Morning Roundup: Up, up and away edition

Good morning, Houston. Let's be frank with each other, shall we: Haven't you ever thought of yourself as a superhero? Yeah, we thought so. You'll be happy to know that it's your lucky day — or weekend, whatever — because the Sci Fi channel's Who Wants to Be a Superhero? is casting. Candidates have to have their identities set, show up in costume and explain "the true nature of their superhuman abilities and invoking the noble credos by which they live." (Some of last year's contestants included Fat Momma, Monkey Woman and Cell Phone Girl, none of those superpowers we can even begin to guess.) Oh, one other thing: You also have to get to San Antonio before tomorrow afternoon for the casting call. But that's no problem for a superhero, right?

>> Debating the merits of coal: State Rep. Charles "Doc" Anderson has called for a six-month moratorium on the construction of new coal power plants in Texas, saying the falling price of natural gas and concerns about air quality should make the state take another look at plans for 18 new coal plants. Last year, Gov. Rick Perry fast-tracked the permitting process for the plants, but Anderson said officials should be looking at renewable energy options now. TXU, which plans to build 11 new coal plants, isn't amused, saying halting work on coal plants could lead to electricity shortages down the road.

>> A little gas problem: A shelter-in-place order was issued in La Porte yesterday after the DuPont plant on Strang Road released a "significant amount" of sulfuric acid mist just before noon; the shelter order was lifted about an hour later. The mist causes respiratory problems it it's inhaled and can burn skin, but so far, there have been no reports of anyone affected.

>> FEMA fraud: Five Houston-area residents have been indicted for conspiring to defraud FEMA by filing more than a hundred fake claims for hurricane assistance. According to the indictment, the five conspired with two men previously charged for filing fraudulent claims; they allegedly used other people's Social Security numbers and fake driver's licenses in their scheme, which could net each conspirator up to five years in prison.

>> Today's weather: We hope you got your fill of sunshine yesterday — which, by the way, couldn't have been much better — because clouds will increase throughout the day today, leading into a rainy Saturday. The temperature will climb up to a respectable 60-ish this afternoon, with a low in the upper 40s tonight.

And the rest of this morning's headlines ...