Past Articles by Pat Hernandez
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Another Ryan Joins The Houston Astros The Houston Astros introduce Reid Ryan as president of business operations. He is the son of hall-of-fame pitcher Nolan Ryan. |
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The HMNS Soon-To-Be Open Ancient Egypt Exhibit Gets A New Addition The Houston Museum of Natural Science has welcomed the newest addition to the hall of ancient Egypt. It's a giant sarcophagus, or coffin that served as the final resting place for a priest. |
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City Blames State Of Texas For Inequities In Commercial Property Taxing Houston homeowners are calling on Houston City Council to fix what they call a broken tax appraisal system that gives huge tax cuts to big commercial buildings. The council admits the property tax loopholes are a problem, but that lawmakers in Austin are the only ones who can fix it. |
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How The Leland Woods Community Project Was Reborn A northeast affordable housing project is back on track and near completion. First time home buyers can benefit from a neighborhood that seemed abandoned after the recession. |
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Expect Another Round Of Inclement Weather Before Mother's Day The sun may be out now, but weather forecasters tell us we're not out of the woods when it comes to drenching thunderstorms. They expect one more round of heavy rain before it clears in time for Mother's Day. |
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Law Enforcement Across Texas Is Saying 'Click It Or Ticket' The state of Texas has made seat belt safety a major priority, and is one of the most buckled up states in the country. TxDOT launched its 12th annual "Click It or Ticket" campaign to ensure the safety of motorists here in Houston and across the state. |
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Found Ohio Women Renews Hope For Ali Lowitzer's Parents The case of three Ohio women kidnapped for more than ten years gives families of missing people hope that their loved ones may still be alive. |
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Governors Of The Gulf Coast Want State Control Of Offshore Drilling Permits Texas Gov. Rick Perry says the federal government can do more to help stimulate offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. At the Offshore Technology Conference here in Houston, Perry along with other Gulf state governors, says offshore drilling is still slower than it used to be before the Deepwater Horizon accident. |
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Gov Perry And Sen Cruz Fueled The Crowd At This Year's NRA Convention Texas Gov. Rick Perry and freshman U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz both drew thunderous applause for their defense of the rights of law-abiding gun owners. |
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New East Harris County Task Force Produces Results, Adds Additional Officers It began as a pilot program earlier this year, targeting all types of crime in East Harris County. And with the quick success of the joint task force, more officers are being added. |
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Charter School Bill Means More Options For Parents And Students Charter schools will soon expand in Texas. A Texas House education panel approved raising the cap on charter school licenses over the next six years. |
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New Harris County Gambling Task Force Hits Ground Running With Successful Busts Last week two illegal game rooms in Southwest Houston were shut down. Two people were arrested and authorities seized gambling devices, cash, drugs and weapons. A Harris County task force formed just last month has been busy putting these operations out of business. |
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In State of City Address, Mayor Unveils Two Programs Aimed At Growth Houston Mayor Annise Parker says the city continues to lead in the country in job creation and the place more people are moving to. In the annual State of the City address, Parker says Houston can only get better. |
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George W. Bush's Presidential Library Asks: What Would You Have Done? A crowd of 10,000 was on hand for the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center. The heavily guarded event in Dallas was attended by the five living presidents and their wives. |
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New Initiative Hopes To Reduce Houston Homeless Population A report on houston's homeless finds more than 8,700 people without a permanent home. Efforts are underway to reduce that number. |
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Astrodome Proposals Must Include A Way To Fund It Proposals concerning the future of the Astrodome are now being submitted to the Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation. County Judge Ed Emmett says they must include a funding source, or they won't be considered. |
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What Some Students Did To Reduce The 'Concrete Jungle' On Earth Day In honor of Earth Day, Trees for Houston helps students plant trees on the campus of Texas Southern University. The ceremony not only reduces the campus' concrete jungle, but helps to beautify the earth by cleaning the air and producing oxygen. |
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Report Looks At Why Texas Convicts More People Of Prostitution Than Other States A new report finds that reducing penalties for prostitution and sending defendants to diversion programs would decrease the illegal practice and save the state money. The report aims to bolster efforts to pass legislation that eliminates part of state law that makes repeated prostitution a state felony. |
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Texas Lawmaker: 'Any Major Metropolitan Area Is Subject To Terrorism' One Houston lawmaker says the events happening this week in Boston show that we need to be prepared for anything, at any time. |
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Astrodome Proposals Deadline Set For June 10th The fate of the Houston Astrodome could finally be decided as a deadline for proposals was set. Voters will then determine the future of the aging structure. |
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Are Houston Streets Safe? 'Walkability Audit' To Determine Sidewalk Safety Freeways have allowed exponential growth in Houston. But one group continues to push urban planners to make areas like the Museum District more walkable. AARP conducted a recent survey and found that big improvements could still be made. |
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United Airlines Celebrates New And Improved Terminal At IAH At four times larger than the previous facility, United Airlines' new terminal at George Bush Intercontinental Airport certainly qualifies as a Texas-size terminal. |
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What Does The Future In Space Look Like? Experts Discuss At Rice University Noted space scientists from around the country gathered at Rice University to discuss the impact of space exploration and what the future holds. |
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HPD: Bomb Hoax Is A Serious Offense, A Terroristic Threat There was another campus security scare today after two bomb threats emptied the University of St. Thomas campus in the Montrose area. The threats appear to be a hoax, and authorities aren't happy about it. |
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According To The Accused, Mass Stabbing Was Premeditated Harris County Sheriff's Department investigators are compiling information on the man accused in Tuesday's stabbing spree on the campus of Lone Star College Cy-Fair campus which left 14 people injured. Twenty-year-old Dylan Andrew Quick told them he had been planning the attack for some time. |
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Houston Home Values In Key Areas On The Rise, But Overall Flat Harris County property tax appraisals are either in the mail or already in the mailbox for most Houston-area homeowners. While most home values haven't gone up much this year, some have and it's mostly because of the area's robust real estate market. The housing demand in certain parts of the city is driving home prices up. |
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Nonprofit Invests Millions In Affordable Housing For Seniors It's about providing affordable housing for seniors on fixed incomes. A national nonprofit has pumped millions of dollars into an apartment complex facing foreclosure on the city's northwest side. |
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8,000 Catholic Educators Convene In Houston For The First Time Cardinal Dinardo welcomes 8,000 Catholic educators to Houston. It's the largest private education association gathering in the country. |
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Kaufman County Murders Lead To Extra Security For Houston-Area Prosecutors Law enforcement is beefing up security for prosecutors in Texas following the weekend killings of the Kaufman County district attorney and his wife. Their deaths came two months after an assistant district attorney was gunned down in a parking lot near his courthouse office. |
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Houston City Council Candidates Line Up For At-Large Position 3 Houston's municipal elections are eight months away and candidates are out campaigning. One political analyst says it's not too early to get the word out, especially in some races where the field is getting crowded. |
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Governor Turns To TXDOT To Fund Air Traffic Control For 13 Airports The Federal Aviation Administration has slashed funding for 149 control towers across the country, due to sequestration. TXDOT will step in to keep control towers open at 13 small airports, including Sugar Land Regional, when those facilities lose federal funding next month. |
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Digging Through Public Trash Cans Could Become Legal Soon A portion of a rummaging ordinance could be revised after a homeless veteran was ticketed for going through a trash can at a city park earlier this month, trying to find something to eat. |
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Decisions, Decisions ... What To Do About The Houston Astrodome? Harris County Judge Ed Emmett says the future of the Houston Astrodome will be initially decided by county commissioners, and if that involves money, then residents would have to approve it in a referendum. |
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Amendment Filed To Protect Beach Property Owners Lawmakers will discuss a proposed constitutional amendment tomorrow that deals with the boundaries of public beaches. The measure is in response to a 2010 Texas Supreme Court ruling that stated that private property rights superseded the state's claim to the property as part of the open beaches act. |
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Super Bowl Champion Ed Reed Joins Texans The Houston Texans have bolstered their defense with the signing of Ed Reed. The all-pro safety was formerly with the Baltimore Ravens. |
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Study Finds Low Cost Alternative To Astrodome Demolition During a tour of the iconic building, one of the people who could ultimately help decide its fate, argued that it's still got life left in it. |
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Former TX Governor Asks DA to Reconsider Death Row Case Former Texas governor Mark White has joined supporters of a Houston man on death row who contend the inmate's sentence was racially biased. He's calling on District Attorney Mike Anderson to allow a new fair sentencing hearing for the prisoner. |
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Doctors Issue Updated Guideline For Concussions It's estimated that more than a million athletes experience a concussion each year in the unted states. The American Academy of Neurology has released new guidelines for treating athletes with a concussion. |
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Another Record Breaking Year At The Houston Livestock Show And Rodeo It's officially over now, but the 2013 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo shattered records for attendance, and officials say that means more money for youth and education. |
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Houston Helps In Sending Humanitarian Relief To Syria The ongoing violence in Syria has displaced nearly 4 million residents, forcing them out of their homes to an uncertain future. The United States is helping with humanitarian relief that's coming from all over the world. |
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Experts Say Even A Little Alcohol Can Impair Driving The spring months — March through May — mark the most dangerous season on Texas roadways for alcohol-related traffic accidents. That's why the Texas Department of Transportation is reminding motorists that even "buzzed" driving is drunk driving. |
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What Does It Take To Be A Houston Firefighter? Some 1200 men and women hoping to become a Houston Fire fighter took the first step with the civil service exam. A top score will enable them to move on to the next phase, to eventually fill some 300 openings in the department. |
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Harris County Seeks Proposals For Joint Inmate Processing Center Harris County Commissioners Court approved a study for the design of a proposed law enforcement joint city-county inmate processing center that's been on the board for years. |
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Texas Tops The List For Most Uninsured State Again When it comes to people without health insurance, Texas tops the list for the fifth year in a row. Some are quick to pin that record on the number of undocumented immigrants living within the state borders. |
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Houston Crime Prevention Month Focuses On Robbery Prevention, Gun And Child Safety It's all about keeping Houston safe. The Houston Police Department launched the annual "March on Crime" initiative today. During the month of March, police officers will be reaching out to businesses and communities about crime prevention. |
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Police Watch For Drunk Drivers Leaving Big Events In March Area law enforcement agencies have a simple message to anyone who decides to get behind the wheel while intoxicated: Drink, Drive, Go to Jail. It's an extra effort to make sure rodeo revelers get home safely. |
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High Court To Consider Landmark Civil Rights Law The U.S. Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments this week on the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act. Justices appeared to be split on whether to uphold a key provision of the landmark civil rights law. |
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Harris County Commissioners Agree On A New Budget In a unanimous vote, Harris County Commissioners Court approved a new budget for the next fiscal year that begins in March. |
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Judge Ed Emmett Delivers State Of Harris County Address Harris County Judge Ed Emmett delivers another favorable report on the state of the county. In his annual address to government and business leaders, he says maintaining that success depends on how they plan for the future. |
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Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo set to begin From the trail rides, the Bar-B-Que Cook-Off, and Go Texan Day, it's rodeo time in Houston. Pat Hernandez has a look at the tradition that begins on Monday and goes back 81 years. |
