Hawaii beats Pearland for Little League World Series title shot.

South Williamsport, PA (Sports Network) - Noah Shackles went 2-for-2 with a homer, two RBI and three runs scored to back Ezra Heleski's two-hitter, and the Waipahu, Hawaii little league team beat Pearland, Texas, 10-0, in the United States championship game of the Little League World Series.

In the international title game, Ryota Norimatsu tied the game with an RBI single in the sixth, and Ryo Motegi's run-scoring single in the seventh won it, leading Japan to a 3-2 victory over Chinese Taipei.

In addition to striking out six over five shutout innings, Heleski went 2- for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Kahoea Akau added three hits in the resounding win, helping Waipahu win its second U.S. title in three years. In 2008, this same Little League squad beat Matamoros, Mexico to win the championship.

Mason Van Noort had one of the two hits for Pearland, which came back against Georgia to reach this U.S. title game.

With two runners on and one out in the opening inning, Kaimana Bartolome opened the scoring with a two-run double. Shackles homered later in the inning to plate Bartolome for a 4-0 advantage.

Shackles scored in the third on a wild pitch, and Heleski's RBI single later in the same at-bat made it a 6-0 game. Akau's run-scoring double provided a seven-run cushion.

Three more runs from Hawaii ended the game in the fifth due to the 10-run rule. Shackles walked and scored on Cody Maltezo's triple, and Heleski followed with another RBI single. A wild pitch later scored Heleski to end the game.

Japan trailed, 2-1, heading to the bottom of the sixth, but Koutaro Kamikura singled to left to lead off the inning. Following a strikeout, Kamikura advanced to second on an error by the catcher before Norimatsu's hit tied the game.

Kamikura stayed on to pitch a scoreless seventh -- striking out two -- before Masaya Ishii singled with one down in the home half to start the winning rally. A wild pitch sent Ishii to second, and Motegi's two-out single to center won the game.


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Houston man charged in cold case murders.

by khou.com staff
khou.com
Posted on August 25, 2010 at 10:22 AM
Updated today at 10:54 AM
HOUSTON – A man long-suspected of killing a Houston woman and an infant in 1984 was finally arrested and charged this week.

Charles Leon Smith, 56, is charged with capital murder in the slayings of 23-year-old Pamela Clarence and 1-month-old Tashona Clarence.

Twenty-six years have passed since the young mother and her baby were killed in their home in the 4300 block of Rogers, but even after the case went cold, investigators never gave up.

The murders occurred on August 2, 1984. Police said Smith and Clarence were in a relationship at the time and had recently had a child together.
But that night, when Smith went to visit his girlfriend, investigators believe Pamela Clarence confronted Smith about another relationship.
Police said Clarence had discovered Smith had another girlfriend, who’d just given birth to Smith’s son.

When Clarence told Smith they should end their relationship, police believe he snapped.
Investigators said Smith strangled Pamela Clarence with an electrical cord and then smothered Tashona with a pillow.

The bodies were later found by concerned family members.
From the beginning of the investigation, police said they thought Clarence knew her killer, and they originally identified Smith as one of two suspects in the murders.
But investigators were unable to collect enough evidence to charge either suspect, and case went cold, lost among more than 700 other killings in Houston that year.

Then, when HPD cold case investigators reviewed the murders this year and again identified Smith as a suspect, things changed.
Police said Smith was taken into custody on August 23 and confessed to his role in the crimes.
He was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning, and was behind held in the Harris County Jail without bond.


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Houston stripmall destroyed in blaze.

by Lisa Chavarria / 11 News
khou.com
Posted on August 25, 2010 at 8:23 AM
Updated today at 9:21 AM

HOUSTON—A three-alarm fire swept through parts of a southwest Houston strip mall, destroying several businesses in its path early Wednesday.
Houston Fire Department officials said the fire began inside the M. Trading Wholesale Shop on Fondren at Harwin just before 5 a.m.

The business houses wholesale supplies sold to dollar stores. HFD said there may have been hair products or chemicals on the racks that helped fuel the flames.
Two more businesses next door to the wholesale shop, Jessie’s Nail Salon and Sloreria Lee’s flower shop, were also destroyed.

The owner of Star Korean Karaoke Bar said he was inside his business when a man riding a bicycle knocked on his door and alerted him to the fire. He was able to get out safely and call 911. His business was not damaged by the flames, but may have smoke damage.

One firefighter was injured battling the blaze. He was treated at the scene for a laceration on his hand.


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Montgomery County Sheriff's Bust Illegal 8-Liner Gambling Operations

Fri, 08/20/2010 - 16:55 | by The Editor

On Thursday, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Special Investigations Unit served search warrants at businesses located in the 23600 block of Hwy 59 Porter, Texas and the 24100 block of Loop 494 in Porter, Texas. These businesses were operating as illegal 8-liner gambling places.

The warrants were served at approximately 3:00pm. The Loop 494 location was operating under the name “Casa Blanca”. 3 arrests were made of employees on location and 17 citations were issued to customers found gambling during warrant service. In addition 45 mother boards were seized along with approximately $13,000 dollars.

The second location on Hwy 59s “Seven Swords” had 5 employees arrested and 29 citations issued to customers. In addition 90 mother boards were seized along with approximately $15,000 dollars.

Many of the customer citations listed occupations as unemployed, retired, on social security and disabled.

The SIU was assisted by the MCSO D-3 Patrol Division, MCSO CID Auto Theft, and the MCSO PCT 4 Constables Office.

The following were arrested and charged with Engaging in Organized Criminal Activities (SJF), Gambling Promotion, Keeping a Gambling Place and Possession of Gambling Paraphernalia.

Heather Shaw w/f 10/30/86 New Caney
Armando Silva w/m, 08/26/1986 Cleveland
Jean Marie Parnell w/f, 09/10/1962 New Caney
Timmy Lynn Leong w/m 08/23/1961 Montgomery
Bille Jo Bertrand w/f, 02/12/1969 New Caney
Julietta Carrena w/f, 05/06/1979 Kingwood
Douglas Roark w/m, 09/16/1959 Splendora
Maria Silva Gonzales w/f, 09/14/1983 Porter


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NW Houston toddler found in hot car dead

by Courtney Zubowski / 11 News
Posted on August 19, 2010 at 7:32 PM
HOUSTON – A 2-year-old boy has died after being found locked in a hot car in northwest Houston, according to authorities.

The incident happened Thursday around 2:30 p.m. at 13813 Dentwood.
According to police, parents were arriving home from the grocery store when their 7-year-old child, who is autistic, began having seizures. While the parents went inside their home to tend to the 7-year-old, the 2-year-old boy was left locked inside the vehicle.

After going inside to help the 7-year-old , the parents realized their younger child was missing and eventually found him in the back seat of their SUV. Police said the boy was trapped inside the vehicle for about two hours.

One of the parents called 911 when they saw the toddler was not breathing. The boy was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators said the temperature inside the vehicle was 122 degrees when the toddler was found.
Neighbors of the victim’s family said it was an unfortunate incident that happened to good people.

"This is a good family, their children comes first with them," said Michael Carey. "I know for a fact that it was not intentional."

Investigators said the parents will probably not face charges, but the case will go to a grand jury.



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Houston Area Forecast: 100% Chance of Meteors

After a week-ling lead-up, tonight, August 12/13, 2010, is finally the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower. Wit this event, meteor season 2010 will kick off in a big way.

Every August, Earth passes through the stretch of space junk shed by comet Swift-Tuttle, reaching the deepest concentration of debris tonight. According to some estimates, under ideal conditions (dark country skies), one can expect to see 60 meteors per hour. The reason the meteors are called Perseids is because the meteors seem to radiate from the constellation Perseus. The best time to view the shower is in the pre-dawn hours, with 3-5am being best.

Don't want to stay up that late? Don't worry, Perseus rises in the Northeast around midnight and will climb higher as the night progresses. However, unless one lives out in the country, the early post-midnight hours will probably involve Perseus being low in a light pollution dome. To improve odds of seeing meteors, travel out of light-polluted Cleveland and to the suburbs or, even better, the country if you can. In the suburbs, just going from the front to back yard can make a dramatic difference as this will eliminate glare from those pesky street/house lights to a large extent.

Two things can ruin the meteor shower: clouds and the Moon. The clouds? Well, that's a regional thing. Check your local Clear Sky Clock to see what the clouds have in store for your location tonight. For us Northeast Ohioans, tonight is looking good. As for the Moon, that's an Earth-wide issue. The good news is that, this year, the Moon is just a few days past new, which means that there will be no Moon up during the time of the meteor shower. There will be a slight lunar glow in the South (opposite Perseus), but this will disappear about midnight, which is about the time Perseus clears the Northeast horizon.

So how about viewing tips?

First, plan to stay out awhile, as it takes the human eye about 15 minutes to get optimal night vision capability. The bad news is that, even one bright flash of white light will wipe out night vision, requiring you to start the process all over again. Next, grab a lawn chair or, even better, a lounge-type chair. Trying to lean back with a straight-back lawn chair can be a pain in the neck, literally! Eyes ready for dark and with something to sit/lay on, settle in for a night of hopeful meteor watching (or at the very least, stargazing), just try not to fall asleep and don't forget the bug spray!

Besides meteors, tonight can be a great time for binocular viewing, owing to your use of a chair. Under suburban (maybe) or rural skies (definitely), a pair of medium power (10x50) binoculars can yield some stunning wide-angle sights. For someone truly dedicated, why not try and keep a tally of how many meteors you see for every complete hour? Really ambitious? Why not try photographing the meteors?

Whatever you plan to do tonight, good luck and clear skies!

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Truancy taken seriously in E Montgomery County

by khou.com staff
khou.com
Posted on August 5, 2010 at 7:37 AM

EAST MONTGOMERY COUNTY – School-skipping teens and their parents were rounded up and hauled off to jail late Wednesday to face charges ranging from contempt of court to blue felony warrants. Constables arrested 19 in all and said the sweep was part of an ongoing effort to clear a backlog of outstanding warrants in the courts.

Judge James Metts held truancy court for teens that skipped school last month. Only half of the nearly 250 offenders showed up. Contempt of court charges were filed against the no-shows and the warrants were executed throughout the area Wednesday evening.
"Many of the folks here tonight had ongoing obligations to the court and they refused to take care of those obligations," said Judge Metts. "They’ve had many opportunities in the past to do so, but have blatantly refused, which resulted in their arrests here this evening."

The constables were aided by the Splendora Police Department and New Caney ISD police who helped serve warrants on juvenile offenders accused of refusing to go to court or disobeying court orders.

The cells became so crowded that extra offenders were put in the office area. Police said one teen girl who decided she did not want to stick around, thought she’d make a break for it and leave.
She was captured about 30 minutes later across the freeway and now faces escape charges.
Judge Metts said they still have many open warrants and will continue to work until they bring them all to a close. He suggests offenders come in and take care of their matters quickly. Metts said it is probably not as bad as they think.

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Montgomery County creates public health district

Change comes after UTMB shifted its focus
By RENÉE C. LEE
HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Montgomery County has created a public health district to ensure that residents continue to have access to vaccines, immunizations and screenings for communicable diseases that once were provided by the University of Texas Medical Branch.
County commissioners formally approved the new district during a special meeting Friday. The Montgomery County Hospital District, which provides health care assistance to indigent residents, is now in charge of those public health services. The hospital district began serving patients July 1.

The change is in response to UTMB's decision to focus primarily on maternity care and the Women, Infants and Children program, said Montgomery County Judge Alan B. Sadler. UTMB had served the county's public health services needs on a contract basis since 1991, when the county got out of the public health business, he said.

County and hospital district officials began discussions of forming a public health district about six months ago. Allen Johnson, the hospital district's chief executive officer, said the agency has been coordinating and planning regional responses to public health outbreaks, such as bioterrorism and smallpox. Overseeing public health services will enable the hospital district to streamline and conserve resources, Johnson said.

Sadler said the transition should be seamless, and residents can expect the same level of services under the hospital district.

State law allows a county, municipalities and political subdivisions, such as a hospital district, to enter an agreement to form a public health district. In this case, the cities of Conroe and Panorama Village have joined with the county and the Montgomery County Hospital District.

The county will give the hospital district $90,000 a year to provide health services, the same amount it paid UTMB. The county will continue to provide other health services, such as environmental health services, restaurant inspections and animal control services.
Public health districts can receive state and federal grants. The Montgomery County Public Health District will get about $350,000 in grant money that UTMB used to receive to cover staff salaries, equipment and supplies, Johnson said.

The eight employees who used to work for UTMB in Conroe now work for the public health district. The hospital district also has leased added space at its headquarters in Conroe to set up a public health clinic.

Johnson said a side benefit of having the clinic has been that some low-income residents coming in for public health services have had the opportunity to be screened for eligibility for the hospital district's health care assistance program, which helps people who do not have medical insurance.