Cleanup under way in 462,000-gallon oil spill off Port Arthur

CNN) -- Crews removed about 46,000 gallons of oil from waters near Port Arthur, Texas, on Sunday, roughly 10 percent of the oil spilled a day earlier when a tanker collided with two barges, a U.S. Coast Guard officer said.

An estimated 462,000 gallons of crude oil leaked from barrels aboard the tanker, forcing the closure of the port in southern Texas, Petty Officer Larry Chambers told CNN. The Sabine Neches Waterway near Port Arthur also was closed. It was unclear Sunday when the port, about 100 miles east of Houston, Texas, will reopen or when crews will finish the cleanup, he said.

"We certainly want it to be done as soon as possible, but with that said, safety is the main issue," Chambers said. "We're not going to open the port until it's determined that vessels can pass through cleanly, safely and not cause any further damage."

No injuries were reported when the Exxon Mobile-chartered tanker -- the 807-foot Eagle Otome -- collided Saturday with two barges being towed by a tug boat. The tanker was carrying about 570,000 gallons of crude oil to Exxon's Beaumont refinery when it crashed, Exxon Mobile spokesman Kevin Allexon told CNN. The cause of the crash was unknown, but is under investigation, he said.

"We are very concerned about how this could have happened," Allexon said. "We are very concerned about the impact to the environment, to the community. No one wants to see this happen."

The port is primarily for industrial use, but it is not far from wetlands. None of the nearby marshes or sensitive wildlife were adversely affected, Chambers said, but one heron was "oiled." The bird was alive and undergoing treatment, he said.

An evacuation order that was imposed in a 50-block area around the port after the collision was lifted. That area was evacuated Saturday out of caution, as the tanker was carrying a type of oil containing sulfide.

Fifteen skimming vessels sailed the area recovering the oil and workers dropped more than 45,000 feet of boom -- fencing-like material -- to keep the oil from spreading, Chambers said. More than 500 people were involved in containing and cleaning the spill, said Darrell Wilson, spokesman for Malaysia-based AET Tanker Holdings, the owner of the tanker.

The biggest oil spill in U.S. history occurred in 1989 when the Exxon Valdez ran aground on a reef in the Gulf of Alaska, resulting in the spill of 11 million gallons of crude.

Alvin, Texas -- Country Music Town

Have you every been to Alvin, Texas?

I haven't, but until recently, I just knew it as the hometown of Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan.

The town is also known for the Alvin Opry, which I hope to check out sometime (I miss the Opry shows in Kansas, and there's nothing like a good ole fashioned country music show)

But Alvin doesn't just produce fiddles and steel guitars apparently. Two rising stars on the Texas Music Charts - Hunter McKithan, 24, and Seth Candan, 22, hail from Alvin.

McKithan has a huge blues influence in his music. If you don't believe me, just check out "Here In Texas"

And there's no doubt that he's also heavily influenced by classic rock, but the roots of his music are country through and through.

A tale of growing up, "Chance," is another of my favorites by McKithan.

Candan's style of country music has a heavy dose of pop. I definitely recommend "Goodbye" with some great background vocals from Sarah Joe. It's about being at a crossroads in a relationship - "is this hello again, or goodbye?"

And "Crazy For You" is another highlight of the album, "Life". Candan now is based out of College Station, but he has a light-hearted tribute to his hometown of Alvin in "Come On Let's Go."

I first heard McKithan and Candan at the Five-Man Jam at Big Texas Dancehall & Saloon last month in Clear Lake. It's an acoustic session - just five guys and their guitars. They alternate singing songs and then play together towards the end of the set. They played with two excellent artists from north of Houston - Scott Brown and Josh Ward, and fellow South-sider, David Grace.

That experience proves that it's worth going to the other side of town - it was a good opportunity to see a good music venue and some very talented artists.

Alvin Sheriff Needs Help Finding Thieves Who Assaulted Clerk

ALVIN, Texas - Sheriff's deputies are asking for help from the public to find three people accused of beating a clerk in a field after one of them stole beer from a Brazoria County store.

Investigators say one of the three suspects entered the store at approximately 5 p.m. on Sunday at the 22500 block of State Highway 6 in Alvin and placed two 18-packs of beer on the counter before distracting the clerk by spilling a food item on the floor. When the clerk went to get a broom to clean the spill, the suspect allegedly ran out of the store with the beer without paying for it.

The clerk ran out of the store and followed the suspect into a field where two other white males arrived in a red 4-door car on County Road 99, according to a statement from the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators say the three suspect assaulted the clerk and escaped with the stolen beer in the car. The clerk was hurt but declined any medical attention.

Anyone with information on the robbery are asked to contact the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office.

Lufkin hit by tornado.

By Whitney Grunder -
LUFKIN, TX (KTRE) - Severe storms ripped through parts of East Texas Wednesday evening. Some Lufkin neighborhoods sustained extensive damage from a possible tornado.

Among them is the Lufkin VFW, which is now gone. The damage comes right after 10,000 dollars worth of recent tile work. A check for the construction was written Wednesday, before the storm hit.

One resident living near Gipson Funeral Home on Chestnut Street even reported seeing caskets in his backyard.
Jakoia Grimes and her children were happy to have made it safely out of their Lufkin apartment, before their entire roof collapsed. "I looked up and I just saw the light from outside and I had my girls come and sit by the door, and within minutes the entire roof caved in," said Grimes, who is now staying with family members.
Jennifer Mays watched the tornado touch down right outside Stephens Court Apartments. She described it as "massive." She said, "I couldn't believe it was so powerful to the point that it just opened up my door."
Next door, owners sifted through what remained of their welding business, part of Lufkin for 25 years. Max's Welding Shop on Denman Avenue was completely destroyed.
Owners said they can't blame God for the severe weather, and that fortunately another shop behind the building stands untouched by the storm.

"I think we're going to be able to salvage some of our equipment. I think we're going to be alright," said co-owner Betty Purgahn.
Cheddars employees also witnessed a tornado touch down in the middle of the Olive Garden parking lot. "I heard a bunch of commotion and they were talking about the patio chairs were nearly about to hit some cars so we ran to try to help," said Cheddars employee Brad Barrow.

According to witnesses, other than damaging a few of the vehicles parked in the Olive Garden parking lot, the tornado did not affect any of the buildings. The Department of Public Safety reported that the tornado lifted back up, and did not cause any injuries.
Utility crews were also working to remedy power outages caused by toppled power poles. Thursday morning, thousands of residents were without power. An Oncor spokesperson said approximately 2,500 customers were without power in the Lufkin area.

So far no severe injuries have been reported.