Official site of Tribune News serving Tomball, Magnolia and Waller

Throughout the Tomball Lady Cougars playoff run, they barreled their way through opponents with strong defense and a meticulous offense. In the regional championship game Feb. 22, Tomball ran into an opponent with a stifling defense to match and fell just short of the 4A Final Four, falling to top-ranked Georgetown 41-30.

The disappointing loss came one game after a thrilling win over Pflugerville Connally Feb. 21, in the regional semifinals.

Facing a team that likes to run up and down the court, the Lady Cougars took their ball control offense to another level in that contest, defeating Connally 45-40. Tomball raced to a big lead, before going ice cold in the third quarter.

The Lady Cougars found themselves down 30-28 in the final period, when Alayna Waters made a layup while getting fouled. Waters made the free throw, giving Tomball back the lead, one they wouldn't relinquish for the rest of the game.

After the hard fought victory, the Lady Cougars faced a daunting challenge in the regional championship game, as their opponent would be the top-ranked Georgetown Lady Eagles.

Georgetown raced to an 8-0 lead en route to a 13 point halftime lead.

Tomball coach Karen Lemker told her team at halftime that mistakes caused the early deficit and that if they played better in the second half they could still make it a game.
The Lady Cougars closed the gap to six with about three minutes to play, but the Lady Eagles were able to hit clutch free throws down the stretch, in pulling away for a 41-30 victory.

Carissa Diaz led Tomball with 10 points and seven rebounds, while Lexe Mark added seven points.

The loss ended the most successful run for the Lady Cougars (30-7) since 1994, which was Tomball's last appearance at state.

Willow Wood Junior High School seventh grade student Alexander Ho took the top spot in the Tomball ISD Spelling Bee. Northpointe Intermediate School fifth grade student Priya Malhotra took second place. After 51 rounds of spelling words, Ho won the bee by correctly spelling the word quinine. This was the second consecutive year that Ho and Malhotra competed in the TISD Spelling Bee. 

A train crashed into a trailer carrying oil field equipment bound for Mexico, yesterday afternoon in Magnolia.

The trailer was caught under a train crossing that was too low for the trailer to be passing through, according to eyewitnesses. The scene caused traffic headaches in all directions on both FM 1488 and FM 1774, as well as many side streets within Magnolia.

No one was injured.

A Magnolia woman, Kandi Thibodeaux Edwards, shot this amazing video while stopped at the traffic light at 1774 and 1488.

His name is Smokey.

A fitting name, considering the miracle dog was found alive by firefighters inside the smoldering remains of a Pinehurst home that burned down around him on Valentine's Day.

Firefighters found the dog breathing shallowly, but he only had a small burn above his eye. They quickly administered oxygen to the dog and called workers from Paws to Claws Veterinary Clinic in Magnolia to take the dog for emergency treatment.

"He was in bad shape," said Rhonda Lankford, an employee of the clinic who picked up the dog. "He was dehydrated, full of chemicals and had suffered from extreme smoke inhalation."

It was so bad that he was only taking about 40 breaths per minute – a very shallow rate for an active dog.

Lankford rushed Smokey to the clinic where her boss, Dr. Suzanne Knoop Scott, began treatment and placed the dog in their intensive care unit. The owner of the home that burned claimed the dog was just a stray that they fed, but that was the opening the staff needed to begin aggressively treating Smokey, in order to save him. By law they cannot treat a dog without an owner's permission.

For the first few days the prognosis was iffy. Smokey would just fall over when he tried to walk and was very thin. Suddenly though, the dog began to show marked improvements.

While he is a quiet dog, he is extremely loving and friendly, Lankford said. She said the improvement is remarkable and could be considered miraculous.

"He's bright and alert," Lankford said. "He's 100 percent better. Sometimes they just have a will to survive."

While Smokey is heartworm positive, Scott believes that it isn't too severe and can be treated with preventative medicine, while his body recovers from the effects of the fire.

Heartworms are not contagious to either animals or humans.

"He has to get fully recovered from the smoke inhalation before we can do the full treatment for the heartworms.

He could also stand to gain a few more pounds she said.

While Smokey is still recovering, it doesn't mean he has to stay too much longer at the clinic. He's only on oral medications and Scott said he could go home in about a week – that is if he had a home to go to.

With no one claiming the dog and a lack of space at the clinic, the staff is afraid they may have to turn Smokey over to animal control, at which point he could be euthanized within three days.

Area no-kill shelters are full and the doctor and her staff are frantically searching for a new home for Smokey.

Considering what the dog survived, it would be heartbreaking to many if he had to be put down, simply because he didn't have a home to go to.

If you are interested in helping provide Smokey with a new home, contact the staff at Paws to Claws Veterinary Care at 281-356-2384.

Members of the Tomball ISD Board of Trustees recently agreed to call an election, in order to propose a $160 million bond issue that will provide new schools, renovations at current campuses, new technology and additional school buses.

The district recently put together a steering committee, made up of area residents and district employees, to study growth and needs within the district. Projections estimate that the district will grow by nearly 4,000 students over the next five years.

The steering committee recommended building four new schools to accommodate that growth. New elementary and intermediate schools will be built on the south side of the district, while an elementary school and a junior high are proposed for areas near The Woodlands.

The district also plans to perform several improvement and renovation projects at other schools as well. The plan calls for a new agricultural project barn directly adjacent to the current facility, as well as adding field turf and track renovations to Tomball ISD Stadium. Also, new weight rooms will be added to each junior high campus.

In addition to the extra-curricular activities improvements, the district also plans to upgrade heating, air conditioning, roof replacement, lighting, paving of parking lots and several other maintenance and facility improvements.

Renovations will include the front administration areas and cafeterias at both Lakewood and Decker Prairie, while Timber Creek and Creekside Forest will receive minor renovations to aid in the transition to the new K-5 grade configuration.

Finally the district looks to purchase additional school buses, as well as upgrading the district's technology programs and technology for instruction purposes as well. They will also provide funding for security areas near the front entrances at schools that currently do not have that.

Tomball ISD Communications Director Staci Stanfield said the school board and steering committee put in long hours to study and design the proposal.

"The steering committee and their subcommittees spent a great deal of time studying the district's needs," she said. "They did a very thorough job and were extremely committed."

Stanfield went on to say that if voters approve the bond issue, which will be held during the May 11 election, the financial impact on property owners will be minimal. The portion of Tomball ISD's tax rate that services interest and debt is currently 35 cents per $100 of valuation.

"It will go no higher than 40 cents," she said.

She added that the district will take the same steps as they did in 2007 – selling bonds in a manner that is fiscally responsible and will ensure the rate never goes higher than 40 cents.

Stanfield said the district also wants voters to have all the information they need to make an informed decision at the polls, so they will post all the information on their website, as well as answer any questions voters may have.

"It's important for us to give factual information and let the community know what our plans are," she said.

The Tomball ISD website is www.tomballisd.net. The election is set for May 11, 2013.