30 June 2006
FishBowlDC interviews Chron White House correspondent
Last week, the Chronicle's White House correspondent and D.C. blogger Julie Mason was interviewed by the FishBowlDC blow on Media Bistro. Here's a teaser:
What word do you routinely misspell? Ocassion. Occasion? Damn.
Did you see Brokeback Mountain? Yay
Did you see The Da Vinci Code? Schnay
What's the name of your cell phone ring? It's called "Uh-oh." I want "Fight the Power," but I need a phone upgrade for that.
Go check out the entire interview here.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/30/06 10:00 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (2)
E&P praises Chron.com
The local Hearst daily got a nice little mention in Editor and Publisher this week:
For the seventh year, E&P presents, on the following pages, an honor roll of newspapers that shatter the perception that this is a slow-moving dinosaur of an industry that refuses to adapt to rising needs and fresh opportunities. This is never a "10 Best" list, but rather a tip of the hat to a handful of newspapers of widely varying size that have made great strides -- and can a serve as a model -- in one or more important areas: design, marketing, investigative journalism, online, photography, technology, community awareness, advertising initiatives, diversity in content or hiring, and even, this year, blogging. As usual, we found much to like across the country -- from South Florida to the Pacific Northwest. Keep those innovations coming!
[snip]
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Astros didn't win the 2005 World Series, but the Houston Chronicle has a strong claim to being the blogging champ among America's daily newspapers. Since the newspaper started blogging in earnest last year, Chron.com has launched about 30 news, sports, and entertainment blogs by Chronicle staffers. Then in early 2006, Chron.com also began hosting more than 30 reader blogs about everything from birding to Houston's grassroots art scene.
"Reader blogs are helping us cover the community," says Chronicle Interactive Journalism Editor Dwight Silverman, who does a tech blog himself for Chron.com.
Unfortunately, when Silverman goes on vacation, things sort of break down. There was one effort to update Silverman's whimsical link blog on the editorial page while he's been out the past two weeks, but the person who attempted to update it after Anne Linehan mentioned it here apparently doesn't understand hyperlinks. Nobody has tried to update the whimsical link blog since. Hyperlinks are pretty bleeding edge.
It's a good thing Silverman gets back next week.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/30/06 09:44 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (1)
Grand Parkway F-2 segment public hearing scheduled
Finally the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement is available for public viewing and public hearings are scheduled for July 11 and 12 (7 p.m.) at Klein Collins High School in Spring.
I'll be there!
RELATED: Houston Architecture Forum
PREVIOUSLY: blogHOUSTON archives
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/30/06 06:28 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (3)
Food and drink roundup (06-30-2006 edition)
It's time for a quick and easy food and drink roundup.
Alison Cook has found the newest foodie hit in Glass Wall.
Robb Walsh calls the Pappas family's Yia Yia Mary's the Parthenon of pita sandwiches. He's right about their taramousalata. It's amazing. He's also right about the other Greek restaurant up the street. Their moussaka is much better than Yia Yia Mary's, and their quirkiness does flow over.
Peggy Grodinsky tries all manners of ice cream flavors. I don't know. Simple vanilla with some sliced strawberries or fresh blueberries seems to float my boat.
Ken Hoffman feels the heat too and heads to Baskin Robbins for a Triple Play double-dip cone. Ok. Popcorn in ice cream? Darn that Ken Hoffman! I'm going to have to try this now. Maybe I can get them to hold the chocolate-covered peanuts.
And Lance Scott Walker recommends the Richmond Arms.
World Class, all of it. Enjoy!!
Posted by Callie Markantonis @ 06/30/06 10:22 AM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (2)
Houstonian declares herself "God's gift to the Senate"
In an interview with the left-leaning website MyDD, Houstonian and political novice Barbara Radnofsky, who is running as the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate seat held by Kay Bailey Hutchison, concludes with an interesting assertion:
Singer: Final question. If there's one message that you could send out to the progressive blogosphere, to the Netroots, what would that message be?
Radnofsky: I guess the bottom line that God's gift to the Senate is sitting in Houston right now having won 60 percent of the vote in the runoff and raised more than a million dollars and spent less than that to win two statewide races, her first two statewide races. They ought to get engaged, they ought to get involved....
It's good to know that Ms. Radnofsky has no self-esteem issues, even while facing a likely landslide defeat. But who knows -- maybe God really will involve Himself in this Senate race and make it competitive!
Thanks to Charles Kuffner for the link.
BLOGVERSATION: Texas Safety Forum, Rhymes With Right.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/30/06 08:54 AM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (3)
29 June 2006
Silliness continues on Chron editorial page
A few days ago, we commented on the silliness that has afflicted the Chronicle editorial page of late.
Today brought another fine example, as the Editorial LiveJournalists spelled Warren Buffett's name wrong. Seven times (eight including the headline). It was not an example of an editorial in its ideal state.
Matt Bramanti caught the mistake, and came up with a great headline for his post.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/29/06 10:17 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
Officer whose pay exceeded mayor's to retire
The Chronicle's Matt Stiles reports today that an HPD officer whose pay exceeded the mayor's thanks to bonuses has decided to leave the force:
A veteran Houston police officer who made $100,000 in overtime last year has retired amid an internal investigation into his extra pay, department and union officials said Wednesday.
William Lindsey Jr. made the decision in recent days after the department's internal affairs division asked him to respond to 91 written questions about his overtime, said Hans Marticiuc, president of the Houston Police Officers' Union.
[snip]
The Houston Chronicle reported in April that the 27-year veteran earned the six-figure overtime by helping catch suspected drunken drivers at night and testifying in court on overtime during the day.
Lindsey, 50, was reassigned voluntarily in May. He put in retirement papers in the past few days but hasn't officially left the force, said Sgt. Nate McDuell, a department spokesman.
McDuell said the internal investigation will continue despite Lindsey's departure. He said the findings could be made public within a few months.
Lindsey was suspended for 15 days in 1990 for submitting false overtime requests.
[snip]
The Chronicle reported last month that 22 rank-and-file officers made more than $50,000 in overtime last year, and that more than 100 earned six-figure incomes. City Controller Annise Parker, already auditing overtime by sampling compensation across the department, is now focusing more closely on the highest earners.
The Chronicle also reported that a traffic enforcement division commander raised concerns in a memo that some accident investigators participated in an "intentional scheme" to add themselves unnecessarily to court dockets for their own "personal gain."
We probably need to wait on Controller Parker's final report on the matter before a final judgment. Given HPD's well-documented manpower shortage, the overtime scheme may well be defensible. However, it does look odd when a police compensation system boosts some officers' pay over that of the mayor, and it certainly merits the scrutiny it is getting.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/29/06 07:54 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
With crime on the rise, businesses want surveillance cameras
Chief Hurtt may yet get his surveillance cameras, in a way that sidesteps elected city officials:
After a rash of crimes, the Asian American Business Council has been looking into buying a camera for business areas.
“We want to tie everybody’s together where we have a monitoring station eventually and we have a place for central storage,” said member Jackson Chang.
Police could go there to view any crimes digitally caught on computer.
As we reported in March, the Downtown Business District has made the same offer to the city. They’ve bought the equipment, hoping HPD will monitor the cameras.
I didn't know about that bolded part. Are the cameras already installed?
The brutal attack in Chew Park left neighbors worried about their safety and asking about cameras, too.
“Personal security, to me, that’s a really positive thing and in fact, that’s the way they found the people who bombed the subways in London,” said a Chew Park neighbor.
After the Chew Park murder, residents are asking for cameras instead of more police visibility?
PREVIOUSLY: Is Houston ready for downtown surveillance cameras?, More on Chief Hurtt's surveillance camera program
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/29/06 05:12 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)
Culberson amendment to block funding for sanctuary cities
Rep. John Culberson added an amendment to a House Appropriations bill that would block federal funding for sanctuary cities and counties:
These policies prevent local law enforcement officers from asking individuals they arrest, detain or stop whether or not they are in the country legally.
Culberson said, "My amendment will enforce existing federal law by cutting off funding for cities and counties that do not repeal their sanctuary policies. These policies are designed to shield criminal aliens, and my amendment is intended to uncloak them."
Under current federal law, cities and counties cannot restrict the ability of local law enforcement officers to inquire about the immigration status of individuals they arrest, detain, or stop. However, 29 cities (including Houston, New York and Los Angeles) and 3 counties have adopted sanctuary policies which prevent law enforcement officers from inquiring about immigration status.
In his statement, Rep. Culberson referenced the tragic story of an Austin woman who was killed by an illegal alien in 2004. In that case, Austin PD did not inquire about the man's immigration status when he was being investigated on charges of child molestation because of the city's sanctuary policy.
UPDATE (1:08 pm): The House passed the appropriations bill containing Rep. Culberson's amendment.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/29/06 04:56 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (13)
28 June 2006
Chron columnists/editorialists must already miss DeLay
On June 11, the Chronicle's metro/state editorialist Rick Casey wrote about Tom DeLay.
Then, Casey apparently went on vacation or was otherwise indisposed.
He seems to have returned to work this week, with a new column that ran today. Seventeen days after his last Tom DeLay column, Casey has written another Tom DeLay column.
That's some comprehensive metro/state coverage from one of the columnists Jeff Cohen brought to the newspaper with great fanfare.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/28/06 09:48 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
Chronicle launches new Quannel X referral bureau!
A Houston Chronicle reporter recently acted as a referral service of sorts for Quannel X, apparently urging a criminal suspect to get in touch with Mr. X, and then acting as a witness to the rendezvous (you know, to cover the story).
Slampo writes it all up here, and asks:
Like other Houstonians, we have long wondered about the point and purpose of Quanell X, about how he makes a living when he seems to spend all day and night out shepherding various allegations and accusations of injustice into the public domain or bringing another fugitive down to police headquarters, about how he can command media attention at the drop of a dime (or however much a phone call costs these days) and now even rates referrals from the leading daily newspaper, and about how the media never seem to question his pecuniary motives or how he can afford an H2 Hummer and those classy suits he always wears, even when it’s 99 degrees outside (and the man does look sharp in a suit).
[snip]
Still, it would be nice — not to mention journalistically sound — if the media made some attempt to disclose Mr. X’s interests in the various media-hyped endeavors in which he engages (we mean, of course, any interest beyond his obvious selfless humanitarianism), or, in lieu of that, exercised more discretion in relaying, unchecked, his various pronouncements (we’re still waiting for some resolution of the incendiary charges that X launched about the Houston Fire Department a while back).
These are simply rhetorical questions, ones the media will never get around to answering, primarily because of editors’ fears that in poking too indecorously at the myth of Quanell X they risk the prospect of X and his New Black Panther Party minions staging a protest outside their homes, the way they did a few years ago outside the home of City Councilman Michael Berry, a distraction that, at least in the daily newspaper’s case, would detract from the relentless pursuit of that elusive Pulitzer Prize.
Or even worse, X might stalk Jeff Cohen out on the golf course. That would probably make the diminutive executive editor very uncomfortable.
BLOGVERSATION: Isiah Carey's Insite, Lone Star Times, TBIFOC, Cigars, Donuts, and Coffee.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/28/06 08:55 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (4)
Sanchez goes to the Hispanic card
Orlando Sanchez didn't take long to go to the Hispanic card in his quest to become Harris County Treasurer (and to ensure the office's survival):
Sanchez said Tuesday that eliminating the post would kill the immediate prospect of a Hispanic for the first time holding a countywide elected administrative office. Some Hispanics previously have won countywide judicial races.
Since commissioners didn't consider abolishing the office after the March primary when Cato was nominated, Sanchez also said the attempt now may be personal.
"It is interesting that up to Mr. Cato's death, they were supporting Mr. Cato and obviously keeping the office. After Mr. Cato died, they adopted a resolution to abolish the office," said Sanchez.
"It makes you wonder, especially since I could become the first Hispanic and the first immigrant elected countywide." Sanchez's family moved from Cuba when he was a child.
Yes, Orlando, that's it. Those of us who want the office abolished are simply tools of The Man, who wants to keep down Hispanics! Never mind that you wouldn't be the first Hispanic elected countywide, as the first excerpted paragraph makes clear.
PREVIOUSLY: GOP picks Sanchez as candidate for Harris County Treasurer.
BLOGVERSATION: Lone Star Times I, Lone Star Times II, Isolated Desolation.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/28/06 08:58 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (12)
Texans accepting applications for announcer position
Would you like to be the Texans stadium announcer? The team is looking for a new one, with the following list of requirements:
Participants must register on houstontexans.com by Wednesday, July 5 and meet certain requirements.
The requirements include:
- Must arrive at least 2 hours prior to kickoff and be available for at least one hour after the final play
- Must be available for all 10 Texans home games, as well as playoffs
- Must be available for meetings during the off-season as well as during the week leading up to the game
- Must be available to record various read prior to the game
Applicants have to submit a recording, too.
That bolded requirement hasn't really been a problem so far. Maybe this year will be different.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/28/06 05:04 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
27 June 2006
METRO prepares for fare increases
Laurence Simon writes that METRO is planning fare adjustments (read "increases"):
"Our current fare structure is complex, inequitable and unproductive," said Frank Wilson, METRO’s president and CEO, in a recent communication to the board of directors in which he recommended the board review METRO’s fare policy. This marks the first time since 1994 that METRO has sought to adjust its fare system to address a complex structure and higher operating costs.
There currently are 65 different fare options during peak service – a situation that creates confusion for riders and presents challenges for bus operators to manage. METRO is examining ways to simplify the fare structure to ensure equitable and efficient fare collection. Part of this solution will include the use of smart card technology.
At the same time, METRO plans to address the extensive discounting options that have undermined revenues. For all riders, the average one-way fare is actually only 43 cents, rather than the base fare of $1. For the past three years, METRO has maintained consistent operating budget levels, reduced staffing and eliminated unproductive route service, but costs continue to rise. METRO’S fuel costs alone have more than doubled since 2005.
In coming weeks, Wilson will propose a range of policy and fare structure adjustments to the board for their consideration. "By implementing sensible revisions," he added, "METRO should be better positioned to offer rewards for frequent ridership, to mitigate opportunities to misuse the system and maximize advantages presented by new technologies to improve service reliability and ease of access."
Every month, Tom Bazan shares METRO fare-box-revenue information obtained through public information requests, and much of the time, it seems like paid ridership for the light rail is declining (even though METRO and light-rail enthusiasts love to boast that boardings exceed projections). Having a world-class light-rail system (that many people ride for free) doesn't come cheap! And increasingly, it seems like it comes at the expense of bus service (which saw a healthy increase in Fare Box Revenue in May 2006 compared to May 2005, according to Bazan).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/27/06 10:50 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (1)
Words continue to confuse Chronicle
A few days ago, Alexis Grant and Matt Stiles editorialized that the term "sanctuary city" caused "confusion."
Today, the Chronicle editorial board editorializes that the term "sanctuary" city" causes confusion:
The 's' word that has gotten so much play is far more inflammatory than it might seem. Intentionally or not, it obscures both city policy and the public safety goal that drives it.
The term really doesn't seem that confusing, except perhaps to Chronicle reporters/editors/editorialists.
The editorial board goes on to argue the city does not have a "sanctuary" policy and then lists lots of reasons that it ought to keep its not-sanctuary-policy in place.
Fine.
If there are so many good reasons for the city to have a sanctuary policy, then the city's elected officials ought to be happy to engage in a public debate, give the policy the full approval of Council, and stand accountable for their work, instead of hiding behind a directive issued by the police chief in 1992 with no public debate. That would head off the need for a petition drive, and would ensure that the public gets to take part in a serious debate on the matter. So, where's Mayor White's leadership on this important issue?
We can't close without noting this silliness from the editorial board:
The police union, along with the mayor's office and HPD Police Chief Harold Hurtt, all concur that HPD must marshal its resources toward serious crimes.
Yes, MayorWhiteChiefHurtt have quite a record of marshalling resources toward serious crimes. There's the millions spent on Tasers instead of hiring cops (and now we need to spend more on Tasers with audio/video!). There's the great downtown jaywalking crackdown. There's the exorbitant bonus structure for HPD mechanics. There are nifty new acronyms. There's the crimefighting van. There's the $10 million civilian traffic corps. And there's the planned crackdown on teenagers.
Oh, and there's that skyrocketing murder rate to go with MayorWhiteChiefHurtt's efforts at marshalling resources toward serious crimes.
BLOGVERSATION: Isolated Desolation.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/27/06 10:16 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
GOP picks Sanchez as candidate for Harris County Treasurer
The Chronicle's Robert Crowe reports that Harris County Republican precinct chairs have chosen Orlando Sanchez as their candidate for the Harris County Treasurer post:
Harris County Republicans nominated Orlando Sanchez Monday to represent their party on the November ballot in the race for county treasurer.
The winner of the fall race will replace Jack Cato, who died May 22, but the office is somewhat uncertain since Harris County Commissioner's Court voted last week to abolish it.
Sanchez won 66 percent of 321 votes. Precinct chairs selected Sanchez during a special meeting at a Houston Community College campus, said Jared Woodfill, Harris County Republican Party Chair. "He has a lot of support among precinct chairmen and Republicans in general," Woodfill said.
Fine, but the office really should be abolished. Sanchez does not favor abolishing it (heaven forbid he might have to make his way in the private sector). His Democratic opponent Richard Garcia does.
As David Benzion puts it,
If 212 Harris County Republican precinct chairs want to spend $96,000 dollars a year to perform existential CPR on Orlando Sanchez’s political career, they ought to pass the damn hat and pay for it themselves.
Disgusting. Blech. Boo.
To echo one well-known blogger, heh, indeed.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/27/06 08:01 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
26 June 2006
City looks to discourage panhandlers, tighten curfew
KTRK-13's Jeff Ehling reports that the city is considering tightening the curfew ordinance:
Currently in the city of Houston, if you are 17 years of age, you can stay out until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. But that curfew is likely to change soon. That means if you are 16 or younger, you'll have to go home a lot earlier.
Houston city councilman Adrian Garcia went to students, looking for input on the potential changes.
He said, "Probably what we would get the most bang for the buck, if you will, is doing it 10pm across the board, 365 days a year."
The new curfew rules would affect anyone under 17 years of age. Houston police say the current midnight curfew on Friday and Saturday nights must be toughened. Officers say so far this year they've arrested 2,500 juveniles committing crimes in Houston between the hours of 10pm and 11pm.
HPD Assistant Chief Michael Thaler explained, "They may be involved in thefts, assaultive behavior or other behaviors like that. But the 10:00 to 11:00 hour is important, in that we want to make sure that juveniles do not become victims of crimes."
[snip]
There would be some exceptions to the proposed curfew change -- anyone coming home from work, anyone coming home from a church or civic function, or anyone coming home from a school event like a football game. In addition, anyone with their parents would be allowed on the streets after 10pm.
Also, KHOU-11's Doug Miller reports that Mayor White is planning a big advertising campaign to discourage Houstonians from giving money to panhandlers and street beggars:
[T]he mayor’s sending out fundraising letters stating, “I write to request your financial support for a campaign urging Houstonians to refrain from giving money to panhandlers or street solicitors...”
Mayor Bill White said the idea is easy, “Don’t fight the impulse to give. But don’t give to people who are out there begging on the streets. We don’t know what happens to all that money. We know that a lot of it doesn’t fight the root causes of homelessness. Plus it’s an annoyance.”
[snip]
White plans to launch a broadcast campaign similar to his commercials advising consumers to shop around for electricity.
But instead of TV commercials, drivers listening to their radios will be targeted.
The mayor’s outreach to panhandlers and their donors is expected to begin next month.
"Outreach" is an interesting word choice! One suspects that people tired of dealing with panhandlers and street beggars will appreciate the campaign. Miller neglects to report how much the campaign is going to cost, which would have been a useful fact to include.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/26/06 10:35 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (19)
Engines of Our Ingenuity available as podcast
Lou Minatti notes that Engines of Our Ingenuity, the wonderful program that's been put out over NPR for years by Dr. John Lienhard of the University of Houston, is now available as a podcast.
Engines and Dr. Lienhard are two of the city's jewels. It's a smart use of technology to make the program more widely available.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/26/06 10:20 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (2)
Bayou City History blogs Houston's past
We've recently discovered Bayou City History, a new blog that looks to dig into Houston's past in interesting ways.
Here's a snippet from the first post:
Frankly, no one wants to hear what I think about President Bush, the 2006 midterm elections, or the global war on terror.
But then I figured I could turn this medium into something that would not only be educational but also fun.
You see, I'm a native Houstonian with an interest in local history. I've always been fascinated at whatever purpose some old, decrepit building served years ago. It's amazing to look at one area of the city and realize that a century ago, it may have been a bustling residential area, an industrial center, or even an old Army fort. I always thought that there were still some forgotten pieces of Houston's history just waiting to be uncovered.
I've already started digging. This blog will show what I've found.
The blogosphere doesn't necessarily need another InstaPundit or Kos. However, we're pretty fond of hyperlocal, niche blogging like Bayou City History. Check it out if you are interested in Houston's past, presented in an interesting way.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/26/06 10:09 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
New HPD cadet class underway
KTRK-13 reports that a new HPD cadet class got started today:
The city of Houston enlisted 40 new police cadets Monday morning.
At a time the city finds itself in great need, it will take six months to make the cadets officers. The class is smaller than expected. The city had 70 slots open, but is having a tough time finding applicants.
Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt said, "We're trying to get 70 and it's been very difficult because there's a lot of competition out there. A lot of major departments as well as smaller departments are all out recruiting because they need to add more people."
A full cadet class costs the city more than $3 million. Next year Houston will have five cadet classes. The costs add up quickly. Upon graduation, with salary and benefits, each officer costs the city $65,000 a year.
It's disappointing that the class was only slightly over half full, now that the city finally is addressing the problem.
Councilmember Adrian Garcia lets loose with a whopper at the end:
"We have continuously found ways to prioritize our investment in public safety. Our public is asking for it," said Houston Councilman Adrian Garcia. "The issue becomes, you know, that we got to figure out how to afford it."
Continuously? Now Councilmember, that's not quite true. It's good that HPD's manpower shortage is finally commanding some attention, but that's only come about recently. And judging from this disappointing recruiting effort, it's going to need more attention.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/26/06 10:03 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
The champagne corks are a-poppin' at HPD headquarters
Because Texas AG Greg Abbott passed down an opinion that said red light cameras could be placed at TxDOT intersections:
"Now we can truly impact safety, because now we're going to be using the (more dangerous) locations instead of having to work around" them, said Houston Police Department Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalvo.
Of course, if Montalvo was truly interested in safety, she would have pressed for yellow light times to have been adjusted. But she doesn't see the "logic" in that.
About half of the most dangerous intersections in the city belong to TxDOT, Montalvo said. Those locations can now be monitored by cameras intended to catch drivers who run red lights, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said in an opinion issued late Friday.
"(TxDOT) may permit local entities to install camera equipment to monitor compliance with traffic-control signals for the purpose of enforcing traffic laws," Abbott's opinion reads.
HPD is so excited, they are trashing the original list of intersections that was released just a couple of weeks ago:
HPD likely will scrap the list of 10 sites it released earlier this month as the first camera locations and come up with a new one that includes TxDOT intersections, Montalvo said. That new list could be released as soon as this afternoon, she said.
There's revenue to be generated! The camera company, ATS, is being very flexible:
The company contracted to run the system, American Traffic Solutions Inc., already has begun planning the installation of cameras at the 10 intersections announced by HPD earlier this month, said CEO Jim Tuton. But the company was aware the locations could change, and Tuton still expects installation to begin in July as previously planned, he said.
Tuton called the opinion a "milestone in traffic safety in Texas."
"It has a huge impact in terms of the enforcement potential and the safety potential," he said. "It's very hard to implement technology and leverage it effectively unless you can implement it across the entire city."
Not to mention the revenue potential! It's hard to get maximum revenues unless ATS and HPD can implement the program across the entire city.
Wouldn't it be refreshing if MayorWhiteChiefHurtt would just admit it's all about the money?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/26/06 09:19 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (1)
Rad Sallee wants your input
The Chronicle's traffic columnist wants your input:
Speaking of dangerous intersections, we'd like to hear readers' opinions about dangerous ramps in the Houston area.
The Southwest Freeway's new Blodgett ramp, where the merge lane is short and scary, has been closed while engineers study the layout, and the new Milam ramp nearby still worries some drivers, although it may be safer than it feels.
What are your nominees?
The 527 Death Ramp (at Milam) gets my vote. The design of that ramp is really inexcusable for new construction.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/26/06 03:09 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (8)
25 June 2006
Mr. Gibbons visits the sea, via Courbet and MFAH
The Editorial LiveJournal makes a return to the Chronicle editorial pages today.
We frequently refer to the Chronicle editorialists as the Editorial LiveJournalists. That's because opinion page editor James Howard Gibbons decided some time ago that his opinion pages occasionally need to run personal diaries instead of the usual staff editorials. And so we have been treated to stories of Gibbons riding his bike (no joke!) and another editorialist offering her leftovers to her neighbors (no kidding!). It's fare more appropriate to a LiveJournal than a serious newspaper. Hence the term, Editorial LiveJournalists.
Here is a snippet from today's Editorial (Live)Journal:
A civil rights lawyer in Austin wears what surely must be the world's most desirable wristwatch. Instead of numerals or marks indicating the hours, the watch's face bears the words, "It's time to go to the beach."
This is the season for that pleasure, but the frequent thunderstorms and heavy rains might deter some beachgoers. No matter. An exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston holds the remedy.Entitled Courbet and the Modern Landscape, the exhibit offers three rooms of paintings by Gustav Courbet, selected to show this master's role as a transitional figure from the idealized painting of the Salon and state patronage to realism and Impressionism. While most of Courbet's painting were completed in the studio, he made many drawings in the field so as to be able to paint things as they are and as he saw them.
Particularly sublime is the selection of Courbet's seascapes.
And less sublime is the typo in the Editorial LiveJournal.
As Matt Bramanti asked in reference to an earlier Editorial LiveJournal, why do these diaries keep appearing on the editorial page of a major metropolitan newspaper?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/25/06 11:57 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (2)
Brazos Bookstore finds buyer
The Chronicle reports that the Brazos Bookstore has (finally) found a group of buyers:
Brazos [Bookstore] seemed highly endangered this spring. Since it opened in 1974, owner Karl Kilian had overseen its daily operations, making it a cultural landmark in Houston, with readings by nationally known writers such as Martin Amis, Larry McMurtry and Susan Sontag. But in March, Kilian announced that he was becoming director of programs for the Menil Collection. The job required him to sell or close his bookstore.
The announcement sent tremors through Houston's literary community. Many feared that Brazos, which occupies 3,000 square feet on Bissonnet near Rice University, would become yet another casualty in the bookstore wars that have seen independents around the country succumb to Amazon.com and the big chains, Barnes & Noble and Borders. (Just this month came news that Cody's Books, a 50-year institution in Berkeley, Calif., will close.)
"Many of us felt at the time that Houston just has to have a literary bookstore of the first rank, which we've been lucky enough to have for 30-plus years," said Babette Hale, founder of Winedale Publishing (and wife of Chronicle columnist Leon Hale). "To lose that would have been a real blow to the civic health of the community."
In late April, Hale and investment counselor Edward R. Allen III, who chairs the Asia House board of directors and formerly headed the Contemporary Arts Museum board, organized a meeting of people who might be persuaded to invest in the store.
Out of that meeting emerged Brazos Bookstore Acquisition, a limited liability corporation. The 14 investors contributed a minimum of $10,000, with Allen the largest contributor.
All of the new owners shopped at Brazos, and some are familiar figures on the Houston cultural scene. Besides Hale and Allen, they include Sis Johnson, president of Inprint and a longtime supporter of University of Houston's Creative Writing Program; investment banker and author Matt Simmons; and attorney and Jung Center board member Travis Broesche.
One can't help but appreciate a group of literary types who don't simply lament the likely passing of a bookstore, but take concrete steps to ensure its survival. Here's wishing them well in what is likely to continue to be a struggle against bigger booksellers.
BLOGVERSATION: Slampo's Place.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/25/06 04:26 PM | Houston Arts/Culture | Technorati | Comments (6)
New bayou park's plants handle rains with no trouble
We've wondered several times on the little blog how Houston's newest (better than the River Walk!) bayou park fared after the heavy rains of the last week. According to the park's stewards, everything turned out great:
Dazzled by fireworks, a high-tech lighting system and movies floating by along Buffalo Bayou, thousands of Houstonians enjoyed the June 10 opening celebration of the Sabine to Bagby Promenade.
Nine days later, the new park's broad, winding trails and lovingly tended vegetation were under water, submerged in a rapidly rising bayou swelled by Monday's torrential rainfall.
It was an important test of the long-planned, $15 million park. It is the first major project to be completed under a 20-year plan for publicly and privately funded bayou improvements from Shepherd to the Ship Channel turning basin.
The park, designed to withstand periodic flooding, appears to have passed the test convincingly.
"We didn't lose a single plant," said Scott Barnes, the conservation director for the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, the nonprofit group overseeing the bayou improvements.
However, heavy rains can cause the new park to be somewhat less beautiful than the River Walk:
After Monday's flooding, water covered the trails and landscaping, making a damage assessment impossible until the water subsided over the next two days.
Once the park became accessible, Barnes said, it was clear that the main impact was silt and mud covering trails and trash that floated on the water or became tangled in the vegetation.
Plants were flattened by the water's weight but quickly sprang back, Barnes said. Once crews finish hosing off the silt and collecting trash, all visible evidence of the flood will be gone, he said.
That doesn't sound as nice as the River Walk to me, but I guess that's why I contribute to a little blog, and not to the editorial pages of the mighty Hearst daily.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/25/06 04:20 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (2)
Chron reader rep defends Spanish sports section, rips critics' motives
James Campbell, the Chronicle's reader representative, has an odd column today in which he basically attributes racist/nativist motives to those who question why the city's only English-language daily insists on taking up valuable sports-page real estate by duplicating stories in Spanish:
The phone calls and e-mails are predictable. They come in bunches every time we publish a story in Spanish. In recent weeks, I've received dozens of calls and e-mails decrying in vitriolic terms the Chronicle's publishing a daily World Cup page in Spanish.
One doesn't have to scratch far beyond the surface to know that the complaints are more about the contentious illegal immigration debate in this country than about Spanish in the Chronicle. The page of Spanish is but a convenient reason to complain, like voicemail that instructs the caller to "press one for English" and "two for Spanish."
"Why do you print sport pages in Spanish?" an e-mailer wrote. "If you are in this country legally you understand English. By printing anything in Spanish you are pandering to the illegals who refuse to learn English. ENGLISH ONLY, PLEASE. ... "
We consider and take seriously all complaints, comments and observations about the editorial content of the newspaper. Protest about stories published in Spanish, however, is a particularly sensitive matter because it goes to where people are politically and culturally.
I'm sure that some of the people who wrote to Mr. Campbell are racist/nativist types, but it's also not that hard to figure out that Spanish-language content in the only English-language metro daily displaces English-language content, thereby making the paper of less value to English-language readers. Maybe that's a smart business decision for Hearst (which already puts out a Spanish-language weekly product). Maybe it's not. But for the newspaper's reader representative to paint people who might criticize the decision as racists/nativists seems like a stretch. Not to mention intolerant.
BLOGVERSATION: Greg's Opinion, Blue Bayou.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/25/06 04:09 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (13)
Imploding building halts Metro's "transit backbone"
So, what else can shut down the Danger Train besides rain, falling cable lines and trees, power outages, water main breaks, rats, marathons, enthusiastic sports fans, and of course, 130+ accidents?
A planned building implosion in the Texas Medical Center Sunday, June 25, will require METRO to temporarily shut down METRORail service between Dryden and Hermann Park/Rice University Stations, and detour a portion of the 8 South Main bus route.
METRO service changes will take place from approximately 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Fannin and many other streets in the TMC will be temporarily closed and pedestrian activity will be prohibited in the area.
METRO will operate dedicated “Rail Shuttle” buses[...]
Yay for the buses!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/25/06 11:05 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (9)
Will George Clooney be at the economic summit this week?
The U.S.-Arab Economic Forum is taking place here in Houston this week:
LEADERS from Baghdad, Cairo, Djibouti and across the Arab world are gathering in Houston this week for the U.S.-Arab Economic Forum in an effort to bolster the relationship between the U.S. and the Middle East.
"We're trying to build understanding one handshake at a time," said Nasser Beydoun, organizer of the forum and chairman of the Dearborn, Mich.-based American Arab Chamber of Commerce.
To that end, heavy hitters like presidential confidante Karen Hughes, CEOs such as ConocoPhillips' James Mulva and dignitaries like Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal are expected to speak. About 800 people are registered to attend three days of discussions on topics from breaking the oil addiction to health care in the Arab world.
Sounds like plenty of important people will be attending.
"This forum tries to look at the economic angle and how that could bring peace, security to the United States," said Hala Kotb, a spokeswoman for the forum.
That's nice. But the burning question(s) for blogHOUSTON is whether or not the Chron's energy blogger, Lynn Cook, will be in attendance, and if so will she ask any of the important attendees if they've seen Syriana.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/25/06 09:49 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (1)
Chron.com: Houston blogosphere is on vacation
Well, someone's on vacation. Which means there's very little being said around town...apparently. We don't think the entire Opinion page went on holiday, since we haven't been spared the inane offerings of the editorial board, and the On Point Q&A changed last week.
Couldn't another Chron.com staffer have been entrusted with choosing local blog posts of interest? That is a big online operation, after all. Not like us little folks who do this in our spare time. =)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/25/06 08:46 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (3)
Houston's sanctuary policy is not confusing
The Chronicle ran a story by Alexis Grant and Matt Stiles on Friday that attempted to assess the notion that Houston is a "sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants (I think). It's an unusual story in that it's one of the clunkier pieces of writing that's ever appeared with Matt Stiles' name attached (maybe the crack Chron editing team is to blame), although it does present two sides of the semantic debate over the "sanctuary city" designation.
Here's the lede:
The phrase "sanctuary city" does more than rally anti-illegal immigration activists and make city officials cringe — it causes confusion.
Oh come on. The phrase isn't confusing. The term is used in the immigration debate to denote a city that adopts policies intended to shield illegal immigrants from municipal enforcement of immigration laws. The policies usually involve prohibitions on inquiries into immigration status. This is not confusing.
The story continues:
The Houston Police Department for more than a decade have followed a policy that forbids them from asking people they encounter about their immigration status. But does that make Houston a "sanctuary city?"
Yes.
Members of the group [Protect our Citizens] say the policy protects illegal immigrants to the point that it qualifies Houston as a "sanctuary city."
A report by the Congressional Research Service reached the same conclusion.
HPD officers are forbidden from inquiring as to immigration status. The Congressional Research Service is right to refer to Houston as a "sanctuary city."
Mayor White disagrees:
''Houston is not a sanctuary city," said Mayor Bill White. "The biggest concern on something like this is somebody trying to confuse the voters."
The term is used most often by those who oppose the Houston policy and similar ones in other locales.
Mayor White offers no reason that Houston is not a sanctuary city. He just asserts it, and then changes the subject (to people misleading voters).
And then Alexis Grant and Matt Stiles immediately follow by offering editorial commentary on who uses the term.
Here are a couple of questions: Does it really matter who uses the term if it's accurate? And is the Congressional Research Service usually swayed so easily by political activists deploying demagogic rhetoric (the point that seems to be implied by the story's editorializing)?
If Houston's Mayor and other elected officials think the 1992 sanctuary directive is a good idea, then they ought to be willing to engage in a public debate over it, and put it to a vote on Council instead of hiding behind an order issued by a long-gone former police chief and complaining about a petition group. Indeed, if the Mayor and Council would take the lead on this matter, rescind the current policy, and engage in a debate on what should replace it (if anything), a petition would be completely unneccessary. That shouldn't even be too confusing for the journalists assigned to the issue!
BLOGVERSATION: Cigars, donuts, and Coffee.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/25/06 12:22 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (8)
24 June 2006
Alvarado hits the road in effort to pay legal bills
The Chronicle's Kristen Mack reported Friday that Councilmember Carol Alvarado is busy trying to raise cash for her legal fund:
HOUSTON City Councilwoman Carol Alvarado is taking her fundraising show on the road.
She's collecting checks for her legal defense fund at an event in Dallas today — headlined by a group of former and present officials from San Antonio, Los Angeles and San Jose, Calif., who are in town for the annual conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.
The hosts include former San Antonio Mayor Ed Garza, Los Angeles City Councilmen Alex Padilla and Tony Cardenas, and Mickey Ibarra, who was President Clinton's director of intergovernmental affairs.
Hispanic political figures were less in evidence earlier this month at a Houston fundraiser for Alvarado, whose political upward mobility has stalled because of a payroll scandal that occurred on her watch as mayor pro tem.
"I'm not sure what kind of invitations were extended to (Houston) Hispanic elected officials," said former state Rep. Al Luna, who is administering Alvarado's legal fund. "They may not have felt comfortable being there."
That seems like a reasonable guess.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/24/06 11:37 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (5)
SEIU: Equal opportunity campaign-finance rogue
The Chronicle's Editorial LiveJournalists had a fun observation in today's editorial celebrating Gay Pride Week:
Although recent years have seen voter approval of a state constitutional ban on gay marriage and the defeat of efforts to provide insurance coverage for the domestic partners of city of Houston workers, celebrants have plenty of progress to point to over the past three decades.
Perhaps the most obvious is the citywide elections of Controller Annise Parker and at-large Councilwoman Sue Lovell, both of whom are openly lesbian. In the late '70s, the only way for local gay activists to influence the political process was to work for progressive candidates such as Kathy Whitmire, who served as city controller before serving five terms as mayor.
Parker's and Lovell's winning campaigns show the growing willingness of Houstonians to vote for the best candidate, regardless of sexual orientation. Parker won three successive terms as an at-large councilmember and is now serving her second term as city controller after being elected without opposition. Lovell is in her first term on council after winning a runoff last year.
In Lovell's case, perhaps it would have been more accurate to write about the willingness of a Houston union to boost one candidate to victory (skirting the city's campaign finance laws), regardless of sexual orientation. At least they get credit for being an equal-opportunity union.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/24/06 11:31 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (0)
23 June 2006
Civilian cop program slides into new city budget at cost of $10 million
Holy moly: KTRH-740 is reporting that MayorWhiteChiefHurtt's civilian traffic patrol will now cost $10 million for four or five years:
A last minute add-in to Houston Mayor Bill White's newly-approved budget will end up costing city taxpayers $10 million over the next four to five years.
Mayor White says the city will only spend about $1.7 million on the "Mobility Response Team" over the next 12 months, but he says he wants a secure source of funding in place to ensure the team continues its work. Once the traffic team is formed it will consist of 24 police service officers.
[snip]
Since it was announced last month, the traffic squad has drawn its share of criticism. Houston's largest police officers union calls it a proposal to add "cheap cops" to city streets. Police union president Hans Marticuic says it seems civilian traffic squad members will be used to perform many of the duties now done by the HPD motorcycle squad, known as the "SOLOs".
Some Houston Council Members have also been critical of where money for the plan is coming from. The city is shifting the $10 million from what was formerly the "street and bridge repair" fund. Council Member Pam Holm has accused White's administration of raiding that fund to pay for things which have nothing to do with fixing the roads. City officials have said nothing is illegal or improper about how Houston's paying for its new traffic squad.
$10 million over four years (and these things never come in under budget; you just KNOW this will end up costing much, much more), to pay for civilian cops out of a street and bridge repair fund.
Goodness.
PREVIOUSLY: Houston's civilian accident investigators, Hurtt: It's cheaper to hire civilian pseudo-cops than real cops, More on civilian traffic patrol
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/23/06 06:37 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (15)
KHOU wins two Murrow awards
KHOU-11 has won two national Edward R. Murrow awards, one in the Feature-Hard News category for a story by Jeremy Desel entitled, "Firefighters: Cancer":
The report documented the cancer risks Houston Fire Department firefighters face when they enter burning buildings to fight fires. Firefighter death rates are from 4 to 30 times higher than the general public depending on the kind of cancer. Three weeks after the story aired, the Texas legislature passed a law giving firefighters line-of-duty death benefits for cancer.
And the second in the Investigative Reporting category for a story by Mark Greenblatt entitled, "Playing with Fire":
The investigation revealed that hundreds of public schools in the Houston area had never received a fire code inspection in more than 30 years. The investigation also discovered immediate life-threatening violations at many of the schools that were missed by the Fire Marshal, which prompted a massive reorganization of the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office. Harris County Commissioners say there is no doubt this investigation saved lives, prevented countless injuries to children, and will protect our community for years to come.
KHOU was one of only seven stations to win more than one national award. Congratulations KHOU, Jeremy Desel, and Mark Greenblatt!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/23/06 05:59 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (1)
Now it's SplashTown's future that's uncertain
Six Flags has announced that SplashTown is one of six properties it is considering either selling or shutting down:
Theme park owner Six Flags says it it could sell or even close six of its 30 properties across North America. The revelation was among several made overnight that sent shares plunging 19 percent.
The company said it may fail to meet certain bank credit agreements. Six Flags says reaching its previous financial forecast will be extremely difficult.
[snip]
The six properties being examined for possible changes include Six Flags Darien Lake outside Buffalo, New York, Six Flags Waterworld in Concord, California, Six Flags Elitch Gardens in Denver, Wild Waves and Enchanted Village outside Seattle, Six Flags Splashtown in Houston and Six Flags Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor near Los Angeles.
The company says it can't predict for certain whether any transactions will occur. It could sell the properties outright or dismantle the parks and sell the land for its real estate value.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/23/06 07:46 AM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (2)
University line meetings
Metro has scheduled two University-line meetings next week:
University Corridor Scoping Meeting
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Third Ward Multi-Service Center
3611 Ennis
4-7 p.m.University Corridor Scoping Meeting
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Holiday Inn Select
2712 Southwest Freeway
4-7 p.m.
(Note location change.)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/23/06 07:26 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (6)
22 June 2006
Food and drink roundup (06-22-2006 edition)
The time has come for a food and drink roundup. Let's get started, shall we?
Alison Cook starts off this week's food and drink roundup with an essay on home-grown tomatoes. Having eaten several tomatoes from two wild plants that sprang out of our grass this spring, this interested me. She also tried Tart Cafe in Montrose and makes the PMS sandwich sound yummy, if that's possible. She also mentions the closing of Aries.
Robb Walsh was not too impressed with most of Black Walnut Cafe's offerings, save their gelato. He seemed to like Nelore Churrascaria though. Some of the bH crew tried Nelore recently and found it so so. The price is certainly right, but some of us must have had another local churrascaria on the brain. He also reports on the closing of Aries.
Renee Kientz makes my mouth water with her description of limoncello. The recipe though lists TWO POUNDS of sugar! NOT low-carb friendly.
Peggy Grodinsky doesn't have much up this week, but she does have a small blurb about the waning supplies of Creamy Creations Poteet Strawberry Ice Cream at H-E-B stores and Central Market. This isn't low-carb friendly either, but I'm beginning not to care.
Mary Vuong drives up for some curbside delivery, offered more and more at local eateries.
Ken Hoffman tries Long John Silver's Parmesan Crusted Fish Bites. If someone other than Ken were to tell me about some of the "items" he tries, I'd probably pass. For some reason, he always makes me want to try them. I was THIS close to trying a KFC Famous Bowl a few weeks ago. Scary.
And Lance Scott Walker likes the roominess of the Time Out Ale House.
World Class, all of it!! Enjoy!!
Posted by Callie Markantonis @ 06/22/06 10:36 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (4)
Council boosts HPD cadet classes (finally)
The Chronicle's Matt Stiles reports on yesterday's budget session at Council, where HPD and crime were big topics:
About a quarter of the amendments addressed the budgets for police, fire and ambulance services.
One that passed was a proposal by Councilwoman Anne Clutterbuck to allocate money to train more police officers.
That change would add one police cadet class to the six already in White's plan for next year. The additional class could add as many as 70 officers, part of an effort to rebuild an understaffed force struggling with a recent increase in homicides and other violent crimes.
Seven cadet classes is a good start, but it's not enough given the extent to which the Mayor and his Council have ignored the problem for years. More on that in a moment. But first, let's finish with the Stiles story, and the antics of certain members of Council:
Councilwoman Ada Edwards said she had to "hold her nose" to vote for the additional officers because she doesn't think the city scrutinizes the department's spending thoroughly.
She raised concern about reports in the Houston Chronicle on a police officer who was paid $100,000 in overtime last year, and that dozens of rank-and-file officers earned six-figure incomes. She has demanded a review of staffing.
"This is our most expensive department, and it has no accountability," she said.
Did Councilmember Edwards vote for a police state? Wow. It would probably be tough for her to compromise on principles that way if she could actually remember what she complained about from week to week.
Councilwoman Sue Lovell said the department hasn't done enough to study and explain crime trends — or involve policy makers and their constituents on possible solutions. "My frustration is, I want to be part of the problem solving. Just putting more officers on the street, just for the sake of putting officers in the street, is not going to reduce crime," she said.
Perhaps Councilmember Lovell is the new "police state" critic on Council. It's just astounding that some councilmembers still refuse to acknowledge HPD's manpower shortage. It's even worse with Lovell, since Jay Aiyer schooled her on the topic during their campaign!
Hans Marticiuc, president of the Houston Police Officers' Union, contends that the cadet classes won't solve HPD's manpower woes quickly enough:
With 200-250 officers expected to retire every year, Marticiuc said a drastic recruiting effort is needed — much more than the six academy classes now being planned.
"If we put 350 officers through academy classes, we have a net gain of 100," he said. "It's going to take us 10-15 years to ever catch up to where we need to be."
So much for the police state.
Marticiuc had more to say about the leadership of MayorWhiteChiefHurtt in this story.
BLOGVERSATION: Houblog.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/22/06 09:54 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)
Chronicle: Tilman Fertitta excited about San Antonio property!
In case anyone in Houston cares, Tilman Fertitta (CEO of Landry's Restaurants) is practically gushing over his new restaurant in the Hemisfair tower in San Antonio.
And of course the Houston Hearst daily is right there to chronicle the gushing (pardon the bad pun).
It's really too bad that the reporter (or is that publicist?) didn't interrupt the lovefest to ask Fertitta his opinion on the River Walk versus Buffalo Bayou.
Ah well, why let questions get in the way of promoting a Houston bigwig on the pages of the only news daily.
BLOGVERSATION: Lone Star Times.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/22/06 09:15 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
Houston + Rain + TV reporters = Foolishness
The TVSpy forums noted the latest Houston reporter to act like an idiot during flood coverage, and so has Ken Hoffman:
Let this be a lesson: Channel 2 reporter Mary Benton tripped and fell off a curb as she was walking in water during the big rainstorm Monday.
Reporters tell you not to stand or walk in water, then they do it themselves. Benton was lucky — she just stumbled and wasn't hurt. It could have been an open manhole or something even more dangerous, like a construction ditch or electric company worksite.
Do as those hot dogs say, not as they foolishly do.
I think Benton is one of the best reporters in Houston. Not this time.
Did anyone capture this video? That definitely ought to be YouTubed.
BLOGVERSATION: Isiah Carey's Insite.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/22/06 08:51 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (2)
Chron comments on nine-day-old "news"
Back on June 13, Matt Stiles and Roma Khanna reported that Mayor White was dragging his feet on Michael Bromwich's request for another $1.5 million to continue his investigation of the HPD crime lab.
Today -- nine days later -- the Chronicle editorial board offered an opinion on the news/olds.
Way to be timely!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/22/06 08:37 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
21 June 2006
Latest crime acronym yields 300+ arrests (not thousands)
Remember last week when KHOU-11 excitedly reported on HPD's sweeps of apartments:
Houston police officers have been going undercover for weeks, arresting thousands.
We questioned that figure at the time. As the Chronicle reports today, it wasn't accurate:
A police crackdown that dispersed 100 officers per day to five high-risk apartment complexes has netted more than 300 arrests since the program began earlier this month, authorities said.
"Houston is not safe for criminals, and we're making it much less safe for criminals every single day," Mayor Bill White said Tuesday at a news conference to announce the preliminary results.The Strategic Tactical Operation Program is the latest initiative rolled out by the Houston Police Department to curb rising crime rates in southwest Houston.
"The overall goal of (STOP) is to direct resources where they are most needed; saturate the area; and actively engage in crime suppression, criminal apprehension and the restoration of order," said HPD Capt. M.E. Lentschke .
More than 600 criminal charges were filed since June 2, police said, when the additional contingent of HPD officers began patrolling the targeted apartment communities.
Of course, it wouldn't be Hurtt/White-style crimefighting if it didn't have a goofy acronym.
Maybe the Chronicle should send Mike Tolson out to interview some of the residents of the apartments that HPD has targeted. Those residents would probably appreciate his telling them that all their fears are irrational and that crime is a lot like hemlines and home prices!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/21/06 10:55 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (13)
Crime lab's DNA division gains one-year accreditation
Yesterday, the AP reported that the DNA division of the HPD crime lab is set to reopen after receiving accreditation:
The DNA division of the Houston Police Department's crime lab is set to reopen after being closed for more than three years because of concerns over flawed testing, city officials said.
The department said Tuesday that the DNA facility has been accredited by the American Society of Crime Lab Directors. The accreditation certifies that the lab meets minimum standards and is required by Texas law for labs to process evidence.
The Chronicle reported the news today in a story that closely tracks the AP version, but adds this useful information:
Unlike a traditional accreditation, which can last for up to five years, the certification that HPD received will expire in one year, Keaton said. It was limited because analysts were performing tests only on mock cases — not working with material from actual cases — at the time they were evaluated. A 2003 Texas law prohibits unaccredited labs from processing evidence.
As Laurence Simon wrote, HPD gets to take the training wheels off the crime lab -- but only for a year.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/21/06 10:35 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
Chron editorial board afflicted by summer silliness
The Chronicle's Editorial LiveJournalists have really been cranking out some doozies lately.
You got the sense some summer silliness was getting underway when they recently compared some park space around a muddy bayou to San Antonio's River Walk (by the way, how did Houston's River Walk fare on Monday, with the floods? Does anybody have photos that we can compare with the real River Walk?).
Monday, they invented a new word (reinsurerers), which was amusing to this bloggerer.
And today, they had a double shot of fun. There was an editorial with this headline:
Superfund solution: Private cleanup of a contaminated site in Fifth Ward could provide a national model
Unfortunately, the conclusion is not quite consistent with the headline:
The unique solution proposed for the MDI site won't work everywhere, because not every toxic Superfund site sits upon land valuable enough to pay for its own cleanup.
So, if it's a unique solution that won't work everywhere (because in all honesty, there are probably not many Superfund sites sitting upon land valuable enough to pay for its own cleanup), it's probably incapable of providing a national model! Do any grownups read these things before they are committed to print?
In today's other editorial, the LiveJournalists move on from lecturing the Pope to lecturing Episcopalians:
This is an era when the nation is at war with global terrorists and could be attacked at any time. Many Americans are trapped in poverty and ignorance, and most face an uncertain future. At such a time, the deep national divide and animosity over same-sex unions is unnecessary and inappropriate.
So it is with Episcopalians.
As Matt Bramanti puts it, because we have terrorism and poverty, good old Chron editorial board advice should be substituted for theology and doctrine and icky church stuff! Of course, we suspect that the Editorial LiveJournalists probably think their advice is preferable to that icky church stuff regardless of terrorism and poverty, but why pass up a chance to lecture those wacky believers!
Here's hoping the summer silliness will subside. Soon.
UPDATE (06-22-2006): Matt Bramanti writes that the silliness continues today. A major newspaper should produce much better work than this.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/21/06 09:52 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (1)
Councilwoman Alvarado: What sanctuary policy?
So now a petition drive has begun in an attempt to force a city-wide vote on how HPD should handle illegal immigrants:
Deriding what they call the city's "sanctuary policy," about a dozen members of a group called "Protect Our Citizens" conducted a news conference at City Hall to announce the petition drive for a city charter referendum.
"It is time to send a message to the world that Houston is no longer a safe haven for illegal, criminal aliens," said spokesman Paul O'Finan, a lawyer.
The group also includes Mary Williams, founder of Taxpayers for Accountability, who has been involved in successful citizen-led initiatives including term limits for city politicians and a 2004 measure capping city revenue.
Officers ask people their immigration status only after they have been arrested for some other reason. Police say the understaffed department doesn't have the resources or training to do more.
Except that the understaffed department DOES have the resources to answer repeated dog-barking complaints in Slampo's neighborhood. But I digress.
Officials also say changing the policy could erode the trust officers need to solve crimes in immigrant communities.
Police Chief Harold Hurtt and Mayor Bill White support the current policy.
[snip]
After Tuesday's event, Councilwoman Carol Alvarado dismissed the petition as "pre-election politics," saying the city doesn't offer "sanctuary" to illegal immigrants.
Nice try, Councilwoman. It's General Order 500-5, issued in 1992 by former Police Chief Sam Nuchia. It's a "hands off illegals" policy. Then you add city-funded day labor centers and voilà! You've got an unofficial official sanctuary policy.
"I don't think it makes sense to take our police officers off the streets from chasing real criminals, who are committing real crimes, and send them on some witch hunt," [Alvarado] said.
Guess what! Some of the real criminals, committing real crimes, are here illegally. Really! And by not allowing police officers to do their jobs fully (without the hindrance of a politically correct policy concocted by illegal immigrant activists), the public's safety IS at risk. And we are seeing the fruits of that policy every day.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: What is interesting about some of the advocates of the sanctuary policy (including some bloggers who have just discovered it) is their notion that in the absence of said policy, HPD officers would be running around, out of control, harassing anyone whose skin is brown and trying to deport them. Frankly, that's ludicrous. If that were to happen, it would be because the HPD brass wanted it to happen (unlikely) or because the HPD brass is incompetent (hmm, on second thought, maybe that could happen under Chief Hurtt).
What we could really use is a debate over a directive crafted by a police chief in 1992. If the general order issued by a police chief 14 years ago is the right policy for Houston today, then there's no reason why members of Council can't debate the issue, seek the advice of experts in law enforcement, and produce a similar policy -- or not. I've yet to see a compelling argument why law enforcement should remain handcuffed by a directive issued by an unelected police chief in 1992. We elect a Mayor and Council to make those sorts of decisions. It's time for them to stop ducking this issue, and for the 1992 directive to be replaced by a real policy crafted by our elected officials after appropriate public input.
PREVIOUSLY: Mayor White: What sanctuary policy?, Gordon Quan: What sanctuary policy?
BLOGVERSATION: Lone Star Times, Newswatch: Immigration, Polimom, Too.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/21/06 08:39 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (5)
Marvin goes in for maintenance
KTRK-13's Marvin Zindler recently went in for some touch-up work:
We received lots of calls from well-wishers through our switchboard on Monday, asking how Marvin's doing. We wanted to let you know he's doing fine, and thank you for your inquiries.
For those of you who haven't heard, Marvin had another yes, another - face lift. Before Marvin underwent some maintenance work at St. Luke's Hospital early Monday morning, he talked about why he's going through this for the 16th time."He's going to press out some wrinkles," Marvin said of his plastic surgeon. "I don't know if you know what pressing out wrinkles is, but when you put your shirt in a washing machine and get it out it's all wrinkled and you got to press it. Well, that's what he's going to do to my face. After 85 years old and on the air, I think it's time to have my face pressed."
We even had people inquiring about Marvin's hair piece. And yes, his white wig stayed on through the whole surgery.
Marvin Zindler is difficult to explain to out-of-towners.
Here's wishing him and his neatly pressed face a quick recovery. There are roaches and slime that need to be dealt with, after all!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/21/06 07:26 AM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (3)
20 June 2006
Chronicle: City's homicides are like hemlines and home prices!
The Chronicle's Mike Tolson penned a weekend article that uses "experts" to suggest rather strongly that growing public concern over rising violent crime (as measured in recent polling) is irrational. Here is one of Tolson's experts:
Criminologists and sociologists who specialize in crime say parsing statistics for explanations of public fear of or perceptions about crime is pointless. The public is more likely responding from a general feeling, something lingering in the subconscious, they say, than with cold, numerical logic.
"I'm not convinced that the public is generally aware of crime-rate trends," said Dennis Longmire, a criminology professor at Sam Houston State University's Criminal Justice Center. "And I'm not convinced they are swayed in their attitudes toward crime based on news about crime rates and such. People would like to think that they are, but I think it is more visceral and emotional than rational."
If Professor Longmire means to say that crime rates are not the only explanatory factor for growing public concern over crime in Houston, then that's a reasonable position (since multiple variables are likely involved). However, if he means to suggest that rising violent crime rates and media coverage of rising crime rates (and, lately, HPD's manpower shortage) are not important independent variables, he and/or Tolson need to provide justification for that position beyond the notion that the Professor is "not convinced."
Here is Tolson's conclusion to what seems more like an editorial admonition not to worry than objective reporting:
In 1985, Houston recorded 459 murders, which was encouraging because just a few years before, the total topped 700. Two decades later, a more populous city has three-quarters of that total and is alarmed.
With crime, like hemlines and home prices, bad news often is in the eye of the beholder.
The rise in murders is a documented fact, and not simply in the "eye of the beholder." Indeed, the reporter seems to concede as much in his sixth paragraph, before the story is framed by the reporter's quotes from "experts." Needless to say, the conclusion comparing homicides to hemlines and home prices showed poor taste, even for the Chronicle.
Maybe Chief Hurtt sent a Fear Reduction Initiative psychologist over to visit this reporter. That's at least one explanation for this "Don't worry" editorial posing as a news story.
Still, if you follow Chief Hurtt's advice -- don't involve yourself in particular behavior (like getting mugged or killed?), don't go out at night, and stay off certain streets -- you'll probably be fine! And even if you think you won't be fine, don't worry -- according to reporter/editorialist Mike Tolson and his experts, you're probably just being irrational!
ANNE LINEHAN ADDS: In addition to the problems with the story Kevin points out, I'd like to add this:
Recent months have seen a handful of well-chronicled atrocities: the aggravated sexual assault of a teenager in Spring in which two skinheads have been charged; an engaged couple's slaying inside their West End townhome; the shooting death of two Bellaire High School students in separate incidents; and the killing of an elderly Pasadena woman — allegedly by a trio of hurricane evacuees she had befriended.
Nice.
The Chronicle has routinely not labeled minorities when reporting crimes. In fact, Chron Reader Representative James Campbell said that NOT reporting race is more practical.
The question is why is it okay to describe white guys with a highly inflammatory label such as "skinhead"? Does the Chronicle know for sure they ARE skinheads? I mean, we can infer they are, but is that enough? Would that be enough if the suspects were black or brown? The Chron (and media outlets in general) are routinely loathe to identify race if the suspect is a minority. And the media are VERY loathe to use any further descriptions that might identify a group the suspect is a part of. For example, when that teen was killed in Chew Park, the Chron didn't mention that he was a member of MS-13.
And for any reading-challenged yahoos out there who think I am defending the Spring suspects, smack that idea right out of your head. I'm not. I am criticizing the way the media report these things.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/20/06 10:07 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (5)
Fired TSU president honored at Juneteenth event
The Chronicle's Leigh Hopper reports that fired university administrator and alleged thief Priscilla Slade was recognized at a prestigious Jones Hall event on Sunday:
Eleven days after being fired from Texas Southern University for misspending school money, former TSU President Priscilla Slade received a standing ovation and burst into song at a Juneteenth celebration Sunday night at Jones Hall.
"When a person is having problems, that's when you pick her up," state Rep. Al Edwards, told the crowd of about 2,000.Earlier in the evening, he explained the decision to honor Slade for her work on behalf of TSU at the event: "When she took over, that university couldn't do a thing. You recognize folks for what good they've done."
[snip]
The honoring of Slade capped off the event and seemed designed to launch her on a career as a gospel singer. She sang a bit of what one bystander said was a hymn more commonly heard at funerals, My Living Won't Be in Vain.
Some in the audience said Slade deserved the recognition.
"She's in a very high position and she needs to be honored," said Tunisia Wolridge, a Houston resident.
Others seemed perplexed by the choice.
Frank Walker, whose wife took him to the celebration for Father's Day, said he glanced at the program and was surprised to see Slade's name: "When I first looked at it, I said, 'Hmmm.' "
"Hmmm" probably isn't a strong enough reaction, but it's a start.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/20/06 09:57 AM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (11)
The worst is over as the cleanup begins
The Chronicle's Eric Berger has the latest information on our weather and recovery:
The good news, Blood said, is that the storms appear to be moving and not stalling over a single area to provide significant localized flooding.
In many areas, life was beginning to normalize. The Houston Independent School District will open for normal summer-school classes today except for Hartman Middle School, 7111 Westover in southeast Houston, where there is water remaining today from Monday's storms.
Pasadena ISD schools will also be open, district officials said.
Metropolitan Transit Authority buses and MetroRail were operating on their normal routes and schedules this morning, and the Travis Street entrance to the North Freeway HOV lane has reopened after being closed Monday by high water, said Metro spokeswoman Raequel Roberts.
The Houston TranStar traffic control center reported area freeways running smoothly at 6 a.m. except for a segment of the Katy Freeway at the West Loop where a 4-vehicle accident had shut down the inbound lanes. The wreck had recently been cleared.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/20/06 08:51 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
Metro regularly procrastinates on public information act requests
Tom Bazan comments here on Metro's reticence in responding to TXPIA requests. He notes that his latest request had a deadline of last Friday and since he hadn't received any response to his request (standard operating procedure for Metro), he sent a follow-up email yesterday to Paula Alexander, Metro's General Counsel, wondering where the information was. According to Tom, she replied that the heavy rains had created a staffing shortage at Metro and the required response would be delayed.
See what can happen when one puts things off?
Just about the only reason we have ANY transparency at all at Metro is because of Tom's relentless pursuit of what should be regularly disclosed public information. As governmental bodies go, Metro is rather secretive, whenever it can get away with it. And considering how much taxpayer money flows into Metro, that lack of transparency is bad news for local citizens.
It also means that Tom is regularly vilified by the pro-rail crowd, along with Rep. John Culberson.
RELATED: State of Texas Public Information Act Penalties and Remedies
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/20/06 08:31 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (3)
19 June 2006
Update on HISD schools and transportation
HISD's press office has sent out the following information:
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/19/06 06:04 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
Is $AFEclear in effect today? (updated)
From a Chronicle story on this morning's flooding:
Wrecker driver Arturo Maldonado of SOS Collision and Towing Service reported that he had towed at least 20 vehicles stranded on I-10 East. "When it's flooding like this,'' he said, "it's a lot busy. It's my job.''
Among those Maldonado assisted was his own wife, whose auto had gotten stuck in high water.
Does SAFEclear continue on an abnormal day like today? KTRH-740 just had a report about cars being towed, and the reporter said that the stranded cars are so thick on highways, tow truck drivers are not waiting for calls. They are pulling cars off the road. The reporter said that comes with a steep bill -- $130 in city fees.
A waiving of fees related to forced SAFEclear tows would seem to be in order today.
UPDATE (6-20-2006): Apparently there's some confusion as to the intent of my post. I am not suggesting that tow truck drivers should work for free or that all tows should be free. Instead, I was wondering if, on a highly abnormal day like yesterday, the SAFEclear rules could be set aside, going back to the pre-SAFEclear situation where people had a bit more time to get themselves off the side of the road. Or call for a tow truck, but citizens would do it on their own. And that's only if they were already on the shoulder and not blocking the road.
This analogy isn't perfect, but it would be similar to fining homeowners for trash left in front of their homes because the city's trash trucks couldn't get through. You know, kinda like this.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/19/06 05:05 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (1)
Chief Lambert: When a crime is reported, we'll rewind the tape
Last week Metro's board voted on a contract for security cameras at its Park and Pillage lots, about 1 1/2 years after Metro Police Chief Tom Lambert admitted he needed to find some technology. Today Rad Sallee has more:
When the Metropolitan Transit Authority canceled its security guard contract for Park & Ride lots in January 2005, it replaced the on-site guards with roving Metro police and a promise to add surveillance cameras.
Now those officers are about to get that long-awaited helping hand. The Metro board voted last week to buy a $20 million wireless system for video surveillance and traffic signal control.
It will enable one officer in the Houston TranStar traffic control center to monitor activity at 25 Park & Ride lots and the Hillcroft Transit Center, said Erik Oistad, Metro vice president for information technology.
[snip]
The board watched a demonstration video shot at the Downtown Transit Center. Oistad said the software was programmed to alert the viewer if any of three things happened: a vehicle smaller than a bus parking in the bus bay, a pedestrian entering the area reserved for buses, or an object being left on the loading dock for more than 30 seconds.
In the demonstration, a Metro officer drove his patrol car into the bay, strolled across the driveway to the dock and left a package. "Gotcha," Oistad said, as the computer drew a red square around each occurrence.
Okay, here's where it gets good:
Some board members were skeptical.
"It seems like we're putting a $20 million system on one clerk," Jackie Freeman said.
"The effectiveness of the system is primarily going to be riding on your ability to program it for these incidents," he said. "Give me an example of how you would program it for a guy asking to borrow a cell phone and then taking off with it."
Metro Police Chief Tom Lambert replied that in such a case, the victim would report the theft on one of the blue phones and police would scroll back the video, which he said yields "evidence quality" images from up to 300 feet.
"If we knew a person was in a blue Mercedes-Benz 280, we could go back and find the license plate number," Lambert said. The system also enables the gates to the lot to be locked remotely, he said.
Now that's some pro-active law enforcement! Who needs the deterrent of an actual security guard when you can have one guy watching a security camera feed at Transtar? And don't forget that last year Metro reminded its customers they can arm themselves (with a concealed carry permit, of course).
I am convinced Chief Lambert and Chief Hurtt meet for breakfast every morning.
(BTW, when Metro first pulled security guards from the Park and Pillage lots, Metro police Captain Mike Raney said that a new video surveillance system would cost about $2 million to install, cost little after that, and would be installed last summer. That worked out well.)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/19/06 03:45 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)
Police union criticizes HPD leadership
This is interesting: the decision by MayorWhiteChiefHurtt to target apartment complexes in southwest Houston with an increased police presence has drawn criticism from Houston Police Officers Union President Hans Marticiuc:
Since late 2005, the leadership of the HPOU has been virtually ignored on nearly each and every personnel issue and concern that we have brought forward to Chief Hurtt.
On December 2, 2005, I put together a Management Competency survey for the membership, but had decided to stand down until the timing and the issues were the right ones.
The final straw came with management’s rush to implement this apartment homicide overtime program. The program’s complete exaggeration of urgency (for political purposes), has finally broke the camels back. We are not critical of the purpose of the overall plan, however, the process itself is rife with problems.
This unnecessary (other than for political purposes) timetable, with absolutely no consideration for the needs of the officers that have been ordered to work -- no time to prepare or make arrangements for family matters, child care, and other personal business-- demonstrates once again that this Chief and some Command Staff members are completely out of touch with the real world of policing and police officers.
The competency survey will be mailed out within the next day or so and I urge each and every one of you to respond and get it back to us within a timely manner.
We have wondered more than once about HPD's leadership and it appears we aren't the only ones. We have wondered about Chief Hurtt's focus on Tasers and Taser cams, red light cameras, surveillance cameras, a public safety tax, shiny new badges, criminal jaywalkers, a (don't say quota) productivity policy, and a civilian traffic patrol.
Everything it seems but more police officers, until the problem reached critical mass.
Well, HPD has issued a response to the HPOU:
The safety of the public is the Houston Police Department's hghest [sic] priority. As such, HPD has continued to be responsive to public safety needs by constantly monitoring crime trends and distributing police resources to areas requiring immediate attention. It is no secret that homicide and violent crime issues have continued to be an area of concern for HPD and public at large [sic], particularly in the southwest area of Houston.
As an example, one police district, which has been targeted for additional deployment, has experienced 19 murders since January as compared to nine for the same period last year. The department cannot think of a matter more urgent than the loss of human life. It is our duty to act quickly and decisively to protect our citizens from the violent acts of others. We have responded with a measured, well-defined undercover and uniformed strategy to the complex and far-ranging crime problems in southwest Houston. More details regarding the department's additional violent crime initiatives will be released early next week.
The Houston Police Officers Union doesn't agree with the urgency on this issue and has announced that it plans to issue a management competency survey based on recent decisions by the department to implement several overtime initiatives.
That's unfortunate, but HPD remains committed to the safety of the public as our No. 1 job.
We await the survey results.
FURTHER HPD READING: Police Story (Slampo)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/19/06 11:01 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (13)
Put your hip waders on (updated)
The Houston area got hammered this morning, with ten inches of rain in some places. The Chronicle has an multiple-source story that gives a good rundown of what's going on (or not going on, as it were):
Heavy rains reated a nightmare commute for Houston-area residents early today, flooding major roadways and threatening some homes.
As much as 10.5 inches of rain was reported by the heart of the morning commute today, said Rusty Cornelius, administrative coordinator for Harris County Emergency Management. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for Houston and Galveston counties until 10 a.m.
The Houston Area Red Cross has opened a shelter at the Channel View High School and a spokeswoman said the agency is looking at opening additional shelters on the East Side.
The worst problems were reported in southeast Houston and western Pasadena. The National Weather Service reported that almost 6 inches of rain fell within 75 minutes early today near Hobby Airport. The weather service also estimated 5 to 8 inches of rain fell in three hours along Sims Bayou in southeast Houston.
Laurence Simon emailed this morning that he had a very fun commute into work, and it should come as a surprise to no one that Metro's "transit backbone" is experiencing a hiccup:
METRORail is running between Smithlands and UH-Downtown, but not from the Fannin South Park & Ride lot and Reliant platform due to flooding at Loop 610 and Fannin.
And KHOU-11's News Blog has a long list of schools that will not be open today.
UPDATE: Isiah Carey reports that Mayor White is assessing the situation from an HPD helicopter.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/19/06 10:40 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)
How much does volunteer work cost? About $150,000 a year
Over at Houblog, Ubu Roi has begun doing serious public service work by attempting to translate City Council agendas. There really ought to be a dictionary to help decipher some agenda items. Plain English, anyone?
Item number 59 is especially helpful to understanding the mindset of government folks:
59. ORDINANCE approving and authorizing contract between the City of Houston and HOUSTON CLEAN CITY COMMISSION, INC d/b/a KEEP HOUSTON BEAUTIFUL for Volunteer Cleanup Services of City Neighborhood Lots for the Houston Police Department; providing a maximum contract amount - 3 Years - $450,000.00 - General Fund TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS WISEMAN, HOLM and JOHNSON This was Item 22 on Agenda of June 14, 2006
Ubu's translation:
Well, I guess it counts as a volunteer effort if we’re paying some do-gooder organization with a swank Greenway Plaza address, instead of the people doing the actual clean up.
Ha! Yeah, volunteer work doesn't come cheap, you know!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/19/06 07:28 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (11)
18 June 2006
Chron overlooks Houston Press Club awards
In the latest installment of Hairballs, Richard Connelly relates the amusing tale of the Houston Press Club's "Lone Star Awards":
The Houston Press Club handed out its Lone Star Awards June 3, but what was supposed to be a banner event turned into something of a farce, at least for print publications.
Several years ago the HPC boldly announced it was expanding its contest to include papers from all over the state, not just Houston. This was intended to create a little competition in categories like "Breaking News, circulation over 100,000," which was pretty much limited to the Houston Chronicle. (Although no one will forget the 2000 contest, when the Chron took second and third place -- and no one was deemed worthy of a first-place award.)
Okay, I have to pause there because that's pretty darn funny!
Connelly continues:
The HPC's move to open up competition has hit some snags, due to both self-inflicted wounds and the apparently prevalent attitude that the Lone Star Awards are no big deal.
Only two large newspapers entered this year: the Houston Press and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. (The Bloomberg wire service also entered.) This may not be shocking to the average reader, but you've got to understand that journalism contests are an obsession to most media outlets. Having no one enter is like taking a bag of rocks to Cracktown and hearing "No thanks, I'm good."
You know a contest is poorly run if you can't get the hometown daily to enter.
"We didn't decide not to enter it," Chron managing editor John Wilburn says. "I have a vague recollection of someone saying, 'Oh, it's the deadline for the Houston Press Club,' and it was a busy day and we went, 'Oh, let's think about it later,' and it got away."
Well, a Lone Star Award probably isn't quite as prestigious as a Pulitzer...
What's really sad is that two Chronicle editors are listed as being on the 2005 HPC Board of Directors.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/18/06 08:16 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (2)
17 June 2006
Costs skyrocket for illegal immigrant health care
Yesterday KTRH-740 reported that Harris County taxpayers paid $97 million in health care costs for illegal immigrants last year:
KTRH has learned the Harris County Hospital District is shelling out millions of dollars every year to treat people who are here in this country illegally.
When you subtract what patients paid for hospital district services, and money from federal grants and other sources, $97.3 million dollars is what the local property taxpayer subsidized the district budget for undocumented immigrant care in 2005. That's 14 percent of the entire hospital system's operating budget.
Today the Chronicle has more:
Commissioner Steve Radack, who requested the report on the district's costs of treating undocumented immigrants, said county residents are shouldering a burden created by the federal government.
The federal government doesn't prevent illegal immigration, but hardly reimburses local counties where the immigrants most frequently settle and use public health care facilities, he said.
"The federal government allows people to come here illegally," Radack said. "Because of that the cost shouldn't fall on the local taxpayer."
The district treated more than 57,000 illegal immigrants last year, at a cost of $128 million. The federal and state governments reimbursed about $28 million, and the patients themselves paid about $3 million. Over the past 11 years, the district has paid about $607 million in unreimbursed costs for treating undocumented immigrants.
The district does not directly ask patients if they are in the country legally, but infers their status from other information gleaned during patient screenings, officials said.
And this is only for the county hospitals. Chris Baker was discussing this yesterday and one of his callers identified herself as an employee of a private, fourteen-hospital group here in the Houston area. She said they routinely write off anywhere from 40 to 60 surgeries each week, because the patients are here illegally and are unable to pay. She said the paperwork will often have Social Security numbers such as 111-11-1111, or 999-99-9999, and bogus addresses, but since hospitals are prohibited from turning anyone away, there is nothing they can do about it.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/17/06 06:25 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)
Brain drain: Sarnoff leaving Chronicle
Matt Bramanti passes along word that real-estate columnist Nancy Sarnoff is leaving the Chronicle.
Actually, Friday was apparently her last day.
That's a big loss for the Chronicle. Sarnoff's columns were well-written and informative. Here's wishing her well in her new endeavor.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/17/06 10:38 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (4)
16 June 2006
Baker blog debuts
The Chris Baker blog seems to be live now on the KTRH-740 website.
At this point, it seems to be more of a current events page than a blog, but these are early days. Here's hoping that permalinks and comments and heavy hyperlinking and RSS feeds and other blog goodies eventually find their way onto the KTRH site. For that matter, RSS feeds for the news headlines would be a nice addition!
Should the KTRH folks need any blog tech advice, I can think of one sure source.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/16/06 02:30 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (14)
White to Calgary: Want some Katrina refugees?
Lou Minatti calls our attention to Mayor White's offer to our friends in the Calgary oilpatch:
During a speech at the Global Petroleum Show yesterday, Houston Mayor Bill White said Alberta should look to his city to cope with severe labour shortages.
According to Alberta Human Resources and Employment, 400,000 jobs will be created across the province during the next decade, but there are only about 300,000 new workers expected to enter the workforce.
Coincidentally, White said about 100,000 people living in Houston were left homeless by hurricane Katrina and many of them are looking for work.
"There is a labour pool in Houston," said White.
"I'm not saying they're all model employees ... but I tell you what, there are a lot of people just looking to get back on their feet again."
I expect our friends in Calgary politely to decline Mayor White's offer.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/16/06 02:19 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
15 June 2006
No housing bubble in Houston
The Houston Business Journal reports that Houston housing prices continue to set records:
Houston home prices broke records in May, with the average single-family home price surpassing the $200,000 mark for the first time.
The average single-family home price for May was $204,005, up 8.2 percent over last year, according to statistics from the Houston Association of Realtors.
The median price -- which is the typical market price where half of the homes sold for more and half of the home sold for less than that figure -- also reached an all-time record of $152,000, up 5.6 percent from last year.
Houston's current median price of $152,000, while a record for the Houston market, is 31.7 percent less than the national median price, which reached $222,700 in April, according to statistics from the National Association of Realtors.
"While the rest of the country is talking about bubbles deflating, we continue to reach new heights in the Greater Houston real estate market," says Lorraine Abercrombie, HAR Chair and marketing director for Greenwood King Properties. "We know that for most people a home is their largest investment, so while we help them achieve their housing dreams, it is also good to know their investment will prove to gain value in the future. These numbers are definitely good news for our area."
Ms. Abercrombie did not add, "And the numbers are DEFINITELY good for realtors!"
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/15/06 09:08 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (6)
Mayor White's had it with crime
Yes, he has. And five apartment complexes in southwest Houston are going to see an influx of HPD officers:
When you look at the overall crime picture in the city, one-fourth of all the serious crime -- the rapes, murders, aggravated assaults and robberies -- occur in southwest Houston.
The Houston Police Department has beefed up its patrol in the area, but starting this weekend, the mayor has plans to take it one step further.
“I am pretty excited about it. There has been a lot of work that is gone into it in the last several weeks,” Mayor White said. “We haven’t been talking about it because its success depends on catching bad guys in some of these apartment complexes flat-footed.”
Houston police officers have been going undercover for weeks, arresting thousands.
But starting this weekend, the mayor and chief will unveil an unprecedented show of force at five southwest Houston apartment complexes: one in the 3700 block of Hillcroft, 8000 block of Creekbend, and in the 8100, 8900 and 10700 blocks of Fondren.
“I told the chief to use whatever amount of force is necessary, because districts 17, 18 and 19 -- the crime stats are still unacceptable,” Mayor White said.
Each of the five complexes will have at least 10 uniformed HPD officers present 24 hours a day, something that has never been done here.
You'd think that if that bolded sentence were true, we would have heard about that before now. HPD has been arresting thousands???
The problem is that HPD is understaffed, which means any concentrated effort in one area is going to take officers away from another area; for example, the carjacking that left a toddler dead two nights ago happened in northeast Houston, and a father was killed in front of his son in north Houston this morning. Still, residents of southwest Houston will no doubt be grateful for the increased police presence.
It's unclear if Mayor White ran his plan by Councilwoman Ada Edwards first. You'll recall in February she said putting more officers on the street would turn Houston into a "police state."
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: Thousands?! In a few weeks! That is really impressive. And it surely must be true (and not simply spin), since the mainstream media have fact checkers and editors to verify such matters. Right?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/15/06 06:31 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (8)
14 June 2006
KHOU: Downtown motorists wrongly ticketed
KHOU-11's Carolyn Campbell reports on some overly zealous parking-meter enforcement downtown:
The Astros loss to the Braves Saturday was bad enough, but when longtime fan and season ticket holder, Nancy Barlow got to her car things only got worse.
That’s because she was given a ticket.
According to the citation, the parking meter had expired.
But Barlow claims she’s innocent.
She said she specifically paid for an hour of parking from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and the sign indicates there’s no charge for parking after 4.
Her ticket was issued at 4:15.
“I think it’s, in a way a city scam.. banking on the fact that people will send $25 in and forget about it,” said Barlow.
The Astros fan said there were at least 10 other cars belonging to fans parked along this street at the same meter.
She said all of them also had been ticketed.
“Ten saturday games they’re making $2500 dollars on parking tickets that are given out when you’re parking space is valid,” said Barlow.
If she has to, Barlow said she’ll fight her ticket, but she believes in this case, the city should allow her to handle the matter by phone.
“.... and I don’t think people stand up and I don’t think they go to court for something like this because of the hassle,” Barlow said.
So, instead of being taken to the ball game, Barlow believes she’s been taken by the city’s parking division.
The Assistant Director of Parking Managment for the city said the parking ticket was a mistake.
Wasn't Mayor White's grand new parking authority supposed to solve problems with downtown parking?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/14/06 10:12 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
Public safety has to be priority #1; when will it be?
When Chief Hurtt said this the other day:
"Overall in the city of Houston, you're pretty safe," says Hurtt. "If you're not involved in specific types of behavior, not out on the streets at particular times of night and particular areas of the city, you have a pretty good chance of not becoming a victim of violent crime in the city of Houston."
...he had no way of knowing how sadly prophetic his words would be:
A young girl is dead after two men who carjacked her parents ran over her, officials told KPRC Local 2.
Officials said the family stopped at a car wash in the 8300 block of Jensen Drive near Sadler Street at about 10:50 p.m. Tuesday to use a telephone.
"While the father was out using the pay phone, two black males approached him and demanded money from the father and the mother," Sgt. C.W. Howard said. "They were unable to produce any money, so the suspects then decided to take their vehicle."
The men pulled the four children, between the ages of 2 and 6, out of the vehicle quickly.
"They brutally pulled these kids and threw them out onto the pavement of the car wash," Sgt. David Crain said.
Investigators said Stephanie Garcia was in front of the vehicle when the men took off.
Unfortunately for the Garcia family, they were unable to follow the chief's safety recommendations to avoid being victims of a violent crime:
The victim's uncle said the family doesn't have a phone at home, and little Stephanie Garcia's father wanted to check on his mother, who is in a Houston hospital. The family lives near the car wash.
[snip]
"They told me my little sister was dead," 5-year-old Jennifer Garcia told 11 News. She believes her baby sister is now with the angels.
What a heartbreaking story.
We've said it before and Bill F reiterated it again the other day: the most important priority of city government must be public safety. Not wi-fi, or $10,000 parking meters, or African-American museums, or pretty downtown parks. Public safety, meaning police and fire.
Mayor White has not made public safety his top priority, unless it involves pollution, Chief Hurtt is only interested in the latest technological gadgets (i.e. red light cameras, surveillance cameras and taser cams), and the majority of city councilmembers don't have the you-know-whats to stand up to either of them.
In further depressing public safety news, KHOU-11 reports that thousands of violent parolees are unaccounted for in Harris County.
Lock your doors and sleep tight.
RELATED: HPD news release and composite sketches
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/14/06 09:24 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
The first rumblings of a Richmond-line lawsuit
The Harris County Metropolitan Transit Authority may face a lawsuit over its plan to expand light rail to the west side of Houston.
At issue is a long-running debate over whether the line should be built on Richmond Avenue or Westpark Boulevard.
This week, attorney Andy Taylor asked Metro for copies of a study which may prove the transit authority initially intended to build the line down Westpark, then changed plans. A coalition that opposes Richmond rail believes that a 2003 referendum approved by voters calls for the line to be built on Westpark.
We can guess that Mayor White and Metro officials had hoped this all would have died down by now, but as long as they persist in their desire to keep Richmond Avenue on the table, calls for a new vote will not go away.
Again, let's recall the words of former Metro Chairman Arthur Schechter:
Voters will be able to hold Metro accountable throughout the process because they will have the opportunity to vote to continue funding based on their experience with Metro Solutions up to that point.
Either put the line down Westpark or get voter approval for Richmond.
Also, Tom Bazan has been attempting to get a copy of Metro's Westpark Transit Corridor Planning Study (which was completed last year), so far without luck. But we have faith that his persistence will pay off! Keep us posted, Tom.
RELATED: Laurence Simon
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/14/06 10:34 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (7)
Gordon Quan: What sanctuary policy?
In today's Chronicle, former Councilman Gordon Quan takes exception to the notion that Houston is a "sanctuary" city:
THE characterization of Houston as a "sanctuary city" by Shelley Sekula-Gibbs was wrong. Houston has never — by ordinance, resolution or executive order — forbade its employees from cooperating with federal officials charged with immigration enforcement.
That's rather nit-picky of Quan. No, Houston is not an OFFICIAL sanctuary city. Rather, Houston has an unofficial sanctuary policy, as determined by General Order 500-5, issued by former Police Chief Sam Nuchia in 1992:
Maria Jimenez, a veteran immigrant-rights activist in Houston, told the council the "hands-off" order, which was issued in 1992 by then-Police Chief Sam Nuchia, was necessary because it was a public safety issue.
Right.
PREVIOUSLY: Mayor White: What sanctuary policy?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/14/06 09:48 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (11)
Councilwoman Lovell lashes out at HISD for gang killing
I can't find the story online, but last night KPRC-2 highlighted a bizarre outburst by Councilwoman Sue Lovell directed at HISD. She's decided to lay some blame for last week's gang melee and killing at Chew Park on HISD, saying that administrators at Lamar High School should have known there was a gang problem and that something was brewing. (I'm going off memory, but it was along those lines.)
KPRC did include a response from HISD that said the teenager who was killed didn't go to Lamar and the girl who is accused of the killing had only recently started attending the school.
If Councilwoman Lovell wants to constructively address what has become a big problem, she should start here, move on to here, and end up here...
...although lashing out at HISD is easier than taking on MayorWhiteChiefHurtt.
RELATED: Houston's Public Safety Crisis (Jay Aiyer)
UPDATE: KPRC now has the story posted.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/14/06 09:19 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (9)
Metro board to discuss Park and Pillage security cams
Remember last year when Metro stopped employing security staff at Park and Rides, thereby allowing Park and Rides to turn into Park and Pillages? And remember how Metro Police Chief Tom Lambert admitted he had learned a lesson (even though he said he anticipated an increase in crime) and was going to hunt up some technology to provide security?
Well, it's more than a year later and here's what's on the agenda for Metro's board meeting tomorrow:
Operations Committee Meeting Agenda
Thursday, June 15, 2006 - 10:15 A.M.
1900 Main - Board Room - 2nd Floor1. Committee Chair Report
2. Authorization for the President & CEO to negotiate, execute and deliver a contract for the implementation of METRONet Phase 3B and 4: Video Surveillance for 26 Park & Ride/Transit Centers, and wireless connectivity to 156 CMAQ traffic intersections
Lambert should have consulted with Laurence Simon last year.
PREVIOUSLY: Beware tailgate thievery at Park and Pillages, Metro arrests Park and Pillage burglars, Thieves target park and ride customers
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/14/06 07:30 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (0)
13 June 2006
Editorial Livejournalists suffer Riverwalk envy
The Chronicle's Editorial LiveJournalists seem to have gotten a little too much sun. Here's their conclusion to a utopian editorial about the splendor of Buffalo Bayou (still a muddy, nasty little creek-like thing last time we checked):
San Antonio residents are debating a proposal to limit the number of chain restaurants that can share in the multibillion-dollar bounty that attends the small artificial channel that runs through their downtown. Houston's bayou is much more attractive. When its beautification and development is complete, perhaps it will be as well-attended as the Riverwalk.
Umm, no and no.
UPDATE (06-14-2006): Tom Barton posts some illustrative photos.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/13/06 11:12 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (8)
Bromwich requests another $1.5 million for crime lab probe
Michael Bromwich, the independent investigator looking into problems with the HPD crime lab, is asking the city for another $1.5 million to complete his investigation, Matt Stiles reports. Mayor White and Councilmember Garcia seem to be resisting:
White said he would have to study the details before deciding whether to recommend the additional funding. He said was concerned about the process costing more than originally estimated.
“We do need to make sure that we look at any case where the evidence behind a conviction may be in doubt,” he said. “I hate to spend any money on anything that we don’t need to.”
[snip]
Councilman Adrian Garcia, a former police officer who chairs the committee, said he wants to see the work completed within the current budget. “I want to find out what needs to happen to resolve this,” he said.
Councilmembers Alvarado and Lovell have endorsed the funding:
Councilwoman Carol Alvarado said she supports paying the extra money. She said the city should pay whatever is necessary to ferret out what she repeatedly called “intentional scientific fraud” by some lab employees.
“I would hope that what was in this last report is helpful in getting council members to support the money,” she said. “This has been very frustrating for me because a long time ago I said, ‘I’m not going to rest until somebody’s head is on a platter.’ And we still have not been able to pinpoint anyone and hold them accountable.”
Councilwoman Sue Lovell agreed.
“We have a moral obligation,” she said. “There needs to be an exhaustive investigation.”
Councilmember Lovell makes a good point. Councilmember Alvarado, on the other hand, seems not to understand that the question of the intent of some of the analysts is what remains to be investigated. Stating that there has been "intentional scientific fraud" simply isn't supported by the investigation's results to date, and is irresponsible.
Houblog makes a very compelling case for the city to spend the money to complete Bromwich's investigation.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/13/06 11:01 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
Council committee works on graffiti proposal
KTRH-740 reports that City Council may soon be voting to toughen the city's graffiti ordinances:
The proposal requires property owners to remove graffiti within 10 days of being notified of its existence. City officials say that property owners will not necessarily have to foot the clean-up bill since Houston has set aside $400,000 in next year's budget for graffiti removal.
Some other aspects of the plan are raising eyebrows, however. If the plan passes, kids under 17 would not be allowed to buy items like spray paint, broad-tipped permanent markers, or paint sticks without the written consent of a parent or guardian. It would also be illegal for anyone to possess graffiti-making materials within 50 feet of a public building or for minors to have those items on school property.
Council Member Ada Edwards says she wonders if the city will start issuing tickets to kids "who forget to bring their note from Mom," if they carry permanent markers to school.
Was there ever a time when Councilmember Edwards contributed constructively to council debate, instead of just spouting off with quips? At least she didn't call Houston a police state again.
As the proposals go, the 10-day requirement seems like a winner. When I've reported graffiti problems to 311, the turnaround time has typically been 45 or so days. That's way too long.
UPDATE (06-14-2006): Alexis Grant reports in more detail on the proposal for the Chronicle.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/13/06 10:46 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
Visitors to airports website get a surprise
KPRC-2 reports that visitors to the Houston Airports website got a surprise earlier today:
The Houston Airport System redirected to an adults-only Web site for a few hours Monday.
The Web site www.fly2houston.com, owned by the city of Houston, is designed to be an information source for fliers.
"I don't know what happened to the site," Houston Airport System spokesperson Marlene McClinton said.
People who visited the site for a few hours on Monday were redirected to an adults-only Web site, owned by a producer and talent scout for Playboy.
"Of course, we apologize to anyone who was inconvenienced," McClinton said. "We are beginning an investigation to see exactly what happened technically."
Outstanding! Houston is well-known for its gentlemen's clubs, after all. Maybe somebody at the airport just decided to promote the flesh industry a bit!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/13/06 10:34 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (8)
The new Hearst mothership does not resemble 801 Texas Avenue
Apparently the death of newspapers (or at least Hearst ones) has been greatly exaggerated, judging from the organization's fancy new headquarters.
As both Slampo and Banjo Jones pointed out recently, the New York Times referred to the new digs as a Xanadu in Manhattan:
While it is not exactly Xanadu, Hearst Tower is certainly a major upgrade for many of the company's rank and file. With its soaring entry and French Balzac limestone lobby floor, the building sets a Four Seasons tone for a magazine business that rivals have viewed as more of a Sheraton.
"I've always felt that that is not fair," Ms. Black said. "What I do believe is fair is we've been a very profit-driven company forever. But there's a big difference between being profit-driven and being cheap."
Regardless, the company's image seems certain to change. The complex, designed by Norman Foster, features a 168-seat theater with top-end acoustics, a shimmering crystal waterfall, and Café 57, a staff commissary clearly intended to vie with Condé Nast's renowned cafeteria. (In a nod to the past, the company has also rebuilt the Good Housekeeping dining room from the former building.)
The building has a gymnasium with fancy Italian equipment, which both supplies and launders workout clothes for employees. "I have to say that it's a lot more luxe than I expected," said David Granger, the editor of Esquire, whose staff is among 700 employees who have moved in as of last week.
One Dean Singleton makes an appearance in the New York Times story as a beneficiary of a Hearst Corporation seemingly flush with cash. As Slampo points out, Singleton was the key player in shutting down the Houston Post for Hearst, turning Houston into the one-bad-newspaper town it is today.
We wonder what the local Hearst folks at 801 Texas Avenue think of the corporate mothership. Are they envious of the crystal waterfall and the cafeteria? Do they think a podcasting studio is really a substitute for a 168-seat theater on the premises? Do daydreams of a corner corporate Hearst office distract Jeff Cohen from the hard work of putting out a quality newspaper his golf game?
We probably aren't going to get answers to these questions, Hearst being a privately held company and all.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/13/06 10:18 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (5)
Is the rail line "world class" if it has two CVS pharmacies?
In a recent Chronicle column, Nancy Sarnoff noted the latest mega-development along the Main Street light rail line:
More than two years after Metro's light rail line took its maiden voyage, development along the 7.5-mile route has been slow to materialize, some have said. Others have argued that point, explaining that big changes take time.
A lot of the transformation so far has taken place in Midtown, where a prime block of land just sold at the corner of Main and Elgin.
A CVS Pharmacy will be built on the southeast corner, according to Marshall Davidson of Cushman & Wakefield, who was involved in the land sale.
This will be CVS's second store in Midtown.
CVS pharmacies are sprouting up anywhere, so it's not that surprising that another CVS has sprung up to serve all of the development that has taken place in Midtown well to the east of the rail line (near me, for example, in the Elgin/Chenevert area).
The bolded part of Sarnoff's column is strange, though. Development has been slow to materialize along the rail line, and there are a surprisingly large number of eyesores along the route of METRO's flagship "transit backbone" still. But have "others... argued that point" if they contend "big changes take time?" It seems to me they are conceding the point that development has been slow to materialize!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/13/06 09:37 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (9)
Measuring Houston's economy and labor market
"Houston lags in education," is the headline of an L.M. Sixel story in today's Chronicle:
More students need to graduate from high school and college if the Houston area is going to be competitive in an economy that is knowledge-based, a Gulf Coast Workforce Board report says.
[snip]
For the second year, the board compared Houston with Atlanta, Denver, San Diego, Dallas, San Antonio and Miami. It used publicly available economic data, ranging from job growth to median household income to the number of new businesses.
The Houston area scored fifth among the seven, losing points because a higher proportion of its residents live in poverty, don't speak English and haven't finished college.
Another troubling fact, according to the report, is the low ratio between 12th graders to 9th graders which, while it doesn't directly correspond to a drop-out rate, indicates students are leaving high school before they graduate.
[snip]
Compared to its peer group, Houston also has more at-risk youth — the 16- to 19-year-olds who haven't graduated from high school but who aren't enrolled in college.
I can't imagine that the general basis of the report's findings come as a surprise to anyone familiar with Houston. And for a mega-dose of irony, check out the last paragraph of the story.
Since I didn't see a link to the report, I searched "Gulf Coast Workforce Board" which brought up links to The Work Source, which then led to (what I assume is) last year's report (pdf), if you have any interest in seeing what the report is measuring and where Houston placed previously.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/13/06 07:51 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
A Bob Stein sighting!
Have you been missing Houston's favorite bicyclist Bob Stein as much as we have? He's been pretty scarce lately, at least in local media stories. Thankfully, the Christian Science Monitor called up Houston's expert-on-almost-everything for his take on the CD 22 race:
Political scientists believe political jockeying has already begun - since there are four counties, and it takes a majority vote to put a candidate on the ballot."There is great concern that the seat could be lost to a Democrat," says Bob Stein, a political scientist at Rice University in Houston.
Great concern?
Yet District 22 is heavily Republican, and a Democratic win is a long shot - even for the well-financed and well-known former Congressman Nick Lampson, say political scientists.
But voters here have become disillusioned with DeLay. Jim Mills, a "recovering DeLay supporter," doesn't know who he will vote for in November, but says Mr. Lampson is not a choice. Mr. Mills will wait to see who the GOP chooses.
Maybe not so much.
In addition, this month the US Supreme Court will rule on Texas redistricting, an effort spearheaded by DeLay that redrew congressional districts in Texas to favor Republicans.
If portions of the plan are found to be unconstitutional, the result could mean an all-comers race in DeLay's district. That would work to Lampson's advantage, says Stein, because of the large number of Republicans who are interested in the seat.
Hope springs eternal!
(As a side note, which local entity do you think will miss Tom DeLay the most? Even the Chron's editorial board figured that one out!)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/13/06 08:47 AM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (4)
12 June 2006
Astrodome to host indoor amusement park
KTRK-13 reports that the Astrodome will be hosting a temporary amusement park later this month:
A new indoor amusement park will soon be open inside the Astrodome.
It's the first summer without AstroWorld, but families can still find fun in Reliant Park. The World's Largest Indoor Amusement Park will be at Reliant Astrodome from June 22-July 4.
Organizers promise nearly 30 heart-pumping, adrenaline-rushing rides in the magnificent "Eighth Wonder of the World." In addition to rides, there are games, bumper cars, tug boats and more. Families can enjoy food and fun in air conditioned comfort.
The whole thing sounds kind of cheesy to me.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/12/06 10:20 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (9)
Hurtt: You're pretty safe in Houston, unless you wind up dead!
Houston gets a prominent mention in an Associated Press story today about rising crime nationwide:
Murders, robberies and aggravated assaults in the United States increased last year, spurring an overall rise in violent crime for the first time since 2001, according to FBI data.
Murders rose 4.8 percent, meaning there were more than 16,900 victims in 2005. That would be the most since 1998 and the largest percentage increase in 15 years.
Murders jumped from 272 to 334 in Houston, a 23 percent spike; from 330 to 377 in Philadelphia, a 14 percent rise; and from 131 to 144 in Las Vegas, a 10 percent increase.
Despite the national numbers, Detroit, Los Angeles and New York were among several large cities that saw the number of murders drop.
[snip]
Criminal justice experts said the statistics reflect the nation's complacency in fighting crime, a product of dramatic declines in the 1990s and the abandonment of effective programs that emphasized prevention, putting more police officers on the street and controlling the spread of guns.
"We see that budgets for policing are being slashed and the federal government has gotten out of that business," said James Alan Fox, a criminal justice professor at Northeastern University in Boston.
We can all make light of rankings that show Houston as the fattest city, but leading the nation in a category like this isn't something that's so funny, especially since local pols neglected HPD's manpower issues for years. Indeed, it's the sort of thing that can derail ambitious Democratic mayors who hope to use municipal government as a springboard to statewide office.
Fortunately, the city's bungling police chief met with the Houston Chronicle's equally bungling editorial board recently, and that secretive group shared this tidbit from their secret meeting over the weekend:
At a recent meeting with the Chronicle editorial board, Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt cited gang-related murders as a major factor that has driven the city's homicide totals to the highest in more than a decade. "There is no fear in some of these guys that are dying," commented Hurtt. "They don't mind killing, because they don't mind to die themselves. There are random killings today to instill fear in a community."
According to the chief, caution and common sense can protect most citizens. "Overall in the city of Houston, you're pretty safe," says Hurtt. "If you're not involved in specific types of behavior, not out on the streets at particular times of night and particular areas of the city, you have a pretty good chance of not becoming a victim of violent crime in the city of Houston."
Every time that man opens his mouth, it's an adventure.
There's no report on whether the editorial board's resident hothead, Veronica Bucio, saw fit to call Chief Hurtt a liar. Perhaps such disrespect is reserved solely for federal officeholders, such as the Attorney General and Rep. John Culberson.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/12/06 10:51 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (9)
11 June 2006
Bad Sports, new syndication options
The Bad Sports podcast has its own page now, here.
There are lots of syndication options on that page. And there are new syndication options for the main page, including an email digest of posts (just scroll down to syndication on the right sidebar).
There's been lots of tinkering, so if anything appears broken, please drop a note and we'll try to fix it.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/11/06 11:49 PM | Announcements | Technorati | Comments (0)
10 June 2006
Audio: Ted Richardson presentation to HPRA on METRO, rail
As noted previously, Ted Richardson spoke to the Houston Property Rights Assocation on Friday about METRO, Westpark/Richmond/University Corridor light rail, and eminent domain.
Richardson and HPRA allowed me to record the presentation and question/answer session, which I'm posting as two separate mp3s.
My apologies for the uneven audio quality. I recorded at some distance from the speaker, and captured a fair amount of ambient noise.
UPDATE (06-11-2006): Ted Richardson emails that the transcripts to which he refers in his talk have been moved from their earlier location to this page on the METRO site.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/10/06 11:10 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (0)
Sekula-Gibbs finally has strong opinion on sanctuary policy
Congressional candidate and current Houston City Councilmember Shelley Sekula Gibbs came out strongly against HPD's "sanctuary city" policy on illegal immigrants in an op-ed in the Chronicle today:
Houston's "sanctuary city" status is only making a bad situation worse. This is a Houston Police Department policy that City Council members have no control over, and it should be abolished. The policy, forbidding Houston police from inquiring into anyone's immigration status, was established years ago under a previous city administration, has been reauthorized periodically and can only be rescinded by Mayor Bill White.
The op-ed takes an interesting turn in the next paragraph:
Council could try to bypass the mayor with a resolution opposing the "sanctuary city" policy, but that is unlikely to occur in our strong mayor form of government in which the mayor sets the council agenda. Even if such a resolution were passed, the mayor would be under no obligation to do away with the policy.
In addition, such a resolution would potentially open Pandora's box, encouraging the consideration of other resolutions dealing with federal matters, such as the war in Iraq. These resolutions would be merely symbolic and would not have a direct impact on federal legislation.
If Councilmember Sekula-Gibbs' reasoning about Council seems somewhat (or very) convoluted, perhaps a little context is in order. Several months ago, before the doctor-councilwoman was thinking of running for Congress, she actually criticized then-Councilmember Mark Ellis for his (bungled) campaign email pressuring recalcitrant members of Council to back his move to raise the "sanctuary city" issue at Council, calling it "political gamesmanship" and a "political stunt" related to his State Senate race. Further, Matt Stiles reported the following:
Sekula-Gibbs, who said she doesn't have a "strong opinion" about changing the Police Department's policy, believed Ellis was trying to utilize a little-used rule allowing council members to force a special meeting to vote on placing an item on the agenda.
Funny that Doctor-Councilwoman Sekula-Gibbs has developed such a strong opinion in just a few months' time! Of course, it does help explain her effort to spin her previous political history and comments in those convoluted two paragraphs in today's op-ed.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/10/06 01:08 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (5)
09 June 2006
HPD's Jack Oliver ready to become Julia Oliver
KTRH-740's Brent Fuller just reported the following news, which apparently was worthy of a downtown press conference:
A veteran officer with the Houston Police Department is asking for time off so he can undergo a sex change operation.Sgt. Jack Oliver works out of the Fondren Substation in southwest Houston. He plans to change his name to Julia when the sex change operation is complete in about one year. Sgt. Oliver was married until about 3 years ago and has five children.
You can't make this stuff up.
As one might imagine, this is a hot topic on Chris Baker's show today on KTRH.
UPDATE: The KHOU-11 news blog posts more.
UPDATE 2: Former HPD officer Tom Nixon just made a fun point on Baker's show. He noted that generally, a female officer is called if male officers need to search a female suspect. So will the reconfigured Officer Jack/Julia Oliver be able to search both male and female suspects?
UPDATE 3: More coverage from KPRC-2, KTRK-13, Chronicle.
UPDATE (06-12-2006): Michael Berry emails that he will be discussing this topic today (Monday) on his KPRC-950 radio show, 9-11. The Clear Channel crew seems to like this topic!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/09/06 03:59 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (34)
HPRA speaker to discuss METRO, rail today
The Houston Property Rights Association has announced that today's lunch topic will be METRO and rail:
This Friday the HPRA speaker is Ted Richardson, a resident of the “Richmond-Westpark corridor,” who 22 years ago was a thorough student of Metro’s 1983 Heavy rail plan.
Ted will present the engineering details of that plan, how the technical conclusions differ from Metro statements since, and Metro’s changing posture on its extradordinary powers of eminent domain near rail stations.
The Chronicle ran an op-ed by Richardson on this topic several weeks ago.
As always, the public is invited to the talk. The $14 lunch is optional. The talk/lunch takes place at the Courtyard Restaurant, 1885 St. James Place (in the Galleria area), at noon.
I'll try to secure permission to record an mp3 of the talk and post it here at some point.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/09/06 08:39 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (5)
Houston's not rolling out the welcome mat for the Dixie Chicks
The Toyota Center has suspended ticket sales for an upcoming Dixie Chicks concert:
The Toyota Center has seen its share of concerts, but as the sign out front says, there is a problem with the Dixie Chicks show. Even though the group has the number one CD on the Billboard charts, ticket sales have been suspended here in Houston and in two other cities. In Memphis, the Chicks concert has been canceled altogether. The culprit is lagging early ticket sales.
Is it because of Natalie Maines' less-than-complimentary remarks about President Bush (made in 2003), or could it be something else?
Houston Press Music Editor John Nova Lomax said, "I think that a lot of the people who are buying the record are buying it as a political statement and possibly just throwing it on the shelf. But they are not prepared to pay the high ticket price to come to the show."
Aha. High ticket prices.
Or maybe it's a combination of both: the remarks and ticket prices. How about unenthusiastic Houston fans?
Many music industry experts now say the controversy surrounding the band has lead to slow ticket sales at the box office and a suspension of the show here in Houston.
UPDATE: Michael Berry emails that he'll be talking about this topic on his KPRC-950 show today (from 9-11).
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/09/06 06:14 AM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (22)
Certainly Houston should be world-class enough
For the Olympics that is. KRIV-26 got a quote from Mayor White (via ESPN) saying Houston will be submitting an application to be host city for the 2016 summer games:
Mayor Bill White says Houston will throw its hat in the ring as a candidate to host the 2016 Olympics.
The city will submit its proposal later this month to the United States Olympic Committee. The committee must still decide whether the United States will compete for the 2016 summer games.
"It's a big decision -- in part a decision based on the fact I think we have a fairly viable shot at it," White told Houston television station KRIV on Thursday.
White's decision comes one month after a delegation of the Olympic committee visited five cities, including Houston, on a fact-finding mission.
That visit from a USOC committee elicited complimentary words for Houston from USOC President Peter Ueberroth.
The Chronicle's David Barron has more information on the team putting together Houston's bid.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/09/06 05:40 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (9)
08 June 2006
TSU officially cans Slade
Yesterday, Texas Southern University made the firing of Priscilla Slade official. The Chronicle's Matthew Tresaugue, who has owned this story, has the details:
Texas Southern University's governing board made President Priscilla Slade's firing official Wednesday and will soon begin a nationwide search for a replacement.
The unanimous decision came after Slade, whose lavish spending prompted a still-developing criminal investigation, skipped a public hearing she requested to appeal the regents' decision to fire her in April.Attorney Ron Franklin, who represents Slade, called the hearing a "charade" and said his client looks forward to clearing her name through a civil lawsuit she has filed against the school.
Clearing her name, or bilking the school for even more cash?
Most likely, we'd expect Slade and the school to come to some settlement in which the school doesn't ask her to reimburse it for money improperly spent, and Slade drops her legal action.
ADDITIONAL COVERAGE: KPRC-2, KHOU-11, KTRK-13/AP.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/08/06 10:09 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (4)
Council cuts MediaSource budget
The Chronicle's Matt Stiles gets us up to speed on yesterday's Council vote to cut funding to Houston MediaSource:
The City Council today extended the contract with the organization that runs Houston's cable public-access channel and gave it some extra money for equipment upgrades, but cut its budget by a third.
The action came a year after profanity and nudity on the public-access channel sparked controversy. Voting against the renewed contract with non-profit Houston MediaSource were Council members Addie Wiseman, who first complained last year about the channel's content, Shelley Sekula-Gibbs and Michael Berry.
City officials insisted that the budget cut isn't related to the few examples of racy programming that aired last summer, among the hours of religious, community and political shows produced by the public for the channel. They said they plan similar spending cuts for Municipal Channel, which airs council meetings and other official programs.
[snip]
A little-known accounting move in the late 1990s played a key role in the decision, say city officials, who told the council they discovered in December that the channels had been getting more money than they were entitled to under franchise agreements with cable companies.
[snip]
Some at MediaSource, which spent its reserve funds and lost its executive director because of the programming scrutiny last year, are bracing for staffing cuts and worrying that they won't be able to serve the public effectively with less money.
In the minds of at least three councilmembers, the channel's past "service" to the public is the issue.
In a later story, Councilmember Anne Clutterbuck argues in favor of using the spending cuts to hire more police officers. That sounds like a winner!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/08/06 09:51 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (0)
Isiah Carey whips the Mayor's press shop into action
We're becoming big fans of KRIV-26 reporter Isiah Carey's blog.
At first, it was the free-wheeling nature of the thing that captured our attention. One suspects that KRIV's news director either doesn't read the blog or doesn't get that whole "internet" thing, as the material can be a little raw.
The last couple of days, it's been fun just to watch Carey getting the Mayor's press shop hopping.
It seems Carey recently interviewed Addie Wiseman for KRIV. The on-air report mainly dealt with the MediaSource issue. However, Carey later posted an allegation from Wiseman that Mayor White's office was/is ignoring her requests on behalf of her district constituents.
Mayor White's press shop wasn't going to let THAT go unchallenged, of course, and they zipped over documents that they contend disproves Wiseman's allegations, which Carey has put in a new post.
It's going to be disappointing if KRIV ever gets a real news site, and puts a tighter leash on Carey.
In the meantime, though, if all it takes is a little negative publicity to get the Mayor's office to swing into action, maybe we could convince Carey to post more about surging crime and HPD's manpower shortage.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/08/06 09:35 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
The things Press reporters go through...
In the latest Houston Press, reporter Craig Malisow recounts his nerve-wracking experiences researching a story on the murky world of online pharmacies.
In the course of doing research on various message boards, Malisow managed inadvertently to get his personal email account hacked (hint to readers: don't use the same password on your various online accounts, especially if those accounts involve the shady world of illicit online drug buying!).
Malisow also managed to draw Romenesko's attention with an email that the Village Voice corporate chieftains probably didn't appreciate all that much.
And on top of all that, he was paid a visit by DEA agents after the publication of his story, even though he couldn't interest them in his experiences while working on the story.
I hope the guy's editor at least took him out for a beer after work.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/08/06 09:12 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (0)
Shara Fryer leaving KTRK-13
KTRK-13 announced today that Shara Fryer would be leaving the station:
KTRK General Manager Henry Florsheim announced that former Eyewitness News anchor Shara Fryer is leaving ABC13.Shara was the longest serving woman news anchor in Houston history. She served with distinction in the 1980's and 90's alongside Dave Ward, Ed Brandon, Marvin Zindler and Bob Allen.
In September 2004, Shara was reassigned from the anchor desk to be the station's first senior correspondent and host of "In Focus."
I was whining last night at the Byzantio gathering that I missed Fryer anchoring the news with Dave Ward.
Here's wishing her well with whatever she tackles next.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/08/06 08:52 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (3)
Mayor White wants big rigs included in Safeclear program
The next phase in the revamped Safeclear program is coming to light as HPD is negotiating with local big rig towing companies that can clear disabled 18-wheelers:
Houston will expand its "Safe Clear" towing program to include emergency responses to disabled 18-wheelers. The big trucks have often blocked freeway traffic for hours after jack-knifing or tipping over.
The Houston Police Department has yet to outline details, but Mayor Bill White says a program will be established to include the five or six companies that use heavy-duty wreckers ... tow trucks with the ability to move 18-wheelers.
White says, first, he wants the towers' response time improved beyond the present 30 minutes. Even if a wrecker reaches a scene in that time, the mayor says its too long.
The city also wants to make specific heavy-duty wrecker companies responsible for certain areas of town, just as with the exclusive towing contracts assigned for standard wreckers under Safe Clear.
Since it appears Safeclear isn't going anywhere, it seems logical to make 18-wheelers subject to the same draconian rules drivers of passenger vehicles live under.
Now, let's talk about Metro buses...
RELATED: Mayor White touts success of Safe Clear
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/08/06 06:49 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (5)
Here are the first red light camera intersections!
KTRK-13's Jeff Ehling gives us a heads up on the first intersections to receive red light cameras:
The first group of ten red light cameras used to monitor red light running will be installed at the following intersections:
Bay Area Blvd. @ El Camino Real
Bellaire @ Fondren
Bellaire @ Wilcrest
Bingle @ Pinemont
Elgin @ Milam
Hillcroft @ Harwin
Hillcroft @ Westpark
John F. Kennedy @ Greens Rd.
Richmond @ Dunvale
Travis @ Webster.
Installation is scheduled to begin within the next 2 * 3 weeks. These sites were selected based on the number of crashes that occurred at the intersection and number of crashes that occurred at the intersections where red light running was a contributing factor.
It is anticipated that, American Traffic Solutions (ATS) will install and have these first ten cameras operational by mid July 2006. The others will be placed in groups of 10 approximately every 30-45 days. ATS is also creating a media public awareness campaign designed to inform motorist and the general public about the Red Light Camera system that will last 30 days. No citations will be issued during this period.
One would hope (okay, I would hope) that someone or some media outlet will take a stopwatch to see if the yellow light times at these intersections are set for the federally-recommended minimum length of time, and then make sure the city doesn't shorten the yellow light times as we move on in this program. It's been known to happen!
And then there's this:
The red light camera sites have been, and will continue to be, determined from statistical analysis of crash data by a committee consisting of representatives from the Houston Galveston Area Council, Rice University, as well as the HPD Traffic Division.
Houston bicyclist Bob Stein is from Rice University. I wonder if he's a member of the statistical analysis committee??? (As a refresher, Stein has an aversion to cars, helped come up with the original Safeclear program, is a parking authority expert, and is the husband of Mayor White's agenda director.)
RELATED: Chronicle
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/08/06 08:25 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (12)
Thanks, blogHOUSTONians
Thanks to the folks who came out to Byzantio last night for our little gathering.
It was a good time, and the night just flew by.
We tend to manage only about two of these per year, but maybe we can work on the frequency.
Thanks again to those who made it out. For those who didn't, we hope to catch ya next time!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/08/06 07:46 AM | Announcements | Technorati | Comments (2)
07 June 2006
Carey: KPRC-2 news gets a shakeup
KRIV-26's Isiah Carey posts the news that there's been a shakeup at KPRC-2:
Reliable sources tell The Insite news director Nancy Shafran has been let go after 12 years at the NBC affiliate station. We're told employees received an email from station management saying effective immediately Shafran is no longer news director at the station. She will temporarily be replaced by assistant news director Rick McFarland. However, The Insite is told the position will go to Orlando news director Skip Valet. He's already a part of the Post News Week company. When asked by The Insite if Shafran will be missed I was told "no".
Ouch!
UPDATE (06-08-2006): The Chronicle posts the story.
BLOGVERSATION: TBIFOC.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/07/06 11:07 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (4)
Area taxpayers may not see promised Perry/Sharp tax reduction
Last week, the Houston Business Journal ran this assessment from Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt of the likely impact of the Perry/Sharp education/tax package on taxpayers in the Houston-Harris County area:
Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt has released the results of a recent analysis by his office estimating that House Bill 1 would lower property taxes on the average Harris County home by only $23 next year, followed by an expected decrease of $268 the following year.
"Any tax relief is good, but the relief offered to Texas homeowners this year would have been considerably more had the Legislature lowered the current annual appraisal cap from 10 percent to 5 percent," said Bettencourt. "Unfortunately, that legislation was never debated. And with Houston and Dallas remaining two of the nation's hottest real estate markets, it looks like appraisal creep -- or appraisal leap -- will be with us for at least two more years."
According to the tax office, figures show the average taxable value of a home in Harris County in 2005 -- with homestead and other residential exemptions included -- was $110,110. The 2005 tax bill on that home would be $1,909. Adding an average expected appraisal increase of 6.84 percent in 2006 brings the value of that home to $117,641. And despite the lowered tax rates as a result of House Bill 1, the 2006 tax bill on that home will be $1,886 -- or only $23 less than the year before. The same home will rise in taxable value to about $125,876 in 2007, but significant rate cuts from House Bill 1 will lower the tax bill to $1,618 -- a $291 cut over two years.
The problem of skyrocketing property taxes isn't just a Houston-Harris County issue, as a recent report from KTRK-13's consumer reporter Jeff Ehling makes clear:
You've probably seen the television ads from Governor Rick Perry announcing property tax relief. Well there is one community that is not seeing it.
In some cases those appraisals are up tens of thousands of dollars. It's happening in Wharton County where property tax values are going up, but appraisals have stayed the same for 20 years, until now.
"It's gone nuts, they've gone nuts," said Floyd Fisher of El Campo.
Floyd Fisher's property tax appraisal has him angry. The Wharton County resident says his small piece of land in el campo saw a huge increase this year.
"I had a piece of property that went from $17,000 to $235,000," Fisher said.
And he's not alone, the Wharton County Chief Appraiser says every acre of land and every residential home in the county has been reassessed at the current market value. That is something that had not been done in 20 years.
"I don't believe that property values were at market value," said Wharton County Chief Appraiser Tylene Gamble.
[snip]
People who live in Wharton County say they are not taking these increases lightly and they are even appealing to the governor for help.
"Governor Perry, you better care, because I'm going to tell you the voters, they've had it," Fisher said.
Thanks to Mike McGuff and the KTRK crew for getting this story posted to the web quickly (I saw it initially on the news broadcast).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/07/06 12:35 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
Graffiti-proofing products would put the city on offense
Slampo read a Chron This Week story last week (got that?) about graffiti eradication efforts in southwest Houston, and he points out that things aren't looking up:
The bad news is the Sisyphusean futility of this endeavor: What amounts to success, at least as the Chronicle story suggests, is the apparently never-ending painting, repainting and re-repainting over of the same walls that get tagged (as they say) and retagged by two collections of unsupervised youth who skulk under the names La Primera and Sureños.
[snip]
As you might expect this boulder-rolling can be costly, in both dollars and elbow grease. The management district has contracted with a clean-up crew
My question is this: Has the management district or HPD looked into graffiti-proofing products? It might be more expensive initially, but in the long run it could prove to be a good financial move. It would also put the city on offense instead of defense.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/07/06 08:49 AM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (8)
06 June 2006
Teen killed in broad daylight in Montrose-area park
KTRK-13 reports on a teenager who was beaten to death in broad daylight earlier in a Montrose-area park:
A teenage boy has been beaten and stabbed to death in a Houston park.
The 14-year-old was killed during a fight at Chew Park on Norfolk and Dunlavy Tuesday afternoon. He was reportedly hit in the head with a baseball bat and stabbed in the chest. The boy died at the scene.
Witnesses say three boys were playing basketball at the park when about 20 teens arrived and started attacking them with bats, tire irons and bricks. The attackers are apparently members of a rival gang, who claim the park as their territory.
Police say a 16-year-old girl with blond hair is considered a prime suspect. She reportedly stabbed the victim.
There were several witnesses to the attack, including a lifeguard at the adjacent public swimming pool. A police investigation is underway. No arrests have been made.
Additional coverage is available from KPRC-2, KHOU-11, and the Chronicle.
This is pretty shocking. It's not as if this is a bad neighborhood, and this park stays fairly busy (inner loop dog owners make use of it).
KHOU-11 posted an interesting, related story from Shern-Min Chow earlier today. Here's an excerpt:
Police are noticing more and more crimes of opportunity.
A woman was attacked at a gas station in the middle of the day Monday.
Police said the motive was robbery and these kinds of attacks are becoming all too common.
[snip]
Detective [Paul] Reese gives Ivette high marks for most of her response.
“She acted on her instincts. She could tell something was wrong, however she did go out to the parking lot.
“I got in my car and started chasing them. I called 911,” Garcia said.
That earned her a reprimand.
“Again, don’t try to take matters into your own hand,” said Det. Reese.
Well, what are people supposed to do?
Because of HPD's acute manpower shortage, there aren't enough cops on the street for people to rely on the city for public safety. The only help people seem to be getting from politicians is red-light-camera revenue streams (thanks, Mayor White, for nothing) and admissions that businesses should close down early in neighborhoods where crime is on the increase (thanks, Councilmember Khan, for nothing). And the police chief's Acronym Van doesn't seem to be much help either.
Honestly, what are people supposed to do?
UPDATE: Here's a nice headline from KHOU-11, covering a big event Mayor White held for the press:
Mayor takes action to rid city of dangerous neighborhood nuisances
You know what headlines I'd like to see?
Mayor takes action to rid city parks of murderers who beat teenagers to death
or
Mayor triples budget for HPD academies/recruitment, vows to get handle on surging crime
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/06/06 10:40 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)
Features style infects Chron business, sports sections
The Chronicle business section today ran a puff piece on a family that works at Continental Airlines. Here's an excerpt:
Crew members aboard Continental Airlines Flight 1683 from Houston to El Paso on Thursday will bring new meaning to being part of the Continental family.
That's because they really are family.
The unique crew will feature Capt. Dewey Lockwood Jr., the pilot, who will be joined in the cockpit by his son, Dewey Lockwood III, as first officer.
In the cabin will be the captain's wife, flight attendant Sandi Lockwood, her sister Nancy Cortez, also a flight attendant, and Nancy's husband, flight attendant Raymond Cortez.
Combined, the family has about 75 years of service at Houston-based Continental.
"This may be the first time in airline history that a single family group has crewed all the pilot and flight attendant positions on a flight," Capt. Lockwood said.
Or it may not. Who knows? Maybe the Chron could call up Southwest, and American, and Delta, and Northwest, and United, and see if they have any such delightful stories to share with the readers of the Hearst daily! Seriously, this appeared in the business (not features) section of a newspaper that considers itself a major daily.
Of course, the big business news of the day for the hometown airline was its order from Boeing, and fortunately we do have another source for serious reporting on Houston business.
Not to be outdone, the sports section ran a story on new Texans general manager Rick Smith:
Even Bobby Smith knew it was a big day for his daddy. Dressed in a blue-and-white striped suit with a white newsboy hat, the 3-year-old wanted to share in the moment.
He wrangled himself away from his mother Tiffany and right to the feet of his father, Rick Smith, who had just been announced as the second general manager in Texans' history Monday at Reliant Stadium.
He stood at his daddy's feet, looked up and said: "What about me? What about me?"
Toting his disposable camera, Bobby Smith wasn't able to grasp why everyone was huddling around his father with microphones and questions.
But as the years go by, he undoubtedly will be taught the significance of the moment.
Smith's status as only the second African-American general manager in the NFL is not insignificant, but that features-style introduction on the sports pages is nearly enough to make the eyes bleed.
Unfortunately, there is no sports print-journalism equivalent of the Houston Business Journal in town, so we apparently are stuck with this sort of features-style reporting.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/06/06 09:59 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (5)
Ongoing, continuing, never ending problems at HEC
Houstonist brings our attention to the latest problems at the Houston Emergency Center:
Police union representatives met with city officials Monday and gave them an urgent message: Houston's 911 center is understtaffed and underprepared for a major disaster. Union reps say calls to the Houston Emergency Center have increased 18 percent since Katrina, which has sretched operators thin.
[snip]
In addition to the understaffing, union reps say the HEC staff suffers from low morale and high turnover, and their complaints have been ignored. But a solution isn't clear at this point: Though the emergency center will ask for $500,000 to help pay for additional staff, union officials said they won't support the hiring of any new employees until problems at the center are fixed.
Here's the title of the post: "A crisis at Houston's 911 center?"
That question mark can be knocked right off the headline, because as we all know there's been a crisis at HEC for many, many months now. Computer failures, outdated equipment, low morale, asinine productivity policy, understaffed and overworked employees, poor training, etc, etc. (blogHOUSTON's archives contain many posts on the topic.)
City Controller Annise Parker's July 2005 audit identified multiple areas of deficiency at the trouble-plagued call center. Here's a link to that report, and a summary of areas needing improvement begins on page thirteen of the almost 300 page (pdf) report.
Unfortunately it sounds as if nothing has changed at Houston's 911 call center. Just a whole lot of the same old, same old.
RELATED: KHOU-11
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/06/06 08:41 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
Slime in the ice machine as fight song
Mike McGuff brings to our attention the huge write-up KTRK-13's Marvin Zindler got in the Chron yesterday. It isn't easy explaining to out-of-towners or the newly arrived who or what Marvin Zindler is, or why we love him.
At 84, he still walks with a bounce. It's a cocky little stride, which is what you would expect from a man who looks the way Zindler does. Not that many men do. With his jutting (man-made) jaw, dark glasses, platinum hairpieces and dandified suits (adorned, always, with a color-coordinated sprouting kerchief), Zindler -- who admits to having had 15 cosmetic procedures -- is as singular a figure as Houston has produced in our time.
As he makes his rounds through the city -- his city -- chances are the people who rubberneck to catch a glimpse have on their minds neither the Chicken Ranch nor the story Zindler considers his most important -- his 1985 reports on financial mismanagement by the Hermann Hospital board of trustees. And it's a sure bet they aren't thinking about the Agris-Zindler Children's Foundation, which has helped children all over the world.
No, they're thinking of his weekly reports on restaurant health inspections, with their frequent finding of "SLIIIIME in the ice machine." He shouts it like a battle cry. Or they're thinking of his latest piece -- he's done thousands -- about ordinary people who got a bum deal.
Five days a week, at 6 p.m. and sometimes at 10, Zindler -- impeccably dressed in suits that often are louder than his bray -- plays the starring role in 90-second morality plays in which working-class people face forces against which they are no match. Almost always, the "little guy" wins.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: It's worth noting that a few weekends ago, the KTRK-13 crew added an RSS feed for Marvin in something like an HOUR after I requested it. On a weekend! Previously, I was impressed with the Dallas Morning News in responding to a request for a new RSS feed. KTRK blew them away! The Chronicle, on the other hand, seems not to care.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS MORE: Today, Chron.com unveiled scores of RSS feeds. They didn't come as quickly as I wanted, but the sheer quantity helps make up for it. Nicely done.
Posted by Callie Markantonis @ 06/06/06 09:24 AM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (0)
Sports Authority to get new boss
Mayor White and Judge Eckels had an opportunity recently to let the Sports Authority quietly vanish into the sunset when Oliver Luck left to head up the Houston Dynamo, but instead, Billy Burge is bringing in someone from San Antonio to take over:
A woman who serves as acting head of the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau is expected to be named chief executive of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority today.
Janis Schmees will be given the mandate to attract new events, including track and field competitions, to the city, said Billy Burge, chairman of the sports authority.
That's nice. Except that attracting events to the city isn't a part of the Sports Authority's mission statement...proving once again that government never goes away, even if the stated purpose of a governmental agency has long since expired. Government just keeps rolling along, sucking up taxpayer dollars...
UPDATE: I just saw the Chron's editorial on abolishing the Harris County treasurer's position:
In a time when public sentiment demands lower taxes and greater economy of public services, why should taxpayers provide $96,000 a year for an extraneous position to be used only to revive flagging political careers? Harris County commissioners and state lawmakers should give voters the opportunity to answer that question in the near future.
Who knew the LiveJournalists were so economy-minded with taxpayer dollars? Especially considering that they were not in favor of shutting down the Sports Authority to save $40 million (and an immediate savings of over $600,000 in salaries). Now why are the LJ's so hot to get the Harris County treasurer position shut down?
Sanchez has made it clear he would use the office for a political agenda having little or nothing to do with its job description.
It's all becoming clear.
RELATED: Sports Authority archives
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/06/06 06:50 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (3)
05 June 2006
KHOU: Work proceeding on fire "super station" downtown
KHOU-11's reporting on a proposed downtown fire station is unusually candid:
Right now, a corrugated metal building houses downtown Houston's only fire station -- a makeshift arrangement in an old, leased building.
But that's about to change.
The Houston Fire Department will soon have a permanent downtown home at the corner of St. Joseph Parkway and Milam.
Construction is already under way.
"Downtown is safe. But we need a permanent fire station," said Mayor Bill White. "Our firefighters deserve that. And it's a high priority."
Downtown Houston used to be protected by two fire stations.
But one station was sacrificed to make room for the Downtown Aquarium. And the Rockets now play on the site of what was the other downtown fire station.
We already knew that keeping Tilman Fertitta and sports owners happy is a big priority for our city leaders, but it was nice of Doug Miller to work that observation into his reporting.
According to Miller, the proposed $7.9 million contract for the new fire "super station" will be taken up by Council this week.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/05/06 10:24 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (6)
Khan to Chinatown: Good luck with that crime problem of yours!
KHOU-11's Wendell Edwards reports on surging crime in southwest Houston's Chinatown:
In New Chinatown on Houston’s far southwest side, you can find almost anything.
But what you won’t find is the noodle house open after 4 p.m.
Manager Tony Nguyen said extended hours mean increased risk when it comes to crime.
“I can’t open later, there are certain things I can’t do if I don’t take into consideration certain things, like crime, in the area,” Nguyen said.
Authorities have confirmed a rise in crime in the Chinatown, an area commercial real estate developer Kenneth Li helped build in the late 1980s.
There are about 1,000 businesses there, but Li said an old problem comes with new growth.
He said crime has creeped in and become a huge threat.
“Crime is a very common problem in the whole city of Houston area,” Li said. “We just want people to know, to warn people to be aware of that, and we should work together.”
At a town hall meeting, community leaders stressed that working together is perhaps the best way to prevent crime.
They said police just can’t do it alone.
“Cities and business group have to be as much a part of crime prevention as anybody else,” Houston City Council member M.J. Khan said.
Surely Councilmember Khan does not mean to suggest that businesses closing early and their owners getting the hell out of crime-ridden neighborhoods before dark is his solution to surging crime.
So what in the world is he talking about?
Here's some "prevention" that recently went on in the same part of town:
Houston police are investigating the fatal shooting of a robbery suspect and the wounding of a business owner at 10218 Beechnut about 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday (May 31).
The suspect, 36, was shot multiple times and died at the scene. His identity is pending notification to family members.
The victim, Luan Lam, 30, who owns the business at 10218 Beechnut, received a gunshot wound to the leg and was transported to a hospital for treatment.
HPD Homicide Division Sergeant M. Peters and Officer C.T. Hufstedler reported:
Two black male suspects entered the R-N-R liquor store at 10218 Beechnut and bought a can of beer. After the purchase, the suspects attempted to rob the business. The owner then pulled his gun from under the counter and exchanged gunfire with one of the two suspects. One suspect was killed at the scene, the second fled on foot.
Since Councilmember Khan effectively told the Chinatown folks they're on their own, the business owners in the neighborhood apparently just need to "work together" to see that they're well armed.
RELATED: HPD redeploying officers to southwest side (KHOU).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/05/06 09:56 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
HPD unconvinced that officer was at fault in Danger Train collision
In today's Move It! column, Rad Sallee reports the latest on a recent Danger Train accident involving an HPD officer:
A Houston Police Department spokesman said no action will be taken against an undercover officer whose city-owned vehicle collided with a MetroRail train May 13, causing minor injuries to two train passengers, the officer and his dog.
The accident occurred at 3:30 p.m. at Main and Alabama in a segment of the tracks where stoplights are programmed to go red in all directions when the train approaches.
The video shows that the train operator had received a vertical white line signal to proceed north through the intersection. It also shows a car coming to a stop on the east side of the track, although it is not clear whether the driver stopped for the light or saw the train itself.
The officer's car, which is not visible until just before the collision, appears suddenly from the west as the train reaches Alabama. The video does not show what color the stoplight was showing in the direction of the officer.
HPD Capt. Dwayne Ready said bystanders gave conflicting statements, two of them supporting the officer's account.
"Also, I do not believe the information provided by Metro conclusively ruled out the possibility that the lights may have malfunctioned with regard to what the officer saw," Ready said.
Although Metro police normally investigate MetroRail collisions, Ready said HPD, which has a division specifically for accident investigations, handles those involving the city's fleet.
That was smart of HPD not to let Metro have the final say in the investigation's conclusion since we have several eyewitness accounts of Metro's short-cycled traffic signal operation that can give drivers little or no time to react to an oncoming train.
Amusingly, the original Chronicle story on the accident includes this quote from Metro's George Smalley:
Smalley said the preliminary report also indicated that the officer may have run a red light at the intersection.
That would undoubtedly be Metro's preliminary report.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/05/06 02:34 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (0)
Food and drink roundup (06-05-2006 edition)
Lunchtime is a good time to read about local food and restaurants. Let's get started on another food and drink roundup.
Alison Cook likes the vibe and sometimes likes the food at Kirby eatery Turquoise Grill. She mostly raves about Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen, located out in far west Houston.
Robb Walsh likes the newest version of Rico's Triangle Restaurant. He also follows a reader's recommendation and tries Jazzie Cafe, recently opened by a Katrina evacuee.
Dai Huynh covers the opening of the new "digs" for Phoenicia Specialty Foods. Now THIS sounds world class.
Mary Vuong reports that wi-fi isn't just for coffee shops anymore.
Ken Hoffman really likes the comfort food-ish Famous Bowl, now offered at KFC.
My Table announces the local eateries that made its Top 10 Wine Lists.
And Gracie Ochoa reports on newcomer 6th Street Bar and Grill, located across the street from Fitzgerald's
Okay, maybe it's all World Class. Enjoy!!
UPDATE: Mattsapundit goes the extra mile and reviews a lunch from HISD's Summer Feeding Program for his readers. I don't know. The man's got guts...iron ones.
Posted by Callie Markantonis @ 06/05/06 12:31 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (0)
03 June 2006
Hoffman: Koch returns to double duty on KTRK
The Chronicle's Ken Hoffman comments on a recent quiet reshuffling of KTRK-13's morning news broadcast:
A few years ago, I had lunch with the general manager of a station. We were talking about Channel 13's complete ratings domination of early morning news. Channel 13 hasn't lost a morning news race, literally, in decades.
I mentioned, "You know, in his own quiet way, with no silly shtick, (morning anchor) Tom Koch is a huge favorite in Houston. I'm surprised you guys haven't made a run at signing him away from Channel 13."
The general manager said, "You have to be careful about confusing the success of a newscast with the popularity of one person on that newscast. Tom Koch is a good example of that. You can't tell me that Koch is the reason that Channel 13 wins in the morning. He's just, you know, there."
Then we fought over who would pay the bill and left. I still thought the general manager was underestimating Koch's connection with viewers.
Then, incredibly, Channel 13, Koch's own station, made the same mistake.
Channel 13 quietly took Koch off the morning news last September and replaced him with Tom Abrahams. It wasn't announced or publicized. In fact, it looked like Abrahams was only filling in for Koch on a temporary basis.
Koch actually had asked off the 5-7 a.m. newscast. For several years, Koch had been working a split shift — doing 5-7 a.m., going home, then returning for the 4-5 p.m. news.
Slowly, Channel 13's morning ratings started slipping. The other stations started catching up. It wasn't due to Abraham's lack of effort or talent, but something was missing from Channel 13's morning news.
The only thing that was missing was Koch.
Last month, in the middle of a ratings sweeps month, Channel 13, again quietly, put Koch back on the 5-7 a.m. news.
A local TV station, without admitting it, admitted it made a mistake.
A source inside the station confessed they fell victim to underestimating Koch's appeal to viewers and importance to the newscast.
So now he's back to morning and early evening broadcasts. That's a tough, 12-hour split for a veteran anchor like Koch. Then again, surely KTRK is rewarding him handsomely for those long hours.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/03/06 08:54 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (1)
TXDOT to boost Spur speed limit, Deathramp 527 danger
Remember when Spur 527 began to re-open in phases, and immediately people began complaining about the dangerous new entrance ramp from Milam to the Spur (and on to the Southwest Freeway)?
Some of us named it Deathramp 527 because of the poor design.
TXDOT's designated spinner Janelle Gbur immediately pointed out there was nothing to worry about:
TxDOT will monitor the site for problems and verify that it complies with required design standards, Gbur said. "But it is not our practice to start piling on modifications within a couple of days after opening a new facility," she said.
Gbur added that project engineer Quincy Allen inspected the ramp and agreed that because the spur has been raised about 9 feet and has higher guardrails than before, it lacks the visibility that drivers are used to on entrance ramps.
Gbur disagreed that there is no merge lane. She said a "reasonable" distance is allowed for entering traffic to merge."But because of the limited visibility, motorists may feel they have no time at all," she said.
They feel they have no time at all because... they really do have very little time! It's a dangerous entrance ramp, with a design that is really inexcusable in new construction.
A few days after Gbur's spinning, project engineer Quincy Allen offered these solutions to what is a terribly flawed design for expensive new freeway construction:
Quincy Allen is the TXDOT Project engineer for the Spur 527.
In the 10 days the ramp has been open he has heard the complaints, which was enough to get him to reevaluate.
"Some folks it appeared that you had to make an immediate merge. So we put the stripe there to improve that merge," he said.
It's a 100-foot stripe aimed at aiming drivers in the right direction.
"It's really difficult to figure out where you are going anymore," said one driver.
But the biggest problem says TXDOT isn't the signs, or the paint, or the wall, but drivers who are already on the spur.
"Looking at this it looks maybe like a freeway. But the speed limit on the spur in this location is 35 miles an hour."
Well, it's been a little over two months since that bit of rhetoric designed to pass off blame to speeders for a poorly designed entrance ramp, and guess what TXDOT is now proposing for the Spur -- increasing the speed limit! Rad Sallee reports:
The 35-mph limit was just for the construction period and new signs should be posted this week, said Quincy Allen, TxDOT engineer on the project. The initial plan was to set a 45-mph limit where the spur lanes exit onto Brazos and Bagby and a 55-mph limit elsewhere, Allen said, but that will be lowered to 50 mph for safety.
"It will probably help the (southbound entrance) ramp from Milam function better," Allen said.
TxDOT has already lengthened the ramp's short merge lane and reducing speeds on the spur, even a little, should make the merge safer, he said.
Umm, increasing the speed from 35 mph -- which Allen claimed motorists were already ignoring and thereby making the Deathramp 527 merge more dangerous -- to 45/50 mph isn't "reducing speeds" but increasing them!
Quincy Allen and Janelle Gbur need to go into politics. They have mastered the art of misleading the public in a way that doesn't feel exactly like lying. That's talent.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/03/06 08:39 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (5)
Chron copy editors called out on corrections page
From time to time, we've seen errors in the Chronicle that we've suspected of being introduced by editors, something we've had confirmed more than once by reporters.
Some of those reporters must be getting pretty tired of the editing problems, if this correction from earlier in the week is any indicator:
Former President Bush did not attend Tuesday's memorial service for Lloyd Bentsen. Because of an editing error, a story on Page A1 Wednesday contained incorrect information.
The Rev. Harry Adamson was an associate pastor at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church from 1969 to 1991. Because of an editing error, a news obituary on Page B7 in Wednesday's City & State section misstated how long Adamson served in that position.
Pearland resident Mary Lynn Fernau came up with the concept of attaching identification tags to children's shoes in case they become separated from their parents during a hurricane. Because of an editing error, a story on Page B2 in Wednesday's City & State section incorrectly stated that Fernau invented the shoe identification tags.
Perhaps the Chronicle should turn to the medical profession for helpful advice to its errant line editors: Do no harm (to reporters' copy)!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/03/06 03:03 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (1)
Officer who criticized HPD chase policy fired
KTRH-740 and the KHOU-11 news blog were two of the first news outlets to report yesterday that Tom Nixon has been fired by the Houston Police Department.
Officer Nixon got himself in hot water when he violated policy by criticizing the department's chase policy on the air. Later, his writings for a local print magazine also came under scrutiny.
COVERAGE: Chronicle, KPRC-2, KTRK-13.
BLOGVERSATION: Houblog, TBIFOC.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/03/06 02:51 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
City settles one lawsuit, prepares to bring another
The Chronicle's Dan Feldstein reports that the city recently settled a case that challenged the city's affirmative-action contracting programs:
Ten years ago, sod and seed subcontractor Robert Kossman made front-page news by saying the city of Houston discriminated against him because he was white.
This week, his lawsuit was settled when the city promised to open up some of its affirmative action subcontracts to people of any race or ethnicity and to further study what percentage of work should be guaranteed for minorities.
Under the city's old program, any construction contractor seeking a city contract had to give 17 percent of its work to subcontractors who were minority-owned. Later, women and people with disabilities were added.
Under the new program, 15 percent must go to minorities, women and the disabled, and 5 percent more must go to small businesses owned by anyone, including white males.
Kossman's attorney, Tom Fitzhugh, said the city settled "because they were going to lose the entire program on the trial level, and they weren't sure (if they'd lose it) on appeal."
City Attorney Arturo Michel said it was a good settlement for the city, saved money from going to trial and got rid of a piece of very old business.
In other municipal legal news, Alexis Grant reports that the city continues to prepare to sue online travel companies:
The city of Houston may soon join a host of other cities in the state and across the country that have sued travel Web sites over taxes they say are owed but have not been remitted — as much as $2 million annually in Houston.
After a setback in late April — the firm chosen by the city to move ahead with the lawsuit backed out — City Attorney Arturo Michel said he hopes to ask the City Council to approve a contract with a different law firm sometime this month.
"We still plan on proceeding with it," Michel said. "We'll keep an open mind, but we've had a lot of good lawyers looking at it, and I'd be surprised if something happened that would change our minds."
Surprised? It would be shocking if Mayor White abandoned this new potential revenue stream, regardless of what anyone says at this point. He's persistent that way.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/03/06 01:23 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
blogHOUSTON gathering rescheduled for June 7
The blogHOUSTON gathering has been rescheduled for Wednesday, June 7.
We'll meet up for Happy Hour at Byzantio on West Gray, starting at 5 pm and going until we're tired.
Byzantio has various Greek snacks, coffee, adult beverages, and a decent selection of Ouzo *shudder*. They also have a great patio, and free wifi that they installed without the help of Mayor White and his technology director.
We'll be extra careful not to let any acts of garage terrorism take us out this time. :) Please drop by if you're a local blogger, commenter, reader, journalist, curmudgeon, and/or critic.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/03/06 11:38 AM | Announcements | Technorati | Comments (11)
02 June 2006
KHOU films brazen parking-pay-station thieves downtown
KHOU-11 apparently caught a man robbing one of the pay stations located in a downtown parking lot:
A KHOU photographer taped Yevik’s lot in the wee hours of Friday morning and recorded video of a man standing in front of the cash slots.
Look closely and it appears the man is jiggling a wire, possibly to get to the money inside.
While the nightlife downtown continued, the photographer confronted the man.
“I’m with Channel 11 and we saw you robbing that box. We got you on TV bro,” the cameraman said.
“Good,” the man replied as he got on his bicycle.
The photographer then asked, “How come you were doing that?”
He didn’t say much and it was obvious he didn’t have a car parked in the lot.
If the photographer was able to catch the man in the act, why couldn’t Houston police?
There was one officer in the area and an empty police car in the lot where the incident was taped from.
Houston Police Department spokesperson Sergeant Nate McDuell said they have limited sets of eyes, which just can’t be everywhere at once.
We hope that's just a really bad paraphrase, and that the department's spokesmen aren't starting to sound like Chief Hurtt (who recently called the Pierce Elevated the Pierce Elevator).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/02/06 09:20 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (6)
Time running out on muni courts computer system
Remember the new $7 million computer system for the municipal courts?
The goal is to, one day, put all of the paper records on computers and make them easier to transmit digitally. The new computer system will manage 1.2 million records every year. The one it's replacing is 18 years old.
Eventually, the court's goal is to reduce staff and improve customer service as a result of this system.
And remember how well the debut went?
"It's horrible. It is beyond horrible. I never had to wait this long in the courthouse before," a Houston driver said.
"They should have trained over the weekend or implemented some other kind of system to make it work," driver Joel Sanchez said.
[snip]
City officials admitted there is a learning curve for judges, clerks and other staffers who have been handling cases another way for 18 years.
"It's probably going to take a little bit longer until they get up the learning curve and the repetition of using the new system," said Richard Lewis, the director of Information Technology.
Well, it appears that learning curve is just too steep and patience is wearing thin:
Councilman Ron Green says the city will give the contractor a couple months to fix problems in the system, then decide whether to reject the deal.
The system was designed to make the municipal courts system paperless, but it has caused major delays for Houstonians and police officers.
Hopefully the contract was written so that the city won't be out $7 million. Sigh.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/02/06 06:25 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
More on civilian traffic patrol
KTRH-740 has more details about a civilian traffic patrol program which would help HPD:
Assistant Police Chief George Buenik says there will be two types of patrollers. One group will essentially be traffic signal repairmen — another will control traffic as a sort of civilian police force.
Houston plans to pay for the plan with cash from an account now used for bridge and street repairs.
But there might be a glitch in that type of funding:
Councilmember Pam Holm says that method of financing the patrols may violate city rules. And, she says, it brings back a long-discarded practice at City Hall of having an "any lawful purpose fund."
The program is expected to cost $1.5 million this year.
Bridge and street repair fund???
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/02/06 06:13 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (4)
Elam interviews Shelley Sekula-Gibbs
Chris Elam has posted an interview with Shelley Sekula-Gibbs conducted at the State Republican Convention, where Dr. Sekula-Gibbs is touting her Congressional candidacy. The Doctor-Councilwoman seems determined to get the message out regarding her recent Council vote on the day-labor site:
CE: Do you feel that the general public is catching on, and paying attention to this race?
SSG: I’m hoping to make that happen. I think that the news media outside of your (bloggers) efforts have not been as focused on it. As a matter of fact, I’ll tell you what’s been going on in City Council is that I think people really don’t know about, is that we’ve been working to not fund a day labor site in the City of Houston and this is a failed program that five were telling us that it was wanted by neighbors to get illegals off the streets, to get day laborers off the streets. But it failed.It passed. But it shouldn’t have. Because it was a bad thing. We had seven votes. And if it is tied 7-7 the item does not pass. But there was a lot of pressure put on one council member to vote for it, Councilman Khan. And I think that the Mayor put a tremendous amount of pressure on him.
Elam's full interview is located here.
As critics of Sekula-Gibbs on Council have pointed out, the Doctor-Councilwoman supported the day-labor site in the past, before becoming a Congressional candidate.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/02/06 07:43 AM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (9)
01 June 2006
Local talker/pol expands reach to Dallas
The Chronicle's Kristen Mack reports that local talker and pol Dan Patrick has bought a Dallas radio station:
Dan Patrick, whose years as a conservative radio pundit helped him win a Republican state Senate nomination, is expanding the reach of his voice with the purchase of a Dallas-area radio station.
By Labor Day, Dallas-area residents will be able to hear Patrick on station KMGS-AM (1160), based in the enclave city of Highland Park.
Patrick, who is announcing the deal today during his 4-6 p.m. drive-time show on Houston-based KSEV-AM (700), says he plans to duplicate KSEV's conservative talk format on the North Texas station.
The Dallas talk-radio market is a pretty tough one. Given KSEV's ratings struggles in Houston, it's not clear that duplicating the KSEV programming in Dallas, where literally nobody knows Patrick or morning host Edd Hendee, is going to be successful.
We'll have to let some of our Dallas blogging friends keep us up to speed on that.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/01/06 10:16 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (26)
Mayor White: What sanctuary policy?
I wish I had the exact wording, but KTRH-740 just had a soundbite of Mayor White saying something to the effect that Houston doesn't have a sanctuary policy. The quote was in response to Rep. Ted Poe saying that cities that have sanctuary policies should lose some federal funding.
Yet, in contrast to Mayor White's statement today, last year he was supportive of the (not a) sanctuary policy:
Since 1992, a Houston Police Department policy has officially forbidden officers from enforcing immigration laws in most cases.Mayor Bill White has said he supports continuing the policy, because he believes immigration is a federal matter and he wants to free police up to protect the city from violent criminals.
As a refresher for Mayor White, the policy is General Order 500-5, according to one news story.
PREVIOUSLY: Sanctuary policy could jeopardize federal funding
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/01/06 04:18 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (7)
HISD wants new phone notification system
Texas' largest school district, HISD, is considering purchasing an emergency phone notification system:
Houston school trustees will vote next week on a $600,000 phone system that would send recorded messages to the parents of 208,000 students if another hurricane threatens the city.
The notification system would inform parents about developments like school closings or early releases. The district plans to unveil the system today, which is also the start of the new hurricane season.
"This functionality will give us something we could not do with Hurricane Rita last year," said Terry Abbott, a spokesman for the district.
School board members will vote June 8 on whether to approve the system, which Abbott said will be paid with state technology funds.
School principals will also use the system, called Connect-Ed, to inform parents about important meetings or new policies. The system will call home numbers and cell phones the district already has on file, Abbott said.
I think all parents will appreciate a system like this.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/01/06 04:02 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (6)
Red light camera/day labor center radio
Councilman Michael Berry is discussing these two issues on his show this morning.
Tune into KPRC-950 and give him a call: 713-212-5772
(He's already got my blood pressure going with his defense of red light cameras. Grrrrr.)
UPDATE: And what could possibly go wrong with photo tickets? Oh, I dunno:
North Carolina Red Light Camera Tickets Chicago Man
Arizona: Black Man Sent White Man's Speed Camera Ticket
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/01/06 09:30 AM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (1)
Now why did the Chron reporters choose these examples?
Here's a fluffy little features story that takes a couple of swipes at the local school district:
It's a big number: 22,000,022. And a record — in dollars — for a major-league pitcher. Most folks can't imagine making that much money in a lifetime, let alone in a year.
Technically, Roger Clemens — who will warm up his arm in minor-league games before hitting Minute Maid Park — will get that salary prorated for a daily major-league rate of $120,218.70. If everything goes as planned, he'll net $12,262,307 for the season.
Compared to you and me — well, there's virtually no comparison. But just for laughs, here's how the rest of us stack up:
[snip]
• $278,100: Base pay for Houston Independent School District Superintendent Abel Saavedra, who also gets incentives.
[snip]
• $36,050: Starting annual salary for HISD's entry-level teachers.
Why didn't Lana Berkowitz and Eyda Peralta use an example closer to home? They could've listed the base pay for Chronicle editor Jeff Cohen (plus incentives), the base pay for Metro/State Columnist Rick Casey (plus his research assistant), and the starting annual salary for an entry-level Chron reporter.
Or they could have listed the base pay (plus incentives) of Metro chief Frank Wilson, and the entry-level pay of a Metro employee.
You know, for comparison purposes.
(Thanks to Laurence for the heads up on this story.)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/01/06 08:12 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (4)
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