Good morning, Houston. 'Tis the season for strange missing persons reports: In Tyler, the latest individual to go missing is a 42-foot-tall snowman. The inflatable snowman was last seen at a Tyler tree farm Friday night; the tree lot's owner, Royce Wisenbaker, told the AP that he believes it was hoisted over a fence and carted away. The snowman is worth about $10,000, and a $1,000 reward has been posted for information leading to its recovery — we're guessing it shouldn't be all that hard to find.
>> Barricade for Metro's light rail plan?: Federal Transportation Administration officials have asked Metro to re-apply for preliminary engineering approval for its North and Southeast light rail lines because the agency switched its plans from bus rapid transit to full light rail. Metro has to update its forecasts and capital cost estimates, and then it must submit a totally new application for federal funding — an application that has to be approved before construction begins if Metro plans to use federal money for the projects. The news means construction on the lines could be postponed; a Metro spokesman told KHOU that the agency is still evaluating the effect the request may have on the project timeline.
>> Truck driver killed in fall: A truck driver was killed early Tuesday when his tractor-trailer fell from a Highway 290 overpass and burst into flame. The accident happened around 2:15 a.m., when the driver was eastbound on 290 near Kickapoo Road; investigators said the driver ran over a median, hit a metal guardrail and concrete retaining wall, then plunged off the overpass and landed on a grassy area below, where it caught fire. The driver was killed at the scene, and police are still investigating the crash.
> Third man confesses in coke case: The third of four men suspected of stealing cocaine from a DPS lab in Jersey Village pleaded guilty yesterday, while the fourth chose to go to trial. Tommy Norris, 34, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance in exchange for a 25-year sentence; he and the three other men are accused of taking more than 26 kilograms of cocaine from the lab, replacing it with a lookalike substance and planning to sell it. The fourth man, 42-year-old Everett Brumfield, is scheduled to go to trial Jan. 28.
>> Today's weather: Looks like another beautiful afternoon ahead: plenty of sunshine and a high of 73. Tonight, skies will remain mostly clear and temperatures will fall to near 50.
Your mom says you should read the rest of this morning's headlines ...
- Harris County commissioners are considering a proposal to expand the Grand Parkway as a toll toad that would cut through five counties and cost more than $5 billion
- On today's City Council agenda: $63,600 for "fat tapper bags" designed to keep people from pouring cooking fat down the drain
- A prison officer's failure to follow established procedures gave two felons the opportunity to escape in Huntsville in September, a report on the incident says
- U.S. Rep. Al Green of Houston has introduced a bill condemning the use of nooses
- The Harris County D.A.'s office has launched a criminal investigation into financial problems at the Houston Police Officers' Union
- DPS detectives already had their eyes on two men shot and killed by Joe Horn, the Pasadena man who thought they were robbing his neighbor's house
- Want to smoke in Sugar Land? Better light up before Dec. 31, when the city's smoking ban will take effect
- A 22-year-old man was severely injured when he was hit by a vehicle while walking along Highway 90 in Missouri City early Tuesday morning
- A man walking his dog in Galveston found a badly decomposed body Monday morning
- Researchers at Rice and M.D. Anderson have re-engineered an anti-cancer drug to specifically target gastrointestinal tumors
- Metro has opened two new area offices to address southeast and East End residents' concerns about proposed light rail lines
- AT&T will develop a system for Texas that will help the state track "special needs" evacuees
- An alliance of groups has filed suit to stop coastal wind farms from being constructed in South Texas
- Big fan of gingerbread? Head to the Omni Hotel — but remember, their gingerbread villages are for lookin', not eatin'
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Why you gotta bring my mama into the Morning Roundup? What she ever done to you?