31 May 2006
House committee to assist Bromwich with subpoenas
The Chronicle's Steve McVicker reports that three key witnesses who have thus far refused to answer questions from Michael Bromwich about the HPD crime lab may soon be compelled to do so by a Texas House committee:
Three recalcitrant witnesses believed to hold key information concerning the root of problems at the Houston Police Department crime lab could soon be forced to tell what they know.
Michael Bromwich, the city's independent investigator, and Rep. Kevin Bailey, D-Houston, chairman of the House Committee on General Investigating and Ethics, confirmed Tuesday that an unorthodox agreement has been reached that would let Bromwich use the committee's subpoena power to compel the uncooperative former lab employees to testify under oath.
"We're pleased we've been able to reach an agreement with Chairman Bailey and the members of his committee that will advance our investigation," Bromwich said.
In his latest report on the crime lab released earlier this month, Bromwich, a former U.S. Justice Department inspector general, said DNA and serology analysts may have tailored their findings to support predetermined crime theories.
Bromwich also complained that the probe by his team of forensic investigators has been hindered by an absence of cooperation from three ex-crime lab employees: former lab supervisor Don Krueger, former DNA lab chief James Bolding and former analyst Christy Kim.
Krueger retired in February 2003 after the DNA section's widespread problems were exposed. Former Police Chief C.O. Bradford later recommended that Krueger be fired for his role in the lab's problems. Bolding resigned in 2003 to avoid being fired. Kim was fired, but the Civil Service Commission re-instated her and she later retired.
It will be useful finally to have detailed testimony from these three former employees.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: The Bromwich investigation.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/31/06 09:39 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
Dynamo security disregards team policy on water bottles
Richard Connelly reports on the latest gaffe from the Houston Dynamo:
Team president Oliver Luck has worked hard to make Dynamo games a family-friendly, somewhat cheap outing. Knowing that Houston can get slightly warm at times, he publicly announced that the Dynamo would allow fans to bring in bottled water -- unlike those mean old teams like the Astros and Texans.
Such a policy is great for games like the one May 20, when the Dynamo, in order to get on ESPN, played a day game. In Houston. With no dome. And a stadium full of sunshiney aluminum bleachers.
So why were security guards confiscating all the water bottles people tried to bring in? Because severely dehydrated soccer fans will pay anything once they're trapped in their seats!
Actually, Luck says, it was all just a mistake.
"It was just an old-fashioned miscommunication on the security staff's side," he says. "We had our follow-up meeting after the game like we always do and told them, 'Folks, everyone can bring in a bottle of water. It's hot.' "
If it's the same crack security operation that works UH athletics events, the "miscommunication" wasn't the first and probably won't be the last.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/31/06 09:30 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (3)
Day labor center funding approved (updated)
A controversial proposal for a day labor site on Houston's east side has passed a close vote at city council.
The finally tally was eight to six, mostly along political party lines. Councilmember M-J Khan was the only republican to support the labor site.
I can't find anything on Councilwoman Wiseman's amendment yet.
UPDATE: Chris Baker emails that he contacted Addie Wiseman's office and was told her amendment failed.
MORE: KHOU-11's story includes this:
But the new contract comes with a catch. The day labor site will be required to give these to people hiring workers at the site an I-9 Form, which is supposed to verify whether potential employees are U.S. citizens. But the city government will not require day laborers using the center to fill out the forms.
Gosh, giving employers I-9's, coupled with Houston's really tough stance on illegal immigration ought to make a difference.
How ridiculous. With this being the standard, what can American citizens get away with here in Houston, with this fine model to emulate? Surely Mayor White and city council are sending a message to Houstonians about law and order and the value of citizenship. And oh, what irony: on the same day Council approves red light cameras to catch all those renegade red light runners, Council approves a center that will cater to illegal aliens. Pretty much speaks volumes, doesn't it?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/31/06 03:20 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (9)
Red light camera contract passes
Houston’s controversial [plan] to install red light cameras at intersections has passed through a divided Houston City Council.
[snip]
Mayor Bill White’s administration worked hard to hustle up the votes for the plan.
It ultimately passed by a margin of 7 to 6.
Council members who voted for the plan were Jarvis Johnson, Anne Clutterbuck, M.J. Khan, Adrian Garcia, Carol Alvarado, Sue Lovell and Ron Green.
Those who voted against were Toni Lawrence, Ada Edwards, Addie Wiseman, M Holm, Shelly Sekula-Gibbs, and Michael Berry.
Councilman Peter Brown was absent.
Mayor White claimed the cameras will increase safety and save lives, but opponents argue that red light cameras are nothing more than an attempt to squeeze more revenues out of taxpayers.
American Traffic Solutions hopes to have the first cameras deployed in six weeks.
All of the yes votes are predictable, I think, except Anne Clutterbuck's. Her vote is disappointing.
It will be interesting to see if any lawsuits are filed once the cameras are installed.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/31/06 01:37 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (4)
Will the Chron pay any fines its readers incur?
Here's yesterday's Chronicle correction:
•No city of Houston heavy trash pickup is scheduled today or Wednesday. A schedule on Page B2 Friday-Monday contained incorrect information. A correct schedule for the rest of the week appears on Page B2 today.
Let's remember that Mayor White instituted a heavy trash zero tolerance policy in 2004, and ignorance is not a defense:
Ignorance of the schedule or absentmindedness will not prevent tickets ranging from $50 to $2,000 for schedule violators, he [Houston Police Officer Tony Emanuel] said.
There's no mention of ignorance based on a local newspaper's editing error.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/31/06 11:42 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (1)
Clemens signs?
KHOU-11's Giff Neilsen is reporting that Roger Clemens has signed with the Astros, and that the deal will be announced at an 11 am press conference.
That's great news for the Astros.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/31/06 10:07 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (11)
It's full steam ahead for Houston's Grand Central Station
Metro is moving ahead with its plans to build an intermodal transit center:
Metro authorities are ready to make a deal with Union Pacific for property just north of downtown, hoping to turn a portion of its sprawling rail yard into a central station for Metro buses and trains.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority board Tuesday voted to have staff negotiate the purchase of nine acres of the railroad's Hardy Yard, bordered roughly by Main to the west, Elysian to the east, Burnett to the North and Lyons and Conti to the south.
The site is near North Main about a half-mile from the University of Houston-Downtown station at the north end of Metro's present Red Line, to which it would connect.
Metro spokesman George Smalley said the agency wants to build an "intermodal" terminal to "provide a nucleus" for buses and pedestrians to connect with the Red Line and future light rail or Bus Rapid Transit on the planned North, East End and Southeast lines.
Metro's long-term plans also call for a commuter rail line from U.S. 290 and northwest Houston that could terminate at the site, he said.
All property owners within a five football field radius of this site should be wary.
Would you like to comment on this project? Rad Sallee's story includes this:
A public meeting on the project is set for 5:30 p.m. June 8 at Ketelsen Elementary School, 600 Quitman.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: This is my favorite part of the story:
Although the yard is little used today for switching, UP's track through the site is busy and, for safety reasons, probably would not be shared with light rail, Arbona said.
Good thinking! And if it's not safe over there, maybe it's not such a good idea to run it down Richmond? Just a thought!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/31/06 09:02 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (10)
30 May 2006
A new defense for Priscilla Slade
I'm finally back in town and scouring old news (olds!), and couldn't let this Chronicle story go by without comment:
Two Houston-area lawmakers kicked off a campaign Thursday to pressure the state Legislature to continue sending extra money to Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M universities to offset past discrimination.
State Sen. Rodney Ellis and Rep. Garnet Coleman, both Houston Democrats, said they will file a civil rights complaint if the state doesn't renew the $250 million funding that was given to the historically black universities in 2001.
[snip]
Coleman said the Legislature in 2001 gave TSU and Prairie View $125 million each above their regular budgets. The universities used $100 million each for capital improvements....
The Chronicle's Matthew Tresaugue has done a great job documenting some of former TSU President Priscilla Slade's questionable "capital improvements" to her residence. Maybe she wouldn't have been terminated if she had simply pointed out she spent the $130,000 to remedy the past discrimination against her yard!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/30/06 10:03 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (3)
Today's (very abbreviated) sports report (updated)
Rockets CEO George Postolos has resigned, and Roger Clemens is apparently (maybe?) working on a new deal with the Astros that would pay him $3.5 million per month.
I'm not an Astros expert like some, but last fall was so exciting with the Astros comeback, playoff run, and World Series appearance that I hope Clemens comes back to help make it happen again. (And now I expect all the experts to pipe up and tell me what an expert I am not.)
UPDATE (5-31-2006): It looks to be a done deal:
The Houston Astros have reached a deal with pitcher Roger Clemens, who spoke with 11 News Sports Director Giff Nielsen.
Clemens will come back and pitch for the Astros.
It was reported Wednesday that it will be a one-year deal for about $10.5 million to $11 million for the remainder of the season.
Woo!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/30/06 04:57 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
May 31st Council meeting
This week's Council meeting includes another chance to consider the day labor center contract, and Councilwoman Addie Wiseman has suggested the following amendment to that contract:
62. WRITTEN Motion by Council Member Wiseman to amend Item 62A below as follows:
E. RECRUITMENT/INTAKE/REGISTRATION/DOCUMENTATION PLAN, OF EXHIBIT B, CONTRACTOR, AND/OR ITS SUBCONTRACTORS OR DESIGNEES, will take action to verify that laborers wishing to utilize services at this location are authorized to work in the United States.
Laborers who do not meet criteria prescribed by OMB No. 1615-0047, will be prohibited from obtaining service at this location.”
Sounds reasonable enough.
Also, the red light camera contract is on the agenda again (Items 58 and 59). And can anyone translate this item?:
57. ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CODE OF ORDINANCES, HOUSTON, TEXAS, relating to the Regulation of Parking by providing for the transfer of the Residential Parking Permit Program to the Convention and Entertainment Facilities Department and the clarification of provisions concerning the adjudication of parking violations; containing findings and other provisions relating to the foregoing subject; providing an effective date; providing for severability
TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBER WISEMAN
This was Item 20 on Agenda of May 24, 2006
I'm just wondering what that's all about.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/30/06 04:03 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (4)
HPD's mounted patrol -- cuddly and intimidating
The Chron's Allan Turner has an awesome story today on HPD's mounted patrol division, where the point is made that the horses serve a dual purpose:
"When you put an officer on horseback," said mounted patrol Lt. Randall Wallace, "the good guys can see him and the bad guys can see him." Weighing up to 1,200 pounds, the horses, which include purchased and donated animals of all pedigrees, are both cuddly and intimidating.
[snip]
Wills is no stranger to the passion of her horse-based job.
"It's hard to pick out one single incident," she said, "but I recall being on patrol at the zoo. There was one child who was in a wheelchair. You could tell he was disabled. He couldn't move his arms. Then he saw the horse, and the horse put its head in his lap and the boy reacted.
"It was so cool."
Hopefully, reports like this and this are rare exceptions.
Way up north here, The Woodlands uses mounted security patrols in all the areas surrounding The Woodlands Mall, including Market Street. In my own family's case, we have been known to park wherever we see a horse so we can stop and visit. The riders are great, taking the time to let the kids pet the horse and chit chat about the horse. We like the cuddly part of security!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/30/06 07:49 AM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (2)
The Kinder Morgan buyout
Did you hear about Kinder Morgan going private?
Do you want to read between the lines and understand what's really going on? Then read Tom Kirkendall's post explaining the KM background, the reasons for the buyout, and what might've been...for Enron.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/30/06 06:51 AM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (8)
29 May 2006
It was originally called Decoration Day
The history of Memorial Day is interesting. Is this part of today's public school curriculum? I hope so.
Here's information on today's Memorial Day service at Houston National Cemetery:
Memorial Day ceremony: 9:30 a.m., Houston National Cemetery, 10410 Veterans Memorial Drive. Memorial Day service includes keynote speech by Willie Blackmon, a retired Houston municipal judge and Air Force veteran; flyover by the Texas Air National Guard 147th Fighter Wing; cannon salute. For information, call 281-447-8686.
UPDATE: The service at Houston National Cemetery was cancelled due to the rain.
MEMORIAL DAY BLOGVERSATION: Isolated Desolation, Brazosport News, Lone Star Times, Off the Kuff
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/29/06 08:30 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
No high school diploma? No problem. Metro's hiring
Metro needs bus drivers:
With ridership increases continuing at a double-digit pace, METRO is actively recruiting nearly 200 full- and part-time Bus Operators.
[snip]
“Most people look up to Bus Operators,” Kennedy said, adding that Operators also have opportunities to get to know fellow employees through METRO’s TEAM program, which sponsors basketball and bowling teams, and other activities.
METRO requires that applicants be at least 21 years old, have been a licensed driver for at least three years, have no more than two moving violations in the last three years, and pass pre-employment screenings that include background investigations, a physical and drug screening. A high school diploma/GED is preferred but not required.
A number of benefits are available to both full- and part-time operators, with pay starting at $12 per hour.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/29/06 07:48 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (10)
Happy (soggy) Memorial Day!
Goodness knows we need the rain, but two and a half hours of non-stop thunder, lightning and pouring rain are a bit much.
The bad news is storms scare the bejeebers out of the cat, poor little thing. He'll be in hiding for HOURS after this passes (whenever that is -- the storm cell seems to have parked itself on top of us).
The good news is nothing will have to be watered today. Or tomorrow. Or the next day...
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/29/06 07:39 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
28 May 2006
Alvarado emails suggest consultant had interest in COH business
Last week Matt Stiles reported on emails that pointed to city staffers helping arrange meetings between Councilwoman Carol Alvarado and a San Antonio businessman. Here is what Alvarado's spokesman Joe Householder said of the councilwoman's outside work:
Householder said the councilwoman made about $73,000 since 2002 as a consultant for a few businesses on non-city work. Much of that money came from Rodriguez, but she did little consulting work in 2005, he said.
Householder said he did not know the circumstances of Alvarado's request to her chief of staff to give Rodriguez a ride.
Householder said Alvarado never got paid to help Rodriguez or his clients with city-related business.
Now KTRK-13 has obtained more emails and they paint a less certain picture:
Besides her work at city hall, Alvarado is a consultant for a San Antonio businessman named Rudy Rodriguez. Her staff confirmed that in the past three years, Rodriguez paid Alvarado approximately $72,000 for what it calls 'outside consulting.' But from the emails we found, it's clear that Rodriguez had an interest in Houston's city hall and potential contracts. One appears to be a duty-free airport concessions agreement.
And KTRK's Miya Shay has the emails to back up those assertions:
In an email to Alvarado in 2004, Rodriguez writes about Simon Falic, the CEO of a company called Duty Free Americas.
"We need to be prepared to discuss the current status of duty free vender at Bush."
Later, a follow-up email from Alvarado's scheduler asks...
"Do you want to meet with Rodriguez and Falic in your office?"
Here is the email referenced above (there are more emails in the story) :
-----Original Message-----
From: rudy( ***)
Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2004 9:04 AM
Cc: Carol Alvarado
Subject:Simon falic - duty free - tomorrow 3.30 - we need to be prepared to discuss current status of df vendor at bush
i need your direction as to making contact with m moore - ellis told him he was not in favor of extending the current df contract for any reason but would like to discuss how falic might propose something that got the cit new vendor as well as its past due money from current vendor
ellis also suggested meeting with nini foxhall at continental - please advise.
i will spend night wed night
M Moore refers to Mayor White's chief of staff, Michael Moore.
Mayor White's response:
We showed Mayor Bill White what we found.
"I think the red flag is if Councilmember Alvarado was paid to specifically arrange a meeting with somebody at city hall. That would not be proper," he said. "But I have no evidence that that was done."
[snip]
Mayor White maintains he doesn't know if Alvarado did anything improper, but admits...
"It doesn't look good," he told us. "I'll say that."
And Alvarado says:
"...that work was not related to the city of Houston and I am confident that I have always upheld the highest ethical standards."
The councilwoman's actions don't look good and the emails KTRK obtained certainly cloud the issue even further. And the Chronicle editorial board's hopes for this whole untidy mess to go away are dashed again.
(Thanks to bH reader Joe for the heads up on the story.)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/28/06 12:10 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (4)
27 May 2006
Chron's Enron Extra: Vanity issue? Publicity stunt?
At Poynter Online, Steve Klein is amazed that the Chronicle rushed an "Extra" edition to print following the Enron verdict:
I don't know whether I should laugh or cry. Three hours AFTER announcement of the Enron verdict Thursday, according to a story you don't want to miss in the New York Times, the Houston Chronicle published a two-page wrapper to the final newsstand edition with the headline, "Guilty! Guilty!"
Newspapers still do "extras" in the age of 24/7 news on the Internet? What for? Was it a vanity issue? A collector's item?
(Both John Wagner and Mike McGuff scanned copies of the "Extra" edition.)
The New York Times story is an interesting read:
The editor of The Chronicle, Jeff Cohen, suggested an "extra," or a two-page edition that would wrap around Thursday's paper, which was already on newsstands. (That paper's lead headline: "D.C. in Tug of War on Immigration.")
[snip]
The last time The Chronicle published an extra was Feb. 1, 2003, when the Columbia space shuttle disintegrated over East Texas. Before that, the paper distributed an extra on Sept. 11, 2001; on Jan. 28, 1986, when the Challenger exploded; when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963; and when Pearl Harbor was attacked on Dec. 7, 1941.
I'm not sure the Enron verdict ranks up there with 9/11, JFK's assassination, and Pearl Harbor, but then again, I'm just a news consumer, not a newspaper management expert. The fact that Chron.com had to go to a stripped down front page for a period of time on Thursday tells us how many people got their Enron news, I think, and it wasn't from dead trees. (I would also guess that the local television news websites had greatly increased traffic as well. I know I was glued to KHOU.com and KTRK.com for verdict news.)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/27/06 12:35 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
26 May 2006
Evacuee students beat the odds and graduate
There is a wonderful success story coming out of HISD this weekend: among the 7,700 HISD high school graduates are 100+ Katrina evacuee students:
Travis Hill-Williams has always considered himself an optimist.
That attitude was put to the test in August when Hurricane Katrina forced his family to flee New Orleans and make a new life in Houston just as he was starting his senior year in high school.
But even one of the most destructive storms in history wasn't enough to dull his outlook, and he is about to graduate from Houston's Jones High School in the top 10% of his class.
"I consider it a blessing that Hurricane Katrina came. I met new friends. I hold them dear to my heart," the 17-year-old said. "It has been a wonderful experience even though it was in the face of catastrophe and disaster."
Hill-Williams will be one of more than 100 Katrina evacuees set to graduate this weekend from the Houston school district.
"They've hung in there and adapted to a completely different place," said Superintendent Abe Saavedra. "They stayed focused in their studies, made friends and became an important, integral part of our schools."
"We're glad they came," he said. "We've worked hard to give them a good education and a good start to the rest of their lives."
Inexplicably, the Chron is running the AP story, so let's visit HISD's website for more:
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/26/06 02:17 PM | Hurricane Stuff | Technorati | Comments (1)
Tom K. weighs in on the Enron verdict
The Enron verdict opinion I care most about is now posted -- Tom Kirkendall's -- and he doesn't disappoint. It's a treasure-trove of good stuff.
His posts have brought to life a point of view you won't find in the MSM, and the bonus is Tom backs up his opinions with well-reasoned, clearly stated facts and examples that any lay person (especially me!) can understand.
I will be looking forward to his continued insight as the appeals process moves forward (no change of venue and 100+ unindicted co-conspirators!), and sentencing looms for Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/26/06 06:49 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
25 May 2006
HISD's summer meal program (how will the LiveJournalists react?)
HISD is publicizing its summer meal program:
Houston-area children ages 1-18 can enjoy free healthy meals starting June 1 at one of the more than 200 HISD schools participating in the HISD Summer Feeding Program.
The program will last from Thursday, June 1, through Wednesday, June 28, and to be eligible, children need not be enrolled in HISD summer-school classes nor do they need to show proof of income or age.
Breakfasts will be served from 7:30–8:30 a.m., and lunches will be served from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Adults may also participate in the program by purchasing breakfast for $1.60 and lunch for $2.85.
Now. Last year we saw the Chron's editorial board throw at least three temper tantrums because HISD doesn't offer its summer meal program from the day after school ends until the day before school starts up again. The Chron never wonders why parents cannot feed their own children breakfast and lunch. No, the editorial board chastises HISD for not taking over parenting duties.
So we'll see how the Chron editors react this year. HISD's press release does point out that the city of Houston's Parks and Recreation Department will offer its free meal program until August 4. School should begin again about a week after that, so perhaps parents could feed their own kids for a whole week. (Or maybe the Chronicle could open up the doors to 801 Texas Avenue and hold a daily buffet for that last week.)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/25/06 04:45 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
Enron verdict (with updates)
Local media outlets are saying a verdict has been reached in the Enron trial and will be announced beginning at 11 a.m.
All three local tv stations will carry live internet feeds: KPRC-2, KHOU-11, KTRK-13. I would imagine KTRH-740 will also carry live coverage.
MORE: This is from KHOU's Nancy Holland on the News Blog:
I was sitting right behing Daniel Petrocelli as he was told "the verdict is in."
I was in the courtroom with producer Juanita Jimenz. Nobody else from t.v. was there. In fact only one print reporter was in the room. Everybody thought the verdict was days if not weeks away. Then the door opened and Daniel Petrocelli who was sitting just on the other side of the bar glanced up. For a second as the woman announced there was a verdict everyone froze. Then we jumped up, followed closely by Petroceli. We rode down in the elevator together. He said nothing. He looked very serious.
It took about two minutes for chaos to hit as word spread. People kept asking "are we sure? Are we sure?" Yes we are. Now we are just waiting to find out the answer.
On the right side of the Chron.com main page is a "Verdict Scorecard."
KHOU's Jason Whitely is blogging the verdict results here.
****Jeff Skilling has been found not guilty of insider trading charges, but has been found guilty of conspiracy, making false statements, and securities fraud.****
****Ken Lay has been found guilty on all charges, including the charges in the bank fraud trial that was decided by Judge Sim Lake.****
CORRECTION: Skilling WAS found guilty of one insider trading charge.
POST VERDICT: Now all eyes are on sentencing, which could be steep.
BLOGVERSATION: Houstonist has a long roundup of Enron-related news.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/25/06 10:46 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (10)
Mayors White, Nagin discuss getting evacuees back to New Orleans
KHOU's News Blog has a post summarizing a meeting between Mayor White and New Orleans' Mayor Ray Nagin:
The mayors of Houston and New Orleans are working on ways to get hurricane evacuees home again.
Bill White and Ray Nagin met to discuss everything from housing to transferring jail inmates back to Louisiana.
Three centers will open in Houston to provide information on housing and job opportunities in New Orleans.
White said a Return to New Orleans task force is also in the works.
The mayors also talked about ways to get evacuees arrested in Texas transferred to Louisiana jails.
White emphasized that evacuees who want to stay in Houston are welcome if they get jobs.
Does that mean if evacuees don't get jobs they need to go back to New Orleans?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/25/06 09:51 AM | Hurricane Stuff | Technorati | Comments (7)
24 May 2006
City staffers helped facilitate Alvarado's personal business meetings
Matt Stiles has obtained some emails that indicate Councilwoman Carol Alvarado used city personnel to arrange meetings with a San Antonio businessman:
City Councilwoman Carol Alvarado used at least four city employees to arrange meetings with a business associate who paid her tens of thousands of dollars in consulting fees in recent years, according to e-mails obtained by the Houston Chronicle.
At least once, she asked her chief of staff to give the associate a ride, the e-mails show.
The messages from Alvarado's city e-mail account show that the employees scheduled meetings with San Antonio businessman Rudy Rodriguez, recently subpoenaed by local prosecutors who have opened a preliminary investigation into Rodriguez's relationship with Alvarado.
Rodriguez, former chair of the San Antonio River Walk Commission, has said he hired the councilwoman in 2002 to help expand his water-related development business in other cities.
Alvarado's lawyer, Rusty Hardin, says nothing unethical occurred, but others say that is not standard operating procedure:
"We wouldn't allow that," said Councilwoman Addie Wiseman, who owns a small business. "I keep my private life and council life so separate."
Other council employees, who asked not to be identified, confirmed the approach that Wiseman described: Council members block off time on their schedules for non-city events, but don't ask employees to schedule personal business appointments.
Alvarado's activities are of interest to prosecutors because she was mayor pro tem during a period when four employees in the Office of Mayor Pro Tem received bonuses that Alvarado and other city officials say were unauthorized. The employees have been fired.
At least one of them, office manager Rosita Hernandez, has said Alvarado authorized her bonuses because of extra work she did for the councilwoman. Alvarado has denied authorizing bonuses or requiring any staffers to perform non-city work.
Hernandez, who also served as the councilwoman's scheduler, was one of at least four Alvarado employees who helped arrange meetings with Rodriguez, according to e-mails. The e-mails examined by the Chronicle don't show other pro tem employees had contact with Rodriguez.
The messages, among thousands released to the Chronicle under the Texas Public Information Act, contain dozens of instances of Alvarado's employees arranging meetings with or fielding calls from Rodriguez.
There is much more in Stiles' story.
Even if Alvarado didn't do anything unethical, she has shown an amazing lack of good judgment for an elected official.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/24/06 08:46 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (3)
City Council action
A couple of items were (temporarily) put on hold during today's Council meeting.
First, funding for a day labor site was tagged by Councilmembers Toni Lawrence, Pam Holm, Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, Michael Berry and Anne Clutterbuck (Item 54). Councilwoman Carol Alvarado was not pleased.
Second, approval of the red light camera contract with ATS was stalled again, this time by Councilmembers Addie Wiseman, Ron Green, Jarvis Johnson, Pam Holm, and Toni Lawrence (Item 22).
UPDATE: KTRH-740's story says the day labor site contract was delayed by Councilwoman Addie Wiseman, too.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/24/06 03:14 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (11)
Houston goes head-to-head with Medillin, Colombia
Did you know that Houston is participating in a one-day competition?
Mayor Bill White is asking citizens to exercise as part of a world-wide contest.
The "Challenge Day" competition has Houston going head to head against Medellin, Columbia to see who can do the most exercise.
This is not a joke:
Challenge Day 2006 is a fitness contest between Houston and the rest of the world. Its purpose is to encourage individuals and groups to "Get Moving" by exercising for 15 consecutive minutes on this one day ... all in the name of health.
This year Houston is in competition with Medellín, Colombia to see which city is the most physically active on this one day.
[snip]
Ready to accept the challenge? Here's what you need to do:
* Step 1: On May 24 participating in your favorite fitness activity by yourself, as a group, or with your company.
* Step 2: Report your / your group's involvement by phone at 713-437-6500 or by email at challengeday2006@cityofhouston.net
* Step 3: Leave message to let us know the number of people who accepted the challenge, the type of activity you participated in, and how long you exercised.
I think Sedosi will be sitting this one out.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/24/06 12:21 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (8)
If you watch your step and don't breathe, Houston is cleanest city
Proving that there is an award for just about anything, Houston has been named the cleanest city, excluding dog poop and air quality apparently:
Houston has been ranked as the nation's "cleanest city" according to a recent survey conducted by Verizon Information Services.
The survey ranked cities based on the number of vendors in the area selling cleaning services via Verizon's SuperPages.com site, an online information directory.
What award will Houston win next?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/24/06 11:41 AM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (18)
Red light camera "trial and error"
Look at what happened in Capitola, CA, with a fairly new red light camera program:
The city of Capitola, California admits that it issued at least $9525 in bogus red light camera citations this month. The Santa Cruz Superior Court notified the police that their failure to review citations issued by red light camera vendor ATS allowed 25 duplicate citations, each worth $381, to be issued. "With a new program there's a lot of trial and error," Capitola Police Chief Richard Ehle told the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
And which company is about to get the Houston contract? Yep, ATS.
Do you suppose Chief Hurtt told city council that "with a new program there's a lot of trial and error"?
This was not the first time [Capitola] has allowed improper citations. In January, the city had allowed 134 citations worth $51,054 to be issued despite the lack of required information on the ticket. In December, an ambulance driver had to go to court to have a ticket reversed even though the photograph clearly showed his emergency lights were active.
Lots and lots of trial and error!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/24/06 11:20 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (3)
Debate over day labor center heats up
KHOU-11 and KTRH-740 report that city council, after a contentious public comments time yesterday, is likely to approve funding for a day labor site.
KHOU's story provides a taste of yesterday's debate:
“When we have drug dealers and prostitutes coming along, we do not build crack houses or brothels. Instead we send law enforcement into these areas to enforce the law,” said opponent Curtis Collier.
[snip]
"The operation of a day labor center violates the law by aiding and abetting illegal criminals looking for work,” said opponent Leslie Wetzel.
The afternoon’s most tense moment came when Councilman Adrian Garcia, who supports the funding, had a question for that woman.
“If you were unable to produce the necessary documents that would allow someone to employ you right now, would you see it as favorable to be put in the category of an illegal alien?” asked Garcia.
[snip]
Supporters countered that the center could support anyone legal or not, and that the real question is dignity.
“The clumps of unemployed men standing in the extreme heat and cold, lining several blocks of Canal Street in search of an honest day’s work need assistance in getting off the streets,” said Joe Rubio.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/24/06 06:54 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (9)
Slow posting; Rescheduled gathering
I'm heading off camping, and won't be doing any posting for a few days (through the Memorial Day weekend).
We have tentatively rescheduled the blogHOUSTON gathering at Byzantio for Wednesday, June 7. Final details to follow after the Memorial Day holiday.
See ya'll on the other side!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/24/06 06:47 AM | Announcements | Technorati | Comments (1)
23 May 2006
Chron frets that lethal injection might be painful
The LiveJournalists are concerned that death row killers might feel some pain when the lethal injection cocktail is administered:
Because capital punishment is irreversible, it deserves the closest scrutiny, whether the issue is the evidence that put someone on death row or the method by which they are executed. Texas loses nothing by delaying the use of lethal injection until the substantial doubts about its supposedly painless administration are thoroughly investigated and answered.
Great idea! Over at Lone Star Times, Matt Bramanti has some alternatives for the LJ's to consider, but I've got one of my own: dehydration. Last year the Chronicle published a letter to the editor from a Dr. Martin Steiner that said:
Until the introduction of a feeding tube in the late 1890s, if patients could not eat or drink, they would die.
That has been the way millions on Earth have passed on. Dying in this manner is a natural way to die.
There is nothing cruel or inhumane about dying from dehydration the way Terri Schiavo did. In fact, the building up in the body of various electrolytes produces a natural sedation and a peaceful death.
So there you go. Problem solved. From now on, officials in Huntsville should just take away food and water from death row killers. It's the natural, peaceful way to die. And as an added bonus, there'll be an extra week or so to find any new, exonerating evidence that might prove the bad guy's innocence.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/23/06 07:22 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (9)
22 May 2006
Is a new trash-collection revenue stream in the works?
The Chronicle's Matt Stiles reports that some residents of Houston's new, dense townhouse developments are in a sort of limbo when it comes to municipal trash collections:
WHEN lawyer Mark Kressenberg bought a loft-style townhouse in the Third Ward last year, he assumed the city would pick up his trash, as it does for about 300,000 other Houston homes.
He was wrong.
City solid waste officials told Kressenberg and his neighbors in the Calumet Street Lofts that they weren't covered by the city's garbage pickup ordinance because their new development had narrow, private driveways. They made that ruling even though many of the townhouses are bordered by public streets, or aren't far from them, and despite the fact that the city collects from some similar properties elsewhere.
"The interior units are probably no more than 60 yards away from a curbside," Kressenberg told the City Council recently, arguing that he and his neighbors are eligible for service. "To use that as the basis for denying us trash collection is ludicrous."
Obviously, city garbage trucks can't be expected to go down narrow private driveways for trash collection. Then again, these people are paying taxes, and it's not unreasonable for them to expect trash collection. Surely some of the brighter minds of our city can come up with a compromise solution.
Of course, it wouldn't be the White Administration if the possibility of a new fee weren't lurking:
White said his task force will explore the private collection issue and the possibility of creating a garbage enterprise fund, separate from the tax-supported general fund that now pays for solid waste management. Such a fund, like those used by other cities, would need revenue — perhaps from a new trash-collection fee.
It's not as if these dense, expensive townhouse developments aren't boosting the property tax rolls. Indeed, as the story points out, some of these townhouses were built on previously vacant lots, significantly boosting property tax revenues. The city doesn't need to use this relatively simple problem as an excuse to create a trash-collection revenue stream.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/22/06 10:12 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (5)
Richardson: Westpark means Westpark
A Sunday Chronicle op-ed by Edward R. "Ted" Richardson drives home a point that continues to frustrate pro-Richmond-rail advocates:
Where are the best locations for the rail line and stations?
In the 2003 Notice of Special Election, that location was described this way: "Westpark. Approximately 6.6 miles westward from the Wheeler station on Phase 1 METRORail to the Hillcroft Transit Center, serving Greenway Plaza, West University, Bellaire and the Uptown/Galleria area." The segment was stipulated to have "approximately 4 stations."
Now, however, Metro says Westpark can also mean Richmond Avenue — despite the fact that Richmond was never mentioned in the special election notice and that for more than 25 years the public has been led to believe that rail serving this area would be in the Southwest/Westpark Corridor.
The Richmond-rail enthusiasts continue to have difficulty when they try to explain that Westpark really means Richmond.
Richardson goes on to discuss reasons that Richmond has historically not been regarded as a good route for Southwest/Westpark rail, and stresses the need for grade-separated stations at certain locations.
It's a shame that editing errors plague the first three paragraphs of the online version of the op-ed.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/22/06 09:57 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (12)
Chron editorial board member calls Attorney General a liar
The Chronicle Editorial LiveJournalists sat down with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales recently, and if Sunday's editorial was any indication, they seemed more inclined to beat him up (perhaps for the supposed sins of the Bush Administration?) than to have any sort of constructive visit with him:
The government's highest-ranking Latino, Gonzales often has spoken compellingly about his Houston upbringing and humble immigrant origins. But his background also gives him a unique chance to amplify the moderate, generally realistic principles the president voices on immigration.
Unfortunately, Gonzales has let this chance pass. In recent interviews, he has said that he knows nothing of the circumstances in which three of his grandparents came here from Mexico. That's perfectly believable. Immigrants who flee violence or poverty, as well as those who enter illegally, may choose not to dwell on those experiences after they arrive here.
Still, Gonzales' personal history provides him an insider's perspective, a view he could draw upon more skillfully to elevate the debate on immigration law. Like the president, he has good leadership to offer on this issue. On Friday, Gonzales rightly endorsed employer enforcement, critiqued the practicality of a border-long fence, and insisted he opposes punishing Good Samaritans.
With more thoughtful answers about his background, Gonzales also could have shown respect for the work ethic fueling immigration, a point Bush has emphasized consistently in his lobbying for reasonable immigration reform.
As usual with the Chronicle editorial board, it seems like two writers with different opinions wrote this snippet! It starts with the hope that Gonzales' background will give him authority if he speaks out on immigration reform. Then it says he has squandered any chance to speak out, seemingly faulting him for not knowing more about his grandparents' immigration. Then it says it's perfectly believable that he doesn't know. Then it says he could have have "more thoughtful answers about his background!"
Goodness, they seem to be taking a page from a certain Chronicle sports columnist who frequently changes his mind, although he usually does so after several columns, and not from one sentence to another.
Since the Chronicle doesn't actually record its editorial board meetings (it's hard to blame them for not wanting a public record of the performance of their stellar board), its difficult to know exactly how the meeting with Gonzales went. However, we have some idea from Chronicle reporter and immigration blogger Tracy Eaton, who posted an account of at least part of the meeting:
Gonzales, who told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday that he wasn't sure if his grandparents immigrated legally to the U.S. from Mexico (see transcript), also got into a spirited exchange with Veronica Bucio, an assistant opinion page editor at the Chronicle.
Moving to another country is a momentous event, something that Gonzales' relatives must certainly remember, Bucio told Gonzales. And when the attorney general says he isn't sure if his grandparents immigrated legally or not, that doesn't ring true, she said.
"You think I'm being untrue?" Gonzales asked Bucio.
"Yeah," she said.
Gonzales explained that both his grandparents and his father are dead -- so they can't be asked -- and his mother doesn't know. And that's why he told CNN he wasn't sure about his grandparents' immigration status.
"I was trying to be honest," he said.
He said the only clue he has is that his mother remembers having to go to the post office regularly in the United States. That, Gonzales contends, could mean that family members were taking care of residency paperwork.
But he doesn't know for sure.
For the record, Bucio said after the meeting with Gonzales that her grandfather immigrated from Mexico to the United States when he was a child, and she doesn't know whether he was an illegal immigrant, either.
But whatever his status, she said, her point is this: "It's nothing to be ashamed of." And so Gonzales should just 'fess up.
In other words, a member of the Houston Chronicle's editorial board called the Attorney General of the United States a liar, advised him to "'fess up," and then admitted she doesn't know if her own grandfather was illegal or legal either?
That's a jaw-dropper of a bad performance from Veronica Bucio, who owes the Attorney General and Chronicle readers an apology.
One can understand why that crew wouldn't want their meetings recorded and transcripts posted for all to see, if that sort of boorish treatment of respected public servants is the norm.
ANNE LINEHAN ADDS: Wow.
Ms. Bucio needs to step back and remember that she's not on a college campus, or in a Daily Kos forum, or even in a Houston City Council meeting. She IS representing a major national newspaper in a meeting with the attorney general of the United States.
That was disgraceful.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/22/06 08:38 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (8)
HPD introduces New Orleans criminals to Texas law
blogHOUSTON reader Vernon Guy passes on this Time magazine story entitled, "What Happened To The Gangs of New Orleans? Before Katrina, New Orleans had a murder rate 10 times worse than the U.S. average. The killers evacuated too. Tracing the criminal exodus."
Here's an interesting excerpt:
In January, Houston police officers held a press conference and promised to introduce the evacuees to "Texas law." They arrested eight New Orleanians suspected in 11 murders in the Houston area. The department spent $6.5 million on overtime.
But when police interviewed the suspects, they suddenly understood why New Orleans was so violent. No matter what police said, they couldn't get the suspects to talk. They had no leverage because no one took their threats seriously. It was a logical response: in New Orleans, 93% of people arrested from 2003 to 2004 never went to prison. "It was a real eye-opening experience," says Sergeant Harris. "People born and raised in Houston seem to have an understanding of consequences, of punishment. You can show them the options, and they start thinking, Wow, maybe I should start cooperating." With New Orleans evacuees, Sergeant Harris says, "there is no baseline. They have no concept of consequence."
It was the first time the Houston police had heard the phrase "60-day homicide." Suspects would say, "This ain't nothing but a 60-day homicide," meaning that if they kept quiet for 60 days, they would walk--just as they had too often in New Orleans. So Houston police started letting evacuees spend a few days in jail before questioning them in depth. While they waited, the suspects talked with other inmates and had court appearances--which did not end with release. Eventually, for some, the reality of Texas law began to sink in. "As they stay here more, they seem to talk more," Sergeant Harris says.
That bolded part is outstanding (but please don't tell the ACLU or the Chron's editorial board).
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/22/06 08:37 PM | Hurricane Stuff | Technorati | Comments (2)
Stiles: HPD modifies bonus program, neglects to brief press
Over the weekend, Matt Stiles reported that HPD has quietly modified a bonus program after questions were raised by Chronicle reporting on the subject:
Houston police have quietly removed supervisors from a bonus program intended to reward top fleet mechanics, according to a month-old department memo released Friday.
Assistant Chief Norman Wong said Friday that he issued the directive April 12 because he couldn't find documentation that the supervisors and certain other employees were eligible for the program, which had been started by a previous fleet manager.
Fleet supervisors were paid $300,000 from January 2004 to March, the Houston Chronicle reported last month based on an analysis of payroll records.
[snip]
The memo was issued on the same day a Chronicle reporter interviewed Mayor Bill White about the supervisors' bonuses and two days after an interview with Wong's immediate boss about the same topic.
Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalvo said during an April 10 interview that the program was "obviously meant for mechanics, parts people, service writers." She and the mayor said at the time they would look into the matter, and the date of Wong's memo suggests the department took quick action.
But Wong said Friday that the timing was coincidental and that when he issued the memo he was unaware of the Chronicle's inquiries about bonuses for supervisors.
It was unclear why police officials didn't mention the policy change when interviewed in April, or for more than a month after the story was published.
Actually, it seems fairly clear that someone at HPD probably hoped Stiles would drop the ball after the initial watchdog reporting, and that the program could quietly be changed without anyone at HPD ever having to explain it to the public more fully. Somebody at HPD is most certainly underestimating Stiles.
Back in April when Stiles and Steve McVicker reported on another HPD bonus program, our intrepid police chief had this reaction:
Hurtt, who learned about the high overtime pay after Chronicle inquiries, said he doesn't worry about the public's perception of the spending.
Apparently somebody at HPD must be worried about the public's perception about the first program, if they tried to sneak this change in the program by the local press.
UPDATE: Post edited for clarity, since it is referencing two different bonus programs.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/22/06 07:48 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)
Hurtt: It's cheaper to hire civilian pseudo-cops than real cops
As KTRK-13 reported Friday, Hans Marticiuc is critical of the proposal:
"There's a lot of issues going about," said Houston Police Union President Hans Marticuic [sic]. "Is this the best use of money?"
Marticuic takes issue with the mayor's proposal. Not only does he think the money could be better spent elsewhere, he's not sure the public will respect a civilian the way they would a cop.
"There's a distinction between a police officer and someone else who is just working out there with the uniform who doesn't really have any authority or power," he told us.
What is most interesting about the KTRK report is not Marticiuc's criticism, but this paraphrase of Chief Hurtt:
Chief Hurtt says in the long run, it would be less expensive to do this than hire more officers.
Perhaps the paraphrase isn't accurate, but that sure makes Chief Hurtt sound unconcerned about HPD's critical manpower shortage, since the civilian officer proposal should, at most be considered a possible short-term solution to a manpower shortage at HPD that went ignored for too long by Houston's pols.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/22/06 07:28 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
Metro's continuing stray current headache
Metro's still trying to fix the problem of stray current leaking from its light rail tracks into the ground, potentially leading to the corrosion of anything metal underground. Metro learned of the problem last year from CenterPoint Energy.
Credit for this continuing sunshine goes to Tom Bazan, the Chron's Rad Sallee, and KTRH-740's Brent Fuller for not allowing Metro to sweep this problem aside:
Metro and the Texas Department of Transportation say the stray current poses no danger to such steel-reinforced concrete structures as freeway overpasses.
But because that issue has been raised by others, Metro recently asked TxDOT for permission to test steel in its bridge foundations at the Pierce Elevated, Southwest Freeway and South Loop. The three freeways pass over the rail system.
You go, Tom!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/22/06 07:27 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (2)
A very poor choice of words
Today, the LiveJournalists are upset about money the Legislature took away from "family planning" clinics last year, forcing some to close down. Now partial funding has been restored, but all is still not well:
Planned Parenthood of Houston, the family planning clinic at Dallas' Parkland Memorial Hospital and other longtime providers have three months to use the new injection of cash. But their infrastructure has now been mangled.
If editorial board members think Planned Parenthood's infrastructure has been mangled, they ought to look at a picture of an aborted baby.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/22/06 06:34 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (12)
21 May 2006
Slampo: How about those Evan Smith/Jeff Cohen profiles!
Earlier in the week, the Chronicle ran a glowing profile of Evan Smith, editor of Texas Monthly.
While the Chronicle isn't usually known for profiles of Texas literary or media figures, we didn't think too much about it, since it seemed like a better use of writer Kristin Finan's talents than, say, masquerading as a Katrina evacuee.
Slampo found the profile a bit odd as well, and offered this explanation:
Still, there was something odd about the story, perhaps because there was no apparent news peg on which to hang its appearance, or perhaps because the daily newspaper generally doesn’t do profiles---even of people who actually live in Houston and might have some impact on the city.
We scanned the piece and moved on, having learned only that the writer appeared to take the Texas Monthly editor almost as seriously as he seems to take himself. Then correspondent Il Pinguino reminded us that Evan Smith was the author of an equally fawning profile of Chronicle editor Jeff “A.M.” Cohen that appeared in Texas Monthly shortly after Cohen’s arrival at the daily (and before the loathing in which he is reportedly held by a large part of his newsroom had fully set in). It was also pointed out to us that the wife of Cohen's No. 2 man at the paper works for Smith at Texas Monthly.
That’s how it is in the big-media world: Incestuous. And incest breeds … well, you know.
Some years ago, the Houston Press ran a good piece on Texas Monthly during its... tired phase. Unfortunately, I can't find the story in the Press archives (it was probably written in the mid or late 1990s). Texas Monthly has improved since then, so maybe Mr. Smith is all that.
UPDATE: That Houston Press story is here.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/21/06 11:27 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
Competition benefits users of airport parking
The Chronicle's Purva Patel reports that competition among parking providers at the city's airports has had positive benefits for Houstonians:
With competition heating up, airport parking companies are offering more perks and bigger discounts to lure travelers into their lots, making Houston one of the cheapest big cities in the nation for airport parking.
[snip]
Local parking operators say the abundance of land around Houston airports has given companies a cheap way to get good returns on their investments. But with so many companies now, they have to fight for every customer.
Complimentary newspapers and bottled water are common, and almost all offer discount coupons in the newspaper, online or in the mail, but the services offered by some can be more elaborate.
Air Park, for example, offers curbside valet service for a premium, and Xpress Park sells car-washing and auto detailing services for those willing to pay $25 to $95 extra.
As part of its marketing push, the Parking Spot is launching a sweepstakes in which it will give away three Hummer H3s and a parking spot for each. One vehicle will go to a Houston customer.
Such marketing blitzes mean the Houston Airport System has to work harder, too.
The story concludes with what appears to be an editing error:
Barbara Mingarelli, who travels as part of her job at GlaxoSmithKline, has always used Park 'N Fly when flying out of Intercontinental, even though it's more expensive than most of her other options.
"The service is so good I just wouldn't. The drivers are always happy and are always willing to help," she said. "It's worth paying for the extra vans and the help."
The service is so good you just wouldn't WHAT? It's likely that Patel's original version included a reference to switching parking services, and a crack Chron line editor whacked it, thereby screwing up the conclusion.
Perhaps someone should show Richard Vacar this Chronicle article extolling the benefits to travelers of competition among service providers at the airport, given Vacar's past history of restricting competition in ways that seem to benefit the Yellow Cab company.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/21/06 08:08 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
Former KPRC anchor lands at KRIV
On Thursday, KRIV-26's Isiah Carey noted on his blog that former KPRC-2 anchor Linda Lorelle has joined the Fox 26 family:
She made her debut on FOX 26 this morning with a special report about people in the Houston area who have started over. She was included in the piece as well. Here are some shots from her making her first appearance on FOX 26. According to management she will work at the company on a freelance basis preparing special reports.
The Chronicle's Ken Hoffman speculates that it's an audition of sorts:
Former longtime Channel 2 anchor Linda Lorelle is starting over on Channel 26's morning news today and Friday. She'll be doing a series called just that — Starting Over — focusing on unexpected midlife career changes.
News imitating life and vice-versa.Channel 26 is saying that this is just a freelance job for Lorelle, but my sniffer says something might be in the works for Lorelle and the Fox affiliate. I'm guessing this is more of an audition than a freelance piece.
When was the last time a former lead anchor from one station did a freelance piece on a rival station — and it didn't lead to a hire? I can't remember it happening any time recently.
Lorelle resigned from KPRC in February.
BLOGVERSATION: TBIFOC, Mike McGuff.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/21/06 07:15 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (1)
Sen. Lindsay: Constituents are hard to deal with
You know, it's difficult to serve as an elected official. Really! The constituents are so entrenched in their ways. You don't believe me? Just ask retiring state Sen. Jon Lindsay. Janet Elliott did in today's Chron Q and A:
Q: How has public service changed over the past 30 years?
A: Well, it's become more difficult to serve as an elected official, I'll tell you that. I can't explain exactly why that is. There are just a lot of people out there that are hard to deal with.
Q: People?
A: Constituents.
Q: Are they demanding more of their public officials?
A: I'm finding those that get so entrenched in their ways. They're being led by somebody who is not showing any real common sense on what needs to be done in a community. You know who I'm talking about, the guy that's going to take my place. (Radio talk show host Dan Patrick is the Republican nominee and clear favorite for District 7). They say cut the taxes and don't say what services you're going to cut to go with it. You can't have everything. And the thing that bothers me more than anything is that much of the time the system that gets cut is funding for infrastructure — water systems, sewer systems, highways. The infrastructure plus education is what gives us the economy we've got.
Unbelievable. Talk about being out of touch, especially with the people he supposedly represents!
He whines about constituents wanting a (property) tax cut because he has no clue how the little people are getting hammered by property taxes. Let's recall that in 2003 he paid $136.45 in property taxes on his two (48-acre) tree farms that were valued then at $654,350. If we all had his property tax bills, we'd probably be just fine with the status quo!
Good riddance, Senator Lindsay. Have a lovely retirement:
Q: What will you be doing with your time come January?
A: That remains to be seen. I've got a bunch of projects of my own to do, like building a ranch house and stuff like that. I'm old enough where I can spend some time on the porch.
One can only hope he sticks close to his two tree farms.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/21/06 06:19 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (3)
20 May 2006
Council to consider red light camera contract...again
On again, off again. On again, off again.
Now it's on again. Next week, City Council will address the red light camera contract MayorWhiteChiefHurtt want to give to ATS. A five year contract. Has anyone in a watchdog role seen the contract? How is it set up? Does ATS get a percentage of ticket revenue or is there a set fee? Who reviews the photos -- HPD or ATS? What happens when there is a dispute? Who's going to verify yellow-light times to see that intersections getting the cameras have sufficient time now and that they will not be shortened further into the program (to generate more revenue)?
The issue has been contentious, with White and other city officials saying the cameras would increase safety and reduce accidents. Critics contend they are intended mostly to generate revenue, and may increase rear-end collisions.
[snip]
The plan — which officials project could bring in $6.5 million in its first year — almost certainly will be delayed in a procedural move when the council hears it Wednesday.
If Mayor White wants to prove these cameras are all about safety and not revenue, he should send all the money generated by photo tickets to public schools or charity.
But that'll never happen.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/20/06 08:31 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (1)
19 May 2006
Mary Cutrufello returns to Rudz
Former Houstonian Mary Cutrufello returns to town with a gig at Rudyard's tonight.
On this latest swing through Texas, she's put the old "honky tonk" band back together, and is promising to do lots of old material from the "Who to Love and When to Leave" CD and the "Mary Cutrufello and the Havoline Supremes" cassette (remember those?). Her email says she'll have a reissue CD of that great old material available, and she'll be playing with her old bandmates Roland Denny and Terry Kirkendall.
The email says the show starts at 9:30, but that start time may well get pushed back to the end of the Astros game (like the old days).
We don't plug live music very often here, but this one should be pretty good. Feel free to buy me an adult beverage should you make it out tonight. :)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/19/06 07:10 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (0)
UNET acronym fails to deter bad guys
Earlier today, Owen Courrèges noted a KPRC-2 report on the latest crimefighting action by the UNET Crime Van:
A new Houston Police Department crime van helped some crime victims Wednesday night in southwest Houston.
U-Net, which stands for Unified Neighborhood Enhancement Team, was parked on Bissonnet at Fondren.
It was across the street from an apartment complex where three shotgun-carrying robbers held up three men at 3:30 a.m. One of the men was beaten.
The crime victims spotted the mobile police unit and ran there for help.
U-Net had only been parked in that location for about 12 hours when the crime happened.
The mobile unit was launched as a high-profile deterrent to crime in high-crime areas.
It's reader participation time. Please feel free to supply your own one-liner
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/19/06 07:02 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
Slade's home searched as part of ongoing investigation
Various media outlets report that police executed a search warrant at the residence of fired Texas Southern University President Priscilla Slade today. Here's KPRC-2's account:
A search warrant was executed Friday morning at Texas Southern University president Priscilla Slade's home, KPRC Local 2 reported.
The Harris County District Attorney's Office issued the warrant as part of a grand jury investigation into a spending scandal involving hundreds of thousands of dollars of state money.
Investigators took photographs of the furnishings, landscape and security system. They are also expected to seize documents.
The Memorial-area home was at the center of a scandal that led to the TSU board voting to fire Slade.
Slade is accused of improperly spending $87,000 to furnish her home, $138,000 on landscaping and exterior improvements, and $56,000 on security related equipment and labor.
"They're looking to document any Texas Southern University property. They had the intent to seize her computer, which is a Texas Southern University computer," Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal said. "One of our investigators got a call from some people at the university that said some documents in the president's office were being shredded. I can't confirm that."
RELATED COVERAGE: KHOU-11, KTRK-13, Chronicle.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/19/06 06:14 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (1)
18 May 2006
Councilman Johnson kills "glitch" that benefitted Yellow Cab
The Chronicle's Alexis Grant reports that a "miscommunication" has temporarily scuttled the city's plan to allow door-to-door airport shuttle service:
Mayor Bill White said Wednesday the delay should only be temporary, and he expects the City Council to approve an amended contract in the next two months.
The five-year contract between the city and a SuperShuttle franchise run by Yellow Cab was scrapped because it would have prohibited vans that transport passengers directly between airports and hotels from continuing to operate at Houston airports.
That stipulation was not included in the city's original request for shared-ride shuttle proposals.
"It was never our intention in this process that it would eliminate another type of service," White said.
[snip]
Councilman Jarvis Johnson, who noticed the contract glitch and brought it to White's attention Tuesday, said both van services should exist to give passengers more options when traveling to the airport.
[snip]
Richard Vacar, the city's airport director, said allowing hotel-to-airport vans to continue to operate would decrease SuperShuttle's odds for success.
He believed the City Council was aware of the stipulation in the contract that is now being disputed, he said.
"Starting this business up in this huge geographic area is an expensive effort," he said. "What we we're trying to do in the contract is give them a chance to succeed."
Thank goodness Councilmember Johnson read the details of the contract before the city simply signed off on it. Had he not done so, the deal would have hurt firms like Texans Shuttle, which competes in the shuttle-hotel business, by effectively freezing them out of that business. Indeed, the details of the contract are so onerous that one wonders if SuperShuttle/Yellow Cab didn't have a big hand in helping write the contract with Vacar.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/18/06 10:19 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (4)
UNET crime van needed at Minute Maid Park!
KTRK-13 reports that the UNET crime van is moving to a new neighborhood:
Houston police's mobile command unit has hit the streets again. It's the department's latest move to beef up its crime-fighting strength.
On Wednesday night, police parked their UNET vehicle on Bissonnet near Fondren in southwest Houston. UNET stands for Unified Neighborhood Enhancement Team and it's part of an initiative to provide a police presence in the city's most violent neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, KHOU-11 reports on a rash of crimes downtown:
Police say thieves are targeting cars parked in parking lots outside Minute Maid Park.
The problem is so bad undercover officers are on rooftops and on the ground near the lots. It was those plainclothes officers who spotted a man breaking into Dacy’s truck
Some fans are worried. “Oh yeah. I hear it all the time that cars are broken into,” said fan Patricia Sparks.
Police say they will continue their undercover sting operation around the park.
[snip]
Police arrested four people Tuesday night and another 10 last week during games.
While police say some cars are being stolen, many are burglaries where major damage is caused by a person stealing music CDs, change and clothing.
Since there apparently are not enough police officers to keep vehicles safe around the ballpark during games, maybe MayorWhiteChiefHurtt could redeploy the UNET crime van in one of the Astros parking lots and come up with a new acronym for the operation!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/18/06 09:23 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
Houston's best moms
I was sitting in the doctor's office waiting room this afternoon (dealing with the rocking chair incident) and saw a magazine I had not seen before: H Texas. In it was a story about Houston's best moms.
And who are Houston's best moms? According to H Texas they are Elyse Lanier, Melissa Mithoff, Dodie Osteen, Page Parkes Eveleth, and Laura Pettitte.
Now you know.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/18/06 03:37 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (9)
Houston's civilian accident investigators
Mayor White wants a group of civilians trained to investigate accidents:
Houston Mayor Bill White is proposing the city field a non-police officer "traffic management force" on two wheels — and it's possible they could be armed.
The squad would be made up of 35-40 uniformed individuals authorized to investigate vehicle accidents. As for the unit being armed, White is sidestepping the question for now, saying other cities have put such organizations on a par with parking enforcement officers.
Initial cost of the force would be about $1.5 million, with the money coming from a road-and-street fund. Annual costs could run closer to twice that amount.
How many more police officers could Houston have with $3 million per year?
RELATED COVERAGE: KPRC-2, Chronicle.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/18/06 01:17 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
Houston gets $24 million FEMA grant
The money will pay for evacuee housing:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved a $24 million grant for the city of Houston as reimbursement for evacuee housing expenses, Texas senators said Thursday.
The Public Assistance Program grant will pay for May housing costs, as well as utilities in April and May, said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Sen. John Cornyn.
"Houston has provided shelter for thousands of people displaced by Katrina and the city's generosity will not be forgotten," Cornyn said in a statement.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/18/06 01:09 PM | Hurricane Stuff | Technorati | Comments (5)
17 May 2006
Classless councilmember takes on the doctor (part two)
Several months ago, councilwoman Carol Alvarado called doctor-councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs a profane name during a meeting. Alvarado's breach of decorum provided fodder for bloggers, radio talkers, and journalists for a short time, until Alvarado's inept management of the Mayor Pro Tem's office overshadowed her lack of grace and manners.
The lack of grace and manners made a return today during a contentious debate over municipal funding for a day-labor site, according to Chronicle reporter Alexis Grant:
The national debate over border security fueled a fight at City Hall today when a council member seeking a Republican congressional nomination charged that city funding for a day labor site encouraged illegal immigration.
Supporters of the funding accused Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs of flip-flopping on the issue to gain conservative voter support for the nomination to succeed U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay of Sugar Land.
"Some people will do or say anything in order to sway with that political climate," said Councilwoman Carol Alvarado, who has a history of squabbling with Sekula-Gibbs. "It's almost like changing your name during an election to gain support from a certain community," she added, sparking gasps and chatter in the Council chambers.
The tactless councilmember was surely pleased with herself afterwards, but her comments really didn't contribute much to the debate.
UPDATE (05-18-2006): The Chronicle posts a longer story today about some of the emotional outbursts that took place during yesterday's Council meeting. Councilmember Ada Edwards joins the fun:
[Sekula=Gibbs'] comments provoked an animated discussion — not typical at weekly City Council meetings — including a tirade by Councilwoman Ada Edwards, who said discriminating against laborers was "the closest thing to fascism I've seen since I've been on the council."
"I am not going to be in the same league as a Hitler or Franco going around telling the big lies, folks, so that I can get my economic and my social agenda passed," said Edwards. "It's demonization of a people and we need to stop it."
Comparing the doctor-councilwoman to Hitler and Franco didn't add much to the debate of a legitimate policy issue. Then again, this is the same member of Council who compared Chief Hurtt's recent efforts to deal with HPD's significant manpower shortage to the establishment of a police state.
Some members of council were able to debate Sekula-Gibbs reasonably:
Councilwoman Sue Lovell criticized Sekula-Gibbs' assumption that workers who use the day-labor site are illegal immigrants.
"It's a really unfair leap by the councilwoman to say because you go there seeking work that, first, you're an immigrant and, second, that you're illegal," she said.
It's not so hard to keep the debate about issues, instead of name-calling and insults. Kudos to those councilmembers who conducted themselves with decorum on this contentious issue.
BLOGVERSATION: TBIFOC, Isolated Desolation.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/17/06 10:34 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (15)
KHOU: Taxpayers help subsidize local businesses
KHOU-11 is promoting a Defenders story that will air tonight which claims the city of Houston is a very generous landlord:
How would you like a landlord that charges you unbelievably cheap rent? How about one that never raises that rent for decades?
[snip]
So who is the landlord? The city of Houston.
But the 11 News Defenders have discovered that you the taxpayer are footing the bill for Houston officials dropping the ball. Plus some of the “tenants” getting those nifty monetary breaks are those who need it least: high‑profile businesses.
Take one example: In midtown Houston there’s the posh restaurant “Brennan’s.” They’ve paid just $200 month for a parking area for 24 years! It turns out the last time the city checked on rental and property values there was 1977.
And that’s just the beginning.
A missed revenue stream? That's not like Mayor White!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/17/06 05:17 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
UH's big impact on Houston
A new study shows that the UH System generates $3 billion annually in economic benefits for the Houston-area:
According to the study, the UH System's annual impact on the Houston-area economy equates to that of a major corporation -- bringing in annually to the Houston area $1.1 billion in new funds which produce about $3.1 billion in total economic benefits that in turn generate 24,000 jobs.
The report also detailed that the UH System produces 12,500 new graduates every year who enter the work force in Houston and throughout Texas.
"It's important that everyone understands the role that our four universities play in this community," Gogue said. "Frankly, that's often taken for granted. This study clearly spells out the considerable impact we're having. But beyond the impressive numbers, we're also talking about the perception. The value of a university isn't a sum total of academics and research alone. Value is perceived. So we're focusing on making sure the perceptions are accurate. Sharing this study allows us to do that."
The Houston Business Journal story also includes a link to the study.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/17/06 05:02 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
Garfield to host internet chat with Mayor on wifi bubble
Following the blogger conference that took place on Monday, Mayor White will be holding an online conference tonight at 6:30 pm to discuss his proposal to blanket the city with wireless internet service. Michael Garfield will be hosting/moderating the online conference with the mayor, on a wifi connection from outside City Hall. More details are available on Garfield's website.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/17/06 04:25 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
More Metro service improvements, beginning May 28
In keeping with the original Metro Solutions promise to increase bus service by fifty percent, Metro has announced a new round of bus route changes/cancellations:
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/17/06 09:04 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (9)
16 May 2006
Quannel X protests release of accused serial killer
KTRK-13 reports that that Quannel X is again engaged in a protest... on behalf of murder victims:
Local activist Quannel X is standing up for the rights of murder victims by protesting the release of a suspected serial killer.
On Monday, a judge reduced Edward Mcgregor's bond from $1 million to $250-thousand, and he was able to post bond. Wednesday afternoon, activist Quannel X is expected to lead a protest in front of Mcgregor's Missouri City home, where he is staying with his mother.
Mcgregor has been charged in the murder of neighbor Kim Wildman 16 years ago, and is also suspected of murdering two Houston women, but no charges have been filed in those cases.
That's an unexpected move from Mr. X.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/16/06 10:38 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (8)
City to spend $100,000 on day-labor site?
KHOU-11's Doug Miller reports that City Council will take up debate on a controversial $100,000 contract tomorrow:
“We bring the workers off the streets,” said Marc Levinson, Neighborhood Centers Inc. “We bring a place for contractors to come in and match what their needs are with the workers who have the ability to fill those needs.”
But this center for laborers has become a center of controversy because it gets $90,000 a year from Houston’s city government.
The contract is up for a $100,000 renewal, during the same week the president addressed the nation on immigration.
[snip]
“I’m guessing somebody wasn’t minding the store, because this is terrible timing. American taxpayers, especially Houstonians, don’t want their taxpayer dollars going for day labor sites. They just don’t want that,” said Houston City Councilmember Michael Berry.
“As a former police officer, I like structure. I like guidelines. I like process,” said Houston City Councilmember Adrian Garcia. “And this is what this item is going to bring to the community.”
The site in question is located in Councilmember Garcia's district.
UPDATE: Councilmembers Sekula-Gibbs, Lawrence, Holm, Berry, and Clutterbuck tagged this item, according to the city's website.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/16/06 10:25 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (14)
Postponing the fun
I had a bit of an accident today. I was retrieving a chair that was hanging up on a rafter in the garage. Somehow an old wooden rocking chair that was hanging nearby also came down and landed on my head. Needless to say, my head did not fare so well. Neither did the rocking chair.
I am very disappointed to say that we are going to postpone tomorrow night's get together until sometime after Memorial Day weekend.
I sincerely apologize and hope that if you were planning on coming, you'll be patient while I get myself back together and we can reschedule.
Thank you.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/16/06 08:16 PM | Announcements | Technorati | Comments (9)
Did Chief Hurtt already know about HPD's excessive overtime?
Last month we learned that Chief Hurtt was unaware of (and unconcerned about) high overtime within HPD's ranks:
Hurtt, who learned about the high overtime pay after Chronicle inquiries, said he doesn't worry about the public's perception of the spending.
Today we learn that Hurtt was informed of the overtime problem in January of last year:
A Houston police commander alerted Chief Harold Hurtt last year that officers were manipulating court appearances to rake in extra overtime, according to a memo obtained by the Houston Chronicle.
The two-page letter, released under the Texas Public Information Act, states that accident investigators participated in an "intentional scheme" to add themselves unnecessarily to court dockets for their own "personal gain."
Whoa! Go Matt Stiles!
So, how does the chief respond to Stiles' reporting?
Hurtt and other police commanders who received copies of the memo did not respond Monday to requests for interviews.
By hiding. Maybe Matt Stiles can inquire about it at the chief's next press availability.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/16/06 10:24 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
TAKS test results
It's that time of year: school is winding down and TAKS test results are being sent home. In the Linehan household, the news is all good. Woo hoo!
HISD has good TAKS news as well:
HISD made very solid progress on the state TAKS test this year, with reading, math and science passing rates increasing nearly across the board as the school district enacted major reforms to improve learning.
HISD Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra will announce the TAKS scores of nearly 115,000 Houston students at a news conference at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/16/06 08:49 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)
The timely Editorial LiveJournalists strike again!
The Chronicle's Editorial LiveJournalists offer some advice today for Astros fans regarding Barry Bonds:
Astros fans should forgo taunts and display good sportsmanship as San Francisco slugger Barry Bonds swings for history.
Pssst, LiveJournalists: The series started last night. You should have run this editorial yesterday.
Or perhaps not. Here's the reasoning behind the advice not to taunt one of Major League Baseball's biggest documented cheaters:
Before acting like the inmates of some of the league's animal houses when Bonds takes the field or comes to the plate, Houstonians should consider the following: he has never been convicted of illegal drug use, flunked a drug test or been banned from the game.
Until any of those things happens, he deserves respect in his quest for Ruth's record, second only to Hank Aaron's 755 home runs.
No he doesn't. The documentation that Bonds is a cheater is extensive and leaves little doubt. As the Chronicle's Richard Justice wrote yesterday,
There's one other thing Bonds brings with him tonight. And this, more than the home runs he has hit or the millions of dollars he has made, is what Taylor Hooton might have noticed as well.
Barry Bonds is widely seen not as the best player who ever lived but as the most accomplished cheat.
Nothing can remove the stain. Even if he's indicted for perjury or income tax evasion, even if commissioner Bud Selig eventually suspends him, it won't hurt more than the damage done to his reputation.
He can never, ever get his good name back. That's what steroids have cost Barry Bonds.
His pursuit of Ruth and Aaron has come with the uneasy feeling that it means nothing.
That Bonds' steroid use hasn't been proven in a court of law to the satisfaction of the Editorial LiveJournalists is irrelevant.
The Editorial LiveJournalists are right that Houston sports fans don't need to engage in "fan-player brawls in the stands and postgame street riots," in response to the Bonds controversy, but that's not really something we'd expect of Houston sports fans anyway.
To go well beyond that and say fans shouldn't taunt or otherwise react to the cheating Bonds is just silly, in addition to being a day late.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/16/06 08:13 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (2)
Nah nah nah-nah, hey hey hey, GOODBYE!
Adios, Jon Lindsay. Happy tree-farming!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/16/06 07:19 AM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (7)
15 May 2006
Grand Prix drivers complain about "bumpy surface"
The Chronicle's John Lopez reports that some Houston Grand Prix drivers were not happy with the Reliant Park racing surface:
After four days of practicing, qualifying and then Saturday's racing, the hottest fumes belonged to some drivers. From the moment teams began gathering at Reliant Park last week, it was apparent there were two lines drivers could take around the bending course.
They could race. Or complain.
Many chose to complain, and the biggest complaints were about the bumpy surface, which had drivers scraping, bouncing and swerving around the track.
Let them try driving down Kirby or Caroline or some of Houston's numerous other pothole masterpieces next time around.
If they're going to complain anyway, we might as well give them a taste of the sorts of "bumpy" surfaces Houston drivers face all the time!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/15/06 10:59 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (10)
Chron Austin bureau chief reads Governor Perry's mind
The Chronicle's six-days-per-week Austin bureau chief and Sunday lefty editorialist Clay Robison had an odd conclusion to yesterday's editorial on third-party gubernatorial candidates Carol Keeton Strayhorn and Kinky Friedman:
Next year, if Perry has his way, [Strayhorn] will be retired, with lots of time for her grandkids. That's the gentle version of the governor's vision. Another version would be less charitable ... and probably illegal.
Does Robison really mean to charge Governor Perry with sinister thoughts about a mere political opponent?
Or is Robison simply trying (and failing) to be funny?
Either way, it once again illustrates the peril of having the bureau chief offering up scattershot opinions one day per week about the people he's supposed to cover "objectively" the other six days of the week.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/15/06 10:44 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (3)
Mayor to discuss wifi bubble with bloggers
Mayor White will be holding a conference call with area bloggers tonight, to discuss his plan to create a municipal wireless internet bubble.
Here's the email from Mustafa Tameez, who has been associated with many of the mayor's high-priority political communications efforts:
As many of you may have been alerted by now, we have scheduled a 30-minute conference call at 6:30 on Monday May 15, 2006, in order to present Houston area bloggers details of Mayor Bill White's upcoming plans for citywide WiFi.
Information and communications technologies are as important for the 21st century as were roads, sewer, gas and water systems for earlier growth and progress. Robust, competitive and affordable communications are critical for the city to attract and retain jobs, improve the quality of education, enhance the delivery of healthcare services, and protect and serve residents.
We hope you can join us to give this issue coverage, ask questions, and offer feedback on this proposal. Joining Mayor White will be Richard Lewis. Michael Garfield will be moderating the event.
Conference call in number: 832-395-1080
(No code required)Thank you in advance for your time,
Mustafa Tameez
The email mentions "area bloggers" so I presume this telephone press blogger conference is open to any bloggers who are interested, and not some sort of elite group. If you're a local blogger and the invitation somehow missed you, feel free to call in and blog about the experience. In fact, if someone were to call in with Gizmo and record the call that would be superb (we could host it here)! The conference is scheduled during my regular time at the gym, so I'll be relying on blogger accounts/recordings of the blogger conference. I hope they're good!
UPDATE: Larry Hendrick posts an mp3 of the conference on his Business Unusual blog.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/15/06 05:12 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
14 May 2006
Welcome to Houston, Barry
The San Francisco Giants come to town tomorrow for a three-game set with the Astros.
The big news is Giants' slugger Barry Bonds and his pursuit of Babe Ruth's home run tally.
One local blogger has instructions for any Astros fan who might be on the receiving end of a Bonds home run over the next few days:
1. Go to the game.
2. Catch Number 714 or 715.
3. Get out your sharpie.
4. Write the word "Cheater" on the ball.
5. Throw it back Houston.
More details are available at Throw It Back Houston.
BLOGVERSATION: TBIFOC.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/14/06 11:20 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (7)
13 May 2006
Police officer takes on Danger Train, loses
METRO's light-rail "transit backbone" suffered another collision with a motorist this afternoon. This time, an off-duty police officer was involved in the collision:
An off-duty Houston police officer was involved in a collision with a Metro train at about 3 p.m. today, at the intersection of Main and West Alabama.
The officer, and two passengers on the train, have been transported to area hospitals for treatment of their injuries.
The police officer's dog also was injured in the crash.
Metro spokesman George Smalley said that a preliminary report about the train wreck showed that the train operator was headed south bound on Main, when the train was struck by a black Ford Expedition headed westbound on West Alabama.
HPD spokesman Nate McDuell said that the police officer is an undercover narcotics officer who was not on duty. The officer's dog, which was riding in the Expedition, also was injured in the collision, McDuell said.
Smalley said the preliminary report also indicated that the officer may have run a red light at the intersection.
What, just because a police officer is involved (and not a normal citizen), METRO officials aren't screeching that the driver was at fault and will be publicly humiliated by Metro Chief Lambert, ticketed, and charged for any damage to the train? In this case, the motorist "may have" been at fault and that's it? Maybe METRO officials were scared the dog would bite them if they pulled their usual act.
It's too bad that media outlets no longer report the number of collisions. By John Gaver's count, that would seem to be #130.
UPDATE (05-14-2006): The Chronicle report has been updated, and now includes the following:
The accident was the 139th involving MetroRail and another vehicle or person since testing began in 2003. It was the 17th incident this year.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/13/06 06:41 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (15)
DA's office looks into Alvarado's consulting arrangements
KHOU-11's Doug Miller reports that the Harris County District Attorney's office is looking into Councilmember Carol Alvarado's arrangements with various consulting firms for potential conflicts of interest:
The Harris County District Attorney’s office is taking a close look at some of the ways Carol Alvarado has made money outside City Hall.
DA investigators have spent the past couple of days in San Antonio and the Austin area subpoenaing documents from a couple of political consulting firms for which she’s done contract work.
Alvarado’s personal financial statement on file at City Hall shows that she’s worked for something called the Horizon Consulting Group and a Rudy Rodriguez in San Antonio, as well as a Capital Development firm and Harold Oliver, whose address is listed in McQueeny, Texas.
District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal confirmed that subpoenas were served to those firms, and he said his office is investigating potential conflicts of interest. He declined to elaborate.
[snip]
The DA’s office has been investigating Alvarado’s mayor pro tem office for three months after revelations that four of her employees gave themselves big bonuses and pay raises.
Investigators are probing not only those now-fired city employees, but also the council member herself.
The Chronicle's Matt Stiles reports that Rosenthal says his office hasn't determined whether a criminal investigation is warranted, and is just "trying to be thorough."
Stiles further reports that the city is trying to recover the improper bonuses received by employees of the Mayor Pro Tem's office under Carol Alvarado's watch.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/13/06 05:28 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (3)
Ongoing "code of silence" at HPD?
The Chronicle runs a story by Harvey Rice today that reports on the latest allegations of a pervasive anti-whistleblower, retaliatory atmosphere within the ranks of the Houston Police Department's traffic enforcement division.
The story is too lengthy and complicated to excerpt, but the link is here.
Any readers from HPD who would like to share their perspective on this story may use the comments link or send an anonymous comment.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/13/06 04:24 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
Chron headline writers still have problems with gas
Chron.com posted an AP story yesterday with the following headline:
KPRC-2 posted the same story with the following headline:
It's an ongoing mystery why the headline writers for the only major daily newspaper in the energy capital of the world continue to refer to gasoline as "gas." Even KPRC's online headline writers chose the better headline.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/13/06 03:28 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (0)
12 May 2006
blogHOUSTON gathering Wednesday, May 17 (POSTPONED)
The blogHOUSTON crew is planning a get-together next Wednesday (May 17) at Byzantio on West Gray.
We'll get started about 4:30 pm or so, and go well into the evening.
Byzantio does have free wireless internet, along with various Greek appetizers, a nice Greek salad, and Ouzo for those who can stomach it. For the rest of us, there's a full bar as well as coffee and espresso-based beverages.
If you're a reader or commenter or blogger or podcaster or journalist who never reads blogs like this one (we won't tell!) or someone who just wants to hang out at a great Greek bar (update: with a nice patio), please feel free to drop by.
Opa! :)
UPDATE: We've had to postpone this event. We'll try to reschedule soon!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/12/06 08:27 PM | Announcements | Technorati | Comments (13)
Server crash scrambles today's posts/comments (updated)
Unfortunately, the server hosting blogHOUSTON experienced a hardware failure earlier, following routine maintenance.
The hosting service had to restore backups to a new server, but those backups were from yesterday, so posts and comments from earlier today were lost.
Sorry about the downtime and the loss of data. In all, I think the hosting service did a pretty good job getting a functional server back online.
UPDATE (05-13-2006): Yesterday's posts have been restored. Unfortunately, the comments left between the restore point and the crash are forever lost. Sorry!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/12/06 06:56 PM | Announcements | Technorati | Comments (1)
Rice students produce alternative fuel (and yummy smelling exhaust!)
Rice University students have developed an experimental bio-diesel fuel processing plant:
Could the road to relief at the pump be paved with French fries?
That might sound crazy, but it's a real theory being explored by students at Rice University.
Ron Perez fills his mower a couple of times a week and if you look closely, you'll see he's using biodiesel.
"It works great actually it's cleaner and it smells like food actually," said groundskeeper Ron Perez.
That's because as Perez mows up to 10 acres of the Rice campus each day, what's in his tank was once cooking oil in Rice cafeterias.
"Anything from frying your shrimp in the cafeteria to French fries, anything like that," said student Lizzi Clark.
Rice students built a closet-sized processing plant, put the used oil in and let it settle.
"It comes through this pump and we pump it through these filters to take out anything else," Guyton Durnin.
If you could look through the equipment it would look like this test lab where the oil goes in, add some chemicals, it cooks at about the temperature of bathwater, ends up in a water wash and biodiesel comes out.
Laura Ingraham recently had a guest on her show who does something very similar. He has modified his personal vehicles' engines and powers them with used cooking oil from local restaurants. He said he has to have gasoline to start and stop the car (if I am remembering the interview correctly) but that's it! The rest of the time the cars run off the used cooking oil. Pretty neat, eh?
It's certainly more plausible than this.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/12/06 07:54 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
Houston: a model light rail city...but not in a good way
Phoenix is building a downtown light rail line and is looking to Houston on, ahem, how NOT to do things:
When light-rail trains roll through busy Valley streets, transit officials hope they run more like those in Salt Lake City than Houston.
In Houston, a catalog of 62 collisions over two years, causing 110 injuries and a death, led critics to call the train the "Wham Bam Tram."
In Salt Lake City, which, like Houston, has seven miles of in-street track, crashes totaled eight in the same period. Four a year is the national average.
[snip]
The Federal Transit Administration tapped the state Department of Transportation to oversee safety plans. That double-check was absent in Houston because of a legal loophole, since closed, for systems paid entirely from local funds. Houston rushed to open service in time for the 2004 Super Bowl.
Light-rail critics say officials tend to downplay the dangers of the systems."It's fundamentally programmed for failure because you have people and cars and light-rail trains competing on the same level in the street," said Becky Fenger of Phoenix, who opposed past light-rail propositions. "It will be a bumper-car derby out there."
It certainly has been in Houston! Our own Tom Bazan was quoted in the story:
Tom Bazan of Houston, who has tracked light-rail crashes, said accident data cannot be trusted because it is reported by transit agencies. He accuses operators of reporting low numbers and concealing crash facts, citing missing footage from on-board cameras.
Transit officials say Bazan and his supporters inflate the significance of minor accidents. The FTA tracks only crashes involving injuries or more than $7,500 in damage.
A log of Houston crashes shows three-fourths of them involved automobile drivers making left turns in front of trains or running red lights from side streets. In almost every case, accident investigators blamed drivers. Pedestrian collisions accounted for most of the remaining accidents. FTA officials say the pattern is repeated around the country.
Ah yes. The obligatory blame-the-drivers excuse. I'm curious for whom those accident investigators work. Metro perhaps?
Alongside the story is an artist's rendition of a Phoenix light rail car which makes it look like that city's trains will have a cattle guard-type thing attached to the front!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/12/06 07:37 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (1)
11 May 2006
KPRC: Alvarado begs municipal employees to help pay legal bills
Councilmember Carol Alvarado has managed to get herself back in the news. Here's the latest from KPRC-2:
Several Houston City Hall employees are upset after receiving fundraising e-mails for City Council member Carol Alvarado, KPRC Local 2 reported Wednesday.
The employees said they got the fundraiser invitations in their work e-mail asking them to donate money to help Alvarado pay her legal expenses.Alvarado resigned as mayor pro-tem after allegations surfaced that four of her employees received thousands of dollars in improper bonuses. They were later fired and an investigation was launched. Alvarado was not charged in the case.
Alvarado denied any wrongdoing and said she did not mean for the fundraising e-mails to upset anyone.
The e-mails were not illegal because they were not sent out on a city e-mail account or on city time.
The emails may not be illegal, but they do raise questions about how the email addresses were harvested, and email solicitations to municipal employees from a sitting councilmember do raise ethical questions. Surely Councilmember Alvarado could set a better ethical example, especially since she serves as chair of Council's Ethics Committee.
(Thanks to Vernon Guy for sending the KPRC link)
BLOGVERSATION: Houblog.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/11/06 10:20 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (7)
Council delays action on airport-shuttle proposal
The Chronicle's Alexis Grant reports that City Council has delayed action on a plan to allow one company to offer door-to-door shuttle service from the airport after objections from cab companies and another shuttle company:
Under pressure from cab companies, the City Council on Wednesday delayed action on a contract for a shared-ride shuttle that would give Houstonians another option when traveling to the city's airports.
The five-year contract has come under fire because it would go to only one vendor, a SuperShuttle franchise in partnership with Yellow Cab. That would create an unfair monopoly that would put taxi drivers out of business, some cab company representatives say.
[snip]
Mayor Bill White said he sympathizes with taxi drivers and would prefer to contract with more than one company, but he's not sure the market would support that.
"It's a service we were convinced was risky enough so that we needed to start with one vendor," White said.
Most large cities have a door-to-terminal airport shuttle service, but a contract for one in Houston has been postponed for years, mainly because of political pressures. In 2002, the city hired a consultant, who recommended the contract include two or more vendors.
Raymond Mbala, vice president of government and legal affairs for the ground transportation service Texans Shuttle, which competed with SuperShuttle for the bid, said Yellow Cab was chosen for the contract because of the company's political clout. Yellow Cab controls more than half of the city's taxi business.
Mbala charged that city officials were "putting Yellow Cab's interests before the city's, the citizens' interests."
Mayor White says the single-shuttle-vendor option was chosen because the venture is "risky," but the risk to Texans Shuttle is minimized by the fact that the company has successfully operated shuttles to/from both airports for years, so Mayor White's assertion just isn't convincing. There must be some other reason that Mayor White wants to set up a single door-to-door shuttle provider. Perhaps an exclusive contract generates more revenue for the city? Or perhaps there's some other reason. Anybody know?
PREVIOUSLY: Council to consider expanded airport bus-shuttle service.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/11/06 10:05 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (6)
Rep. DeLay to step down June 9
Rep. Tom DeLay's office passes along the following letter that was delivered to the Speaker of the House today:
Dear Mr. Speaker:
It has been a great privilege, a high honor, and one of my most treasured personal pleasures to have served with you and our colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than twenty-one years. You have been a stellar example for our nation of personal courage and steadfast conviction, and I thank you for your leadership of this great institution as well as for your personal friendship.
As you are aware, I have recently made the decision to pursue new opportunities to engage in the important cultural and political battles of our day from an arena outside of the U.S. House of Representatives. As a result, I am informing you of my intention to formally resign as the representative of the 22nd Congressional District of Texas to be effective at the close of business on June 9, 2006.
May God continue to bless you, the President, this great institution and its Members, and our nation.
Sincerely,
Tom DeLay
Member of Congress
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/11/06 04:35 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (0)
Customer service, Metro-style
This would be so sad, if it was unpredictable. But Metro's customer service is predictably bad, as we all know from reading Laurence Simon's adventures.
Laurence mentioned this classic Metro-moment, courtesy of a Chron.com blogger:
Me: Hello? Hel...Yes, I'm calling to see if you can dispatch a message to the driver of bus number 4237?
Metro: What is the problem?
Me: We are on I-10 and there is a major accident that has the freeway shut down. If we divert to the Washington exit we can go through the Northwest Transit center and avoid the shutdown.
Metro: There's a wreck?Me: Yes, on I-10.
Metro: Where is the accident?
Me: I-10 Westbound at TC Jester.
Metro: Outbound?
Me: Yes, outbound. Westbound. Heading out of town.
Metro: Um, no ma'am. I'm not showing any blockages?
Me: (Oh, you've got blockages alright.) You mean you haven't heard about the overturned truck? Don't you people own Transtar?
Metro: Well, yes ma'am but we don't have access to it.
They don't have access to Transtar! Hahahaha!
Follow the link to read the rest of the sad (actually, hilarious) conversation. I don't think the familiar corporate refrain of "Make it happen!" is a part of Metro's training.
Now would be a good time to hit the archives to revisit Laurence's thoughts on Metro's customer service:
Folks, I've never talked to a live human being on that number. Ever. I've waited for over 30 minutes at times and never gotten anyone. In fact, as an experiment, I tried to call from my desk at work and left it on the hold tape for almost and hour and never gotten anyone.
What a useless piece of crap it is.
Thank you, Laurence.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/11/06 07:59 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (4)
10 May 2006
KHOU: HPD crime lab report due Thursday
KHOU-11 reports that Michael Bromwich is set to release an update on the investigation of the HPD crime lab.
The report will presumably be available on the investigation website, following the requisite press briefing.
UPDATE (05-11-2006): The report is now available on the website. I won't have time to read the report until tonight. However, feel free to discuss it in the comments in the meantime.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/10/06 10:49 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
San Antonio sues online travel companies
Last month Mayor White tried to convince City Council to approve his idea to go after online travel websites for underpaid hotel occupancy taxes. Controller Annise Parker and Council expressed skepticism that the city would be successful and the mayor's new revenue stream was (temporarily) tabled.
Today Charles Kuffner highlights the news that San Antonio beat Houston to the courthouse, filing suit against several online travel sites (although Kuff doesn't mention Mayor White's attempt to do the same):
Three Dallas-Fort Worth Web-based travel firms are among several that are being sued for millions of dollars on the grounds that they didn't properly remit taxes for hotel stays arranged through the companies.
Dallas-based Hotels.com and Travelweb and Southlake-based Travelocity.com, a subsidiary of Sabre Holdings Corp. (NYSE: TSG), were among 19 firms that allegedly underpaid hotel occupancy taxes in violation of state and local tax laws, according to a press release from the city of San Antonio.
[snip]
The suit was filed in federal district court in San Antonio Monday morning, said Steve Wolens, of the Dallas office of Baron & Budd P.C., who is working with the city of San Antonio.
Can Houston be far behind?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/10/06 01:43 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (2)
Chron's Manfull reports on the future! (updated)
The Chronicle's Megan Manfull reports that Charley Casserly's future status with the Texans will be officially determined today:
Texans general manager Charley Casserly is expected to resign during a meeting with owner Bob McNair today, ending weeks of speculation regarding Casserly's future with the organization.
Casserly, who joined the franchise in 2000, has spent more than a month deflecting questions regarding his plans beyond this past month's NFL draft. He and McNair said repeatedly that they preferred to focus on the draft for the past few weeks.
Casserly continued his stance of not discussing the issue, and no other Texans officials would comment on today's meeting.
There have been inaccurate reports that Casserly will be fired.
If the event being predicted by the reports is in the future then how can Manfull assert that those reports are inaccurate?
She can't go to the "sources" card, since she has admitted that Casserly won't comment and neither will any other Texans officials.
Perhaps she has a crystal ball?
This is really not the most helpful use of the crystal ball. I say Chron.com should start a subscriber service in which Manfull uses the crystal ball accurately to predict the outcome of, say, horse races, or football games! That would surely be a revenue producer for Chron.com, which might cheer up the otherwise depressed Hearst suits.
Tom Kirkendall argues that Casserly's departure has been a poorly kept secret for some time, the protests of Chron sportswriters notwithstanding:
Inasmuch as the Texans on-field performance over the club's first four seasons has been the poorest of any recent NFL expansion franchise, the fact that Casserly is being shown the door is not a surprise to anyone except the Chronicle. For some reason, Chronicle NFL columnist John McClain has been maintaining the facade that Casserly's leaving is voluntary when there is a strong probability that it is not. "There have been reports that Casserly will be fired, which isn't true," writes McClain. "If he leaves, it will be his decision."
H'mm. Apparently it never occurred to McClain that the eminently classy Texans owner Bob McNair might be willing to throw Casserly a bone by allowing him to say that his leaving is voluntary rather than a firing. The fact that McClain's relationship with Casserly apparently does not allow him even to acknowledge that possibility reveals that he really shouldn't be writing about the matter in the first place.
UPDATE: The "resignation" is now official. If Casserly was allowed to "resign" to save face (as seems probable), it was a classy move on Bob McNair's part -- and a classy move that probably wasn't deserved, given Casserly's campaign with local sportswriters to put all the blame for the 2005 Texans debacle on the coaches rather than himself. That wasn't a classy move by Casserly or those journalists who effectively enabled him.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/10/06 12:51 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
Food and drink roundup (05-10-2006 edition)
Shall we do another Food and Drink Roundup? Let's.
Alison Cook wants to like the avant-garde approach of laidback manor and the Italian fare at Bice but doesn't quite get there with either.
Robb Walsh tries Korean barbecue at Arirang Korean Restaurant. He also favors the lunch board at downtown's Perbacco.
Peggy Grodinsky interviews the Kitchen Sisters, who have just finished a culinary tour of Texas to be featured on their radio show. She also interviews Houston dietitian Linda McDonald, publisher of Supermarket Savvy.
Brian McManus entertains with his tour of local "Nazis."
In honor of my late grandfather, who was a cheesemaker and would probably get a kick out of this news, feta is officially Greek.
And Luther's Bar-b-q is now Pappas Bar-b-q.
Finally, Lance Scott Walker goes back to downtown's hip Grasshopper.
World Class, all of it. Enjoy!!
Posted by Callie Markantonis @ 05/10/06 09:24 AM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (3)
Time to scale back Metro's eminent domain authority?
We've posted before on Metro's eye-popping ability to condemn land -- a 1,500-foot radius around any transit station -- and now state Rep. Martha Wong is contemplating doing something to reduce that:
State Rep. Martha Wong (R-Houston) says her staff is reviewing the transit agency's condemnation authority and could propose limiting legislation in the near future.
Wrangling over a light rail segment along a stretch of Richmond Avenue in Wong's district has raised questions about a 1978 decision by the Texas Legislature that gives Metro the power to condemn property within 1,500 feet -- about the length of five football fields -- of a transit station.
The allowed range is far too excessive for Wong, who looks to adjust the distance allowed in the enabling legislation passed almost 40 years ago.
Says Wong: "They could buy up the Galleria basically if they wanted to do that. They could claim eminent domain there."
All for the greater good, you know.
As always with a Jenna Colley story, there is much more to read and digest.
Sidenote: I wonder what the CTC thinks of Metro's condemnation authority. The CTC has said before that the Harris County Toll Road Authority has too much eminent domain power. Surely they'd agree that Metro's power is worrisome?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/10/06 07:29 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (8)
09 May 2006
Chron press release poses as news story on circulation
Yesterday, we posted that newspaper circulation figures had been released, and noted that we were looking forward to the spin that Chronicle publisher Jack Sweeney would put on the news.
We didn't have to wait long for the Chronicle's press release coverage of itself. And there's some pretty good spin:
The Houston Chronicle's daily and Sunday circulation declined in the six-month period that ended March 30, the Audit Bureau of Circulations has reported.
Daily circulation decreased by 3.6 percent to 513,387, compared with the prior year, and the Sunday figure declined 3.9 percent to 692,557.
On average, the top 25 daily newspapers in the United States saw circulation decline by 3.5 percent.
The bolded part is clever! The Associated Press story actually reported that overall newspaper circulation declined by 2.5%. The Chronicle PR staff did some good work in massaging the numbers so that the Chronicle's decline doesn't look quite so bad, compared to other large newspapers. Lemonade from lemons!
Chronicle Publisher and President Jack Sweeney attributed the newspaper's declines to reductions in distribution to parts of Texas and Louisiana because of high fuel costs, as well as tighter audit bureau rules related to delinquent accounts.
Under new audit bureau rules, "computer systems must be programmed to eliminate the subscriber address from paid circulation averages automatically on day 91," Sweeney said. "It took our market a while to adjust to the change."
Sweeney has been trotting out those explanations for a while now. Here's Sweeney in November 2005:
The Chronicle's decline was primarily due to a more conservative auditing posture by the Audit Bureau of Circulations, said Jack Sweeney, president and publisher of the Chronicle.
"We used to be able to collect and show proof of payment to ABC on overdue accounts," Sweeney said. "Now if a subscriber is one day late with a payment over 90 days, the computer system automatically eliminates the address from the paid circulation averages."
Soaring fuel costs have also altered circulation strategies, Sweeney said. "We've pulled our distribution in closer to our core market by eliminating San Antonio, Dallas, far South Texas and parts of Louisiana," Sweeney said.
And here's Sweeney in May 2005:
The decline was primarily due to changes in accounting rules mandated by the audit bureau, as well as the Chronicle's business decision to reduce distribution in Dallas, far South Texas and parts of Louisiana.
"We anticipated some decline of home-based subscriptions because of overdue accounts," said Jack Sweeney, president and publisher of the Chronicle.
"If a subscriber is one day late with a payment over 90 days, they're eliminated from the paid circulation averages. We were hit harder than usual by late payments this last six-month reporting period, so we'll be working on improving our collection procedures."
The tighter ABC rules were established some time ago, as the previous stories illustrate. They really aren't so relevant to this cycle. And in a reasonable world, people who haven't paid in over 90 days shouldn't count as subscribers anyway! Maybe the Chron PR people can come up with something more original for the November 2006 press release (er, sorry, news coverage of the newspaper's circulation).
As expected, Sweeney downplayed the circulation decline by arguing that the Chronicle's "overall reach" (including Chron.com, direct mail, and free products) continues to rise.
BLOGVERSATION: Slampo's Place, Brazosport News.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/09/06 09:10 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (2)
08 May 2006
Chron Austin bureau chief's biases revealed
Every Sunday, the Chronicle's Austin bureau chief takes off his "objective" newsman hat and puts on his lefty editorialist beret.
Every once in a while, it's useful simply to point out some of the lefty editorialist's Sunday biases and assumptions (assumptions we're assured he puts aside the rest of the week, when he's covering the news). His most recent column is useful in that respect. Some telling excerpts follow:
Their so-called "Gas Tax Holiday" would temporarily suspend the state gasoline tax for 90 days, in time for the summer driving season.
Why is it a "so-called" holiday, if it gives motorists a break from the tax for a set period? Does the notion of any tax rollback, however temporary, simply produce reactionary sneering from the lefty Sunday editorialist?
You may like the sound of their idea, particularly if you and your spouse drive his-and-her barns that gulp a gallon of gasoline every time you drive one around the block.
And you may like the sound of the idea if you are a lower-income person driving a Toyota Camry that gets good gas mileage. But why let that possibility intrude on sneering at SUV drivers?
But don't get too excited because (a) the break is not going to happen, and (b) even if it did, it wouldn't make a very big dent in your gasoline bill.
It would save you some money, 20 cents every gallon, or $4 for a 20-gallon tank, and every little bit may help. But with gasoline prices in the $3 a gallon neighborhood, that is only about 7 percent of your total fuel bill, enough for a couple of coffees with every fillup, maybe, hardly the kind of "relief" to make you want to jump and shout.
For lower-income people who don't enjoy the salary and benefits of a Hearst bureau chief/editorialist, every little bit may indeed be important.
I am not promoting higher prices, but if more people start carpooling or, just as radical, making do with one SUV per family, we all may eventually be better off.
Since he's opposed to temporarily lowering the state gas tax, Robison is promoting higher prices, comparatively speaking. And I get the sense the Sunday lefty editorialist really dislikes SUVs!
The Democrats say the lost money could be recouped from the $8.2 billion budgetary surplus or through federal transportation dollars.
But it is pointless to transfer funds around if, as the Democrats say and I believe, public education already is underfunded in Texas.
Some people take issue with Robison's characterization of the potential "loss" of education funding. For my purposes, that's simply an aside. I'm more interested in Robison's admission that he thinks the state should spend more money on public education.
Just to recap: In this column, we have the Chronicle's Sunday lefty editorialist sneering at the very possibility of a temporary tax break, sneering at the possibility that it might truly represent a break for some motorists, sneering repeatedly at SUV owners, and lamenting that the state should spend more money on public education.
However, the Chronicle wants you to believe he can put those biases aside six days of the week, when he's covering lawmakers (objectively!) in Austin on these very same sorts of issues.
Right.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/08/06 10:40 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (3)
Council to consider expanded airport bus-shuttle service
KHOU-11's Doug Miller reports that City Council is considering allowing expanded bus-shuttle service to Houston's airports:
Houston's city council is scheduled to vote this week on a plan that would let you share a ride to the airport aboard a multi-passenger van. The price would vary depending on your ZIP code.
Parking at the airport can be expensive so many people take taxis, but they're not exactly a cheap alternative.
"With the tip, we paid $60," said Sirhan Secman as his taxi dropped him off at the airport. "A lot of money, yeah."
But soon, getting a ride to Houston's airports could get a lot cheaper.
If city council gives its approval, shuttle buses will soon begin picking up passengers at the city's airports and taking them directly to their homes or offices. And it should cost about half the price of a cab ride.
Shuttle buses already carry passengers to fixed stops like hotels and parking lots. But officials say Houston's the last major American city without door to door shuttles.
Cab companies have successfully held off this consumer-friendly improvement for years. It would be nice for City Council finally to do the right thing for citizens and stop worrying so much about propping up the local taxi industry.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/08/06 10:01 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (8)
Avondale residents want downtown/midtown nuisance ordinance
KHOU-11 reports that Avondale residents are asking Council to approve a nuisance ordinance for their neighborhood:
The crime comes up when the sun goes down in Avondale.
The Houston neighborhood, concerned about its image and safety, is turning to city hall for help.
They want to expand a downtown ordinance to keep unwanted guests out of their area.
[snip]
"It's not uncommon to see men urinating on the fence there," [one residnet] said, "We see drug deals going on."
But this this was nothing. During the day there's always a police cruiser coming down the block.
But come shift change at 6 p.m. and the whole seedy side of life is on display outside his window.
There simply aren't enough officers.
So Avondale wants to be included in what's called the Civility Ordinance which, currently, only downtown and Midtown have.
"The ordinance was part of an effort to clean up for the Super Bowl, as I understand it," said Dale Harger.
Harger says it was written so the city could push the street people out of downtown.
But, in a practical sense, it can apply to anyone who's loitering, including guys that Louie thinks are dealing drugs.
Just one question -- if the problem is that there aren't enough officers to patrol the neighborhood at night, how is creating a new nuisance ordinance going to solve that problem?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/08/06 09:51 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (13)
Barron: KILT still the leader in local sports talk
The Chronicle's David Barron has the latest Arbitron numbers for local sports talk radio, and once again KILT-610 leads KBME-790.
It wouldn't be the Chronicle if there weren't an error in the copy:
In afternoon drive, KILT's cume lead, according to the people meters, was 84,000 to 50,000 for KILT. In February, KILT led 80,000 to 67,000.
That should have been "50,000 for KBME."
There was another gratuitous reference to Bill "Cowboy" Lamza in the column. Perhaps the excitement of Lamza distracted Barron from actually writing copy that made sense? I can't say, as I don't pretend to understand the fascination that local print journalists seem to have with Lamza.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/08/06 09:43 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (2)
Will Houston's downtown park include pooper scooper stations?
The final plan for Houston's new downtown park is ready to be unveiled:
Planners have settled on a final design for a new park that could be the centerpiece for the east side of downtown by the end of next year. As Houston Public Radio's Jack Williams reports, the urban park will include recreation areas, a pond, several restaurants and areas for outdoor concerts.
[snip]
Nancy Kinder is the chairman of the Houston Downtown Park Conservancy and has helped raise $42 million for construction of the park. She says the idea is to build a park that will be a catalyst for new downtown residential construction in the future.
"This is an urban park, which when we started this, we really didn't know what an urban park was. But an urban park, people live around it, hence we have the dog runs, there are schools now downtown. All of that has already started, so if you look at the park, it's kind of ten years from now. We built that park hoping that all of the surrounding area will see that same thing that we saw."
The city of Houston donated more than half the park site and will contribute another $750,000 a year for upkeep.
It sounds grand. And those dog runs should keep the city of Houston busy with upkeep efforts, since Houstonians apparently aren't very good at cleaning up after their four-legged friends:
Houston has gone to the dogs, according to a new survey ranking America's major offenders on dog owners scooping their pooches' poop.
Atop the survey conducted by animal health company Merial Ltd. is the Bayou City as the nation's worst offender when it comes to pet-owning residents being responsible for scooping up after their dogs.
Watch your step!
(Thanks to Matt Bramanti for the heads up on the downtown park story.)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/08/06 09:38 PM | Houston Arts/Culture | Technorati | Comments (9)
Black Monday for Hearst dailies?
The Newspaper Association of America has analyzed the latest newspaper circulation figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulation, and the results are not good for the industry overall or for the local Hearst daily:
Newspaper circulation fell 2.5 percent in the six-month period ending in March, according to data released Monday, as the industry continued to struggle with competition from other media outlets and the Internet.
The decline in average paid weekday circulation was about the same as the previous time newspapers reported six-month circulation figures for the period ending last September, according to the Newspaper Association of America, a trade group.
The Houston Chronicle's circulation declined by 3.6%, according to the AP. HPD estimates that Houston's population has grown by 138,000 since 2005, but perhaps not many new Houstonians are big newspaper readers.
The news could be much worse. The Hearst daily in San Francisco suffered a circulation decline of 15.6%.
It will be interesting to see how publisher Jack Sweeney spins the latest numbers when the Chronicle posts a local story later.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/08/06 09:38 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (4)
METRO: Please focus on what we say, not on what we do
Metro knows it's facing a public relations problem with its efforts to get the new University Line running down Richmond Avenue; that's why Metro officials have cautioned against giving the impression that Metro's mind is made up:
Wolff pointed out that Metro has given repeated assurances that "we are open in our thinking" about where the line should go.
Despite that, he told board colleagues, many believe that "you've already made up your mind and you're just going through the motions."
"We have to be very careful with our language," he said.
That was in response to an in-house "fact sheet" that said Richmond was the preferred alignment (which, of course, we all know.).
Today Rad Sallee has more evidence that Metro's just going through the motions when it comes to studying alternatives:
Afton Oaks resident Chris Seger has been fighting for years to ensure that the Metropolitan Transit Authority's light rail plans are realized on Westpark and not Richmond Avenue. He recently forwarded a map and conceptual drawings from Metro that depict just the opposite.
The map shows a MetroRail boarding platform on Richmond at Edloe in the heart of Greenway Plaza, with covered walkways and elevators taking riders to a massive parking garage and then to Lakewood Church, two blocks away in the former Compaq Center.
"So much for 'studying both alternatives," Seger wrote. "While (Metro board Chairman) David Wolff and (President and CEO) Frank Wilson were telling us ... that nothing has been decided, their engineering department has been busy producing drawings for rail on Richmond."
Naturally there's a really good explanation:
Metro spokesman George Smalley said the agency was "just trying to be responsive to the interests and questions of businesses and residents along the corridor."
"By no means should it be interpreted as evidence that Metro's made up its mind," he said.
Smalley said Metro officials met with Lakewood representatives, who — like many who live or work along the potential route — had an "appetite for information" about Metro plans.
"We were trying to fill that void as best we can in the absence of engineering data," he said. "We said 'Let's put something on paper that can help explain what the possibilities are.' "
Asked if the materials give the appearance that Metro leaders want the route on Richmond, Smalley said it only means Metro wants to keep its options open.
Please. That spin might have worked in the past, but folks are catching on to how things work in the Lee P. Brown Administration building.
Seger counters that Metro "has not bothered to show how they can build a similar walkover approximately the same distance to the Westpark right of way from the church."
So, should we believe what Metro says or what Metro does?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/08/06 05:58 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (6)
07 May 2006
Surge in violent crime blamed on Katrina, lack of HPD manpower
The Chronicle's Allan Turner reports that Katrina refugees are being blamed by HPD for the recent surge in violent crime in Houston:
Violence among Hurricane Katrina evacuees, much of it occurring in southwest Houston neighborhoods targeted in a new anti-crime campaign, accounted for nearly a quarter of homicides in the city so far this year, police officials said Friday.
Since Jan. 1, police have investigated 124 homicides, 29 of which involved evacuees as victims or attackers, said Capt. Dale Brown of the Houston Police Department. There were 103 homicides over the same period last year; without the evacuee-related deaths this year, the city would have experienced a 7.8 percent decrease.
In the last four months of 2005, evacuees were victims or suspects in 18 homicides, accounting for 13 percent of such crimes during that period. A total 336 killings were investigated last year, representing a 22 percent increase over 2004.
"As it relates to murders, there's a definite Katrina effect, and it's most noticeable since December," Brown said.
Turner then suggests that the Katrina effect may not fully explain the surge in violent crime:
Brown's analysis of homicide trends — the numbers were increasing before Katrina evacuees arrived last fall — came as police began evaluating a 10-day experiment in which a mobile command unit was placed in high-crime neighborhoods.
[snip]
While Katrina evacuees contributed to the growing homicide numbers, [Chief Harold] Hurtt noted that upward trend in Houston was evident as early as last April or May. Hurtt said after that increase was detected, a city-federal task force was created to target violent offenders in southwest Houston neighborhoods. Five hundred suspects were arrested, he said.
Brown said Houston homicides peaked in 1979-83, a period when the department was understaffed as the city experienced a population boom, and again in 1989-91, as the department suffered a three-year hiring freeze as a result of the mid-1980s oil crash. A record 701 slayings were recorded in 1981.
The latest growth in lethal crime has occurred as the police department again has found itself short-staffed.
It doesn't take an advanced degree in criminal studies to come to the conclusion that police manpower probably has some connection with fighting crime.
Until local pols get HPD staffing levels where they need to be, Chief Hurtt is probably going to be forced to continue crimefighting via acronym and temporary sweeps that rely heavily on overtime pay.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/07/06 06:21 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (6)
Editorial LiveJournalists opine for the Pope
Yesterday, the Chronicle Editorial LiveJournalists took it upon themselves to advise the Pope (for real!):
TRIAL BALOON: Vatican mulls whether married couples may use condoms if one partner has HIV
Leaving aside the presumptuousness of that particular editorial board advising anyone on religious matters, we just wish they would spell "balloon" properly when they decide to opine for the Vatican.
As our Catholic buddy Matt Bramanti put it, "it makes it easy not to get offended at stuff like this when it's so ridiculous."
BLOGVERSATION: Cvstos Fidei, Lone Star Times.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/07/06 06:02 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (5)
Predictable, but unnecessary
Predictably, the Chronicle Editorial LiveJournalists weighed in excitedly today over the possibility that an innocent man has been executed in Texas, due in part to contentions about faulty arson evidence in a study commissioned by the Innocence Project.
The editorial follows a Chronicle news story that effectively served as an editorial itself, since it did not present perspectives that took issue with the contentions of the Innocence Project. As we noted previously, other major newspapers in Texas did present competing perspectives.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/07/06 05:54 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
06 May 2006
TSU raises tuition and fees
Texas Southern University students will pay 21.5 percent more in tuition and fees this fall, the school's governing board decided Friday amid concerns over a multimillion-dollar budget gap.
One supposes TSU has to make up for Priscilla Slade's lavish spending somehow.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/06/06 08:14 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
Chron headline writers still have a bad case of gas
The headline writers for the Chron.com business section continue their annoying habit of referring generically to "gas" instead of gasoline or natural gas.
Here are some headlines from recent stories:
Consumers keep buying despite gasoline prices: Warm weather, late Easter help many retailers
The first headline is how the business section of the only major news daily in the energy capital of the world should describe gasoline prices.
The second and third headlines demonstrate why headline writers should use "gasoline" or "natural gas" instead of simply "gas," since one story is about gasoline prices and one story is about natural gas prices.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/06/06 05:59 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (1)
05 May 2006
CTC stands up for John Q. Public...sometimes
Something has been gnawing at blogHOUSTON for a while now: citizen advocates who fight for the public's right to have a say in road projects, yet fight against the public's right to have a say in mass transit projects.
You know what I'm talking about.
The Citizens Transportation Coalition has done terrific work in making TxDOT and HCTRA more open and accountable to the public who are impacted by their projects. Specifically TxDOT's I-45 widening project and the Grand Parkway come to mind. In fact, here are a couple of ways the CTC wants toll roads to be more accountable to citizens:
# The State of Texas must certify that a new toll road authority funded project has gone through a robust public citizen review process. This would include public meetings held at least 60 days after a public announcement of the meeting and the public release of information and plans detailing the proposal.
# Citizens can petition for the right to approve or disapprove a new toll road authority funded project by ballot initiative.
However, when it comes to Metro's University Line, the folks at CTC are critical of those who oppose a light rail line down Richmond Avenue. Robin Holzer and Christof Spieler want Richmond to be studied and considered no matter what the citizens who live and work along Richmond want, and never mind that the 2003 vote didn't say anything about Richmond Avenue. In fact, Holzer thinks the democratic process is victorious when the public DOESN'T have a say in a Richmond Avenue line:
What’s most notable to me about the elected officials’ comments is less about what they said than what they did not say: no one called for another expensive transit referendum and no one demanded that Richmond be taken off the table before it is studied. Chalk up one victory for democratic process and informed decision making!
That's quite a contrast to the stand she takes when dealing with TxDOT:
Dear I-45 and North Corridor Coalition leaders:
It appears that TxDOT is keeping citizens, stakeholders, and elected leaders along the I-45 corridor in the dark again...
Follow the link to read the rest, plus you can read a series of posts in the CTC's forum that show how the CTC will go all out for public accountability when it comes to roads.
And then we get to last weekend's op-ed by David Crossley and Christof Spieler. In it they say that in Houston people are willing to walk and that with the right kind of public transit, people will give up their cars. Okay, sure there are some people who will do that, but enough to justify spending billions of dollars? Color me skeptical. And no matter how many people ride transit, it is highly probable that it will always have to be heavily subsidized by taxpayers. People LIKE their cars, and the freedom their cars give them. That will not change.
At the end of their op-ed, Crossley and Spieler write:
Urban transit has the potential to make our city a better place to live and work. But we have to do it right. We have to protect our neighborhoods. We have to build something that will be an amenity, not an eyesore. And above all, we have to put the stations where the people are, in our dense urban fabric. That makes sense in terms of building a better Houston. But it also makes simple economic sense.
Apparently, asking the people who live in those dense urban areas what they want isn't a part of the grand plan. If this was a road or freeway they were talking about, you can bet this op-ed would have a completely different focus.
It is surreal to see the same self-described citizen advocates who are all about public accountability when it comes to roads, do a complete 180 when it comes to a world-class vision of mass transit for all.
They lose a whole lot of credibility in the process.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: Many of the pro-Richmond-rail advocates have tried to pull off an interesting dance. On the one hand, they contend they just want a fair process that determines the "best" route for the Westpark rail line. On the other hand, they insist that the "best" route is not Westpark, but Richmond -- whatever people who actually live/work/drive along that street may think.
Certainly, citizens and groups enjoy the right to argue for/against particular policies. But it's increasingly clear that some pro-Richmond-rail groups aren't really arguing in favor of process or accountability or popular sovereignty (whatever rhetorical homage they may pay to those things), but in favor of a particular placement for the Westpark rail line driven by a certain vision of urban development and mass transit. There's certainly nothing with that, but as Anne points out above, the advocacy doesn't always match the rhetoric used to dress it up.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/05/06 08:29 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (29)
Survey: Fort Bend voters undecided on DeLay replacement
Chris Elam has posted a press release describing a telephone survey of Republican voters in the Fort Bend County part of Congressional District 22. The survey was commissioned by his family's political consultancy, Campaign Resources, Inc. Here are the key findings:
The survey, commissioned by Campaign Resources, Inc., a local Republican campaign resource firm, was conducted on April 26 and included 159 respondents. The survey results indicated voters were still largely undecided or unaware of who they would like to see replace DeLay.
In an open-ended question asking GOP voters to name their preference for DeLay's replacement, Fort Bend elected officials David Wallace and Charlie Howard, both from Sugar Land, were the top two preferences, although the overwhelming majority of those answering the survey could not cite a preference. Only 29 of the 159 respondents could name a preference on this question without being prompted with a name.
The participants were then asked to choose between the top two. Those results are posted on Elam's blog.
This early survey by Campaign Resources should prove much more useful than Eric Thode's odd plan to "survey" the Fort Bend County part of the district with a mailer.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/05/06 07:54 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
04 May 2006
No staff Chron Eye for this death row killer guy
The Chronicle declined to use its own staff to report on Jackie Barron Wilson, who was executed in Huntsville today. Instead of the sympathetic portrayal of a killer that we've come to expect from the Chron Eye for the Death Row Killer Guy, the newspaper ran AP coverage.
Perhaps it was just too hard to portray this guy sympathetically:
A former laborer was executed tonight for the 1988 rape and murder of a 5-year-old North Texas girl.
[snip]
[Jackie Barron] Wilson was condemned for the slaying of Lottie Margaret Rhodes, known by the nickname "Maggie." After breaking into her bedroom, he kidnapped Maggie from her Arlington apartment in the early morning hours of Nov. 30, 1988, then sexually assaulted the little girl before killing her.
Authorities said Wilson, who lived in nearby Irving, strangled Maggie before running over her with a car.
Maggie's battered body was found about five miles from her home a few hours after she was kidnapped. She was face down in a muddy ditch next to a rural road in Grand Prairie.
Running AP coverage instead of a full-blown Chron Eye was a good call.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/04/06 09:33 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (1)
Chron: City may soon hit Proposition 1 cap
The Chronicle's Dan Feldstein reports that property tax collections in Houston may soon exceed what is allowed under Proposition 1:
Houston homeowners could get a tax break as early as next year because of a revenue cap voters approved two years ago.
In a twist of circumstances, however, the relief likely will come from a cap supported by Mayor Bill White rather than from a competing measure that supporters said would be more effective.
Tax activists thundered against White's Proposition 1 when he wrote it to counter their Proposition 2, saying he was trying to fool voters.
Proposition 2 mandates that total city revenue collections — from property taxes, sales taxes and all other sources — cannot exceed the previous year's total plus the rate of inflation and population growth. If they do, taxpayers get a rebate.
Proposition 1 puts a loose cap on water rates and hones in on property taxes. Under its rules, City Council must set a property tax rate each year so that collections don't rise more than 4.5 percent or the rate of inflation plus population growth, whichever is lower.
[snip]
With only two months left in the city's fiscal year, estimates show a 4.9 percent rise in property tax collections, busting Proposition 1's 4.5 percent cap. That means this fall, when Council sets a new tax rate, it will have to roll back its base collection number, and that could mean a mandated tax rate cut, White and City Controller Annise Parker said this week.
Feldstein is correct to note the "twist of circumstances." Although advocates of limited government generally have good reason to fear the creativity of municipal officials when it comes to new revenue streams, the fact is that runaway appraisal creep is much more of a pressing problem. At one time, Dan Patrick and the CLOUT activists were dismissed as cranks for calling it a pressing problem. They're not dismissed so easily these days.
Whatever Bill White's motivation for supporting Proposition 1, taxpayers can certainly thank the mayor for any relief it provides.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/04/06 09:19 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (0)
Property tax news
Property values hit home for taxpayers: Another strong year in real estate means many are being taxed more (Chronicle)
Builders/Realtors Rank and File Criticize Perry-Sharp Property Tax Plan (Houston Real News)
Foreclosures up dramatically in Houston (KHOU-11 News Blog)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/04/06 11:22 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
How much more subsidizing do Drayton McLane and Les Alexander need?
HPD's payroll management is receiving plenty of attention these days, mostly through some outstanding reporting by the Chronicle's Matt Stiles.
KPRC-2's Troubleshooters added to the discussion last night with a story about who pays for the police presence around major league sporting events:
Every time the Astros take the field, the ball club pays for security in the stands. The Astros pay officers to guard the field and the players in both dugouts.
But outside Minute Maid Park, taxpayers pay the six-figure bill with officers pulled from other downtown Houston neighborhoods.
[snip]
But it's not just after the game when the traffic is heavy. You're also paying them to just sit and wait. On a recent game night, it was only the 7th inning and officers were stationed block after block after block, just waiting for the game to let out. Some of the officers said that means they're not answering burglary calls or any calls from downtown residents, Troubleshooter Stephen Dean reported.
[snip]
In March, KPRC Local 2 requested a ballpark breakdown of HPD timesheets.
The final score -- an average of 66.4 hours worked by officers per game. It was as high as 97 hours a game for one month.
In all of 2005, 5,905 hours were spent by on-duty HPD officers.
That's awfully nice of Houston taxpayers. Doubly nice considering how much taxpayers spent paying for those big stadiums.
So, do non-profit groups get the same taxpayer-funded police presence for big events? Of course not:
The Race For A Cure needed HPD officers for its big event in October.
But the Komen Breast Cancer Foundation told the Troubleshooters that, just like all the other big downtown charity events, it had to write a check for the HPD officers needed.
While charities may be out of luck, the Rockets and the other teams that share the Toyota Center are getting officers off the street at taxpayers' expense -- 2,563 on-duty hours were worked in 2005.
In all, on-duty officers worked nearly 12,000 hours for events at the Toyota Center and Minute Maid Park -- sometimes premium overtime hours. It put the price tag at more than $450,000 in 2005.
And how did this all come about?
Assistant HPD Chief George Buenik said a previous mayor promised those duties would be handled by the city, but nearby emergencies take priority.
"The dispatcher can pre-empt any of those units from that assignment to run calls," Buenik said.
He admitted that does not happen often and some HPD officers told KPRC Local 2 that supervisors are reluctant to pull officers away to handle citizens' calls, afraid of upsetting city hall.
You'd think (well, I'd think) that MayorWhiteChiefHurtt would rework whatever agreement a previous mayor came up with in light of HPD's manpower issues...not to mention Houston's escalating crime problem.
PREVIOUSLY: Chief Hurtt enjoys the owner's seats
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/04/06 10:13 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (15)
03 May 2006
Chron: 22 HPD officers earned $50k in overtime last year
The Chronicle's Matt Stiles follows up today on an earlier story on an HPD officer who earned more than the mayor last year because of overtime pay. As it turns out, many officers had six-figure incomes last year, thanks to overtime pay. Here's a teaser:
Twenty-two Houston police officers earned more than $50,000 in overtime last year, including seven who doubled their pay with the extra money, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of payroll records.
The 22 — all sergeants or lower-ranking officers — are among more than 100 at those levels who pulled in six-figure incomes last year, the records show.
The entire story is well worth reading.
While the overtime seems excessive, it may simply reflect HPD's manpower issues. The results of City Controller Annise Parker's audit should be helpful in determining whether the overtime schemes are fair (to other HPD officers and to taxpayers) and necessary.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/03/06 10:50 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)
Agenda-driven journalism isn't a substitute for the real thing
The Chronicle seems to have let anti-death-penalty fervor trump solid journalism again with today's coverage of a report, commissioned by the Innocence Project, that contends an innocent man may have been executed in Texas because of erroneous assumptions about scientific evidence in an arson case.
In all honesty, the Innocence Project raises legitimate concerns with this case. In no way do I wish to minimize those concerns. However, the journalistic problem is that the Chronicle presents the Innocence Project's contentions as the only view. Readers are inevitably drawn to the conclusion that the state executed an innocent man based on faulty investigative techniques and assumptions about arson evidence.
The state's other major newspapers presented a more balanced story. Here is a competing view that appeared in the Austin American Statesman's story:
A spokesman for the Texas Department of Insurance, which includes the state fire marshal's office, disputed the report's conclusions.
"We're very confident in the investigations that we conduct," spokesman Jerry Hagins said. "It's a very professional organization. I can say with complete confidence that we can stand by that investigation that they're talking about even though I haven't seen that report."
That said, Hagins continued, the agency will examine the report "to make sure it's good science and not somebody with an opinion. If it makes valid points, of course we'll look at it and consider it because science changes and we're always learning more."
And here is a competing view that appeared in the Dallas Morning News' story (the best coverage I've seen -- not surprising, really, since the DMN is the best newspaper in the state):
John Howard Jackson, a state district judge in Navarro County who prosecuted Mr. Willingham in 1992, agreed that his investigators' techniques were flawed.
But Judge Jackson insisted there was strong evidence that pointed to Mr. Willingham's guilt, including his alleged confession to a jailhouse snitch who testified against him.
"This particular innocence project wants to adopt Todd Willingham as a poster child, when Todd Willingham was a psychopathic child-killer," Judge Jackson said Tuesday.
[snip]
Judge Jackson maintained Tuesday that burn patterns, since repudiated by fire experts, were useful to the investigation. The former prosecutor cited "a burn pattern that starts in the front of the house and makes a left turn into the room where the children were."
Judge Jackson said several other factors pointed to Mr. Willingham's guilt: The suspect didn't have any burns on his feet – the judge said he would have if the suspect had run through a burning house – and there was little carbon monoxide in his lungs.
"Armchair experts are, 15 years later, trying to overcome what everybody thought was a common sense approach at the time," he said.
Those competing views may not be compelling to readers, or they may. The important thing is that two newspapers included the contrary views, whereas the anti-death-penalty Chronicle seemingly let its agenda trump quality journalism.
Nobody should object to the request from Barry Sheck and Rodney Ellis for the Texas Forensic Science Commission to investigate the matter. It may well turn out that we do conclude an innocent man was executed based on faulty scientific evidence. Unfortunately, the Chronicle story seems to have presented that conclusion already -- prematurely.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/03/06 10:32 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
St. Luke's backs away from decision to terminate care
The Chronicle's Todd Ackerman reports that St. Luke's Hospital has backed off plans to terminate the care of a patient under the Texas "futile care" law:
St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital decided Tuesday to keep treating a severely ill heart patient, ending a two-week battle with the woman's family over the hospital's plan to take her off life support.
The revocation of the plan follows the involvement of a new doctor, found by Texas Right-to-Life, who hopes Andrea Clark can be rehabilitated to the point where she can be transferred to another facility.
"The odds are against her," acknowledged Dr. Matthew Lenz, the doctor assuming Clark's primary care. "She's in critical condition and any new complication could be life threatening, but we're going to give her a fighting chance."
In a statement, St. Luke's said it will continue "an aggressive search" for a facility to treat Clark long-term.
The case, the second in a week in which a Texas hospital backed off plans to take a patient off life support, shined a light on a controversial state law that gives hospitals such authority. Ongoing meetings aimed at reforming the law in the 2007 Legislature are being held in Austin.
"The discussion of these cases is going to produce changes in the law," said Greg Hooser, an Austin attorney and consultant leading the meetings. "In hopes of making the law better, we're looking at safeguards to prevent problems that have arisen."
The law could stand some changes.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/03/06 09:48 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (8)
Hurtt: Surging murder rate "very much unacceptable"
KPRC-2 reports that the murder rate in Houston shot up again in April:
Houston's murder rate for April was the highest in the past three years, KPRC Local 2 reported.Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt spoke at Wednesday's City Council meeting to discuss the rising violent crime rate.
There have been 124 homicides committed in Houston in the first four months of 2006, with 34 of those occurring in April. There were 27 murders reported in April 2005 and 28 in April 2004.
Not to worry, though. Houston's bumbling police chief bumbles through saying that this just won't do:
"We're here today to talk about some of the violent crime, specifically the murder rate," Hurtt said. "That is still very much unacceptable."
It's not merely unacceptable. It's VERY MUCH unacceptable! Got that, bad guys?
Chief Hurtt has deployed his van, after all, and an acronym:
The department recently rolled out a highly visible squad known as the Unified Neighborhood Enhancement Team. The officers assigned to the unit travel in a large van to different locations throughout southwest Houston, which has one of the highest violent crime rates in the city.
It wouldn't be perennial news ratings loser KPRC if there weren't some gaffes in the reporting:
Officials told KPRC Local 2 that residents are making officers aware of crimes that would normally go unreported.
Hurtt said the police department is still understaffed. He would like to add 5,000 new officers in the next couple of years.
We're thinking that the surge in April murder numbers -- the focus of the story (aside from the above digression) -- isn't explained by the fact that the Crime Van/Acronym combination has been out receiving corpses from residents who previously had not reported murders!
And while we certainly wish the chief were adding 5,000 new officers in two years, we think it's more likely that he said the department hopes to boost personnel to 5,000 officers total. It's hard to imagine the police force more than doubling in two years.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/03/06 09:40 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
Dreadful Chron headline writers strike again
Headline seen on Chron.com:
It would be really nice, here in the energy capital of the world, if editorialists and headline writers at the city's only major daily newspaper could come to understand the difference between gasoline and natural gas, and that it's important to refer specifically to one or the other, and not simply "gas."
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/03/06 09:03 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (2)
Houston's Katrina cost: $200 million and counting
KHOU-11's News Blog has posted a breakdown of Houston's Katrina expenditures, which it obtained from the city controller's office.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/03/06 08:07 PM | Hurricane Stuff | Technorati | Comments (2)
Is METRO SORTa on alert?
ABC News has learned that the Department of Homeland Security has alerted U.S. mass transit officials to "suspicious videotaping" of European rail systems that point to a continuing terrorist interest in targeting mass transit and "possible surveillance or pre-operational planning."
Of course, Houston has nothing to worry about because Metro has its elite counterterror unit, otherwise known as SORT, guarding the Danger Train.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/03/06 03:31 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (3)
02 May 2006
Just wait till Grodinsky tries the Spur 527 Deathramp
Chronicle transportation columnist Rad Sallee recently wrote about a colleague's harrowing experience with the downtown Allen Parkway/I-45 ramp:
Houston Chronicle food editor Peggy Grodinsky, who didn't use a car when she lived in New York City, finds driving in Houston "terrifying."
"I wanted to bring up a particular highway merge that (excepting being mugged at gunpoint some years back) is the single most frightening thing that's ever happened to me," she said.
That brought to mind a dozen locations, but the ramp Grodinsky was talking about is downtown, connecting Allen Parkway to southbound Interstate 45.
"You must merge from the left (seems an extraordinarily dangerous design to begin with)," she said. "This is after you've barely completed a tight circle, you've no view of the rushing 70-plus mph traffic, and did I mention that the merge lane is nonexistent?"
"I nearly died when I did it last week, and I think the truck driver (who didn't slow down one jot) was ready to kill me, since he hadn't actually hit me." When she told friends here, they responded in one voice — "You have to gun it."
Sally Wegmann, transportation director for TxDOT in Houston, agrees the ramp is a problem. She said TxDOT will consider installing a sensor that could flash a warning message to freeway drivers when a car is coming up the ramp.
"It's an old, old design," Wegmann said. "I wish I could tell you I could fix it, but the fix at this point in time would be to close it, and there are people who do use it.
Sally Wegmann is no Janelle Gbur!
TXDOT spokesperson Janelle Gbur would surely have stated that not only is the entrance ramp in question perfectly safe, but once upon a time TXDOT painted a new stripe to make it even safer!
Seriously, the Allen Parkway/I-45 ramp is a bad one, but the brand new ramp from Milam/Richmond to Spur 527 (Deathramp 527) is no better (and may even be worse). Unless, of course, Janelle Gbur is describing it.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/02/06 10:53 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (7)
One Question, One Answer, Two Months
Ron Henderson is a remarkably consistent man.
For roughly two months now, he's been unwavering in his support of red light cameras.
The Chronicle asks him if he supports 'em. His answer on the editorial page is always the same.
Or maybe they're not asking him the same question every day, and maybe he's not giving the same answer every day.
Maybe it's a stale question (or even a stale feature) that ought to go away.
Funny, when I look at this online editorial page, I don't see screen real estate being wasted this way for months at a time. Maybe some people shouldn't be so quick to rip on the New York Times for its deficiencies, hmm?
UPDATE (05-03-2006): Lo and behold, there's now a new On Point: One Question, One Answer! Will this one stay up two months? We'll see.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/02/06 10:34 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (9)
Houston's Environmental Summit
Do you know someone who has improved the quality of Houston's environment? Well, Mayor White wants to hear from you:
The City of Houston and Keep Houston Beautiful will be hosting the 2006 Environmental Summit on Thursday, June 1, 2006 at the Marriott Westchase, 2900 Briarpark Dr., (Key Map 489V). The theme of the Environmental Summit promotes Mayor Bill White's environmental plan and vision of “Making Houston a Model Environmental City.” Registration for the Summit and nominations for awards to be presented are now open.
[snip]
Awards will be presented to individuals who have contributed to or improved the quality of the environment in their workplace or community. Nominations are requested for individuals who have worked at least one year in an environmentally-related field. Award nominations are open to all businesses, industries, non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, hospitals, colleges and universities having programs directly impacting environmental issues. A separate category for the community will also be recognized.
I'd like to nominate Banjo Jones for his informative -- and highly entertaining -- emissions posts. Without a doubt, The Brazosport News has done more environmental reporting on a regular basis than any of our local media outlets.
There is some irony in Mayor White's trying to make Houston a model environmental city since Houston was recently assessed an almost $1 million fine for unauthorized discharges from its wastewater treatment plants. Maybe the mayor's desire for a windmill farm will help even out the environmental karma.
Also, the Environmental Summit will feature a Recycled Fashion Show...which just begs for a Ken Hoffman column.
UPDATE: A nomination for Tom Bazan has been suggested. =) I'll second that nomination!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/02/06 08:15 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (7)
HPD offers assurances that illegal immigrants are safe
From KTRH-740:
The Houston Police Department's crackdown on crime in the southwest part of town leads to some confusion over whether officers are cracking down on illegal immigrants.
HPD's mobile command unit, which is essentially at police station on wheels, is being moved today from an apartment complex off Fondren over to Sharsptown mall.
HPD Fondren division captain Bruce Williams tells KTRH that when they first rolled the mobile command unit out, there was some concern that they were using it to help round up illegal immigrants.
Williams says, "They thought we were doing some sort of enforcement with immigration...we're not only not doing that...we're prohibited from doing that."
HPD does have its (un)official sanctuary policy (memo, general order, guideline, whatever) to think of, you know. And we certainly wouldn't want any law and order stuff to get in the way of a memo written 14 years ago.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/02/06 02:52 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (2)
Does anybody edit the opinion page? (cont'd)
It's been more of an adventure in editing than usual on the Chronicle editorial page the last few days.
As Matt Bramanti notes, yesterday's editorial on Nepal was quite a piece of work. Here are a couple of highlights:
On Thursday, he named a prime minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, 84 and in poor health, as the next prime minister.
Naming a prime minister as prime minister sounds like a good move to this political risk analyst!
That would be a relief for a nation torn by their strife, but it’s doubtful that transition is sure to be bumpy.
What does that even mean?
Perhaps they should have just posted a recipe for Nepalese food and left it at that.
Bramanti also caught a gaffe in today's editorial on gasoline prices:
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., staged an unsuccessful five-hour filibuster demanding that federal royalties on gas from federal lands be raised from the ceiling of $55 a gallon.
There is just so much wrong with that sentence. For one thing, gasoline doesn't come from federal lands, but from refineries. Natural gas can come from federal lands, but it's not measured in gallons. Natural gas is also not measured in barrels (which someone substituted without note after Bramanti's post -- one of those annoying, nontransparent corrections that doesn't fool Google News). Gasoline is not taxed by the barrel. And the taxing mechanism is not as the Editorial LiveJournalists describe!
Here's some helpful AP copy for readers who are still left wondering what the Editorial LiveJournalists were talking about:
Much of the day in the Senate, meanwhile, was taken up by a dispute over whether to vote on a proposal by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., to require energy companies to pay a federal royalty on all oil pumped from the Gulf of Mexico if oil prices exceed $55 a barrel. Some oil now is exempt from royalties, costing the government billions of dollars.
That's not so hard to understand. The AP must have editors.
And finally, there's this line from today's bizarre editorializing on the NFL draft (which probably should have been left to the sports columnists):
In passing over two obvious stars, team owner Bob McNair and General Manager Charlie Casserly have put their footballs in the defensive basket.
Footballs in the defensive basket? Leaving aside that hideous phrase, the Editorial LiveJournalists misspelled Charley Casserly's name. Look for the error to be corrected (nontransparently, of course) just as soon as some Chron.commie reads about it on the blogs.
UPDATE (05-03-2006): The newspaper issued the following correction today:
An editorial on Page B6 Tuesday misstated the ceiling on royalties paid for oil and gas from federal waters. The ceiling is $55 per barrel of crude oil or natural gas equivalent.
Sometimes (okay, MANY times), the more the Editorial LiveJournalists write, the worse it gets. Matt Bramanti elaborates.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/02/06 01:42 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (4)
Casting a skeptical eye on a KHOU exposé
KHOU-11's Mark Greenblatt had a big story last night about bonuses handed out to Harris County Housing Authority staff, including a $23,000 bonus given to Executive Director Guy Rankin on top of his $95,000 salary. Total bonus money given to all HCHA staff was $100,000, according to Greenblatt's report.
Since we know of at least one instance where Greenblatt seriously distorted an investigative story, I'm wondering if Greenblatt left anything out of this one. Are we missing any context?
And, in fact, on the sidebar of KHOU's story is a response letter from HCHA attorney James Lemond in which he disagrees with many of Greenblatt's conclusions. It must be sweeps week.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/02/06 09:41 AM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (0)
It was all hands on deck at the USS Chronicle...
...for yesterday's illegal immigrant rights protest. The Chron's hard news story required six reporters, and the news analysis required four reporters. After reading both, it's unclear why the news analysis isn't considered a straight news story, but important news outlets often have analysis pieces, so there you go.
Here's a taste of each multi-reporter effort. From the news story:
Businesses from downtown to North Houston closed to avoid operating with skeleton crews. The worker shortage also forced some restaurant owners to don aprons and cook.
And from the analysis:
Most Houston-area businesses remained open on Monday, even if with a scaled-back work force.
Oookay.
And one point to nit-pick from the news analysis:
"Everybody's different. Some people support it. But if we do it together we're better," said Franciosi, originally from Mexico but now a U.S. citizen.
"I came from Monterey and I was one of those people who didn't have papers, so I understand the situation," she said.
If she came from Monterrey, Mexico, there should be two r's.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/02/06 08:56 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (11)
Dave Ward's not done just yet
Ken Hoffman reports that longtime KTRK-13 anchor Dave Ward isn't quite ready to ride off (or rocket off, according to some accounts of his driving habits) into retired-anchor land just yet:
Scratch the retirement party for Houston's longest-running anchorman, Dave Ward.
"When we drew up my current contract, I really thought that would be enough. But I still love what I'm doing. I'm not retiring. What would I do? I'd just rattle around doing nothing," Ward said.Ward said he is negotiating a two- or three-year extension to stay at Channel 13.
Ward recently celebrated his 40th anniversary anchoring the news in Houston — all at Channel 13.
As a Dave Ward fan, I'm happy to read this news.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/02/06 08:04 AM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (3)
The Houston Experiment
City Journal's Nicole Gelinas has written a very interesting in-depth piece titled "Houston's Noble Experiment: Can good government uplift the New Orleans evacuees whom bad government harmed?"
The entire article is well-worth reading, but I'll excerpt one part of particular interest to me: public education:
Stasia Marie Davis, who evacuated from New Orleans East and was about to start work as a teacher’s aide when I spoke to her, says that her two high school–age daughters had been in gifted programs at a New Orleans public school but “are struggling to keep up” at Houston’s Westfield High School. “In New Orleans, they are preparing them for the tourism business. Here, they are preparing them for college,” she told me.
Ariane Daughtry, a Catholic Charities caseworker from New Orleans now working with evacuees, notes that she paid $250 a month in New Orleans to send her son to private school, but in Houston he’s thriving, even playing the violin, at a public school where nearly all the kids can read and do math at grade level. William Coleman, who has custody of his grandchildren, told me that the Houston school the children attend call the house if the kids are late or absent: “They didn’t do that in New Orleans,” he marveled.
[snip]
Teachers as well as parents are pleased. Before evacuating, Warren Johnson taught English at McDonogh #35, one of New Orleans’s few high-performing public schools. Now teaching at Yates High School in Houston, he’s thrilled with the quality of resources and plans to stay. He notes that the school is well managed and has good security, and the administration works efficiently and “without so much politics.” “I hate to talk bad about my city,” he says, but some things in Houston “are a bit more logical.”
Texas and Houston have already determined that evacuee students badly trail their new peers when it comes to basic skills. Just one measure of the shocking disparity: on a standardized state reading test administered in February, 89 percent of Texas third-graders could read at grade level, while only 59 percent of evacuee students, most from New Orleans, could do the same. In fifth-grade reading, 80 percent of Texas students passed, while more than half of evacuee students failed. (Texas has not yet released reading scores at the school-district level, but Houston students’ reading scores have been nearly identical to those of their peers across Texas in the past.) The mayor took note early on of the challenge that New Orleans students face in Texas schools, and used a federal grant to help schools hire 100 tutors and teachers from New Orleans beginning last fall to give evacuee children extra help.
Gelinas' conclusion:
Houston’s openhearted outreach to New Orleans in its hour of need was an extraordinary gesture, and it saved lives. But Houston will have accomplished a truly heroic task if it can redeem the undereducated, underpoliced, and unmarried underclass that made New Orleans a disaster long before Katrina.
Houston approaches this task with a crucial advantage: its leaders and citizens don’t instinctively see big government as the solution—only good government.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/02/06 07:23 AM | Hurricane Stuff | Technorati | Comments (1)
01 May 2006
Booming economy may force Prop 2 refund
The Chronicle's Dan Feldstein reports that the city is enjoying such an unanticipated revenue windfall that it may soon be bumping up against Proposition 2:
To the surprise of city officials, Houston's tax revenue and other income is approaching the voter-approved Proposition 2 revenue cap that the city still is fighting in court.
The city had expected to stay under the cap in its current fiscal year, which ends June 30. Mayor Bill White acknowledged over the weekend, however, that unanticipated spikes in sales and property tax collections could bring the total close to the cap.
If revenues exceed the cap by more than $10 million, the measure approved by voters in 2004 calls for a rebate to taxpayers. It does not specify how that would be done.
Under Proposition 2, city revenue from all sources in any year can grow by no more than the combined rate of inflation and population growth.
[snip]
The city contends that it only has to enforce Proposition 1 because it passed with more votes than Proposition 2, and the two measures are contradictory.
Proposition 2 supporters challenged that position in court, and state District Court Judge Tad Halbach issued a summary judgment in January saying the city must enforce both measures. The city is appealing the ruling.
Because the decision is on appeal, it's unclear whether the city is legally obligated to enforce the Proposition 2 tax cap this year, White said. But the measure's supporters say they expect the city to comply.
"If they fail to, I can promise you we'll bring proceedings," said Andy Taylor, lawyer for Proposition 2 sponsors.
David Benzion is right: Taylor will almost certainly follow through on his promise if it comes to that.
I can't wait to get my refund. What about you?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/01/06 11:10 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
Chron uses taco trucks to gauge success of "immigrant" boycott
Here's a bit of fun from the local Hearst daily:
Houston's immigrant boycott keeping some home
Traffic seemed lighter to some, scattered restaurants shut down and taco trucks were scarce in Houston today as activists around the nation declared it "A Day without an Immigrant."
Taco trucks were scarce?!
Upon my first read, I thought that was terribly politically incorrect coming from the same newspaper that refuses to print the race of suspects in its crime reporting.
However, nowhere in the story is the boycott described as primarily one that involves Hispanics, so maybe the story's not as politically incorrect as I thought at first. It's entirely possible that the taco trucks might well have been put out of commission today when all those central Eurasian immigrants failed to show up for work. Kazakhs just want their chance at a good life in America too, you know!
So don't go jumping to conclusions.
Thanks to the scores of people who emailed about this story, which required three reporters.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/01/06 12:26 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (6)
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