Patsy Maciel?s son will always be her hero, ?Fred told me he was born to be a Marine,? she said holding his picture close to her heart. Right out of Spring High in 2003 he signed up and went straight to Iraq.

Three non-profit agencies are teaming up to shed light on the homeless animals living and often suffering on Bayou City streets. It?s a brand new effort to tackle a crisis in Houston that?s difficult to ignore.

Harris County Sheriff?s Deputies released surveillance video Thursday of three armed men barging into a T-Mobile store on FM 1960 in NW Harris County. They pistol-whipped several people, sending at least two to the hospital.

Instead of discharging storm water into a nearby flood control ditch, the City of Houston allowed a major homebuilder to dump it into neighbors' front yards.

It will be ?dangerously hot? in the Houston area as we start the weekend, according to KHOU 11 News Meteorologist Brooks Garner.

For a dozen years he wore the uniform, but Jeno Mouton says his days with the Transportation Security Administration are over.

Review one lawyer's fight vs. Harris County probation officials.

Alan Eugene, 32, is accused of fatally shooting Richard Sepulveda in July 2004 outside a shopping center in the 6200 block of Highway 6, Harris County sheriff's deputies said. Eugene, an admitted gang member, will be transferred from TDCJ to the Harris County Jail in connection with the murder charge.

A pair of teenage kayakers can thank the U.S. Coast Guard for getting them out of a jam at South Padre Island.

Two men posing as job seekers went to the northwest Houston apartment of a man who operates a moving business, pulled guns, then robbed and shot him in the head, authorities said. The man said he answered a knock at his door about 8:10 a.m. When he opened it, three men were standing outside and asked about working for him at his contract moving business, Houston police investigators said. Once inside, police said, two of the attackers pulled handguns and forced the resident and another man in the apartment to lie on the floor.

GALVESTON - Real estate heir Robert Durst, known for beating a Galveston murder charge a decade ago and a pattern of erratic behavior, is scheduled to be arraigned in a Harris County court next week for allegedly urinating on a cash register and candy display at a Houston pharmacy. The store manager recognized Durst, who lives a few blocks away in the posh Robinhood Towers, as a regular customer. Video footage aired by KHOU-TV showed an elderly man in a short-sleeve shirt with what appeared to be a long scar on his head shuffling down the street outside a court building Wednesday and not answering a reporter's questions.

Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire that heavily damaged a home in northwest Houston.

J.C. Penney Co., under major pricing and merchandising changes, swung to a bigger-than-expected first-quarter loss and said Tuesday it no longer expects to meet its previous profit forecast for the year as it sees more restructuring charges.

Three members of the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court face re-election this year, but two will have to survive primary opponents who accuse the court of becoming too pro-business.

Researchers say they've shown that certain plants have smarts during dry times.

Gov. Rick Perry isn't saying whether he approves of the University of Texas at Austin president whose job was reported to be in jeopardy.

U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson has placed her longtime chief of staff on administrative leave.

A Central Texas teenager has pleaded guilty to murder in the 2011 Waco drive-by fatal shooting of another youth.

Ted Oberg shows you how to dig like a reporter by using the state's public records laws. See examples of requests he's made. And if you find something good, let us know.

Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul told ESPN.com that it's "unacceptable" if Donald Sterling is still the owner of the team when the season begins.

Nick Castellanos drove in the tying and go-ahead runs with a double in the sixth inning and Max Scherzer won his fourth straight decision, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night.

French troops are headed to a remote area in Mali to secure the site of Thursday's Air Algerie jet crash, the third major international aviation disaster in a week.

Costa Rica

World Cup

On Tuesday, I wrote an article highlighting why public relations is a waste of money for technology startups. But there are always two sides to every story. I called a couple of Houston's big shots in the PR industry and got their take on why their trade is crucial for the growth of a tech startup. With all the noise surrounding the technology industry today, having a dedicated individual to get your name and message out there is crucial to a startup?s customer growth, said Allie Danziger,?

Those looking to raise money for an oil project may have to look no further than a new website. CrudeFunders LLC., a company operating out of both Houston and Dallas, is developing a platform that would potentially be the required intermediary service for companies looking to raise capital for projects and unaccredited investors trying to invest in the booming oil and gas industry. The website would operate similar to the popular crowdfunding services available today. After logging in and identifying?

Texas is currently reviewing a series of crowdfunding regulatory changes that would allow unaccredited investors to contribute capital for equity into small startup companies. Those who are watching are calling this a watershed moment for Texas. But locally, startups have the opportunity to capitalize as well. Through online platforms approved by the state, Texas residents could contribute $5 or $5,000 to a company they have an interest in, and in return, earn relevant equity. Real estate or oil,?

Public relations is a waste of money. That?s what Uber General Manager Chris Nakutis said to a group of 30 or so entrepreneurs and curious citizens at a Platform Houston meetup I was at last week, speaking about his entrepreneurial story and the launch of his e-commerce platform Stork Stack. Nakutis was referring to his time at Stork Stack, not Uber, saying that for his startup, PR was not a valuable tool in growing his business. The return on investment for him, he said, was not immediate or?

There?s always a lot to do. As our responsibilities in business grow, how we choose to spend our time becomes more challenging. The more experience we have, the more we are pulled to do what we?ve always done. Yet as we progress in our careers, we are expected to prioritize differently. If we don?t, we limit our upward mobility. Women in particular often struggle in two areas when deciding how to prioritize their time at work. They have a tendency to try to do it all and a tendency to try?

Real estate investment trust CNL Healthcare Properties bought the Houston Orthopedic & Spine Hospital campus for $76 million ? the largest single-property investment in the REIT's portfolio. The Class A health campus includes a 126,946-square-foot specialty hospital, a 99,768-square-foot multitenant medical office building and two parking structures. The campus is located at the intersection of Interstates 69 and 610, two of the region's major roadways. The hospital includes 64 private beds,?

STOCKTON, Calif. ? Mark Appel looked like Mark Appel. For the first time in a trying season, the Astros? best pitching prospect eclipsed five innings and five strikeouts Friday, facing one of the California League?s best offenses. The 23-year-old righty fanned seven in six innings on the road for High Class A Lancaster, which defeated Stockton, an A?s affiliate, 5-2. Picked first overall in the draft in 2013, Appel reason to walk off the mound feeling more encouraged than he has at any point in 2014. His fastball sat at 94-96 mph and hit 97 mph. His final fastball of the day, on the second-to-last of his 74 pitches, hit 96 [...]

U.S. national team star DaMarcus Beasley entered Major League Soccer when there was no guarantee America cared enough about the other football to support a domestic top-division league. Beasley was one of MLS and the U.S. national team's brightest young stars from 1999 until he bolted to the Dutch league in 2004, beginning a 10-year sojourn through some of the greatest leagues and biggest stages in the world before he landed back in MLS with the Dynamo this week. First for U.S. Beasley, who made history last month by becoming the first American to play in four World Cups, came up in MLS at a time when most clubs played in NFL stadiums or small college football venues. After MLS contracted the Florida franchises, many soccer lovers wondered if MLS would suffer the same fate that claimed the defunct North American Soccer League.

It?s a capricious business rating a city?s most influential sports people. Who?s to say Bill O?Brien, who has yet to coach a game in Houston, suddenly matters more than Kevin McHale, who coached the Rockets into the playoffs last season? Or that Bo Porter, who probably deserves Manager of the Year consideration if the Astros don?t lose 100 games again this season, doesn?t even rate a mention, honorable or otherwise. This slippery slope is the Houston Chronicle?s to claim. So, sans apologies for any hurt feelings, here?s our third annual Houston 10, those most likely to make you ? loyal fans and paying customers ? happy or sad for the [...]

PHOTOS: A look at the next wave of Houston’s pro sports talent

Zalatoris used the club proficiently on Thursday to close out Will Dickson on the 18th hole and advance to the quarterfinals of the 67th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at The Club at Carlton Woods. Prior to beating Dickson 1 up on the Nicklaus Course, Zalatoris earlier on Thursday beat Zecheng Dou of People's Republic of China 3 and 2. [...] after Dickson was looking at a tap-in birdie, Zalatoris needed an up-and-down from just behind the green from 25 feet for the win. Instead of chipping, Zalatoris had other ideas, and his downhill putt rolled within 4 feet of the hole. From there, he made the birdie putt to end the match.

OAKLAND ? Scott Kazmir was the 15th overall draft pick in 2002 as a high school lefthanded pitcher out of Cypress Falls high school who was raved about nationally. When he was examined prior to signing with the Mets, there was something related to his elbow that raised a red flag. The Mets gave him a $2.15 million signing bonus, a club record at the time, and a dozen years later, he?s 13 wins away from 100 lifetime. Now a radio host, Jim Duquette was working in the Mets front office and later became the team?s general manager. On Sunday, he recalled Kazmir?s situation in relation to Brady Aiken. Aiken, [...]