The first word might have been easy for some junior high students to spell. The second one, not so much.
But on Wednesday, a Pearland seventh-grader made his school proud when he managed to spell both “diabetes” and “nenuphar” correctly, becoming one of 41 semifinalists at the 82nd Scripps National Spelling Bee competition in Washington, D.C.

Aditya Chemudupaty , who attends Nolan Ryan Junior High School in the Shadow Creek Ranch subdivision of the Alvin school district, was among 293 youths competing. While diabetes may be a common word to some, few people probably know what nenuphar means — it’s a European water lily.

As a result of their feats Wednesday, the Pearland hero and the other semi-finalists from across the country will compete on stage from 9 a.m. to noon today, with the competition being broadcast live on ESPN. His classmates and teachers will be watching, said Principal Deborah Roberson.
It felt “really, really good to get this far,” Aditya said after the semifinalists were announced. But he acknowledged a case of nerves.

“I feel really, really anxious about tomorrow,” he said.
Aditya said he would be practicing all evening the night before the big day.
“I’ll be studying my spelling list with my mom,” he said.
Aditya was calm onstage during the two oral rounds Wednesday, however, speaking clearly and with barely any hesitation between letters. His goals for today: “Concentrate and don’t hurry. Take your time, and watch the clock.”

“Aditya is a very, very good student,” Roberson said Wednesday night. “This is something he’s been working on all year long. He’s just very self-disciplined.

“Part of his routine is he will get up early in the morning and study for an hour or two, then come to school. Then when he gets home from school, after he does his homework, for another hour or two he’ll go back over and practice his spelling.”
The championship finalists will square off for the final round beginning at 7 tonight. That competition will air live on ABC-TV. The champion will win a $30,000 cash prize, a $5,000 scholarship, a $2,500 U.S. Savings Bond and other prizes.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Forecasters to make predictions about 2009 hurricane season

Forecasters to make predictions about 2009 hurricane season

Top federal weather forecasters on Thursday will be announcing their eagerly anticipated predictions for this year's Atlantic hurricane season -- a season likely to be as active as last year.

Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and others will make their forecast public at a news conference to be held at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in northern Virginia.

On hand will be Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco and Bill Read, NOAA's National Hurricane Center director, along with a host of other federal officials.

Government forecasters were right on the mark with their 2008 predictions -- a very active hurricane season. The numbers: 16 named storms, eight hurricanes, five of them major.

Scientists had projected that the 2008 season would bring 12 to 16 named storms that would grow into six to nine hurricanes, two to five of which would be Category 3 or stronger.

Gerry Bell, NOAA's lead seasonal Atlantic hurricane forecaster, has said the gradual warming of the Atlantic Ocean, combined with an active tropical era of storms that began in 1995, will likely mean busy hurricane seasons in the future.

Florida was spared the worst of last year's hurricane season. Only Tropical Storm Fay struck the region hard.

That was not the case for our Caribbean neighbors. Cuba and Haiti got pounded by a succession of major hurricanes and storms, resulting in heavy damage and lost lives.

Feel free to prepare for storm

By John Lowman
The Facts
Published May 20, 2009

LAKE JACKSON — Emergency planners are preparing themselves for the possibility of another hurricane striking close to home, and they encourage area residents to take advantage of a free opportunity to do the same.

The annual “Perfect Storm” hurricane preparedness seminar will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Lake Jackson Civic Center, Brazoria County Emergency Management Coordinator Kenneth “Doc” Adams said. This year’s event is themed “Lessons Learned from Ike” after Hurricane Ike blasted the area last September, causing billions of dollars in damage from Brazoria County to Sabine Pass.

One of the main focuses is being prepared, Adams said.

“Some of the people who evacuated suffered hardships last year they would not have had to suffer if they’d have read our brochure,” Adams said of a booklet set to be mailed to all county residents. “If they’d have taken a few minutes and looked at it, they would have been much better prepared.”

That is the reason for the seminar, Brazoria County Marine Extension Agent Rich Tillman said.

“We want to protect lives and property,” Tillman said. “Since we’re right on the coast, everybody in Brazoria County is vulnerable to some extent.”

Two of the three 2-1-1 evacuation hubs in the county are moved. The former Alvin location this year will be at Dawson High School in Pearland, while the Angleton hub will be at the Brazoria County Fairgrounds. The West Columbia site remains at the West Columbia Civic Center.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

No flu in Pearland yet

Updated: 05.01.09
The City of Pearland wants to remind all persons living and visiting in our area to take basic health precautions relating to all strains of influenza (flu), including the current H1N1 'Swine' outbreak.

There is currently one confirmed case of H1N1 in the Pearland area - a Ft. Bend County teenager who attends a private school in Harris County, and has fully recovered. No local schools or school districts have been affected.

The Pearland Office of Emergency Management continues to monitor the situation with county, state, & federal coordination, and will keep you informed of any health updates.

Visit www.cityofpearland.com for links to various health authorities currently tracking the H1N1 outbreak."

New Coach Guiding Lady Lions

Alvin Living Stones pitcher Samantha De La Rosa has experienced a couple of TAPPS state championships in volleyball, and now the junior right-hander would like to do the same in softball.

“Of the two sports, softball is definitely my favorite, and this year, we feel like we have the team that can go all the way,” she said. “Some of the players know what it takes to get to state and win, and we hope that carries over into softball.
“But even though we’re confident, we’re not looking too far ahead or only concentrating on state because if we do that, we could be tripped up.”

The Lady Lions are first trying to capture a TAPPS District 4-2A/A title against co-members Bellville Faith, Dickinson Pine Drive, Huntsville Alpha Omega, Kingwood Northeast and Victoria Faith, and during the first round, Bellville Faith handed Living Stones a 12-2 loss.

“We beat ourselves in that one with numerous errors, but we tried to learn from it and move on,” first-year coach Michael Anne Bryant said. “We’re still in a good position to finish in the top two, and then we can really focus in on the playoffs.
“The players are working very hard to make it happen, and we’ve had the entire team out there even during optional practices. Their mindset is state, they break every huddle by saying ‘state,’ and that’s where we want to end up.”
De La Rosa gets nearly 100 percent of the starts in the circle, but freshman Kaitlyn Anderson can also pitch when not holding down second base.

“De La Rosa is our No. 1 pitcher, and Anderson is so valuable to us at second, so that’s where they are most all of the time,” Bryant said.

Living Stones has no seniors in a lineup that has juniors Taylor Dillard (shortstop), Megan Pena (right field), Korina Moore (catcher), Shelby Young (left field) and Ashley Kubeczka (first base), sophomores Bailey Wagner (CF/SS) and Janelle Bullock (courtesy runner/OF), and freshmen Kristen Freeman (third base) and Dani Dudley (utility).
“Dillard has a gun for an arm, Bullock is our fastest player, and Young has a great attitude while always giving 100 percent, and she can play just about anywhere,” Bryant said.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Garbagemen fighting crime in Pearland

They pick up trash and soon they could help police pick up criminals. Waste Management and the Pearland Police have announced a program that's takes the neighborhood crime watch to a different level.
"This type of program is unique," says Lt. Moe Lopez.

Waste Management drivers are being trained to spot crime. It's called Waste Watch. Drivers are encouraged to look for things suspicious. You may have seen national stories where drivers noticed something out of the ordinary and called police.
3,000 drivers nationwide have received training including a video. About 13 drivers a day work the streets of Pearland.
"These are mobile trucks..it's not they are staying in a single neighborhood," says Lopez

Drivers are encouraged to call police if they see anything and then fill-out a form that asks for things like a suspects physical characteristics and a license plate number.

Alina Rogers is used to hearing about suspects..Her husband is a Pearland Police officer.
"The more eyes the better," says Rogers.
More eyes on the streets, and Waste Management hopes more Waste Watch programs soon in a city near you.

DA to seek death penalty

By John Lowman
The Facts
Published April 1, 2009

ANGLETON — Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against the man accused of the Feb. 2 kidnapping, robbery and slaying of a Pearland store clerk.

A two-count capital murder indictment handed up by a Brazoria County grand jury Tuesday accuses Nicholas-Michael Jean, 21, of Pearland of killing Susana DeJesus by shooting her while in the course of a robbery. The second count accuses Jean of killing DeJesus during a kidnapping.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt, but a determination enough evidence exists to proceed to trial.

Brazoria County District Attorney Jeri Yenne would only quote from the indictment and declined to expound on the case.

“The allegations are he did intentionally cause the death of Susana DeJesus by shooting her with a firearm,” she said. “He did so in the course of committing robbery or in the course of committing kidnapping. We filed capital murder here (in Brazoria County). This is the highest crime in the state, and we will be seeking the death penalty.”

The last capital murder conviction in Brazoria County was in April 2007 when John Joe Bodley was convicted of the Freeport shooting deaths of two people. Yenne agreed to a life sentence after Bodley waived his right to appeal.

The last Brazoria County person put to death after a capital murder conviction was Virgil Martinez, who was convicted in 1998 of killing four people in a trailer home outside Alvin. He was given a lethal injection Jan. 28 in Huntsville.

Read the full story HERE