“I graduated from high school in Pasadena in 1953 and moved a few years later to La Porte. I got married and saw the possibility of raising a family, so I knew I had to do something.” That “something” turned out to be running a … Continue readingLove of sign leads to El Toro success story
“In the predawn hours of Sunday, August 27, I decided that I would peek outside. The torrential rains from Harvey had been pounding for several hours. Supposedly my house is not in the floodplain, but I poked my head out to see water halfway between … Continue readingWake-up call: cheese, cell service not that important
“On Wednesday, the rain finally came to a stop for the most part. We were all in shock, I think. My sister was getting updates on her home to find out if it had flooded. Out of the blue I received a call around 4:30 … Continue reading‘Someone said I was a hero; I don’t think so at all’
It’s been a busy week for Angela Franco and her husband, John Gomez. Like countless others around our community, they have rolled up their sleeves — and their pant legs when needed — to help make sure that those in need are safe and well … Continue readingAngela Franco had ‘a natural instinct to help’
Hurricane Harvey wasn’t picky when he came charging through Texas this past week. Many homes across the area were impacted, including those belonging to foster families caring for cats and dogs saved by A Life to Live. Early Tuesday morning, Deanna Domingue discovered a mess … Continue readingFoster animals survive Hurricane Harvey scare
“We have a 1-month-old son, and we were scared of losing power. So we left last Thursday before Hurricane Harvey made landfall. We loaded up with my mother and sister-in-law, and we came to Tyler since my wife has family up here about 30 minutes … Continue readingHurricane evacuees safe, but feeling helpless
Baytown, Texas has made national news this week. It’s the town I lived in from my birth at San Jacinto Hospital until I graduated from Sterling High School. My family lived in Chapparal Village on Tumbleweed Lane until I was 5. Then we built our … Continue readingFormer Baytown resident’s heart aches for friends
“Even with Hurricane Harvey hitting 175 miles away in Rockport, we still parked our cars up off the street in the event that we had some pooling water. My home is classified as ‘X’ on the Effective Flood Insurance Rate Map. This is the lowest … Continue readingFor Pedersen family, ‘it’s been an exhausting week’
As flooding from Hurricane Harvey forced many families to evacuate their homes and be transported to community shelters, helping hands were ready to bring a semblance of normalcy to their lives. “As soon as I walked in my first question was, ‘What do we need?’ … Continue readingCommunity comes together for hurricane victims
As Hurricane Harvey delayed the start of the school year in Baytown, it also put at risk many local students, teachers and coaches. Among those were Bren Jones and his wife, Norma Picacio-Jones. Bren, the head football coach at Goose Creek Memorial High School, ventured … Continue readingFootball coach braves flooding for friends, families