investigation had sparked a district attorney's office investigation. "F me," said a Port manager, "should be fun to get back to the office." "There's a lot of supPort in the delegation to shaking this outfit up," Whitmire said. Senator Whitmire led the charge for a state review of the Port and its way of doing business. "That dog don't hunt anymore in my world," Whitmire said. One employee writes in an email, "Uncle Wayne is freaking killing us man." Uncle Wayne or Little Wayne? Well he is throwing away money, but he's the wrong Little Wayne. This Port employee thinks I have "little guy syndrome." "This is just poor judgment and obviously they don't get it," Whitmire said. So on Thursday, it's back at the Port-of-Plenty, always finding new ways to spend money. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Couple dies in northeast Houston house fire

See it on TV? Check here. HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A couple was killed in a tragic fire in northeast Houston. We are learning more about the victims as investigators try to determine the cause of the fire.

The fire broke out at the home on Kenton near Bacher just before 5am. Fire investigators were on the scene for hours trying to find out what caused the deadly blaze in the Settagast neighborhood. It took the lives of two people, one of them identified by family as Dorothy Moore, grandmother to Joseph Moore.

"She liked to cook and be with her family, play with her little grandkids," Joseph said.

He is at a genuine loss, and can't even speculate as to what caused this fire. The Houston Fire Department won't say much either, wanting to do a thorough investigation into the cause of the fire and cause of death for the individuals. The second victim has been identified by neighbors and family as Eddie Manuel.

"He was a nice person, do odds and ends around the neighborhood, cut yards and stuff. A real nice person," said neighbor Kareen Brooks.

When firefighters arrived at the home in the early hours of this morning, they faced a difficult task. There were heavy flames with portions of the home boarded up, a lot of possessions piled up and a live power line on the property, all making a rescue attempt nearly impossible until they could beat back the flames.

The two victims were found in the back of the house. It seems they were trying to escape the fire.

"We have to make a document of where the bodies were found -- what was the probable cause," said HFD District Chief Rick Flanagan. "There are so many intricate pieces we have to put together in the investigation."

That's all HFD is saying for now, but Joseph Moore knows enough to know this just isn't right.

"Natural causes I can understand, but this, no," he said.

Arson investigators are on the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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North Forest ISD to fight state-ordered closure

See it on TV? Check here. HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The state has ordered North Forest ISD to shut down by next summer. There are still a lot of unknowns at this point, including what will happen to North Forest's 7,500 students and whether the district's schools will be closed and/or sold.

While many in this community aren't necessarily happy with how this situation is playing out, they believe the school district's long track record of problems will be hard to defend.

After years of poor test scores, high dropout rates and financial mismanagement, the Texas Education Agency says North Forest ISD has done an awful job of educating its students and believes it's time to close the district and give the 7,500 kids who go to school there a fresh start.

Parent Vanessa Kegler said, "You got to have teachers who want to teach the children and not just go in there for a paycheck."

Kegler says she moved out of North Forest because the schools were so bad, but she worries that shutting down the entire district will strip the community of its identity.

"They want to close out all the blacks. I feel like this society is not worried about our children anymore," Kegler said.

As details of next year's potential merger with Houston ISD get ironed out, the cry to keep the district intact is growing louder. Houston City Councilman Jarvis Johnson and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee acknowledge the district's troubles, but they believe North Forest is worth saving. Lee has organized an emergency community meeting.

She said, "I just think in spite of the many, many citations year after year that is alleged in the letter that I'm still reviewing, that there may be some questions of district treatment and attitudes that I think are inappropriate in the state of Texas."

North Forest is in the process of appealing the state's decision, but does it have a leg to stand on?

Parent Timandra Gauthier isn't sure how fighting this is going to benefit the kids, who according to the state haven't been getting a quality education for years.

"It's kind of sad in a way, but I mean, whatever helps the kids. If they're not learning in the schools there is no use for them to be there," Gauthier said. "They need to be placed somewhere else where they can learn."

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Viewers send in more shark photos

See it on TV? Check here.A viewer sent us this photo taken at Matagorda Beach. A viewer sent us this photo taken at Matagorda Beach.

  MATAGORDA, TX (KTRK) -- In recent days, we've shown you a number of close encounters with sharks. We're now see photos of another.

One of our Eyewitness News viewers the above photo of a bull shark caught along a beach in Matagorda. Most of them were caught by kayakers surf fishing about 300 yards from shore.

With all the recent pictures we've shown, you might think that more sharks are coming closer to shore, but the head of Galveston's beach patrol doesn't think that's true.

See more of the photos sent in.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Local search group sues Casey Anthony

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A local search-and-rescue group has filed a civil lawsuit against Casey Anthony in an effort to recoup expenses in its search for Caylee Anthony.

Texas Equusearch filed the suit Tuesday in the 9th Judicial District Circuit in and for Orange County, Fla. -- Texas EquuSearch Mounted Search and Recovery v. Casey Anthony. [READ LAWSUIT] Equusearch says it used 4,200 volunteer searchers and spent $112,000 looking for Caylee Anthony in Florida. That includes phone lines, fuel cost, housing and more. "This is the money that really needed to go to families that need us," said Tim Miller of Equusearch. "While we were doing that search, we were so involved, we had several families that called in and really needed our help. And we had to turn them down." The group started to consider a lawsuit after testimony during the trial that the child was never missing. Casey Anthony was found not guilty July 5 on charges of murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter of a child. She is now being sued by Zenaida Fernandez Gonzalez. That was the name Casey Anthony used when she lied about a nanny kidnapping her little girl. Casey Anthony is scheduled to be released from jail on July 17. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »


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Woman wins appeal to have 'Diaper Baby' book banned

  CHANNELVIEW, TX (KTRK) -- We have an update on a book ban appeal at Brown Elementary School. A Channelview ISD's parent wanting one kid's book banned from the library has finally gotten her wish.

Back in May, we told you that Tammy Harris had filed a complaint with the school. She wanted "The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby" pulled from the library because it contained the phrase 'poo poo head.'

Harris said her son was suspended for using the same phrase.

A committee rejected the complaint last month, but Harris appealed and won and now the book is banned.

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State orders North Forest ISD to close

See it on TV? Check here.  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A state education commissioner has ordered North Forest ISD to close its doors by next year.

Texas Education Agency Commissioner Robert Scott sent the school district a letter on Friday outlining its intent to close the district July 1, 2012. North Forest ISD can still operate for the upcoming school year, and it is being given the option to appeal the state's decision. The district's acting superintendent, Edna Forte, says North Forest ISD is in the process of filing that appeal now. But as of now, the state is planning to annex the district to Houston ISD, which would then determine whether to keep the campuses open or place current North Forest ISD students at HISD schools already open. The state's decision comes after years of financial and academic issues plaguing the school district. The district will have a substandard financial rating statewide for the fourth straight year, and North Forest High School will be given an academically unacceptable rating for the sixth year. Last year, only 31 percent of ninth graders passed the TAKS test. Of the 8,000 public high schools in Texas, North Forest High School is the worst-performing school. "We think it's time to close North Forest and give somebody else a chance to educate these kids because this district has consistently failed the kids," Texas Education Agency Spokeswoman Debbie Ratcliffe said. The TEA says the district has dug itself into a deep financial hole it simply can't dig itself back out of. North Forest ISD released a statement late Tuesday afternoon in response to the TEA's decision, which read in part, "We acknowledge the troubled past of the district and many of the challenges we face to get back on solid footing, but we're also encouraged that the innovative academic opportunities and the 2011-2012 financial forecast provide evidence that our strategic plan is taking us in the right direction. "It took years to get to this point and we will not come out of this overnight; but we will come out of this with the North Forest Independent School District intact and able to provide the quality education our students deserve." Houston ISD also issued a statement late Tuesday stating it did not advocate for this proposal, but it is ready to welcome North Forest ISD's students if the state's order becomes reality. "We know it's going to be a challenge. We believe there should be an effective teacher in every classroom and an effective leader in every school. We are realizing the positive results from those beliefs and we are looking forward to sharing our academic achievement with every student, teacher, and community member joining Team HISD," HISD Board President Paula Harris said in the statement."We look forward to working with Commissioner Scott to ensure that HISD receives adequate financial resources to tackle this unique challenge." Since the closure is being forced by the state, the Department of Justice will have to approve its closure. Meanwhile, residents in the area are heartbroken. "For this area to continue to thrive and to make it better, we have to make sure our children are educated and there are jobs for people in the community," resident Jerry Davis said. "I think this is a wakeup call. I think it's time for the community to get more involved than it has been in the past and truly pull behind North Forest because I don't think it's a truly broken situation," former North Forest ISD student Bryan smart said. While some hope the north forest name still has a future, others side with the state and believe a drastic change is the only solution. "I think it was the best thing they could have ever done," parent Anna Brooks said. "I feel like the children have a better chance of getting a better education, through somebody else."

Sheila Jackson Lee wants to keep district open

Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee wants to keep the district open and could ask the federal government to step in.

She released a statement that encourages "parents and community leaders to use all legal action to prevent this school district from being shut down." She calls it "a civil rights issue."

The congresswoman plans to hold an emergency meeting Saturday to discuss the closing.

Past troubles of North Forest ISD In 2009, the state had kicked out all of the school board's elected trustees because of a $12 million budget deficit, academically unacceptable rankings. The Texas Education Agency then took over the entire school district but returned control to a locally elected school board last year. Then in March, North Forest ISD placed its Texas Education Agency-appointed superintendent Dr. Adrain Johnson on administrative leave amid concerns over continued financial issues and the district's graduation rate. A13 Undercover investigation also exposed serious mismanagement in their special education department. The Harris County District Attorney's Office never did anything about it, but hundreds of thousands of dollars meant for special education kids went misused at North Forest until 13 Undercover stopped it. Ruth Watson used to be head of the north forest special education department. In 2008, we exposed hundreds of thousands in state funds wasted on unqualified consultants. As it turned out a lot of folks on the payroll were kin folks or special friends to Watson. She was on the spring school board at the time but was eventually voted out. It's hard to forget Watson. Among her allegations is that 13 Undercover's Wayne Dolcefino sexually harassed her during a spring school board meeting by tickling her hand when he shook it. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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