Petrochemical fire prompts health concerns

https://www.khou.com/video/news/health/hundreds-seek-health-screenings-in-deer-park-again-after-itc-fire-reignites/285-95dd16bb-be16-4b71-b373-9b5f16cb975b?jwsource=cl

A fire at a petrochemical storage facility near Houston kept us busy for a full week.  It's smoke cloud billowed for days.. Then flared up two more times.  Meanwhile, a benzene leak prompted shelter-in-place orders in two neighboring towns.  I was at or near the site a number of times.  At several points, KHOU management suggested we relocate because of the potential health concerns.  This story failed to make air because of breaking coverage of the last flare-up (which my photographer first spotted from our location five miles away).  The story was posted to the web and shared on social media.  It primarily features people in the Deer Park, TX area taking advantage of free health screenings.

Anchoring again (and doing webcasts)

https://www.facebook.com/KHOU11/videos/1489873231147999/

I'm glad I'm a go-to guy when the main anchors are off.  In this case, I held down the fort on the weekend again.  Our 6:00p newscast was preempted by basketball.  But we still did a webcast for digital platforms, including Facebook.  Increasingly, we're being judged on our digital contributions.  Doing special things for the website, app, and social media platforms is more important every day.

Sitting down with the U.S. Secretary of State

https://www.khou.com/article/news/us-secretary-of-state-mike-pompeo-discusses-global-concerns-border-wall-and-more/285-a81f8176-8111-4ccd-b27e-636ae7e68d61

Houston is America's energy capital.  And the world's largest energy industry conference takes place here this time every year.  It's called CERAWeek.  One of the speakers this year was U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.  The State Department gave media outlets the opportunity to conduct sit down interviews with him.  My managers chose me to do it.  At first, we thought there would be parameters on what we could discuss.  However, there was no mention of that before we sat down.  I only got five minutes.  But we covered a variety of topics.. Including energy, Venezuela, global politics, and the 2020 election. 

Saddling up for a live shot

https://khou-vh.akamaihd.net/i/video/fb95337e-14b0-4743-95fd-a12f43766411/fb95337e-14b0-4743-95fd-a12f43766411_,350,640,1000,2000,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8

The Houston Livestock Show & Radio is the biggest annual event in these parts.  It proves that Houston is definitely still part of Texas.  Trail rides (cowboys and cowgirls who ride into town on horseback or in wagons) kick off the three week-long event every year.  I caught up with the different groups as they arrived at Memorial Park.  I even mounted a horse for the live shot in the attached clip.  As you can see, I needed some guidance. 

Inside the new KHOU

https://www.khou.com/video/news/local/a-behind-the-scenes-look-at-khous-new-station/285-4e5a5c55-0655-4bd4-b8ea-1d4e72dc550b?jwsource=cl

It's been 18 months coming.  We're finally in the process of moving into brand new post-Hurricane Harvey studios.  The historic flood destroyed our old station on Allen Parkway.  We're been sharing space with Houston Public Media ever since.  It hasn't been ideal.  But, after months of nonstop work and construction, we'll soon all be under one rood again.  I did a story when we originally announced our new location.  I got to do this follow up as the first phase of the move-in began.  The new digs far exceeded my expectations.

Unloading Astroworld memorabilia

https://www.khou.com/video/news/local/astroworld-on-the-auction-block/285-a6c226e7-58ae-4d5c-b26a-e52d76105fda?jwsource=cl

Ever heard of Astroworld?  Me either before I moved to Houston.  It was a much-loved theme park built adjacent to The Astrodome and later operated by Six Flags.  It closed in 2005.  One lady spent a lot of money over the years buying up pieces of memorabilia related to the defunct park.  I did this story as she prepared for an auction to try and get rid of much of her collection.  People were already submitting bids.

So many stories during the government shutdown

https://www.khou.com/video/news/local/longtime-nasa-worker-says-shes-never-seen-a-government-shutdown-like-this/285-89042a04-dc6c-4e49-b21d-d4ab6e281b2e?jwsource=cl

The recent partial government shutdown provided so many personal stories.  Fortunately, federal workers were willing to talk with us as the inconvenience dragged on.  I happened to run into the woman in this story while staking out a restaurant that was providing free food for furloughed workers and others.  She's worked at NASA for more than 30 years.  I also liked how my live shot turned out at Johnson Space Center.