Man taken into custody after 4-hour standoff with police in Alvin

02:47 PM CDT on Tuesday, May 26, 2009
By Kevin Peters / 11 News

ALVIN, Texas — A gunman fired dozens of shots at Alvin police officers overnight during a four-hour standoff.

It all started around 11 p.m. Monday when police received a call about a “despondent” man at the Wedgeworth Apartments. The complex is located just off Davis Bend Road in Alvin.

Once officers arrived on scene, they said the armed man came outside, raised a weapon and opened fire. Officers were forced to take cover, huddled behind cars in the parking lot. During the commotion, police said an upstairs neighbor walked down to officers, and the gunman shot him in the shoulder. He was airlifted to an area hospital. Officials said his injuries were not life-threatening.

Over the next 3 hours, police said the man fired dozens of shots. Those shots finally came to end around 3 a.m. Police said they were able to take the man into custody using less-lethal force, though they didn’t specify which strategy or tactical weapon was used.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

2009 Hurricane Forecast To Be Released Today

Forecasters to make predictions about 2009 hurricane season

Top federal weather forecasters on Thursday will be announcing their eagerly anticipated predictions for this year's Atlantic hurricane season -- a season likely to be as active as last year.

Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and others will make their forecast public at a news conference to be held at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in northern Virginia.

On hand will be Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco and Bill Read, NOAA's National Hurricane Center director, along with a host of other federal officials.

Government forecasters were right on the mark with their 2008 predictions -- a very active hurricane season. The numbers: 16 named storms, eight hurricanes, five of them major.

Scientists had projected that the 2008 season would bring 12 to 16 named storms that would grow into six to nine hurricanes, two to five of which would be Category 3 or stronger.

Gerry Bell, NOAA's lead seasonal Atlantic hurricane forecaster, has said the gradual warming of the Atlantic Ocean, combined with an active tropical era of storms that began in 1995, will likely mean busy hurricane seasons in the future.

Florida was spared the worst of last year's hurricane season. Only Tropical Storm Fay struck the region hard.

That was not the case for our Caribbean neighbors. Cuba and Haiti got pounded by a succession of major hurricanes and storms, resulting in heavy damage and lost lives.

Early Alvin warmly welcomes new depot

Early Alvin warmly welcomes new depot

By Marie Beth Jones
The Facts
Published May 11, 2009

Alvin residents were disappointed and angry when the railroad company withdrew its plans to build a new station to replace the leaky, red-painted shack that had served them ever since the railroad was built through town.

In a story headlined “New Depot Egg Failed to Hatch,” the Alvin Sun’s editor reported residents were “very much vexed” over the manner in which they had been treated.

Whether these feelings had anything to do with it or not, the company soon decided to go ahead with plans for new depot on a site just east of the small building on the south side of the railroad tracks.

To be constructed of brick and stucco, the new station would be “one of the handsomest passenger stations along the lines of the Santa Fe in the state,” the newspaper reported.

The cost of the building alone was to be $35,000 — a considerable sum for construction in that era — and landscaping would add several thousand dollars more.

Soon, 75 laborers had relocated the railroad’s tracks to the new depot. As the work progressed, the newspaper reported more space for the improvements had been provided by the demolition of a “shack” housing an old restaurant.

Upon completion of the depot, the newspaper heaped praise on the improvements. The editor particularly commented on its “modern conveniences,” which included electric lights, restrooms and comfortable seats for passengers awaiting a train, as well as the latest in machines used by operators and ticket cabinets.


READ THE FULL STORY HERE