Good morning, Houston. Are you planning on taking a summer vacation? Here's something to consider, if you are: Continental, along with several other airlines, raised their fares in 30% of the top U.S. markets this week. Some one-way fares are up $10, some $5, and some remain the same. This was a relatively small increase, but will still hit the wallets of summer vactioners. With airfare increasing and gas prices so high, how about vacationing a little closer to home? We hear Sugar Land is lovely this time of year.
> Cool mayor, hot water: Mayor Bill White is under scrutiny over last year's budget. Last year's financial report - which was due nearly seven months ago - has not yet been released, but the city is already looking forward at next year's budget, which some Republicans don't approve of. Mayor White says, "Hold your horses," - his office hasn't completed an audit of the financial report yet, but it's not a problem, just a slow process. The Harris County Republican Party spokesperson said they will pursue legal action if the report is not filed and published within ten days.
> What's safe to feed your pets these days?: Apparently, not very much. A Houston doctor has uncovered pet food laced with pain medication. The doctor, who works at a lab called EperTox in Deer Park, says he believes that problems with contaminated pet food are far from over and these findings have sparked a new federal investigation. The lab reported that the amounts of pain medication found in the food are enough to make a dog very sick and even kill a cat. The lab has also called on the FDA to be more vigilant in pet food testing.
> Evacuation registration complications: Many people who may be in trouble if a hurricane were to head our way have not yet registered for storm evacuation help. Last year, 3,000 Houstonians who would need help evacuating if it were necessary signed up for front-door transportation service. This year, only 500 have signed up so far. State officials have said that finding people who need help during crisis situations is often the biggest challenge, and this registration plays a key role in dealing with that problem. Emergency planners in Harris County will need to be ready to aid 65,000 people in an evacuation, based on demand during Rita, and the registry eliminates confusion and chaos in a last-minute evacuation scramble.
>> Today's weather: It's beginning to feel a lot like summer, as we've already seen this week. Today will be, well, hot - the low is 75 and the high is 90, but it might feel closer to 100. No rain, just sunshine, and some 20+ mph winds this afternoon.
Headlines may not come with honey-roasted peanuts, but they're still free:
- Houston's Duncan Cancer Center is kind of a big deal, according to the National Cancer Institute.
- Blue Creek Ranch residents were not amused by a memo from the homeowners' association president that some believe had racial overtones.
- A Baytown woman died after being impaled by a tree limb.
- A 79-year-old woman was attacked and robbed in her apartment by two teenagers yesterday.
- A motorcyclist is looking for the "Good Samaritan" who helped him after he was in an accident on the Gulf Freeway.
- CenterPoint charged a woman for changing her gas bill from her husband's name into her own - even though her husband was dead.
- A homeowner fought back against a potential car thief in southeast Houston yesterday.
- Houston has been given another long extension to meet clean air standards.
- A two-year-old boy who was being watched by his siblings nearly drowned in Friendswood.
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