These are the ABC13 Houston team's most memorable stories of 2023

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Throughout 2023, ABC13 has told thousands of stories about Houston, its surrounding communities, and the wonderful people within them.

As the year comes to an end, ABC13 employees reflected on the stories that stood out among the rest.

From help to people in need to a community coming together in the wake of a tornado, these are the stories that left a lasting impact on the team that told them.

ABC13 Chief Meteorologist Travis Herzog

Tornado in Pasadena, Deer Park preliminarily rated as EF3, NWS confirms

Storm damage seen across Pasadena after tornado hits during severe weather in SE Texas

From a weather perspective, the Jan. 24 Pasadena-Deer Park tornado is hands down the most impactful weather story we covered.

This unusually large and long-lived EF-3 tornado was the strongest "cold season" tornado to hit the Houston region since the F4 that hit Channelview in November of 1992.

Miraculously, everyone impacted by the tornado survived, despite it crossing a major highway and hitting right as local schools were dismissing students for the day.

We once again saw our resilient people banding together in the wake of a natural disaster to help one another and rebuild what the storm took away.

Eyewitness News chief meteorologist Travis Herzog walks you through the path and timing of destruction from the historic tornado event that blew through southeast Texas.

Tuesday night, the homes were in the dark. Many residents were staying elsewhere. ABC13 talked to Barbara Buckner about her dramatic experience before she and her family headed to a friend's house for the night.

13 Investigates: Couple 'miserable' as heat index reaches 109 inside their home

Economist estimates $9.5 billion loss in Texas due to heat

A runner-up would be the record heat wave known as August, where we TWICE tied Houston's all-time record high of 109 (Aug. 24 and Aug. 27).

The average high for the month was 102.7, besting the average high of 102 in 2011, which is the only other month in Houston's recorded history with an average high for the month above 100. The next closest is July 1980 with an average high of 99.4.

Kevin Ozebek did a fantastic job covering the economic impacts of the heat and how people living in the more than 20,000 homes without working A/C were coping with the brutally-hot weather.

13 Investigates recorded the "feels like" temperature across Houston. Tree-lined communities feel cooler than in less affluent parts of town.

13 Investigates is learning billions of dollars may be evaporating from our local economy as businesses deal with side effects of consecutive 100-degree days.

Executive Producer Justin Platek

'I'm grateful' | Organization helps homeless mom get housing, job opportunities after ABC13 report

One of my favorite stories this year hands down involves the homeless mother who was charged after falling asleep in her car in a parking lot.

We posed the question we saw folks in our community asking: why not get this woman help instead of sending her to jail, charging her with a felony and taking her kid away from her?

After our first story aired, the judge found there was no probable cause to proceed with the case against her.

That led to the woman's charge being dropped, an emotional reunion with her daughter, and an outpouring of support from everyday people.

A complete stranger even stepped up and paid for the mother's car to be taken out of the impound lot.

A homeless mother's arrest caught the attention of many. Now she's getting back on her feet with Houston's help, following living in her car for months with her daughter and dog.

Reporter Lileana Pearson

Action 13 returns to 75-year-old woman's home where free plumbing work restores running water

This story highlights in the simplest way the good of a community coming together and the community service I feel journalism brings!

Mrs. Pena had been without running water for several years, even collecting rainwater in trash cans so she could bathe and wash dishes. Keep in mind, this was going on within city limits, just a couple miles from downtown Houston.

After our original story aired, we were flooded with offers from the community to do thousands of dollars of work for free to help Mrs. Pena. AAA Plumbing ultimately did $10,000 in work, going above and beyond.

AAA Plumbing is completing $10,000 worth of work for Angelica Pena, the 75-year-old who was forced to collect rainwater for two years.

Reporter Courtney Fischer

Teacher bought a house at Houston auction, but she showed up to find an empty lot

"I think someone stole my house."

That's how Laxmi Nagaraj started her email to us -- and I knew we had a story.

At the beginning of 2023, Laxmi bought a foreclosed home at the Harris County Tax Sale auction. When she went to check on the property two weeks later, the house was gone.

I discovered the City of Houston demolished the house -- because it had been on a demo list for nearly two years. So, why was Laxmi allowed to bid on the property in the first place? Why wasn't she notified about the demo? Whose fault was this? This was the first story that led us to asking a long list of questions to the city and county -- so this never happens to anyone else.

The good news? Laxmi eventually got every cent back of the $61,000 she spent on the house.

"There is no house. Nothing is there," Laxmi Nagaraj said. "And no one is telling me who is accountable. No one informed me of anything. That's all I know."

Reporter Pooja Lodhia

Why do Texas Rangers play Creed songs? Rock band shows up at ALCS Game 3 amid ground-swell for hit 'Higher'

There was one story in 2023 that REALLY took me higher. If you don't get where I'm going with this, you should know, putting this story together was truly my sacrifice. Like, I had to do it with arms wide open.

Millennials and outcasts everywhere know I'm talking about Creed. The much-maligned band was an unofficial mascot for the Texas Rangers this year, and photojournalist Charles Fisher and I got to have a little fun at its expense. If you happen to bump into Charles, ask him what it was like running into Scott Stapp at the Sheraton breakfast buffet.

We were lucky to be in Arlington as our Houston Astros won three games in a row, crushing the home team's spirits and giving us some fun stories.

We ended up losing the ALCS, and ultimately, supporting the Rangers as the team won the World Series for the first time (Sorry, I couldn't resist).

Coming from an Astros fan base that knows what it's like to be hated, we forgive you, Creed.

And we hope you'll forgive us.

Who knows? Maybe 2024 will be the year of Nickelback.

The Astros and their fans inside Globe Life Field were unwilling listeners of a singalong of the band's hit, "Higher," on Wednesday night. So, how did this fascination begin?

Anchor Tom Abrahams

Republican Texas AG Ken Paxton is acquitted of 16 corruption charges at impeachment trial

Ken Paxton's impeachment trial was historic. We have not witnessed anything like it in our lifetimes.

Adding to the drama of impeaching (and suspending) a sitting attorney general was the all-star lineup of Houston attorneys on both sides of the case. Dick DeGuerin and Rusty Hardin prosecuted the case for the House managers and Dan Cogdell and Tony Buzbee ran Paxton's successful defense.

Even if the outcome was, in some minds, predetermined based on the political makeup of the Senate, the two-week-long trial was a spectacle.

Ultimately Paxton's team won and the trial served to further divide an already-fractured relationship between the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate.

The impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ended with an acquittal of all 16 articles brought against him.

Sports Reporter Adam Winkler

Joseph's legacy: A life lost leads to a life saved through love of baseball

My most memorable piece from 2023 was our feature on the legacy of League City's Joseph Fleming, a baseball-loving boy whose life was taken too soon.

To honor Joseph, his parents Kellie and Jeremiah founded an organization to help other families with children fighting cancer in the greater Houston area. The top fundraiser is an annual baseball tournament. During the 2018 tournament, Joseph's father was swabbed as part of a "Be the Match" drive to hopefully help cure someone diagnosed with life-threatening blood cancers.

Turns out, Jeremiah was a match and ended up saving the life of a total stranger! A life lost, a life saved with baseball as the backdrop.

Joseph Fleming was only 10 years old when he died following a courageous cancer battle. Now a foundation in his name is working to help other young patients.

Reporter Briana Conner

Revisiting "Little Miss Sunshine" after the storm

I thought it was so worthwhile to go back to the Deer Park community one year after our breaking news coverage of the tornado that hit the community.

It highlighted the kind of continuing coverage only local news can provide. It also gave us a chance to catch up with the child who many community members described as their "sunshine after the storm."

Through Addison Trusty's eyes, we were able to learn about the resilience of the community.

She's a little girl with a personality twice her size. How her bright attitude brought light to a scary situation.

713 Day comes along with new proposal to add another area code for the greater metro area

713 Day was such a fun story! It can be difficult to get people to stop and talk on camera about any given topic, but Houstonians were happy to talk about our culture and what it means to them.

The story inspired a lot of Houston pride, and delivered useful information about the new area code coming to town thanks to our growing population.

A lot of people are just learning about our city, but those who have been here since the 713 days have always known what makes us a southern gem.

As we celebrate a day for Houston's first area code, there could be a new code as the population grows. This won't impact your existing number.

Man returning from Taylor Swift concert at NRG Stadium fatally struck by alleged DWI suspect: HPD

The devastating circumstances surrounding Jacob Lewis' death spurred a response that we could not have imagined from Taylor Swift's fan base. I remember talking with his sister about how much they were looking forward to seeing her perform together at NRG, but the hit and run turned what should have been a special night into something tragic.

I posted the story on social media, and a Swiftie who saw it responded, asking me to post the information for the family's GoFundMe. I posted the link, and as they say, Twitter did its thing. Swifties all around the world retweeted and donated. Many of them gave $13, representing Swift's favorite number. It added up to hundreds of thousands of dollars for Jacob's family.

The suspect fled after hitting the concertgoer, but was followed by a tow truck driver in the area before being arrested by police, officials said.

Digital Producer Sarah Rolen

'This is a blessing, the Lord's blessing': Texas' oldest woman celebrates her 114th birthday

One of the stories that stood out to me this year was the celebration of Elizabeth Francis' 114th birthday.

Anchor Melanie Lawson introduced us to Elizabeth during a week-long look into "centenarians" -- people who have lived to be 100 or older.

Elizabeth, who is the oldest person in Texas and second oldest person in the U.S., celebrated her birthday with five generations of her family. It was amazing to see Elizabeth, her 94-year-old daughter, and 68-year-old granddaughter talk about her incredible life.

The icing on the (birthday) cake -- Elizabeth is even an ABC13 alum. She ran the station's coffee shop back in the 70s and early 80s. You can't help but laugh when you hear her explain how Consumer Reporter Marvin Zindler drove her crazy.

Only a handful of people can call themselves "super centenarians." ABC13 sat down with a 114-year-old Houstonian, her 94-year-old daughter, and 68-year-old granddaughter to talk about her history-making life.

Executive Producer Laura Taglialavore

Talented 10-year-old is a mariachi prodigy!

Rudy Villarreal won a Lone Star Emmy for his story on Eduardo Trevino, the 11-year-old mariachi prodigy who won a prestigious national mariachi competition in the elementary/middle school age group. Since our Localish story, Eduardo has gone on to perform on GMA, appear on America's Got Talent, and recently sang at the Mayor's Holiday Spectacular.

He may only be 10 years old, but this sensational singer is a mariachi prodigy with a stage presence well beyond his years!

Pure Evil: The Ertman-Peña Murders

I also wanted to mention Jessica Willey's Texas True Crime promotable and episode, "Pure Evil", about the horrific and unforgettable Ertman-Peña murders. It was extremely well-edited by Chris Graczyk and included strong and emotional sound with the Peña family, who hadn't spoken publicly about what they went through in over 20 years.

It also included the first-ever interview with one of the attackers.

It wasn't just about the crime that happened 30 years ago --- we tried to really highlight the ways this case changed laws and changed history in the 30 years since it happened.

TEXAS TRUE CRIME: 30 years ago this summer, 14-year-old Jennifer Ertman and 16-year-old Elizabeth Pena decided to take a shortcut home through T.C. Jester Park. They walked straight into unimaginable horror.

Texas True Crime: All American Killer

Lastly, I wanted to mention Courtney Fischer's 93-minute A.J. Armstrong episode, All American Killer.

She's the only Houston reporter who has covered this case from the beginning, including all three trials.

The exclusive content in this documentary included the only interview with Josh Armstrong's girlfriend, who testified at all three trials and gave very powerful and emotional sound; the only interview with the HPD detective who was at the murder scene and interrogated A.J. right afterwards; and the only interview with the bloodstain pattern analyst, who talked to us about the new blood evidence in trial three.

TEXAS TRUE CRIME: Only on ABC13, an in-depth documentary seven years in the making. After three trials, AJ Armstrong is now serving his life sentence for the murders of his parents at a prison in Abilene, Texas. Courtney Fischer is the only Houston reporter who covered this case from the beginning and sits down with people involved in the case who have never gone on record - until now.

Manager, Local Brand Solutions Jamie Kopulos

Childhood cancer survivor now a doctor at hospital that saved her life

My favorite story is one that I helped produce. I grew up with Dr. Courtney Pette and watched her go through a harrowing journey of battling childhood cancer, which struck her the day of her 16th birthday.

She then beat cancer and went to work as a pediatric cancer doctor herself, studying under and eventually working for the doctor who saved her life at the same hospital where she received treatment.

I thought her story would be inspiring to people all over the world, especially young women. My hunch was right, as this story was picked up by World News Tonight as one of their America Strong stories!

FROM PATIENT TO DOCTOR: This childhood cancer survivor is now changing lives at the same hospital that helped her survive.

Anchor Erica Simon

Southwestern Trailriders Association marks 50th anniversary with Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo trail ride

One of my most memorable stories of 2023 was covering the Southwestern Trailriders Association on the HLSR trail ride.

It was the historic Black rider group's 50th anniversary this year, and it was something powerful and full of pride seeing Black cowboys like there were in the Old West.

Southwestern Trailriders Association marks 50th anniversary with HLSR trail ride.

Assignment Editor Douglas Schurtz

Naked man at center of SWAT standoff now in custody after taking HPD robot inside hotel room: Police

While we have covered several breaking news stories involving the Houston Police SWAT team, this one remains memorable to me.

Police were called to a motel in the early hours of Aug. 8 for a weapons disturbance. More officers, including their SWAT team crisis negotiators, responded as the man was walking around the complex with a weapon.

I remember our photographer calling to say police sent in a robot dog and she had video of it slowly walking towards a man. This was one of the first times we've seen police using their "SPOT" robot dog at a high risk scene.

For nearly two hours, we watched through her lens as the dog repeatedly approached the door and then backed off. Then at one point, the naked man stepped out of the room, grabbing the robot dog, dragging it back inside, and shoving a mattress up against the window.

Then police sent in a SECOND robot dog to see what was going on in the room as they continued calling out to the suspect over speakers to surrender.

Hours later, police were able to take the man into custody and recovered the robot dog from the room. Officers told us that wasn't the first time a dog has been grabbed by a suspect, and that it actually helps them gather information. They told us that SPOT was not damaged and was ready for his next scene.

The standoff started early Tuesday at a Mustang Inn near the South Beltway. Video from the scene shows the suspect come out naked and drag a police robot inside.

Asst. Creative Services Director Scott Morrow

ONLY ON 13: Woman's rental home returned after squatters who changed locks were told to leave

It's becoming a crisis -- an increase of homeless individuals seeking shelter and finding it in vacant homes. Miya Shay's fearless door knocking and questioning of squatters, and asking them if they own the house or know they're breaking the law is top of mind for me. It's a great Action 13 story that combines fighting for the homeowner and neighborhood vs. the lawless and often criminal element next door.

Police determined the lease the woman showed them was fake, and told her she could either leave or face trespassing charges.

Montrose residents worried about ongoing issues with CenterPoint utility poles blocking sidewalks

Another great Action 13. Besides being an eyesore -- massive utility poles replacing small utility poles in a city neighborhood -- the story highlights the need for progress, but also total disregard for accessibility on the sidewalks. These power poles are as wide as a sidewalk.

Aside from the poles impeding pedestrians' access to a safe sidewalk, there have been complaints about the utility poles on Dunlavy Street failing to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.