Shuttle Crew Makes Landing Preparations

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 02:06:04 AM CDT

The crew was awakened at 2:03 a.m. EDT to the sounds of “I Got You Babe,” performed by Sonny and Cher. The song was a special request for Koichi Wakata, the first Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut to serve as a long-duration resident of the station. Wakata spent 133 days as an Expedition 18, 19 and 20 crew member, and will be returning home after 138 days in space.

Early in the day, STS-127 Commander Mark Polansky and Pilot Doug Hurley will test the thruster jets and aerodynamic control surfaces that will be used to guide Endeavour to a landing planned for 10:48 a.m. Friday. Flight Director Bryan Lunney and the entry team of flight controllers will be in Mission Control to monitor the tests.

Once those checks are complete, the crew will deploy two pairs of small satellites.

Feds Bust Medicare Fraud Ring In Houston Area

HOUSTON—Federal authorities arrested 27 people in Houston Wednesday in a major Medicare fraud bust that spanned across the country.

Medicare fraud raid

Investigators claim the suspects were scamming Medicare by falsely billing for medical items that were not needed or never used.

Arrests were also made in New York, Boston and Louisiana. In all, 32 people were taken into custody.

More than 200 agents worked on Wednesday’s $16 million bust, which included 12 search warrants at health care businesses and homes across the Houston area.

One of those businesses was Memorial Medical Supply on Dairy Ashford and I-10.

Shocked employees were met by federal agents when they arrived at work.

Federal agents raided several locations in Houston after a nationwide investigation into Medicare fraud.
The agents confiscated paperwork and a computer.

They were also seen removing boxes of evidence from the business.

Federal authorities say the businesses were giving patients “arthritis kits,” which were nothing more than expensive orthotics, including knee and shoulder braces. Patients told authorities they were unnecessary, and many never used them. But health care clinic owners billed $3,000 - $4,000 for each kit.

Houston’s other scam involved billing Medicare for thousands of dollars worth of liquid food for patients who can’t eat solids. Authorities said clinic owners never distributed the food to patients. In some cases, clinic owners billed patients who were dead when they allegedly received the items.

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Regents point the way on college budget

Regents point the way on college budget

Updated: 07.24.09
The Alvin Community College Board of Regents provided direction to administrators to complete the 2009-2010 Maintenance and Operations Budget at a regular meeting immediately following a budget workshop on July 23.

The proposed 2009-2010 budget of $23,930,941 represents a 3.45 percent increase over last year and will include funds for two new instructors, to address the growth in dual credit courses at local high schools, a salary step adjustment for eligible employees and a two percent salary adjustment only for approximately 76 full-time employees who have no more step increase options due to their long length of employment and qualifications.

The balance of the increase “has a lot to do with fixed costs…that we don’t have any control over (such as utilities, fees, insurance, etc.),” ACC President Dr. Rodney Allbright said.

Due to the approval of Texas House Bill 4586 in June, ACC recently received $2,358,771 in natural disaster relief funds from the state to address damage caused by Hurricane Ike, Allbright reported.

“This is really good news,” he stated. “We didn’t receive enough insurance to cover the reconstruction.”

In an effort to save money, the college has been acting as general contractor for the campus reconstruction project and recently completed Building A.

Prior to finalizing and approving the budget and college district tax rate, regents are waiting for the Brazoria County Appraisal District to issue a certified effective tax rate.

Allbright recommended that the board call for a special meeting as soon as the effective tax rate is established in order to meet numerous legal requirements prior to anticipated budget approval near the end of August.

The budget is funded by three main sources, including state appropriations, tuition and fees and local tax revenues.

In other matters, ACC Broadcast Communications Department Chair Bill Lewis made a presentation to the board in preparation for the upcoming Southern Association of Colleges and Schools reaffirmation of accreditation, which is required every 10 years. Lewis provided information regarding the training, certificates and degree options currently offered in radio and television broadcasting at the college.

“As someone who does a lot of listening on the outside,” ACC Board Chairman L. H. “Pete” Nash said to Lewis, “you guys have a really excellent reputation.”

For the next approximately 15 months, presentations will be made to board members that will cover the programs and services available at ACC. Information from these presentations will be included in the application for reaffirmation.

Plane Crashes in La Porte

By Nakia Cooper / KHOU.com
La Porte, Texas -- La Porte residents are surprised when a plane falls out of the air and lands on their lawn.

La Porte police were called to the 10,600 block of North H Street for reports of a plane that crash landed in a backyard.

Investigators say the experimental single engine aircraft had just taken off from the La Porte Municipal Airport when it dropped out of the sky.

The pilot said he lost control of the aircraft after the plane failed to gain altitude.

The left wing clipped some trees and the plane went down, crashing into a nearby backyard.

Residents ran over to over to help the pilot who had broken his leg.

The pilot was airlifted to Memorial Hermann by PHI helicopter for emergency treatment.

Rescuers said the pilot also appeared to suffer head trauma.

FAA and DPS are investigating.

No one on the ground was injured.

Shuttle lifts off at last after five delays

Endeavour hit by foam during ascent; Senate confirms NASA’s new chief

NASA TV
The shuttle Endeavour rises into the skies above its Florida launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday.


Shuttle Endeavour begins orbital trip

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - After more than a month's delay, the space shuttle Endeavour and seven astronauts thundered into orbit Wednesday on a flight to the international space station, hauling up a veranda for Japan's enormous lab and looking to set a record for the biggest crowd in space.

Success came on launch try No. 6, on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the liftoff of man's first moon landing.

Eight or nine pieces of foam insulation came off the external fuel tank during liftoff, and the shuttle was hit at least two or three times, said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's space operations chief. Some scuff marks were spotted on the belly, but that probably is coating loss and considered minor, he said.

In fact, Mission Control told the astronauts Wednesday night that the damage — which occurred not quite two minutes into the flight — looked to be less extensive than what occurred on the last flight.

Engineers immediately began reviewing all the launch pictures, standard procedure ever since flights resumed following the Columbia disaster. Gerstenmaier said zoom-in photos will be taken of the entire shuttle right before it docks with the space station Friday, to ascertain whether it suffered any serious damage. It will take days to go through all the data.

"The bottom line is we saw some stuff," said Mike Moses, chairman of the mission management team. "Some of it doesn't concern us. Some of it you just can't really speculate on right now. But we have the tools in front of us and the processes in front of us to go clear this vehicle for entry" at the end of the month.

At a news conference, Gerstenmaier noted that the Endeavour crew has shuttle repair kits on board. In case of irreparable damage, the astronauts could move into the space station for two to three months and await rescue by another shuttle.

Columbia was destroyed during re-entry in 2003 because of a hole in its wing, left there by flyaway foam at liftoff.

Endeavour blasted off a little after 6 p.m. ET from its seaside pad — the same one used to launch Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969. The launch was a welcome sight for shuttle workers who had to overcome hydrogen gas leaks last month and, since the weekend, thunderstorms.

Endeavour's Launch "No Go" Due to Weather

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 06:03:28 PM CDT

Officials at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida have called off today's liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour due to inclement weather. Cumulus clouds and lightning violated rules for launching Endeavour because of weather near the Shuttle Landing Facility. The runway would be needed in the unlikely event that Endeavour would have to make an emergency landing back at Kennedy.

Endeavour's next launch attempt is 6:51 p.m. EDT Monday. NASA TV coverage will begin at 1:30 p.m.

Space Shuttle Endeavor Set To Launch After Lightning Strike

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida (CNN) -- NASA began preparing for a launch of space shuttle Endeavour on Sunday, a day after liftoff was postponed over concerns of possible effects from a lightning storm.

External tank fueling began just before 10 a.m. Sunday, with a planned launch time of 7:13 p.m., NASA said.

"The forecast is 70 percent 'go' for liftoff," the space agency said on its Web site.

Endeavour had been scheduled to take off at 7:39 p.m. Saturday.

Eleven lightning strikes hit within a half-mile of the launch pad Friday night, Mike Moses, the space shuttle program integration manager, told reporters Saturday.

Spaceflight Now | STS-127 Shuttle Report | Lightning delays Endeavour launch

Spaceflight Now | STS-127 Shuttle Report | Lightning delays Endeavour launch

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Lightning from a severe thunderstorm that rolled over the Kennedy Space Center on Friday, July 10 caused NASA to postpone the launch of space shuttle Endeavour, originally planned for Saturday, to allow engineers additional time to ensure the strikes at pad 39A didn't harm onboard systems.

This gallery of images from a camera positioned near the pad to capture the launch caught the dramatic lightning show.




Photo credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News

Cricket Slogs, Yorkers and Mullygrubbers?

By THAYER EVANS CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT
July 7, 2009, 2:43PM
1 2 3

Jimmy Loyd For the Chronicle

With each towering shot, Jonathan Gibson smiled almost embarrassingly.
He was hitting shots that went well over the heads of those in a parking lot at the University of Houston-Clear Lake that was being used as a makeshift cricket field.

As he did, a man with a microphone announced, “Excellent shot!” and “That’s a gain of six.”
But after Gibson finished batting, he didn’t have the slightest notion of what he had just accomplished.
“I have no idea,” said Gibson, 27, a computer lab manager at UH-Clear Lake. “I actually got a little bit embarrassed and tried to hit it a little softer.”

Gibson was among 50 people who attended a recent cricket inauguration at the university. It was held to promote the sport and the Indian Students Association’s ninth annual cricket tournament at the school.
The event’s pool play started late last month and runs through July 17. The quarterfinals start July 18 and the finals are Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m.

“Back in India, cricket is more than a passion and less than a religion,” said Sai Krishna, 21, president of the Indian Students Association, who is from Andhra Pradesh, India. “We want to make all of the students at the (University of Houston-Clear Lake) feel back home.”

Cricket is perhaps the world’s second-most popular sport behind soccer, but it is not popular in the United States.
“This is easier than baseball,” Krishna said. “Just hit the ball and run. That’s it.”
Interest in the cricket tournament at UH-Clear Lake only continues to increase.
This year, 12 teams with names such as the Karachi Rockets, Mumbai Indians and Hell Boys are competing in the tournament, Krishna said. Last year, there were eight teams.


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Updated: Houston Area 4th of July Fireworks Events

HOUSTON—The 4th of July means fireworks across the U.S. and Houston is no exception.

There are dozens of celebrations in our area, but the largest is the Freedom over Texas festival this weekend. It is presented by Shell.

The free event is at Eleanor Tinsley Park. This year, organizers are honoring Houston’s military heroes and the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. Country singer, Texas native Clay Walker will be the main act. He will take the stage at 8 p.m. Right after that at 9:30, fireworks will light the sky.

If you’re thinking about heading there you should know about some road that will be closed.

On Thursday, a couple of lanes along Allen Parkway were closed. They include roads between Taft Street and downtown.

Also, starting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Allen Parkway will be completely closed to traffic.

If you’re in The Woodlands, there are several events where you can celebrate.

First there is the Star-Spangled Salute which is being held Friday night at the Cynthia Wood Mitchell Pavilion.

You’ll hear patriotic music presented by the Houston Symphony.

Friday at 9 a.m. you can see the South Montgomery Parade which runs through The Woodlands Town Center and Market Street.

Finally, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. you can head to the Red, Hot and Blue Festival and Fireworks Extravaganza at Town Green Park and Waterway Square.

There’s also a lot to celebrate in Fort Bend County Saturday, July 4 th.

In Sugar Land, the festivities include The Red White and Blue Fest at Oyster Creek Park. Those events begin Saturday and run from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The city of Stafford and the Fort Bend Symphony will celebrate by treating the public to a free patriotic concert.

Freedom Rings 2009 will be held at the Stafford Centre and starts at 5 p.m.

In Missouri City, the public is being treated to a July 4 celebration at Buffalo Run Park.

The fun begins at 5:30 p.m. and the fireworks blare into the night sky at 9.

Chevy Freedom Over Texas Fireworks
Location: Eleanor Tinsley Park
website: www.chevysfreedomovertexas.com
This is by far the largest celebration in the city of Houston, and the fireworks display is one of the biggest in the state. Montgomery Gentry will headline. The festival starts at 4 p.m. with performances by local acts. If you don't feel like braving the crowds, you don't have to miss our on the fun; just tune in to ABC13 from the solitude of your couch.

The Houston Symphony 4th of July Celebration
Location: Miller Outdoor Theatre, Herman Park
Led by principal pops conductor Michael Krajewski. Enjoy an All-American salute to commemorate Independence Day, and end the evening with fireworks presented by the Miller Theatre Advisory Board.

Sam Houston Race Park
website: www.shrp.com
The park celebrates Independence Day with special family-friendly activities and a spectacular fireworks display.

Firecracker Hotbox
Location: Gulf Greyhound Park
website: www.gulfgreyhound.com
Come see some of the nation's hottest greyhounds compete.

Kemah Boardwalk
website: www.kemahboardwalk.com
The 4th of July fireworks launch at 9:30 p.m.

SplashTown Fireworks Spectacular
website: www.splashtownpark.com
The park sends up the explosives after dusk.