Local author publishes first children’s book

By Jim Higgins
Special to The Daily News
Published February 10, 2010

LEAGUE CITY — Hurricane Rita uprooted trees and lives in East Texas in 2005, but one young woman who evacuated from the storm put down new roots in League City and began writing new chapters of her life.

The path she followed and the career she chose would at first glance seem incongruous to everyone except Christina Smith, who is as comfortable around pumps and compressors as she is reading Dr. Seuss or reciting Leonard Cohen poems.

But it is writing children’s stories and poetry that Christina Smith enjoys the most after a day of studying pumps and compressors in College of the Mainland’s process technology associate degree program.

“My dad has an English degree and reads more than anyone I have ever known but decided to work in the plants back in Orange where I grew up,” the full-time COM students and single mother of a 2-year old, said.

“My dad and mom read to me as a child. My mom wrote poetry. I guess I got my love of words from them.”

Her love for her young daughter, Samantha, coupled with a love of words led her to pen her first children’s book last year, “Skeeter Sneeter Doodlebop.”

“I came up with the name Skeeter Sneeter Doodlebop one day just talking nonsense to Sam, my little girl, when she was barely born.

“I wrote the name down and just built the story around it. Amy, a friend and illustrator who lost everything in Hurricane Ike, went with her own imagination to draw the characters.

“They are very unique-looking characters, unlike any I have seen before.”

After several rejection letters from publishers, Skeeter was picked up by Nimblebooks and became the publisher’s first children’s book.

Smith said the book, which can be purchased online, is doing quite well for an unknown author.

“Children’s books are the best. They are the happiest books on earth. They are filled with imagination and hope and offer a peacefully simplistic outlook on life in comparison to other genres.”

She already is working on her second children’s book, “Skeeter Uses Manners.” It will be available this spring. A book of her poetry, Orange Smiles and Simple Truths also was published this year.

Smith also works 25 to 30 hours a week for a local diving company.

So how will this single mom with a toddler in tow and a passion to write balance all that plus shift work once she graduates in December 2010?

“My mom and sister moved up here to help me out when I had Sam. It is because of them that I can actually do homework or go to Phi Theta Kappa events. It works out great, and Sam never has to be anywhere but at home even if I have a night class. I honestly couldn’t do it without them.

“Lone Star Diving Inc. is my adopted family. They have helped me with everything from actually getting into school, truck repairs, feeding me and even helping me study for tests. I am blessed to be surrounded by people who care about me and my future.

“I know there will be times that are hard because of shift work, but I also know that it is the quality of time you spend with a child that outranks the quantity. I am doing this all for her and I know that one day she will understand. We are going to be just fine.”

Atascocita growing by leaps and bounds!

Business Week:

Tired of reading about how rotten the real estate market is? Here's some good news that shows that even during the worst of the recession plenty of American cities, towns, and suburbs continue to grow.

One such place is Atascocita, Tex. A mostly residential community 20 miles from Houston, it gained more than 1,800 households in 2009, an 8% year-over-year increase, according to new data from Little Rock-based data firm Gadberry Group. Over the decade, amenities that have helped attract residents to this wooded locale include Lake Houston, just east of the city; the school district; and proximity to the city of Houston. With new roads in the area under construction, "we're starting to see major industry start to take a look at the area," says Mike Byers, president of the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce.

Migration levels nationwide stayed low last year as homeowners saddled with pricey mortgages stayed put—but there are some positive trends. Research by the Gadberry Group shows that some areas, resisting the effects of the recession, continue to attract both domestic and foreign migrants and, as an effect, bring in new businesses to provide services. While other cities across the U.S. have contracted, these have continued to grow.

Some states are better off than others, though. As thousands of people left places such as New Orleans and Flint, Mich. (the country's two fastest-shrinking cities), in the last decade, communities with the best mix of economic activity, proximity to job centers, and a good environment for families continued to grow. While not entirely spared by the economic downturn (some homes in these areas are now in foreclosure), people continued to move in during 2009.
Texas Grew the Most

Texas came out on top of Gadberry's survey, with four high-growth cities: Atascocita, Katy, Mansfield, and Wylie. The report only included areas larger than 10,000 occupied households that met requirements for growth rate, household income, length of residence, and other factors.

Larry Martin, principal of the Gadberry Group, says many of the places with the biggest housing growth at the beginning of the last decade, such as Nevada, Florida, and Arizona, also saw the biggest drop-off since the economy sank. Texas, however, enjoyed relatively strong housing and job markets over the last 10 years, thanks in large part to the presence of major employers in the robust energy business. As of December, the state unemployment rate was 8.3% (lower than the national rate of 10%), according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It also had the largest state population growth between July 2008 and July 2009, according to a December release by the Census Bureau. "New homes are still being built and people are still moving into these homes" in Texas, says Martin.

Part of the state's strength, says Mark Mather, a demographer at the Population Reference Bureau in Washington, D.C., is its diversified economy. Main industries include petroleum refining, chemical production, aerospace, and information technology.

Meanwhile, areas that depended on the housing boom are now dealing with high foreclosure rates. Places such as Summerlin South, Nev., which appear in Bloomberg BusinessWeek's slide show of fast-growing cities, gained population but, like the rest of the state, may be dealing with high mortgage default rates.

"If you live by migration, you also die by migration," says Kenneth Johnson, senior demographer at the University of New Hampshire's Carsey Institute. "It doesn't guarantee continued growth."
New Business Opportunities

Migration is typically highest among people in their 20s seeking jobs near large urban cores, but employment opportunities are not the only draw. "Amenities are also important in migrational decisions," says Johnson. Many families consider factors such as schools and recreational amenities like scenic areas and parks.

This is a consideration now in Spring Hill, Tenn., which gained 7,645 households since 2000 as many young families moved to the town for affordable housing and work at the General Motors plant, which is now idle. Dustin Dunbar, chairman of the Spring Hill Economic Development Commission, says this has created demand and opportunity for businesses that provide youth activities and entertainment. "We hope to recruit some businesses to cater to our largest demographics," he says.

While migration in 2010 may remain sluggish, "we'll see a continuation of urban sprawl once the economy bounces back," says Mather.

Dr. Conrad Murray to surrender today.

Dr. Conrad Murray is expected to surrender to authorities in Los Angeles this week on charges related to Michael Jackson's death, according to The Associated Press and CNN. Murray arrived in Los Angeles recently from Houston in anticipation of a decision from the district attorney's office, spokeswoman Miranda Sevcik told the AP..

"Dr. Murray is in Los Angeles for a dual purpose — on family business and to be available for law enforcement," Sevcik told the AP. "We're trying to be as cooperative as we can."

"Dr. Murray is more than ready to surrender and answer to any charges," Ed Chernoff, one of Murray's lawers, told CNN, adding that prosecutors have not announced any charges, and Murray has not been told how or where he should surrender.

No official comment has been made about when charges might, come; David Walgren, the deputy district attorney handling the case, declined to comment to the AP on Tuesday (February 2).

Law enforcement officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the AP that Murray is likely to be charged with involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's June 25 death from an anesthetic overdose. Murray has denied criminal wrongdoing.

"We continue to maintain that Dr. Murray neither prescribed nor administered anything that should have killed Michael Jackson," Sevcik said.

Earlier this year, TMZ reported that the Los Angeles Police Department had completed its investigation into Jackson's death and was preparing to send the case to the DA's office within weeks.

Murray has told investigators that he administered the surgical anesthetic propofol, as well as other tranquilizers, to Jackson several times in the hours leading up to his death, and the coroner has ruled the singer died of lethal levels of the drug. Involuntary manslaughter charges would require prosecutors to show that Murray engaged in gross negligence in his actions but did not intend to cause harm or death to Jackson.

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.

Man, woman die in first two road deaths of 2010

By Nancy Flake 
Two people died in separate accidents Monday in the first Montgomery County highway deaths of 2010.

Around 8 p.m. Monday, a 33-year-old woman attempting to cross the southbound main lanes in the 700 block of Interstate 45 was struck by at least one vehicle and killed, Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Trey Spikes said.

“One eyewitness said she was dancing in the lanes,” said Spikes, who pronounced the woman dead. “She was initially struck by at least one vehicle and then hit by a couple more vehicles.”

The woman was dressed in dark clothing, Spikes said. Her name could not be released because next of kin had not yet been notified.

Traffic was blocked on the main southbound lanes from Texas 105 to South Loop 336 as Conroe Police worked to clear the scene. Traffic was diverted onto the southbound feeder for at least two hours.

In East Montgomery County, a single-vehicle accident took the life of a Houston man early Monday.

Lesley McDuffie, 43, was killed around 1:30 a.m. Monday while driving a 2001 Dodge pick-up. He was southbound on U.S. 59 near West Wallis, located south of FM 1314, when he left the roadway and entered the roadway between U.S. 59 and the west feeder, a Texas Department of Public Safety official in Conroe said. The accident occurred half a mile north of Houston.

“The vehicle struck the guard rail and then a concrete pillar,” the DPS official said.

McDuffie was not wearing a seatbelt, the official said. Weather conditions were clear and dry.

DPS Trooper Ryan Clendennen was the investigating officer. Clendennen did not immediately return phone messages seeking additional information.

Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace James Oren Metts pronounced McDuffie dead at the scene of the accident, a DPS official said.

No other details of the crash were available.

McDuffie’s death marks the first vehicle fatality in Montgomery County on 2010.

In 2009, The Courier reported on 66 motor vehicle accidents on Montgomery County roadways. The Texas Department of Transportation did not yet have data compiled on 2009 fatalities by county, but reported 46 fatalities in 2008, according to www.txdot.gov.

Conroe PD arrests four men during attempted burglary

By Nancy Flake

Updated: 01.11.10

Conroe police arrested four men who allegedly tried to disable the alarm at a Conroe jewelry Monday in a failed attempt to steal merchandise.

Alberto Carlos Escobar, 30, William Renee Vasquez, 29, Christian Javier Ramos, 25, and Santos Orlando Machados-Chicas, 34, all of Houston, were charged with burglary of a building and engaging in organized criminal activity in the alleged attempted robbery of Camillo’s Fine Jewelry at 2107 W. Davis St.

Officers responded to an alarm at the store around 2 a.m. Monday, according to a Conroe Police Department press release. When the officers arrived, they positioned themselves at the front and rear of the building. As officers checked the back of the store, the door opened and two men ran out.

Officers and captured the suspects about 100 yards from the building and located a third suspect near the rear of the store.

Two of the men climbed a ladder to gain access to the roof of the store, according to the Conroe Police Department, and had cut a hole in the roof to gain access inside. The third suspect was believed to be the lookout and was responsible for disabling the alarm.

That didn’t happen, however, according to police and Maryanne Camillo, one of the store’s owners.

“I guess the alarm maybe scared them off,” she said. “The alarm company called us at 2 a.m., so we went to meet the police.”

The alarm apparently wasn’t disarmed, the CPD stated, and the alarm company notified the police.

The fourth suspect, believed to be the getaway driver, was located less than a quarter-mile from the store sleeping in a 1998 Chevrolet Lumina.

Evidence at the store and inside the Chevrolet connected the driver to the three men at the store, police said.

Burglary of a building is a state jail felony, punishable by 180 days to two years in state jail and a fine up to $10,000. Engaging in organized criminal activity is a third-degree felony, punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000, according to the Texas Penal Code.

All four men were in the process of being booked into the Montgomery County Jail Monday afternoon.

Camillo and her family returned Sunday from a cruise, and the welcome back to her store wasn’t quite as warm because of the damage to the roof.

“It was 28 degrees outside, and it was freezing in the store,” she said.

Home Invasion Suspects Arrested After Chase

intersection of Imperial Valley Drive and East Richey Road in north Harris County | KRIV-TV


HOUSTON -

Authorities have arrested one of two suspects involved in a car chase with Montgomery County deputies who is accused of taking part in a home invasion.

Investigators say the two suspects entered a Montgomery County home, handcuffed a man and woman, and robbed the couple before stealing their car.

The handcuffed man was somehow able to contact 911 on his cell phone.

The two suspects traveled southbound on Interstate 45.

A group of law enforcement agencies including Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Harris County Sheriff's Office and Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office surrounded the stolen car which crashed after 12 p.m. Tuesday on Imperial Valley Drive near East Richey Road in north Harris County. One of the suspects, who wore a blue uniform, allegedly ran into a wooded area nearby.

The Houston Police Department helicopter, Texas Department of Public Safety plane and K-9 units assisted in the search and investigation.