Free Republic

As predictably as the arrival of the seasons, San Francisco decided to jump into the debate over North Carolina’s new privacy law less than 48 hours after it was signed. Rather than commenting on it or criticizing the message, the city elders decided to punish North Carolina by banning any official government travel to the state except in cases where it can’t be avoided.

Two police officers fired gunshots at suspects who reportedly opened fire on them early Tuesday morning in southwest Houston. No injuries were reported. The shootout occurred about 3:30 a.m. at 6400 Hillcroft near Sands Point Drive, according to the Houston Police Department. Police said preliminary information indicates shots were fired on the uniformed officers by people in a passing car. The officers returned fire. No one was wounded in the gunfire. The suspects were caught and taken into custody.

KEMAH, Texas (AP) - Police say a man arrested in a Southeast Texas city for riding his unicycle in the nude was distracting drivers and creating a hazard. Kemah (KEE'-muh) police Chief Greg Rikard (RY'-kurd) says 45-year-old Joseph Glynn Farley was not intoxicated or impaired when he was arrested Wednesday on a bridge in the city 20 miles southeast of Houston.

2009 Blessing of the Fleet The 41st annual “Blessing of the Shrimp and Pleasure Boat Fleet” will be held Sunday May 3, at 2:00 on the Clear Creek Channel, along the Kemah Boardwalk. Colorfully decorated shrimp boats and pleasure craft will file past the Cadillac “Authentic Mexican Restaurant” where they will be blessed by the officiating priest and minister. Hurricane Ike took a devastating toll on our area especially the local shrimpers.  Their livelihood was directly affected and many have yet to recover.  Therefore, our main focus this year will be to help them in their recovery efforts.  Bring...

County residents next week will have a chance to air concerns to state lawmakers and area leaders about Hurricane Ike recovery efforts. The committee on Hurricane Ike will meet at 10 a.m. Jan. 7 at the Galveston Island Convention Center, allowing the public to tell state lawmakers and area leaders what issues and obstacles they face almost four months after the storm struck Southeast Texas on Sept. 13, causing catastrophic flooding from storm surge and displacing thousands of people from their homes. The storm was the third most destructive to ever make landfall in the United States. The committee has...

Kemah Boardwalk partially reopens. The Boardwalk Bullet is up and running! Check it out!One of Kemah's greatest assets is its location on Galveston Bay. The Bay and Kemah waterfront draw visitors to Kemah from throughout the world. Hurricane Ike’s storm surge caused roughly $450 million in damage to Kemah homes, businesses and city infrastructure, this does not include the Kemah Boardwalk or Marina. Many restaurants and business have already re-opened and the Boardwalk is opening a few restaurants at a time should be in full swing well before spring break "Better than ever"!

Friday, they prepared for the worst. Saturday, they watched and waited. What they saw Sunday was not good. "We're affected right now, huge," Landry's Restaurants chief Tilman Fertitta said after a hurricane assessment meeting with a dozen of his executives Tuesday.

HOUSTON -- Counties that were saddled with chaos and traffic-choked highways before Hurricane Rita are defying an order from Gov. Rick Perry to empower one person to make evacuation decisions during a disaster. Instead, a group of elected Gulf Coast leaders adopted a different plan Tuesday that puts the authority in the hands of a 15-person committee _ even though the ultimate power to evacuate still rests with individual counties.

Maurice "Termite" Watkins and Texas State Rep. Larry Taylor of District 24 Maurice "Termite" Watkins and Mayor Pro-Tem of Kemah Kelly Williams Maurice "Termite" Watkins Looking for an inspirational speaker? We found a former world title contender, car salesman in Houston Texas, a pest exterminator in Baghdad, and a boxing coach of Iraq Olympic contenders who became a one man promoter of the people of Iraq's fight for freedom It is hardly any wonder that Maurice "Termite" Watkins will be coming to a cinema screen near you soon telling the true and inspirational story of one Christian American and one...

I'll make a deal. If politicians will follow two simple rules, I'll put the blame game under a two-week moratorium. • Rule #1: If you're not one of the elected officials who has operational responsibilities, do NOT elbow your way into a news conference simply for the pleasure of getting face time with a television camera. We need to hear details from the governor, the county judges, the mayors. We don't need to hear every member of Congress or City Council congratulate each other for the wonderful work they're doing. We don't even need to hear from the majority leader,...

KEMAH, TX — In the early 1990s, Kemah Fire Chief Larry Suniga was working as an inspector for an insurance company and serving with the Webster Volunteer Fire Department. He was also going through a divorce. Suniga decided that he needed to spend more time with his two young children. To do so, he would have to go back to school. He began to think about a future in firefighting. He was certain that fire prevention would be an important aspect of the business, so he enrolled in every class and earned every certification he could. He committed about two...

Old Man Winter pays county a visit By TJ Aulds The Daily News Published December 25, 2004 Let it snow. The promise of a white Christmas arrived late Friday night just as many were headed home from Christmas Eve gatherings or to midnight mass. While most of the county received a good dusting of snow throughout the day Christmas Eve, the heaviest of the white stuff blanketed most of the county shortly before 10 p.m. With the snow and icey road conditions came a flurry of accidents. Texas City, La Marque police departments responded to a high number of accidents...

Thank you for your help during this busy election cycle. It paid off in a big way! Galveston County Republicans not only picked up two more county-wide seats, but also helped get President George W. Bush reelected and increased the Republican majority in both the U.S. and State Senate and House of Representatives. It's was time to celebrate and we did! We had a grand 'ole celebration party on Friday, November 19, 2004 at the Wayne Johnson Community Center at Carbide Park. Carbide Park is located at 4102 Main Street (FM 519) in LaMarque, Texas. Was glad to see all...

CEO casts his net for downtown City, Fertitta bank on Kemah theme By ALLAN TURNER Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle Meet the P.T. Barnum of fried shrimp. With the chutzpah of a sideshow barker, Tilman Fertitta, the one-time seller of women's dresses and vitamins, has used Ferris wheels, aquariums, miniature trains, dancing waiters and mechanical gorillas to transform two sleepy Houston-area seafood eateries into an international restaurant empire. A boaster, a benefactor, a friend of Bill Clinton, Fertitta has propelled his Landry's Restaurants Inc., which also owns Joe's Crab Shack, Willie G's and Rainforest Cafe, to revenues topping $756 million. Recent...