Rare treat: Houstonians can watch as Space Station crosses Moon

A slice of Houston will have a chance to view a rare treat this evening.

Not only will the International Space Station make an incredibly bright, six-minute track across the sky tonight, some observers will be able to see the orbital laboratory blink across the moon.

Beginning at 6:28 p.m. the station will rise above the northwest horizon in Houston, and disappear just above the southeast horizon some six minutes later. Skies are forecast to be partly cloudy.

Along this path, for some parts of Houston all the way to Galveston, the station’s track will bring it across the face of the moon.

The following map, made by Steve Clayworth of Observable Universe, shows the approximate area from which this will be visible.

Alvin man arrested for being fake cop ...

FRIENDSWOOD, TX (KTRK) -- An Alvin man has is facing charges after investigators say he drove recklessly and when stopped, had the appearance of a law enforcement officer.

Acosta was stopped in the 100 block of W. Willowick for reckless driving. Police say Acosta was seen turning off his headlines and tail lights while making a high speed turn and driving 50 miles per hour in a 20 miles per hour zone. They say he also ran two stop signs.

Police say when an officer pulled him over, Acosta was wearing a pistol on his hip and had on a black jacket with the word 'police' on the front and back. The jacket also reportedly had a badge for an Army MP on it. Police say Acosta had a police badge on his belt and blue police lights on his car.

Acosta was disarmed until other police units arrived. He told investigators he believed he was being followed by someone.

New animal shelter opens.

Friendswood: New animal shelter opened
by Christopher Smith Gonzalez/ The Daily News
khou.com


FRIENDSWOOD, Texas — The city is still waiting on a few more cages, but Friendswood’s new animal control center is up and running.

The city’s old facility had about 1,000 square feet, said Animal Control Supervisor Craig Baker. The new building has 5,500 square feet, and once all the cages are in place the facility’s capacity for holding cats and dogs will triple.

But the city is looking for a little help.

The new facility, 3000 W. Parkwood Ave., can hold 18 dogs and 21 cats with its current kennels, Baker said. But officials are hoping to get more cages and kennels for the holding, isolation and receiving rooms, he said

Kids caught on video stealing toys from church.

ABC: Some might call it cutting out the middleman. The police call it theft.
A group of youths stole two bags’ worth of donated toys from St. Helen Catholic Church, in Pearland, Texas, during Mass on Sunday, police said. A similar theft had occurred at Mary Queen Catholic Church, in nearby Friendswood, said police.

“You’d think toys for the needy would be safe at a church,” said Lt. Onesimo Lopez of the Pearland Police Department.

Lopez, who belongs to St. Helen, said parishioners had been leaving brand-new, unopened toys at a designated area in the church’s foyer to be given to needy children at Christmas. There was an estimated $600 worth of toys in the two bags, he said.

According to a police news release, just before 11 a.m. Sunday, two girls and a boy were filmed outside the church by surveillance cameras. After Mass began at 11 a.m., the suspects were seen entering the church and walking out with the two large bags. One bag was being carried by a girl whom police estimated was between 8 and 10 years old.

They were also seen panhandling outside the church, with at least one woman giving them money.
The video shows the trio getting into a gold Chrysler minivan with tinted windows and no front license plate.

Police suspect they are part of an itinerant group of thieves targeting holiday toy donations, Lopez said. The kids didn’t look familiar to the priest or anyone else police interviewed, he said.

Lopez said no similar burglaries had occurred during the holidays in recent years. The last time police caught itinerant thieves was last summer, when two men and a woman were arrested for stealing from cars outside day care centers, he said.
Lopez said none of the tips called in had proved useful.

Friendswood teens face charges in Thanksgiving Day vandalism spree

by khou.com staff
khou.com
Posted on November 25, 2011 at 10:15 PM

FRIENDSWOOD, Texas—Three teenagers are facing felony criminal mischief charges after Friendswood police say they went on a Thanksgiving Day crime spree.

Officers were called to the Wilderness Trails Subdivision for a report of vandalism around 2:30 a.m. Thursday.

Police said they found they found three boys, ages 14 and 15, who admitted to damaging property.
The boys are suspected of hitting 17 vehicles and five mailboxes, but that number is expected to rise as people arrive home from the holiday weekend.