Texas Independence will be celebrated at two sites

LA PORTE
San Jacinto Day
This year’s edition of the San Jacinto Day Festival and Battle Reenactment, planned for Saturday, commemorates the 175th anniversary of the battle.
During the event at San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site in La Porte, hundreds of history re-enactors will dramatize events that led to Texas winning independence. The festival also includes entertainment, food, games and other fun in a historic setting.

The Battle of San Jacinto is considered the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Gen. Sam Houston and the Texas army defeated the Mexican army April 21, 1836. The next day, Mexican Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna was captured, and later he signed a peace treaty.

The state’s annual “official” ceremony honoring the anniversary of the battle occurs April 21, as it will this year at 11 a.m. La Porte is 22 miles east of downtown Houston.
Contact: 281-479-2421; www.sanjacinto-museum.org.
Historic site: 281-479-2431; www.tpwd.state.tx.us.

CONROE
Lone Star flag park finally a reality
Many cities and historic sites in Texas are honoring their heritage this spring as the state celebrates the 175th anniversary its independence, and the city of Conroe is unveiling a new park dedicated to state history. It’s doing so April 21, San Jacinto Day, the anniversary of the 1836 battle that led to Texas independence.
For years, Conroe has dreamed of a monument to honor Montgomery County as the birthplace of the Lone Star flag. Dr. Charles B. Stewart, a Montgomery County resident who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, designed the flag at the request of Mirabeau B. Lamar, president of the Republic of Texas. The banner was officially designated the state flag in 1839. It became the official state flag in 1845, when Texas joined the union.

In 1997, the Texas House of Representatives passed a resolution designating Montgomery County as the birthplace of the Lone Star flag. And this month, Lone Star Monument and Historical Flag Park will open next to Montgomery County Central Library in Conroe.

The monument at the 3.5-acre park is a circular landscaped plaza surrounded by 13 flags that flew in Texas as the region fought for independence during the Texas Revolution. At the center of the plaza is The Texian, a 14-foot-tall bronze sculpture by Conroe artist Craig Campobella. The statue depicts an everyman volunteer soldier of the Texas Revolution.

The dedication starts at 5:30 p.m. April 21. Afterward, a free concert will star country singer Gary P. Nunn and other musicians. The park is at I-45 and FM2854.
Contact: 713-410-6076; www.texasflagpark.org or www.cityofconroe.org.

Houstonians feel pressure at the pump

by Lisa Chavarria / KHOU 11 News
khou.com
Posted on March 29, 2011 at 8:48 AM

HOUSTON NEWS 11 -- The price at the pump appears to be forcing drivers around Houston to figure out ways to save cash.

Gas prices were averaging $3.49 on Tuesday morning, and that is forcing some drivers to find ways to other means of transportation.


Several commuters at one of Metro's Park and Ride said although they usually choose the bus over their vehicles, now it's saving them more than ever.
"It makes me want to ride the bus more. It's cheaper for me to take the bus than it is for me to drive to work now," said John Young.

Gloria Chen, recently decided she couldn't take her car on her usual commute anymore. She added, "I used to drive all the way to the Medical Center from Katy, but because of increasing gas prices, I've decided to use the park and ride."

Rodeo Exhibit at Alvin Historical Museum

As Houston presented its annual Livestock Show and Rodeo, the Alvin Historical Museum displayed a temporary exhibit featuring the art of rodeo with a local flair.

The display features the six Alvin/Manvel residents who have been inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, as well as others from this area who have competed successfully in all types of rodeo events.

Some families are blessed to have several generations of rodeo participants.

The six area men honored by the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame include: Clinton Booth, Ed Cole, Allen Crainer, Tony Crainer, C. L. “Bubba” Goudeau and Skipper Voss. One of the exhibit panels highlights the rodeo careers of these men.

The exhibit is filled with action-packed photos of all rodeo events. Also on display are saddles trophies and plaques.

READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE

Alvin man could get death penalty ...

GALVESTON, Texas — Prosecutors are expected to ask a jury today to sentence to death a man convicted of fatally stomping Alijah, his 3-month-old son.

Travis James Mullis, 24, of Alvin, was convicted Friday of capital murder by the same jury, which deliberated his fate for less than an hour.

Mullis confessed on videotape to Philadelphia police to the Jan. 29, 2008, stomping death of his son to stop his crying.

Sightseers found Alijah’s body on an isolated berm near Galveston’s East Beach. Mullis then fled to the East Coast before surrendering Feb. 1.

Jurors must reach a unanimous decision on two questions related to future dangerousness and mitigating evidence before a death sentence could be imposed.

Mullis’ defense team of Robert K. Loper and Gerald Bourque presented no witnesses during five days of trial testimony.

The team did list 10 expert witnesses, including psychologists, a prison expert, a neonatologist, a forensic DNA expert and a psychiatrist.

In a Dec. 30 jailhouse interview with The Daily News, Mullis said he moved to Texas when he was 18 and he was sexually abused as a child.

READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE AT KHOU