Tropical Storm Hermine crosses into Texas

Forecasters say Tropical Storm Hermine has crossed into Texas.

Galveston feels the effects of Hermine

Thousands of people showed up on Galveston Island for Labor Day with no idea that a storm was churning in the Gulf of Mexico.

Local company builds office tailored to its younger workforce

A downtown Houston business has what some consider an office of the future.

Southwest Freeway at 288 closes after 18-wheeler overturns, catches fire

Traffic was brought to a standstill on parts of Highway 59 Monday after an 18-wheeler fell off an overpass, onto a busy freeway and burst into flames.

‘No Refusal’ weekend kicks off with 4 arrests, 5 hospitalizations within hours

Drunk-driving arrests and accidents were happening all throughout the Houston area early Friday morning, giving Houston and Harris County officials a busy start to the 'No Refusal' Labor Day weekend.

Some Pearland residents think airport annexation bad for business

Activity is booming at the regional airport in Pearland. That’s a big reason why the city sees annexing the area around the airport as a good opportunity for growth.

I-Pad App changing autistic children's lives

While Apple’s I-Pad is known for its convenience and high-tech capabilities, it’s also being used to help change the lives of autistic children.

Police search for suspect after finding 18-year-old woman's body

ice are searching for a suspect after finding the body of a young woman Monday afternoon.

Local woman wants city to pay for accident involving missing manhole cover

A manhole missing its cover badly damaged a local woman’s car, and she said the city of Houston ought to pay.

Your blood donation might save your life, too

A Dickinson woman offers her story as testimony to one of the unexpected benefits of volunteering to offer a blood donation to save someone else's life.

Man Dead; Deputies Say Wife Ran Over Him

Deputies say they arrived at Beckford Drive and Balarama Drive in Harris County to find a woman sitting in her car and her husband pinned underneath.

Explore The Evolution Of Oprah

With the one-year countdown to the end of Oprah Winfrey's talk show beginning this week, let's take a look back at how the media giant has evolved her image over the years.

Which Schools Are Nation's Best?

Check out which high schools in the United States got the highest grades.

Tropical Storm Makes Landfall In Mexico

Hermine comes ashore as a strong tropical storm in northeastern Mexico near the South Texas border.

Driver Burned When Rig Falls Onto Another Freeway

A truck driver burns almost half of his body after his rig flips over a southwest Houston guardrail and burst into flames.

Labor Day Telethon Raises Millions

The annual Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon airs on KPRC Local 2, raising millions for muscular dystrophy.

Hermine Gives Galveston Dangerous Tides

Even though Tropical Storm Hermine will be going ashore hundreds of miles south of Galveston, the Island is still feeling the effects, and high tide means a dangerous tide for swimmers.

'Fried Beer' Wins Big Tex Award

Fried, fabulous and fattening are the winning recipes at the State Fair of Texas.

Houston Closer To World Cup Bid

Houston is one step closer in its bid to host either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.

1 Dies, 2 Injured When Boat Goes Airborne

A holiday weekend boating trip ends tragically for three people, including a child, after their vessel goes airborne.

Slideshow: Miss Texas Crowned

Miss Texas USA 2011 is crowned in Houston.

Slideshow: UT Vs. Rice Football Fans

A record crowd packs into Reliant Stadium to watch the Rice Owls take on The University of Texas Longhorns. Check out some of the fans, captured by our own Longhorn, reporter Mary Benton.

HPD: Witnesses Put Body Behind Dumpster

Police are looking for a man who they believe stabbed his roommate to death in northwest Houston before witnesses dumped the body behind a trash bin.

Pawn Shop Worker Kills Customer

A pawn shop worker fatally shot a 50-year-old customer after the man loaded a handgun from the case with his own ammo, left the store and fired a round at the employee.

Teen Escapes From Corrections Facility

Several law enforcement agencies search for a teen who escaped from a Harris County corrections facility.

Baby Killed, 13 Injured In Van Crash

A 6-month-old dies in a van crash on Interstate 35 in central Texas.

Homeless Man Hit, Killed Trying To Cross Freeway

Police said a homeless man was struck and killed while attempting to walk across the East Freeway in Houston early Monday morning.

Officers Crack Down On Drunk Driving

Police in Houston and surrounding areas are sending a stern warning -- don't drink and drive.

Abducted Baby Back With Mom; Suspect Surrenders

A 9-month-old baby is back with her mother after police say she was abducted by her mother's boyfriend.

Lawsuit Filed Over Red-Light Camera Vote

A federal lawsuit has been filed in an effort to prevent Houston residents from voting on whether to ban red-light cameras.

Officer Kills Man During Domestic Dispute

An off-duty Houston police officer shoots and kills a man outside a southwest Houston apartment after witnessing a domestic dispute, investigators say.

Slideshow: 'Bone House' Built

A group in Huntsville, Texas, builds low-income houses out of recycled and salvaged building materials. Every home is truly unique. Check out this house, which has bones in its design and structure. You read it right -- bones.

Teacher Accused Of Soliciting Sex From Minor

A junior high school teacher is accused of going online and trying to get a 14-year-old girl to have sex with him.

High School Classes Dismissed After Power Failure

A school dismisses classes early because the building doesn't have electricity.

Two jailed in connection with robbery of 62-year-old woman

Two Montgomery County men have been jailed in connection with the Aug. 20 robbery of a 62-year-old woman at the Exxon convenience store located at the intersection of Gleneagle Drive and Texas 242.

Two jailed in Wendy’s robbery with more arrests possible

Authorities have arrested a man and a woman in connection with the Aug. 31 armed robbery of a Wendy’s restaurant in The Woodlands.

Bartmann lists local bank as one of its ‘10 most troubled’ in Texas

Clarification: The Villager ran a story Thursday focusing on an independent list of troubled banks here in Montgomery County.  The story also mentioned several banks not on the list which have a high ratio of non-performing assets.  However, there are many other factors used to evaluate a bank’s strengths: capital levels, earning power, credit metrics, and liquidity.  According to an Amegy spokerperson: 1) Amegy Bank earned $15.5 million through the 2nd quarter of 2010.  2) Amegy's credit quality demonstrated positive signs of improvement for the second consecutive quarter.  The bank’s allowance for credit losses represents 5.44% of total loans, which is above peer average.  3) Amegy’s capital ratios -- its tangible common equity ratio (tangible common equity/tangible assets) -- was 7.92%, in excess of the “well capitalized” standard of  regulators and above the bank's peer average.  4) Amegy continues to have excess liquidity, averaging $2 billion in excess funds.

Recent robberies encourage more patrols

Two armed robberies in The Woodlands in a little more than a week has highlighted a growing crime issue in the area compared with 2009.

Ministry helps soldiers reintegrate

Tomball area 1st Lt. Ryan Presnal and his fellow soldiers returned home safely after a one-year deployment to Iraq.

MCSO substation opening to compensate for growth

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office District 2 patrol division is planning a move to new headquarters in South Montgomery County.

Township approves $86.8 million budget and tax rate

After more than a month of discussion, including five budget workshop meetings, two public hearings and two final debates, The Woodlands Township board of directors have passed its $86.8 million 2011 budget and a 32.74 cent property tax rate.

Shenandoah approves 2010-11 operating budget

The Shenandoah City Council approved its 2010-11 operating budget last week. Proposed revenue for the general fund is $6,988,086, with proposed expenditures of $6,982,896.

Township assumes operation of Lake Woodlands in 2011

The Woodlands Township will assume operations and maintenance of Lake Woodlands and its dam beginning Jan. 1

Gunman robs Wendy’s on Woodlands Parkway

Authorities are investigating an armed robbed last night at a Wendy’s restaurant in The Woodlands.

Former letter carrier arrested on suspicion of mail theft

Mark Montanez, 35, of Houston, has been arrested as a result of the return of a one-count indictment for theft of the U.S. mail, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today.

Gunman robs woman at Northshore Park

Authorities are investigating an armed robbery of a 40-year-old woman Sunday morning at Northshore Park, according to Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Dan Norris.

Township considers bids for $1M paths contract

The Woodlands Township is considering bids for its next park and pathway maintenance contract, one of the most expensive contracts The Woodlands has at more than $1 million.

Chance seeks taxidermic animal displays for nature center

Montgomery County commissioner approved the submittal of applications for educational displays at the new Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center Monday.

Township considers changes to vendor program in parks

Vendors are now allowed to sell their goodies in parks throughout The Woodlands. However, since the program was approved in May, only one vendor has obtained a permit.

Fire departments benefit from mutual aid agreements

Judith Thomas is going to talk about more than turkey when she reminisces about this Thanksgiving in years to come.

Tropical Storm Hermine makes landfall in Mexico

Tropical Storm Hermine slammed into Mexico’s northern Gulf coast near the U.S. border late Monday with winds of 65 mph, threatening heavy rains that could cause flash flooding in Mexico and Texas.

Obama assails GOP, promotes new jobs program

MILWAUKEE — A combative President Barack Obama rolled out a long-term jobs program Monday that would exceed $50 billion to rebuild roads, railways and runways, and coupled it with a blunt campaign-season assault on Republicans for causing Americans’ hard economic times.

A Day for Danielle

Touched by the plight of a 12-year-old Willis youth afflicted with brain cancer, a Spring woman organized a communitywide tribute for a girl she had never met.

LSCS schedules public hearings on tax rate increase

THE WOODLANDS – Lone Star College System board members have scheduled two public hearings to discuss a less than 1-cent tax rate increase for 2010-11.

Drill team director resigns; parents upset

THE WOODLANDS – McCullough Junior High School Highland Girls parents are questioning the circumstances that led to the sudden resignation of the school’s longtime drill team director.

Death toll 45 in Guatemala mudslides

GUATEMALA CITY — Searchers on Monday pulled five more bodies from a mud-covered highway where back-to-back landslides buried bus passengers and people trying to save them. Yet more mudslides raise Guatemala’s official death toll to 45 after days of torrential rains.

Annual Lions Club event gives back to community

The Conroe Noon Lions Club provides eyeglasses to at-risk children in the Conroe ISD free of charge, gives out $30,000 in scholarships to CISD students, provides food baskets to more than 25 families at Christmas and reaches out to disabled children in the community by taking them to camp and bringing them out to Lake Conroe.

Bill White calls for cutting tourism advertising

AUSTIN — Gubernatorial candidate Bill White has found at least one multimillion dollar program Texas can do without: commercials and advertisements promoting Texas.

Montgomery scout awarded Eagle status

MONTGOMERY – After more than a dozen years in scouting, a Montgomery youth was honored in an Eagle Scout Court of Honor last weekend.

Report: 2,000 more NATO troops may be Afghan-bound

BRUSSELS — NATO may deploy 2,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan to join the 140,000-strong international force already there, an official said Monday.

WILLIS PD BLOTTER

Officers arrested a 20-year-old Willis woman Aug. 30 for warrants following an anonymous call in the 100 block of Long Street.

MCHD, TWFD eye computer-aided dispatch system

The Montgomery County Hospital District has been sharing a computer-aided dispatch system with The Woodlands Fire Department since 1985, but both entities are ready for an upgrade.

Beer company films county’s DWI efforts

Filmmakers with Anheuser-Busch have followed members of the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office over Labor Day weekend in hopes of getting a glimpse of how the county combats intoxicated drivers.

Conroe doctor disciplined for misconduct

The Texas Medical Board recently disciplined a Conroe physician for a nearly five-year-old case involving unprofessional conduct with a patient and inappropriately prescribing drugs.

Foster children reunite with their mom

Children of all ages came together Saturday afternoon to reunite with a woman they all have in common – their foster mother.

Historic Park Taking Shape

MONTGOMERY – Officials in charge of a new park dedicated to Texas heritage say the facility is beginning to take shape and will be ready for the public within six months.

‘Legend of the Lions’ helps Lions serve community

Well, it’s just around the corner. Are you ready? Do you have your dancing shoes on? Let’s party! What am I talking about you ask, it’s the annual “Legend of the Lion” — Dinner Dance & Auction” hosted by the Conroe Noon Lions Club.

Future hiring to benefit the high-skilled

Whenever companies start hiring freely again, job-seekers with specialized skills and education will have plenty of good opportunities. Others will face a choice: Take a job with low pay – or none at all.

Flags on display at Memory Park

Standing at the wall of glass that is the north facing wall of The Charles B. Stewart Library in Montgomery, one looks out upon Memory Park, and for the next few days, a sea of red, white and blue.

Serving as law enforcement’s eyes, ears

During our public presentations, citizens often ask a couple of simple but overlooked questions: How do we know what is suspicious, and then how and who do we call?