Deal could benefit homeowners with Countrywide loans An estimated 30,000 Texas homeowners with mortgages from Countrywide Financial may get friendlier loan terms through a settlement announced by seven state attorneys general.

Effort to replace North Forest ISD board hits snag The state's effort to oust the North Forest school board has hit a legal hurdle, possibly delaying the removal of the elected trustees.

Perry: Texas economy in better shape than nation's Gov. Rick Perry said today that the economy in Texas is in much better shape than it is nationally but noted that state government can't take anything for granted.

Pasadena police love triangle erupts in violence An apparent love triangle among three police officers erupted in violence this weekend, landing two of them in court today, officials said.

Supreme Court rejects jury Bible case out of Texas The Supreme Court is refusing to consider a murder case in which a jury foreman read passages of the Bible to hold-out jurors who subsequently voted to impose the death penalty.

Wrecks tie up morning traffic on Southwest Freeway Two accidents on the Southwest Freeway this morning created a gridlock for motorists making their way into downtown.

Manvel man killed in motorcycle crash A man who died last week after being ejected from his motorcycle when he struck a retaining wall was identified as a 31-year-old from Manvel.

Man killed outside east Houston nightclub A man was fatally shot early this morning in the parking lot of an east Houston nightclub.

More SE Texas kids reporting kidnap tries on way to school There's a growing number of reported attempts to abduct children as they wait at bus stops or walk to schools in the Houston area. Yet, no central clearinghouse is keeping count or tracking the incidents, which often — but not always — end in children escaping unharmed.

Officials blame boring jackpot games for $100 million drop With sales down 2.7 percent, leaders fear that it may be because the current games are at the end of their life cycle. But officials say their hands are tied and they can't fix the problem.

Reports of kidnap attempts as kids head to class on rise There's a growing number of reported attempts to abduct children as they wait at bus stops or walk to schools in the Houston area. Yet, no central clearinghouse is keeping count or tracking the incidents, which often — but not always — end in children escaping unharmed.

Stress of Ike recovery also strains recovery of addicts For recovering alcoholics and addicts, coping with post-Ike realities may also mean reaching out to sobriety buddies instead of the bottle or drugs.

Friends and family make difficult journey to Sherman site Sunday, however, relatives and friends of the 17 victims set aside their fears and suspicions to journey by bus to the crash site in Sherman.

Voting plan for displaced Galveston residents rejected Hurricane Ike is gone, but the storm's effects will be felt by many of Galveston County's 187,000 registered voters when they attempt to vote Nov. 4 in a presidential election that is expected to attract a record turnout.

After Ike, boaters crave return of life on an even keel Those who own boats are famously attached to them. To see them smashed, sunk, upside down, disemboweled, bathed in mud or deposited rudely in spots where boats are not supposed to be is profoundly painful.

Suspect in stabbing death, mutilation to appear in court Mark Andrew Boyd, 37, is facing capital murder charges in the Sept. 23 killing of Wilbur L. Ake, 47. Boyd was arrested Friday by the Harris County Sheriff's Office, accused of killing and scalping the victim and cutting off the victim's nose.

Crisis on Wall Street affects our streets, too Since the credit crisis came to a boil last week, Houston-area governments have taken notice.

Rice hopes $3 million buys lots of innovative research Rice University will use a $3 million grant from the John S. Dunn Research Foundation to encourage its researchers to take chances.

Galveston apartment owners eager to rebuild after Ike Most of the 130 members of the Galveston County Apartment Association intend to repair or rebuild apartments damaged by Hurricane Ike, helping to alleviate the serious shortage of rentals in the wake of the storm, the association said.

Outages could cost Houstonians more than $6 billion Lost economic activity, repairs to electricity infrastructure and residential losses like spoiled food in refrigerators may rack up a huge bill, according to a rough Houston Chronicle estimate.

1 killed, 1 wounded by gunfire at NW Harris trailer park An argument between several people at a trailer park in northwest Harris County erupted into gunfire early this morning, leaving one dead at the scene and a second wounded, authorities said. Harris County Sheriff's deputies discovered the body of Filiberto Mendez, 38, about 2 a.m. in the driveway at the Sunset Trailer Park, 6900 Romona, officials said.

Motorcycle hits pickup in Houston, catches fire; rider dies A motorcycle rider died early this morning after striking a pickup in southeast Houston, police said. The fatal accident happened about 2:30 a.m. when a Chevrolet pickup slowed to make a U-turn in the 2200 block of westbound Bay Area Blvd., Houston police said.

Analysis: Nearly 1,500 sites still need to be cleaned At least a half million gallons of crude oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico and the marshes, bayous and bays of Louisiana and Texas, according to an analysis of federal data.

Juarez's drug bloodbath rarely spills into El Paso Ciudad Juarez has notched more than 1,000 killings so far this year amid a gang war for control of its smuggling routes and street-corner sales. But just 13 killings have been logged across the river in El Paso.

Texas senators seem to bend rules for staff raises State payroll data analyzed by the Houston Chronicle show a clear pattern in many Senate offices in which salaries are inflated as the end of the state's fiscal year approaches, only to be reduced a month or two later.

Houstonians could end up paying more than $6 billion The cost of the outages could surpass $6 billion once the bills are tallied for lost economic activity, repairs to electricity infrastructure and residential losses like spoiled food in refrigerators, according to a rough Houston Chronicle estimate.

Texas senators seem to bend rules to give staffers raises State payroll data analyzed by the Houston Chronicle show a clear pattern in many Senate offices in which salaries are inflated as the end of the state's fiscal year approaches, only to be reduced a month or two later.

Ex-NTSB chief says highways lack a culture of safety Sometime soon, probably next year, the National Transportation Safety Board will call a news conference to unveil findings and recommendations concerning the August bus crash that killed 17 people from Houston en route to a religious festival.

Mincberg in uphill battle with Emmett after Hurricane Ike Earlier this year, Democrat David Mincberg appeared to have lucked into a perfect storm in his bid to unseat County Judge Ed Emmett.

After lesson on sewage, Galveston to re-evaluate system With Ike, one of the biggest lessons will be how to quickly restore water and sewage service.

Officials keep looking for those lost in the storm Law enforcement officers, accompanied by volunteers' search dogs, continued their long, sweaty march along the marshes of Chambers County Saturday, looking for the remains of Hurricane Ike victims.

Bag of Christmas ornaments back home after Ike An Internet search, several phone calls and a trip to the post office later, the eight ornaments are back in Sabine Pass, some 300 miles away.

Youths learn life lessons showing animals at fair The benefits of raising and showing livestock are a story that will be told a thousand times during the Heart O' Texas Fair & Rodeo, which kicked off Thursday with the fair.

Dallas school district trustees OK layoffs for 1,100 Facing an $84 million shortfall this fiscal year, Dallas school district trustees voted last week to lay off nearly 1,100 employees, including about 550 teachers.

Death of comic Bernie Mac sheds light on sarcoidosis Sarcoidosis (pronounced sar-COY-doe-sis) was the disease that actor-comedian Bernie Mac battled for years before succumbing to pneumonia at age 50 in August.

Sunday Q&A: Isle is on long road to recovery In separate interviews, A.J. Holloway, mayor of Biloxi, Miss., and Al Coby, city manager of Pensacola, Fla., talked to Chronicle reporter Bill Murphy about what a city can expect as it rebuilds.

Eight units destroyed in S. Houston townhomes blaze Dozens of families lost everything in the the four-alarm fire that began about 1:40 p.m. Eight units in the building were completely ruined and several nearby units also sustained damage from the blaze.

Cost-effectiveness of retrofitting Houston grid questioned Texas Gov. Rick Perry, state utility regulators and other officials have said the cost of strengthening the power distribution system along the Gulf Coast would outweigh the benefits.

Bailout legislation boosts Texans' mental health coverage Texans with mental health conditions will get insurance coverage in parity with people with other health conditions, thanks to a provision in the $700 billion financial bailout legislation passed and signed into law on Friday.

President drops by boyhood hometown of Midland With the sun is setting on the Bush presidency, and on Saturday he made a wistful return to Midland, stopping at one of his childhood homes to reflect, if only briefly, on what had changed and what had stayed the same.