Water crisis, price gouging tied to freeze repairs in Houston
State and county officials probe plumbing firms accused of price gouging after pipes burst in the frigid weather. Complaints surged with 30 calls Wednesday and 50 more on Thursday. Cases include $125 hourly charges while typical rates run $35 to $50. Flooded demand pushed water shortages in Houston, Galveston, and Beaumont, forcing residents to conserve and some facilities to haul water from ponds. Meanwhile, demand for cold weather gear spiked as retailers report booming sales of down coats and heaters.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Houston
A.D. Downer
Attorney General's Office
Downer
Houston Better Business Bureau
Dick McClain
McClain
Doctor’s Hospital
Pum
Hill
Danny Davis
Sporting Goods Inc
Pandas Bamboo Crisis Spurs Nationwide Bamboo Offers
Yin the Houston Zoo lesser panda, deprived of bamboo by a freeze, receives hundreds of offers from across the country. Zoo staff repurpose frozen bamboo after Cincinnati Zoo guidance, while a Hawaii bamboo shipment heads to Houston to help Yin and other animals endure the shortage.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Houston
Yin
Houston Zoo
Zoo
Dave Mask
Children’s Zoo
Hawaii
Mask
Illinois
Missouri
Cincinnati Zoo
Night Attack on Pinto Sparks Shootout in Frankston
Nikki and Theresa Rasmussen say a driver, intent on destruction, rammed their Pinto on Texas 175 near Poyner, pinning the car in a ditch. After escaping to Frankston, the man rammed again and the husband fired four times, hitting a tire and wounding the driver in the wrist.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Frankston
Nikki
Theresa Rasmussen
Lincoln
Neb
Deridder
Rasmussen
Odessa scout leader cleared in 1982 abuse case
Kenneth Alford, 47, former Odessa Boy Scout leader, had an indictment dismissed by 244th District Judge Joe Connally. The case stemmed from an alleged August 1982 molestation of a 13 year old boy. Prosecutors cited a Texas law requiring corroboration of accuser statements in late sex crime charges.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Odessa
Joe Connally
Ector County
Connally
Kenneth Alford
Alford
Tor County Grand Jury
Texas
Man braves 48 degree surf near Galveston for five hours
Tony Zbranek of Pasadena paddled into four-foot waves off Galveston spending about five hours in the chilly 48 degree sea. The photo was snapped Wednesday afternoon as he rode the cold swells with determination.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Galveston
Tony Zbranek
Pasadena
Zbranek
Sheriff Office to Use Computer System for Case Tracking
The sheriff and county attorney plan to expand computer use to track docketed cases through disposition. The system will check for existing entries before adding new ones to find hot check writers. A terminal tie-in to the county attorney’s office is planned, reducing logwork between agencies while staffing remains tight.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Wilson
Sheriff’s Department
Pugh
Airport Heating Crisis Strains Midland Flights
Midland residents endure frigid terminals as 1B conditioning systems fail. Officials weigh emergency funds before Jan 10 council meeting. Heat loss prompts kerosene heaters near air blowers while X-ray security also malfunctions, narrowing access for passengers and forcing manual luggage checks.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jones
Midland
Also Mentioned on This Page
Tim Horan
Harris County District Attorney’s Office
Mary Martin
Randy DeVaul
Beaumont
Underwood Hill
Bamboo
Mnandate Zoo
Henri Arnold
Bob Lee
Cehen
Tribune Company Syndicate. Inc
Yunti
Enjukt
Hesean
ATS
Dial
Blair
Carlton
Georgia
Wicaprock
Alloun
Andrea
Frank Wilson Easterling
Caprock
Colleen Dunn
Muse Air
Rhonda McClinton
Southwest Airlines
McClinton
Rudy Lopez
Continental Airlines
Lopez
Sale
N. Dixie
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