Brazilian petrochemical company Braskem will start up its second Houston-area plastics plant this month. Construction for Braskem's new area plant was completed in October. Latin America's largest petrochemical company has a strong presence in Texas after buying Sunoco plants (one of which is also in La Porte) and Dow Chemical Co. plants over the last few years. [...]
Royal Dutch Shell PLC is preparing to shut down a catalytic reforming unit at its Deer Park refinery to make repairs on a leaky valve. The refinery said a leaky valve sprung Wednesday November 30 in its catalytic reforming unit 3, causing emissions that continued into Thursday, according to a statement made to the Texas Commission on [...]
The Pasadena Police Department believe that two men are responsible for several burglaries in multiple locations throughout Harris County. The Pasadena Police Department's Burglary and Theft Division are asking for the public's help identifying the men they say are responsible for burglarizing a building in the 2600 block of Spencer Highway on Oct. 14 around 11:45 p.m. [...]
A lawsuit has drawn national attention to Pasadena, Harris County's second-largest city. Redistricting issues, including closed-door meetings over restructuring, are under scrutiny based on allegations that the city's system of elected government discriminates against Latinos. Redistricting has raised contentious debate in Pasadena for several years. In 2013, the city voted to change how it elects city [...]
Destiny Lynn Schulze, 19, Deer Park, Texas, was heading north on K-14 in Reno County, Kansas Saturday evening when the 2010 Toyota pickup she was driving drifted off the left edge of the road, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol. A passenger, Hannah Alyese Hall, 19, of Harris, Texas, grabbed the steering wheel, causing the [...]
The Pasadena Refinery System plant released thousands of pounds of toxins the morning of November 3, during a seven-hour power outage. The toxic release marks the latest event at the refinery, the same plant where a March explosion injured one worker. Officials worry more about this refinery than others in the area, as it has a [...]
Negative history between some students caused a brawl to break out in a La Porte High School hallway while class was in session. In the video, taken Oct. 25, three students argue, which escalates into a violent brawl involving five students. The physical altercation goes on for about 45 seconds before an adult interferes and breaks [...]
According to La Porte police Sgt. John Krueger, increase in fraud has occurred in "relative accordance with other crimes and the general rise in population." Fraud is a deceptive act or series of actions which aim to take an individual's money, property or anything else of value. Krueger emphasizes that fraud can be cloaked in a [...]
The largest thermoplastics resins producer in the Americas announced the commissioning of a new polyethylene production plant at its La Porte, Texas site. Braskem sells high-performance ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene engineered-polymer under the trade name UTEC. The La Porte production plant increases Braskem's footprint in the United States. Earlier this year, the company enhanced its research and development capabilities at the company’s [...]
The Court of Appeals for the First District of Texas, sitting in Houston, unanimously affirmed the jury’s verdict that International Paper Company (IP) was not liable for large civil penalties as a result of the discharge of dioxin-contaminated paper mill waste. The decision released on October 6, 2016 concerned a plant owned by IP's predecessor in Pasadena [...]