03.30.06
Posted in News at 11:18 pm by Paloma Cruz
Forecast: Hurricanes likely to target Texas coast
– reported by the Houston Chronicle
The Texas coast from Corpus Christi to the Louisiana border is likely to be the target of higher than normal hurricane activity over the next 10 years, private forecaster AccuWeather said today.
The 2006 hurricane season will be more active than normal and could bring a devastating storm to the U.S. Northeast also, the forecast said.
The outlook comes after the most costly hurricane season on record in 2005, with storms crippling New Orleans and other parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast and briefly knocking out a quarter of domestic fuel production.
[snip]
The current storm cycle and above-normal water temperatures in the Atlantic are reminiscent of the pattern that produced the 1938 hurricane that struck Providence, Rhode Island, killing 600 people, Bastardi said.
[snip]
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Posted in News at 11:13 pm by Paloma Cruz
FEMA urges preparedness for hurricanes
– reported by the Pasadena Citizen
As the six-month anniversary of Hurricane Katrina nears, FEMA urges Texans and everyone throughout the Gulf Coast, to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season.
This year is projected to be as bad as or worse than this past season, which brought devastating hurricanes like Katrina and Rita.
[snip]
A long-range projection from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce, predicts an above-average 17 named storms this season. Nine of these storms are expected to become hurricanes with three being at least category 3 or higher.
Hurricane preparedness reduces fear, anxiety and losses that accompany disasters. Communities, families and individuals should be prepared before a hurricane strikes. Representatives suggest putting together an emergency preparedness kit long before it is needed. Part of the reasoning for this is that supplies that are necessary will be much easier to come by before the threat of a hurricane actually exists.
Representatives from FEMA suggest that the following items be included, among others, in the emergency preparedness kit: a first-aid kit, extra prescription medications, written copies of prescriptions, other special medical items, important documents and records, photo IDs, proof of residence, information you may need to process insurance claims, cash (because power outages mean banks and ATM’s may be unavailable), a battery-operated radio, flashlights with extra batteries, phone numbers of family and friends, coolers for food and ice storage, paper plates, plastic utensils, manual can opener, knife, tools, booster cables, fire extinguisher, duct tape, tarp, and rope.
Experts recommend always keeping this kit in a centralized location for quick accessibility.
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Posted in News at 5:30 am by Paloma Cruz
Students march on despite disciplinary warnings
– reported by KHOU CBS Channel 11
Students protesting proposed immigration reform continued their march again Wednesday, despite warnings of disiplinary action from school administrators.
HPD reports two protesters were arrested for disorderly conduct in the 1200 block of Alabama. It’s not clear what school they attend.
The largest protest Wednesday involved about 150 students who walked out of Galena Park High School and gathered in the stadium.
Alvin High School reported about 100 students meeting before the start of the school day to protest. They marched northbound on Highway 35 to the Pearland city limits with a police escort, spokeswoman Shirley Brothers said.
[snip]
“The consequences for students who violate the standards of conduct will be more severe. A repeat of [Tuesday’s] demonstrations could cause students to be suspended for up to three days, or be removed,” a statement from HISD superintendent Dr. Abe Saavedra said.
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03.29.06
Posted in News at 10:08 pm by Paloma Cruz
Students make voices heard without leaving classroom
– reported by KHOU CBS Channel 11
Teachers in the Houston area have been tackling the immigration reform situation in the classroom.
They have been encouraging students to make their voices heard in a different way — with pen and paper.
Some students at Pasadena’s Sam Rayburn High School are learning the living lesson in U.S. civics class.
[snip]
But instead of protesting in public, these students decided to put their argument down on paper.
It’s part of district-wide letter writing campaign. Administrators came up with the suggestion and the students said they plan to follow through.
“I think we should all have a voice of opinion and we should do it in an organized manner,” said Christine Kramer, junior.
Administrators said the letter writing campaign began immediately. Some classes already started writing.
Students have been granted extended hours in the library for extra research time. That means more time to put their thoughts on paper and get those letters to the people with the power to bring change.
[snip]
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Posted in News at 6:38 pm by Paloma Cruz
Strayhorn urges lawmakers to boost budget for teacher pay
– reported by the Houston Business Journal
Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn released a new report Tuesday indicating that the state loses $13.8 billion annually by underpaying teachers.
She also called on Gov. Rick Perry and state lawmakers to fund a $4,000 across-the-board pay raise for all Texas teachers and fully restore state-funded health care supplements for all Texas educators in the upcoming special session of the Legislature.
[snip]
The report also notes that Texas ranks 33rd in the United States in teacher salaries and more than 37,000 teachers in Texas are leaving the profession each year for better paying jobs.
She adds that students in classrooms with inexperienced or poorly prepared teachers are at greater risk of flunking and dropping out of school.
[snip]
Strayhorn’s report reveals that high school drop-outs in Texas chew up some $11.8 billion in social services, incarceration and welfare expenses. By adding in the cost of teacher training and recruitment and other expenses, that price tag jumps to $13.8 billion, the report states.
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Posted in News at 1:34 pm by Paloma Cruz
Houston area must quickly pick disaster commander
Perry orders a decision to be made ahead of hurricane season
– reported by the Houston Chronicle
Local county judges and mayors have less than a month to select a single operational commander to coordinate evacuations and emergency response during the Houston area’s next large-scale natural disaster, Gov. Rick Perry ordered Tuesday.
The order, a result of Perry’s efforts to improve upon last year’s massive and troubled evacuation ahead of Hurricane Rita, seeks to better coordinate command and communications among numerous governmental agencies with often competing interests.
The county judges and mayors within each of 24 “councils of government” in Texas must establish a command structure by April 18 and name an incident commander by April 20. (The local region, known as the Houston-Galveston Area Council, encompasses Harris and 12 surrounding counties.)
These deadlines were imposed because hurricane season begins soon thereafter, on June 1.
[SNIP]
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Posted in News at 6:28 am by Paloma Cruz
From the Pasadena Citizen:
Though it narrowly missed Pasadena, Hurricane Rita ravaged thousands of homes in East Texas, bringing many Beaumont and Port Arthur residents to the Pasadena area.
Recently, the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved more than $739 million in assistance to victims of the hurricane. Funds have been secured by FEMA and loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The new deadline for Hurricane Rita and Katrina evacuees to register for disaster assistance is April 10.
[snip]
FEMA recommends that homeowners, renters and business owners who sustained damage from the hurricanes apply for assistance by calling the FEMA registration number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or visit the Website at www.fema.gov.
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Posted in News at 5:54 am by Paloma Cruz
Students in suburbs join mass protest
– reported by KHOU CBS Channel 11
(includes video)
Students from several school districts outside of Houston held marches and rallies to protest proposed immigration laws Tueday.
About 500 students from Pasadena ISD schools joined in the mass protest.
The majority were from Pasadena High School, but students from Sam Rayburn and South Houston also joined in the rally at Pasadena City Hall.
[snip]
Fourteen students were arrested by Pasadena police. One student was arrested on assault charges, one for resisting arrest, five for disorderly conduct and seven for curfew violations.
Some students also rocked a police car and spraypainted it with graffiti.
Pasadena ISD officials say the other students will either be given detention or assigned to write a paper about why they were protesting. But they say curfew violations will be strictly enforced if the protests continue after today.
[snip]
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Posted in News at 1:16 am by Paloma Cruz
Mobile vendor accused of fondling girl, assaulting woman
The suspect is jailed under $100,000 bail
– reported by the Houston Chronicle
A Pasadena man accused of luring a 10-year-old girl and then fondling her is also charged with sexually assaulting a mentally challenged woman.
Ramon Cruz Castro, 36, is in the Harris County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Pasadena police said Castro, who operates a mobile vending cart in Pasadena, is accused of luring a 10-year-old girl with an offer of free food from his cart on March 21.
[snip]
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Posted in News at 12:14 am by Paloma Cruz
2006-2007 school calendar now official
Key dates on the 2006-2007 school calendar are as follows:
First day of school for students - August 10 (Ninth graders will begin one day earlier on August 9)
First day for teachers - August 3
Last day for students - May 24, 2007
Last day for teachers - May 25, 2007
Holidays
Labor Day - Sept. 4
Thanksgiving - Nov. 20-24
Winter Break - Dec. 18-Jan.3, 2007 (Employees will return Jan. 2, 2007)
Martin Luther King Day - Jan. 15, 2007
Spring Break - March 12-16, 2007
Easter - April 6 and 9, 2007
Need the 2005-2006 calendar? It’s available, as a PDF.
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