Home Care In Missouri City, TX

Inspectors found an estimated 384,000 pieces of delayed mail at the South Houston Local Processing Center in Missouri City on Jan. 28.

MISSOURI CITY, Texas — In a newly obtained audit report, the USPS Office of Inspector General detailed a list of problems found at the South Houston Local Processing center in Missouri City that led to widespread mail delays across Houston.

In the audit, inspectors said they visited the facility from Jan. 28 to Jan. 30 and found several issues -- including a backlog of delayed mail and a lack of communication among facility management.

During the visit, they found an estimated 384,000 pieces of delayed mail at the facility. The mail was either in need of processing or waiting to be transported to another facility.

The audit revealed that the Missouri City processing center was originally opened as a temporary "peak season annex," designed to help with increased volume at the existing North Houston processing center. However, managers used an "undocumented" contingency plan to keep the facility open.

The facility is still operating as an interim processing center according to the audit, but it is expected to transition into a "traditional local processing center" by the end of the year.

Inspectors said several factors contributed to the delays, including the way in which management moved certain operations -- including sorting machines -- from North Houston to the Missouri City facility which was "not equipped" to handle the volume.

The OIG said staffing was also an issue. In one instance, a supervisor was scheduled to cover all three shifts over a 24-hour period.

The audit points to safety concerns and maintenance issues as well. At the time of their visit, inspectors said the Missouri City facility did not have enough power and had to use generators to keep machines running. There was also a lack of running water and employees had to use portable bathrooms outside for a time.

Inspectors also found that USPS did not communicate its plans to open the facility to stakeholders including the media, despite "significant media coverage around delayed packages."

The OIG recommended several changes to the postal service to remediate the issues, including assessing the backlog to see if temporary staffing is necessary and developing a process to communicate and solicit feedback from local managers when developing and implementing changes to the South Houston facility as it shifts into a processing center.

When KHOU 11 reached out to USPS for a response to the audit, a spokesperson referred us to an April 5 letter already included in the report that states:

“The postal service agrees that the findings were accurate in January 2024. At the time of the OIG visit, the postal service had already implemented actions to address the conditions in South Houston. The postal service has continued to improve conditions in South Houston over the last few months.”

KHOU 11 was the first to report on the mail delays at the USPS processing center in Missouri City. Since December, we've spoken to several people who were concerned about the whereabouts of their mail, including people concerned about their medication and wedding dresses stuck at the processing center.

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You can read the details of the OIG audit below:

Cassandra Dee (Casey) Mueller, age 43 of Missouri City, Texas passed away on February 7, 2024. Casey was born on October 3, 1980, in Seguin, Texas to Ron Mueller and Shelly Brietzke.

Casey is preceded in death by her grandparents, Gail and Bettie Brietzke and Robert Mueller, Jr.

Casey grew up in Geronimo, Texas, and was a 1999 graduate of Lifegate Christian Academy in Seguin. She double majored in Accounting and Marketing at Texas Lutheran University, in Seguin, graduating in 2003. In addition, Casey received her Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston in 2011.

Casey’s faith informed and guided her life. She was an active member of Christ United Methodist Church in Sugar Land which she joined in 2005 shortly after moving there after college. She was involved in numerous committees, study groups, and volunteer activities at Christ United.

She was especially thankful for the time she traveled to Israel with many of her Church family. She also completed the Emmaus walk where she would later volunteer and further enlarge her circle of friends. Casey’s Church Study Group would be a source of friendship, faith, and support for many years and she dearly cherished their presence in her life. Her involvement led her to a fuller understanding of grace and thankfulness for life’s everyday blessings and those in it.

Casey had a huge heart and love for animals, adopting several pups and cats she gave them the best days of their lives.

Casey loved running. She participated in races of all distances including trail runs, relays, numerous half-marathons, and full marathons. She enjoyed the annual Texas Independence Relay run which she participated in for many years and made many deep and lasting friendships.

Casey leaves behind her Father and Mother, Grandmother Sylvia Mueller, brother Kyle Schriewer, Aunt Sheryl Brietzke, Uncle and Aunt Rod and Michelle Mueller, Aunt and Uncle Linda and Gary Meneley, cousins Payton Mueller, Ashton Broadwell, Amber Meneley and Chase Meneley.

Special thanks to her Church group families at Christ United Methodist Church and Trinity Church in Sugar Land and the Doctors and staff at Texas Oncology Sugar Land.

A celebration of life will be held at Christ United Methodist Church, Sugar Land, Texas on Friday, February 16, 2024, at noon.

Memorial donations can be made to Friends of Missouri City Animal Shelter, 3007 Road Runner Walk, Missouri City, Texas 77459.

To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Cassandra (Casey) Dee Mueller, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.

New York-based fro-yo and soft serve chain 16 Handles is set to open new two locations in Fort Bend County.

These are among the six stores the chain aims to open across Houston, Dallas, and Austin as part of its Texas debut this spring.

“We love Texas and it's a state that is growing like crazy, in terms of work opportunities and new developments,” said Neil Hershman, CEO of 16 Handles. “There is a huge void in frozen desserts, especially frozen yogurt, but the demand is strong. We expect explosive growth in Texas and are just about to start a multi-year marketing campaign to help educate consumers on 16 Handles.”

16 Handles offers 16 soft serve flavors, 50 plus toppings and sauces, alongside frozen novelties like cakes, cookie dough, and take-home pints. You can also find vegan soft serve on the menu, along with a variety of drinks, treats, and snacks.

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Myles and Tabatha Abshire are set to open a store in Missouri City at 3340 FM 1092 Rd, Suite 310, around mid-May. Additionally, David and Lin Ding are scheduled to open a 16 Handles store in Richmond around June, per a statement from 16 Handles.

"We wanted to have more touch points with the community and embrace the community we live in,’ Myles Abshire said in a statement. “16 Handles is giving us the opportunity to create a place for more people to connect and gather and we're really excited to partner with local schools and businesses for a sense of community and dessert."

“We love Missouri City and Richmond,” said Hershman. “Missouri City has an old town feel with new development and such a strong sense of community. Our franchisees are young and hungry to grow their business and become the cornerstone for smiles in the area. In Richmond we'll be opening in a new center with tons of food destinations, and we hope to be the premium dessert you have to stop by before you leave.”

Hershman added that 16 Handles’ best performing stores were the ones that complemented nearby restaurants and eateries, offering an ideal destination for outings with friends, couples, and families.

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16 Handles uses a self-serve model, granting customers control over their yogurt portion and topping selection. Payment is determined by the weight of the cup.

16 Handles was founded in 2008 by Solomon Choi, in Manhattan's East Village. The brand, which was acquired by Hershman in 2022, has expanded to more than 35 locations across the country.

HILLTOP LAKES, Texas (KBTX) -Residents across the Brazos Valley are still feeling the impact of mail delivery delays originating from a postal facility outside Houston. The postal service says the delays are a “temporary disruption” but many say it’s beyond temporary.

Shirley and Jerry Keen, residents of Hilltop Lakes near Normangee, rely on the post office for their medication deliveries every 90 days. A recent order, placed before Christmas to address Shirley’s heart condition, was scheduled for delivery in early January. However, delays stretched from days to weeks, prompting the drug company to intervene and overnight her prescription after more than a month of waiting. The Keens say they’ve lost confidence in the postal service, and hope the Houston area facility causing delays gets these issues solved before someone’s health is compromised.

“All packages are important but here there’s so many people that depend on their medication and if it’s not delivered a lot of them, they won’t even do the tracking and they won’t know they’re out until they take that last pill and then realize it was not delivered and then they have no medication and they will end up in the hospital or an ER,” said Shirley.

Congressman Pete Sessions is one of several federal leaders concerned about the delays and is working to get answers.

“It is important that the post office deliver on time the packages. And I can understand a day or two off, I cannot understand a week or longer. And so this, this was something that is very important that we get corrected,” said Rep. Sessions.

Last week congressmen Randy Webber of Beaumont and Morgan Lutrell who represent parts of Walker and Montgomery Counties held a press conference outside the facility after being denied access. But Rep. Sessions says he and other colleagues plan to go back.

“We will come down and see these operations and see firsthand what needs to be accomplished. So we are aware of this in particular in the Houston area, in Brazos River Valley, and it is, uh, something that I will not tolerate as oversight Chairman,” Sessions added.

Jerry and Shirley say they’ve lost all confidence in the postal service and while they don’t blame employees for the delays, they emphasize the need for accountability.

“People with proper leadership and proper motivation generally do a good job. So, I think there’s some failure in management and I would suggest that if the post office wanted to correct anything, they gotta look at management first,” said Jerry.

“You need to realize down there in that center, you know, how important their service is to the people in these rural areas, particularly when it comes to medications,” Jerry added.

KBTX reached out to the postal service Monday to get an update on changes at the Missouri City facility and was given the same statement from when KBTX and other media outlets first reported on these issues.

“We are aware of concerns from some local Houston customers regarding their mail delivery. We want customers to know that we continue the expansion of our operations in the Houston area because of increased volume and we are adding additional capacity with a new facility to improve service. The Postal Service has dispatched additional resources from the surrounding area and implemented improved processes to address the root causes of sporadic issues to improve the reliability of mail delivery in the Houston area. Customers should also note that multiple severe weather events in Houston and across the nation have impacted many transportation, logistics, and delivery companies, and the Postal Service is no exception. We express our apologies to those who experienced a deviation from our normal dependable service and customers should already see improvements in delivery as we work through these issues.”

District 10 U.S. Representative Michael McCaul is also aware of the concerns and feels the use of technology has been part of the problem.

“We’re fixing this right now. They have made changes. They stopped the technology. They’re adding humans to the system to improve the performance of the mail,” McCaul said.

McCaul also says that holding the USPS accountable is a crucial part of lost or stolen mail and that manpower is the answer.

Rep. Al Green, a Houston-area congressman also spoke out last month about the ongoing shipping delays at a Missouri City USPS facility. During a press conference, he called on the postal service to take action and be transparent with customers experiencing delays.

“When they have a line of credit with the federal government, they ought to be standing before the cameras answering these questions. And we’re going to push them in that direction,” Green said.

“You have to assume that every package is important. Every package may have something that can actually have a circumstance associated with a person’s life,” Green added.

If there’s something you would like KBTX Investigative Reporter Donnie Tuggle to look into, email [email protected] or fill out this submission form.

MISSOURI CITY – Editor’s note: KPRC 2 is no longer identifying the child involved due to the nature of the victim possibly being human trafficked.

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A Missouri City family was desperately searching for a missing 12-year-old who hasn’t been seen for five days.

The girl was last seen outside her home on Waterchase Drive getting into a mysterious truck in the middle of the night between Thursday and Friday. The exact time is unclear.

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“I feel like she’s been kidnapped because it’s day five and I haven’t heard anything,” her mother Shannon Williams told KPRC 2.

The last time Williams saw her daughter was before bed on Thursday, but when she woke up on Friday, Hughes was gone.

She was last seen wearing a white crop top and pink joggers, according to a missing juvenile flyer. She left with only those clothes and a tablet, Williams said.

“I haven’t ate anything. I haven’t been to sleep. Everybody’s been pacing back and forth because this is not like her,” she said.

Hughes is known to have a beautiful personality and bright spirit, she said. On Thursday night, she made fries with her own seasoning and danced in the living room before stepping out for a walk around 10:30 p.m., her mother said.

Neighbors told KPRC 2 their cameras captured a dark truck pull up in front of her house a couple hours later, before what appears to be the young girl gets in the backseat. The truck then turns around at the end of a cul-de-sac and turns onto Steeple Chase Road.

Williams said she didn’t recognize the truck and her daughter didn’t have access to rideshare apps.

“Anything could have happened, even though we’re going to pray for the best,” Williams said.

The missing juvenile poster is the only public release from law enforcement so far on Hughes’ disappearance. Her family doesn’t understand why an AMBER Alert wasn’t issued.

“I am past worry ... I feel like nothing is being done fast enough,” Williams said. “I just want my baby home.”

Williams said she wasn’t sure if Hughes was communicating with anyone online but that’s an aspect of her disappearance they are still trying to figure out.

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