KPRC 2 INVESTIGATES

The city of Houston awarded a lucrative Hobby Airport concessions contract to a new company, pushing out Pappas restaurant amid much debate. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and 10 other council members voted “yes” in favor of awarding the contract, with six voting “no.”

At least four different fire departments, including the Houston Fire Department, have fallen victim to theft, and tens of thousands of dollars of equipment, purchased with public funds have disappeared, KPRC 2 Investigates has learned.

The highly publicized fight over a lucrative concessions contract at Hobby Airport was tagged by multiple council members who indicated they want more time to come to a decision.

The Houston Police Department showed up on the grounds of the Kingwood Central Wastewater Treatment Plant Friday morning with a search warrant and area residents were excited.

Are you in a dangerous relationship and need help? Do you know someone who needs help? In part of our effort to help people in the community, our team put together a list of groups in our area that can help victims of domestic violence.

In the months following the deadly massacre at Robb Elementary in Uvalde last May, Montgomery County saw an opportunity in a place where others saw a closed-down school.

It’s a dangerous problem that’s often hidden from public view until it becomes deadly. Domestic violence caused by an intimate partner can leave victims feeling vulnerable and trapped. But help exists. Next week, KPRC 2 presents “Breaking Free”. We are partnering with law enforcement and agencies across our area to bring you a weeklong series focused on stopping partner violence. The goal is to provide support, resources, and solutions that can save lives.

The federal investigation into Harding Street led to additional charges, and while Bryant pleaded guilty to falsifying government records, Goines has yet to face a jury with the feds or Harris County.

The deadly botched raid on Harding Street that happened nearly four years ago was front and center inside of Judge Frank Aguilar’s courtroom in Harris County’s 228th District Court on Thursday morning.

The controversy and anger surrounding girls on the Splendora High School softball teams being given jerseys that say “I achieved failure” continues.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has arrested and jailed a man accused of installing a camera in his neighbor’s bathroom.

“This teacher was out of control. In fact his behavior reminds you of teacher’s gone wild.”

President Joe Biden’s first visit to El Paso on Sunday afternoon since taking office was spent with local officials and personnel from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The total number of homicides in the City of Houston for 2023 is down 8% from this point last year.

Bright and early Tuesday morning, the Public Utility Commission of Texas delivered a measure of good news concerning the Texas Power Grid.

Judge Lina Hidalgo announced Friday the decision by her chief of staff, Alex Triantaphyllis, to depart from his current role in early 2023 “to pursue a new opportunity.” Hidalgo’s office said Triantaphyllis, who was one of three staffers indicted in March in an $11 million COVID-19 outreach contract investigation, will continue his public service in a new role in the Harris County Office of County Administration.

This week marks two years since Jason Landry mysteriously vanished on his way home to Missouri City for Christmas Break.

As the investigation being conducted by the Houston Police Department continues into the Astroworld tragedy, KPRC 2 Investigates has confirmed members of HPD’s leadership have been moved or simply moved on following the deadly concert.

Rental car giant Hertz Global Holdings announced Monday it would pay $168 million to settle 364 claims that it erroneously filed criminal reports against customers who did not return vehicles on time.

Vicki Carr looks back to what took place earlier this month and has a chuckle, but that was not the case on Nov. 11.

As investigators combed through the life of the Robb Elementary school shooter, they discovered he was absent from school for hundreds of days before being “involuntarily withdrawn” from the district.

Dozens of you are telling us about your experience with the Houston Water Department. We’ve heard about phone calls, emails unanswered, and little to no communication to explain huge bills that threaten you and your family’s well-being. Now, KPRC 2 Investigates explains a customer’s last chance at getting help and how often it is working.

Take a look at some of the biggest stories KPRC 2 Investigates shared in 2022.

After 38 on-camera interviews, and months of research, KPRC 2 Investigates will air “Astroworld: Countdown to Tragedy” this Thursday on KPRC 2+ at 6:30 p.m.

In the peaceful, family neighborhood of Highland Creek Estates, near FM529, big anger and frustration is growing amongst homeowners over big rig trucks parking all over this subdivision at all hours of the day and night.

“So going into this everybody knew it was going to be a problem, the department ramped up like it was a Super Bowl or a Hurricane,” said Mark Lentini, a now-retired Houston police officer who says the festival ended his career.“Long before the disaster struck any crowd expert or person involved in crowds responsible for crowds knew there were storm clouds over that festival,” said Paul Wertheimer, a crowd safety expert with decades of experience studying crowd surge and other safety issues.On Wednesday, Nov. 2, KPRC 2 Investigates examines the safety and prevention measures that could prevent mass casualty disasters, including crowd design, emergency medicine planning, and the need for a unified command.

You may have heard about this story before, but you’ve never seen it quite like this.

It is that time of the year again. Halloween decorations are back out on the front lawn, but keep in mind this is one of those years when the other lawn decorations are also prominently displayed.

Sixty-five-year-old Irene Sanchez has had the same problem for seven months.

Houston City Controller Chris Brown is calling for the Office of Inspector General to open an investigation into the manner in which Houston Airports System Director Mario Diaz settled liquidated damages with a concessionaire and their partner, who has ties to former Director City Council Relations William Paul Thomas, who was convicted in federal court back in July for conspiracy tied to bribes.

An elderly Cypress couple paid a lot of money to stay safe and mobile in their home, but when the device they purchased became more of a hazard than a help, they called investigator Amy Davis.

After eight students and two teachers were murdered at Santa Fe high school in 2018, state legislators passed more than a dozen laws. None of those laws prevented Uvalde and pressure is mounting for lawmakers to address lingering gaps in school security.

An Emergency Services District that covers 600 square miles in both Harris and Waller County is substantially understaffed and unable to man four of its fire departments with paid firefighters.

For Mallory Olson, a seemingly normal night of sleep was disrupted by a knock on her front door.

A months-old Harris County Audit memo obtained by KPRC 2 Investigates reveals a series of problems with the administration of public funds in a Harris County Rental Assistance Program.

A months-old Harris County Audit memo obtained by KPRC 2 Investigates reveals a series of problems with the administration of public funds in a Harris County Rental Assistance Program.

This is a follow-up to Humble's red light cameras report from 2021.

The Department of Justice announced the arrests of eight people in a $2.3 million human smuggling operation across four states, including Texas.

KPRC 2 Investigates has uncovered another example of convicted Houston City Council Relations Director William-Paul Thomas working outside of his scope at city hall last spring.

The latest chapter into KPRC 2's continuing series of reports into the federally convicted former City Council Relations Director for the City of Houston.

A disabled veteran who served in both the Army and Navy and was injured in a 2007 training exercise, has filed lawsuits against the City of Pearland and the Port of Houston.

Texas is now the second biggest state in the country when it comes to people buying solar panels for their homes. KPRC Investigates tells you how to protect yourself from being ripped off by shady sales people trying to capitalize on this buying boom.

Chris Bourque and his wife Zury wash dishes inside their home in Cypress, but what they’d really like to do is wash their hands of a huge problem with their brand new solar panel system.

City of Houston leaders are calling for an outside investigation into the actions of a now former city director, William Paul Thomas, after KPRC 2 Investigates uncovered emails showing negotiations in favor of a private businessman.

With increasing pressure coming from local municipalities, including outright bans of short-term rental properties, Airbnb is motivated to find a solution to the problem of some of their rental houses being bad neighbors.

Earlier this week, Governor Greg Abbott claimed in a widely circulated news release that Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and others in the county administration were engaging in what amounted to illegally defunding Harris County’s various policing agencies.

The liaison officer between Mayor Sylvester Turner’s office and City Council, who pled guilty to a federal conspiracy charge involving cash bribes from a bar owner, appears to have previously worked to help other private businesses on deals against the best interest of the City of Houston, according to emails obtained by KPRC 2 Investigates.

When it comes to school safety there’s a lot of blame and opinions. Politicians point the finger and parents want to be heard. But what about what students think needs to be done?

When William-Paul Thomas, a former city employee in the Mayor’s Office, took money in exchange for breaking the rules, he necessarily involved at least two other City of Houston departments.

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.