Cleanup under way in 462,000-gallon oil spill off Port Arthur

CNN) -- Crews removed about 46,000 gallons of oil from waters near Port Arthur, Texas, on Sunday, roughly 10 percent of the oil spilled a day earlier when a tanker collided with two barges, a U.S. Coast Guard officer said.

An estimated 462,000 gallons of crude oil leaked from barrels aboard the tanker, forcing the closure of the port in southern Texas, Petty Officer Larry Chambers told CNN. The Sabine Neches Waterway near Port Arthur also was closed. It was unclear Sunday when the port, about 100 miles east of Houston, Texas, will reopen or when crews will finish the cleanup, he said.

"We certainly want it to be done as soon as possible, but with that said, safety is the main issue," Chambers said. "We're not going to open the port until it's determined that vessels can pass through cleanly, safely and not cause any further damage."

No injuries were reported when the Exxon Mobile-chartered tanker -- the 807-foot Eagle Otome -- collided Saturday with two barges being towed by a tug boat. The tanker was carrying about 570,000 gallons of crude oil to Exxon's Beaumont refinery when it crashed, Exxon Mobile spokesman Kevin Allexon told CNN. The cause of the crash was unknown, but is under investigation, he said.

"We are very concerned about how this could have happened," Allexon said. "We are very concerned about the impact to the environment, to the community. No one wants to see this happen."

The port is primarily for industrial use, but it is not far from wetlands. None of the nearby marshes or sensitive wildlife were adversely affected, Chambers said, but one heron was "oiled." The bird was alive and undergoing treatment, he said.

An evacuation order that was imposed in a 50-block area around the port after the collision was lifted. That area was evacuated Saturday out of caution, as the tanker was carrying a type of oil containing sulfide.

Fifteen skimming vessels sailed the area recovering the oil and workers dropped more than 45,000 feet of boom -- fencing-like material -- to keep the oil from spreading, Chambers said. More than 500 people were involved in containing and cleaning the spill, said Darrell Wilson, spokesman for Malaysia-based AET Tanker Holdings, the owner of the tanker.

The biggest oil spill in U.S. history occurred in 1989 when the Exxon Valdez ran aground on a reef in the Gulf of Alaska, resulting in the spill of 11 million gallons of crude.

Traffic stop yields drug buffet

FRIENDSWOOD, TX - A Friendswood man was arrested after he was found to be in possession of Crack cocaine, powder cocaine, Soma, Xanax, and Hydrocodone at approximately 11:50 p.m. on January 13th.

James Lee Worthy, 45, was stopped in the 1500 block of Windsor after he was observed speeding on W. Parkwood. He pulled into a driveway on Windsor and got out of his truck.

Worthy was arrested after the officer found a "crack pipe" in his front pocket. Once in custody, the officer began a thorough search of Worthy's outer clothing and found some type of illegal narcotic in every pocket. During an inventory of Worthy's vehicle, the officer found more illegal narcotics.

Friendswood officers seized 22.5 grams of power cocaine, 7.2 grams of crack cocaine, 5.5 grams of Soma, 6.7 grams of Xanax and 2.1 grams of Hydrocodone. Worthy was charged with the following:

Manufacture or Delivery of Substance in Penalty Group I (HSC 481.112) - Cocaine
Possession of Substance in Penalty Group 3 (HSC 481.117) - Soma
Possession of Substance in Penalty Group 3 (HSC 481.117) - Xanax
Possession of Substance in Penalty Group 3 (HSC 481.117) - Hydrocodone

Worthy was transferred to the Galveston County jail pending posting of $84,500 bond. Worthy is a parolee with extensive criminal history.

Miles and Edwards are leading teams on hardwood

By Joshua Buckley
The Daily News
Published January 13, 2010

Brook grad Anthony Miles continues to have a strong season at Lamar, averaging a team-high 14 points to go with 5.2 rebounds in 16 games for the Cardinals. Creek grad Coy Custer is averaging 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds for Lamar (8-8, 0-1 SLC).

Friendswood grad Trey Stanton is averaging 8.2 points and 3.9 rebounds in 15 games for Rice (6-9, 0-2 C-USA). Stanton has started in 10 games for the Owls.

La Marque grad Malcolm Dotson is averaging 7.9 points, 4.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds for Texas Lutheran (2-10, 0-8 ASC).

Creek grad Lance Pevehouse is averaging 5.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 14 games for Sam Houston State (9-5, 1-0 SLC).

Friendswood grad Chelsea Edwards has UT-Dallas (10-3, 7-1 ASC) on a three-game winning streak with some strong performances. Edwards had a team-high 15 points and seven rebounds in a 67-52 win over Hardin-Simmons and 14 points in a 60-41 win at SUWBB.

For the season, Edwards is averaging 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 4.1 steals in 13 games for the Lady Comets.

Dickinson grad Brianna Hypolite is averaging 4.1 points in 14 games for Rice.

Dickinson grad Marissa Ashton is averaging 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12 games for Texas Tech (12-3, 0-1 Big 12). She is averaging 10.4 minutes a game in her freshmen season.

Dickinson grad LaChandra Johnson is averaging 10.9 points and 2.0 rebounds for Blinn College (6-7). Texas City grad Aprea Booker is averaging 4.4 points and 4.0 rebounds for the Lady Bucs.

Blackwell A Prospect To Watch

Creek grad Shawn Blackwell was named by Baseball Prospectus author Kevin Goldstein as a player to watch in the Texas Rangers organization.

When asked which Rangers prospects can potentially move into Goldstein’s “Top 11 Prospects” list in 2011, he mentioned Blackwell.

“Blackwell is a big kid with three pitches, and that is always a good starting point,” Goldstein said in an interview with Baseball Time in Arlington writer Jason Parks. “He has a very impressive arm, and he was a very nice sign for Texas. He’s a guy, much like (Jurick) Profar, who you have to give Texas a lot of credit for identifying and signing.”

Blackwell was drafted by the Rangers in the 24th round (724th overall) of the Major League Baseball first-year player draft last summer after a stellar career at Creek. He signed with the Rangers in August.

Galveston County Alumni notes are compiled by Joshua Buckley. Coaches and parents are highly encouraged to help us keep track of any Galveston County athlete in college or the pros. Contact us at 409-683-5242 or sports.desk(at)galvnews.com.

Friendswood native climbing mountain for cause

By Nick Cenegy
Contributor
Published January 5, 2010

FRIENDSWOOD — Occasionally, humanitarians are accused of being out of touch with the people they serve, trying to use “mountaintop” solutions to solve “valley” problems.

But for humanitarian and Friendswood native Elizabeth Gore and a few international celebrities and activists, mountaintop solutions are the name of the game.

The group will begin a seven-day climb Thursday up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to bring attention to a worldwide clean water crisis.

Joining Gore will be Grammy award-winning artist Kenna, actresses Jessica Biel and Isabel Lucas, rapper Lupe Fiasco, water expert Dr. Greg Allgood, and Alexandra Cousteau, granddaughter of explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

The climb and the events surrounding it, dubbed “Summit on the Summit,” was spearheaded by Los Angeles-based recording artist Kenna, an Ethiopian native.

Gore will serve as an “educator” on the climb, using her experience with the United Nations Foundation and her previous work in the Peace Corps to help convey the importance of ready sources of clean water.

The climb to Africa’s highest point, Uhuru Peak at 19,340 feet, is sponsored by Hewlett-Packard, Procter and Gamble’s PUR brand and Eddie Bauer.

It will benefit three water crisis related organizations: Children’s Safe Drinking Water, the U.N.’s refugee agency and PlayPumps International.

The group hopes to raise donations from the public as well.

People can visit the Summit on the Summit Web site at www.sum mitonthesummit.com, to follow live posts from the climbers and sponsor a leg of the climb.

“I’m so excited for the challenge and absolutely honored to represent the U.N. Foundation,” Gore said.

The Texas A&M alumna, who is currently the foundation’s executive director of global partnerships and the Nothing But Nets campaign, has been training near her Washington, D.C., home for about a year.

With temperatures on the mountain ranging from below zero to well into the 80s, “Kili” promises to be a much different experience than her upbringing on a Friendswood ranch.

“I think it’s funny they asked a woman from one of the flattest and hottest parts of the country to climb this mountain,” Gore said.

READ FULL STORY HERE

Captured escapee says prison staff helped him

by KHOU.com Staff

Posted on December 9, 2009 at 6:50 AM

CONROE, Texas—The escaped prisoner who was the focus of a week-long manhunt told a local activist that he had help from the inside. Convicted child rapist Arcade Comeaux said the weapon he used to hijack guards was in his cell for at least three weeks.

Questions still surround the prison system that allowed Comeaux to dupe authorities for years. The supposedly partially-paralyzed man managed to walk away from the guards and right into controversy.
Authorities are asking two questions; why didn’t prison officials realize Comeaux was faking his medical condition, and where did he get the gun?
Local activist Quanell X said Comeaux told him he had help from the inside.

“He named that guard and he also named someone who is involved in medical who had been giving him medical assistance,” Quanell X said.

But prison officials said Comeaux has not shared that information with investigators so there are no arrests at this time.
“This feels like the inmate is running the asylum,” said a former TDCJ staff member who remembers Comeaux clearly.
“He would sit in the food. Of course it would dry and start smelling. He refused to shower, refused to clean himself, basically saying ‘I’m immobile, I need someone to do this for me.’”

The former staff member said Comeaux orchestrated a deliberate campaign of extortion, despite medical reports that he was able to care for himself. He said Comeaux manipulated the system to get health assistance and better housing.
A grand jury on Thursday will hear the case against the convicted sex offender who was captured in northeast Houston Monday morning.
Comeaux is now facing aggravated kidnapping and felony escape charges. He was in custody in the Montgomery County Jail Tuesday, awaiting his hearing. Comeaux, who is currently serving three life sentences, was found when a salesman saw him trying to hitchhike in front of a business on East Little York.

The salesman called HPD, who came and took Comeaux into custody without incident.
Investigators said Comeaux escaped during transport from a prison unit in Huntsville to one in Beaumont.
As the prison van passed through Conroe, investigators said Comeaux pulled out a gun, held two transport guards hostage, handcuffed them in the back of the van, drove the van to Baytown, took the guards’ weapons, put on one of their uniforms and escaped.

Officials launched an extensive manhunt, but Comeaux managed to elude them for seven days before he was captured.
He had been confined to a wheelchair since 1997 when a stroke purportedly left him partially paralyzed, but when he was taken into custody, Comeaux was walking.

He has been in and out of the Texas prison system for 30 years.
Comeaux was first sent to prison in 1979 on three 10-year sentences for rape of a child, aggravated rape of a child and burglary of a building—all out of Harris County. He was paroled four years later.

His parole was revoked and he returned to prison in 1984 to serve a 20-year sentence on a new charge of indecency with a child out of Harris County. He was paroled in 1991 but was in and out of prison for parole violations until 1996.
In June 1998, he was given a life sentence for aggravated sexual assault in Brazos County.
Comeaux was given two extra life sentences after he was convicted of stabbing his wife and another person in 1999. That attack occurred in the Jester III Unit in Fort Bend County when his wife came to visit him. The other person stabbed was a man who tried to stop the attack.

Still, those at the top want to correct the miscommunication between the workers inside prison walls.

“If you are in charge of a prison, and you see there is a disputes between medical’s and correction’s, come to us and ask for laws that would eliminate the controversy, ”said John Whitmire, chairman of the senate criminal justice committee. He is calling for a full investigation of prison and medical staff.

WATCH KHOU VIDEO REPORT HERE