31 January 2006
Don't take the kids to Memorial Park
Riding through Memorial Park’s Picnic Lane loop is popular among bicyclists. But it is also a hotspot for illicit rendezvous.
Houston Police Officer Kenny Cech took 11 News into the woods next to the bike loop and next to an abandoned restroom.
He showed where he arrested two men having sex just last Sunday—All happening in broad daylight.
Cech said he doesn’t know why this is happening at Memorial Park. “Parks in general attract people of this type,” he said.
According to HPD, for every arrest made they are more incidents they can’t catch. And often times it’s the park patrons who are the witnesses.
The latest arrests came after a father and his 8-year-old son caught the men in the act.
The result is that police patrols have been increased, which is unfortunate in light of HPD's manpower shortage. Let's hope that MayorWhiteChiefHurtt will have HPD's staffing issues under control by the time downtown's showcase park opens up.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/31/06 09:41 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (10)
Sheila Jackson Lee at the SOTU
You can set your watch to it. Every year, right after the President of the United States makes his way into the U.S. House chamber to deliver the State of the Union Address, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee pounces.
[snip]
You've got to give Sheila credit. She is dogged and she is determined. When Sheila wants face time, she gets face time. And, we might add, that is a very smart red suit she is wearing tonight. You go girlfriend!!!
Even my son (who had to watch the SOTU for a school assignment) saw her!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/31/06 09:00 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (7)
Local volunteer to be recognized at State of the Union speech
Judge Eckels' office has sent out a press release with the news that a Harris County Citizen Corps volunteer will be sitting with First Lady Laura Bush during tonight's State of the Union address:
Harris County Citizen Corps volunteer Teri Shamlian will be a guest of First Lady Laura Bush for the President's State of the Union speech this evening. She has been an active member of the Citizen Corps since its inception in August 2002.
Shamlian was chosen for her leadership and dedication to the Harris County Citizen Corps programs. She is a coordinator for the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, a volunteer for Fire Corps, and has logged over 750 volunteer hours with 113 of those hours as a volunteer during the Hurricane Katrina Evacuee Relief Operation.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/31/06 07:18 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (0)
Acronyms and task forces can't mask manpower shortage
KHOU-11's Mike Zientek reports more disturbing news about HPD response times:
Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt answered questions from 11 News about the slow response time to a hotel shooting that ended with a man in the hospital.
"If there are some shortcomings on our part we're going to review it and make sure it doesn't happen again," Chief Hurtt told 11 News.
The 11 News crew beat police to the scene and emergency crews waited for nearly 30 minutes for any sign of HPD.
[snip]
But what might be troubling is that an HPD spokesperson said the department tries to respond to calls like the one at the hotel in 12 minutes at the most. That same spokesperson told 11 News it took a lot longer than that.
According to HPD’s own timeline, a dispatcher got the call at 6:24 a.m., made two requests for units and received no response.
At 6:40 a.m. a supervisor from the day shift left for the scene.
He arrived at 7:01 a.m., 37 minutes after dispatch received the call.
In fact it took so long that the 11 News photographer recorded firefighters putting up crime tape—not police.
“There should have been somebody on the air, somebody in the city of Houston to answer that call,” Chief Hurtt said. “It’s not routine for the city of Houston. This was an extraordinary incident, again we’re in the process of reviewing it. If there are some shortcomings on our part we’re going to review it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
IF there are shortcomings?
*ahem*
Chief, when KHOU reporters beat the cops to a shooting scene, and firefighters get so restless that THEY string police tape, it's safe to say there was a shortcoming on the part of your department!
Unfortunately, since HPD manpower is stretched thin because politicians have ignored the problem for so long, this is the sort of thing we can expect to happen.
Look for MayorWhiteChiefHurtt to announce a new acronym or task force to tackle this latest problem soon.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/31/06 07:03 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
Fireworks at City Council
City Council business under Mayor White has tended to have all the excitement of paint drying, which has been quite a contrast to the last, acrimonious years of the reign of Lee P. Brown.
However, KTRH-740 just reported that we had some fireworks between Councilmember Carol Alvarado and Doctor-Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs last week.
Apparently, Councilmember Alvarado cursed at the doctor-councilwoman last week, according to KTRH.
However, KTRH reports that it was off camera/off microphone, and thus not picked up by the recordings for the public access channel. Because we certainly wouldn't want the public to see one member of Council behaving like an ingrate!
Councilmember Alvarado told KTRH "I'm sorry if she got offended." What a nice non-apology.
So, that was a vague report. What did Councilmember Alvarado call the doctor-councilwoman?
UPDATE: Chris Baker reports that Councilmember Alvarado called the doctor-councilwoman a "bitch."
Oh my!
ANNE ADDS: This doesn't seem world-class. Or ideal.
Will Councilwoman Alvarado show some decency and REALLY apologize, or will she act as if she's the aggrieved one? A certain level of maturity is required for the former.
BLOGVERSATION: Lou Minatti.
UPDATE (02-01-2006): KTRK-13 posts a story with less detail.
UPDATE 2 (02-01-2006): KPRC-2 also posts a story without much detail. There's still no posting on KTRH, so the account and links here are about the most complete roundup so far (not that readers of certain cityblogs that make a policy of never linking to other blogs would know).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/31/06 05:11 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (17)
Nixon suspended; Marticiuc comments on chase policy
KTRH-740 is reporting that HPD officer Tom Nixon, who was assigned to desk duty after his comments about HPD's chase policy, has been suspended without pay for 15 days.
The suspension is not related to the chase-policy comments, which remain under investigation. Rather, KTRH reports, the suspension is related to commentary in a magazine column written by Nixon.
In related news, Hans Marticiuc (president of the Houston Police Officers Union) wrote an op-ed for the Chronicle today. Marticiuc argues that HPD needs to consider empowering officers involved in pursuits with one more option:
The issue now is police policy. HPD's current vehicle pursuit policy is relatively sound, balancing the ability of officers to do their job against the need to protect the public. However, any policy that allows a pursuit to continue for 90 minutes in a congested urban environment is unacceptable and dangerous to the public as well as the officers.
If HPD management had voiced the same concerns we in the police union leadership have, and advised the public that current policy will, at the very least, need review, we would not have had the media circus we did.
As officers, we see the need for an additional option. Ideally, "pitting" a vehicle early in pursuit when the opportunity arises makes more sense then a prolonged vehicle chase. (Pitting is a technique in which the patrol vehicle bumps the rear end of the suspect vehicle, causing the vehicle to spin and stop. The proper opportunity to use this technique takes into consideration speed, location and other traffic conditions and variables that can determine whether pitting is a sound decision or not.)
It's hard to object to that. Perhaps Nixon wouldn't have been assigned to a desk if he had written an op-ed for the Chronicle.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/31/06 03:46 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
Campaign finance and double standards (the series)
Houblog comments on SEIU's ongoing efforts to organize municipal employees.
And the Chronicle Editorial LiveJournalists finally address SEIU's possibly illegal efforts to elect Sue Lovell to City Council:
The unions have also engaged in political hardball. SEIU mounted a controversial $120,000 media effort that contributed to the election of at-large Councilwoman Sue Lovell in a December runoff against Jay Aiyer. Although both unions endorsed Lovell, SEIU showed it was willing to heavily outspend AFSCME to make its point.
Controversial?
That's all the Chronicle editorial board (which has complained ad nauseam about the interplay of interest-group money and politics when it involves Republicans) has to say about SEIU's possibly illegal support of Democrat Sue Lovell in a local election -- and months after the possibly illegal and certainly troubling effort took place?
That's weak.
PREVIOUSLY: SEIU wins over janitors, sets sights on city employees; Editorial LiveJournalists ignore alleged SEIU campaign finance irregularities; Campaign finance and double standards; Campaign finance and double standards -cont'd; A truly quotidian editorial on interest-group money and national politics.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/31/06 08:57 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (3)
30 January 2006
Rep. DeLay makes the Economist, Hardball
MSNBC ran a segment on the 22nd Congressional District race, including a long interview of Rep. Tom DeLay (R) by Hardball's Chris Matthews earlier tonight.
Video and a partial transcript are available here. In the television version, political scientist and bicyclist Bob Stein made an appearance. He was identified as a Rice University pollster.
The Economist also ran a story on the race in its most recent issue. This is a lowlight:
Another problem for Mr DeLay, assuming that he survives the primary, is Steve Stockman, a former Republican congressman who has entered the race as an independent. Mr Stockman will need 500 votes to get on the ballot in November. He has vowed to go after Mr Lampson, but since his politics are to the right of Mr DeLay's, he may end up pulling support away from him. (According to the Chronicle poll, he could draw 11% of election-day voters.)
We've already established that among several flaws, the Chronicle/Murray/Stein survey almost certainly overstated support for Stockman because of the way he was identified.
Speaking of Professor Richard Murray -- he makes an appearance in the Economist article:
“The best Mr DeLay can hope out of Washington is continuing bad publicity but he's not indicted,” says Richard Murray, a political-science professor at the University of Houston.
They could have at least identified him as one of the people who put together the (flawed) survey they cited.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/30/06 10:57 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (4)
Move It! seeks feedback
Rad Sallee is soliciting input regarding the Chronicle's "Hot Spots" feature:
The Chronicle is evaluating how it gets the word out to readers about road repairs and construction and the resulting traffic problems.
Computer users can see a detailed list of road work (plus a real-time traffic map and views from freeway cameras) by going to www.houstontranstar.org. To check your route, click on "regional construction," then "txdot lane closures."
The Chronicle publishes a daily Traffic Hot Spots box on Page B2, but the box is too small for the complete TxDOT list.
Is Hot Spots helpful to you? Could it be improved?
Suggestions, please.
traffic@chron.com
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/30/06 06:32 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (3)
Boy injured in latest HPD chase dies
KPRC-2 reports that a 12-year-old boy has died following HPD's most recent pursuit:
A 12-year-old boy has died from injuries he suffered when the car he was riding in was struck by a sport utility vehicle being chased by police in southwest Houston, KPRC Local 2 reported on Monday.
Houston police were chasing a black Toyota 4-Runner reported stolen when it collided with a car that Kyndall Batiste was riding in on Beechnut Street at Whitecap Lane at about 8:45 a.m. Friday.
Batiste was thrown from the car and landed on the pavement. He was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital in critical condition shortly after the crash, but died Sunday night.
Natasha Batiste, Kyndall's 36-year-old mother who was also injured in the crash, remains listed in serious condition.
Police said the driver of the SUV, 18-year-old Dominique Bromon, was charged with felony evading arrest and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The aggravated assault charge could be upgraded to murder.
As Laurence Simon says, the charge should be upgraded to murder.
In related news, KHOU-11 reports that the Houston Police Officer's Union filed a lawsuit against HPD and Chief Harold Hurtt in support of Officer Tom Nixon, who was removed from patrol duty after criticizing HPD's chase policy.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/30/06 12:06 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)
29 January 2006
Editorial LiveJournalists discover HPD manpower woes, crime
The Editorial LiveJournalists have discovered that violent crime is threatening Houston:
In 1958, Houston had the nation's highest murder rate, with 15 homicides per 100,000 residents. In 1981, after Houston tallied more than 700 homicides, the city was dubbed murder capital of the United States. After years of diminishing crime rates, the number of violent crimes in the city again is ticking upward. This time, Houstonians must act to head off the next bloody crime wave before it crashes over us.
It would have been nice if Houston's only major daily had been out in front of this one a little earlier. HPD's manpower shortage is not new to anyone who's been paying attention. Still, better late than never we suppose.
We can't help but be amused at this language:
Hurtt said he is working with City Council to compel landlords whose apartment complexes are magnets for bad actors to hire police officers to provide security or to pay fees to cover additional police protection. That is a good idea. Most of the homicides that occurred during the last four months of 2005 took place at apartment complexes, though this type of housing constitutes only half of the city's dwellings. Apartment managers should be required to provide adequate lighting and evict bad actors.
Bad actors? Goodness, the Editorial LiveJournalists really do seem out of touch much of the time.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/29/06 11:05 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (2)
Lots of evoking going on at 801 Texas Avenue
In his story on Mayor White's state of the city address, Chronicle reporter Matt Stiles led as follows:
Houston Mayor Bill White evoked the local spirit during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in his State of the City speech Thursday, urging a public commitment to facing the city's pressing issues.
That was a little more flowery and a little less specific than usual from Stiles -- so of course, the Editorial LiveJournalists decided it suited them as well today:
Evoking the spirit of Houston's effort to aid Hurricane Katrina evacuees, Mayor Bill White declared that the city's problems can be solved when city, county and state officials, the business community, nonprofits and individuals all work toward a common purpose.
The Editorial LiveJournalists then went on to complain that Mayor White's laundry list did not include an Editorial LiveJournal favorite:
A serious problem the mayor did not dwell upon is the deterioration of Houston's health care delivery system.
Robert T. Gumby Jr., the physician who heads the Texas Medical Association, told the Chronicle editorial board Friday that the health care system throughout the state is in poor shape. Insurance costs rise precipitously, yet the money going to actual care drops. He blamed exorbitant insurance company profits and executive pay.
Part of the blame for poor health rests with Houstonians. We tend to be fat, immobile, diabetic and addicted to harmful substances, principally tobacco. Improvement on that front requires individual commitment to healthier diets and exercise.
But the crux of the problem is Houston's high rate of uninsured residents — 31 percent, the nation's highest. Dr. Gumby charitably concluded that legislators and their leaders in Austin must be unaware of the great suffering this condition exacts from the working poor. Knowledgeable people in authority would not allow it to continue.
That's a nice change of topic completely without warning from the LiveJournalists. Of course, they neglect to mention one big reason many people living in Houston are uninsured (hint: many of them are also "undocumented," as it is fashionable to say). It's always the problem that goes unspoken for the Editorial LiveJournalists.
As far as Dr. Gumby -- if he has something important to say, perhaps the interview should be taped and put online for all to see. That would "evoke" the spirit of transparency.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/29/06 10:48 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (10)
Big Media visits Houston
With a certain big trial getting underway tomorrow, we are beginning to see MSM stories about how Houston has weathered the Enron collapse.
Here's a New York Times story from Friday.
Here's a Newhouse News Service story that has been picked up by the New Jersey Star-Ledger.
And here's a story in the Toronto Star.
Who knows how many more of these there'll be, but it's interesting to see how others perceive Houston.
UPDATE: The Chron reports on what Ken Lay did today, and on the swarm of media trucks in front of the courthouse.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/29/06 03:48 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (10)
Is Port resignation a result of political retribution?
The Chronicle's Bill Murphy reported over the weekend that a Port of Houston commissioner resigned under pressure:
A Port Authority of Houston commissioner resigned late Friday after being accused of uttering a racial slur while on port business in Shanghai last year.
In a letter sent to top county officials, port Commissioner Cheryl Thompson-Draper denied making the remark, but said she was resigning because the accusation would hurt the commission's ability to carry out port business.
"After much reflection I know that I did not make such a statement.
"The words attributed to me are not in my vocabulary and those who know me well, know that I have a strong record of support for all minorities and small businesses," she wrote.
Port Authority Chairman Jim Edmonds, who said he heard Thompson-Draper refer to a band's performance as "jungle bunny music," said he had urged her to resign.
"The attendant publicity and reaction in various communities around town has done her a lot of damage and done the Port Authority a lot of damage," he said.
Port Authority Chairmen who haven't mastered subject-verb agreement in official statements also do some damage (among literate people), but I digress.
KHOU-11's Doug Miller covers an angle that the Chronicle did not:
This incident happened last May. It is noteworthy that all of this is coming to light only now, a month after Draper recommended that Kase Lawal, the only African-American on the Port Commission, step down from the Vice Chairman's post. Only after that did Commissioner Lee write his letter, sending copies to every other port commissioner and every other county commissioner.
Sedosi Alhambra caught that highly significant bit of reporting, and asked:
Is this a case of racial retribution?
And was this complaint raised so far after the fact that a defense is impossible to mount?
Are we, as Americans going to stop requiring proof now when "racism" is the -ism that's being accused?
El Franco Lee is a powerful, experienced political operator. Even assuming that Thompson-Draper made the statement in question, Lee's timing seemed designed for maximum political effect. And it worked.
I have a question to add to Sedosi's: Given the outrage from people quoted in the news (including Lee Brown), shouldn't the "outraged" crowd direct some of their concern to El Franco Lee and others, who only now have brought complaints about this statement that allegedly was made in May?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/29/06 02:07 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
Robison: Where's the Christian social-welfare money catapult?
Clay Robison, the Chronicle's lefty weekend editorialist, is trying out a weeks-old argument in favor of increased spending on social welfare:
He is the same Bill Ratliff, the unassuming engineer from Mount Pleasant who, in a radical departure from prevailing attitudes, tried to govern with a conscience.
And he is promoting what he attempted to practice as a lawmaker, a Christianity not intended simply to comfort the comfortable and lock their religious views into the law of the land — high priorities of the controlling GOP faction — but a Christianity that also attempts to comfort the afflicted and help the sick and the down-and-out.
The latter goal has been mostly skirted by the hand-washing Republican leadership in Austin."Up to now, the application of religious principles in political debate has been mainly applied to social mores, such as abortion rights, same-sex marriage, intelligent design vs. Darwinism and other similar social issues," Ratliff pointed out in a speech several weeks ago to the Austin Project, a group dedicated to helping at-risk youth.
His remarks later were reprinted in the Longview News-Journal and have received attention elsewhere.
"But all too often," he added, "those Christians who take strong stands on such issues based on moral or biblical teachings do not then continue the application of such teachings to other issues."
What about, Ratliff asked, Christ's admonishment to "suffer the little children to come unto me"?
He didn't name names, but it was obvious that state leaders conveniently forgot that verse of Scripture when they attacked the budget a few years ago, cutting thousands of low-income children from public health care so they could brag — as Gov. Rick Perry is doing in his reelection campaign — about holding the line against higher state taxes.
Joseph Knippenberg addressed arguments that Christianity requires expansion of the social welfare state effectively a few weeks ago:
Let me repeat what I’ve said before on the subject of poverty and religion. There are reasonable disagreements about how best to assist the poor. That we have a duty to do so doesn’t mean that we have [a] duty to support large government programs.
That's as far as I care to go substantively on that topic.
From time to time, though, it is useful to note Robison's political views and characterizations of those with whom he disagrees, as expressed on the editorial page every Sunday. Six other days of the week, he serves as the Chronicle's Austin bureau chief, putting aside his lefty political views to ensure that the Chronicle delivers Houstonians objective, balanced coverage of the goings on in the capital.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/29/06 01:33 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (3)
"Some" find the D.C. bureau an endless source of amusement
The Chronicle's Julie Mason provides this bit of amusement in her White House Watch column:
It's an American political rhetorical flourish that dates back at least to Thomas Jefferson, and it's one President Bush and his staff are using with increasing regularity.
A skeptic might call it a red herring, or perhaps an exaggeration.
"I understand there's some in America who say, well, this can't be true, there are still people willing to attack," Bush said last week about the threat of terrorism.
Since polls have shown Americans at times are hyper-aware of the possibility of another attack, it's not clear who Bush had in mind.
Nor when he said about Iraqis in June, "I mean, it wasn't all that long ago that people were saying these people really don't want to be free."
Bush has made the claim several times without identifying the naysayers.
What's so amusing about Miss Mason's complaint?
Check out the headline for this latest dispatch from the intrepid Chronicle D.C. bureau:
Some see Bush playing association game
That's priceless.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/29/06 12:59 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (1)
A tough week for local media and quotations
Earlier this week, the Chronicle's Dwight Silverman pointed out on his blog that KHOU-11 didn't characterize a quotation of his quite right in an interview he gave with them.
In response, KHOU's Jim Thompson (who oversees the web news operation locally) helpfully posted the interview with Silverman to the KHOU website, so readers/viewers can decide for themselves (instead of getting a version edited by someone who quite likely knows much less about the tech side than Silverman or Thompson). That's how things ought to work, and we're glad to see both Silverman and Thompson using the web to further the conversation and try to get things right.
If only the corrections editors at the Chronicle had a blog, maybe we'd get more clarity regarding the newspaper's recent corrections of quotations.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/29/06 12:32 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (0)
28 January 2006
Local online news developments of note
Yesterday marked the return of Chron.com NewsMail, a daily email digest of the top stories by section on Chron.com.
The last such email that I got was on December 28, 2005. When I contacted Chron.com's Dean Betz to ask what was up, he explained to me that the service would be down for about a month as they reworked it. His estimate was right on the mark, as the NewsMail appears to be working once again.
I've since become much more reliant on Bloglines for tracking Chron.com stories, but unfortunately there are no RSS feeds for the Opinion page or for the Columnists page (most columnists are not included in the individual section RSS feeds, although I did notice Dwight Silverman's column recently popped up in the Business RSS feed -- one of the benefits of being a Chron.com online honcho, I guess!), so the Chron.com NewsMail still serves a purpose.
Also, I've been remiss in noting that several local Clear Channel radio sites have undergone a redesign. They certainly look better, but the more important improvement is that local news postings have their own page, and are now individually linkable. The offerings are still kind of sparse compared to what the KTRH-740 news operation is able to offer news listeners, but this is a nice step in leveraging the web side. Now if they'd just add blogs for some of the local talkers (Michael Berry? Chris Baker?), in addition to more news and RSS feeds...
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/28/06 06:24 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (3)
Gearing up for the Tour de Houston
Last week Mayor White announced that the second annual Tour de Houston will be held March 18th:
Mayor Bill White joined State Sen. Rodney Ellis, Mayor Pro-Tem Carol Alvarado and title sponsor Guaranty Bank today in announcing the routes for the 2nd annual Guaranty Bank Tour de Houston bicycle ride benefiting Houston parks on Saturday, March 18, 2006.
“This event has become a tradition for anyone who wants to come out and have a great ride through our beautiful city. It's a chance to see our diverse neighborhoods in a fun and different way,” said Mayor White.
[snip]
The inaugural Guaranty Bank Tour de Houston drew more than 2,500 riders last year and, as an official recommended ride for the upcoming BP MS 150, has already become a popular Houston cycling classic.
I'm amused. It's the second one and the city is calling it a tradition and a cycling classic!
Anyway, best of luck to everyone who participates, including (I'm sure) Houston bicyclist Bob Stein.
Wear your helmets! Watch out for the Danger Train!
RELATED: Tour de Houston website
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/28/06 05:46 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (0)
But it's a world-class catalyst for future development
Slampo tackles the Houston Pavilions topic:
In the meantime, we have questions, such as why, when there’s so much concern in the air about “affordable housing,” local governments are using tax dollars (yeah, the ones from the federal government come from taxes, too) to subsidize a development that will offer what we heard described on TV as “luxury condos” in its 12-story residential tower. (Yes, we know the canned answer: The development is supposed to be a “catalyst” for further nearby development---the usual vague and unquantifiable justification that’s tossed out when public money is funneled to splashy private projects [if a “minor emergency center” can be considered “splashy”].)
Yes, these things just take time...and plenty of (taxpayer) money. Lots and lots of both, as Mayor White tried to explain the other day.
Because hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars aren't enough. More will be needed to spur future development (wink, wink) that will benefit...a tiny percentage of Houstonians.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/28/06 01:48 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (5)
In the real (non-governmental job) world, this wouldn't be tolerated
The Metro bus driver who hit and killed a pedestrian, and who is on paid leave, doesn't want to cooperate with investigators.
He should be fired immediately, but there are probably some union rules that prohibit that.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/28/06 01:03 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (3)
27 January 2006
HPD cracks down on New Orleans gangs
This news is most welcome:
Houston police have arrested eight of 11 people believed to be involved in nine homicides in the city's southwest side and two others in Pasadena since last November.
The arrests come just a few weeks after HPD acknowledged the surge in violent crime last year was linked to evacuees relocating here after Hurricane Katrina.
Police said the arrests were part of an initiative recently launched to investigate homicides believed related to gang activity.
In analyzing some recent cases in the southwest Houston area, police said today that several involved Louisiana suspects who relocated to Houston following Hurricane Katrina.
Police today said those suspects arrested were associated with two different gangs in New Orleans and continued their rivalry here.
Lovely, just lovely.
Good work, HPD. Keep it going.
BLOGVERSATION: When does the Hurtting stop? (Laurence Simon)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/27/06 02:19 PM | Hurricane Stuff | Technorati | Comments (11)
Sacrificing history for "progress"
Local preservationists were taken by surprise by the ongoing demolition of a historic Houston hotel:
Demolition of the 1925 Penn Hotel, which quietly began Sunday, shocked Houston's preservationists, who hadn't considered the building endangered.
The 10-story brick building at 1423 Texas is owned by Spire Realty, which until now has been active in rehabilitating historic buildings in Houston's downtown.
The building was designed by Joseph Finger, the architect who designed many of the city's most important buildings of the era: among them, City Hall; Temple Beth Israel; Citizen's State Bank (known to most Houstonians as the home of the Rockefeller's); 701 Texas (now the Lancaster Hotel); the Jefferson Davis Hospital formerly on Allen Parkway; and the Houston Municipal Airport Terminal.
UPDATE: Nancy Sarnoff notes that Spire Realty determined the old Penn Hotel was beyond repair:
Spire has more historical renovation projects under its belt, including downtown's Bayou Lofts and the Cotton Exchange building.
The William Penn just didn't have the right formula to make a restoration project work, said Wilkins.
"After doing a half dozen of those, you really know what to look for and what can be done in the way of renovations," he said.
The building was "uninhabitable beyond repair," he said. Its ceiling heights, floor plates and ancient mechanical systems would have made it too costly to bring into the 21st century.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/27/06 02:04 PM | Houston Arts/Culture | Technorati | Comments (6)
HPD thinks wrecker-caused fatality can't be tied to Safeclear
Here's how the city is trying to excuse itself from that Safeclear wrecker fatality incident the other day:
A T&T Motors wrecker driver who caused a five-vehicle pileup that killed a motorist likely was speeding to a major accident on the North Loop East feeder road, police said.
That accident would not have been covered by the Safe Clear program, in which towing companies with city contracts are assigned to respond to traffic incidents on specific freeway main lanes, not feeder roads.
"If he was going to an accident on a service road, it has nothing to do with Safe Clear," said Sgt. Michael Provost, who manages wreckers for the Houston Police Department.
[snip]
Investigators had not questioned Weaver on Thursday, so it is uncertain whether he was headed for the accident on McCarty. Weaver could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Perhaps HPD should actually talk to Weaver to determine where he was headed, if it really will make a difference.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/27/06 08:16 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)
The professional sensitives don't like Houston 1836
Well, according to the New York Times, Hispanics are outraged by the name Houston 1836:
Many Latinos in Houston, though, greeted the unveiling of the team's name this week with a shudder. Eighteen thirty-six also happens to be the year that a group of English-speaking interlopers waged a war of secession that resulted in Mexico's loss of Texas, ushering in more than a century of violence and discrimination against Mexicans in the state.
In fact, the team's owner, the Anschutz Entertainment Group of Los Angeles, appears to have upset some of the very soccer-crazy fans they were hoping to lure, after basing its venture in part on the crowds of Spanish-speaking fútbol aficionados who regularly fill stadiums here to attend the matches of visiting clubs from Mexico. Marisabel Muñoz, a spokeswoman for Major League Soccer in New York, which is controlled in part by Anschutz, declined to comment.
"Clearly, not enough homework was put into this," said Paco Bendaña, a prominent Houston-based authority on marketing to Latinos. "Historically speaking, 1836 is not something we celebrate."
[snip]
The announcement of the name on Wednesday quickly elicited strong reactions among Latino soccer followers. Carlos Puig, the editor of Rumbo de Houston, one of the city's Spanish-language daily newspapers, said his e-mail inbox filled with messages from readers "going crazy with the name."
Rumbo lambasted the name on its front page on Thursday, describing the choice as an "own goal," a soccer term for the occasion when a player inadvertently kicks the ball into his own goal, scoring a point for the opposing team. Rumbo also questioned whether the name would attract fans among Latinos, who account for more than 40 percent of Houston's population.
[snip]
Some in Houston were quick to defend the team's name, including one participant in a soccer blog carried on the Web site of The Houston Chronicle who identified himself as Mexican-American and told critics of the name to "give me a break and stop being so politically correct."
Amen! Those who are so easily offended by EVERYTHING (that includes the New York Times) need to get a life.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/27/06 07:20 AM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (7)
26 January 2006
Hoffman explains Houston and Dallas
The Chronicle's Ken Hoffman illustrates again today why he ought to be on the metro/state pages:
HERE'S how I answered the question, "Why does Houston have its act together, and big things are happening here ... while nothing seems to get done in Dallas?" on a Dallas TV station this week.
I said, "I think you judge a city by the vision and leadership of its mayor. And it's fair to measure a mayor by his or her background and experiences.
"For example, Houston Mayor Bill White was a successful businessman and held key government positions.
"Dallas Mayor Laura Miller was a newspaper columnist. That would be like electing me as mayor. I locked my keys inside my car at the car wash a few weeks ago. You think I can build highways?
"You're complaining that nothing gets done in Dallas? Consider yourself lucky."
Boot that gossip columnist off the metro/state pages and give Hoffman the more prominent location!
And don't vote for either one in a mayoral election.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/26/06 11:23 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
What's good for the goose... (Updated)
The Chronicle's Samantha Levine reports some interesting news on those liberal advocacy groups who bought anti-DeLay television ads in the Houston area recently. As it turns out, they'd rather not disclose their sources of funding:
The two liberal groups behind the TV ads that criticized some of Rep. Tom DeLay's political funding connections paid for the commercials in a way that avoids mandatory disclosure of their donors.
The groups, whose ads ran on Houston-area stations that reach DeLay's suburban district, also refused to voluntarily disclose the names to the Houston Chronicle.
The Public Campaign Action Fund and the Campaign for America's Future said they used the nonprofit arms of their organizations to buy about $80,000 worth of broadcast time. Such organizations, unlike national political action committees and other campaign groups, do not have to list their contributors for the federal government.
That's one of the more useful reports to come out of the Chronicle's D.C. bureau in ages.
A while back, the Chronicle editorial board, the Chronicle's Metro/State editorialist/gossip columnist, and the Houston Press's best blogger criticized a local advocacy group that attempted to shield the identity of donors.
I wonder what they'll have to say about this lack of transparency and disclosure.
UPDATE: (01-28-2006): Charles Kuffner comments here.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/26/06 11:13 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
Mayor announces Centerpoint weatherizing program
KHOU-11's Carolyn Campbell reports on a new pilot program announced by Mayor White today:
He has also introduced an energy-efficient pilot program to save homeowners like Wilma Jones money.
Not too much can slow Wilma Jones down, even at age 90.
"I keeps busy. I keep moving," she said.
But her energy bills, especially in the summer, do give her pause.
"It have went up to $300 and something, but, thanks to the good Lord, I paid it," said Jones.
Ms. Jones is the kind of person Mayor Bill White wants to help cut down on her energy cost, so her Pleasantville neighborhood is going to be the site of a pilot program to weatherize homes to reduce energy use.
"We're gonna go in and anybody that wants their home weatherized, we're gonna do it. And we're gonna do it by the summer and we expect with that, it's gonna decrease the energy bills and consumption by the community by at least 10 percent," said Mayor White.
Ms. Jones said she makes some tough choices sometimes to make sure she pays her energy bills, and that she has already agreed to take part in the new pilot program.
"Hope it saves me something because it's pretty ruough when it's nobody but you. Yes it is," she said.
Mayor White said CenterPoint Energy is footing the bill.
If it's successful, the program will be expanded to other neighborhoods.
One question that seems important goes unanswered -- what exactly will be the benchmark for success? 10 percent reduction in energy bills?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/26/06 10:27 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
KPRC-2's new regime resembles old regime
KPRC-2 presented one element of the Mayor's State of the City address earlier as... well, only KPRC can:
"The state of the city of Houston is good. Our city is moving," White said.
During the speech, White outlined his goals for 2006 and acknowledged his administration's accomplishments over the past year, specifically highlighting the city's generosity toward hurricane evacuees.
White also discussed other issues, including:
* Public Safety -- hiring more police officers and cracking down on apartment owners who allow crime on their property.
We would hope the city will be cracking down on criminals.
Here's how KHOU-11 reported that part of the speech:
[Mayor White is] promising more officers in hot spots and wants apartment managers to better protect tenants.
That phrasing is much better, the split infinitive notwithstanding.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/26/06 10:23 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (0)
That unity dream was short-lived
I remember seeing KHOU-11's story on the MLK Jr. Day parade earlier this month and thinking how the story sure put a happy face on the years-long dispute between two competing groups:
A decade-long feud between two Houston groups ended Monday with a single parade honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
The feud had meant competing parades each MLK Day, but this year it was a different scene downtown.
"I love it," said Bertha Edison, parade goer. "Dr. King stood for unity. Always stood for unity."
The crowd was larger and the parade longer, but Bertha Edison was especially pleased the two feuding parade organizers have finally come together.
"If we can't come together how do we expect others to follow what we're trying to preach here?" Edison asked.
[snip]
It was a history-making day for the annual MLK Parade. Many said there's no better gift for the dreamer than unity on his birthday.
"This is it," said Carolyn Scantleberry, parade goer. "This is the way it should be."
Yeah, well, so much for unity:
A second promoter has filed a competing permit application for a 10 a.m. Martin Luther King Jr. parade, setting up the first test of the city's parade ordinance that calls for rival groups to go into arbitration.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/26/06 03:31 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (2)
The 36ers are too...American
Following up on the Houston 1836 name post, here's a USA Today story that includes a critic who thinks our new team is lacking something: diversity:
Juan Giraldo is the president of the Houston Toros, a team in the semipro Universal Soccer Federation. Houston 1836 has mostly American players and none from Mexico, although it does have one from Venezuela and another from El Salvador. Giraldo said that's not enough.
"The Hispanic community is very excited that this is happening," Giraldo said. "But they definitely need to integrate some more Hispanic players. The Mexican community is very close to the Mexican leagues. For the MLS to work here, there has to be some connection to their own teams."
How predictable...and how tiresome.
RELATED: Houston 1836 roster
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/26/06 12:02 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (6)
No wonder Metro didn't want to hold a public input meeting!
Let's check in with Laurence's daily Metro adventure:
This morning, there was a substitute driver on the 9. She was gunning full speed past the stop, and I leapt out and waved.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEE... and slide and barely stopped at the light.
NOTE TO SELF: Carry rocks. Large rocks. METRO like Mel Brooks' cavemen, only understand Rock Language, apparently.
We got on.
Blubber Woman (SINISTER THEME MUSIC!) was at the wheel, and some random non-METRO dude was in the handicapped seat behind her.
"So, how far until Kirby?" she asks the guy.
And it hit me. A total newbie at the wheel, no METRO supervisor, no experience with the route.
She then got to Kirby, hanging in the left lane. Normally, if you're the 9 driver, you stay in the middle lane and make your turn to keep from crushing any morons to your right taking the turn.
Nope. Turned from the left. Got hung up in the itnersection for 10 seconds or so. The glory of horn honkage, a symphony of rage.
That is only a small excerpt. Hurry and follow the link to read the rest, and then we can all understand why Metro shies away from public input.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/26/06 11:13 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (1)
State of the City (updated)
Mayor White's giving his assessment today:
The mayor will deliver his annual State of the City address Thursday at noon.
Mayor Bill White will present his 2006 outlook for the Bayou City before the Greater Houston Partnership.
The address is at the Hilton Americas Hotel downtown.
Look for the Chronicle to cover this glowingly on the editorial side.
As a point of contrast, Dr. Abe Saavedra will give HISD's State of the Schools speech on February 7th. Look for the Chronicle not to cover this glowingly; in fact, I'll be holding my breath.
UPDATE: Here's Matt Stiles' initial story on the mayor's speech, and here's the text of the speech from the city's website.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/26/06 10:05 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (3)
Councilman Garcia scratches his head over HPD funding
Chief Hurtt is asking for help in fighting Houston's increasing (world-class) crime problem:
Even as his officers use short-term strategies to battle Houston's recent surge in homicides, Police Chief Harold Hurtt on Wednesday called for the city to make a long-term financial commitment to public safety — and for residents to step in, as well.
His department needs more officers, updated technology and better means of collecting crime statistics, Hurtt said. But police also need for Houstonians, especially those in apartments, to take a stand against crime in their neighborhoods, he added.
Nothing surprising there, until we get to this quote from Councilman Adrian Garcia:
City Councilman Adrian Garcia said that, while the city has invested heavily in public safety, it needs to put even more into it.
"We need to invest more, but the question then becomes, 'From where?' " said Garcia, a retired Houston police officer and chairman of the council's public safety committee.
From where? Good grief! How about from the African American museum, the city's new downtown park and underground parking garage, day labor centers, Safeclear, and (temporary) homeless relocation? How about the proposed citywide wi-fi and horse trails?
If Mayor White and city council were truly serious about public safety, the money to fund it would easily be found. The fact that Mayor White has a gazillion other interests shows where his priorities are.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/26/06 07:39 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (2)
Houston 1836 (updated)
It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.
Does it generate soccer excitement for you? When the team gets into the playoffs (or whatever it is MLS does) what will Houston 1836 fans do to celebrate? Wear circa 1836 outfits?
I guess it'll work, since San Francisco has the 49ers, and they are often called the Niners. So, the 1836ers will be called the Sixers? No, can't do that. That's taken. It'll have to be the 36ers.
The Houston 36ers.
It still doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but they are all ours! Go team! (in a privately-financed stadium.)
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: I guess since we call ourselves a cityblog, we had to weigh in on this eventually, eh? I'm glad Anne led off.
Here's my question -- shouldn't it be Houston 1836/1837? Sure, the city was "founded" in 1836, but not incorporated until 1837. And given Houston's problems with skyrocketing violent crime, the "/" (SLASH!) might even give the marketing folks something to work with, so to speak.
Anyway, Laurence Simon is about to launch a new site, 1836 Is Full Of Crap (what else?) and he'll be soliciting input on better names. 1,836 of them. There are surely many more names that are better than 1836, but one does have to draw the line somewhere. So start thinking about your entries!
KEVIN WHITED ADDS MORE: Rob Booth posts a great roundup of the blogversation about the name.
UPDATE: 1836.IsFullOfCrap.com is now live. Go add your entry!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/26/06 06:42 AM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (9)
25 January 2006
Rep. Wong puts pressure on Metro to stick with Westpark line
Thanks to a blogHOUSTON reader for emailing a West U Examiner story about state Rep. Martha Wong and the (kinda, sorta) proposed Westpark light rail line:
State Rep. Martha Wong’s office sent a confidential final position paper endorsing a Westpark light rail route to 25 e-mail addresses on the evening of Jan.18, seeking the recepients’ final approval by noon the following day.
The communication, addressed to the steering committee of Richmond Area Residents and Businesses for Rail, said Wong hoped to confirm a meeting with Frank Wilson, Metropolitan Transit Authority chairman, this week.
That meeting has been confirmed by Metro spokeswoman Racquel Roberts.
“We are in the final stages of getting three representatives from the business group and three representatives from the neighborhood group to speak with Martha (Wong) at the meeting with Frank Wilson,” the e-mail from Wong representative Karen K. Newell said.
It went on to say, “Please remember to keep the position paper confidential at this time.”
[snip]
The position paper, dated Jan. 17, endorses a Westpark route in part because a right of way was bought for that purpose and tree removal and traffic problems would be less significant than along Richmond Avenue.
The document also took issue with Metro claims that the new line would serve West University Place and Bellaire, adding “voters were clearly mislead” by language of the November 2003 ballot.
That's an understatement.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/25/06 09:26 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (5)
SAFEclear wrecker strikes car, kills passenger
KHOU-11 reports on a fatal accident involving a SAFEclear wrecker earlier:
A woman died in an accident on the East Loop Wednesday afternoon when a Safe Clear wrecker struck the vehicle, according to Houston police.
The female driver died at the scene of this East Loop accident.
The incident took place shortly after 1 p.m. on the northbound side of the Loop between Wallisville Road and McCarty Street. Police said the compact car was struck from behind by the wrecker, which pushed the vehicle into the back of a container truck.
The female driver died at the scene.
It is not known at this point if any driver was cited.
Wasn't SAFEclear supposed to PREVENT fatalities on the side of the road?
UPDATE: KPRC-2 posts more:
A fatal chain-reaction accident shut down the East Loop in northeast Houston Wednesday afternoon.
It happened at about 12:45 p.m. when a tow truck driver could not stop in time and slammed into several vehicles that had stopped on the freeway at the McCarty exit.
A driver in a Honda died after his vehicle was pushed under an 18-wheeler.
The tow truck driver was thrown from his vehicle, but his condition is not yet known.
UPDATE (01-26-2006): KHOU and the Chronicle initially reported that a woman was killed. Now, the Chronicle reports that a man was killed. As they sometimes say at the Chronicle, the "story changed."
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/25/06 04:34 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (5)
House of Blues coming to Houston
The Houston Pavilions has landed a high-profile tenant:
The developers of Houston Pavilions, a shopping, entertainment, office and residential complex planned for three blocks of prime downtown land, planned to announce at a press conference Wednesday that House of Blues has signed the first major retail lease in the project.
Developers Geoffrey Jones and William Denton, who set the wheels in motion for the Pavilions more than two years ago, said they expect to begin construction this spring.
[snip]
With its roughly 3,700 residents, downtown Houston still doesn't have the critical mass of residents that retailers typically require to open new locations. But Thornton said he's not worried.
"Because we're destination entertainment, we're basically a traffic generator," he said.
Indeed, the developers said the venue will attract customers from far beyond the city center, which will help bring in additional retailers.
[snip]
The developers also received financial assistance through an $8.8 million development grant from the city of Houston and $4.4 million from Harris County.
City officials and other industry experts said the project will act as a catalyst for downtown retail.
The Houston Downtown Management District approved a $1 million grant as part of a program established last year to provide financial assistance to developers bringing retailers to downtown.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/25/06 07:41 AM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (20)
24 January 2006
Activists sue over I-10/West Loop expansion
KPRC-2 ran a lengthy story yesterday on a lawsuit by local activists Bill and Carol Ware against TXDOT and the Federal Highway Administration. They contend that the I-10/West Loop expansion project did not receive a noise analysis study required by federal law, and they want better noise-limitation features for the project.
The KPRC story has been posted to the web, and is worth reading in its entirety.
The Citizens' Transportation Coalition has posted more information on its website.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/24/06 09:49 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (1)
Erratic times with quotations at the Chronicle
Last week, the Chronicle issued a correction related to a quotation that didn't really clarify who made the error (the newspaper or the person being quoted).
Yesterday, the Chronicle issued another correction related to a quotation:
A story in Sunday's paper about speedskater Chad Hedrick gave an incorrect quote from his father. It should have said, "He's always had to win at whatever he was doing. We couldn't go bowling without having a knockdown dragout."
Here is the quotation in the original story by David Barron:
"He's always had to win at whatever he was doing," Paul Hedrick said. "We couldn't go bowling without having a knockdown drag out. If Chad wasn't winning, we weren't having fun."
So, did Barron just make up the quotation? Was it supposed to be off the record? Was it one of those mysterious Chronicle editing errors? It seems a little too specific to have simply been imagined by the reporter.
It's impossible to know from the correction. But it's certainly odd.
BLOGVERSATION: Brazosport News.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/24/06 09:32 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
KHOU, Mayor's press shop extol crimefighting by acronym
Mayor White's communications shop certainly is effective at getting good press for the Mayor.
Take this press release story for KHOU-11 by Wendell Edwards:
A new program has put more Houston Police officers out on the streets, and it’s making a difference according to Houston's mayor.
Houston policeman Jeffrey Oliver has only been on the force for three years, but in that short time he said he’s seen it all.
“You have a lot more aggravated robberies, carjackings, a lot of homicides a lot of shootings in progress... that we respond to out here,” Officer Oliver said.
He’s a part of the Neighborhood Enforcement Team Task force program.
“Working on the west side and coming over here is like night and day,” he said.
It’s a program that has put the equivalent of 150 additional officers on the street by paying overtime.
The N.E.T.T. Program is not even a month old yet, and Mayor Bill White said there is proof that it is working.
In the two and half weeks since it started, police have written more than 900 citations and arrested 169 people. That’s an average of 10 arrests a day.
That sounds great, and certainly nobody can object to the increased manpower, but the story isn't complete because it offers no baseline for comparison. Did it not strike anyone at KHOU that the citation and arrest statistics aren't that informative if statistics from other points in time and other neighborhoods aren't provided?
As far as fighting crime with acronyms -- we're more inclined towards the Bauer Solution.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/24/06 09:16 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
County wants to change the Sports Authority's mission
Harris County wants to look at the Sports Authority's mission to see if it should be changed:
Harris County Judge Robert Eckels and county commissioners have approved an in-house review of the Harris County-Houston sports authority amid questions about whether it's outlived its usefullness.
The review is the latest chapter in what has become an ongoing debate at the county level about whether the sports authority should be shut down now that all three professional sports stadiums have been completed. The authority's main purpose now is to service debt on bonds that were sold to finance the stadiums, but has virtually no other responsibilities. Last month, the authority's CEO, Oliver Luck, stepped-down to take a job with the new Houston soccer franchise. Previous efforts to shutter the authority have been unsuccessful, so now Eckels says a change in roles might be appropriate.
"I think it's important that we look at the authority and say, okay, we've got a convention bureau that markets, we individually market. Do we want them marketing too or do we think that maybe we should have them looking at facility improvements or maybe we have them looking at other operations within this community. They do work for the court and the city and so all we're saying today is let's let the court and the city tell them which direction they should take as they move forward and hire a new director."
The authority has a $3 million budget and does market the city's sports venues, but most of that work is done by each individual franchise, including the Astros and Rockets, which both own their facilities.
[snip]
Houston Mayor Bill White's communication director Frank Michel says the mayor is open to suggestions on how the sports authority should move forward, but doesn't want local taxpayers to suffer.
"He would be in favor of looking at any way to streamline the operations, avoid duplication and increase accountability and transparency. What he does not want to do is to have some kind of an arrangment that would shift the bonded debt onto city and county taxpayers of the sports authority."
Although the state legislature has said in the past that the city and county have the power to shut down the sports authority, it's not likely that will happen anytime soon. The sports authority could hire a new chief executive by next month.
It's important to remember that the Sports Authority has five employees (now that CEO Oliver Luck is gone) whose combined salaries equal $622,000, and whose main job is to pay off stadium debt.
Judge Eckels' quote makes it sound as if he wants to find a new job for the Sports Authority, which is disappointing. If the Judge and the Mayor really don't want to transfer the debt-paying duties to either the city or the county, then they should at least cut back the Authority's staff and budget to just what is needed to pay off the debt. There is still plenty of fat in that $3 million budget.
PREVIOUSLY: Shut down the Sports Authority and save $40 million, Billy Burge: THE best reason to shut down the Sports Authority!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/24/06 07:27 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (3)
Ford Motor Company's loss is HPD's gain?
In the quest to find police recruits, HPD is going to...Detroit?
Recent news out of the automobile industry has the department looking at other recruitment possibilities as well.
"Ford is going to be laying off 25,000 employees, and we are out doing our research … looking at which cities that they are going to be laying off and we are going to be sending recruitment teams out there," Hurtt said.
Uh, okay.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/24/06 02:24 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (11)
Shooing away Houston's homeless (updated)
Houston is working hard to rectify a dismal seventh place showing in that meanest-cities-to-the-homeless report:
Houston police today rousted dozens of homeless from downtown encampments in a sweep spurred at least partly by complaints from businesses and residents.
Beginning at 8 a.m. and continuing into the afternoon, officers ordered people to gather their belongings and leave locations where they had spent the night in Tranquillity Park, parking lots near homeless shelters and under bridges.
Although some complained, most complied, wandering off with what possessions they could carry. Police made no arrests during the early part of the operation.
Police Capt. Dwayne Ready said the sweep was part of a continuing, comprehensive homeless program delayed since August as the city dealt with the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Houston's (and New Orleans') homeless needn't fret for too long, though -- soon there'll be a lovely park and underground parking garage to call home.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS (01-25-2006): KTRH 740's Chris Baker has it nailed. The city is sanitizing visible parts of downtown in preparation for the NBA all-star game.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/24/06 01:19 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (5)
City of Houston to build parking garage under new downtown park
And here we thought the city was low on funds, since we have a problem with increasing crime and decreasing police manpower. Well, it looks as though Mayor White has found $21 million for a parking garage to be built under the city's grand new downtown park. Seriously!
Plans for a new downtown park now include a multi-story underground garage. The 12-acre park will extend from the George R. Brown Convention Center, across Crawford Avenue and into the Houston Center area.
In fact Crawford Avenue will end on either side of the park and be closed to through traffic. While the final plans for the park won't be made public until later this spring, Guy Hagstette, the Director of the Houston Downtown Park Conservancy says it will be more than an appealing green space.
It's going to have a number of features in it ranging from areas where you can throw a foot ball, jogging trails, performance area for outdoor musical performances, a pond, water features, a major play area for children that includes water in it, restaurants, other dining opportunities, gardens, tree house decks, all kinds of stuff, it's very exciting.
Just recently announced, an underground parking garage. It will hold 600-plus cars, about the same number of spaces on the surface lots that will be lost when the park is constructed. The unique aspect of this project is that the park is most important element. Hagstette says the design of the garage will fit the park, not the other way around.
[snip]
The city will foot the 21 and a half million cost of the garage, but the park will be built with private funds. Hagstette says construction should begin in late summer and be complete by the end of next year.
(Tree house decks?)
Actually, based on past news stories, the last paragraph should say that the park will be built with mostly private funds. Houston is still coughing up several million to invest in the park itself.
Is this project being directed by our new Houston Parking Authority? Who knows -- there is no departmental listing on the city's website for the Authority.
Also, the story says Guy Hagstette is the director of the Houston Downtown Park Conservancy. Past jobs for Mr. Hagstette include overseeing the development of the Main Street Square fountain. Here's a city of Houston press release with more information on the Conservancy's director.
PREVIOUSLY: The Bill White Vermin And Solid Waste Memorial Park
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/24/06 07:57 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (5)
US 59/Spur 527 project proceeding ahead of schedule
KPRC-2 reports some very good news for motorists who use the Southwest Freeway near downtown:
The end is in sight for drivers who are slowed down by what seems like constant construction along Highway 59 near downtown Houston, KPRC Local 2 reported Monday.
About 200,000 commuters drive between Spur 529 and the Shepherd exit on the Southwest Freeway every day.
But the Texas Department of Transportation said all the lanes on Highway 59 should be open soon, meaning an end to the construction.
"(Construction will be done) this summer … we're excited about that," TxDOT engineer Quincy Allen said.
That part of the freeway was completely shut down this weekend so crews could demolish the temporary road installed on the new Montrose arched bridge.
"In order to remove that, we had to drop the existing bridge into the roadway below and we certainly didn't want to do that with the cars and the traffic there," Allen said.
The final piece of the $71 million project is the completion of five southbound lanes on Highway 59, as well as two high-occupancy-vehicle lanes.
The northbound side is finished. The southbound lanes are estimated to be completed in June.
KPRC does not report that the construction is proceeding well ahead of schedule. Early estimates had the construction lasting until February 2007, and a later estimate revised the completion date to December 2006.
How often do road construction projects finish ahead of schedule in this city?!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/24/06 12:14 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (7)
23 January 2006
Chron reader rep, pollster defend DeLay poll
The Houston Chronicle and its pollsters continue to stand by a poll and reporting that have come under strong criticism from the local blogosphere. This weekend, Chronicle reader representative James Campbell penned a column in defense of the poll and the reporting, and Lone Star times has posted an email from Professor Murray defending the poll.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/23/06 11:59 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
Finishing up the Brays Bayou urban tidal marsh project
Check out KUHF's (88.7) story on a pretty neat tidal marsh project along Brays Bayou:
Set along Brays Bayou in southeast Houston, an urban freshwater tidal marsh is nearly complete, a unique project that will serve as a natural filter for polluted stormwater run-off that ends up in Galveston Bay.
The project began in September of 2004 just across the bayou from Mason Park, an effort to try the tidal marsh concept in an urban setting. Now, three terraced ponds are complete along what used to be a storm water culvert that flows into the bayou from a nearby neighborhood. The next step is to place thousands of native wetlands plants in and around the ponds to create a natural filtration system. Marissa Sipocz is with the Texas Sea Grant Texas Cooperative Extension and hopes to have the planting done by this summer.
"Everything is native. Everything is adapted to this region. Everything is something that we would find here normally. If this wetland had existed from the beginning of time these would be the kinds of plants that we would see."
The wetlands project is part of a larger Harris County Flood Control District effort to deepen and widen a 21-mile section of Brays Bayou. Sipocz says the tidal marsh concept has proven itself in the past and should work as well in an urban setting as it does elsewhere.
Students from nearby high schools are helping with the planting and will use the marsh as an outdoor lab of sorts as it becomes more established. Sipocz says the fact that the tidal marsh is part of their neighborhood is an advantage.
"It's not the kind of thing where they have to collect money and write letters and try and stop rain forest damage in some foreign country. This is right in their back yard. This is their neighborhood. They grew up here and a lot of them would come visit Mason Park. I think it makes a real strong community link for them."
The 3.5 acre marsh should eventually filter the water that flows into the bayou, improving the water quality that flows into Galveston Bay.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/23/06 09:08 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
Thankfully, we have a vigilant watchdog media looking out for us
Okay, here's Rad Sallee's story from last November about Metro's cancelled, er, never scheduled public meetings:
Last week, the Metropolitan Transit Authority abruptly canceled two public meetings on proposed changes in 59 of its 85 bus routes, six of which were set for elimination.
But Metro says protests from the public were not the reason.
"Of course we did get e-mails and phone calls when we posted the changes," said spokesman George Smalley. But the meetings were canceled for three other reasons, he said.
First, combined bus and rail ridership was up nearly 15 percent in October over the same month in 2004. Smalley said Metro wants to find out why, and assess whether the rise is likely to be permanent, before making service changes.
Metro also wants to simplify its complicated fare structure, which some at the agency believe has turned off potential customers, Smalley said.
Third, Metro is waiting to see the results of a poll by the mayor's office, asking whether residents would rather have the agency deal with high fuel prices by cutting service or by raising fares for the first time since 1994.
"Metro's fuel costs for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 will be about $20 million more than they were in the fiscal year that began two years ago," said Mayor Bill White.
White said the questionnaire went out last weekend to 160,000 households and responses should be back in a couple of weeks.
Okay, so how long does it take Metro to study the other three reasons? Metro's old service changes press release had Sunday, January 23rd (!!!) as the new meeting date and then that disappeared and we heard nothing further. Nothing out of Rad Sallee or anyone else from our local watchdog powerhouse paper, nothing out of any of the local tv news stations, nothing from Metro, nothing from anyone.
This might have been nice fodder for a Chron traffic blog or a Chron local politics blog, but, alas, the Chronicle doesn't offer those.
KHOU-11's news blog hasn't had anything on it that I've seen and I check it daily.
So, if you are a Metro customer and your route has been changed or cancelled, you are SOL. No public meeting so you can voice your opinion, and local media couldn't really care less.
Ahhh, there's nothing quite like the elite media's idea of providing a voice for the voiceless, eh?
RELATED: Yet another Metro press release on service changes.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/23/06 08:59 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (2)
Seeking a civic vision that actually benefits most citizens
John Wagner has an interesting post up about men who made a difference in Houston, specifically the Chronicle's former publisher Richard J.V. Johnson and Texas Commerce Bank's former chairman Ben Love, both of whom died recently.
Wagner wonders if we'll see Houstonians like those two again:
The concept of the deep-rooted, "business leader as icon" who uses his or her influence, connections and access to funding to drive significant social change in the local community seems so last century.
For example, the New York Times reported yesterday on the efforts of Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen to transform Seattle, but his activities appear to be based more on his personal beliefs about urban lifestyles than on making a difference for the city and its residents.
In fact, his "transformation" is geared to small subset of society -- the highly educated and wealthy -- to the exclusion of families with children and the middle and lower classes.
As I look around Houston today, I see much of the same ... people with a personal vision but not a civic one. And I wonder who -- if anyone -- can be the "get it done" leader the city has relied upon for so long.
If the vision includes spending plenty of taxpayer dollars for the benefit of a select few citizens, then we have people like that in Mayor White, David Wolff, George DeMontrond, Billy Burge, etc. I don't think that's necessarily a civic vision that benefits Houstonians in the short or long term, but feel free to set me straight if you disagree.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/23/06 07:49 AM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (5)
22 January 2006
Editorial LiveJournalists misrepresent Fourth Amendment, again
The Chronicle's Editorial LiveJournalists misrepresented the Fourth Amendment once again today:
The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution bars the government from conducting warrantless searches and seizures.
No it doesn't. The Fourth Amendment bars unreasonable searches and seizures.
We addressed this back in December (along with the question of the President's inherent powers related to foreign policy and national security) when the Editorial LiveJournalists first made this error.
Maybe we need to send some pocket constitutions over to 801 Texas Avenue.
RELATED: Editorial LiveJournalists inadvertently raise interesting question
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/22/06 10:10 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (2)
France is the ideal state!
Remember so long ago when Chronicle editorial page editor (or the Chief Editorial LiveJournalist as we like to call him) James Howard Gibbons lectured bloggers on the superiority of "magazine commentary and editorial pages in their ideal state."
Today, the Chief Editorial LiveJournalist gave it away:
I wish I had a dollar for every time [retiring Chronicle cartoonist Clyde Peterson] reminded me: "It (politics) is (unlike professional sports) only a game." I'd be living a life of leisure in the South of France.
As Matt Bramanti emailed earlier, "France is the ideal state."
Of COURSE!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/22/06 09:55 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (1)
Checking in on Senate District 7
The Chronicle's Kristen Mack takes a look at the candidates vying for the Republican nomination for the state Senate District 7 seat in this story.
As she notes, Dan Patrick remains the frontrunner, and the campaign has mostly stayed positive (although one citizen-activist seems to be raising a stink over Patrick's alleged past tax problems).
UPDATE (01-23-2006): The Harris County Republican Party and Houston Young Republicans are sponsoring an SD 7 Republican candidates' forum Tuesday, to be moderated by KHOU-11's Doug Miller. The event will take place in the auditorium of the HCC West Loop Campus at 5601 West Loop South.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/22/06 09:43 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (11)
Why no Hoffman blog?
Ken Hoffman answers the question that many local bloggers have been asking for a while:
How come every other writer has a blog at the Chronicle except you?
Dave Palmer, Houston
What do you think you're reading now?
Feh.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/22/06 09:29 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (3)
Fine, but who made the error?
On Wednesday, the Chronicle ran the following in a story about Shimon Peres, who spoke recently in Houston:
Peres' show of support for Olmert may not raise many eyebrows, given that both are tied to Sharon's centrist Kadima party, and both are wise to "capitalize" on Sharon's widespread popularity to ensure that his now-vulnerable party thrives without him, said Emile Sahliyeh, a University of North Texas associate political science professor who specializes in Middle East politics.
"If he doesn't come strongly in favor of Olmert, what chance is there to go back to the Likud Party?" Sahliyeh said of Peres' former party, which he left to team with Sharon.
On Thursday, the Chronicle issued the following correction:
Former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres previously belonged to the Labor Party before he joined the centrist Kadima Party. A story about Peres' comments to local Jewish leaders on Page A12 on Wednesday misstated his previous party membership.
Yes, it most certainly did. However, since the error was contained in a quote as well, the correction should have stated either that the professor of Middle East politics got his facts wrong (unlikely), or that the reporter misquoted him and then compounded the error by writing about it.
An email to the Chronicle for clarification has gone unanswered.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/22/06 09:21 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (1)
21 January 2006
Is diversity just for those other teams hiring coaches?
It's interesting to watch the Chronicle's sport columnists dance around the issue of minorities in sports management roles, and the performance of local teams in that regard.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/21/06 11:04 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (1)
Demolition is cool
The old Montrose bridge over 59 was blown up (well, came down actually) last night, and new decking is now being laid:
"We had about 90 pounds probably of dynamite. A stick is about half a pound, so about 180 sticks," said Alan Thompson with Engineered Explosion Services.
Crews were also working on the new bridge this weekend, installing decking. This is the final phase of construction of the new bridges spanning the freeway at Montrose. The entire project is expected to wrap up this spring.
There's video with the KTRK-13 story. It's not as impressive as a stadium being demolished, but who doesn't like a big (planned) explosion?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/21/06 05:21 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (3)
ISD's to be reimbursed for hurricane-displaced students
Congress has finally set aside funds for school districts who took in Katrina evacuee schoolchildren, and now local school districts are racing to get paperwork filed before the deadline passes to get reimbursed:
With a federal deadline less than a week away, Texas schools are scrambling to count students and complete stacks of applications to stake their claim on some of the $750 million Congress earmarked for campuses that took in Hurricane Katrina evacuees.
It's a formidable challenge for Houston-area districts, which have been charged with overseeing reimbursement requests for the roughly 25,000 New Orleans students who enrolled in both public and private schools in the region.
"The clock is ticking. They're kind of jumping through hoops right now trying to meet deadlines," said John E. Wilson, a consultant for the Harris County Department of Education's Center for Safe and Secure Schools.
As part of the Hurricane Education Recovery Act signed by President Bush on Dec. 30, both public and private schools stand to receive up to $6,000 for each regular education student they served and $7,500 for each special education student.
Officials from area school districts said that should be enough to offset the cost of educating the displaced students.
Not only is HISD working to get its paperwork in on time, but HISD has also offered to help private schools within the district's boundaries file the required applications.
As we all know, Houston-area ISD's by far took in the majority of Katrina-displaced students, and the financial burden was tremendous. It is welcome news that Congress recognized this burden and authorized the funds to repay these districts.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/21/06 02:24 PM | Hurricane Stuff | Technorati | Comments (5)
Pedestrian struck by Metro bus (with updates)
This is a terrible story:
Metro Transit Authority confirmed that a woman was hit by a Metro bus Friday night at about 6:45 p.m.
The woman, believed to be about 43 years old, had her legs crushed in the accident.
According to Metro, she was in the crosswalk when the accident occurred.
[snip]
Metro said the driver, Romaine Alexander, had an accident two years ago, but no one was hurt.
This time, though, we're told that the woman who was walking home could lose both her legs.
Metro is conducting an investigation and looking into claims by a passerby that the driver was on his cell phone. Also, as investigators routinely do, they will check for drugs and alcohol.
If the driver is found to be at fault, let's hope Metro VP Dave Feeley takes a more serious approach to discipline than this.
BLOGVERSATION: I guess not everyone's having a good week with METRO... (Laurence Simon)
UPDATE: A Chronicle story says doctors were forced to amputate the woman's legs and the bus driver has been cited for failure to yield the right of way.
UPDATE 2: The Chronicle story (link in the above update) now reports the woman has died.
Posted by Anne Linehan @