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Eight for ‘08
  
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The Sun staff went through the top stories, local to national, that impacted the Katy area most during 2008 and compiled a list of the year’s top stories. We’ve hunkered down through the storm, followed the campaigns and watched state champions get crowned (again). Here are our eight top stories, in order, for the year.
Hurricane Ike was barreling toward the Gulf Coast in mid-September and Katy Independent School Distict’s Merrell Center was transformed into the Incident Command Center for the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Houston Galveston. More than 500 guard members came to Katy, ready to begin search and rescue missions before Ike made landfall. The Coast Guard rescued 103 people that did not evacuate from the Bolivar Pennisula before the storm hit, and after Ike passed saved 132 more people.
In Katy, downed power lines, debris and water damage were the biggest problems in the area. High winds took out fences and blew shingles off of homes and buildings.
Many local congressional races took front stage this election cycle as U.S. Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Austin, held on to his seat from Democrat challenger Larry Joe Doherty and Republican newcomer Pete Olson bested U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Stafford, and Libertarian challenger John Wieder for the 22nd Congressional District seat. All eyes were on west Houston as a crowded ballot of six candidates fought each other to take over former state Sen. Kyle Janek’s seat for state Senate District 22, that hooks through Jefferson, Chambers, Galveston, Brazoria, Fort Bend and Harris counties. After the November general election former Congressman and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell fell to former Harris County Judge Joan Huffman in a December runoff . Huffman, a Republican, will fill the remainder of Janek’s term set to expire in January 2011. On the larger political stage, the national elections proved historic as Barack Obama became the first African-American president and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin became the first female vice presidential nominee of the Republican party.
An unstable economy bolstered by a slumping housing market caused many financial giants like Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers, and Washington Mutual scrambling for cash to get rid of toxic assets that were clogging their ledgers.
The federal government threw a $150 billion loan lifeline to insurer American International Group Inc and also took over mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
As credit markets became frozen and banks quit lending to one another Congress passed a $700 billion rescue plan.
The White House gave ailing General Motors and Chrysler automotive companies $17.4 billion in rescue loans in December after the U.S. Senate suppressed a bailout passed by U.S. House of Representatives.
While major companies have been given federal largesse, taxpayers had their own economic stimulus in February. Congress passed a $152 billion plan to give those who filed taxes for 2007 $600 a person and $300 for dependent children. The package includes rebates for senior citizens, low to mid-income people and disabled veterans.
With a gallon of unleaded gas costing under $1.50 per gallon, it’s hard to imagine that five short months ago filling up the tank nearly broke the bank. Oil prices sky rocketed as the volatile economy drove trading prices of oil over $150 a barrel in July. According to AAA Texas, the cost for a gallon of regular unleaded gas reached it’s peak at $3.90 on July.
After starting the season 0-2, including a rout by The Woodlands, the Katy Tigers looked anything but prepared to repeat as state football champions. Then a funny thing happened. The young squad stiffened and dropped only one game the rest of the season. Then the Tigers went full-bore into the playoffs and ended the season with its second straight football crown after beating the Wylie Pirates on Dec. 20 at Reliant Stdium in the state title game.
The Morton Ranch High School Varsity Cheerleaders made headlines this year for what they did off the field, instead of their performance at games. Seven members of the varsity cheerleading squad received a year of probation from a Harris County judge is December, stemming from allegations of hazing. The incident occurred off-campus, where members of the varsity squad tied members of the junior varsity squad up and pushed them into a swimming pool. A mother of a junior varsity cheerleader filed a complaint with the school and KISD police investigated the allegations, later handing their findings over to a Harris County court. In November, a grand jury indicted the students. If the young ladies complete their probation and court requirements the charges will be cleared in December 2009.
Hailed as the largest and most expensive freeway improvement in Texas history, the Katy Freeway opened in late October. The 12-mile stretch begins at State Highway 6 and extends to the I-10/Loop 610 West interchange, giving drivers the option to pay a fee to bypass morning and evening rush hour traffic. The project cost $2.8 million dollars and was opened ahead of schedule and under budget.
Partisan politics made a big impact in the Katy school board elections in the spring. A trio of candidates touting its conservative credentials urged voters to elect them and oust three sitting board members. Debates were some times testy, and both sides accused the other side of misdeeds. In the end, though, voters re-elected all three incumbents.
Hurricane Ike was barreling toward the Gulf Coast in mid-September and Katy Independent School Distict’s Merrell Center was transformed into the Incident Command Center for the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Houston Galveston. More than 500 guard members came to Katy, ready to begin search and rescue missions before Ike made landfall. The Coast Guard rescued 103 people that did not evacuate from the Bolivar Pennisula before the storm hit, and after Ike passed saved 132 more people.
In Katy, downed power lines, debris and water damage were the biggest problems in the area. High winds took out fences and blew shingles off of homes and buildings.
Many local congressional races took front stage this election cycle as U.S. Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Austin, held on to his seat from Democrat challenger Larry Joe Doherty and Republican newcomer Pete Olson bested U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Stafford, and Libertarian challenger John Wieder for the 22nd Congressional District seat. All eyes were on west Houston as a crowded ballot of six candidates fought each other to take over former state Sen. Kyle Janek’s seat for state Senate District 22, that hooks through Jefferson, Chambers, Galveston, Brazoria, Fort Bend and Harris counties. After the November general election former Congressman and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell fell to former Harris County Judge Joan Huffman in a December runoff . Huffman, a Republican, will fill the remainder of Janek’s term set to expire in January 2011. On the larger political stage, the national elections proved historic as Barack Obama became the first African-American president and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin became the first female vice presidential nominee of the Republican party.
An unstable economy bolstered by a slumping housing market caused many financial giants like Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers, and Washington Mutual scrambling for cash to get rid of toxic assets that were clogging their ledgers.
The federal government threw a $150 billion loan lifeline to insurer American International Group Inc and also took over mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
As credit markets became frozen and banks quit lending to one another Congress passed a $700 billion rescue plan.
The White House gave ailing General Motors and Chrysler automotive companies $17.4 billion in rescue loans in December after the U.S. Senate suppressed a bailout passed by U.S. House of Representatives.
While major companies have been given federal largesse, taxpayers had their own economic stimulus in February. Congress passed a $152 billion plan to give those who filed taxes for 2007 $600 a person and $300 for dependent children. The package includes rebates for senior citizens, low to mid-income people and disabled veterans.
With a gallon of unleaded gas costing under $1.50 per gallon, it’s hard to imagine that five short months ago filling up the tank nearly broke the bank. Oil prices sky rocketed as the volatile economy drove trading prices of oil over $150 a barrel in July. According to AAA Texas, the cost for a gallon of regular unleaded gas reached it’s peak at $3.90 on July.
After starting the season 0-2, including a rout by The Woodlands, the Katy Tigers looked anything but prepared to repeat as state football champions. Then a funny thing happened. The young squad stiffened and dropped only one game the rest of the season. Then the Tigers went full-bore into the playoffs and ended the season with its second straight football crown after beating the Wylie Pirates on Dec. 20 at Reliant Stdium in the state title game.
The Morton Ranch High School Varsity Cheerleaders made headlines this year for what they did off the field, instead of their performance at games. Seven members of the varsity cheerleading squad received a year of probation from a Harris County judge is December, stemming from allegations of hazing. The incident occurred off-campus, where members of the varsity squad tied members of the junior varsity squad up and pushed them into a swimming pool. A mother of a junior varsity cheerleader filed a complaint with the school and KISD police investigated the allegations, later handing their findings over to a Harris County court. In November, a grand jury indicted the students. If the young ladies complete their probation and court requirements the charges will be cleared in December 2009.
Hailed as the largest and most expensive freeway improvement in Texas history, the Katy Freeway opened in late October. The 12-mile stretch begins at State Highway 6 and extends to the I-10/Loop 610 West interchange, giving drivers the option to pay a fee to bypass morning and evening rush hour traffic. The project cost $2.8 million dollars and was opened ahead of schedule and under budget.
Partisan politics made a big impact in the Katy school board elections in the spring. A trio of candidates touting its conservative credentials urged voters to elect them and oust three sitting board members. Debates were some times testy, and both sides accused the other side of misdeeds. In the end, though, voters re-elected all three incumbents.
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