Alvin fined $68k for wastewater violations

Alvin fined $68k for wastewater violations

By Judy Zavalla, Staff Reporter


The City of Alvin has recently paid a fine assessed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The settlement was hotly debated in Council Executive Sessions since the city was first notified of its non-compliance last May. The agreement was reached on Sept. 28 with the settlement amount being $68,160. This fine was assessed for 2009 violations.

The fine was assessed for non-compliance of the city’s wastewater treatment system near the intersection of County Roads 160 and 158.

The facility is located 3.5 miles northeast of the intersection of State Highway 35 and Farm-to-Market Road 2917, south of Alvin.

TCEQ assessed the fine because it was discovered the City of Alvin had discharged municipal waste into or adjacent to water in the State of Texas.

The report indicated the city was out of compliance for carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD) on a daily average on Oct. 31, Nov. 30 and Dec. 31 of 2009. The limit for CBOD is 10 mg./L and on those days, the city’s average fell between 23.20 and 34.44. It was also out of compliance for CBOD on a maximum basis on Feb, 28, April 30, Oct. 31, Nov. 30 and Dec. 31 of 2009.

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Breaking: 3 Alarm Fire in NW Houston

HOUSTON – A three-alarm fire displaced at least 37 families Wednesday in northwest Houston.

The fire broke out at about 2:30 p.m. at the Driscoll Place Apartments in the 1300 block of Gears Road at Greensmark Drive.

Air 11 video showed thick black smoke stretched across the sky as firefighters battled the large flames that burned through the units.

At least one person was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, fire officials said.

At least 37 units were affected by the fire, according to a preliminary damage assessment by the Red Cross. Red Cross volunteers were assisting families with emergency-disaster relief.

There was no word on what started the fire. Arson investigators were on scene.

911 call - backfires because of open laptop.

by Courtney Zubowski / 11 News
khou.com
Posted on October 12, 2010 at 11:37 PM
Updated today at 9:54 AM

HOUSTON -- A woman who called 911 to anonymously report a crime says she’s in fear for her life after the man she turned in called her just minutes after she placed the call.

According to the woman, who does not want to be identified, on Oct. 1, she was driving near Beltway 8 and Veterans Memorial Drive when she witnessed a man in the car next to her beating his passenger. She did not know either one of them.

“I saw him hitting her and he was taking his fist and he was just hitting her, aside her, just hitting her and I’m like this is crazy,” said the woman.

She placed the 911 call at 1:28 p.m. and thought that would be the end of her involvement, but 30 minutes later she learned it was just the beginning.

“About 1:54 p.m. my phone rang back and it was the suspect,” she said. “He was asking me ‘Who was this, who is this’ and I am like, ‘Who is this, you called my number,’ and then he hung up."

After that call came another, and this time it was a woman’s voice, she said.

“She called me just as he hung up and it was like, ‘Ma’am, are you the concerned lady that called about my welfare,’ and I am like,

‘Excuse me,’ and she said, ‘Well I’m OK,’ and I said, ‘Excuse me,’” said the woman.

She received another call the next morning from the Harris County Jail where the suspect was in custody. He was arrested for outstanding warrants, but never charged with assault.

“My phone rings again and it says, ‘You have a call from Harris County processing jail,’ and I immediately hung up,” she said.
“I will never, ever get involved with anything else again, not when it comes to me being fearful of the surroundings in my life.”

A spokesperson for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office says as far as she knows, this is the first time something like this has happened in their department.

HCSO spokesperson Christina Garza said the suspect was put in the back of a Harris County patrol car while the deputy talked to the woman he was accused of hitting. It was then he was able to read the woman’s phone number off of a laptop computer the deputy had left open in the front seat.

“It’s a very unique situation,” Garza said. “It’s never happened and we certainly don’t want this to discourage her, or anybody, from reporting crime to authorities.”

Garza said it’s common practice to keep laptops closed, but it’s not policy. In some situations, deputies are forced to rush out of cars quickly.

”If anyone is to blame in this situation, it’s the suspect who violated such important information and took it upon himself to do this,” said Garza.

Garza said the department is sending out e-mails to all deputies to remind them to keep their laptops closed.

The suspect is not facing charges for memorizing the information, or calling the woman. Garza said there is no proof that he ever threatened the woman.


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The 911 caller disagrees.

“I was threatened,” she said. “I was threatened when he received my information. My information should have been protected. I was threatened at that point, so what point of threat do they not understand?

Drug deal goes bad - two shot - one dead.

khou.com
Posted on October 7, 2010 at 7:26 AM
Updated today at 8:45 AM

HOUSTON—A 24-year-old man was killed and his brother injured after the two were shot in what appears to be a drug deal gone bad Wednesday evening, according to HPD Homicide detectives.
Police officers responded to a home on Winter Briar at Winter Seasons in southwest Houston for reports of a drive-by shooting.

They arrived around 9 p.m. to find two brothers had been shot. They said the actual shooting took place at another location about a half-mile away, but the brothers somehow made it back home.
Police believe the brothers drove their Cadillac a few blocks from their home to meet a group of men and purchase drugs. Some sort of altercation occurred and one of the men opened fire on the brothers.

"The exact circumstances are unclear as to what transpired a t the two locations, but we have one dead," said Sgt. Thomas Biggs, HPD Homicide Division. "We believe we have all of the players in custody.

The bullet traveled completely through one of the brothers. Police said he was shot in the chest or the back, but it is unclear which point is the entry and exit.
The other brother was shot in the foot. He was taken to Southwest Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he was treated and released. He returned to the scene to talk to police.
Several suspects were taken in for questioning and police said they definitely know one of them is the shooter.


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Breaking: Houston Ship Channel Closed!

HOUSTON, Texas

—A four-mile stretch of the Houston Ship Channel remained closed to marine traffic Monday after a barge slammed into a tower supporting a high-voltage electric transmission line, threatening to topple it into the channel.

Coast Guard officials said a towing vessel named Safety Quest was pushing three barges loaded with scrap metal about 6 a.m. Sunday when it smashed into a Baytown power line, which remained upright only with the support of one of the barges.
No injuries were reported, but the six-member boat crew moved to another vessel and to safety.
Officials said the section from Crystal Bay to the Blackwell Peninsula would remain closed until at least Tuesday night.

"The situation is a little bit unstable right now," said Capt. Marcus Woodring. "The lines are sagging and we cannot allow any vessels to pass underneath with the unstable situation and chance of those lines falling in the water."
Centerpoint Energy officials said the power had been shut off to the line because crews had previously been working on a nearby tower. They said no customers had lost electricity following the crash.
Eighteen inbound vessels attempted to get into the port early Tuesday afternoon, and many remained anchored off the coast of Galveston. Twelve outbound commercial ships were also stuck.
The 25-mile waterway is lined by the nation’s biggest complex of petrochemical plants. The Port of Houston ranks first in the nation in foreign waterborne tonnage and imports and second in U.S. export tonnage and total tonnage.

"Anytime you see something like this, you hate it, because it’s affecting people and how they make their money," said Richard Zeno, a tugboat captain who was not involved in the crash but watched the teetering tower as he was fishing with his family Sunday.

Coast Guard officials said the ship channel handles more than $320 million in cargo and crude daily, meaning the Port of Houston would lose about $1 billion if the waterway stayed closed until Tuesday night.

"Commerce, of course, is very, very important," said Chief Warrant Officer Lionel Bryant. "But we don’t want to put lives in jeopardy doing so."

"This is actually very difficult because the tower is actually sitting on the barge," Bryant said.
The Coast Guard said the boat’s owner is St. Louis-based AEP River Operations.

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Most accidents occur on Bypass 35

State says more than 100 accidents occurred at Bypass intersections in Alvin
By Judy Zavalla

While driving, does it often seem as though you continually encounter flashing lights at the same intersections daily? If that is your belief, there are good reasons to believe that theory.

Even in Alvin, that theory is constantly validated This can also be proven by 2003-2008 information obtained from the Texas Department of Transportation.

The most dangerous intersections in Alvin and Manvel included: Gordon/Bypass 35, Mustang Road/Bypass 35, Jephson/Bypass 35, State Highway 6/Bypass 35, FM 517/Bypass 35 and FM 528/Bypass 35. All of these intersections saw more than 101 accidents during that time period. Other intersections that saw 51-100 accidents included: FM 1128/State Highway 6, State Highway 6/Second Street, South Street/State Highway 35, State Highway 35/Coombs, State Highway 35/Adoue, FM 1462/State Highway 35, Johnson Street/Gordon Street, FM 1462/South Street, State Highway 35/House Street, State Highway 35/Cleveland, Fairway/Bypass 35 and State Highway 6/Tovrea.

In the Alvin/Manvel area, many of the accidents can be attributed to the increased development in both of these cities. This results in an increase of population and vehicles.

According to smart

motorist.com, most accidents can be attributed to four common factors: equipment failure, roadway design, poor roadway maintenance and driver behavior.

Equipment failure includes problems with the vehicle’s braking system, tires and steering/suspension. Regular inspections are very important and can help to detect a potential problem while allowing the driver ample time to seek repair work.

Roadway design can also contribute to accidents. Permanent roadway hazards include merging traffic, school zones and livestock/pedestrian crossings. There are also temporary hazards which include stalled vehicles, traffic jams and animals.

Deer running out into traffic is particularly dangerous in the East Texas and the University of Houston Clear Lake Campus area. Roadway surfaces that result in accidents include the weather conditions, the area where the road surface meets the shoulder of the pavement and the location of the roadway.

Traffic control devices are another element of the roadway design. School crossings, turning lanes and police surveillance cameras momentarily distract drivers from their normal driving routine. Crash barrels, speed bumps and concrete barriers add to driver’s frustration and deviation from the driver’s normal driving pattern. Roadway identification signs help drivers to drive from one location to another location.

Roadway signs include hazard markers, route numbers, mileage estimates and points of interest. While these signs are an aid to drivers, they can also temporarily take the driver’s attention.

All drivers understand the problems associated with weather conditions. Highway maintenance, while necessary, can attribute to an accident. Debris on the roadway, faded road signs, potholes and roadway construction all contribute to making driving conditions much more difficult.

Driver behavior must also be considered when reviewing the causes of accidents. This behavior is often influenced by the use of cell phones, beverages being spilled and drivers determining they are always in the right while operating a vehicle. The speed of the vehicle is also determined by the behavior of the driver. The faster the speed of the automobile, the greater risk of an accident.

The driver’s aggressive behavior may also become a factor and is often difficult to change.

The Automobile Association in Great Britain reported that drivers consider aggressive behavior by other drivers as: aggressive tailgating, lights being flashed at the driver because of another annoyed motorist, aggressive or rude gestures, deliberate obstruction, verbal abuse and physical assault.

According to Alvin Police Department Crime Prevention Officer Ruben Solano, “Defensive driving is not just the name of a driving course.

“It is a state of mind and a method which will help motorists avoid a wreck.” “Drivers need to be prepared and maintain that safety cushion between their car and the car in front of them,” he concluded.