Past Articles by Pat Hernandez
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New Metal Recycling Regulations Hope To Catch Thieves The Houston area is struggling with a rash of costly metal theft. Lawmakers, city officials and business owners urge the Harris County Commissioners Court to adopt tougher regulations when it comes to the sale of scrap metal. |
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Hobby Airport Now Offers Valet Parking Hobby Airport is making it easier for travelers having trouble finding a parking spot and might be in a hurry to catch a flight. Valet parking has begun with online reservations now being accepted. |
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Resurgence Of Bars And Cars Program Hopes To Crackdown On DWIs The holiday season means a rise in the number of arrests for driving while intoxicated or under the influence of a controlled substance, because of zero tolerance programs. One area north of Houston is increasing focus on those who over-serve alcohol to patrons. |
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Builder Boasts Most Energy Efficient House First Built In Houston Houston becomes the first city in the country to build the most affordable zero-energy homes. They will be built by a Houston-based company and feature amenities that will produce more energy than they consume. |
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Houston Firefighters Return To Fatal House Fire To Talk Fire Safety After two fatal house fires in as many days, Houston firefighters hit the streets around the homes that burned. They handed out safety literature and talked about the importance of having a working smoke detector and a home escape plan. |
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New Sheriff's Deputies Began As Civilian Officers In a big step toward a career with the Harris County Sheriff's Department, civilian detention officers are sworn in as detention deputies. It's part of Sheriff Adrian Garcia's plan to put more officers on the street. |
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HPD Christmas Food Drive "Humanizes" Police Officers The Houston Police Department is launching its annual effort to collect food for local families in need during the Christmas holidays. They hope to feed 3,500 families this holiday season. |
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Black Friday Is Now Black Thursday? Black Friday is starting so early this year, it's later this evening. It's competition to get early shoppers that's driving the early start times. It's also a time many employees might otherwise spend with family. Is that fair or is it the nature of the retail beast? |
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Volunteers Participate In Major Tree Plant Effort At MacGregor Park Last year's historic drought has changed the face of Houston's parks. This morning volunteers planted a variety of trees in hard hit Macgregor Park in southeast Houston. |
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Veterans Attend Houston Job Fair At Reliant Center There was a big push to find jobs for veterans out of work in Houston today. While men and women who served in the armed forces generally return to civilian life with job-ready skills and knowledge, along with a great work ethic, they still find it a challenge to find a job. |
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Lawyer Suggests Tragic Double Murder Could Have Been Prevented As Houston police sort through evidence in a tragic double-murder earlier this week, a local attorney who represented Andrea Yates says he thinks the crime could have been prevented. Cameron Dorsey has been charged in the murder of his great-grandfather and aunt, but George Parnham says authorities may have run out of options in identifying serious mental health issues that could have contributed to the crime. |
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Managing Diabetes Doesn't Have To Be Difficult November is National Diabetes month and Texas has some of the highest incidence rates for diabetes in the nation. Much of this is due to the state's changing demographics: an aging population and ethnic makeup. There is no known cure but all forms of diabetes are treatable. |
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Alvarado Makes It Official And Announces A Run For State Senator Mario Gallegos Houston state Representative Carol Alvarado makes it official. She announced that she will run for the state Senate seat held by Mario Gallegos, who died last month. Even though she has the backing of Gallegos' family, she is expected to face a spirited challenge from former Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia. |
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Feds Reach Out To Houston's Human Trafficking Victims Houston is one of 30 cities federal immigration officials are visiting to reach victims of human trafficking, violent crimes and domestic violence. |
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Knowing CPR, A Matter Of Life And Death The Houston Fire Department reminds us that learning CPR can save a life, especially a family member. Donald Willis is thankful to be alive because of the quick actions of his son and wife, and to members of Fire Station 49 in West Houston. |
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Superintendent And Principals Discuss Passage Of HISD Bond Proposal At his monthly meeting with school principals, HISD Superintendent Terry Grier discussed the next step after voters approved the $1.9 billion dollar bond proposal. The money will be used to rebuild or renovate 38 schools across the district. |
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Tea Party Darling Ted Cruz Is New US Senator Tea Party-backed Republican Ted Cruz has won the race for Texas' open U.S. Senate seat. He beat former Democratic state Representative Paul Sadler to succeed retiring Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison. |
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Tomorrow Voters To Decide On Texas' Largest Bond Proposal Houston voters will head to the polls tomorrow to make the final decision on HISD's nearly 1.9 billion dollar bond proposal. It would help the district rebuild or renovate dozens of schools. |
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Major Renovation Of City's Oldest Park To Soon Get Underway Officials announce a $2 million dollar renovation plan for the city's oldest park. Work to unify the three sections of the historic Sam Houston Park will take place near the U.S.S. Houston Memorial. |
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Month Long Closure Begins On I-10 Katy Freeway Motorists who travel the Katy Freeway near Washington Avenue will have to alter their driving habits for the next month. TxDOT will be closing an inside lane starting this weekend. |
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Small Things Go A Long Way For Victims Of Human Trafficking A Florida-based nonprofit that raises awareness about human trafficking comes to Houston with a unique donation to the Harris County Sheriff's Department. |
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Ribbon Cut To New Harris County Forensic Facility The building was once known as the most modern bakery in the United States. It is now being touted as one of the nation's top forensic crime labs. Officials cut the ribbon on the new facility that will help solve crime in Harris County. |
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Appointed Commissioner Running To Keep His Job A year after being appointed to finish the term of Harris County Commissioner Eversole, Jack Cagle is running for the job outright. This race is to head the largest precinct in Harris County. |
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Harris County Sheriff Faces Republican Challenger This Election Adrian Garcia wants to return as Harris County sheriff, but the incumbent Democrat is being challenged by Republican Louis Guthrie. Take a look at both candidates vying for the top law enforcement office in the county. |
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Houston Festival Shows Girls How To Reach For The Stars It's about inspiring young girls to shoot for the stars. The annual Sally Ride Science Festival lands in Houston tomorrow at Rice University. The event brings together hundreds of middle school students for a festive day of science and socializing. |
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HISD's Bond Proposal Receives More Endorsement HISD's 1.9 billion dollar bond proposal got more support from African American elected officials, and alumni and parents of one of the high schools scheduled for replacement. |
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Astros Owner Leads Reinvestment Program For City Youth Ballparks The Houston Astros and the City of Houston team up to build or refurbish youth baseball and softball fields in disadvantaged neighborhoods throughout the city. |
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Touching Farewell To Late Houston Senator Mario Gallegos It was standing room only as hundreds filled a downtown Church to pay their respects and say goodbye to State Senator Mario Gallegos. The longtime Texas lawmaker died last week from liver disease. |
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Harris County Treasurer Adds More Opposition To HISD Bond Proposal Days after initial opposition to HISD's nearly $2 billion bond proposal, Harris County Treasurer Orlando Sanchez says he will not support the measure. |
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Crime Stoppers Enlists The Community To Fight Crime Crime Stoppers of Houston hopes to take a bigger bite out of crime through a new fundraising initiative that will enlisting more community support. |
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Drought Leads To Change In Tree Canopies There is a bumper crop of nuts falling from trees here in the Houston area this fall. Experts say it's a combination of the trees' natural cycle and to stress from the drought. They also say while trees learn to adapt, the canopy's composition will change. |
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International Rugby Lands In Houston BBVA-Compass Stadium downtown will host International Women's Rugby for the next three years. Houston beat out entire countries for the international series leading up to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. |
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Celebrating The Men Who Launched The Space Race With Artwork Milestone contributions to space exploration will forever link Houston and the Soviet Union. That commonality has been marked with the dedication of artwork that honors two space pioneers from each country: Yuri Gagarin and John Glenn. |
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HISD and Trees for Houston announce a partnership to plant trees at new and refurbished campuses. The effort goes with the district's ongoing commitment to promote green schools and eco-friendly environments. |
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LULAC Sues Harris County Over Tainted Voter Rolls LULAC, the League of United Latin American citizens and a number of Houston residents have filed a federal lawsuit against the Harris County voter registrar Don Sumners. The suit alleges the county knowingly rejects more voter registration applications than other counties in Texas. |
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Supreme Court Case On UT Admission Standards Draws Response From Texas Lawmakers The U.S. Supreme Court questioned the University of Texas' use of race in college admissions. A white Texas woman denied admission to UT is challenging the university's program. The case could lead to new limits on affirmative action. |
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Harris County Joins City In Regulating Sexually Oriented Businesses Harris County Commissioners have approved changes to regulations for sexually oriented businesses that operate in unincorporated areas of the county. It's an attempt to add more teeth to laws that are often easy to get around. |
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Texas Lawmakers Listen To Testimony Over Online Instruction The Texas Senate Education Committee held a public hearing on the growing use of virtual education in many classrooms across the state. Testimony included recommendations to bolster programs that are not performing as expected. |
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Mayor Says People With Disabilities Should Not Be Segregated October is Disability Awareness Month and Houston Mayor Annise Parker says it's a time to raise public awareness of the positive contributions of people with disabilities. |
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Expert Expects Obama to Regain Footing in Second Debate After a shaky debate performance from President Obama earlier this week, one local political observer says we should expect an improvement for the second round. Next week's Vice Presidential debate could have more riding on it now too. |
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The Newest Vision for Downtown Houston It will be more than just a visitor center downtown. A unique history and education facility to be located between the Brown Convention Center and Minute Maid Park will tell the story of Houston. |
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UH President Says Things Continue to Look Up at the Central Campus UH President and System Chancellor Renu Khator is upbeat as she delivers her annual fall address to a packed house at the Moores Opera House. She says the university continues to get better. |
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Governor Touts State's Ability to Attract Jobs Texas Governor Rick Perry was in Houston to talk about the state's record of creating a climate to attract jobs. He told attendees to the conference of the International Economic Development Council downtown that Texas is the nation's epicenter for job creation. |
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Minority Communities Fully Support HISD Bond Proposal Hispanic lawmakers and community leaders rallied in front of an aging high school in East Houston, to endorse the HISD bond proposal in the November election. One expert says proponents must be relentless on the issue to guarantee passage of the measure. |
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Effort Launched To Increase Hispanic Voter Rolls Hispanics are considered a pivotal voting bloc in the November election, but some states have strict requirements that could discourage many of them from voting. Here in Houston, registration initiatives will take place to increase voter turnout. |
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Trying To Keep Up With Housing For Senior Citizens In Houston Many seniors in Houston and Harris County find it a challenge to live independently because of the rising costs of energy, healthcare and even food. Community leaders welcomed a housing project in north Houston that gives seniors a high quality of life with rent that doesn't exceed their means. |
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Outrage Continues Over Officer Involved Shooting Of Double-Amputee The death of a double-amputee fatally shot last weekend by a Houston police officer is still getting strong reaction from community activists. They're again calling for an investigation by the U.S. Attorney's office. |
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Experts & Lawmakers Hold Hearings To Expand Services To Trafficking Victims Texas lawmakers studying human trafficking came to Houston to collect more testimony on the issue. The meetings will be used to find ways to improve public services for human trafficking victims. |
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Weekend Flare Burn-Off Not Unusual For Nearby Residents It started yesterday and you can still see what's left of a huge flare burn-off at a chemical plant near the Houston Ship Channel. Columns of black smoke could be seen for miles around. But flares, like the one in southeast Houston, aren't that uncommon for residents who live around the plants. |
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Political Parties With Two Distinct Philosophies Try To Woe Voters This Election With less than two months before the upcoming election, what factors will determine who occupies the White House? For the candidates, tailoring the message to specific groups of voters is the name of the game. |
