Past Articles by Laurie Johnson
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Tropical Storm Dolly Heads Toward Texas Well it's official. There's a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico and it's headed for the Texas Coast. Tropical Storm Dolly is forecast to make landfall on Wednesday. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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Citgo Gifts Light Bulbs to Houston Residents About seven-thousand low-income households in Houston will get energy-efficient light bulbs. Laurie Johnson reports. |
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Bush Airport Gets Federal Money for Runway Safety Bush Intercontinental Airport's runways will undergo safety upgrades. The Federal Aviation Administration announced today they'll add new lighting systems at twenty-one airports — including Bush. Laurie Johnson reports. |
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Habitat for Humanity Seeks 2,000 Volunteers Houston Habitat for Humanity needs two thousand volunteers to complete an upcoming construction project. As Laurie Johnson reports, they're finishing ten houses for Hurricane Katrina evacuees. |
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Houston Mayor Challenges EPA Policy In what he calls a "bold move" - Houston Mayor Bill White is challenging the E.P.A to conduct tougher emissions measurements. The city of Houston filed the formal petition today. Laurie Johnson has the story. |
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Planning Houston's Future Online If you're wondering how decisions are made for the city of Houston — you can now explore Houston's general plan online. As Laurie Johnson reports, the city launched a new website that aggregates the various plans and regulations. |
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The Next Generation of Conservationists During the summer many teens just want to hit the beach, or maybe take on summer job. But for the next few weeks some Houston teens will spend their vacation working on outdoor conservation projects. Laurie Johnson has the story. |
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Three men are in jail for running an organized crime ring to steal rent checks and money orders. The men would take the money orders out of apartment drop boxes and then wash and cash them. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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WWII Veteran Recognized for Outstanding Service It's been 63 years since WWII, but just this week one Houston Veteran was recognized for his combat service. The 86-year-old vet flew more than 20 combat missions over Japan. Laurie Johnson reports. |
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If you're an average American adult, or child, there's a good chance you're not getting enough vitamin D. Research shows fifty to sixty percent of Americans are vitamin D deficient. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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Houston Leads in Wind Energy Use As of today, the city of Houston now uses wind energy for twenty-five percent of its energy consumption. That means the city is the largest municipal consumer of wind energy in the nation. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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Those who suffer from joint pain or pains after a surgery may be able to look forward to a new form of relief: chili peppers. Houston researchers are studying the effect of a sort of chili pepper therapy for pain management. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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Harris County Uncovers Fraudulent Titles Operation Harris County officials have uncovered what appears to be an organized effort to create fraudulent automotive titles. The titles cover stolen cars and can also lead to identity theft and insurance fraud. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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City Enacts "Zoning" Around Airports People who live near Houston's airports will notice some changes to development and land use. The city council passed an ordinance to create an airport commission. That commission will create new regulations for property development. Laurie Johnson reports. |
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About 40,000 people in Texas die every year from heart disease. It's the leading cause of death in this country, and it disproportionately affects Latinos and African Americans. As Laurie Johnson reports, one Houston doctor has joined a campaign to close the gap in heart health disparity. |
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DPS Warns of Unlicensed Alarm Installers The Texas Department of Public Safety says they've noticed a recent trend of aggressive sales tactics in the alarm and security system industry. The DPS warns people to look out for unlicensed or intimidating salespeople. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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HPD Uses Goggles to Fight Drunk Driving The Houston Police Department has a new tool to fight drunk driving. It's called Fatal Vision Goggles -- and it simulates the feeling of being drunk. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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Helping Children Cope with Grief Children express grief in different ways than adults. That's why support for children is a specialized field. And a few hundred people who are in Houston for a national conference on the subject. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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One person is dead after part of a building at Rice University collapsed. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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City Council Approves Metro Corridors City Council approves five new Metro corridors. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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Harris County in Jail Quandary Harris County officials need to figure out how to expand jail space. They tried to pass a bond referendum last year to pay for a new jail, but voters didn't approve that measure. They may end up trying again this in this election. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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Expect Busy Airports This Summer Despite the hard times falling on the airline industry, Houston airport officials expect record numbers of passengers this summer. They say to expect some lines and come prepared. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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New Life for Sam Houston High School Houston's third largest high school had to close its doors last week. But HISD Administrators hope to reopen it in the fall as two completely new schools. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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Council Stalls Light Rail Plan Metro's plans to move forward with light rail are delayed for at least one week. Houston Council Members threw up the road block today — saying they need more answers from Metro about the light rail agreement. Laurie Johnson reports. |
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County Judge Promises Commuter Rail Commuter rail could be coming to Houston sooner rather than later. It's an idea that has been talked about for decades. But Harris County Judge Ed Emmett says the talk needs to turn to action. He wants to open two commuter rail lines within three years. Laurie Johnson has the story. |
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U.S., Mexico Crack Down on Weapons Smuggling The U.S. and Mexico are launching an initiative to stop the illegal smuggling of weapons across the border. It's attack on the increasingly violent drug cartels that operate in both countries. Laurie Johnson has more |
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Medical Community Highlights Postpartum Depression Postpartum depression is the most common complication for women after giving birth. And there are still significant gaps in medical and psychiatric care for women with the illness. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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Honoring the Memory of James Byrd, Jr. This week marks the ten year anniversary of the death of James Byrd Jr. The nation was shocked when three white men chained Byrd to the back of a pick-up truck and dragged him for miles because he was black. Byrd's family continues to use his memory to rally people against hate crimes. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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Coast Guard Conducts Oil Spill Joint Training The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But don't worry, it's a fake oil spill. Laurie Johnson reports. |
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Industry Pushes for Wind Energy Incentives Texas is one of the nation's leading producers of wind energy. A panel of experts came to the WINDPOWER 2008 Conference & Exhibition in Houston to discuss how the US can increase its production of the renewable power. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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Shuttle Discovery Successfully Docks NASA's shuttle Discovery successfully docked this afternoon. The astronaunts are on a 14-day mission to install a new lab on the International Space Station. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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It's the time of year for pool parties and trips to the beach. But it's also the time of the year when more drowning deaths occur and hurricanes are a hovering threat. As Laurie Johnson reports, the Red Cross is once again urging people to be prepared. |
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Citizenship Help for Immigrants Close to three-hundred educators and volunteers in Houston are about to be trained in how to help immigrants become US citizens. The training is put on by US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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Cab Drivers Feeling the Gas Price Pinch Houston City Council may consider raising cab fares to compensate for rising gas prices. Laurie Johnson reports. |
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Houston Challenges Oil Industry to Lower Emissions The city of Houston is threatening legal action against the oil industry over certain chemical emissions into the air. Houston Mayor Bill White says refineries need to bring down the level of benzene emissions. Benzene is known carcinogen that can lead to bone marrow cancer and other illnesses. Laurie Johnson reports. |
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The Shadydale Drum Corps in HISD is considered one of the best in the city. The drummers frequently win competitions and just took home first place in San Antonio's regional meet. And as Laurie Johnson reports, the Drum Corps has a special reason to brag about their accomplishment. |
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For every problem returning veterans face there's a program or service to help them. But even with some of the best medical and social care in the nation—Houston still has ground to cover to keep up with the needs of the growing veteran population. Laurie Johnson has the series 'Returning Veterans: A Call To Action.' |
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Every type of resource a veteran could ever need is available in Houston. But there are still vets who end up without medical care—unemployed and on the streets. As Laurie Johnson reports in part three of a four-part series—veterans come home expecting to rebuild their lives. But for some of them—a return to civilian life leaves them destitute. |
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The presence of the Texas Medical Center and the VA Hospital are significant assets for the region and for vets. As Laurie Johnson reports in part two of a four-part series— Houston has everything to offer for returning veterans— once they actually decide to look for help. |
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Laurie Johnson reports in part one of a four part series that one of the biggest problems returning service men and women face is simply figuring out where to go for help. There are nearly 2 million veterans living in Texas. Close to half of them live in the Greater Houston region. |
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Energy Companies Pledge Moratorium on Disconnects The hot humid summer is fast approaching and with it comes higher energy bills. Laurie Johnson reports some electricity customers won't have to worry about whether or not they can pay their bill. |
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Innocence Roundtable: Examining Wrongful Convictions Just yesterday a Dallas man was released from prison after exoneration. That case is one of dozens like it in Texas and hundreds across the country. So people representing all levels of the justice system will gather in Austin for the first innocence roundtable. Laurie Johnson reports. |
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Texas Gets Middle Marks on School Standards More than a decade ago the American Federation of Teachers began an examination of the states' teaching standards. This year's report is out and Texas falls roughly in the middle. The State's math and science standards got high marks, but social studies and English need work. |
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Planning the Budget for Disability Services The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services wants input from the community. They're putting together the agency's Legislative Budget Request. Part of the process is to hear from clients about how the agency's money should be used. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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Tonight companies across the city wil go dark. Lights will be turned out in downtown skyscrapers, in schools, and in government buildings. It's all part of an energy-saving plan called Lights out Houston. Laurie Johnson has more. |
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HPD Upgrades Aging Helicopter Fleet The Houston Police Departement is updating its helicopter fleet. The department currently has just four patrol choppers. They're adding eleven more. Houston Council Members have to vote on the appropriation. They voiced concerns over the current state of the fleet. Laurie Johnson reports. |
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TSU Selected to Host DHS Transportation Security Conference Texas Southern University has a new designation from the federal government. The Department OF Homeland Security selected the school as a National Transportation Security Center of Excellence. Laurie Johnson reports. |
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The foreclosure crisis hasn't hit Texas yet. But that doesn't mean the state and local economy will fully escape the impact. That's why the state put together a task force to help Texans prevent foreclosure. Laurie Johnson reports. |
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Soccer Stadium Negotiations Close to Stalling The City of Houston and the Dynamo soccer team are still in negotiations over the construction of a soccer stadium. Negotiations haven't necessarily stalled, but they're also not moving forward. But recently, it appears the two parties are playing a game of hardball. Laurie Johnson reports. |
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Hurricane Hunter Buzzes Galveston For a quarter century NOAA pilots have flown hurricane hunter airplanes into Gulf Coast storms. Hurricane season isn't here yet, but one of those planes is in Galveston on a special mission. Laurie Johnson has more. |
