KPRC 2 INVESTIGATES

A new search warrant has emerged in the criminal investigation focused on how an $11-million dollar vaccine outreach contract was awarded by Harris County to Elevate Strategies.

Federal lawmakers are urging the federal government to investigate Hertz’s business practices after customers were wrongfully accused of driving rental cars that were reported as stolen.

The Texas Rangers executed a search warrant Friday at the office of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. Sources told KPRC 2 that the warrant was related to a contract for COVID-19 vaccine outreach, but no official word has been released.

Amid Russia-Ukraine conflict, KPRC 2 Investigates asked questions and got answers about the safety of American nuclear facilities

What are you paying for when you fill up your gas tank?

It was last November that KPRC 2 Investigates first examined how Pretrial Services operations were being conducted in Bexar County, which also includes San Antonio.

Another case involving an HPD officer tied to the investigation in the aftermath of the deadly Harding Street raid has been dismissed.

Some travel experts are comparing this coming spring break to a prison break. It makes sense when you consider that millions of Americans have been cooped-up in their homes because of COVID-19 restrictions for far too long and many are just now ready to break free and take a real vacation.

Hundreds of former customers across the country claim they were unfairly targeted, accused, and sometimes arrested at gunpoint after Hertz falsely claimed they had stolen rental cars.

Texas CLEAR Alert system established to help locate people between the ages of 18-64 who are reported missing.

KPRC 2 Investigates has been tracking developments connected to Hertz. The rental car company is battling hundreds of customers who say they were falsely accused of auto theft after renting cars.

Caballero is now facing three state counts of attempted capital murder of HPD officers, and he is also federally charged with possession of a machine gun and felon in possession of a firearm.

New COVID concerns are causing the cancellation of many events and concerts. Now, ticket holders are wondering what to do and some are worried about buying tickets to future events, like the Houston rodeo shows. We have what you need to know about buying tickets right now.

About 1 in every 8 people in the U.S. has student loan debt. Payments for about 80% of those borrowers have been deferred or postponed until May 1, 2022; but one man says his loan servicer reported his account delinquent, causing a big drop in his credit score.

Former Fort Bend County Sheriff, U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls (R) Tx-Dist. 22 was on his third day in Congress when hundreds of people who refused to believe President Donald Trump lost the election stormed the Capitol building. in Washington D.C.

If you are returning something you got over the holidays - it might not be as easy as in the past specially if it's a larger item. A record number of people shopped online this holiday season. That combined with the pandemic and shipping supply issues means the holiday returns season is shaping up to be a challenge. KPRC 2 Investigates is looking into third party shipping issues.

After learning two of his neighbor’s homes were burglarized on New Year’s Eve, Sienna resident Samson Bouri had a message for anyone looking to do the same to him.

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office has charged a Houston man with bigamy, the crime of being married to more than one person, which is outlawed in all 50 states.

In August, U.S. Representative Troy Nehls told KPRC 2 Investigates he had questions over how the Mickey Leland International Terminal Program at Bush Intercontinental Airport was being managed by the Houston Airports System and its director Mario Diaz.

Changes are coming to the Houston Airports System according to the city’s Mayor Pro-Tem, Dave Martin.

Take a look at some of the biggest stories KPRC 2 Investigates shared in 2021, from an update to that African art in a warehouse to COVID-19 testing.

The ads online and on TV from Astroworld festival attorneys are in overdrive. As we see with every tragedy, there are always bad guys who will try to cash in. KPRC 2 Investigates has what you need to know about sending your personal information out and also advice for screening potential attorneys.

Scrutiny over Harris County’s felony bond system has increased in the wake of the surge in violent felony crimes over the last year.

The City of Houston has raised water rates but customers are questioning the *accuracy* of the meter readings. KPRC 2 Investigates has one man’s story that puts the problem into perspective.

The Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival on Oct. 1, 2017, was the last major tragedy at a concert in the United States.

KPRC 2 Investigates has obtained exclusive video and photos of the aftermath of an Oct. 19, private jet crash in Brookshire.

Dozens of lawsuits are in the works and more are coming up after the Astroworld tragedy. KPRC 2 Investigates has what you need to know before hiring an attorney for yourself, or even your teenager who may have been at the festival.

KPRC2 Investigator Bill Spencer shows you three ways to beat the juggers at their own game.

You’ve seen the videos of people running up, snatching purses or other shopping bags from unsuspecting victims. Law enforcement calls them “juggers” who are targeting those who are vulnerable and distracted.

KPRC 2 investigates the IRS backlog and how it’s impacting people in our area. Right now, the United States Treasury is still working on some 9 million tax returns from 2020. The delays are causing a domino effect for business owners who need their tax returns to get emergency disaster loans. One Woodlands couple called KPRC 2 Investigates because they worry they will have to close their business if they can’t get help soon.

A Harris County grand jury declined to criminally charge Commissioner Rodney Ellis in the African art case.

It feels like I should do a “KPRC 2 Investigates” special on this. Maybe, a “Spencer Solves It?”

Harris County is steadily building out a network of Air Quality Monitors, in part, because the state’s network of monitors has a history of being unreliable during times when people need them most, according to a Harris County Commissioner.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, just before Hurricane Harvey arrived, disconnected dozens of air quality monitors in the Houston area.

Some are calling the questions tied to a housing project in Clear Lake an investigation, but the city of Houston told KPRC 2 Investigates it is a “review”.

The massive private African art collection inside of a county maintenance shed in Precinct One sits still, two weeks after movers were allowed to start showing up.

The bond for Benjamin Elliot is set at $100,000. He didn’t appear in court, he’s in the mental health unit. Prosecutors say he admitted to stabbing his sister in the neck, but claims he was dreaming/sleeping at the time. They say when he realized it wasn’t a dream and he had stabbed his sister, he called 911 and the operator told him to perform CPR. Then, he alerted his parents who can be heard screaming on the 911 call.

Theresa Seck was to have celebrated her brother’s birthday nearly two weeks ago. Instead, she finds herself - like so many others - without a response to a one word question, why?

Thieves are targeting catalytic converters over any other car part at an unprecedented rate in Houston, leaving thousands of dollars of damage behind for the victims.

KPRC 2 Investigates spoke with several Haitian immigrants who remain at an encampment just across from Del Rio in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Acuna. Many there said they were aware of the US Government’s plans for mass expulsions of Haitian immigrants, but are still determined to stay in the US.

How would you feel if you found out all your hard work at protecting the environment, separating your recyclables from your normal trash, everyday, was for nothing? That your trash collection company was actually taking your recyclables, adding it to the landfill and charging you extra money for it. KPRC 2 Investigates obtained video footage of the trash workers in action and we tracked down the company owner to get answers.

It has been over 18 months since KPRC 2 Investigates revealed a Harris County maintenance shed under the control of County Commissioner Rodney Ellis was secretly housing a massive African art collection.

When gas station pumps dispense contaminated fuel into your tank it can cause thousands of dollars in damage. The station that sold the gas is ultimately responsible but lawmakers made a change recently that seems to be giving gas stations selling bad fuel a pass. Our KPRC 2 Investigates team met with one Galveston man who has been dealing with one bad gas problem and we’ve also uncovered new information about why it may be so hard for him to get answers.

How have we changed since Sept. 11, 2001?

Legal experts tell KPRC 2 Investigates that politics may be a factor in the selection of high-profile cases, many of which are dropped, dismissed, or fail to secure convictions.

Job layoffs and furloughs from the start of the pandemic left thousands of Houstonians unemployed and looking for work.

Almost seven months since a big pipe burst during the February freeze and one Houston woman is still waiting on repairs so she can get back into her home. She reached out to KPRC 2 Investigates when her insurance company seems to have disappeared. While digging for answers, our Investigates team was shocked at one response we got from the company.

Almost every other major city in the U.S. does it, but Houston does not.

HOUSTON - Kanye West's 7 p.m. Sunday performance at Lakewood Church is expected to draw a sell-out crowd of some 17,000 people, but all of those tickets are supposed to be absolutely free and available to everyone. Lakewood Church issued this statement about tickets: "In regards to tickets being sold on StubHub, all of the tickets are non-transferable. Lakewood wants to warn everyone that all tickets posted on StubHub or any other ticketing sites are fraud". Lakewood Church said free, general admission tickets to the show can be obtained through Ticketmaster.com or the Ticketmaster app beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday. Lakewood said anything other than Ticketmaster tickets will be considered fraudulent.

Since the beginning of the year, KPRC 2 Investigates has chronicled the crisis unfolding along our border with Mexico. Copyright 2019 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.

Read more2 HPD officers injured in crash while chasing group involved in ATM theft, police sayKPRC Two Houston police officers are recovering after a crash in west Harris County. Two Houston police officers are recovering after a crash in west Harris County. Read moreAll of Houston's liquidation warehouses where you can score stuff for cheapKPRC We've told you about several liquidation warehouses in Houston, but one of the businesses is changing up its business model. We've told you about several liquidation warehouses in Houston, but one of the businesses is changing up its business model. This football season, KPRC 2 is bringing you awesome prizes and bragging rights with our Pro Football U Pick Em!

Read more2 HPD officers injured in crash while chasing group involved in ATM theft, police sayKPRC Two Houston police officers are recovering after a crash in west Harris County. Two Houston police officers are recovering after a crash in west Harris County. Read moreAll of Houston's liquidation warehouses where you can score stuff for cheapKPRC We've told you about several liquidation warehouses in Houston, but one of the businesses is changing up its business model. We've told you about several liquidation warehouses in Houston, but one of the businesses is changing up its business model. This football season, KPRC 2 is bringing you awesome prizes and bragging rights with our Pro Football U Pick Em!

ODESSA, Texas - KPRC 2 Investigates has learned from federal law enforcement sources that investigators served a search warrant at the Midland-Odessa area at the home of the private gun seller who sold the weapons used by Seth Ator. Ator, 36, is accused of killing seven people and wounding 22 others during a shooting spree in West Texas last weekend. The search was part of the investigation into the private sale of the gun used by Ator. In Texas, private firearm sales do not require a background check. The gunshots struck one of two troopers inside the patrol car, Cesinger said, after which the gunman fled and continued shooting.

HOUSTON - KPRC 2 Investigates has learned that the University of Houstons Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity has been indicted by a grand jury for a second time. It's a rare move for a grand jury to indict an entire group and not a list of individuals. The grand jury again voted to indict the fraternity for the unlawful hazing of one of its pledge members in November 2016. Students reactSeveral UH students had opinions on the developments. "Background: UH placed the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity under interim suspension on July 21, 2017, until completion of an administrative investigation.

KPRC 2 Investigates has learned that the University of Houstons Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity has been indicted by a grand jury for a second time.