Karaoke booths land at Bush Intercontinental Airport Karaoke has landed at Bush Intercontinental Airport, just in time for the holiday season. Now you can clear security, step up to the microphone and belt out your travel frustrations by singing the Beatles' Nowhere Man or Help! Or, if you're not such a Grinch, you can croon Home for the Holidays or Sentimental Journey.

Lost in Yellowstone for months, Fluffy returns to Houston FLUFFY spent her kitten days crammed into doll clothes and carried to tea parties by the three little girls who smother her with love. The long-haired housecat had never ventured far from her owners' arms.

State schools' woes linked to overwhelmed staffers AUSTIN - The employees who care for developmentally disabled Texans at 13 large state facilities have some of the lowest-paying, highest-stress jobs in state government. Starting salaries are around $20,500, about $7,000 less than a beginning prison guard earns. Applicants for either job must have a high school diploma and pass drug screens and criminal background checks.

Rebuilding of homes damaged during Rita still lagging Contractors hired a year ago have overseen the reconstruction of just three of the thousands of Southeast Texas homes damaged by Hurricane Rita in 2005, the head of the state housing agency told a legislative panel Wednesday.

Ethics panel to hear complaint about Justice Hecht The Texas Ethics Commission has scheduled a public hearing today on a complaint, filed last year, alleging Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht accepted an illegal contribution from a law firm.

Goodfellows: Family drove to Houston in search of peace IN her own words, in her own time, Cynthia Nelson told her own story. With two kids to look after and in an abusive relationship, it was time to leave.

Comptroller can't say yet what Texas can spend The state's top revenue estimator Wednesday said the nation's economy is so volatile that she is not willing to predict how much money the Legislature will have to spend until it convenes next month.

Transportation chief: Gas tax outdated way to pay for roads Federal Transportation Secretary Mary Peters suggested Wednesday that the government wean itself from the federal fuel tax as a revenue source for highway projects as motorists move toward more fuel-efficient cars.

Stolen Aggie ring finds its way home She was rushing to a golf game with a client and only intended to be in the bank for a few minutes, so when Betty Ghio jumped out of her PT Cruiser that morning in June 2007, she left everything inside except for her keys.

Homeowners battle for higher payouts to fix Ike damages As residents slammed by Ike work their way through the recovery process, some are entering a new phase: the battle for what they consider a fair settlement of their claims. Some are complaining to regulators, hiring their own experts and turning to attorneys to get higher insurance payouts.

Bianca Noons, member of Houston-based reggae duo Neutral Sisters, dies Bianca Noons, of the Houston-based reggae duo the Neutral Sisters, died Saturday from complications related to diabetes. She was 30 and had been in a coma for nearly a year.

Pedestrian struck, killed by Houston police officer A man believed to be homeless was killed Wednesday night in a south Houston auto-pedestrian accident involving an on-duty Houston police officer.

Couple jailed, accused of beating baby over 'demons' A young East Texas couple was arraigned Wednesday on capital murder charges accusing them of beating the woman's 1-year-old daughter to get rid of "the demons."

Court records: Guatemalan immigrants beaten, raped Guatemalan immigrants spent their first night in the United States allegedly being raped and beaten at gunpoint by captors trying to extort money from their families, court documents show.

N. Harris Co. man charged with murder in wife's stabbing The husband of a 39-year-old woman who was stabbed to death in north Harris County has been charged with murder.

21 years after being lost, class ring turns up in fish's belly A class ring lost for decades in an East Texas lake is back with its owner after turning up in a fish caught the day after Thanksgiving.

Tip leads to arrest of Baytown couple on drug charges Police found about 26 pounds of marijuana, 2.3 kilograms of powdered cocaine and $32,000 in cash when executing a search warrant on Wednesday at the home of a Baytown couple.

Mayor touts plan for $7M pedestrian bridge with a twist Mayor Bill White today unveiled plans for a $7 million walking bridge across Buffalo Bayou that will connect walking and bike trails in an area set to see a flurry of development. Built with public and private funds, the "Tolerance Bridge" will connect trails around Allen Parkway with those on the other side of the bayou on Memorial Drive near Montrose Boulevard.

$66M needed to rid Texas prisons of cell phones, etc. Texas prison officials are seeking nearly $66 million in public money for new security equipment in an effort to rid cell phones and other contraband from their lockups, just weeks after a systemwide sweep uncovered hundreds of smuggled phones, including 18 on death row.

Police seek woman who tried to pick up school kids Friendswood police want to question a woman who approached a school bus twice in recent weeks, asking for elementary school-age children who denied knowing her. On Tuesday, the woman asked for a student by name when the Friendswood Independent School District bus stopped in the 100 block of Winding Road, police said.

Texas Supreme Court justice faces ethics hearing The Texas Ethics Commission has scheduled a public hearing for Thursday on a complaint, filed last year, alleging that Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht accepted an illegal contribution from a law firm.

UH professor's wife found insane in murder case The wife of a UH physics professor who died from multiple stab wounds was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity this morning in state District Judge George Godwin's court.

One killed in west Houston crash on Texas 6 One person was killed this morning in a chain-reaction crash in west Houston that sent five others to the hospital.

12 middle school students taken to hospitals after crash The school district says none of the injuries suffered in the wreck involving three cars and the Aldine ISD bus were considered serious.

Wrecker driver arrested after crashing into Harris deputy An off-duty Harris County deputy constable is recovering this morning after his car was struck by a possibly intoxicated tow truck driver, authorities said.

Tonight's coming storms mean cold Thursday for Houston Today's balmy weather won't last long as a cold front brings the potential of evening showers and a chilly Thursday.

Lawsuit claims meeting about UTMB layoffs was illegal The University of Texas Regents violated state law by meeting in secret to authorize the layoff of 3,800 employees at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, according to a lawsuit filed today by the Texas Faculty Association.

Some prosecutors getting canned before Lykos takes over Prosecutors sat by their telephones Tuesday to see whether they will remain employed in District Attorney-elect Pat Lykos' administration.

Lawmakers hope leveraging, alliances will save space from deep cuts The drive comes amid expectations that billions of dollars will be shifted from various federal agencies into new programs to stimulate the economy under Obama.

Rosenthal won't be charged; 'insufficient evidence' cited Former Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal will not face criminal charges after an investigation into his use of government resources determined that not enough evidence existed for prosecution.

Justice: Texas fails to protect patients in state schools Texas is failing to protect developmentally disabled residents living in large state facilities, where at least 53 died in the past year from possible lapses in health care, a federal investigation has found.

Nonprofit helping Ike workers recover wages Firms in the repair and construction business have not paid hundreds of workers who have helped the area recover from Ike, officials at the Houston Interfaith Worker Justice Center said Tuesday.

Driver, 82, charged in parade crash that injured Scouts An 82-year-old man accused of accidentally crashing his pickup truck into a Cub Scout troop before the start of a small East Texas town's Christmas parade was arraigned Tuesday on a charge of reckless driving.

Goodfellows: Sisters pitch in to help mom with siblings Mother Tomia Lopez works a long day at a veterinary pharmacy across town from their east Harris County home.

Attention savvy women: The DEA wants to speak to you A federal drug agent gets a badge, and is trained to shoot, kick in doors and slap on handcuffs. Often though, it is the smarter agent, not the stronger one, who catches the bad guy.

Hospital stay ends for Barbara Bush Former first lady Barbara Bush was discharged from The Methodist Hospital on Tuesday, a little less than a week after undergoing surgery to repair a perforated ulcer that her husband characterized as causing "extraordinary agony."

Harris hospital district to doctors: Wash your hands or else The Harris County Hospital District is stepping up efforts to get doctors to wash their hands frequently, enlisting patients to encourage good hygiene habits and implementing stiffer penalties for physicians who scrimp on scrubbing.

Cornell, entrepreneur and mountain climber, dies David M. Cornell, who founded a company that operates prison facilities and scaled Mount Kilimanjaro, has died of renal cell carcinoma. He was 73.

Red-light cameras cut wrecks by 30%, A&M study finds Red-light cameras have sprouted quickly across Texas in recent years, sparking heated debates about whether they reduce crashes or simply bring easy revenue for the cities that install them. New data from Texas A&M University's Texas Transportation Institute could help settle the argument.

Poor college report a warning for Texas' economic future Rising tuition and the failure to enroll more young people in college threaten the Texas economy, according to a new report.