Free Republic

Texans bought land in Brazoria County looking for solitude. Then they heard about the monkeys. Last year, a $12 billion biomedical research firm quietly bought more than 500 acres of land in a sleepy corner of the county and shared a plan to house up to 43,200 monkeys on the property. Now, the neighbors want them out. “How much racket does 43,000 monkeys make?” asked Jason Robert, a shrimper who owns about 1,100 acres near the plot. “I’m sure they’re not quiet.” “I thought this would be a place to get away from everything,” said John Stern, a retired veterinarian...

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The SH-288 toll lanes are open and you'll have to pay to use them starting today. Until now, the fees had been waived. Adjustable pricing is based on time of day and volume of traffic. In other words, if the lanes get too congested, toll prices will increase to control traffic. "I think you have to realize that the tolls will be managed based on time of day. If you're in the tolls during peak, it will cost a little more. If you're driving off peak, it will be less. And that's how they're designed," said...

I’m looking for Brazoria County Texas residents who are fed up with these mask orders

A Texas prison major resigned under investigation last week amid accusations he orchestrated planting two screwdrivers in an inmate's cell, possibly as part of a disciplinary quota scheme revealed last month through a leaked email. Four other Ramsey Unit officers were fired in connection with the investigation at the Brazoria County lockup, according to Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jeremy Desel. "Effective March 10, 2018, each Sergeant will be required to turn in at least two (2) cases written by officers for a Level 2 Code 35 'Unauthorized Storage of Property,'" he wrote. "Two each day is my requirement....

Newly declassified documents from the FBI show Brazoria County is home to an alleged Islamist training compound. Papers obtained by the Clarion Project reveal a camp near Sweeny known as “Mahmoudberg” -- one of 22 owned by the group Muslims of the Americas. Local residents have reported hearing gunfire, and police investigated a shooting involving MOA members in 2002. “Until authorities get some information that they're planning to engage in violence to carryout their ideas, there is nothing illegal about it,” says terror expert Jeffrey Addicott at St. Mary's University in San Antonio. However, MOA members in the past have...

BRAZORIA COUNTY, Texas -- Jubal Alexander was taking after his father working in chemical plants across Texas.The father and son just had dinner together days before his son was murdered and decapitated in Angleton."They cut my son's head off and they took my son's head. Who would do that? I don't understand,” his father told KTRK. “I couldn't even see my son. They won't even let me see him."Alexander was sleeping in his truck under a bridge in Angleton.The 24-year-old was trying to save up money for bills working at a local chemical plant as a pipe fitter.Friends and family...

Angleton and Brazosport Republican Women’s clubs held a political forum this past weekend and invited all candidates for the upcoming elections to speak. Ron Paul chose not to attend, but Bruce Bolock asked to speak for Mr. Paul at the meeting (Mr. Bolock is the leader of the Brazoria County Campaign for Liberty… ie -Ron Paul’s political group). This request was denied because the floor was only open to candidates who were present. Although visibly angry, Mr. Bolock did not protest for long. Members of my family actually have had personal experience with the less than cordial attitude of Mr....

NACOGDOCHES — The rows of extra chairs brought into the The Fredonia's biggest meeting room Thursday night were not enough to accommodate more than 750 people who attended an open house and public hearing on the proposed TTC-69 highway. Texas Department of Transportation officials heard hours of public testimony that continued late into the night overwhelmingly opposed to the construction of new roadways through East Texas. Applause throughout the hours-long meeting never swelled as loudly as it did when the first speaker of the night, state Rep. Wayne Christian, told TxDOT representatives emphatically that "our answer is 'no' on the...

WEST COLUMBIA — When private property gets in the way of a road project, its owners will be moving out of the way, one way or another, in almost every case. With a widening of Highway 36 on the horizon and state and federal officials ready to drive the Trans-Texas Corridor through the Lone Star State, many land-owning Texans are preparing to defend their property from their own government. Brazoria County residents troubled by the looming eminent domain fights came to the Gulf Coast Christian Center on Saturday morning to voice their views to Tom Lizardo, chief of staff for...

Construction of the Trans-Texas Corridor is a long way off, but Texas Department of Transportation officials are letting people in areas affected by the project speak up now. The project, an extension of Interstate 69, will run from Texarkana to Laredo with a branch in the Corpus Christi area heading south toward Brownsville, Department of Transportation spokesman Norm Wigington said. Brazoria County and Houston are in areas expected to be affected by construction and operation of the roadway, slated for completion sometime in the next 50 years. It’s not clear what that impact of the highway will be, but the...

ANGLETON — Development of an interstate highway connecting the United States with bordering countries could improve the economy of Brazoria County, some city and county officials and business owners were told Thursday. During the quarterly Economic Development Alliance of Brazoria County luncheon at the Angleton Recreation Center, Anne Culver, executive director of the I-69 Alliance, updated attendees about the alliance’s work and the status of the Interstate 69 development. “Any major new infrastructure, even if it’s not located right down the middle of Brazoria County, it’s going to benefit Brazoria County,” Culver said after the luncheon. “It’s going to have...

The political grass roots closest to the soil — precinct chairs — are enjoying some time in the sun because of their role in selecting a Republican congressional nominee to succeed Tom DeLay. Most of the time, precinct chairs labor anonymously in the unglamorous elective positions that typically are won uncontested if anyone seeks them at all. But for now, the precinct leaders have one of the hottest jobs in local politics. "We've been discovered," said Harris County precinct chair Kathy Haigler. "We are the lowest level of public officials that exist. We are the last ones on the ballot....