Houston man charged in cold case murders.

by khou.com staff
khou.com
Posted on August 25, 2010 at 10:22 AM
Updated today at 10:54 AM
HOUSTON – A man long-suspected of killing a Houston woman and an infant in 1984 was finally arrested and charged this week.

Charles Leon Smith, 56, is charged with capital murder in the slayings of 23-year-old Pamela Clarence and 1-month-old Tashona Clarence.

Twenty-six years have passed since the young mother and her baby were killed in their home in the 4300 block of Rogers, but even after the case went cold, investigators never gave up.

The murders occurred on August 2, 1984. Police said Smith and Clarence were in a relationship at the time and had recently had a child together.
But that night, when Smith went to visit his girlfriend, investigators believe Pamela Clarence confronted Smith about another relationship.
Police said Clarence had discovered Smith had another girlfriend, who’d just given birth to Smith’s son.

When Clarence told Smith they should end their relationship, police believe he snapped.
Investigators said Smith strangled Pamela Clarence with an electrical cord and then smothered Tashona with a pillow.

The bodies were later found by concerned family members.
From the beginning of the investigation, police said they thought Clarence knew her killer, and they originally identified Smith as one of two suspects in the murders.
But investigators were unable to collect enough evidence to charge either suspect, and case went cold, lost among more than 700 other killings in Houston that year.

Then, when HPD cold case investigators reviewed the murders this year and again identified Smith as a suspect, things changed.
Police said Smith was taken into custody on August 23 and confessed to his role in the crimes.
He was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning, and was behind held in the Harris County Jail without bond.


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Marathon & Dominion to pay 6 million

HOUSTON -- Marathon Oil and Dominion Oklahoma Texas Exploration and Production will pay $6.9 million to resolve claims the two Houston-based energy companies separately underpaid natural gas royalties to the government and Native Americans.

The Justice Department announced the settlement Friday in Washington. Dominion Oklahoma Texas Exploration and Production Inc. will pay $2.2 million and Marathon Oil Co., $4.7 million.
Most of the settlement money will be distributed to federal, state and American Indian accounts affected by the underpayments. More than $1.8 million will go to heirs of a whistleblower who filed the suit in Beaumont.
Companies are required to report to the Interior Department the value of natural gas produced from their federal and Indian leases monthly. A percentage of that value is paid as royalties.

Houston Area Forecast: 100% Chance of Meteors

After a week-ling lead-up, tonight, August 12/13, 2010, is finally the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower. Wit this event, meteor season 2010 will kick off in a big way.

Every August, Earth passes through the stretch of space junk shed by comet Swift-Tuttle, reaching the deepest concentration of debris tonight. According to some estimates, under ideal conditions (dark country skies), one can expect to see 60 meteors per hour. The reason the meteors are called Perseids is because the meteors seem to radiate from the constellation Perseus. The best time to view the shower is in the pre-dawn hours, with 3-5am being best.

Don't want to stay up that late? Don't worry, Perseus rises in the Northeast around midnight and will climb higher as the night progresses. However, unless one lives out in the country, the early post-midnight hours will probably involve Perseus being low in a light pollution dome. To improve odds of seeing meteors, travel out of light-polluted Cleveland and to the suburbs or, even better, the country if you can. In the suburbs, just going from the front to back yard can make a dramatic difference as this will eliminate glare from those pesky street/house lights to a large extent.

Two things can ruin the meteor shower: clouds and the Moon. The clouds? Well, that's a regional thing. Check your local Clear Sky Clock to see what the clouds have in store for your location tonight. For us Northeast Ohioans, tonight is looking good. As for the Moon, that's an Earth-wide issue. The good news is that, this year, the Moon is just a few days past new, which means that there will be no Moon up during the time of the meteor shower. There will be a slight lunar glow in the South (opposite Perseus), but this will disappear about midnight, which is about the time Perseus clears the Northeast horizon.

So how about viewing tips?

First, plan to stay out awhile, as it takes the human eye about 15 minutes to get optimal night vision capability. The bad news is that, even one bright flash of white light will wipe out night vision, requiring you to start the process all over again. Next, grab a lawn chair or, even better, a lounge-type chair. Trying to lean back with a straight-back lawn chair can be a pain in the neck, literally! Eyes ready for dark and with something to sit/lay on, settle in for a night of hopeful meteor watching (or at the very least, stargazing), just try not to fall asleep and don't forget the bug spray!

Besides meteors, tonight can be a great time for binocular viewing, owing to your use of a chair. Under suburban (maybe) or rural skies (definitely), a pair of medium power (10x50) binoculars can yield some stunning wide-angle sights. For someone truly dedicated, why not try and keep a tally of how many meteors you see for every complete hour? Really ambitious? Why not try photographing the meteors?

Whatever you plan to do tonight, good luck and clear skies!

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AG seeks civil penalties against BP for leak

By T.J. Aulds
The Daily News
Published August 10, 2010
TEXAS CITY — The Texas attorney general on Monday charged BP’s Texas City refinery with violations of state air-quality laws over a 40-day release that sent more than 500,000 pounds of chemicals — including large amounts of benzene — into the air during April and May.

The legal action is the second by the state against BP since 2009. A Texas Commission on Environmental Quality investigation in July found the release was an “excessive emissions event” and referred the case to the attorney general’s office.

“The state’s investigation shows that BP’s failure to properly maintain its equipment caused the malfunction (that) could have been prevented,” Attorney General Greg Abbott said in a release. “BP’s own self reporting date indicated that seal filters protecting the compressor failed because of an iron sulfide buildup, likely because BP failed to properly maintain these devices.”

The attorney general also alleges that BP ignored the large amount of emissions.

“BP made very little attempt to minimize the emissions of air contaminants caused by its actions, once again prioritizing profits over environmental compliance.”

The lawsuit pinpoints six contaminants that were released by BP including benzene, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide as violations.

The lawsuit seeks up to $25,000 a day per contaminant plus attorneys fees as penalties for the emissions, attorney general spokesman Tom Kelley said. That could cost BP as much as $6 million.

The company has argued its air testing at the fence line and monitors maintained by the state did not show high levels of emissions during the 40-day period that started April 6 and continued through May 16.

BP adamantly denied any dangerous levels of toxins could be found in the community and insists residents were never at risk.

“We will continue to cooperate with the attorney general’s office and the TCEQ to resolve their concerns,” BP spokesman Michael Marr said Monday.

BP would not directly comment on the attorney general’s actions but defended its air quality measures at the refinery.

“Independently verified air-monitoring data from our Texas City refinery clearly indicates a substantial and sustained improvement in air quality since 2004,” Marr said in July.

“BP Texas City is also moving forward with a number of measures that will further improve environmental performance and reporting. These measures include industry leading technologies and programs.”



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Thousands sign on for $10 billion BP suit

By MONICA HATCHER
HOUSTON CHRONICLE

TEXAS CITY — The revelation that BP's Texas City refinery emitted toxic benzene for more than a month has ignited a furor in the port community that has suffered its share of deadly industrial accidents and toxic spills.
Thousands of residents who fear they may have been exposed to the known carcinogen released at the oil refinery from April 6 to May 16 have been flooding parking lots and conference halls where local trial attorneys hosted information sessions and sought clients for class-action lawsuits against the oil giant.

BP faces the new challenge just as it is reaching a key milestone in another crisis — plugging the Gulf of Mexico well that blew out in an oil spill disaster that is costing the company billions of dollars.

On Wednesday, more than 3,400 people lined the hallways and sidewalks around the Nessler Center to sign on to a $10 billion class-action lawsuit filed Tuesday in Galveston federal court by Friendswood attorney Anthony Buzbee.
The lawsuit alleges the release of 500,000 pounds of chemicals - including 17,000 pounds of benzene - has jeopardized the health and property values of people who live and work in the area.

At the nearby College of the Mainland, a separate town hall meeting drew a crowd of 600.
"I've never seen anything like this," Buzbee said, looking at the lines waiting to enter a large room at the civic center where lawyers helped people fill out paperwork. "I can't believe this is mass hysteria and that everybody here is a faker," Buzbee said.
Webster-based lawyer Chad Pinkerton said he's met with about 8,000 residents over the past week. "I believe this is probably the largest prolonged release in Texas history and many, many people are sick," he said.
Word of the lawsuits spread this week, propelled in part by rumors that BP was cutting checks to head off the benzene claims from the $20 billion fund established to pay claims related to the oil spill.

BP spokesman Michael Marr said those rumors are untrue.
On Wednesday afternoon, a family used a convenience store copy machine to make dozens of copies of legal contracts. A clerk said the machine had been in constant use by would-be plaintiffs.
Lluvia Briones, 19, who signed up to join the lawsuit, said her colleagues at a Texas City fast-food restaurant were caught up in the fervor. "Everybody at work was like, 'go, go, go,' " she said.

Dozens of people the Chronicle interviewed complained of allergic reactions, sinus infections, headaches, nosebleeds and other symptoms consistent with exposure to noxious substances.
Linda Laver, 55, a former nurse, said she's enjoyed near-perfect health until she recently suffered an abscessed sinus infection, gall bladder failure and pneumonia.
"I told my doctor, 'You've known me for all these years and now all of a sudden I'm having all these things,' " Laver said as she stood in line at the Nessler Center.
Laver said she "freaked out" when she saw a Buzbee Law Firm newspaper ad describing the symptoms of benzene exposure. "It confirmed all my suspicions," she said.

Only two weeks before the well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 workers and triggered the oil spill, BP was experiencing problems with a hydrogen compressor at the Texas City plant - itself the site of a deadly explosion in 2005 that killed 15 people.
The trouble started April 6, when the company said a fire compromised a seal on an ultracracker's hydrogen compressor. The malfunction forced the company to flare off gases. It reported the "emissions event" to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality the following day. As it worked to fix the unit over the next 40 days, the plant released 538,000 pounds of pollutants into the air, BP told regulators.

BP said it operated the ultracracker at minimal capacity, reducing production and emissions. Buzbee says the unit should have shut down completely.
Information about the release became public when BP submitted a final incident report to regulators June 4.

After investigating, the environmental commission cited BP for an "excessive release" and, two weeks ago, referred its findings to the state attorney general for possible litigation.
"Based on a review of the incidents that occurred during the past year, there appears to be a pattern of poor operation and maintenance practices" at the plant, the report said.
The report said chemical concentrations in the air did not exceed state or federal standards, but that the commission could not determine the short-term health effects of the chemicals.

Coming on the heels of the oil spill, the lawsuits add new woes for BP and may aggravate an old one: BP North America - the company's refining division - is on federal probation for a felony environmental conviction related to the 2005 explosion, which also caused a massive release of benzene and other toxins.

Any further violations could be grounds for prosecutors to ask a judge to revoke BP's probation.
Already, lawyers representing victims of the 2005 blast have said a court should revoke BP's probation based on a complaint by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that BP has failed to comply with safety agreements it made after explosion.
The company denies OSHA's claims, and a hearing is scheduled for later this month.

As to the recent emissions, BP's Marr said in an e-mail that community air quality and fence line monitors, which measure for the presence of benzene and other substances, did not show elevated readings or ground-level impact.
Other monitoring by environmental specialists similarly found that the emissions did not exceed exposure limits set by the government, he said.

"BP does not believe there was a health impact associated with this event," Marr said.
Many residents are skeptical of that claim, and are angry that the chemicals were released for 40 days without public disclosure, even to Texas City's emergency management coordinator, Bruce Clawson. Even though BP complied with state reporting requirements, under an agreement with the city, the company should have alerted officials to the situation. Clawson said he's now dealing with irate residents calling the city for details he doesn't have about the release.
Chronicle reporter Lise Olsen contributed.


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Texas City hires two new coaches

By Evan Mohl
The Daily News

TEXAS CITY — Texas City High School hired two new head coaches this summer to fill vacancies for volleyball and girls basketball.

Christian Dunn, a Clear Creek graduate and club coach, will lead the volleyball program. Jodi Thompson, who spent the last 12 seasons as the La Porte head coach, will take over the reins for the Lady Stings on the hardwood.

A Needed Change

Thompson has spent most of her basketball life at La Porte. She played for the Lady Bulldogs, including a trip to the 1989 state semifinals.

After graduating college, she got her first assistant coaching job at La Porte in 1994 before taking over as head coach in 1998. Thompson guided the Lady Bulldogs to nine postseasons in 12 years, three times advancing to the area round.

Despite the success and coaching where she played, Thompson wanted a change. She felt the need to do something new.

“I’ve always been there, and in some ways you kind of feel like and are treated like a kid — which can be a really good thing,” Thompson said. “I wanted something different, and I think change is good.”

Texas City’s proximity to her home helped.

“It’s a nice community, and it’s not too far,” Thompson said. “It’s a good place to make a change.”

It also will pose a big challenge. The Lady Stings have not advanced to the postseason since 2003.

Though Thompson has not met her team and possesses little knowledge of the Lady Stings — the La Porte-Texas City game got snowed out last year — she hopes she can make Lady Sting basketball competitive again.

Thompson plans to instill excitement and new ideas. Fans, parents and players can expect her traditional high-tempo style: full-court press and pressure defense that leads to offensive fast-break opportunities.

“I hope I can bring in some new blood and excitement,” Thompson said. “We’re going to make things happen.”

A Year-round Activity

For the last 13 years, Dunn coached club volleyball. He guided several teams to the Junior Olympics, including a handful ranked in the top 10 nationally. He sent athletes on to play at all kinds of colleges from Division I to NAIA.

Now, he wants to make volleyball a year-round job.

“I want to build something, and do it every month and every day from the junior high to the high school,” Dunn said. “It’s not just one team at a time and then starting over.”

Dunn started playing volleyball in high school at Clear Creek along Olympian Riley Salmon. He fell in love with what he thought was a girl’s sport because of volleyball’s quickness and speed.

It also helped that he was pretty good.

“It just came natural to me,” Dunn said. “So I thought I would keep doing this.”

Dunn inherits a team that did not make the playoffs last year and has been through four coaches in three years. The Lady Stings also graduated half their varsity roster.

Dunn will preach consistency — in coaching, development and playing style. He plans to teach the junior high players the same skills and system the Lady Stings will employ in a varsity match.

“It’s unlikely this would happen, but you want a seventh-grader to be able to take the place of a senior on the court and not be overwhelmed or confused,” Dunn said. “That’s how you build consistency and ensure growth. There’s a fundamental system that stays the same and that leads to growth — girls don’t have to try to change to adjust to something new all the time.”

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Test your hurricane IQ.

By GREG AINSWORTH


This year's hurricane season in the waters adjacent to the Southeastern United States is drawing more attention than usual, thanks to the oil spill in the Gulf. The National Hurricane Center expects a busier than average year, so it's time to energize our hurricane IQ.
Whether you call them hurricanes, typhoons or cyclones, they are the scourge of tropical locales worldwide. Ocean water temperatures of at least 80 degrees seem to be one of the key ingredients in their formation. Think hot and muggy -- and lots of evaporation. If other conditions are favorable in the atmosphere, winds near the surface may begin to converge, and a low-pressure system may form.


In the Northern Hemisphere, those cyclonic winds spiral in a counter-clockwise direction. All of that water vapor in the atmosphere rises and condenses inside thunderstorm complexes, releasing a great amount of energy in the process. Bands of thunderstorms stretching from the system's outer margins to the center of circulation help feed the massive heat engine with warm, moisture-laden air.

As the system matures, the characteristic cloud-free and relatively calm eye may form at the center of circulation. But surrounding the eye is the eyewall, where the most intense convection and highest wind speeds occur.

Hurricanes pose a major threat to life and property because of their ability to wreak havoc in so many different ways. Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is wind damage -- not surprising since a storm isn't called a hurricane until it has sustained winds of at least 74 mph. In August 1969, Hurricane Camille made landfall along the Mississippi coast with sustained winds estimated at 200 mph.

An important, but often overlooked hurricane impact is the storm surge. This refers to the ocean water pushed onshore into low-lying areas by hurricane-force winds. Depending on the status of the local tides during landfall, storm surges of 15 to 20 feet are not out of the question. If you happen to live in a near-shore area at say, 10 feet above sea level, the surge can be bad news indeed. Hurricane Opal caused a 24-foot storm surge near Pensacola, Fla., in September 1995.

Even days after landfall, hurricanes, or their remnants, are still capable of producing tornadoes and flooding rains. After slamming into the coast of south Texas in September 1967, Hurricane Beulah spawned more than 100 tornadoes. Tropical Storm Claudette, whose winds didn't reach hurricane strength, nevertheless dropped 45 inches of rain on Alvin, Texas, in 1979.

For further information about these storms, check out the website for NOAA's National Hurricane Center.

Greg Ainsworth keeps an eye on local weather and climate issues. Contact him at ainsworth@theglobal.net.