GALVESTON — Landry’s employees and their families put Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier workers to the test Sunday as they prepare for the official opening.
GALVESTON — Authorities from across the county gathered in Galveston to honor 29 police officers killed in the line of duty countywide since 1873. Wednesday's event was the 33rd annual Police Officers Memorial Ceremony.
GALVESTON — A bicyclist crossing Broadway was struck and killed Friday by a Galveston school bus carrying about 30 children, police and school officials said. None of the children was hurt. The accident forced police to close all three eastbound lanes of Broadway at 51st Street to investigate.
GALVESTON — The Galveston Citizens Police Academy held a ceremony Thursday, April 26, at police headquarters, commemorating its 25th Anniversary and the largest graduating class in the program's history.
GALVESTON — Two people and a dog died Wednesday afternoon after they were struck by a car while walking on Seawall Boulevard, police said. The incident is under investigation. Police released Thursday the name of one of the two pedestrians struck and killed by a driver, who was charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter.
GALVESTON — Barney Oldham wants to alert residents in the 9300 block of Seawall Boulevard that his dog was attacked by a pit bull that came from a homeless camp at an old, crumbling, brick building that apparently once housed a pump house. Police evicted the squatters. The city contacted the property owner, who promised to rectify problems with the dilapidated structure.
GALVESTON — A contractor pressure washing a roof was critically hurt after one of the metal panels gave way. He fell 60 feet at Malin International Ship Repair & Drydock, 320 77th St., police said. An ambulance rushed the man to the University of Texas Medical Branch. His name and condition weren't known.
GALVESTON — Island police have identified a a teen caught dancing on video at the scene of a March 27 burlgary in the 900 block of 33rd Street. Three men were suspected of burglarizing a Duck Tours amphibious automobile, spraying the inside of it with a fire extinguisher and then stealing the extinguisher, Galveston police Capt. Jeff Heyse said.
Police on Thursday identified the teenager after Ball High School police officers recognized his dance moves.
GALVESTON — A waterline break formed a sinkhole, trapping a Ball High School student's car parked on 43rd Street on Tuesday morning. City crews clamped the line, restoring water to the area after about a 90-minute interruption of service, the city said.
GALVESTON — Interim Police Chief Henry Porretto promoted four officers during a ceremony Friday at police headquarters. Lt. Byron Frankland was promoted to captain; Sgt. Pedro Alcocer was promoted to lieutenant; and officers Douglas Balli and Joshua Schirard were promoted to seargeants.
As thousands of tourists headed to Galveston for spring break, many found themselves in a traffic bottleneck Wednesday, as city grass cutting crews closed two of the six lanes of Broadway.
The city apologized for any inconvenience, and noted the orange cones and lane closure signs were to be removed by Wednesday evening.
Photo by Chris Paschenko
Recent rains and foggy conditions delayed crews from mowing the Broadway esplanade, Alicia Cahill, a spokeswoman for the city of Galveston, said.
The inside lanes, between 14th and 59th streets, were closed Wednesday, causing commuting delays. The city closes the lanes to ensure the safety of the workers, Cahill said.
“Mowing and weeding the esplanades, along with the removal of litter, are key to their maintenance and aesthetic appeal,” Cahill said.
GALVESTON — Several fire departments are battling a crude oil tank fire after an explosion at a petrochemical facility near Pelican Island. The explosion was heard across the island. Initial reports indicate there was a tank explosion at a facility near 51st Street and Harborside Drive. There are no reports of injuries.
GALVESTON — Island police chased a coyote to freedom early Wednesday after the animal became trapped in a fenced field on 30th Street between Church and Ball streets. The state’s exceptional drought conditions are driving coyotes to town from the island’s outskirts as they search for food and water, Galveston police Lt. Joel Caldwell said.
GALVESTON — Police are investigating a deadly, two-vehicle wreck Thursday night. A Dodge pickup and a Honda Accord collided at 28th Street and Harborside Drive shortly after 6 p.m. Police confirmed late Thursday night that the driver of the Accord died from his injuries, police Capt. Jeff Heyse said.
GALVESTON — Island police held an awards ceremony Friday honoring officers with metals of valor and other commendations for acts of bravery and service.
GALVESTON — The wreck at 40th and Ball streets occurred after the driver was shot in the head, Galveston police said. The driver remained hospitalized Wednesday morning in critical condition. Meanwhile, police charged an Angleton man who was accused of fleeing the wrecked pickup after the crash.
GALVESTON — An island resident's early morning fishing trip took a detour when police say he fell asleep at the wheel of his SUV and hit a coffee shop. Police reported no injuries or arrests in the roughly 4:30 a.m. Tuesday crash into Lasso A Latte, 500 Seawall Blvd.
GALVESTON — Interim Galveston police Chief Henry Porretto says officers raided a building Tuesday on 45th Street, which led to the seizure of more than 600 marijuana plants. It's one of the largest seizures on the island in recent memory.
GALVESTON — Death-row inmate Travis James Mullis, 25, will not appeal his death sentence, setting his execution date on a fast track. A jury convicted Mullis of capital murder for the Jan. 29, 2008, stomping death of his son, Alijah, on a berm of Galveston's seawall near East Beach.
GALVESTON — Motorcycle police officers on the island are writing speeding tickets and other citations in less than two minutes with the help of scanners and printers.
GALVESTON — Three people were hurt in a two-car crash Friday that sent one automobile into an island law office. No one inside the office was injured in the incident.
GALVESTON — A beach jogger discovered a large burlap sack Monday morning, which police said contained 55 pounds of cocaine. The man was jogging along Indian Beach, which is near De Vaca Lane on the islands West End, about 9:30 a.m. when he found the package at the waters edge, Galveston police Capt. Jeff Heyse said.
GALVESTON — A downtown resident suffered critical injuries after a fire erupted in a second-story loft in Galveston on Wednesday. A candle started the blaze, Galveston Fire Chief Jeff Smith said.
GALVESTON — Protesters picketing outside the Port of Galveston on Wednesday claim no Galveston workers were offloading a ship hauling steel. The owner of the company denied the allegation, saying local and temporary workers were used.
Police arrested three protesters on misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief and assault by contact for allegedly spitting at a bystander and throwing objects at automobiles.
GALVESTON — A grandmother from Lufkin, who was vacationing on the island accidentally drove her SUV into an island motel room. Two guests, one in each room, were hurt. Police said their injuries weren't life threatening.
GALVESTON — Part of the Cotton Exchange's granite facade crashed to the ground, prompting the city of Galveston to barricade sidewalks near the circa 1940 building's entryways. No injuries were reported in the Friday incident at 21st and Mechanic streets.
GALVESTON — An electrical fire damaged renowned Clary's Seafood Restaurant in Galveston on Monday. Owner Clary Milburn said the fire spared the kitchen and main dining room, but he didn't know how long it would take to rebuild and reopen.
GALVESTON — A man, 21, believed to be from the Houston area, went missing in the Gulf of Mexico off a Galveston beach on Thursday. The man, presumed to have drowned, was among a group of swimmers. A bystander and a lifeguard rescued three women, but the man disappeared, authorities said. The Galveston Island Beach Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard, the island marine division and firefighters searched for the man.
Two automobiles collided Thursday at Ninth Street and Broadway in Galveston, propelling one of the cars into a house. Two people were taken to the hospital as a precaution, Galveston police said. The car took out the brick column porch support, and couldn't be moved until the porch was supported again.
GALVESTON — A pedestrian suffered life-threatening injuries Wednesday when he was hit by a car. The man, 57, of Galveston was pushing a shopping cart filled with scrap metal on the Interstate 45 frontage road to a nearby recycling center. Officers investigating the mid-day wreck also witnessed a fender-bender on the I-45 main lanes.
GALVESTON — A Houston man disappeared in a rip current while swimming with a female friend on Monday in Galveston. More than 20 lifeguards with the Galveston Island Beach Patrol searched the area until dark, forming human chains in the water and using a personal watercraft. The U.S. Coast Guard continued the search at nightfall.
GALVESTON — The body of a man found washed ashore on East Beach on Monday is likely that of a teenager, who was presumed to have drowned Saturday while swimming with a group of 10 people on a Galveston beach near the 17th Street jetty.
GALVESTON — Coast Guard officials and Galveston Island Beach Patrol are searching for a swimmer who went missing at about 3 p.m. today near the 17th Street jetty. A Coast Guard helicopter and 45-foot response boat were searching for the swimmer at about 5:30 p.m. Galveston fire fighters and police officers are assisting in the search.
GALVESTON — A demolition worker was "extremely critical" after becoming trapped by a 1,000-pound concrete slab, which fell Tuesday at the Flagship Hotel. Crews were demolishing the historic structure, which was occupied before Hurricane Ike struck Galveston, to make way for planned amusement rides.
A jury sentenced Travis James Mullis, 24, to death on Monday. He was convicted of capital murder March 11 by the same jury in Judge John Ellisor's 122nd District Court in Galveston. Mullis admitted during a videotaped interview with police that he stomped on his 3-month-old son's head, because it was the only way to keep Alijah from crying.
GALVESTON — Police Capt. Jeff Heyse said investigators suspect foul play in the Feb. 27 death of a 2-year-old child, who was found unresponsive and not breathing when police arrived at his home. An officer performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the boy, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital. Police hadn't made an arrest in the case as of Monday.
GALVESTON — Volunteers from the Marine Mammal Stranding Network rescued a pygmy sperm whale found thrashing about in the surf Wednesday on the West End. It was taken to a holding tank by the network. After consulting with its veterinarian, the network decided to euthanize the mammal to end its suffering, Heidi R. Whitehead, state coordinator for the network, said.
Galveston police seized dogs from homes Friday in the 4200 block of Broadway and the 3600 block of Sealy. The home on Broadway had up to 4 inches of feces inside, police said.
Two people were injured Friday in another crash at an intersection known for T-bone collisions. Galveston police worked the same kind of crash about 15 hours earlier at the same spot, 61st Street and the Interstate 45 frontage road. Among the many wrecks reported each year at the intersection, drivers told police they are confused by the traffic light configuration.
A delivery truck driver forgot to set the parking brake on a truck advertising liquor, and it rolled across five lanes of Seawall Boulevard traffic Thursday in Galveston, police said. No injuries were reported. Read the full story in Friday's edition.
Three people were injured Thursday in another wreck at a Galveston intersection known for its T-bone collisions. Drivers headed eastbound on the Interstate 45 frontage road have in the past told police that they're confused by the traffic light configuration at 61st Street.
Two green lights direct frontage road traffic toward the beach, while a third light stops straight-through traffic. Drivers at times believe they have the right of way and run the red light, striking northbound traffic on 61st Street. Read the full story in Friday's edition.
Ice developed early Friday on the Galveston Causeway, causing several wrecks as fast moving automobiles slid into guardrails. Galveston police officers closed all but one lane in each direction. Texas Department of Transportation trucks sanded the middle lane, and slow moving traffic had little trouble traversing the frozen bridge that connects Galveston to the Mainland.
A man was taken to the hospital after a Thursday chase that started near 19th Street and continued onto Seawall Boulevard until the car crashed into a high curb at 13th Street and Avenue L. Police said the driver, who could face felony charges, was taken by ambulance to the University of Texas Medical Branch. Galveston narcotics officers searched the car, which police said struck two other parked automobiles during the chase.
Galveston police posted fliers Friday and advertised a cash reward for a tip that leads to the arrest in the shooting death of a contractor Christopher Demangin, who was killed Jan. 14 while working on a waterfront home.
Smoke billowing hundreds of feet into the sky came from a salvaged shrimp boat that caught fire Wednesday morning at a dock near Harborside Drive in Galveston. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Galveston police seek a suspect in the island's first homicide of 2011. Police were called Friday to a waterfront home and found a man, believed to be a contractor working on the house, dead of gunshot wounds in the backyard. The home was undergoing post-Hurricane Ike repairs.
Dozens of people reported hearing an explosion in Galveston at about noon Wednesday. So far, city fire crews have not found the source of the boom and there are no reports of fires or explosions in Galveston.
Galveston Fire Chief Jeff Smith said several of his crews were checking possible locations of the reported blast, but had not found anything. It was during that search that an Island Transit bus collided with an SUV on 61st Street.
Smith said believes the boom is either a large transformer or aviation related, but the source had not been confirmed. There are no reports of mass power outages in Galveston either.
There are also no reports of fire or explosions at any of the Texas City chemical plants across the bay from Galveston.
UPDATE: We spoke with Hud Hopkins, the director of Scholes International Airport, and he said that he checked with his flight controllers in the tower and there were no jets in the area at the time of the reported boom. He said the pilot sof the F-16's that normally fly out of Ellington Field would make contact with the tower to report being in the area.
GALVESTON — The driver of a 2002 Ford Explorer crashed through a plate glass door at Autozone, 3602 Broadway, at 2:02 p.m. Thursday. No injuries were reported. The driver had a foot on the brake, but it slipped onto the accelerator, Galveston police said. Employees were the only people in the store at the time, police said.
The driver of a container truck escaped injury Monday after his truck became tangled in power lines in Galveston. More than 1,000 customers were without power and a section of Interstate 45 feeder road was closed following the incident.
About Chris Paschenko
Chris Paschenko, a native of Birmingham, Ala., moved to Texas in 2007 with his wife and covers public safety and courts for The Daily News.
Paschenko began his newspaper career in 1996 at The Birmingham News and also worked at the Opelika-Auburn News and Decatur Daily in Alabama.
