Going back in time at NASA's Johnson Space Center

https://www.khou.com/video/news/local/mission-control-renovated-to-look-like-moon-landing-era/285-04c409e2-48bb-49cb-be80-cfa67456bb50?jwsource=cl

I always like nerding out at NASA.  In this case, it was to cover the unveiling of a major restoration project at Johnson Space Center in Houston.  The historic Apollo Mission Control Center was refurbished to look as it did during the first moon landing in 1969.  The years-long project was completed in time for the 50th anniversary.  This is the room where the Apollo missions were managed.  But it fell into disrepair following its closure in the 1990s.  Most of the money spent on painstaking renovation came from donations. 

What a sale! Texas icon Whataburger sold to a Chicago company

https://www.khou.com/video/money/consumer/whataburger-buyout-should-not-be-surprising/285-36d09dc3-51ec-46ce-b1eb-0143c21c11a2?jwsource=cl

Texans love their Whataburger.  But the family-owned Texas-based chain has been sold to a Chicago investment firm.  The news broke as I waited on a call back on another story.  I was switched around 1:00p.  They wanted a hit at 4:00p!  That means making things happen quickly.  We found a Whataburger location and got some quick interviews with customers.  Fortunately, a retail expert at the University of Houston was also available on short notice.  I deserved the milkshake I used in my tag.

Students spend summer repairing Harvey homes

https://www.khou.com/video/news/investigations/stands-for-houston/teens-spend-summer-break-rebuilding-homes-damaged-by-harvey/285-62bb4db7-0864-4b12-a1b6-c204d3292ef7?jwsource=cl

I can't believe August will mark two years since Hurricane Harvey destroyed much of Houston.  Many people are still recovering.  But overdue repairs on some homes are finally getting done with help from students who come to town from all over Texas.  I did a number of stories with BOUNCE Student Disaster Recovery in the months after Harvey.  I was able to catch up with a new group of kids for this story on repairs being made to a Navy vet's home. 

Music video remake gives missing girl's mom hope for new leads

https://www.khou.com/video/news/local/i-have-to-have-hope-mother-still-searching-for-daughter-9-years-after-teen-went-missing/285-d262968e-50b2-4fd8-b1e3-78ae7922831c?jwsource=cl

Soul Asylum's "Runaway Train" was one of my favorite songs back in the day.  The original video featured missing children.  Some of them were found as a result of the exposure.  A new video has been produced for the song's 25th anniversary.  A Houston area missing teen is featured in the new video.  Her mother was elated about the new exposure.  She hopes thousands, if not millions, of views on YouTube and other platforms will help drum up new leads.  I interviewed the mother in her daughter's bedroom.. Which she's left unchanged for nearly a decade.

Missing Houston girl gets national attention

https://www.khou.com/video/news/local/new-photos-released-of-car-maleah-davis-stepfather-was-driving-before-alleged-abduction/285-d3b314d5-cc37-44a7-a9b3-63e7916782fa?jwsource=cl

This is a story that touched a nerve in the Houston area and beyond.  It concerns four year-old Maleah Davis.  Her step-father claimed she was kidnapped during an attack after a flat tire.  It's a bizarre story and detectives said it didn't add up.  Several volunteer search groups stepped up in the days after an Amber Alert was issued.  I covered the story from multiple angles.  This is one of my reports.  Maleah was still missing and no charges had been filed at the time of this posting.

Democratic presidential candidates descend on Houston

https://www.khou.com/video/news/politics/national-politics/eight-democratic-presidential-hopefuls-speak-at-tsu/285-7a916f61-77fc-4228-bc83-89eff2c13e03?jwsource=cl

Houston became the center of the early presidential campaign on this day.  Eight Democratic contenders participated in a forum at Texas Southern University.  Bernie Sanders also held a big rally in a downtown park.  I "fronted" my story from the Sanders rally and focused on those attending the forum.  It was meant, primarily, for minority women.  Many of them and others were excited about the opportunity to hear from so many candidates.

James Bond wannabe uses device to avoid paying tolls

https://www.khou.com/video/news/local/mom-speaks-out-after-son-accused-of-using-device-to-deceive-tolls/285-9e3e06da-e001-4ebe-bc67-36f79513eddf?jwsource=cl

This story got a lot of traction on our social media platforms.  A Houston-area guy was caught with a "license plate flipper" on his car.  He was charged with using it to avoid paying tolls.  It looks like the one used in at least one old James Bond movie.  In this case, investigators say the guy covered the tag when he approached toll plazas.  I went by his house to get his side of the story.  He wasn't home.  But his mother was.  Luckily, she agreed to speak with me.