28 February 2006
Bonusgate scandal stays in the news
The new communications team advising embattled Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado can't be happy with today's publicity.
Then again, they helped generate some of it by insisting on the following correction in today's Chronicle:
In an interview for a story that appeared on Page B1 Wednesday about the $66,000 increase in the mayor pro tem budget for fiscal 2006, Houston City Councilwoman Carol Alvarado said, "I don't know why this $50,000, or $60,000, is such a hot issue." A word in her statement was misquoted.
That was just the morning dose of bonusgate. Later in the day, Councilmember Addie Wiseman revealed a letter to Mayor White that asks some very pointed questions as to why Council (not to mention the Harris County District Attorney and the general public) has largely been kept in the dark on the matter to date. Jim Thompson helpfully posts the letter on KHOU-11's news blog.
KTRK-13's Miya Shay proved nimble enough today to track down one of the four suspended staffers, but he didn't have a comment:
Christopher Mays is one of the four workers in the mayor pro tem's office accused of accepting improper bonuses. He's been suspended since the scandal broke, but he broke his silence with Eyewitness News.
It's been a difficult week and a half for Mays and the other employees who've been on suspension. There are lots of unknowns and rumors swirling around. Mays is reluctant to say much.
"It's pretty hectic," he said. "There are some pretty serious accusations, but I would just like to withhold any comment until the matter is fully investigated."
Not to get overly philosophical, but is it really breaking silence when one announces he will have no comment?
RELATED COVERAGE: Chronicle, KHOU-11.
BLOGVERSATION: Houblog (I, II), Isiah Carey's Insite.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/28/06 09:11 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (8)
Friedman testifies for (twice) convicted murderer
Kinky Friedman's foray into alternative marketing political campaign took an odd turn today, as Friedman testified in the sentencing phase of the trial of (twice) convicted murderer Max Soffar:
Prosecutor Lyn McClellan objected throughout the 10-minute testimony.
McClellan said Friedman's participation in the trial was nothing but a publicity stunt. He said Friedman did not offer any mitigating evidence to the trial that would explain to jurors Soffar's behavior.Friedman, who wrote to Soffar while he was on death row, has said he believes that Soffar is innocent and has been wrongly convicted.
"I said he had a higher innocence. He had an earned innocence, an achieved innocence like a guy who comes back from Iraq or Vietnam -- from a war. He's struggled with his demons and he's conquered them," Friedman said.
Once his political campaign flames out, Friedman should apply for a gig writing the Chron Eye For The Death Row Killer Guy!
Friedman said he met Soffar while writing an article for Texas Monthly magazine. He interviewed Soffar and exchanged letters with him during his years on death row.
Although he used to support the death penalty, Friedman told jurors he's now against it.
Perhaps the Chronicle reporting tomorrow will let us know whether Kathryn Kase, defense attorney and wife of Chronicle editor Jeff Cohen, wept over Friedman's testimony.
ADDITIONAL COVERAGE: KHOU-11.
UPDATE (03-01-2006): Here is the Chronicle's coverage.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/28/06 08:23 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
They are killing trees to print these editorials (cont'd)
Still nothing out of the Editorial LiveJournalists/Constitution Rewriters about Chief Hurtt's surveillance camera plan; however, the Chron's new Pulitzer Prize-winning 'toonist has weighed in -- in favor of the plan.
The editorial board doesn't disappoint, though. Today's Olympian Pronouncement is about Anna Nicole Smith. The LiveJournalists want her to go away.
BLOGVERSATION: Let's extend the Hurtt Prize (Off the Kuff), Nick Anderson's learning curve (Isolated Desolation)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/28/06 09:43 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (1)
The limitations of light rail
If a water main break has damaged a road, a car can find a way around it. A bus can find a way around it. Cars and buses are flexible.
But it looks world-class!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/28/06 09:27 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (5)
27 February 2006
If there's nothing to hide....
Local watchdog and blogHOUSTON commenter Tom Bazan gets a little attention from the Chronicle's Rad Sallee today:
MetroRail critic Tom Bazan filed an open records request to find out whether the Pierce Elevated overpass had been damaged by stray current from Metro's light rail tracks.
Now, ironically, statutes whose supposed purpose is safety have blocked that search. The Chronicle is seeking related information.
An opinion Thursday from the Texas Attorney General's office says federal law exempts TxDOT from disclosing information gathered for "identifying, evaluating or planning the safety enhancement of potential accident sites, hazardous roadway conditions or railway-highway crossings."
[snip]
Metro revealed the leakage after learning about it from CenterPoint Energy, which has underground power lines near the tracks. Bazan said he wants to know if the current has corroded structural steel in the overpass columns where the tracks cross three freeways, and in buildings along the route.
Officials of TxDOT, Metro and the Texas Medical Center say they know of no such damage. Metro acknowledges that the leakage eventually could harm underground wiring and other nearby objects but says the problem has been mostly corrected.
Nothing to see here. Move along now. Trust the government bureaucracy that chooses to hide information from the people. After all, the problem is mostly corrected!
BLOGVERSATION: Lone Star Times.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/27/06 11:08 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (8)
Nestor to contest red light camera contract this week
A couple of weeks ago, we posted about a red light camera company's plan to contest the city's contract with American Traffic Solutions Inc. (ATS). Today the Chronicle's Alexis Grant (with an assist from Matt Stiles) explores that topic with some interesting tidbits. First:
The Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee likely will hear not only from the Houston Police Department, which recommended Arizona-based American Traffic Solutions Inc. for the project, but also from a representative of Nestor Traffic Systems Inc., which failed to win the recommendation.
ATS Inc. is Arizona-based. Hmmmm. Arizona rings a bell, doesn't it?
Now, here's the really interesting piece of information:
One of Keller's criticisms of ATS is that its system does not use collision-avoidance technology, which keeps opposing lights red to prevent other traffic from entering and intersection when the system detects an imminent violation. The systems predict violations by calculating the speed and distance of approaching vehicles.
Montalvo said city traffic engineers recommended the technology not be used because it interferes with the synchronization of traffic lights and puts the camera company in control of light cycles instead of the city.
As long as the camera company doesn't control yellow-light times, the collision-avoidance technology sounds pretty good. Of course, some of us already have our suspicions about the city's yellow-light times.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/27/06 06:53 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (2)
The end of the daily absurdity: Alvarado brings in heavyweights
The Chronicle's Matt Stiles reports that embattled Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado has decided to bring in the heavyweights to help her with the bonusgate scandal:
Councilwoman and Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado shifted strategy today, hiring a high-profile new spokesman and a famous defense lawyer to help her deal with her office's payroll scandal.Alvarado announced today that she had hired defense attorney Rusty Hardin and the Austin-based communications firm Public Strategies. A Public Strategies spokesman said Hardin would provide guidance to Alvarado during an expected investigation by Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal.
Alvarado hasn't been implicated in the investigation into paycheck padding in the Office of Mayor Pro Tem, and no one has been charged with crimes.
Mayor Pro Tem Alvarado seems finally to have realized that her inattention to detail as Mayor Pro Tem may have a political cost, and that her prior communications strategy ("She's a mute outraged victim!") was laughable. Mayor Pro Tem Alvarado aspires to greater things politically, so this move is only prudent for her.
Those guys probably won't come cheap, though. How much less expensive would it have been to exercise a little more oversight as Mayor Pro Tem?
BLOGVERSATION: Isolated Desolation, Houblog.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/27/06 04:47 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (16)
Metro wishes you a Happy Monday! (updated)
via Chron.com:
Passengers riding MetroRail today should expect delays due to a broken water line at San Jacinto and Hermann Drive.
The water line break has washed out support under the track at that location and will require repairs past today's rush-hour service.
To avoid potential delays, Metro will be running double cars to handle extra passenger loads.
The only station affected by the break is the Museum District northbound platform. Passengers traveling northbound can get on and off the train at the Museum District southbound platform at Fannin and Binz.
No word on when normal service will be restored.
Random thought: I wonder how everything's going on the "stray current" front?
KEVIN WHITED ADDS (about 4:30 pm): I crossed the light rail line at Wentworth and San Jacinto on my way home just a while ago. Since the METRO "transit backbone" is operating on one line, the signals aren't functional. A METRO police officer was at the intersection stopping traffic manually when a train came by.
A METRO skeptic might conclude the "transit backbone" has a bad case of osteoporosis.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/27/06 06:15 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (5)
26 February 2006
Editorial LiveJournalists ignore most primary contests
Early voting for the March 7 primary started on February 21. The state's major newspapers have engaged in the usual practice of endorsing primary candidates in many races.
The Chronicle Editorial LiveJournalists, on the other hand, have dabbled just twice so far in the endorsement game, giving their nod to Gov. Perry and Lt. Gov Dewhurst on the Republican side (they face no real opposition), and making several Republican judicial recommendations in an editorial today that seems more like an effort to curry favor with Jeff Cohen's wife:
The incumbent, Presiding Judge Sharon Keller, has belatedly recognized that many indigent defendants in Texas don't get a fair shake. However, for years she has maintained that it is not the job of the courts to free innocent defendants from prison. The opinions she has written and joined have overlooked sleeping lawyers, constitutional ineligibility for the death penalty, police misconduct and evidence of innocence in order to keep defendants in prison.
Given the number of imprisoned Texans who have proved their innocence through DNA testing of evidence, the courts cannot turn their back on the justice system's frequent breakdowns. Price says he would play a more active role in diverting drug abusers into treatment instead of the penitentiary.
Why no discussion of the many other primary races that are being contested? Why the smears instead?
This surely does not seem like an editorial page in its ideal state.
UPDATE (02-27-2006): The Editorial LiveJournalists get around to some Democratic races today, finally. Better late than never, we suppose.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/26/06 10:46 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
Daily Campos absurdity: Alvarado is outraged!
The Chronicle ran a choppy op-ed from Gabriel Vazquez today on the bonusgate scandal. The former councilmember seems to channel local blogs with this snippet:
Clearly, the public trust has been violated, but there is more at stake than proper payroll procedures.
Someone has to take responsibility. It is unsettling to hear an elected official play the victim by claiming, "I trusted staff and was taken advantage of." It is completely unacceptable to say $50,000 or $60,000 is "no big deal" as Council Member Alvarado has reportedly stated. The public expects elected officials to take responsibility for what goes on during their time in office. The benchmark of a good politician is to take responsibility for irregularities as a means to demonstrate fitness for office.Someone has to be held accountable. Someone in Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado's office had to authorize the bonuses, and someone in Finance had to approve them for a check to be issued. Documents clearly indicate Alvarado did authorize subordinates to use her signature. The real question is, did Alvarado know of the bonuses?
The investigation must be thorough, independent and completely legitimate. High-level officials such as the controller, the mayor and the director of Finance should be transparent about payroll and bonus procedures. The lack of information raises questions about the credibility of the investigation.
Yes, it does raise questions about the investigation.
On that topic, Matt Stiles reported on Saturday that Rosenthal's office still hasn't been presented with results of the city's investigation:
District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal had said that a report from the investigators could be sent to his office by the end of this week. He said Friday he hasn't yet received anything.
This certainly seems like a plodding investigation.
For her part, Alvarado still is afflicted with Sudden Mute Syndrome, thus relegating Marc Campos to relay daily absurdities:
Alvarado has stopped commenting about the situation. Her political consultant, Marc Campos, said the councilwoman was "outraged" when she saw more documents about the bonuses on Friday.
"You would hope that somebody would've caught that," Campos said.
If only Mayor Pro Tem Alvarado had bothered to scrutinize the monthly budget reports for her Mayor Pro Tem's office, perhaps she would be less outraged now.
BLOGVERSATION: Houblog.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/26/06 10:23 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
Downtown library to close for renovation
City Council quietly approved a library renovation project last Wednesday that will soon close the downtown library for an extended period:
The City of Houston plans to spend $14.9 million to renovate the Central Library located in downtown Houston next to Houston City Hall.
The project, the largest in the history of the library system, will include updates to the library's IT infrastructure, a rebuild of the plaza, expansion of the children's and teen's services, and the addition of public space.
To make way for the changes, the library will close to the public on April 3 and won't reopen until the end of 2007. Access to the Central Library's collection and reference services will continue through neighborhood libraries and HPL Express Downtown. The library system has 36 branch libraries throughout the city. City officials are encouraging library customers to use neighborhood libraries during the renovation process.
None of the local reporting indicated how Councilmember Ada Edwards voted on the renovation proposal, or whether she deemed the closing a direct attack on homeless people.
ADDITIONAL COVERAGE: Houston Chronicle.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/26/06 10:06 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (3)
Houston girl stars in CSI: Miami
A local girl is set to appear on CSI: Miami Monday night:
Cierra Ramírez, a student at HISD’s Neff Elementary School (8200 Carvel) is slated to be in an upcoming episode of the popular primetime TV crime drama, CSI Miami.
The talented 10-year-old fifth-grader has been a performer since age seven, and has been named Houston’s Most Talented Kid (2004), Fort Bend Superstar (2004) and winner of Radio Disney’s Cool Kid Contest (2004). She also competed against 700 other children from all over the nation at the Best New Talent competition held by veteran performer Lynn Venturella last year and landed first prize in four categories (contemporary singing, comedic and dramatic acting, and commercial) and second place in another (Broadway singing).
Cierra has already landed acting roles with Louis Gossett, Jr. (in an upcoming movie called “All In”), and has been the opening act for American Idol finalist Ruben Stoddard and for Earth, Wind, and Fire in Las Vegas. She also sang in an episode of “Showtime at the Apollo,” which aired last October.
The CSI Miami episode in which Cierra plays a part (Isabel Terraza, the daughter of a crime suspect) is set to air on Monday, February 27, on KHOU-TV Channel 11 at 9:00 p.m.
Man, that's some resume...and she's only TEN!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/26/06 08:58 AM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (1)
FEMA agrees to pay for Katrina housing costs
Mayor White's office has announced that FEMA has agreed in principle to continue paying for housing and public safety costs related to Hurricane Katrina evacuees:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which had threatened in November to halt housing voucher reimbursements on March 1, has now formally agreed to continue the reimbursements for a year, White spokesman Frank Michel said.
Michel said the latest figures show the city has paid rent for more than 90,000 evacuees placed in apartments throughout the area. The estimated final cost will be about $300 million, he said.
The city had also asked FEMA for $6.5 million to offset the costs of providing police service associated with the influx of new residents who fled Louisiana and Mississippi after Katrina.
White wants to use the money to establish a task force focusing on "hot spots" for violent crime, which has increased recently.
Michel said FEMA had agreed to reimburse the city for police officers' overtime pay related to the evacuees. City officials are compiling the necessary documentation, he said.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/26/06 08:16 AM | Hurricane Stuff | Technorati | Comments (4)
25 February 2006
TSU's president comes down with Sudden Mute Syndrome
Today, the Chronicle's Matthew Tresaugue continues his solid reporting on financial irregularities in the Texas Southern University president's office:
Texas Southern University President Priscilla Slade charged the school more than $94,000 for travel, meals, event tickets and other expenses last year, nearly twice the annual limit allowed under her contract, records show.
Billing statements from Slade's three university-issued credit cards, released to the Houston Chronicle this week under the Texas Public Information Act, did not include all of the costs for airfare to destinations as far away as Beijing and as near as Austin.Whether the travel and entertainment expenses are in conflict with her contract is the latest question about Slade's spending, an issue that has spurred an internal inquiry and questions from local law enforcement officials.
[snip]
Slade declined to comment through a spokeswoman, Winifred King, who cited the university's ongoing investigation for the president's silence. Board chairman J. Paul Johnson also would not comment.
Sudden Mute Syndrome (SMS) seems to be spreading among Houston's public and quasi-public officials of late.
PREVIOUSLY: Just the guy to put in charge of millions of public dollars, Stealing or accounting oversight?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/25/06 02:24 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)
Cactus closing affects local music scene
KHOU-11's Nancy Holland files a report on the closing of Cactus Music and Video and the impact on the local music scene.
A few weeks ago, Houston Press music columnist John Nova Lomax tackled the same topic, in the form of reactions from local music people on the impact of the closing.
Techie types are quick to argue that brick-and-mortar stores like Cactus are now obsolete because of broadband and music downloading. That may be true for some (even many) music consumers, but local independent stores like Cactus (and Waterloo in Austin) also are an important part of the local live music scene. I would suggest that such stores can survive in towns where there is a vibrant local music scene -- and may have more trouble in towns like Houston, where the live music scene isn't so vibrant (hence nobody is rushing to buy Cactus from the current owners).
Local musicians are going to have to be more creative about marketing when Cactus closes. They may have to reach out more to existing local music blogs. They may have to take the lead in developing a more comprehensive local music site. Or, the local music scene may just wither, because Houstonians are more interested in downloading mp3s from home than seeing live music. Time will tell.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/25/06 12:44 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (2)
If it quacks like a duck...
Now HPD is calling its quotaproductivity policy a duck program:
Johnnie McFarland calls it a "ticket quota", which is illegal according to state law.
McFarland gave 11 News an internal HPD memo as proof. In it we learn in the northwest division what a captain expects from his patrol officers -- at least two "ducks" a day.
"A duck is a traffic ticket," said McFarland
We asked HPD that same question. A spokesman said the term "ducks" includes all types of arrests from felonies to traffic tickets.
He also pointed out that HPD does not have traffic ticket quotas.
"What we do have is standards of productivity. Every patrol officers is required to perform a certain number of activities," said Lt. Robert Manzo.
HPD confirmed the authenticity of the memo.
PREVIOUSLY: HPD's "productivity policy" begins
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/25/06 09:50 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (1)
24 February 2006
Editorial LiveJournalists laud Queen Elyse
The Chronicle Editorial LiveJournalists fawn over new Port Authority Commissioner Elyse Lanier today, and toss up this big fat pitch:
Some have ridiculed Lanier's hyperenthusiasm for promoting the city via such vehicles as the Houston Image Group with its zany slogan, "Houston: expect the unexpected."
Zany?
Actually, some have ridiculed Lanier because she is sometimes ridiculous. Not unlike the Editorial LiveJournalists, now that we think about it.
BLOGVERSATION: Isolated Desolation.
THREE DAYS AGO: Lanier appointed to Port Authority.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/24/06 11:12 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (3)
Berger: Houston health services feeling Katrina crunch
The Chronicle's Eric Berger reports on evidence of increasing demand on local health services from uninsured Katrina refugees. His reporting also notes a post-Katrina increase in local reports of sexually transmitted diseases.
Instead of excerpting, I'm just going to link the story.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/24/06 10:55 PM | Hurricane Stuff | Technorati | Comments (2)
Newly Mute Mayor Pro Tem's spokesman: Others at fault
The Chronicle's Matt Stiles may get himself in trouble with Newly Mute Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado's enablers at his own newspaper if he keeps cranking out writing like this:
"It was all doublespeak," said former Councilman Mark Goldberg, referring to the justifications given last summer for increasing the office's spending. "It was all a lie."
The budget figures, released to the Chronicle under the Texas Public Information Act, detail expenditures in the office that handles administrative duties for the 14 City Council members.
For some, the figures also raise questions about why city officials didn't notice the budget overruns, especially while a Finance and Administration Department employee was assigned to compile spending reports for council offices, including the pro tem office, each month.Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado, who oversees the office in addition to her elected job representing council District I, says she wasn't alerted.
"That's why they call them checks and balances," said Marc Campos, Alvarado's political consultant.
He questioned why city finance officials didn't say, 'Hey, we might have a problem there.' "
But Alvarado didn't notice, either.
It keeps coming back to that, doesn't it?
The Chronicle Editorial LiveJournalists can portray Alvarado as a victim. She can portray herself as a victim and apologize to Council (but not taxpayers or citizens). Then she can go mute and let her political consultant blame other people.
But ultimately, Newly Mute Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado's inattention to detail and lack of oversight seem to be at issue, as that highlighted snippet from the Stiles reporting makes clear.
BLOGVERSATION: Houblog.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/24/06 10:35 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (12)
State of the County
Harris County Judge Robert Eckels gave the State of the County speech yesterday before the Greater Houston Partnership. Here's the text of the speech, here's the Chronicle's coverage and here's KUHF-88.7's coverage, which includes this:
Aside from preparing for storms, Eckels says health care might be the county's biggest challenge in 2006. He says one in every 36 uninsured Americans lives in Harris County or an adjacent county, which means the Harris County Hospital District has become a safety net of sorts for the region's sick.
"Last year, we wrote off $1.3 billion in charity care. That trend threatens our long-term ability to provide trauma and emergency room service and health care to the people of this region, this communty, who have no other means to provide health care for themselves."
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/24/06 07:29 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
Food and drink roundup (02-24-2006 edition)
The weekend is upon us, and it's time for a quick and easy (not to mention timely) food and drink roundup.
I reread Alison Cook's review of Bombay Sweets this morning at 8 o'clock, and my mouth watered from her descriptions. Was I hungry, or did she just paint some amazing pictures? Why oh why am I reading restaurant reviews while dieting! Her review of downtown's Craiganale's had the same effect.
Robb Walsh tried the yummy sounding pizza and more at lower Westheimer's Dolce Vita Pizzeria & Enoteca. Coincidence, or was mentioned dining companion Ken Hoffman?
Dai Huynh surveyed the local restaurant seafood scene. This week, she offers up some local places to indulge in lagniappes. There is a local restaurant that serves Greek taramasalata as lagniappe? Diet be damned!
Ken Hoffman reaches for a bag of Frito-Lay's new Garden Salsa SunChips.
And Gracie Ochoa checks out the Light, located in midtown.
World class all, enjoy!!
Posted by Callie Markantonis @ 02/24/06 08:50 AM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (1)
23 February 2006
Mayor Pro Tem Alvarado goes mute
There were several notable items today related to Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado and the bonusgate scandal.
Matt Stiles reported this interesting bit of news:
The four suspended employees have not been charged with any crimes, but Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal's office may enter the case soon.
A report from Houston Police investigators is expected to be given to prosecutors as early as Friday, Rosenthal said. He declined to discuss the matter in detail, but said his office's involvement might extend beyond the bonuses in question.
We've been asking for several days now about Chuck Rosenthal. It's good that a member of the local media finally decided to talk to him. This seems like a perfect matter for his Public Integrity office.
Councilmember Shelley Sekula-Gibbs helpfully offered to fund an audit of all spending from the Mayor Pro Tem's office, no doubt tempting Alvarado to break her silence in order to curse the Doctor-Councilwoman again.
KTRH-740's Chris Baker apologized to citizens on behalf of Alvarado (since her own apologies neglected that very important constituency) and ran a fun song parody. UPDATE: Here's the parody, sans apology.
BLOGVERSATION: Houblog.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/23/06 11:31 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (19)
Grand Parkway H and I-1 segments ready for public input
Segments H and I-1 are the subject of two “public scoping hearings” slated for Tuesday in Dayton and Wednesday in Mont Belvieu.
The segments, which are being considered together, would run approximately 36 miles from Interstate 59 in the northwest part of the greater Houston region to Interstate 10 between FM 2100 and state Highway 146. The segments will run through Montgomery, Harris, Liberty and Chambers counties.
The meetings are meant to solicit public input in advance of Environmental Impact Statement on the segments which will be prepared by the Texas Department of Public Transportation and the Grand Parkway Association.
Gornet said members of the public are encouraged to provide information on areas that the finalized route should avoid, such as parks and schools.
The two segments are planned as a four-lane, limited-access toll road with a 400-foot wide right-of-way.
Unlike the F-2 segment up here in Spring, I don't know if there's much opposition to the H and I-1 segments. I imagine we'll soon find out.
RELATED: Grand Parkway segments map
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/23/06 07:06 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (1)
Emissions and smart pigs
Banjo Jones tells us about a little something that should upset both PETA and Dina Cappiello:
Dow Chemical, in its continuing efforts to protect the environment, intentionally released 194 lbs. of nitric oxide and 194 lbs. of nitric dioxide a couple days ago from one of its pipelines.
This was done as a prelude to setting "pig traps" so that "smart pigs" can inspect the line for leaks and such as that.
The rest is here.
Pigs -- more than just tasty bacon!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/23/06 03:18 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
Today's Chron news story undermines yesterday's port editorial
Does any major newspaper in America have a more hapless editorial board than the Houston Chronicle? It's hard to think of one.
Yesterday the Editorial LiveJournalists wrote about the port-selling brouhaha, the media's latest hysteria:
The government of the United Arab Emirates simply isn't the same as private British company ownership. Letting the UAE buy a company running shipping operations in Baltimore, New York, New Jersey, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia might turn out all right, but why take the chance?
There was a huge omission in this editorial: Dubai Ports World would also take control of stevedoring operations at the Ports of Beaumont and Corpus Christi, where "Almost 40 percent of the Army cargo deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom flows through [...]." Talk about missing a big Texas angle!
But setting all that aside, today the Chronicle's Bill Hensel Jr. covers the local/Texas angle and then proceeds to render the editorial moot:
But the planned takeover of the huge British company by Arab-owned Dubai Ports World won't have a significant effect here, Tom Kornegay, the executive director of the Port of Houston Authority, said Wednesday.
"I don't think this changes anything," Kornegay said. "P&O Ports in most places basically does stevedoring services and that is what they do here."
[snip]
In Texas, P&O also performs stevedoring and other services at the ports of Beaumont, Galveston, Corpus Christi, Port Arthur and Freeport.
[snip]
The Houston port oversees operations at all public terminals it operates here, including those where P&O is involved.
P&O also provides container and automobile handling at the port's Barbours Cut terminal.
It doesn't own ports anywhere it operates. It serves the steamship lines and cargo interests by providing stevedoring and terminal operations.
In Beaumont, P&O does some stevedoring work for the Army, which ships military equipment through the port.
"They have had a franchise in the port for a number of years," said Chris Fisher, the port's executive director. "We are very familiar with them."
[snip]
Frank Fogarty, a P&O Ports senior vice president, said the management of the company in North America should remain intact after the acquisition is complete.
"The management that has been operating at P&O Ports will continue to be the same as it always has been," Fogarty said. "Our intention is to abide by all the government's regulations on security and continue to support the United States in that."
So, if the LiveJournalists had waited a day or so, and read their own paper, they would have been more informed on this topic. In theory, anyway.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: Since Anne's on the topic of hapless, did anyone notice the headline to yesterday's editorial that she links?
PORT SECURITY: Relying on Middle East country to keep our ports safe doesn't make sense
The problem is that nobody is proposing that a country from the Middle East take over port security, a point that is conceded in the editorial itself! Do the Chron headline writers even bother to read stories carefully before slapping a headline on?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/23/06 11:28 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (7)
New sports podcast (02-20-2006)
I've posted a new sports podcast, downloadable here:
Ethan and I were a little happier with the results this time, although I realize we need to improve our turnaround time between recording and posting and still need to polish things a bit. We're definitely still getting the hang of things.
We're having fun with this, so I think it's going to become a regular feature. I've added a podcast feed here. For techies who know all about this stuff, please let me know if there are problems with it.
I still need to skin a full podcast section on the site.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/23/06 11:15 AM | Announcements | Technorati | Comments (2)
Chronicle: surveillance cameras are no biggie
Is this going to be the official Chronicle position on surveillance cameras: that there are already lots of cameras around Houston, so what's a few more?
Police Chief Harold Hurtt sparked debate with his recent proposal to install surveillance cameras downtown, at apartment complexes and even at some private homes to combat crime. But cameras already are rolling all over the city: at rail stations, schools, malls, highways, banks and convenience stores.
"In a big city, it's increasingly hard to go throughout the day without being captured on many surveillance cameras," Daniel Solove, a law professor at George Washington University who specializes in privacy issues, wrote via e-mail.
Indeed, the Metropolitan Transit Authority has a video camera on top of the Binz Building downtown to monitor Main Street — the same strip where the Houston Police Department hopes to install surveillance cameras.
Shoppers at the Galleria are monitored by camera both inside and outside the mall. Drivers on freeways managed by the Texas Department of Transportation are caught on tape. Commuters at Metro's rail and transfer stations and inside trains, and also soon at Park & Ride lots, are watched on screen from miles away. And if you're cheering at Toyota Center, you can bet you'll be watched on video.
Schools, too, use camera technology to monitor students. A man who police say sexually assaulted a student in a Westbury High School restroom Feb. 9 was caught on one of the school's 128 cameras as he entered the school, though authorities have not arrested a suspect. And officials at Westfield High School used images from a surveillance tape to identify students in a fight.
[snip]
Though some cameras, such as those on Houston's freeways, aren't intended for law enforcement purposes, police across the country, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Minneapolis, use surveillance technology to keep an eye on the public.
"They've been very effective for our needs," said Metro police Capt. Tim Kelly. "We get that big picture of what's happening on the sidewalks and the streets adjacent to the light rail system."
And a nice view of Danger Train crashes.
The City Council's Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security is scheduled to consider Hurtt's proposal Tuesday.
We are still awaiting that outraged editorial.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/23/06 08:05 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (11)
A gloom descends on 801 Texas Avenue
Those spacing concerns were a bust. From the Chronicle:
Affidavits back Cheney's account of shooting
Eyewitness statements about Vice President Dick Cheney's accidental shooting of his quail hunting partner largely confirm previous accounts with some minor discrepancies, according to affidavits obtained today by the Houston Chronicle.
Well, darn!
You know what else? Some Chronicle editor assigned two reporters to cover this "story." Oh, and it's still unclear if Whittington ever found his kills.
RELATED: Last week's pointless hysteria (Orrin Judd)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/23/06 07:29 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (3)
22 February 2006
DMN recaps HPD crime lab investigation to date
Bruce Nichols, the Dallas Morning News' man in Houston, has a lengthy story about the ongoing HPD crime lab investigation posted on several Belo news sites.
While there's not much new information for people who have been following this matter closely, it's still a useful recap of the matter to date.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/22/06 10:26 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
Soffar found guilty; Chron editor's wife shaken (updated)
Yesterday, the retrial of Max Soffar went to the jury. Soffar had spent over 20 years on death row after confessing to a brutal triple murder, but his conviction was overturned by a federal court that found his legal defense was inadequate. The wife of Chronicle editor Jeff Cohen is a supporter of Soffar, as is Kinky Friedman.
The anti-death-penalty Chronicle's coverage of yesterday's events concluded as follows:
Prosecutors argued Soffar's own words convicted him. "The defense didn't bring you any evidence that he falsely confessed, that he didn't commit the crime or that someone else committed the crime," said prosecutor Denise Nassar. But, Soffar's attorneys argued, the burden of proof does not rest with them."There can be no closure and no justice based on lies. That is not our system," said defense attorney Kathryn Kase, her voice breaking with emotion. She put her arm around Soffar and hugged him after the defense rested.
Kase was not identified as the wife of Chronicle editor Jeff Cohen.
Apparently, the jury was not impressed with Kase's theatrics. They returned a guilty verdict just before noon today (coverage from the Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, KTRK-13/AP, KPRC-2, KHOU-11).
PREVIOUSLY: A missed Chron Eye opportunity?
UPDATE: The anti-death-penalty Chronicle has updated its coverage of the conviction, and it now includes this accounting of Kathryn Kase's theatrical performance:
Defense attorney Kathryn Kase at times became tearful while outlining Soffar's childhood: his continuous crying as a baby, his brain disorder, mental problems, low IQ and struggles in school that led him to drop out in the seventh grade. His mother sometimes drugged him to make him sleep, Kase said.
[snip]
"He was not a normal, healthy child from the beginning," Kase said. "You have to ask, 'Did he choose to be this way?' "
You also have to ask why Kathryn Kase was not identified as the wife of Chronicle editor Jeff Cohen.
Incredibly, that quote was the conclusion of the story about Soffar's conviction!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/22/06 09:58 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
Alvarado: In case you've forgotten, I'm still a victim
KHOU-11's Doug Miller and Reggie Aqui have yet another account of Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado's "I'm a victim" act:
“I have been astonished and disappointed to discover how easy it was for someone to forge my initials and steal both taxpayers’ dollars and my personal reputation at the same time,” Alvarado told City Council.In front of Mayor Bill White and the rest of her colleagues, she positioned herself as a victim like someone whose credit is ruined or bank account is wiped out.
“In this age of identity theft, we’re all vulnerable – and as public officials, probably even more so,” Alvarado said. “We’re dependent and trusting on our staff to help us get through our calendar and our full days,” she said.
First the Chronicle editorial board helped Alvarado portray herself as a victim. Now it's KHOU's political reporters.
The victims were Houston taxpayers, not the Mayor Pro Tem (who will have to consider resigning as Mayor Pro Tem if this story has legs for much longer).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/22/06 06:46 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (28)
Just wondering...
Does the On Point question change more than once a quarter?
A surveillance camera question would be timely, in the very off chance the Chron.com guys are looking for suggestions.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/22/06 04:42 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (1)
Mayor White explains why Houston needs surveillance cameras
Sort of.
Here is another of those Dallas vs. Houston stories and a quote from Mayor White that apparently explains why Houston needs surveillance cameras:
Dallas leaders concede that Houston is ahead in its downtown revitalization. Houston's Main Street has had a facelift which brought eclectic restaurants. But both cities are struggling with how you get residents to spend time and money in downtown consistently.
“The more people that come downtown the safer it is. Because people in a crowd look after each other. And it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You see it in other cities in the country, citizens looking after each other,” said Bill White, Houston mayor.
So, if more people would head downtown and play Dodge the Danger Train, then Houston wouldn't need surveillance cameras?
(Oh, and some Dallas dude says Houston has peaked and Dallas hasn't. Therefore, he concludes, Dallas is more fun than Houston.)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/22/06 03:21 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (7)
Stiles: Facts fuzzy in budget hike
The Chronicle's Matt Stiles fills in the latest details in the bonusgate scandal. Here are a few highlights from his reporting:
The city office where four employees received unauthorized bonuses saw a 25 percent increase in its budget this fiscal year — an appropriation that city officials haven't fully detailed.
The glare of publicity about the $130,000 incentive payments to workers in the Office of Mayor Pro Tem has drawn attention to the budget, which was included in a larger pool set aside for the 14 City Council members.
The City Council approved an increase from $260,000 to $326,000 for the pro tem office. And that was only half of the $122,000 increase the office requested.
Councilwoman Carol Alvarado, who as mayor pro tem oversees the office, and top members of Mayor Bill White's administration, which produced the council budgets, didn't respond in detail to repeated inquiries about the proposed and actual increases.
"The justification cited was increased costs of services and supplies," said Frank Michel, White's spokesman. "We don't have any written documentation."
It sounds as if someone was planning on spending beyond mere bonuses for a handful of rogue staffers. That certainly merits further investigation!
Mayor Pro Tem Alvarado returns to the "I'm a victim" defense of her lack of oversight:
Alvarado, who has said she can't recall specific details about the increase, said Tuesday she was "frustrated" by the lack of information.
She also was concerned about whether media coverage of such questions might unfairly taint her.
"It's my office. It's my name," she said. "I don't know why this $50,000, or $60,000, is such a big issue."
One can understand why Mayor Pro Tem Alvarado didn't respond to detailed queries from Stiles. Every time she comments, she tends to make herself look worse.
UPDATE: Stiles posts coverage of today's Council meeting.
BLOGVERSATION: Isolated Desolation, Houblog, Off the Kuff.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/22/06 09:21 AM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (5)
Metro's holding public meetings!
But they're not about bus route changes. These are related to (the new and improved) Metro Solutions:
North Corridor Public Workshop
Downtown to Northline Mall
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Saturday, February 25
9 a.m. - 12 noon
Davis High School,
Commons Area
1101 Quitman, HoustonPlease join us for a workshop session where METRO staff and its project team will discuss the continuation of the North Corridor Planning Study from Downtown to Northline Mall. Staff will be available to discuss the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), as well as the refined alignments and technologies for the North Corridor. The purpose of the workshop is to discuss potential effects to the social, economic, and natural environmental, including Section 106/historical properties, that could occur due to the North Corridor project. This project is sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration.
That's this Saturday. Then, next Tuesday and Wednesday Metro's holding two more meetings:
Southeast Corridor Public Workshops
Tuesday, February 28
6 - 8 p.m.
Judson W. Robinson Jr.
Community Center
2020 Hermann DriveWednesday, March 1
6 - 8 p.m.
Palm Center Business
Technology Center
5330 Griggs RoadMETRO staff and consultant team members will be available to discuss the Southeast Transit Center alignment, the Wheeler/Martin Luther King alignment variations and technology variations. The information presented at each workshop will be identical. The workshops are being held on two separate nights for your convenience.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/22/06 06:53 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (0)
21 February 2006
Nick Anderson cartoon/blog debuts
The Chronicle's Dean Betz informs that new Chronicle cartoonist Nick Anderson's work will be archived online... on Anderson's new blog.
Like Chron.com's other blogs, Anderson's blog features comments and trackback, so critics and fans are going to be able to knock themselves out.
That's a pretty smart move by the Chron.com crew.
BLOGVERSATION: TBIFOC.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/21/06 11:24 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (2)
Lanier appointed to Port Authority
The Chronicle's Bill Murphy reports that Elyse Lanier has a new job:
Elyse Lanier, the city's former first lady and an unabashed booster of Houston, was appointed today as a commissioner on the Port Authority of Houston.
Lanier replaces Cheryl Thompson-Draper, who resigned last month after being accused of uttering a racial slur while on port business in Shanghai last year. Thompson-Draper has denied making the slur.
The Chronicle article does not list Lanier's qualifications for the job, although Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia says that as Houston's first lady, Lanier met people from all over the world!
BLOGVERSATION: Houblog.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/21/06 11:02 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (7)
The bonusgate scandal (cont'd)
KHOU-11 ran a story from Dan Lauck on the bonusgate scandal, and there's a little new information:
According to sources, [Alice] Lee's successor Rosie Hernandez, told the three [Mayor Pro Tem's office] staff members that they were going to make up for all the time they'd been underpaid.
Allegedly, Watkins, who best knew the process, put through memos ordering bonuses.
Alvarado's forged initials were on the memos.
[snip]
Nobody caught on until about two weeks ago when some lower-level employees in the city's finance and administration office were complaining among themselves about how much money the Pro Tem staffers made.
A manager overheard the conversation and before long, they were digging into the records.
Lee says this may have been the worst, but not the first, such abuse by staff members.
"A council senior aide wrote a memo to give herself a raise of $10,000," Lee said. And it went through.
Alvarado herself may or may not be under investigation:
Meanwhile, Alvarado denies wrong-doing and continues answering questions while performing her duties as the Mayor Pro-Tem.
At the same time, law enforcement sources have said that Alvarado herself is under investigation.
"Law enforcement sources" doesn't sound that firm. What law-enforcement sources? And has anyone talked to Chuck Rosenthal's office?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/21/06 10:48 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (11)
Aiyer responds to discussion of op-ed
Jay Aiyer has kindly responded via email to some questions raised in the forum about his op-ed on training new police officers. I've posted his response in the forum, but wanted to link it here as well.
Aiyer also called our attention to this Houston Business Journal article by Jenna Colley on HPD's new $18 million tactical operations and training facility that's in the planning stages. The funding isn't there just yet to pay for it, but the City of Houston's architect doesn't sound all that concerned.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/21/06 08:47 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
Rodeo asks for long-term gifts, spends less on charity
The Rodeo is almost here, and that means it's time for the local media to start promoting the event. Here's an example from today's Chronicle:
With a limb saw in hand, Ty Whitcomb was ready for his new role.
As chairman of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's new Gifting and Lifetime Legacy Opportunities (Gallop) committee, Whitcomb said he wanted to dispel a misconception about planned giving: It's more than wills and bequests.
"This is my imitation of the Grim Reaper," said Whitcomb, holding the limb saw up next to him like a scythe.
"I don't want people to think when they see this, they're going to associate planned giving or our committee with the Grim Reaper."
"Or a limb saw," joked his vice chairman, Houston Astros star Lance Berkman, peering from underneath a brown cowboy hat. "We're not going to ask you to chop down any oak trees."
They are, however, asking Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo fans to consider giving something back — in life or after their death — through charitable trusts, bequests and other long-term gifts that would support the show's educational programs.
[snip]
Rodeo officials say the show has committed more than $100 million in education support since 1957 and has awarded scholarships to nearly 9,000 Texas high school seniors.
The show's scholarships, teacher training programs and competition funds reach nearly 350,000 students per year, they said.
Sixteen percent of the show's revenue last year went directly toward scholarships and junior auction awards, down from 17 percent in 2004.
It doesn't look as if we are ever going to see Wayne Dolcefino follow up on that story about the Rodeo's finances that KTRK-13 spiked last year. Some cows (pardon the pun) are sacred.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/21/06 08:25 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (1)
Why is the Chron silent on Chief Hurtt's surveillance camera plan?
We are still waiting for the Editorial LiveJournalists to denounce Chief Hurtt's plan to place surveillance cameras in public spaces, apartment complexes, and private homes.
It is hard to believe that the Chronicle can get hysterical about the NSA listening in on terrorist phone calls, yet not utter a peep about Chief Hurtt's plan to do far more locally.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/21/06 07:24 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (13)
20 February 2006
Did you know Rep. Culberson is working on border security?
Last week Rep. John Culberson was on with Chris Baker, and while I didn't get to hear all of the interview, I did hear Rep. Culberson mention something about his work in getting $100 million for border sheriffs.
That piqued my curiosity, so I did a brief search of Chron.com. Nothing immediately jumped out at me. So I emailed Rep. Culberson's office and was directed to this on his website:
The legislation also includes a section that I authored based on my work with the Texas Border Sheriffs Coalition. This section provides the sheriffs with $100 million in grant funding to hire, train, and equip deputies, and build detention space to house illegal aliens for deportation. Border county Sheriffs can have additional deputies on the ground within 90 days of this bill becoming law, while it takes up to two years to train and deploy additional Border Patrol agents.
That was part of the big immigration reform bill the House passed last December. So I went back to Chron.com and searched again, and this is all I could find:
For instance, Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, supports Operation Linebacker, a project of the Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition that intends to use local law enforcement authorities to support U.S. border officers.
A border-security bill passed by the House includes $100 million for county law enforcement agencies to work with federal authorities. Texas sheriffs alone would need about $34 million, according to budgets they submitted to Culberson, for anti-riot shotguns, radios, computers, utility costs, night-vision goggles and salaries.
The project has already received about $10 million from the Texas state government.
That's it. And it's from February. Two months after the legislation passed the House! Why didn't Samantha Levine mention that Rep. Culberson authored that particular section?
Isn't this an important topic, worthy of more column-space than it was given? A local congressman is taking serious action to help protect our border, yet it earns barely a whisper out of our local paper.
(This is the same local paper that can devote four reporters and a reader representative to covering the one-week-old story of an accidental shooting.)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/20/06 07:03 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (6)
Afton Oaks Civic Club suggests Metro Solutions revote
Rad Sallee has a story today about a topic I keep going back to: should Metro hold another referendum since it has changed Metro Solutions, specifically (in this case), because the original ballot said "Westpark" and not "Richmond"?
Chris Seger of the Afton Oaks Civic Club played the referendum card last week when he told the Metropolitan Transit Authority board: "We are serious, we are well-funded and we are totally committed to bringing this question before the people once again if necessary."
Seger said he and others in the subdivision, located along Richmond just east of the Galleria, like light rail.
They just want to see it on Westpark — the route approved by voters in a 2003 referendum.
"We intend to make Metro honor the results" of that vote, Seger said, prompting applause from many in the packed boardroom Thursday.
The ballot proposition specified 64 miles of future light rail in six corridors, one of them explicitly named "Westpark."
But Metro officials say a route on Westpark, which has fewer attractions than Richmond and is farther from the Uptown shopping district, could have trouble enticing riders and might not qualify for federal funding.
Metro officials should have thought of that when they created the original Metro Solutions that voters barely approved.
Metro president and CEO Frank Wilson said last week that Metro is doing "precisely what the referendum requires" in considering both routes.
Actually, it is relying on a single paragraph, repeated three times in the referendum text:
"Note: Final scope, length of rail segments or lines and other details, together with implementation schedule, will be based upon demand and completion of the project development process, including community input."
"Demand" would seem to let Metro consider projected ridership in its decision. But does choice of route fall under either"scope" or "other details?"
Metro cited the same paragraph last June when the idea of another referendum surfaced briefly in response to the news that Metro would initially use Bus Rapid Transit in four transit corridors, instead of the light rail approved by voters.
The paragraph also covers Metro's decision to combine parts of what appeared on the ballot as the Southeast and Westpark lines into a single route labeled University.
Voters approved the transit plan by a majority of just 51.7 percent. Those fighting the Richmond option argue that if it, and not Westpark, had been on the ballot, the measure would have failed.
Again, former Metro Chairman Arthur Schechter reassured voters that they would be able to hold Metro accountable with future votes. Does Metro not believe in honoring the word of its former chairman?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/20/06 06:26 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (5)
Bill Simmons says farewell to Houston
Now that he's sold a few books at the River Oaks/Upper Kirby Borders, ESPN.com's "Sports Guy" Bill Simmons is back to dissing Houston:
In the past four years, I made four separate trips to Houston and spent a total of 24 days here. And you know why I did it? For you, the reader. I covered the Galleryfurniture.com Bowl, the Super Bowl, baseball's All-Star Game, and now, the NBA All-Star Game. And you know what? That's too much freaking time to spend in Houston. My editors just bleeped me, I don't care. Maybe Houston doesn't suck any more or less than 20 other major cities, and maybe the people are friendly and likable, but the fact remains, you would never come here for any reason, other than these three:
(1) For work.
(2) To gain weight.
(3) To get shot.You just wouldn't. And yet, dating back to the Super Bowl XXXVIII in February 2004, three of the last eight major sporting events were held in Houston. Does this make any sense? There are 30 to 35 American cities that could host the Super Bowl and/or either of the All-Star Games ... and yet Houston pulled off the Ultimate Pro Sports Trifecta in a 24-month span, despite the fact that it's a sprawling city with traffic and safety problems (the three intangibles you always want to avoid for major sporting events). Here's what really frightens me: I have spent so much time here, I actually know my way around. Can I have this information removed from my brain? Is there a pill I can take?
Anyway, I have the following announcement to make: I am never, ever, ever setting foot in Houston again.
Simmons just doesn't understand. We don't have a safety problem. We have a dearth-of-surveillance-cameras problem!
It's hard to get very excited about the rest of it. It just seems like contrived schtick from Simmons. I think he secretly likes Houston.
Thanks to TP for passing it along!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/20/06 04:35 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (12)
Editorial Livejournalists try, fail to rewrite Constitution (yet again)
Matt Bramanti catches the Chronicle Editorial LiveJournalists misrepresenting the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution again:
Today's president argues that the Constitution grants implied powers to the commander in chief that cannot be infringed, even by the explicit provisions of the Constitution such as the Fourth Amendment, which forbids warrantless searches and makes no exception for wartime.
Leaving aside other errors in the editorial, that's the third time the Editorial LiveJournalists have gotten the Fourth Amendment wrong (previous instances were noted here and here). As we've pointed out previously, there are plenty of instances of warrantless searches that pass constitutional muster. The Fourth Amendment treats unreasonable searches, not "warrantless searches" (a term that is not used).
The Editorial LiveJournalists must believe in a truly bizarre form of living constitutionalism, in which journalists get to rewrite the Constitution if they simply repeat erroneous assertions. Over and over.
Instead, they tend just to make themselves and their editorial page look silly. Over and over.
ANNE ADDS: And yet, the LiveJournalists still haven't denounced Chief Hurtt for his surveillance camera plan, which would include apartment complexes and (if the chief has his way) private homes. Surely that's a greater concern locally!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/20/06 03:49 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
Bonusgate: When will the DA's office get involved?
KTRH-740 reports the latest on the bonus scandal at Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado's office:
City controller Annise Parker says indications are that the payments just fell through the cracks within City Hall bureaucracy. She say [sic] part of the problem may be that Houston currently has three different methods of approving bonuses.
City Councilmember Carol Alvarado has said written initials on memos authorizing the payments to her mayor pro tem staff were forged. The four staff members who got the bonuses have been suspended.
Bearing the brunt of the blame for the bonuses is pro-tem office administrator Rosie Hernandez, who has so far refused comment.
The city Office of Inspector General has closed the pro-tem office while an investigation into who authorized the extra pay continues.
One employee from the city legal department has been assigned the administrative duties generally handled by the office.
Documents show employee Florence Watkins, who made a $50,000 salary in 2005, got bonuses totalling $46,500. Hernandez became one of the city's top earners after a bonus brought her pay to $126,000.
That mostly seems like a recap of what we already know.
Presumably, the Harris County District Attorney's office will be asked to get involved at some point, and we'll start to find out more.
BLOGVERSATION: Houblog.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/20/06 03:31 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
Dr. Laura: I was campaigning? Really?
The Fort Worth Star Telegram's "The Insider" has this fun tidbit related to the State Senate District 7 race:
Houston radio host Dan Patrick recently got a little help from Dr. Laura in his bid for Texas Senate.
When Dr. Laura Schlessinger was in Houston for a book-signing, she participated in a fundraising luncheon that raised more than $10,000 for Patrick's bid for the District 7 Senate seat, said Court Koenning, Patrick's campaign chairman."Everybody loves Dan," Koenning said. "It's time for change."
Dr. Laura, however, apparently didn't know the political clock was ticking. Her staff denied that any fundraising went on at all.
"Though Dr. Laura has known Mr. Patrick for a number of years, the visit to Houston was to promote her new book and to visit with our affiliate, KSEV," said Jake Russell, a staffer who responded via e-mail on behalf of the Dr. Laura show. "I hope this clarifies your inquiry regarding her fundraising efforts as there were none."
Oh, come on now. Schlessinger wanted to use Patrick and KSEV to promote herself. Patrick wanted to use Schlessinger as a campaign draw. Schlessinger would have to be a pretty dim bulb not to understand that the two would be linked.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/20/06 12:27 AM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (6)
19 February 2006
All Cheney all the time
The Chronicle's crack D.C. bureau was on the Cheney case this weekend!
Michael Hedges and Bennett Roth inform us that (shockingly!) Democrats have criticized Cheney's hunting in the past.
Yes, it took two D.C. bureau reporters to come up with this:
But overshadowed by the controversy about his accidental shooting of a fellow hunter Feb. 11 was the fact that Cheney's private-life passion already had brought him a variety of criticisms and served as a symbol for his aversion to the public eye.
His 2004 hunt with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, for instance, was seen as a possible conflict of interest. Also, animal-rights advocates said one of his 2003 outings was more slaughter than sport.
Cheney's refusal to share details of his hunting trips or other travel — his closed-door meetings on energy policy and other issues led to his secretive image — has prompted criticism from Democrats who say he should be more accountable to voters.
"The American public has a right to know where their elected officials travel while they are in office, and whether taxpayer dollars are being used or outside interests have paid for travel," eight Democratic lawmakers wrote to Cheney in December.
The amount of column space devoted to this non-story blows the mind.
But wait -- it gets better! There's this dispatch from the D.C. bureau's Julie Mason:
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/19/06 11:47 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (2)
Just the guy to put in charge of millions of public dollars
The Chronicle runs a long profile of Texas Southern University President Priscilla Slade today. Slade recently came under fire when significant expenses related to her private residence were improperly charged to Texas Southern.
Matthew Tresaugue's profile contains this interesting tidbit:
[Slade's] personnel decisions are under scrutiny after the regents placed the university's chief financial officer, Quintin Wiggins, on paid leave earlier this month, pending the completion of the investigation.
Wiggins, 45, was in charge of the university's day-to-day business affairs despite a criminal record that includes nine convictions for writing worthless checks from 1984 to 1993 and a three-day jail sentence for impersonating a public servant in 1988.
"Those are the kinds of cases that raise questions, even if they don't seem that serious," said David Diaz, a regent and TSU-trained attorney from Corpus Christi.
Diaz also said Wiggins should have been more vigilant before paying Slade's $138,159 home-landscaping bill with university funds. Slade said she hired a landscaping company that does frequent work on campus, and it inadvertently sent the bill to TSU. She reimbursed the university after regents questioned the expenditure.
Wiggins, who declined an interview request, told regents he did not realize the bill was for Slade's private property.
"I don't think you should sign a check just because it's put in front of you," Diaz said. "As CFO, he needs to be more discriminating."
Wiggins wasn't giving financial advice to the Mayor Pro Tem's office on the side, was he?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/19/06 10:47 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (3)
Editorial LiveJournalists help portray Alvarado as victim
The Chronicle Editorial LiveJournalists had one of those secretive editorial board meetings a few days ago with embattled Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado (apparently, the Editorial LiveJournalists' calls for disclosure and transparency don't extend to themselves, although Matt Stiles did let us know that Alvarado "sighed and appeared shaken" at one point).
Alvarado is a favorite of the Editorial Board, and gets the kid glove treatment today:
City Councilwoman and Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado said this is not the first time government has known financial impropriety. Whenever money is involved, she said, a small percentage of employees will give in to temptation.
Alvarado is correct, and that is all the reason she needed to exercise careful and frequent oversight over who was being paid what in the mayor pro tem's office. While Alvarado is not accused of wrongdoing, she nonetheless bears responsibility for the actions of her staff.Shouldering great responsibility in city government, Alvarado told the Chronicle's editorial board Friday that she mistakenly trusted the supervisor in the mayor pro tem's office to watch her back and see that proper procedures were followed. She says she feels betrayed and that it appears that someone forged her initials to requests for employee bonuses.
What responsibility has Alvarado shouldered? She seems to want to portray herself as a victim here (with the help of the Editorial LiveJournalists), and pass the buck. As both Gordon Quan and Mark Goldberg have suggested, however, a diligent Mayor Pro Tem really ought to have paid closer attention to the monthly budget reports.
Alvarado's lack of oversight and inattention to detail seem to have allowed $130,000 of the people's money to be stolen. That's not the same as Alvarado stealing the money herself, and nobody is making that accusation against her. However, it does call into question her personnel-judgment and fiscal-management skills. The Chronicle Editorial LiveJournalists might have at least criticized Alvarado to that extent.
BLOGVERSATION: Isolated Desolation, Houblog.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/19/06 10:01 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (1)
Chronicle has spacing concerns in VP shooting incident
Unlike the public in general, the media is still very gung-ho to find out what Vice President Cheney is (surely) covering up regarding that accidental shooting, and the Chronicle is not going to miss out. Mark Babineck has today's story (with an assist from Janet Elliott). Check out the headline and subhead:
Questions still surround accounts of Cheney shooting accident:
The hunters' positions and their spacing are vague
Well, inside 801 Texas Avenue, these are important questions, apparently.
Here are the corresponding paragraphs in the story:
Those involved have not detailed exactly where they were positioned or how far apart they were spaced when Cheney squeezed the trigger. Ballistics, medical and hunting experts have said it's possible to sustain Whittington's level of injury, including one pellet lodged near or in his heart, from a range of 30 yards.
But to others, Whittington's wounds suggest he might have been closer.
"I was surprised (at the seriousness of injury), and I guess that kind of means we can all be surprised," said Dr. Paul Radelat, a longtime Houston pathologist.
Did Radelat say he thought Whittington might have been closer? That quote isn't included, just that Radelat is suprised. Also, Babineck doesn't tell the reader whether or not Radelat is a hunter, and therefore is in a better position to judge this for us.
And for the grand finale:
It's unclear whether Whittington found his kills.
Has anyone asked, or is the media waiting for a press release?
UPDATE: And here's a second two-reporter Chronicle story on the hunting incident, this one penned by Michael Hedges and Bennett Roth. My goodness, that's four reporters the Chron has covering this!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/19/06 06:26 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (4)
Local Blog Talk section
A while back, we added a "local blog talk" section to the sidebar. The idea was to highlight local blog posts that touch on the topics of interest to us here. I had mentioned I would eventually skin a permanent page if the thing seemed useful. I finally added the pages/skins here, and the Local Blog Talk link on the menu now points there, rather than to the sidebar.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/19/06 04:50 PM | Announcements | Technorati | Comments (0)
18 February 2006
EnWritten and EnBlogged: Slampo on the first three weeks
We're three weeks into the Enron trial, and Slampo gives his perspective on the matter in EnWritten and EnBlogged.
How many of you are paying close attention to the Enron proceedings at this point?
I must confess to taking a daily glance at my bloglines subs for related posts and news, and not always clicking into them.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/18/06 03:50 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
Brays Bayou widening project
A project to help alleviate flooding along Brays Bayou up to Lawndale Street will begin in April:
The Harris County Flood Control District recently awarded a $6.8 million contract to BRH-Garver Construction L.P., to begin widening the bayou from the Houston Ship Channel to Lawndale Street.
BRH-Garver, a Houston-based company, was chosenas the "lowest most responsible bidder," flood district spokeswoman Heather Saucier said.
Project Brays is a $450 million project by the flood control district and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers to reduce flood risks. It includes widening and deepening 21 miles of the bayou, creating four storm water detention basins and replacing or modifying 32 bridges.
When complete the bayou will be widened from its mouth to Fondren Road and will eliminate the 100-year flood plain for the tens of thousands of residents and businesses along the bayou, Saucier said.
"This first stage of the widening is expected to start some time in early April. Work on this segment, widening the bayou to Lawndale Street, is expected to take about a year," she said, adding that all of Project Brays is expected to be complete by 2014.
Once this first stage is complete, East End residents along that stretch of Brays Bayou should experience a reduction in flooding risks, Saucier said.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/18/06 03:38 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
TAKS testing next week; HISD adds new safeguards
Next week is TAKS testing time. I have two who will undergo it and am in favor of the testing, as it can give parents a good idea of where their children stand, what they know and where they need to improve.
HISD is implementing stricter testing safeguards this year, including not allowing most teachers to administer the test to their own students:
Test booklets will be kept under tighter watch, answer sheets will be collected earlier in the day, and most teachers won't administer the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills to their own students under new test security measures announced Wednesday by HISD leaders.
With TAKS testing starting Tuesday for roughly 125,000 Houston Independent School District children and 2.8 million statewide, HISD officials are hoping to curb some of the cheating problems that have plagued the district in the past.
"This year, we'll do much more. Our integrity must be absolutely beyond question," Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra said. "We're taking this issue of test security very, very seriously."
The testing is all the more important this year because of a new teacher merit-pay system that promises bonuses of $3,000 or more for teachers whose students perform well on the TAKS and other tests. Principals have bonuses of up to $6,000 riding on test scores that are also used to determine each campus' state and federal accountability ratings.
RELATED: HISD Tightens TAKS Test Security (HISD)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/18/06 03:26 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
17 February 2006
Alvarado to Chron editorial board: "that's not my handwriting"
Matt Stiles has more on (what Houblog has coined) Bonusgate and it includes an appearance by City Controller Annise Parker:
A series of memos awarding disputed monthly performance bonus payments to four city employees contain scrawled initials purporting to be those of Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado, who said today that someone forged her signature.
"I can tell you right now that's not my handwriting," said Alvarado, who sighed and appeared shaken when shown one memo Thursday during a meeting with the Houston Chronicle editorial board.
"These are clearly not my initials."
Moments later she signed the cursive letters "CA" on a personal letterhead pad, and they appeared different than those on the memo, obtained through the Texas Public Information Act .
[snip]
The memo was released by City Controller Annise Parker, who also provided Thursday the first account of how the bonuses were approved since Mayor Bill White announced the investigation Wednesday. Dated Jan. 10, and labeled from Alvarado to a payroll employee, it is like numerous others being examined by investigators.
Parker said the memos, which ask payroll to provide the four employees "one-time performance incentive pay" as "a bonus for work well done," appear legitimate.
"Everything was documented as though it was completely legitimate and supported," she said. "There was a complete trail. There was no effort at all to hide this. It just came through normal procedures."
UPDATE: Chris Baker is interviewing former Councilman Mark Goldberg. Among other things Goldberg said that the Mayor Pro Tem's office manager making a base salary of $75,000 is eye-popping. He said that is deputy director pay. And then to add an almost $50,000 bonus on top of it, he said, sounds criminal.
He said he used to review his budget every one or two months and numbers like that would have jumped out at him.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: KPRC-2 reports the following:
Mayor Bill White said he was preparing an executive order that would put tighter controls over the entire payroll of City Council offices.
Four employees in the office of Houston Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado were removed from their jobs Wednesday in the payroll investigation.
Meanwhile, KPRC reported that one of the four suspended workers tried to change the current checks and balances by herself and the mayor pro tem almost helped her do it. Alvarado tried to change the system in order to give one of the accused employees, Rosie Hernandez, more power over payroll. Hernandez ran the office.
"It sounded like, OK, it will simplify the process," Alvarado said.
But other council members shut down the idea and kept payroll oversight with the city's finance and administration department.
That department was the one that was supposed to catch the $130,000 worth of bonuses now under question.
The mayor said workers in the finance and administration department may have jobs on the line.
That's all well and good, but more immediately, we have nearly reached the point politically that Carol Alvarado needs to resign as Mayor Pro Tem, or Mayor White will have to consider replacing her.
BLOGVERSATION: Rhymes with Right.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/17/06 06:15 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (14)
Well, of course the weather turned cold
How many of you were hoping to get outside this weekend, tackling yard work or other outdoor activities?
We have had a wonderful winter this year, but still, there are those planting beds I wanted to spruce up. Ah well.
Reading Kathy Huber and listening to Randy Lemmon will have to suffice this time. There's always next weekend!
Posted by Anne Linehan @