Chamber Business Health EXPO

November 17, 2009
3:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Yellow Rose Reception Hall
21130 Legion Road
New Caney, Texas

Sponsored by the
Community Chamber of Commerce
of East Montgomery County

(Vendor setup begins at 1:00 PM)
Booths are $100 for an 8'x8' space
($75 for CCCofEMC Members)

The Yellow Rose Reception Hall is located behind the EMC Courthouse and Justice of the Peace's office.
To reserve your booth call 281-354-0051 or email the Chamber at info@communitychamberemc.com

Intercepted! MIB bust repeat offender

October 28, 2009

NEW CANEY - A routine traffic stop resulted in the arrest of a man police believe drove from South Houston to East Montgomery County to make a special delivery.

Joshua B Dunbar, 22, of Houston was charged with first degree felony delivery of a controlled substance (more than 4 grams, less than 200 grams) with intent to deliver.

Public Data Dunbar has a prior conviction on the same charge, among others.

Deputy Ricky Ford with the Pct. 4 Constable’s Office stopped Dunbar on FM 1485 at Azalea Ln. for failure to change lanes. According to Lt. Mark Seals, Ford became suspicious because Dunbar acted nervous and was perspiring excessively despite the outdoor temperature being low enough that Ford was wearing a jacket.

After receiving consent to search the vehicle, Pct. 4 officers discovered what was later determined to be 19.4 grams of crack cocaine, divided into 14 small plastic zippered bags, Seals said.

The vehicle, a 2005 Chevy Impala, was seized.

READ MORE AND SEE MORE HERE

CONFERENCE USA CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP COMING TO THE WOODLANDS

PRESS RELEASE
October 20, 2009

THE WOODLANDS – Some of the nation’s elite cross country runners will come to The Woodlands to compete in the 2009 Conference USA Cross Country Championship on Saturday, October 31.

Hosted by the University of Houston, the championship will be held at the Bear Branch Sportsfields, 5205 Research Forest Drive, the largest sports complex in The Woodlands. The events are free and open to the public.
Men will run an 8k race while women will compete in a 5k race. The competition is expected to attract more than 200 student-athletes.

“The Woodlands is uniquely positioned for this championship,” said Nick Wolda, President of The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau. “In addition to outstanding facilities, The Woodlands has outstanding hotels and five million square feet of shopping, dining & entertainment.”

Conference USA is celebrating its 15th year as it continues to enhance both men and women’s athletic programs. The conference is home to 12 nationally prominent, tradition-rich members in East Carolina, Houston, Marshall, Memphis, Rice, SMU, Southern Miss, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, UCF and UTEP.

“We are thrilled to hold the 2009 Conference USA Cross Country Championship in The Woodlands. Bear Branch Sportsfields has already hosted prestigious cross country meets throughout the year and we are glad to provide our student-athletes with the opportunity to race on one of the premier courses in the country,” said Walter Brock, Assistant Director of Sports Services for Conference USA. “We thank The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau for generating excitement to help provide our student-athletes, coaches and fans with a memorable championship experience.”

For more information on events in The Woodlands, go to www.thewoodlandscvb.com and click on Events or call 281-363-2447. And for more information about Conference USA, visit www.conferenceusa.com.

READ MORE HERE

Three die in MVA; 18-year-old charged

A PHI Air Medical helicopter lifts off at FM 1314 and South Loop 336 to transport one person injured in a multiple-vehicle wreck Friday morning. Three people were killed and two injured in the wreck, Conroe Police Sgt. Bob Berry said.

By Nancy Flake
Updated: 10.16.09
An 18-year-old East Montgomery County man is in jail and charged with three counts of manslaughter following a Friday morning multi-vehicle wreck at FM 1314 and South Loop 336 that killed three people in one car.

Casey McKinley was arrested after he was released from a local hospital for treatment of the injuries he suffered in the wreck, which occurred around 10:15 a.m.

McKinley, driving a Dodge Dually pickup, was eastbound on South Loop 336, allegedly at a high rate of speed, Conroe Police Department Sgt. Bob Berry said. Witnesses told police the truck was weaving in and out of traffic, he said, and McKinley allegedly failed to stop at the red light where the roads intersect.

His truck allegedly struck a Mazda passenger car traveling north on FM 1314 and driven by Craig Steven Rector, 50, of Splendora. Rector and his passengers, Felicia Hicks, 20, and Freedom Fitch, 24, also of Splendora, were killed, a Conroe Police press release stated.

At least one person had to be cut out of the Mazda with the Jaws of Life, Berry said. Hicks and Fitch were flown by PHI Air Medical helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston’s Texas Medical Center.

The car driven by Rector, which was allegedly T-boned by McKinley’s truck, slid east into traffic on South Loop 336, Berry said, where it hit two other vehicles.

Rector is Hicks’ stepfather, said a neighbor, who did not want to be identified. Hicks and Fitch have a young child, the neighbor said.

The driver of one of the other vehicles, which was traveling east on South Loop 336, was transported by ground ambulance to a local hospital, Berry said. The driver of the fourth vehicle was not injured.

McKinley was treated at the hospital and immediately arrested after he was released, Berry said.

“The (Montgomery County) District Attorney’s Office accepted charges on the scene,” Berry said. “We had officers waiting at the hospital; and when he (McKinley) was released, he was handcuffed and taken to jail.”

McKinley, a student at the University of Texas-Galveston, was home running errands, said Tay Bond, his attorney. He is “devastated mentally by the accident.”

“When I met with him, he was extremely somber and overwhelmed by the events,” Bond said. “His family understands three other families have been affected much more than they have. The concern is as deep for the other families as it is for their son.

“It’s absolutely a tragic event.”


READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Chuck Norris Kickstarts Conroe

Martial arts legend and actor Chuck Norris was in Conroe on Saturday at the completion of a motorcycle ride to benefit KICKSTART, also known as Kick Drugs Out of America. The non-profit organization was founded by Norris in 1992, with the help of President George Bush, to encourage and assist inner-city kids by improving their discipline and self-respect through martial arts classes in place of physical education.

The program began in four schools and now serves 44 in the Houston, Dallas and Austin areas. There are currently 6,300 students enrolled in the program, which has helped over 60,000 at-risk students, many of whom have finished college. Sixth graders are recommended by their teachers and principals and if chosen, they remain in the class throughout middle school.

About 150 bikers participated in Saturday’s ride, which was led by Norris, leaving Houston’s Northwest Mall and traveling to Papa’s on the Lake at Lake Conroe, escorted by the Houston Police. An HPD Fox helicopter flew overhead as well.
The ride was to follow FM 149 to Montgomery then to Papa's but escort officers felt it would be safer taking IH45 due to the number of riders and the number of intersections on the SH249/FM149 corridor. Weather and the opening day of the Texas Renaissance Festival created additional traffic on that corridor.

For more information, visit www.kick-start.org

See video HERE

Thunder Over Houston Area May Be Jets!

The U.S. military has issued advanced warning that jet fighters could be scrambled in the Houston area on Oct. 6 as part of military exercises.

North American Aerospace Defense Command will conduct the flights in the skies over Southeast Texas. The pre-planned flights will take place in the late morning and early afternoon and residents should expect to hear and see NORAD fighter jets as they practice intercept and identification procedures.

Although exact flight plans were not divulged, a NORAD spokesman at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado said Houston airspace “could be included” in the exercises.

NORAD has conducted exercise flights of this nature throughout the United States and Canada since the start of Operation Noble Eagle, the command’s response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Thrift store at Peach Creek Baptist Church celebrates re-opening

Thrifty Peach thrift shop volunteers work together as a team to put clothes on hangers to be added to new clothing racks; price items; and sort CDs, DVDs and video cassettes as they prepare for the opening of the shop for the first time since all of the inventory and the building was destroyed by arsonists in July 2008.


By JENNIFER SUMMER
Updated: 09.23.09
After a fire set by vandals destroyed the interior of the annex building where the Thrifty Peach thrift store was located, volunteers are working hard to put it all together again.

The building and all of the clothing, home decor items, accessories and furniture in the store were destroyed in the fire in July 2008 at Peach Creek Baptist Church.

The Thrifty Peach still collected items after the fire and will re-open at the beginning of October in a much larger space than they had previously.

“The fire burned the whole building we were located in and it consisted of five different rooms. They gutted the first floor and built this from the floor up so we can have enough room for customers to shop our items,” Bonnie Langston said.

The group of volunteers started working Sept. 7 to assemble clothing racks, more shelves, a peg board where their purses and accessories can be displayed, and place all of their items they have had donated throughout the new Thrifty Peach.

There will be a grand opening celebration Oct. 1, 2 and 3 and the community is invited to join them.

“We are very excited to have the Thrifty Peach open again and we have all worked very hard to have the shop open again. The fire helped to unite all of the ladies as we have all gathered to work, as a team to put everything back together,” Langston said.

The fire was almost a blessing in disguise for the church. The Thrifty Peach now has more space and the church’s insurance was able to pay for the damages and pay everything off on their buildings.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE