30 November 2007

Did someone at the Chronicle get the Editorial mixed up with the Metropolitan section?

I was surprised to read Rick Casey's "Have pity on the poor DA" article this morning. Is it me, or does this belong on the editorial page? Why is this listed (on the website) under the metropolitan news pages? This is another example of someone's opinion (regardless if you agree with it or not) showing up as news. I would also like to point to another statement that got my attention:

The unfairness is made more serious by the growing competitiveness of the Democratic Party in Harris County. Three years ago, Democrat Reginald McKamie, a little-known personal injury lawyer with little criminal law experience and less campaign cash, won 45 percent of the vote. Next year, Rosenthal is likely to face former Houston Police Chief C.O. Bradford, who already has better name recognition and is likely to be much better funded than McKamie was.

Well, perhaps another reason is some people aren't too thrilled with the DA's office performance as of late (let us not forget that his office did get an indictment against Bradford for perjury that was later dismissed). However, the assertion is that DA Rosenthal is going to face a tougher re-election battle than he did the last time. That shouldn't matter. The DA has a job to do and he/she should do it regardless of political affiliations. This next race should be interesting to watch.

Posted by Jason @ 11/30/07 11:16 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (12)

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29 November 2007

When you lose Mrs. White...

Yesterday, Mrs. White surprised us with criticism of HPD's murder reporting (as first reported by KHOU-11's Mark Greenblatt).

As Greenblatt now reports, Mayor White has taken the lead after Chief Hurtt's poor handling of the situation:

And now, the Mayor's on the defensive.

“There's not been an intentional effort to hide data,” said White.

Intentional or not, the mayor is admitting to potential problems in at least six homicides the 11 News Defenders uncovered.

“Based off some of the issues you've raised… I think there's going be a lot more discipline in the way the reports are handled,” said White.

And in a major about face, the city’s finally admitting to problems in HPD’s investigation of Stephen McCoy's death that after being shot in the chest three times and then in the back of the head, police labeled a suicide even though the medical examiner ruled his death a homicide.

But now?

11 News: The investigation's now back open?

“Yes,” said White. “My take is: It was a murder and then it was ruled a suicide. And I'm asking (HPD) to take a new look at this case.”

That's quite a rebuke from the Mayor for his bungling police chief, considering that Chief Hurtt refused to take questions on the matter before Thanksgiving (in fairness, he might have had a plane to Phoenix to catch); and after Thanksgiving HPD merely took to repeating talking points that called Greenblatt's reporting "inaccurate and misleading." So much for Chief Hurtt's ghostblogger's effort to smear an award-winning reporter.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/29/07 10:35 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)

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City hopes to buy 15,000 foil bags, solve sewer clogging (really!)

KHOU-11's Lee McGuire reports on the problem of grease clogging the city's sewer lines, and one of the more bizarre proposals to find its way to Council in a while:

So to stop the problem at the source, the City of Houston wants to buy 15,000 foil bags. They are boxes, with two foil-lined fat-trapper bags inside. These would be used in your kitchen, instead of pouring the fat down the drain. The problem is, before this happens, the City Council has to approve it.

“Buying fat trapper bags when anyone could use an old tomato can or a piece of alumninum foil is to me a silly use of taxpayer dollars,” Anne Clutterbuck from the Houston City Council said.

It would cost $63,000 to hand the bags to only 15,000 people in a city of 2.1 million.

Some question whether this would really make a difference.

Clutterbuck is right.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/29/07 10:05 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (21)

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28 November 2007

Dolcefino looks into Eversole campaign spending

KTRK-13's Wayne Dolcefino continues his reporting on County Commissioner Jerry Eversole's questionable ethics.

In his latest report, Dolcefino looks into "charitable" contributions from Eversole's campaign fund, contributions that allegedly resulted in personal gain for Eversole (an ethical and legal no-no).

The full report is posted here.

UPDATE (11-29-2007): The Chronicle's Bill Murphy reports that the Harris County DA is looking into Eversole's campaign finances:

The Harris County District Attorney's Office has launched an investigation into whether Precinct 4 Commissioner Jerry Eversole misused thousands of dollars in campaign contributions for his own benefit, District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal said Wednesday.

The inquiry will focus, in part, on collector-quality guns and a Florida vacation Eversole bought at charity auctions.

The probe was prompted by stories about Eversole's work habits and campaign spending aired by KTRK (Channel 13) in recent weeks. A story by KTRK reporter Wayne Dolcefino questioned whether Eversole benefited from auction items purchased with campaign contributions.

Eversole defended the charity purchases during an interview with the Houston Chronicle on Wednesday, although he has refused to discuss the accusations with Dolcefino.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/28/07 11:18 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (15)

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HPD officers sue over grooming policy

One of Chief Hurtt's big priorities upon arriving in Houston -- a policy banning facial hair on officers -- has resulted in a lawsuit against HPD and the city, according to the Chronicle's Cindy George:

Four Houston police officers placed on plain-clothes duty for wearing facial hair have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit claiming discrimination for a skin condition that primarily affects black men.

Sgts. Shelby Stewart and Kenneth Perkins said they wear goatees because they suffer from pseudofolliculitis barbae, a dermatological condition common among men of African descent. Shaving can cause severe irritation, rashes and ingrown hairs. Stewart and Perkins, who are not allowed to work in uniform and have been reassigned, estimated that more than 100 HPD officers have the condition.

The lawsuit, which was also filed Tuesday by officers Adrian White and Raul Collins, claims the Houston Police Department is enforcing only the part of its appearance and grooming standards that disproportionately afflicts black officers. The City of Houston also is named as a defendant.

HPD lawyer Craig Ferrell said the department adopted the standards because officers with facial hair cannot properly seal gas masks in the event of bioterrorism attacks. He said the policy was not discriminatory, but will be changed.

Police Chief Harold Hurtt will modify the rules to "accommodate as best we can" officers with skin conditions by identifying uniformed positions that can be performed with facial hair, Ferrell said.

Officers in those positions who cannot shave would be able to use an "escape masks" that can be worn over a beard.

In 2005, HPD revised its grooming policy to prohibit beards and goatees.

Given all the serious problems in the City of Houston, we never quite understood why facial hair was such a priority for Chief Hurtt. That said, we're not entirely convinced of the merits of this lawsuit. What do you think?

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/28/07 11:10 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (9)

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Miami-Dade's surveillance drones won't write traffic tickets?

Along with HPD, Miami-Dade is the other police department that will be testing unmanned surveillance drones as part of an FAA program. This story on the Florida city's upcoming experimental program is notable in that the spokesman fails to mention the UAV's would be used for issuing traffic tickets:

The unmanned aircraft will be used during SWAT team and tactical operations, especially when officers need video of a heavily armed suspect.

Shoot, Miami-Dade isn't thinking outside the box.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/28/07 10:14 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)

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Additional red light cameras help the city's coffers!

Those last twenty red light cameras the city hurriedly installed (to beat a state deadline) have provided Houston quite a tidy little stash of cash, according to the Chron's Matt Stiles. Stiles notes that the past several months had seen a downward trend in the number of tickets issued, but with the new cameras, revenues jumped quite nicely.

However, Chief Martha Montalvo assures us that sneaking those twenty cameras in had absolutely nothing to do with revenue. Oh no, no, no, no:

Police officials dismiss any suggestion that the cameras were installed to replace money being lost because of the new state law.

Montalvo said the department added the extra cameras because certain intersections still were seeing a lot of violations, even with the intense media publicity about the program.

"I never ever thought about those things," Montalvo said. "The whole purpose of the other approaches was to make people aware that their safety is important."

She never, EVER thought about the revenue!

Right.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/28/07 05:13 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (16)

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27 November 2007

Any particular mall in north Houston?

Chron.com has a breaking news story posted which is a bit light on some necessary info:

Houston police were responding to reports of shots being fired at a mall in north Houston.

Police were checking out a report today that shots were fired inside the mall after a burglary was called in to authorities. A portion of the mall has been closed off.

A SWAT team was on the scene. There's no immediate word on injuries.

How did the SWAT team know which mall to converge upon?

If the Froot Loops bureau had been open, Chron.com would have known what KHOU-11, KTRK-13, and KPRC-2 were able to report: The mall in question is Greenspoint.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/27/07 11:42 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (9)

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Kotkin: The rise of family-friendly cities

The always provocative Joel Kotkin has an interesting piece in today's Wall Street Journal. Here's an excerpt:

For much of the past decade, business recruiters, cities and urban developers have focused on the "young and restless," the "creative class," and the so-called "yuspie" -- the young urban single professional. Cities, they've said, should capture this so-called "dream demographic" if they wish to inhabit the top tiers of the economic food chain and enjoy the fastest and most sustained growth.

This focus -- epitomized by Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm's risible "Cool Cities" initiative -- is less successful than advertised. Cincinnati, Baltimore, Cleveland, Newark, Detroit and Memphis have danced to the tune of the hip and the cool, yet largely remain wallflowers in terms of economic and demographic growth. Instead, an analysis of migration data by my colleagues at the Praxis Strategy Group shows that the strongest job growth has consistently taken place in those regions -- such as Houston, Dallas, Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham -- with the largest net in-migration of young, educated families ranging from their mid-20s to mid-40s.

Urban centers that have been traditional favorites for young singles, such as Chicago, Boston, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, have experienced below-average job and population growth since 2000. San Francisco and Chicago lost population during that period; even immigrant-rich New York City and Los Angeles County have shown barely negligible population growth in the last two years, largely due to a major out-migration of middle class families.

Married people with children tend to be both successful and motivated, precisely the people who make economies go. They are twice as likely to be in the top 20% of income earners, according to the Census, and their incomes have been rising considerably faster than the national average.

Indeed, if you talk with recruiters and developers in the nation's fastest growing regions, you find that the critical ability to lure skilled workers, long term, lies not with bright lights and nightclubs, but with ample economic opportunities, affordable housing and family friendly communities not too distant from work.

As Houston-area leaders continue to pursue the latest, greatest amenities (like a park and shopping center in a part of town ceded to vagrants, or trolley-like "trains" that run down busy streets) that will allegedly make the city seem world-class to the young and hip, it's probably worth keeping in mind Kotkin's notion that Houston might just be doing some things right already (and what those things are).

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/27/07 10:04 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)

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26 November 2007

Meyer: METRO's $3 billion limousine

Clear Thinker Tom Kirkendall has previously noted "the sheer lack of any perspective from the local mainstream media regarding the dubious nature of Metro's urban economics" and the "vacuity of media coverage of METRO."

For whatever reason, the Chronicle is particularly weak (and getting weaker) in terms of analyzing METRO and regional mobility policy in any critical, economic sense.

Fortunately, where the local media have dropped the ball, blogger Neal Meyer has stepped in with a lengthy post analyzing METRO spending, bus routes, revenues, and alternative mobility solutions. It's a fascinating post that mixes historical Houston transit data, economic analysis, and a good working knowledge of transit systems. There aren't pretty graphs (or simplistic cheerleading masquerading as analysis by an impartial transportation think tank), and the writing is a bit dense at times, so the approach may not interest the Chronicle. But for folks interested in a grown-up, cost/benefit-oriented discussion of local transit policy, it's a very interesting read (the first of several, we hope).

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/26/07 11:01 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (2)

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Chief Hurtt blasts "inaccurate and misleading" report

Last week, Chief Hurtt's blog promised to address Mark Greenblatt's KHOU-11 report criticizing HPD's refusal to classify some deaths as murders.

Today, Chief Hurtt's blog repeated the HPD PR talking points that Greenblatt's reporting was "inaccurate and misleading" and complained that Greenblatt failed to go into a lengthy discussion of the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting protocol.

Unfortunately, Chief Hurtt's blog failed to address any of the specific cases discussed in Greenblatt's reporting.

However, HPD last week conceded that at least one case should have been classified as a murder:

We also asked about other homicide cases like a 2006 arson fire on Delmar Street in East Houston, the day before Valentine’s Day.

Joseph Chryar died in that fire. The Houston Fire Department’s conclusion?

HFD Arson Chief Roy Paul: “I know this fire's a homicide. And it should have been reported as a murder.”

11 News: Your response?

HPD Captain Jett: “You're exactly right. Chryar's death should have been ruled a murder."

It's the first homicide the Department is admitting to making a mistake with and to leaving it off last year's report.

Apparently that aspect of the investigation by KHOU's award-winning reporter was neither inaccurate nor misleading!

Greenblatt also is reporting that HPD has changed its internal process for reviewing and classifying homicides:

The Houston Police Department announced internal changes to how it will review and report homicides in Houston. That announcement came Tuesday, less than 24 hours after an 11 News investigation exposed the department has been keeping many homicides off the books.

Do most city departments change procedures in response to "inaccurate and misleading" criticism by journalists? Just wondering.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/26/07 10:37 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)

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This Friday: Holiday Tree -- yes; Pancho Claus -- no

Mayor White would like you to join him Friday night as he lights the city's "Holiday Tree":

Mayor Bill White invites Houstonians to get into the holiday spirit with a festive Noontime Concert Series this week outside City Hall and the annual Mayor's Holiday Tree Lighting and Celebration featuring Grammy Award-winning songwriter / recording artist Peabo Bryson on Friday, November 30 at 6 p.m.

Music, fireworks, entertainment and the lighting of the City's official holiday tree will take place in Hermann Square. In addition to Bryson and KHOU TV's Debra Duncan, the celebration will include performances by Grupo Kache, the Bayou City Chorale, The Woodlands Dance Company, Planet Funk, the Star of Hope Voices of Hope Choir, and the Parker Elementary School Chorus. There will also be a special guest appearance by Santa Claus.

Apparently, after 2005, Christmas Trees went out of style.

PREVIOUSLY: Pancho Claus archives

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/26/07 06:40 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (3)

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25 November 2007

2007 Turkeys of the Year

The Houston Press had lots of candidates for its Turkeys of the Year this time around -- METRO, Michael "Babe Pages" Berry, Priscilla Slade, the rodeo, carpetbagger City Council candidates, and more.

Click here to find out who won the awards this time around.

Congratulations (is that the right word?) to all the deserving winners!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/25/07 09:50 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)

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New park will surely attract residents

KTRK-13 has an interesting headline to a story by Miya Shay posted to its website:

Will downtown park attract residents?

Since Downtown and Midtown have effectively been ceded to aggressive panhandlers, we imagine the new park will attract quite a few residents indeed.

Shay's story isn't really about those sorts of residents, though.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/25/07 02:34 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)

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HPD "secretly" tests unmanned surveillance aircraft

Back in September, we were first alerted that HPD wanted to add drones to its force, to help with traffic and tactical situations:

Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalvo confirmed the department is close to making it happen.

“And what's important and what needs to get out there is we are doing this in cooperation and assistance with the FAA,” said Montalvo.

[snip]

“I can tell you right now, I don't want to get into specifics, but we are looking at state of the art, actually drones that have been used by the military,” said Montalvo.

So it's unclear why the assistant police chief tried (unsuccessfully) to be all stealthy when HPD recently tested the surveillance drones, as KPRC-2 reported last week:

Neighbors in rural Waller County said they thought a top-secret military venture was under way among the farmland and ranches, some 70 miles northwest of Houston. KPRC Local 2 Investigates had four hidden cameras aimed at a row of mysterious black trucks. Satellite dishes and a swirling radar added to the neighbors' suspense.

Then, cameras were rolling as an unmanned aircraft was launched into the sky and operated by remote control.

Houston police cars were surrounding the land with a roadblock in place to check each of the dignitaries arriving for the invitation-only event. The invitation spelled out, "NO MEDIA ALLOWED."

HPD Chief Harold Hurtt attended, along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and dozens of officers from various police agencies in the Houston area. Few of the guests would comment as they left the test site.

News Chopper 2 had a Local 2 Investigates team following the aircraft for more than one hour as it circled overhead. Its wings spanned 10 feet and it circled at an altitude of 1,500 feet. Operators from a private firm called Insitu, Inc. manned remote controls from inside the fleet of black trucks as the guests watched a live feed from the high-powered camera aboard the 40-pound aircraft.

"I wasn't ready to publicize this," Executive Assistant Police Chief Martha Montalvo said. She and other department leaders hastily organized a news conference when they realized Local 2 Investigates had captured the entire event on camera.

"We still haven't even decided how we were going to go forward on this task, so it seemed premature to me to announce this to the media," Montalvo said.

How could it be premature to announce it when there had already been a story in the media about it? And what's up with her saying "I wasn't ready to publicize this"?

Who's actually in charge at HPD?

KPRC's story continues with a few more Chief Montalvo highlights:

Montalvo told reporters the unmanned aircraft would be used for "mobility" or traffic issues, evacuations during storms, homeland security, search and rescue, and also "tactical." She admitted that could include covert police actions and she said she was not ruling out someday using the drones for writing traffic tickets.

[snip]

Houston police contacted KPRC from the test site, claiming the entire airspace was restricted by the Federal Aviation Administration. Police even threatened action from the FAA if the Local 2 helicopter remained in the area. However, KPRC reported it had already checked with the FAA on numerous occasions and found no flight restrictions around the site, a point conceded by Montalvo.

Montalvo wants to use the drones for writing traffic tickets! And HPD tried to intimidate a local media station as it was covering what is a pretty important story.

What the heck is going on at HPD?

The department has been fudging statistics, including numbers of homicides as we just learned; it has a severe manpower shortage that requires reactionary policing; response times are through the roof; and yet the department's leadership continues to focus on technological gadgetry.

As Scott Henson notes, Chief Hurtt has a "surveillance fetish." That sounds about right. Red light cameras, surveillance cameras, and now spy drones. Just remember, Chief Hurtt says if you aren't doing anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry about.

Is this really the kind of policing Houstonians want?

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/25/07 06:24 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (14)

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23 November 2007

Bye-bye Wi-Fi

KPRC-2 reports that Houston's deal with Earthlink for city-wide wi-fi is a no-go:

A public wireless network for the city of Houston is apparently dead, KPRC Local 2 reported Wednesday.

EarthLink, the company that was supposed to set up the Wi-Fi network, announced it is not doing that type of service anymore.

[snip]

"They had a change in their corporate leadership, looked at the business model and for whatever reasons decided they couldn't make it work financially," said Frank Michele with the mayor's office.

"For whatever reasons" is pretty funny. Government, of course, doesn't have to work under the constraints of a business model (as evidenced by the light rail boondoggle), so the notion that something could cost more money than it would bring in, and that outcome might not be good business, is mysterious reasoning to the mayor's spokesman.

But don't cry for Houston -- the mayor got $5 million out of Earthlink before the deal went kablooey.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/23/07 10:51 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)

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21 November 2007

Happy Thanksgiving

Posting is likely to get slow here as we gorge on turkey and dressing and football and such over the next few days.

Here's wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

ANNE ADDS: Don't forget the shopping, Kevin!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/21/07 09:03 PM | Announcements | Technorati | Comments (10)

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Chief Hurtt refuses to answer questions about homicide stats (updated!)

It looks as if KHOU-11's Mark Greenblatt struck a nerve with his story about HPD fudging homicide numbers. As reported by Matt Stiles and Mark Greenblatt, Chief Hurtt held a press conference yesterday to refute KHOU's report:

Using strong language, Hurtt challenged the story and defended his department, saying his employees follow FBI guidelines while classifying homicides in public crime statistics. Hurtt said the story didn't distinguish between the various types of homicide. Some are justifiable, he said, or caused by accidents or negligence, and therefore not "murders" under the FBI's terms.

"That the news report failed to make this distinction grossly misinforms and fails to properly educate the public," he said.

That's from Matt Stiles on the City Hall blog. As Greenblatt notes, though, experts guided him in determining different types of homicide:

Chief Hurtt called 11 News’ report on hidden homicides, "inaccurate and misleading."

He wanted to make sure 11news understood this: that a homicide at the Medical Examiner's Office really means one human being has killed another. Not all deaths ruled a homicide there should be reported as a murder according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting rules. For instance, justifiable homicides such as a person shooting a burglar are excluded from the reporting requirements.

It's something KHOU already knew. It's also why we asked two expert criminologists ( Dr. James Fox and Dr. Lawrence Sherman) to review cases and help Channel 11 rule out any deaths that should not have been reported, long before we broadcast our first report.

And then Chief Hurtt did something that is just inexcusable -- he exited the room without answering questions, and left his subordinates to take the heat:

I was hoping an exchange between the chief and KHOU's reporter, Mark Greenblatt, might help clarify the issue. But Hurtt left without answering questions. (I asked why, and Hurtt's spokesman, Capt. Bruce Williams, actually said, "You'd have to ask him that.") Nonetheless, Greenblatt got to pepper the department's chief homicide investigator, Capt. Steve Jett, with some questions.

Maybe he had to pack for Thanksgiving weekend in Arizona. Who knows? But it's outrageous that the chief refused to deal with questions surrounding some very serious findings. Homicide numbers are an integral measure of how a police department is doing its job, and the chief, after mustering up all the righteous indignation he could, refused to answer questions about some very serious allegations.

So Capt. Steve Jett was left to deal with the mess that has been created under Chief Hurtt's watch. When Greenblatt asked about the case of a man who was shot in the back of the head, and was classified as a suicide by HPD, here's the response:

11 News: The medical examiner ruled it was scientifically impossible for Steven McCoy to kill himself. What's your response?

Captain Steve Jett: “I don't necessarily agree with that. We've had differences of opinions before.”

Medical Examiner spokesperson Beverly Begay notes the M.E. stands behind its ruling.

Further, they tell 11 News the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office is one of the few offices in the nation to hold two of the most prestigious accreditations in forensic pathology. Begay also notes more than one forensic pathologist reviewed McCoy’s autopsy before coding it a homicide.

So we asked HPD homicide Captain Steve Jett if he still thought McCoy really shot himself.

“It's unusual. Very unusual. But it does happen,” said Jett.

As Stiles noted, Greenblatt has five Edward R. Murrow awards. Chief Hurtt and HPD will have to do better if they have any hopes of putting a dent in this story.

Thankfully for MayorWhiteChiefHurtt, the Thanksgiving weekend is upon us, and with it folks will turn their attention to other things.

They hope.

UPDATE: On his blog, Chief Hurtt responds to a commenter, and leaves us all in suspense:

Anonymous said...
What do you think about channel 11's report on HPD covering up the murder rate?

You'll hear more about that next week. -- Chief Hurtt

Ooooo! Next week. Stay tuned!

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/21/07 05:18 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (25)

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New traffic signal timing causes rush hour headaches

The city is working through some traffic signal issues, as rush hour traffic was a mess Monday and Tuesday. From the Chron's Rad Sallee:

Motorists were supposed to be able to drive through downtown at 28 mph without encountering a red light. The new timing may have worked well enough with sparse weekend traffic, but problems multiplied Monday when people returned to work.

It was "a disaster" for drivers on Louisiana, the major northbound artery that leads from downtown to the Katy Freeway, according to motorist David Rodi.

"This morning, I was lucky to go two blocks at a time before getting stopped by a red light, and traffic is much more congested overall," he wrote in an e-mail to the Houston Chronicle.

And from KHOU-11:

Instead, drivers said the new system has led to gridlock during rush hour.

“It’s not working,” said one driver.

“Once we got into town on Smith everything started to back up,” said Kathie Miller who drives in the area.

[snip]

It’s a different story at rush hour. Drivers said in some cases their commute time through downtown has doubled or tripled.

So, after two days of rush-hour gridlock, the Public Works Department has put a so-called “tweak team” on the streets, making changes to unclog the trouble spots.

City spokesman Alvin Wright said the problems were not "entirely unexpected," but Rad Sallee's initial story on the new sequencing didn't mention that the city anticipated problems during rush hour.

Downtown drivers have had enough headaches, what with years of road construction and light rail. Here's hoping the city gets it right...fast!

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/21/07 04:49 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (5)

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20 November 2007

A community wins one against TxDOT

Well here's something you don't see every day: the little guy came out on top in a battle against TxDOT (via KUHF-88.7)

TxDOT has been planning to build two overpasses -- one at the intersection of Westheimer and Highway 6 and the other at the intersection of Bellaire and Highway 6. David Harbers, who owns a Shipley's Donuts franchise, and several other business owners and community members made comments at H-GAC's Transportation Policy Council, urging the members to vote against the project because they say it will destroy commerce and do nothing to truly alleviate congestion and mobility in the Highway 6 corridor. Turns out, the council agreed. Harbers says he's overwhelmed by the decision.

"The little man was finally able to win. They finally listened to the people that are in the public rather than just doing it because we got money."

And there definitely was money -- $36 million to be exact. The money was a chunk of safety bond funding awarded to the Houston region specifically for these overpass projects. And since the projects were scrapped, the money goes back to the state for use elsewhere. TxDOT District Engineer Gary Trietsch says he's not disappointed about losing the money, as much as he's concerned this decision will delay any progress in that corridor.

[snip]

Three members of the council voted to move forward with the project, but the remaining members voted it down, including Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, who says the voice of the community underscored the need for a long-term plan to relieve congestion in that area.

"There are a lot of cases where the community doesn't want a transportation improvement, but it's still the right thing to do.

I do hope that's not an omen for Grand Parkway F-2 segment. Judge Emmett has already said it's a top priority of his to get it completed, but, as long-time readers of bH know, Tomball and Spring residents do not want it. It will just devastate our communities.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/20/07 07:24 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (7)

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KHOU: HPD is undercounting homicides

This is a stunning discovery by KHOU-11's Mark Greenblatt:

In murder after murder and case after case, KHOU has discovered the Houston Police Department has found ways to wipe homicides off the books.

They don’t report them for Uniform Crime Report purposes.

The result?

An undercounting of how many murders take place in Houston, leaving some cases un-investigated and even possible murderers walking our streets.

“Cases that are clear cut homicides are not being counted,” said Dr. James Fox, a professor of criminology at Northeastern University.

He has gained worldwide attention for his expertise in homicide cases. Further, the U.S. Department of Justice trusts him to maintain a federal database on homicides.

11 News: Do you believe the City of Houston is lying to the public?

Fox: “Well someone is. Someone knows because someone is making these calls.”

What’s he talking about?

In 2006, HPD reported 377 murders to the FBI, and 334 in 2005.

But over that same time period, 11 News found nearly 30 homicides left off the books that experts say should have been counted.

Further, dozens more remain in question after HPD would not release case files to KHOU to review.

And if the Department had reported just two of many 2005 homicides we found?

It would have changed Houston’s national murder rate ranking, moving Houston past Dallas as the murder capital of Texas and into second place in the nation for cities with a population larger than 1 million.

Further, Fox says police undercounting might have lead to another serious consequence.

“Well a crime was committed and someone is not being charged with that crime,” he said.

A murderer is walking around, free to kill again. And HPD's response?

We're told the department won’t allow a single person out of their 6,000 employees to go on camera and explain its decisions.

That includes police Chief Harold Hurtt, who formally declined our repeated requests to talk.

HPD did issue a written statement, which says in part:

"We are in the process of looking into the cases you have brought to our attention.”

Wow.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/20/07 09:08 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (12)

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City ready to cough up millions for new Dynamo stadium

What was the first thought that went through your mind when you learned the Dynamo had won their second MLS championship?

Let's give them a stadium!

Sure enough:

The Houston Dynamo, fresh off the team's second straight championship, could have a private-public deal to build a stadium in place within weeks, city and team officials said Monday.

"I'm hopeful we can put a good deal together," said Andy Icken, the city's deputy director of public works, who is heading negotiations for the city. "If we're going to be successful, we'll be successful in the next two weeks."

Some members of the team, which won its second straight Major League Soccer championship Sunday by defeating the New England Revolution, said they are wondering why it is taking so long to secure a stadium deal.

"Mayor White, listen up: This team deserves it (a stadium)," Dynamo defender Craig Waibel said.

Feel free to kick in some money there, Mr. Waibel. No one "deserves" a stadium that uses taxpayer dollars, but the city is still willing to give the Dynamo millions:

White is seeking a deal that would not require the city to contribute public money. While AEG's proposal calls for the company to bear most of the construction costs, it still would require the city to provide millions of dollars in needed infrastructure improvements, city and team officials said.

"We're prepared to put in the preponderance of the money for the stadium," Luck said. "I'm reluctant to say whether it would be $60 million, $62 million or $72 million," he said. "But we are asking the city for some financial help, no two ways about it."

Infrastructure improvements could include building streets to a stadium site and paying for expanded water lines and other utilities, Icken said.

AEG and the city are negotiating a second deal that would call on the city to provide land for a team practice facility. It could be located in a proposed city soccer complex in south Houston near Texas 288 and Almeda-Genoa.

Recall back in February, Andy Icken admitted the city had not yet worked out how to pay for the millions the city has decided to invest. And remember when Mayor White worked hard to gut Proposition 2, because he thought it too limited the city's ability to "improve" Houston?

Millions for infrastructure improvements for a new soccer stadium should make Houston very Manhattan-like.

BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/20/07 05:12 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (24)

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19 November 2007

Red light cameras get a mixed review on safety

Here's a local media outlet that has been keeping track of some red light camera stats: KPRC-2 has been keeping a tally of accident numbers at intersections with red light cameras. After one year, the conclusion is mixed:

We discovered at many intersections the cameras appear to be working.

On the west side, the intersection of Bellaire and Wilcrest had 23 accidents the year before red-light cameras. The year after, there were only 10. That's a 57 percent drop.

At Richmond and Dunvale, there were 16 accidents before red-light cameras. There were just eight after red-light cameras were installed. Accidents dropped 50 percent.

And I-10 east and Uvalde, the accidents went from 10 down to six -- a 40 percent decrease.

"We've seen a dramatic decline," said Houston Mayor Bill White.

White said the city's numbers show the total amount of accidents at all 50 intersections with red light cameras dropped from 529 to 345 this year compared to last year. "That is a dramatic decrease," White said. "It was cut down by a third."

But not all the intersections recorded decreases in accidents:

But we discovered intersections FM 1960 and Tomball Parkway tell a much different story. And it's one the mayor can't explain. There were five accidents at the intersection before red-light cameras and 16 after. That's a 220 percent increase in accidents.

At Gessner and Beechnut in southwest Houston, accidents increased from six to 11 -- up 83 percent.

In Clear Lake, at the intersection of Bay Area Boulevard and El Camino Real, accidents jumped from 16 before red-light cameras to 22 after they were installed. That's a 38 percent increase.

Out of the 18 intersections we tracked, 10 had fewer accidents, seven had more wrecks, and one intersection's accident numbers stayed the same.

Mayor White goes on to say the city has commissioned a study to figure it all out.

The first thing the city should do is make sure all engineering issues are dealt with at these intersections. That could be a big part of the problem, and could be a reason for the dramatic differences in accident rates.

RELATED: Matt Stiles notes on the City Hall blog that red light cameras may not be a "cash cow," after all.

We'll have to wait and see what Houston's numbers look like.

BLOGVERSATION: Houston's Clear Thinkers.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/19/07 08:06 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (6)

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Some local reporters muff news story comment controversy

Local reporters seem to be having trouble today reporting on the controversy that erupted over a comment left on a Chron.com news story related to the David Temple murder trial.

Here is KHOU-11's Wendell Edwards:

In a brief hearing a man named Robert Fleming testified that he was a blogger.

His boss is on the jury.

He blogged Friday that his boss told him that the jury could have a verdict by the end of the day.

That happened.

The judge, however, said he saw no evidence of jury misconduct.

Here is KTRK-13's Mark Garay:

There was concern about a Chronicle blogger who stated that his boss was on the jury panel and who had predicted a verdict seven hours before the verdict came down.

The blogger took the stand and was identified as Robert Fleming. He did admit to speaking to one of the jurors at the office where he works with the juror at CenterPoint Energy. But he says he only asked the man if he thought he would be back to work soon, to which the juror replied, 'We may be done today.'

And here is KPRC-2's Phil Archer:

Before testimony began in the punishment phase of trial of a man convicted of killing his pregnant wife, the defense attorney filed a motion alleging jury misconduct.

David Temple was convicted Thursday of killing Belinda Temple in their Katy home in 1999.

The claim of juror misconduct was based on a blog entry in the Houston Chronicle on Thursday.

The entry was written by Robert Fleming, a CenterPoint Energy employee whose supervisor is the jury foreman.

Fleming's comment on the blog was in response to a story on final arguments in the case.

"My boss is on the jury," Fleming wrote on Thursday morning. "Thinks they'll have a verdict this afternoon."

The defense was concerned because jury members are prohibited from discussing the case with anyone, including fellow jurors, while testimony is still under way.

Fleming took the stand Monday and indicated there was no real discussion between him and his boss.

"I asked him how long he would be going through the deliberation process and his response was, 'Actually, we could be done today.'"

Judge Doug Shaver denied the defense motion, ruling there was no juror misconduct.

Three different reporters, three similarly inaccurate descriptions.

Here is a primer for folks reporting/editing this story:

The text in question was a COMMENT, not a BLOG ENTRY.

The COMMENT in question was not left in response to a Chron.com BLOG, but to a NEWS STORY.

Mr. Fleming was a COMMENTER on the Chron.com NEWS STORY, not a CHRONICLE BLOGGER.

Cindy George's coverage for the Chronicle actually gets the terminology right. Maybe the other reporters should read her before they continue reporting on that newfangled internet. Substantively, this bit is interesting:

Attorneys for Temple on Friday issued a subpoena to the Houston Chronicle seeking information that would help them identify the reader.

The story did not answer the question of whether her employer provided that information. I've emailed her to ask.

UPDATE: Neither the reporter nor interim reader representative Steve Jetton deigned to answer my email (very professional, folks!), but the story has been updated to include the following:

The Chronicle did not release the identity of REFster.

"We showed up this morning and all of a sudden he was there with a lawyer," DeGuerin said late Monday.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/19/07 01:39 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (0)

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18 November 2007

This is what happens when yellow-light times are too short

A Dallas TV station timed yellow lights at intersections with red light cameras and found something interesting (via TheNewspaper.com):

The city's second highest revenue producing camera, for example, is located at the intersection of Greenville Avenue and Mockingbird Lane. It issued 9407 tickets worth $705,525 between January 1 and August 31, 2007. At the intersections on Greenville Avenue leadding up to the camera intersection, however, yellows are at least 3.5 or 4.0 seconds in duration, but the ticket producing intersection's yellow stands at just 3.15 seconds. The yellow is .35 seconds shorter than TxDOT's recommended bare minimum.

"For 30 miles per hour, if your yellow time was less than three and a half, you would not be giving that driver enough time to react and brake and stop prior to getting to the intersection," TxDOT Dallas District office transportation engineer supervisor Chris Blain told KDFW.

Sounds like shenanigans! Too bad Dallas doesn't have a Mayor White to guard against such things.

A small change in signal timing can have a great effect on the number of tickets issued. About four out of every five red light camera citations are issued before even a second has elapsed after the light changed to red, according to a report by the California State Auditor. This suggests that most citations are issued to those surprised by a quick-changing signal light.

[snip]

Dallas likewise installed the cameras at locations with existing short yellow times. A total of twenty-one camera intersections in Dallas have yellow times below TxDOT's bare minimum recommended amount. The Texas Transportation Institute study also found that shorter yellows generate a 110 percent jump in the number of tickets, but at the cost of safety. Increasing the yellow one second above the recommended minimum cut crashes by 40 percent.

Maybe one day one of our local news outlets will undertake a yellow-light timing investigation, just to make sure Houston is shenanigan-free.

BLOGVERSATION: Mike McGuff

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/18/07 04:04 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (4)

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HEC dispatcher scolds 911 caller; city refuses to release tape

It's been awhile since we checked in with the Houston Emergency Center. So, anything new going on?

Two city of Houston Emergency Center dispatchers have been sanctioned over a 911 call that a motorist placed as he was being shot at on the West Loop.

Local 2 Investigates reported that the citywide policy is now being changed because of this call, but city leaders refused to release the tape recording of exactly what happened.

Uh oh.

Former military service member Patrick Fitzgerald dialed 911 as he was being shot at on Loop 610 near Bellaire on the morning of Aug. 28.

[snip]

He complained to the mayor's office that the dispatcher refused to take a description of the car or the gunman who was firing at him. He saw the car speed up the entrance ramp to U.S. 59, but since he was unsure whether the car headed north or south, he said the dispatcher scolded him.

Fitzgerald said, "Because I could not give a direction to the operator, she actually said to me, 'What, you want me to pull resources for this?' I was totally shocked. I was actually furious now at that point."

The city of Houston routinely releases 911 audio recordings, but in this case the tape was kept secret despite a formal Public Information Act request from Local 2 Investigates. The city asserted that the case is still under investigation, so releasing the recording would jeopardize that case.

However, Fitzgerald said he never received a single follow-up phone call from police, and the official offense report that was filed shows absolutely no entries detailing follow-up investigative work.

Nope, nothing new. Just the same old HEC.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/18/07 03:32 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (6)

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A big welcome back to Houston's newest Bikram Yoga instructor

For the past nine weeks or so, our fine copy editor Cathy has been out of town, immersed in intensive classes with none other than Bikram himself to become a Bikram Yoga instructor.

The training is finally done, and Houston's newest certified Bikram Yoga instructor is back among us.

We're really happy to welcome back our copy editor and favorite Bikram instructor. Well done, Cathy!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/18/07 11:14 AM | Announcements | Technorati | Comments (5)

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17 November 2007

Better late than never on traffic signal synchronization

The Chronicle's Rad Sallee reports that the city is finally beginning to synchronize traffic signals in a way that makes sense:

In recent years, the lights have changed color simultaneously in stretches several blocks long, a setting adopted to simplify traffic patterns during the Metropolitan Transit Authority's eight-year reconstruction of downtown and Midtown streets.

At the time, city engineers said deteriorating mechanical control boxes and a mix of new and old equipment would have made sequencing difficult.

Motorists responded by speeding to cover as much ground as possible before all the lights turned red. But the now-sequenced lights do not reward the speeder, who will have to slow down or stop at every intersection.

Sequencing makes driving easier and reduces long waits at red lights and their resulting emissions, Wright said.

The sequenced lights extend from Bagby to Chartres and Commerce to Webster — the inner freeway loop.

Wright said the cost of timing them was about $90,000. The program moves next into Midtown and then to north and west Houston, he said.

It was really nice of Sallee to help the administration push off blame for the first round of synchronization that wasn't done quite right. Funny, though, that the Mayor's press release announcing his big synchronization initiative in 2004 didn't mention any of that.

Back in June 2007, city officials seemed to treat Chron columnist Lisa Falkenberg in an exceedingly condescending manner when she raised questions about the city's flawed synchronization efforts. Five months later, it looks like the city is finally conceding her point(s).

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/17/07 09:49 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (5)

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Mayor and Council finally approve Mecom Fountain light replacement

Back in May, the Chronicle reported that Mecom Fountain had been dark for seven months, because brazen thieves stole the lights and nobody in municipal government seemed to care all that much about replacing them.

Finally, six months after that report (and after 13 months of darkness), Mayor White and his Council have acted to replace the lights in Mecom Fountain:

[N]o one’s found the vandal who pulled out all the light fixtures last fall. Now, the Houston City Council has approved the $77,000 it'll take to fix it.

"It's long overdue and one of the great visual icons in the city of Houston,” said Councilman Peter Brown.

[snip]

Houston’s Parks Department says it will take 4 to 6 weeks to install the lights once they’re delivered – so the fountain may remain dark for another few months.

It's embarrassing that vandals were able to darken a city landmark for 13 months (and counting).

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/17/07 09:14 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (8)

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Lawyers subpoena Chronicle for data on a commenter

The Chronicle reports that the newspaper has been subpoenaed for registration information of a commenter who left comments allegedly recounting statements from a juror in an ongoing trial. Here is an excerpt from Peggy O'Hare's reporting:

Attorneys for David Mark Temple issued a subpoena Friday to the Houston Chronicle, seeking information about a reader who suggested a juror inappropriately spoke with people outside the jury room about ongoing deliberations in the former high school football coach's murder trial well before the guilty verdict was announced.

Temple's attorneys are hoping to identify the reader, who claimed his or her boss was on the jury and predicted a verdict would come Thursday afternoon.

The reader, using the screen name "REFster," posted the remark in the "reader comments" section on the Chronicle's Web page about 9 a.m. Thursday — a full seven hours before the jury returned its verdict.

"Psst ... My boss is on the jury. Thinks they'll have a verdict this afternoon," REFster wrote.

[snip]

REFster's remark concerns Temple's attorneys because jurors are forbidden from discussing the case with anyone outside the jury room while the trial is still in progress. Temple's trial is set to resume Monday, when jurors will begin hearing testimony in the punishment phase of the case.

[snip]

The newspaper's management called the situation highly unusual and could not recall any other subpoenas received previously for a reader's Web page registration information. They have not yet decided how to respond to the subpoena.

"We're studying the situation," Chronicle editor Jeff Cohen said.

It will be interesting to see if the Chronicle defends the privacy of its user (and its data), or gives in on the matter.

Personally, I operate under the assumption that much personal information on the internet isn't as "private" as most people think, and act accordingly.

What do you think? Do you expect Chron.com to resist legal efforts to obtain personal data (such as email addresses, age, address, etc.) of registrants? What about this website?

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/17/07 04:23 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (4)

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Judge to speak with KPRC-2 reporter on juror chase

The Chronicle's Brian Rogers reports that a fellow journalist will have to answer to a local judge following a juror chase:

A verdict in a major trial always sends reporters scrambling for interviews with jurors. But the case has to be over before a juror can talk about their decision — a fact one television reporter seemed to forget after David Mark Temple was convicted Thursday of murdering his wife.

According to court documents, KPRC Channel 2's Kym Alvarado-Booth is slated to appear before visiting state District Judge Doug Shaver on Wednesday to explain why she should not be held in contempt.

A seasoned reporter, Alvarado-Booth is accused of chasing down the jurors as they left the courthouse escorted by two bailiffs.

Because those same jurors are set to begin considering Temple's punishment on Monday, the bailiffs refused to let the reporter talk to them or film them. According to an observer, bailiffs threatened to handcuff Alvarado-Booth if she resisted as they escorted her upstairs to see the judge, who had already left. The handcuffs weren't necessary.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/17/07 03:50 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (4)

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City builds on business ties with Mexico

Sean Mattson of the San Antonio Express News reports that a delegation led by Mayor White signed an agreement yesterday to strengthen ties with the Mexican state of Nuevo León:

Houston and the Mexican border state of Nuevo León agreed to make formal and strengthen business ties under an agreement signed Friday by Houston Mayor Bill White and Nuevo León Gov. Natividad González Parás.

Houston and Nuevo León committed to designating representatives who will design programs to create opportunities in fields including energy, the environment, information technologies, logistics and culture, according to a draft of the agreement.

A delegation of about two dozen Houston city officials and members of the Greater Houston Partnership were part of the one-day trade mission. It included a visit to the Universal Forum of Cultures, an international fair, and a boat ride along the Paseo Santa Lucia, a downtown canal similar to San Antonio's River Walk.

It sounds like a good long-weekend junket, if nothing else. The golfing weather is probably better than Houston's today.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/17/07 03:06 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)

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More Chron.com spam

A month ago, Lou Minatti and I both received a Chron.com spam email. I clicked on the "opt-out" link just to make sure I wouldn't get any more Chron.com spam, even though I had never opted IN.

Yesterday, I got an annoying, graphic-heavy, Chron.com spam email, advising me I should pick up a paper copy of the Thanksgiving Chronicle for all the fabulous sales ads. It also advised:

You received this e-mail because you are subscribed to The Houston Chronicle Mailing List as [redacted]

To opt-out from this e-mail, please use this link.

I used the opt-out link a month ago, but apparently my request wasn't honored.

It's nice for users that the Chron gives free access to archives in exchange for registration. It's nice for the Chron that so many registered users provide free web content and boost page views via the comment and blog features. It's not nice that the Chron spams registered users who have not signed up for their junk email.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/17/07 02:45 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (3)

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16 November 2007

Survey respondents hope others will use mass transit

So, the new Houston Area Survey shows an overwhelming majority of residents "support mass transit as the best solution to traffic problems."

What most people support is others using mass transit to clear the roads for their own daily commute. That's what these surveys always find. The survey doesn't say that an overwhelming majority want to give up their cars and hop on mass transit to ease traffic problems.

Which is how we get to the point where Metro is spending billions on light rail, when less than one percent of Houston residents use Metro's services.

BLOGVERSATION: Houston Strategies, Lose an Eye, It's a Sport

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/16/07 05:09 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (8)

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15 November 2007

Metro cedes bus stops to criminals

What else can we conclude from this KHOU-11 story by Jeff McShan that details the problems at Metro bus stops:

Searching through pages of Houston Police Department reports, in October alone, when Pamela was attacked, there were 35 other incidents at bus stops.

More than half were robberies and assaults. Many of the suspects were carrying guns, some had knives and baseball bats, but they were all preying on people just waiting for the bus.

Law enforcement sources said stops for bus 77, which travels south along MLK to Selinsky and North along Liberty to Mesa, are perhaps the most dangerous places to wait for a bus.

On a two-hour long bus ride on the number 77, several passengers, especially women, told 11 News that waiting for the bus around here can be frightening.

“And I think it would be much safer if people were patrolling and whatever — at least the little Metro police — and everything that could come by and make sure everybody is safe,” one young woman said.

She said she recently witnessed two men attack a woman and take her purse.

“I really try to travel with someone if I have to ride the bus,” she said.

At the end of the 77 line is the Mesa Transit Stop in far northeast Houston. One bus patron said they never see Metro police out there.

[snip]

To get a complete picture of crime at Metro bus stops, 11 News examined reports from both Metro and HPD because neither has all of the incidents logged.

From January through October, there were at least 326 crimes reported at the bus stops. That number includes five rapes, 128 robberies and 42 aggravated assaults.

Many commuters say Metro police patrols around the bus stops would help.

“Yeah, have them close so they can keep us safe,” a patron said. “Because just like people downtown need safety, we need safety too.”

Metro has put a lot of its police force downtown. A confidential memo 11 News obtained outlines a major crime enforcement initiative along the rail corridor. And the Park and Ride lots received a $16 million security boost.

But what about the Metro stops?

So, while the 7.5 mile rail line gets the benefit of Metro's elite counterterror unit, and perhaps a beefed up police presence (to deal with downtown's homeless?), and Park and Pillages get the $16 million defensive camera system, Metro's bus stops get...what exactly?

There are more than 12,000 Metro bus stops in Houston, and Metro said there is no way they can patrol every one of them and keep everybody safe. They hope neighborhoods will take action, check out their Web site, and adopt a Metro bus stop to keep it clean and safe.

Metro bus riders get to fend for themselves! Which is why Metro reminded customers more than two years ago that it's legal to carry a gun on a bus, as long as one has a concealed carry permit.

What an abomination! Metro's patrons have been raped, robbed, and assaulted at bus stops, and Metro whines that there are just too many to patrol. The truth is Metro chooses what it will and won't do, and Metro has chosen to focus on the Main Street Rail Line, which leaves bus patrons out of luck.

If Metro can't handle the job, it should get out of the business. What part of safety doesn't Chief Lambert understand?

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/15/07 08:24 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (13)

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Why did it take a week for press to learn of eSlate "adjustments?"

Yesterday, the Chronicle's Alan Bernstein reported that in last week's election, Harris County election officials actually had to go back and manually adjust some of the voting results because of ballot glitches. Here are some excerpts from Bernstein's important story:

The adjustments also highlighted the fact that, with multiple election boundaries snaking through precincts to separate city voters from county voters and municipal utility districts from emergency services districts, there usually are flaws that put voters in front of the wrong ballot screens.

Which is what happened in Emergency Services District No. 9, where 293 voters went to the polls early but never got to express an opinion on the issue as they voted on state and county bonds and other items because the tax vote didn't appear on their screens. (The tax proposal lost by 3,233 votes.)

The omission of the tax proposal on ballots in parts of three precincts was discovered thanks to an alert from a voter, and Harris County Clerk Beverly Kaufman's staff was able to get the tax question on the right ballots for Election Day — but it was too late to have those votes recorded on the main computer.

Instead, they were recorded separately and later added to the totals.

Voters in the emergency district, which includes 11 fire stations serving 250,000 people, never were notified that some of them missed the referendum during early voting or that Election Day votes were segregated.

Regardless, it was up to [Johnnie] German and assistant Randy Roberts to combine the segregated totals, printed on computer paper, into the county's final electronic vote tallies after the polls closed on Election Day.

The county Web site already showed that all precinct totals had been counted; three sheriff's deputies who guarded the counting process on the fourth floor of the County Administration Building in downtown Houston had been sent home.

Also in the locked, glass-walled room were Republican Kaufman and John R. Behrman, a computer expert and longtime election observer representing the Democratic Party. He said he considers Kaufman's staff the most knowledgeable election computer administrators on the continent and does not question their motives.

[snip]

"A hundred percent of precincts reporting, and everything had been distributed to the press," he said. "Then and only then did I see how they were going to do this, and frankly I never thought it was possible.

The story emphasizes concerns over the process by which results in eSlate voting can be manipulated with the right security codes (and Charles Kuffner post additional criticism by Dan Wallach that the process does not allow for proper accounting). Those are valid concerns, although it is worth noting that no election system is foolproof (back in the days of punch ballots, we heard of some poll watchers being told to follow the election judge as he/she delivered election boxes to the processing facility, just to be sure no shenanigans took place), and ultimately we bestow a great deal of trust on fellow citizens to conduct honest elections.

The concern that this story raises for me is that election results seem to have been adjusted after official reporting took place, and (so far as I can tell) this is the first local press account of the matter. We have been given no reason to question the integrity of Beverly Kaufman's operation, and it appears that partisan observers were invited to oversee this particular matter and raised no objections. However, it strikes us that the press should have been made aware of this important news immediately, and should have been included as observers.

If there is currently no mechanism in place to alert the press to these sorts of glitches (and since there is not even a mention of the "adjustments" on Kaufman's press release page, we assume there is not), Kaufman's office would be well advised to put one in place before the next elections.

BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport, Off the Kuff.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/15/07 10:33 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)

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The end of the Froot Loops Bureau?

Timesman Matt Bramanti calls our attention to this brief report on Chron.com from Wednesday morning:

The Wachovia bank in the 4400 block of North Freeway was robbed shortly after 9 a.m., according to police radio traffic.

The robber left the bank in a red Ford F-150 truck and was wearing a red and orange sweatshirt, the Houston Police Department reported.

Chron staffers listening to police traffic and doing their own reporting, instead of transcribing the morning's TV news reports over Froot Loops?

This seems like a big -- and (we hope) permanent -- improvement!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/15/07 08:45 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)

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Thundering Herd to visit HISD school

The HISD press office has sent out an interesting story about Marshall Middle School. Here's an excerpt:

Before the coaches and players of Marshall University's football team meet the University of Houston on the playing field, they will take time out of their busy schedule to meet the staff and students of HISD's Marshall Middle School. The team will visit on Friday, November 16, around 1:30 p.m.

The students and staff at the HISD school feel a special affinity for Marshall University for two reasons. Both are named after the fourth Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition, the faculty and staff were motivated by the movie, "We Are Marshall" which tells the story of the comeback of Marshall's football team after losing almost the entire team and coaching staff in a tragic plane crash on November 14, 1970.

Each faculty and staff member viewed the movie during a staff development day in August, and came away so inspired that they decided to adopt "We Are Marshall" as the school slogan.

When English department chair and journalism teacher Thelma Johnson learned that the current Marshall team would be coming to Houston, she organized a school-wide letter-writing campaign to invite the team to visit. More than 900 letters were mailed to the university and the team accepted the invitation.

Johnson said, “The letters written by our students show them that having the ability to communicate an idea effectively can make a difference.”

This Cougar fan will not be describing himself with the motto "We are Marshall" this weekend, but it's still kind of a nice story.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/15/07 08:35 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)

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14 November 2007

Chief Hurtt's blog officially open for business

Chief Hurtt's blog is officially open for business. Here's the announcement from HPD:

Houston Police Chief Harold L. Hurtt is now a blogger! Recognizing the need for a quick, informal way to communicate with the Houston residents he serves, Chief Hurtt has started an online weblog (often referred to as a "blog") in order to keep you informed of department initiatives, goals, and activities.

[snip]

In his first post, Chief Hurtt said, "I'm hoping to use this forum as a tool to let you see some of the 'behind the scenes' good work done by the men and women of the Houston Police Department * the kinds of things you aren't likely to see on the news." He also encouraged Houstonians to learn more about helping the department "Keep Houston Safe," and to serve their community by taking advantage of some of the many volunteer programs offered by HPD.

Chief Hurtt will be updating the blog on a regular basis. We encourage you to let your viewers and readers know about it, perhaps by including links to it from your own Web site.

Here is an excerpt from the Chief's first post (dated November 7):

I plan to use this forum as a tool to let you see some of the "behind the scenes" good work done by the men and women of the Houston Police Department … the kinds of things you aren't likely to see on the news. As you probably realize, the news media doesn't always show you the positive stories … and at HPD, there are lots of good, positive things going on. Despite the headlines, violent crime is down, and, for its size, Houston is a safe city. And there are things you can do, in partnership with HPD, to make it even safer. I encourage you to check this site periodically because I'm hoping to show you how you can help make a difference in your neighborhood and this city.

Public organizations often feel like they get shortchanged by the media, which tend to emphasize "negative" stories over "positive" ones (the notion being that HPD doing its job isn't news, but HPD screwing up is news), so the Chief has a valid complaint to some extent.

Then again, we hope the Chief -- and whatever ghostbloggers may be "helping" him -- will use the blog truly to engage Houstonians, instead of adopting another local organization's blog-model of serving up barely readable, features-style PR cheerleading. We'd love to see a true give and take from the Chief on problems such as the crime lab, staffing shortages, CompStat, broken-windows policing, downtown's out-of-control problem with vagrants, the sanctuary directive, and other issues (of course, we'd also like to see Chief Hurtt's department stop "punishing" reporters who are trying to do their jobs -- I guess we'll have to wait and see on both counts). We hope never to see a post from the Chief describing where some employees go to lunch.

BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport, Lone Star Times.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/14/07 12:40 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (11)

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GPS clearly shows HPD's manpower shortage (updated)

KTRK-13's Ted Oberg discovered that HPD's new GPS system affords the department the ability to know exactly where its officers are at any time. As Oberg also discovered, it shows how woefully short on personnel HPD is:

The mayor promises that one day...

"The criminals are going to have their hands full with HPD," said Houston Mayor Bill White.

But an Eyewitness News analysis reveals it's the other way around. HPD has its hands full just covering the city.

This summer, HPD outfitted patrol cars with GPS tracking devices. As officers drive around Houston, the devices send signals every few seconds detailing exactly where the patrol car is. It allows police dispatchers to see which officer is closest to a crime scene, but also reveals the secret of just how few officers are patrolling our city.

According to our analysis, there is an average of 268 officers available for 911 calls city wide any time of the day; not many when you consider a Houstonian calls 911 every 30 seconds. The highest number of on-duty units is at 3pm when there are 395. But at that hour, more than a third of them are parked at police substations.

The lowest number of units is at 2am, when just 186 officers are available to answer your call for help. It's also when Crime Tracker shows violent crime is near its daily peak.

"There just aren't enough and obviously your GPS will make someone think that," said Hans Marticiuc with the HPD Officers Union.

In the last year, the bodies of six women have been dumped in Acres Homes.

"Whoever is perpetrating these crimes believes the Acres Home community is a dumping ground and that they can do it and nobody is going to say anything," said HPD Assistant Chief Mike Dirden.

But maybe the killer knows no cops are watching. The last body was found in Acres Homes September 22. The GPS data from 10pm the night before shows the closest officer a mile away. At midnight, 1am and 2 am, there are officers on big streets, but not in the neighborhood where bodies have been dumped for more than a year.

"We just pray for more officers," said Acres Homes resident Roman Spiller.

When crime is peaking at 2 a.m., HPD has just 186 officers on patrol.

For years MayorWhiteChiefHurtt were warned that a manpower shortage was imminent, and for years, every other pet project was given a higher priority. Now that the mayor has decided to get serious about it, the city is having trouble recruiting officers, officers are left without ready backup, and (increasingly) citizens must fend for themselves in the critical early moments when a crime occurs.

UPDATE: On his blog, Ted Oberg notes that HPD officials aren't big fans of his, and in fact no one would go on-camera to discuss this story with him. Ah well. Maybe Chief Hurtt will blog about it.

KEVIN WHITED ADDS: HPD's refusal to speak with Oberg on this report and others, if true (and there is no reason not to believe Oberg), is stunningly arrogant and unprofessional. Even if HPD feels that a previous story by Oberg was problematic, the fact is that Oberg is a high-profile reporter for a well-regarded local news organization, and HPD is not helping to inform the public with petty "punishment" of reporters doing stories that MayorWhiteChiefHurtt may not like.

PREVIOUSLY: KPRC: HPD response times continue to worsen

RELATED STORIES: Store owner, 2 others killed in separate shootings (Chronicle), Slain grocer remembered as generous (Chronicle), Teen charged with murder in Houston man's death (Chronicle), Friends grieve loss of 3 found slain in burning home (Chronicle)

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/14/07 05:12 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (8)

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13 November 2007

Pay your parking fee or get booted

KTRK-13's Jeff Ehling reports that some private parking lots downtown have begun placing boots on vehicles when the parking fee isn't paid:

The boot is a relatively new tool Houston parking lot operators are using on violators. The practice of booting is so new there are no city regulations in place. While this lot has signs that tell consumers what will happen if they park without paying, it's not required and the price to remove a boot is not controlled either. In Dawson's case it cost $100 to have the boot removed.

"There is a lot of concern and some awareness of the changes that are going on within the private parking industry," said Public Parking Commission Bob Eury.

Bob Eury is a member of Houston's public parking commission. He says the city is looking at immobilizing boots. One issue being considered, a place consumers can go if they feel their cars were booted improperly.

"That is an issue and there are issues like that that, that I know the city is looking at," Eury said.

The rules being considered are similar to those that regulate towing. Things like proper signs and a phone number consumers can call. If you think you're towed by mistake, you can head to tow court. And if a judge rules in your favor, the bill is thrown out.

Right now, none of these rules exist for the boot. The city of Houston has a parking boot draft ordinance, but it could be some Time before the draft ordinance becomes law.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/13/07 07:19 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (13)

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Texans player sues HPD

KRIV-26 reports that Houston Texans offensive lineman Fred Weary is suing HPD:

Houston Texans offensive lineman Fred Weary filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the City of Houston and the two Houston Police Department officers who Tasered him after a traffic stop last year.

The lawsuit named the city and officers Margaret T. McGivern and Joe F. Vasquez for their "unlawful stop, use of excessive force, assault, unlawful arrest and detention" of Weary on Nov. 14, 2006 as he left Reliant Stadium after practicing with the Texans.

"We haven't seen the lawsuit," said Mayor Bill White's spokesperson, Frank Michel. "And even if we have, we would be limited in what we can say. I would refer you to the city attorney."

Weary was shot with a Taser and arrested that day after officers said he was stopped because he did not have a front license plate and was driving "suspiciously." A misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest was dismissed a week later because of insufficient evidence.

[snip]

Additionally, the suit alleges that HPD chief Harold Hurtt "acted with malice by defaming Mr. Weary to the Houston Chronicle." It pointed out that Hurtt stated that his officers "spared him from a more dire outcome" and that there could have been "a more deadlier encounter."

The trial could get really interesting if HPD's Chief (grammar mangler) testifies!

BLOGVERSATION: Houston's Clear Thinkers.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/13/07 12:51 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (15)

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City reverses course: All restaurant violations to be posted online

More than three years ago, KHOU-11 did a story on how the public could access to the city's Health Department restaurant inspection reports:

When asked if these were public records that the public should be able to see, Salvagio agreed that they were public, and said she felt like the public already had access to them.

The city couldn't agree more.

"Call the health department and you can get the information you need," says Trahan.

The reality is that if you want to see an actual health inspection, you have to fax a request to the Health Department, wait about a week, go pick it up and pay 12.5 cents a page.

KHOU's Mark Greenblatt revisited the story yesterday and discovered the city is now posting some inspections online -- but not all:

It turns out the very worst violations, violations that could shut a restaurant down, are being intentionally hidden from you the public. And how do we know? Because believe it or not the city admits it.

“We’re not giving, apparently not giving the public all the information they need to make a decision,” Terasso said.

The problem: Anytime inspectors find the most serious health violations they write the restaurant a ticket. However, Houston officials have been leaving that information out of sight from the public. More than 4,000 of the most serious violations are simply missing from their Web site. And if you log online to lookup a restaurant’s inspection record? You won’t see a single note of the missing records.

11 News: “There are inspections with serious violations, missing from your public Web site. Would you agree that’s a serious problem?”

MT: “That is a serious problem.”

But he said city lawyers made the Health Department do it.

“I can’t guarantee that legal will release those in any timeframe,” he said.

But a little media sunshine has helped clear the city's thinking:

Very soon after KHOU sat down with the Health Department to question their policy of hiding the worst violations from the public, the City announced a complete reversal of that policy. A spokesperson for the Health Department told KHOU they had instructed their internet vendor to begin putting online all citation information previously withheld.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/13/07 05:15 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (11)

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12 November 2007

Was the crazed slasher homeless or not?

This afternoon, KHOU-11 posted the following headline on their website:

Student attacked by homeless man

Here is an excerpt from the initial reporting:

A Lamar High School student had a harrowing start to her school day Monday when a homeless man attacked her on campus.

Catherine Sullivan, 14, said she was standing in front of the school on Westheimer, talking with a group of friends when Larry Paul Newton, 48, walked up to them and stood there, not saying anything.

When one of the kids in the group asked what he was doing, the man reportedly jumped on Sullivan.

Sullivan said he had two knives, one in each hand, and was slashing at her.

Strangely, the headline and story have now been updated to remove any reference to a homeless man (although in the video version of the story on the website, Greg Hurst introduces the report by referring to a homeless man).

KPRC-2's headline initially referred to a homeless man ("Homeless man cuts girl at school"), but the reference has since been changed (to "Police: Man With Knives Attacks Girl At School").

KTRH-740's story still refers to a homeless man:

Student Stabbed at Houston High School

Homeless man accused of knife attack on student.

By KTRH's Bill O'Neal

Monday, November 12, 2007

A Houston 9th grader needed several stitches in her arm after being stabbed by an apparent homeless man.

KTRK-13's coverage also refers to a homeless man:

HISD police say a homeless man stabbed a ninth grade female student in southwest

It happened around 8am at Lamar High School. Catherine Sullivan, 14, says she and four of her friends were standing outside the building on school property when they noticed a strange man approaching. That man, they say, appeared to be homeless.

Catherine says the man walked up behind her and, she says, attacked her.

The Chronicle's story never referred to a homeless man, so far as we can tell.

So, did four news organizations get the homeless reference wrong? Or is there some other explanation for the editing of two of the four stories that referenced a homeless man?

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/12/07 09:16 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (6)

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Chronicle Poo-Poos Veterans Day

The lead story in the Veterans Day edition of the chronicle was enough to shake me out of my morning fog before my coffee could. Today is supposed to be a day where U.S. military veterans are honored for their courageous service and sacrifices for our freedom. Yet, reporter Carolyn Feibel apparently went searching for veterans to speak out against the war in Iraq.

"Their mood was somber. Returning from war was difficult for both. They fear for the military men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"It's just another Vietnam," Boissenet said. "They're fighting in a desert instead of a jungle." The two men rolled toward the elevator."
I have a high school friend who served in Iraq. He's rather proud of his service. Did the chronicle interview him?

I then read this comment from another brave veteran;

"That's when I started drinking. My first (downed) pilot mission, I had to pick up a part of a right leg, upper torso and half of his head. His dog tags were still on him,"

I think the chronicle gets confused about Veterans Day. The point is to honor the veterans, not to glorify war. I remember talking to a World War II veteran years ago. I remember his story where he launched from an aircraft carrier with two Japanese torpedos racing for his ship. He managed to strafe both torpedos using his maching guns. I remember asking him if he was nervous. I'll never forget his answer, "I wasn't nervous, the guys on the carrier were!" Did the chronicle interview him?

Then the article gives a free plug to a group called Veterans for Peace and documents how someone, obviously upset hosed them down. Leave it to the chronicle to take a somber day like veterans day and make it a worthless editorial page. I want to say 'thank you' to ALL veterans, not just the ones who agree with the chronicle.

Posted by Jason @ 11/12/07 10:24 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (25)

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11 November 2007

Clear Thinking on the Astrodome redevelopment

Clear Thinker Tom Kirkendall wonders why the "Chronicle continues its apparent campaign to breath life into the second largest local urban boondoggle (second only to the Metro light rail system) -- the proposed Astrodome hotel project."

So do we.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/11/07 11:31 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)

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Downtown footwear store aims big (and laments lack of parking)

Commenter and blogger Neal Meyer calls attention to this Chronicle article about the difficulties a new business is facing downtown:

Thomas Nauls was so inspired when he read The Tipping Point, a book by Malcolm Gladwell, that he named his boutique sneaker shop on Main Street after it.

Not only that, but he also wrote his business plan based on the philosophy of the book, which argues that certain ideas, products and fads behave like epidemic diseases, spreading rapidly once they hit a critical mass.

"We are trying to introduce trends to the right people so that they spread quickly," Nauls said.

But the problem is, in order for a virus to thrive and reproduce, it must have bodies to infiltrate. And in the two months since he and partners Kenneth Baugh and Dace Graham opened, very few bodies are passing through The Tipping Point's doors.

He blames that on two problems facing retailers downtown: parking and a limited amount of foot traffic.

As Meyer observes, the story does not once mention light rail. Rather, the story emphasizes the importance of parking to the store's eventual success (or failure).

Undeterred, the store's partners are thinking big:

"What separates our stores from other stores is that we don't just have sneakers," he said.

"We are selling a lifestyle."

Although hope for a retail renaissance downtown is in its infancy, Nauls thinks that if he attracts the right crowd, the lifestyle he is selling could spread fast.

"We are trying to introduce trends to the right people so that they spread quickly," he said.

"It's a certain type of individual who is well read and sociable. Somebody that not only sees what is going on now, but sees what will be going on in the future. A forward thinker, so to speak."

Is that really the downtown crowd (and the large homeless population)? It strikes me that there were any number of locations that might be more suitable.

But if you're inclined to be a footwear trendsetter, here's the website for the store. Good luck with the parking and hobos!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/11/07 11:24 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (10)

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UH's new leader takes the helm

As reported by the Chronicle's Matthew Tresaugue (here and here), UH's new chancellor/president officially took the helm at the institution this week.

The Editorial LiveJournalists weigh in with their thoughts today.

Of more interest is this note from Luke Gilman, a recent UH grad and current law student.

Like Gilman, we hope that Khator's experiences at South Florida have prepared her to lead UH forward as a major urban research university that continues to serve the needs of working students in the region.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/11/07 01:52 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)

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Lifestyles of the well-heeled (cont'd)

Following the big election, Mayor White and his Council got back to business this week, deciding to postpone consideration of an "emergency" ordinance that was hastily crafted by the mayor to placate influential constituents from a wealthy part of town. As Mike Snyder reports for the Chronicle, the decision to postpone the ordinance came in response to the developers agreeing to postpone their efforts:

The council postponed voting on the ordinance after the developers, Matthew Morgan and Kevin Kirton of Buckhead Investment Partners, agreed in writing not to seek any additional permits during the 90-day delay.

Morgan and Kirton said their agreement to halt the project for 90 days was prompted in part by concerns expressed by other developers.

"We believe we have an obligation to other developers in this city, as more and more ad hoc rules continue to be proposed for the development of private property," Morgan said. "We were willing to make this short-term sacrifice for the good of the industry and the community."

The mayor said he had initially put the ordinance on a fast track — it was drafted and placed on the council agenda within a few weeks [1] — because the developers insisted on moving their project forward despite concerns about its impact on traffic. Their agreement to wait, White said, allows time to review parts of the ordinance needing more work.

Morgan and Kirton said Wednesday that other developers had expressed concern about the potential impact of the ordinance on projects they were planning. These concerns were the subject of a meeting White held with several developers and builders last week.

Jeff Gray, president and founder of Grayco Partners, a multi-family development firm, said the Bissonnet project and its reaction at City Hall had generated considerable discussion among some of his industry colleagues. Some developers were concerned that the ordinance gave too much authority to the public works director to require changes in projects, he said. [2]

"If there's going to be a new standard, they just don't want it to be arbitrary and left to the discretion of a city department head," Gray said.

With regard to Note 1: Didn't Mayor White previously insist that the wealthy, politically connected anti-Ashby high-rise people had received no special treatment? Except here, he admits they did. The Mayor's communications team seems to be sending conflicting messages! Of course, even absent the Mayor's admission, it is fairly obvious that the Mayor put this ordinance on an "unusually fast" (to quote the Chronicle) track, bypassing the usual vetting process.

And that takes us to Note 2: In the haste to throw together an emergency ordinance to benefit a wealthy, politically connected constituency, the Mayor and Council seemed ready to transfer a considerable amount of discretionary power to the city's public works director, with no real analysis of potential consequences and ramifications. As we have noted previously, that is not the best way to make policy.

Finally, we see that Mayor White has written to the Chronicle today, to argue with citizens who dare suggest that the hastily crafted anti-Ashby high rise ordinance amounts to special treatment for a wealthy, politically connected constituency:

In this section in the Chronicle, several citizens have asserted that this administration has moved more aggressively on an ordinance to blunt the traffic impacts of high-rise developments because one of those developments threatens a higher-income neighborhood. That is not true. The vast bulk of the neighborhood protection activity during this administration — as measured by spending, personnel and new laws — has dealt with chronic problems in some of the city's most neglected neighborhoods. We moved swiftly, for example, to shut down two apartment buildings with health violations in moderate- to low-income areas.

Note the rhetorical technique employed: "The accusation we have engaged in A is not true, because we have engaged in B." Of course, that formulation falls apart if both A and B can be true. We don't dispute that the White Administration has boosted neighborhood protection activities, as he suggests. But -- back to Note 1 -- even the Mayor admits that he put the concerns of a well-heeled constituency on a fast track. He may even have thought there were important reasons to do so that aren't crassly politically (we aren't mind readers, so we can't claim to know). But the fact is, a well-heeled constituency did receive special treatment, and developers who thought they had followed the pertinent regulations to develop their property have effectively seen the value of their investment reduced because Mayor White produced a punitive (unvetted) ordinance with unprecedented haste in response to the demands of wealthy, politically connected constituents.

At least the delay offers the Mayor and his Council a chance to reconsider the hastily-crafted, punitive ordinance, and to vet it with some semblance of a deliberative process.

Perhaps. The anti-Ashby high rise organizers don't sound too pleased about additional deliberations over their ordinance:

Neighborhood leaders said they were gratified that the mayor had reinforced his determination to block the project. But they were concerned about what might happen during a 90-day delay.

Leaders of other neighborhoods with concerns about negative effects of proposed developments might try to get their issues included in the ordinance, making its impact so broad that it becomes politically untouchable, said Chris Amandes, an attorney who co-chairs a task force of leaders of the Southampton and Boulevard Oaks neighborhoods adjoining the project site.

To quote Slampo: "In other words, Away with your wagon and other nettlesome development issues. This is our ordinance."

And that concludes our latest Lifestyles of the Well-Heeled update.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/11/07 12:55 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)

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10 November 2007

City Council's suite at Toyota Center

Over in the Local Blog Talk section, Kevin has linked to a post by KTRK-13's Wayne Dolcefino about a story he has coming up on Sunday night:

Sunday night Hannah Montana hits the stage at Toyota Center. Unless you are rich, or very lucky, you and your kids aren’t going to be there. Tickets on Ebay last week were going for up to $1200. I secretly hid the fact she was even coming from my kids because there was no way I could afford to go.

Too bad I'm not a Houston City Councilmember. You see, city officials have been getting free tickets in a fancy twelve seat suite at Toyota Center for every concert, every event, every game.

There's just one little correction that needs to be made:

Free grub and free cocktails, all at Aramark prices. That ain’t cheap.

The city got the suite for the $20 million YOU spent for Toyota Center. It is supposed to be used to promote the city. You know, a place to help bring in convention business. So why are city officials taking their families? Munching out on a vendors tab?

Aramark doesn't hold the Toyota Center contract -- Levy Restaurants does. Aramark has the contracts at Reliant and Minute Maid.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/10/07 09:07 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (10)

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Friday night with Mike McGuff: Klein Oak vs. Klein!

KTRK-13's Mike McGuff hung out at Klein Stadium last night, taking pictures of the Klein Oak vs. Klein football game.

Klein Oak won, although it was a hard-fought game, and Klein Oak ends its regular season with only one loss -- last week's trouncing by Westfield. Now it's on to the playoffs.

Thanks, Mike, for the great pictures!

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/10/07 08:58 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)

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09 November 2007

An Aggie joke that really misses the mark

Here's a line from Chron sports columnist Jerome Solomon's latest that literally made my jaw drop:

While the bratty Longhorns constantly rub A&M's nose in national championships — no matter how infrequently they come — the Aggies have to play with matches to get attention.

That's tacky and obnoxious even by Chron standards.

BLOGVERSATION: Houston's Clear Thinkers.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/09/07 11:27 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (26)

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We've got a better idea

The Chron's new reader rep, Steve Jetton, announced yesterday that the comics section will be reduced by one page Monday through Saturday, as a cost-cutting measure.

We have a better idea: Cut the editorial pages Monday through Saturday, and save twelve pages a week instead of just six. It would be a public service, too, as readers will lose fewer brain cells reading the comics than they would reading the editorial board's opinions.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/09/07 04:58 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (9)

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08 November 2007

KPRC: HPD response times continue to worsen

KPRC-2's Robert Arnold checks in with some hard numbers on HPD response times that continue to worsen (thanks to the manpower crunch that was neglected for too long by City Hall):

For the Houston police officers patrolling our streets, the most urgent calls for help are classified as "priority one." That means someone's life is in immediate danger, and that's why officers are supposed to respond to these "priority one" calls in five minutes or less.

"That is an important performance indicator for us. We try to keep an eye as closely on that as we can," Executive Assistant Chief Tim Oettmeier said.

But when Local 2 Investigates analyzed three years worth of police response times, breaking down Houston neighborhood by neighborhood, we discovered more and more parts of the city are waiting longer than five minutes for police to respond to these life-threatening, "priority one" calls.

"What I hear from officers is we are short and could we get some help out here," outgoing Houston Police Officers’ Union president Hans Marticiuc said.

In 2004, police were taking longer than 5 minutes to respond to a third of Houston's neighborhoods. Two years later it was 43%. Through the first quarter of this year it was half the city.

"Any given shift you probably don't have more than 200 to 250 officers out on the street," Marticiuc said.

"For the entire city?" Arnold asked.

"Uh, huh," Marticiuc said.

Large outlying areas are especially challenging. Neighborhoods on the backside of Lake Houston, around Bush Intercontinental Airport, off I-10 past the Beltway, off Highway 288 are all waiting anywhere from 6 to 9 minutes for officers to respond to life-threatening calls.

"Sixty seconds, 120 seconds, 180 seconds make all the difference in the world,” Marticiuc said.

But it's not just the suburbs. Some neighborhoods inside the Loop and near downtown are also seeing more than 6 minute wait times.

"I'd like to say it's alarming, but it's almost to be expected with the shortage of personnel that we have," Marticiuc said.

Here's the dilemma. The bulk of officers is deployed to neighborhoods with the highest crime rates. That leaves neighborhoods with traditionally lower crime rates thin, and that means it takes officers longer to get to those areas when you call for help. Factor in traffic and the number of calls for help officers are handling at the time, the wait gets even longer.

"It's really an allocation issue and it's a very tough challenge," Oettmeier said.

Mayor White has pledged action (finally) on bolstering HPD's manpower, and we hope after his big election victory that he will be focused on this problem.

RELATED COVERAGE: Local 2 Investigates Unanswered Call For Help (Robert Arnold, KPRC-2 News).

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/08/07 05:35 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)

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A Harris County road expert?

Say you are a local media person writing on the topic of road-building, and you need to add an expert opinion to the story. Would your first choice be a light rail enthusiast?

It would be if you are the Chronicle's Rad Sallee. And the person chosen to offer an expert opinion would be the CTC's Christof Spieler:

Harris County will spend an unprecedented amount of its toll road profits next year to build and upgrade roads and streets, some of them miles from any toll booth.

[snip]

Architect Christof Spieler of the grass-roots Citizens Transportation Coalition said he has no problem with using money paid by toll road users to build free roads.

Gosh that's generous of him. It's unclear why anyone cares what Christof Spieler -- Metro's #1 light rail cheerleader -- thinks of Harris County's road-building decisions. You'll notice Rad didn't identify him as a light-rail advocate, but this Chron story clearly notes the CTC's light rail advocacy.

But if government is providing new roads to access new subdivisions in the Katy Prairie, he said, it is making that housing artificially cheap.

One could argue that Metro makes light rail transit artificially cheap, considering the per-rider subsidy is over $25, and a one-way fare costs $1. Oh, and don't forget Metro uses an honor system with occasional fare checks.

Spieler said that, although he opposes suburban sprawl, he likes Radack's idea of having developers — and ultimately the homebuyers — take on that cost.

Some of us would like Inner Loopers and rail riders to take on more of the cost of light rail transit.

Still, he said he would like to see more of the connectivity money used for "infill" projects in Houston and other municipalities. These retard sprawl, and often are more cost-efficient, he said, since the street, drainage and utility infrastructure already may be in place.

"The county spends hardly any of its road budget inside the city limit, although we in Houston pay the same county taxes," Spieler said.

Guess what? Metro spends hardly any of its budget outside the Inner Loop, although it collects taxes in many parts of Harris County, including areas where it provides absolutely no transit services at all!

Of course the biggest difference is that public transit serves a microscopic fraction of Houston-area residents, while roads serve an overwhelming majority of the local citizenry.

Maybe next time Rad can ask some people who actually use the roads!

KEVIN WHITED ADDS: As Anne alludes to above, there is a very interesting passage in this Chron story by Betty Martin:

The University Corridor's approval by Metro as a Locally Preferred Alignment was good news for the grass-roots Citizens' Transportation Coalition, according to the group's Oct. 17 letter to Metro president Frank Wilson.

"Since early 2006, Metro has worked with the community to identify and evaluate options for the University line, the 10-mile line that will form the east-west backbone of Metro's 2012 urban transit system," the letter begins.

The University Corridor would run from west of Main Street down Richmond to Cummins and then Westpark, and east of Main from Wheeler to Ennis and Alabama and then to the University of Houston at Scott Street, with a possible extension north on Scott and east on Elgin to the Eastwood Transit Center in the future.

With the inclusion of the Scott-to-Eastwood-Transit segment, it is the "very alignments that CTC has pushed for," the letter states.

It is worth noting that Rad Sallee has previously -- erroneously -- characterized the CTC as merely a group that pushes for community participation in transit policy formation, when in reality the CTC is a policy advocacy interest group that has long worked with METRO to promote certain rail alignments (even as it was telling gullible reporters otherwise). After being called on that misleading characterization previously, Sallee tried to spin the reporting in a way that didn't seem entirely consistent with a clear reading of the text of his reporting. That instance, the instance highlighted today by Anne, and this week's unusual broadside of various citizen/activists who have taken on a METRO watchdog role seemingly abdicated by the Chronicle years ago suggest that Sallee may have become a little too cozy with certain sources, and that their agenda may be getting undue play in his reporting (intentionally or unintentionally).

BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/08/07 04:54 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (15)

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07 November 2007

Cooley, DeBakey put "feud" to rest

Clear Thinker Tom Kirkendall calls attention to this story by the Chronicle's Todd Ackerman, on the rapprochement of two Houston and medical giants:

It's considered one of medicine's best-known feuds: two brilliant and egotistical doctors on the frontiers of cardiovascular surgery, whose falling-out divided a community and became the stuff of legend.

Immortalized in a Life magazine cover story, the rift persisted for decades. Although the competition spurred them to achievements that transformed the Texas Medical Center into the world's heart treatment center, the former collaborators avoided each other and barely spoke.

But recently, Michael DeBakey and Denton Cooley buried the hatchet.

"I'm glad the rivalry may have passed by," Cooley said on Oct. 27, presenting DeBakey with a lifetime achievement award at a meeting of Cooley's Cardiovascular Surgical Society. "I hope this is not just a temporary truce or cease-fire (but) ... a permanent treaty between us."

DeBakey, 99, responded that he was glad to be there for two reasons: "One is, I'm alive. And the other, of course, is to get this award. Denton, I am really touched by it."

DeBakey downplayed the idea of a rivalry — he called it "the concoction of a journalist" — and said he has the highest respect for Cooley and what he has done. He said he would "treasure" the award and find a place for it in his library.

At the ceremony's end, he motioned for Cooley to come closer to him for the photos.

DeBakey and Cooley helped to build the Texas Medical Center into one of the best medical complexes in the world. Ackerman's account of their reconciliation is a fine read.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/07/07 11:13 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (0)

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Did the residency issue contribute to Tahir, Christie losses?

There are several good, comprehensive roundups of yesterday's elections posted on local blogs, but this post from Bayou City Madman made one particularly interesting point:

On Tuesday, Houston, or at least a slim representative sample speaking on behalf of a couple million folks, said No to lying carpetbaggers running for the only open at-large seat on city council.

Liberal Republican former school board member Jack Christie, a resident of Bunker Hill, scored 4th despite spending over 70k trying to convince Houston voters that he gave a crap about the city. We didn’t like Christie when he was on the State Board of Education pushing a ludicrous vendor-driven scheme to replace textbooks with laptops, and we hope this latest failure represents the end of his public career.

The greater pleasure was in seeing gas station owner and Fort Bend County Democratic Party officer Zaf Tahir spend close to $200,000 trying to convince Houston voters that he lives in Houston, only to finish 5th.

It's hard to say if the questionable residency status of Tahir and Christie played a role in their losses (maybe voters just thought they were bad candidates in general), but we second the Madman's conclusion: "Kudos (whatever those are) to the Chron for exposing the attempted fraud in this race." At least Houston voters had that information as they decided whom to support.

PREVIOUSLY: Council candidates follow the lead of Harold "Arizona" Hurtt.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/07/07 10:54 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (2)

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06 November 2007

Chris Baker axed at KTRH/KPRC

Word reaches us that Clear Channel Houston has axed popular KTRH-740 and KPRC-950 talker Chris Baker, effective as of last night.

Baker's information has already been completely scrubbed from the KTRH website, although in typically clumsy fashion, Clear Channel still has references to the Baker and Hunt program on the KPRC website.

Baker has long been the talk radio king of Houston, both in terms of ratings and revenues, so this move clearly seems more in line with Clear Channel's cost-cutting in nearby markets (rather than a decline in performance). We should note that Baker has long been a favorite of the blog, because we've appreciated his perspective on politics, sense of humor, and willingness to play rabble-rouser on local affairs (even when it ruffles feathers at City Hall). While we are sad to see Baker get dumped -- and replaced by the far less talented Michael "Babe Pages" Berry -- we're fairly sure he will land on his feet, and probably move on to bigger and better things.

Unfortunately, Houston radio is hardly moving on to bigger and better things since Michael "Babe Pages" Berry deposed Ken Charles and took over as programming guru (despite a lack of qualifications and experience). Instead, onetime political powerhouse KPRC has been remade into an incoherent "guy talk" combination of mostly syndicated personalities, unlistenable local personalities, and "babe pages." And onetime news leader KTRH has been remade into a collection of mostly syndicated shows, a "local" personality based in San Antonio, and a local personality who doesn't produce ratings but apparently has all the right political/business connections.

None of that makes for good local radio, which almost certainly will be reflected in the ratings down the line -- when Michael "Babe Pages" Berry will move on to his next endeavor, and someone else will try to figure out what happened to two great radio stations. It's unfortunate that a city the size of Houston can't do better than this. It's also somewhat shocking that talk radio at Clear Channel Houston seems to be bleeding more than the local newspaper these days. We certainly didn't think we'd ever write that when we started this little blog!

In any case, here's a shout out to our friend Baker, who's given Houston some darn good radio over the years. Thanks Chris!

UPDATE (11-08-2007): KHCW ran a nice story on Baker last night.

BLOGVERSATION: Mike McGuff, TBIFOC, Four DVRs, No Waiting, Radio-Info, Lone Star Times.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/06/07 10:37 AM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (75)

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05 November 2007

Hole opens in freeway near Galleria

Various media outlets have reported on the large hole that opened on the West Loop near Richmond today, creating a hazard for traffic on the freeway and below.

Here is an excerpt from KHOU-11's Lee McGuire:

Drivers on the ramp from the southbound West Loop to Highway 59 got a scary surprise Monday when a chunk of freeway fell to the ground.

The hole, about 2-3 feet in diameter, mysteriously opened up in the road and went crashing onto Richmond below around 1 p.m.

Two of the three lanes on the ramp were closed until it was patched up.

Monday evening, the center lane remained blocked off, even though the hole was patched by 7 p.m. Traffic was backed up for miles well past rush hour.

“That’s kind of scary. Hope it doesn’t happen while I’m going under it,” driver Myron Blalock said.

For a while after the collapse, only orange cones marked the trouble spot.

“We are not sure what happened. We’re going to have to investigate that,” said Karen Olthon of TxDOT. “Our maintenance supervisor just happened to be in that area today at 11 o’clock this morning and drove over that lane and did not notice anything.”

That doesn't inspire much confidence.

Here's more from KTRK-13's Kevin Quinn:

Wayne Dolcefino and 13 Undercover happened to be on assignment nearby. They called police as they watched the pile of concrete on Richmond get larger and larger. They worried that someone might get hurt. It took a full 30 minutes for police to arrive and shut the street down.

"It's a little unnerving, particularly when I was walking over there to put the cones out," admitted wrecker driver Matthew Chernow. "I didn't know just how structurally sound that is."

It wasn't police, though, that diverted traffic on the road above. A Safe Clear wrecker driver took it upon himself to come put out cones, to help people avoid what could have been a dangerous situation.

"If we can contribute to the safety of the citizens, that's what we're out here for," Chernow said.

No one was hurt. Richmond was completely closed to traffic for a time.

The 30-minute response time doesn't inspire much confidence either. Where was the Mayor's Elite Traffic Mobility Scooter Corps?

I cross under that stretch on Richmond on the way to work, and am thankful I wasn't greeted with a chunk of falling concrete today.

RELATED COVERAGE: KPRC-2, Chronicle.

BLOGVERSATION: Isiah Carey's InSite.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/05/07 11:40 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (10)

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Houston, It's Worth It: The Book

Over the weekend, the Chronicle's Rick Casey wrote about the new book from the crew at ttweak, the group behind the "Houston: It's Worth It" marketing:

The opening photo spreads give the first clue that this is not a typical wet-kiss coffee-table romanticization of your hometown.

On the right side, cropped at the upper thigh, are the shapely bare legs of a woman reclining on a chaise lounge.

Facing the camera on her left calf is a large tattoo of a skimpily-clad woman in dominatrix gear.

On the left side of the spread is the bottom half of a barefoot man in denim shorts cooking something on a Weber barbecue grill.

Turn the page and you get more of the photo: He is a good-looking young man, shirtless, smiling, holding a Shiner Bock by the neck. The two are on a backyard deck, festooned with an artificial Christmas tree right behind the tattooed leg.

The message: This is a Houston Christmas — warm, unselfconscious and raw.

More information about the book is available here (pdf). I've skimmed through the book, and think it's suitably Houston-funky and typically ttweak -- both good things.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/05/07 10:52 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)

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Bazan responds to unusual broadside by Chron transportation columnist

The Houston Chronicle today ran an unusual broadside by transportation columnist Rad Sallee against a number of citizen activist/watchdog types who dare question METRO (and the ethically-challenged Frank Wilson), a task seemingly abdicated by the leadership of Sallee's newspaper years ago. Tom Bazan responded to Sallee's unusual broadside, and we're posting his comments below (since it seems unlikely the Chronicle plans to offer Bazan or other citizen activist/watchdog types named in the story any chance to respond in print).

To: Rad Sallee, et. al.,

There is the impression left by your column that I am or have been wrong in voicing my concerns and criticism of METRO and the electrified boondoggle legacy of Lee. P. Brown, named METRORail.

Stray Current:

FACT - The system was shoddily built, and not properly tested for stray current leakage prior to service start-up. It took three years, and a significant expenditure of taxpayer funds to identify and attempt to cure the sources of stray current leakage. The system still operates outside the design specifications. Stray current still exists, and no one knows the extent of cumulative damage to the infrastructure in the three years METRORail operated prior to the repairs and modifications, which has brought the stray current leakage down to where METRO claims is "manageable." No one at METRO can state the stray current leakage has been stopped, and that infrastructure will not be damaged in the future.

The industry forms Corrosion Committees, as METRO has, to manage the expense of future damage resulting from stray current. I am not convinced that there was NO cumulative damage, and that there is no danger of premature failure of city infrastructure and the 40+ year old substructures of the expressway bridges which span the METRORail.

I presented evidence of City-owned infrastructure damage, I contend from stray current corrosion, to the METRO board last month. From METRO's own stray current reports, there was a significant level of stray current detected in the vicinity of the Museum District platform situated on San Jacinto, just north of Hermann Drive. There was a premature failure of an 8-inch steel-reinforced concrete water line pipe, situated at San Jacinto and Herrman Drive, around February 26, 2006, which interrupted the METRORail operation. The city claims there was no record of any failure analysis of this pipeline. The intersection was rebuilt during the construction of METRORail, and infrastructure was being worked on in this vicinity around March of 2002. There was no contractor daily work report referencing that this pipeline was ever protected from stray current.

Regarding the recent speech made by Mr. Marcotte concerned FY2008, one might be curious if you asked Mr. Marcotte if the words "Stray Current" and METRO or, the corridor where METRORail operates, ever rolled off his lips during that presentation when the $2 million for corrosion control out of the CIP allocations was being discussed?

Is this the same Mr. Marcotte who was running the water system in Washington, D. C. back in 2004 when the EPA started enforcement action over unsafe levels of Lead in the drinking water? Didn't he claim he had no knowledge that the Lead levels were too high? This denial seemed reminiscent of the "I Know Nothing!" denial from the Sgt. Schultz character in the 1960's era TV Comedy series "Hogan's Heroes."

General Mobility Funds:

FACT: When I did sit down with the Mayor's staff, the first item mentioned was $44+ million which seemingly was not collected by the prior administration. Why did METRO refuse to disclose the information, seeking a TXOAG opinion so as to "stonewall" the information. According to the few documents "pried" from METRO, when compared with other agency documents, a huge discrepancy was observed. In my view $44 million is a huge amount.

The Mayor stated publicly that he had hired people to try and unravel METRO's financial statements and failed. There are still significant discrepancies that METRO will not explain in writing. Further, the City, also flush with sales tax revenue, does not seem to be anxious to invoice METRO for these funds. In April 2007, there was about $109 million unbilled, and that was reduced to $90+ million four months later. At that rate, METRO can sit on the GMP funds for years before distributing it, while METRO collects interest on the hoarded funds, and City taxpayers pay the project interest on the bonds.

Defeased Leases:

FACT: The actual data is detailed in the METRO annual financial statements, anyone who looks will likely be startled at the amount of payments, for decades! The facilities were already paid for, and METRO entered into these "finance" agreements so as to get a lump sum payment necessary to have enough cash to start building the METRORail boondoggle. Tax credits to investors still "short changes" federal taxpayers and are egregious!

The U.S. Congress BANNED the use of Defeased Leases by transit agencies in 2004.

=========
Excerpt from WSJ

Civic Duties
How Big Tax Shelter With Cities
Shortchanges Federal Treasury
Use of Sale, Leaseback Deals,
Worth Billions Each Year,
Is a Target of a New Bill
Chicago Sells Its 911 System

By JOHN D. MCKINNON
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
October 7, 2004:

"The essence of the deals -- which the Internal Revenue Service dubs SILO, for "sale in, lease out" -- is a sale of depreciation rights. If a city builds, say, a subway system, it can't deduct the cost from its income taxes over future years, for a simple reason: Cities don't owe income taxes. So the city sells the subway to someone who does.

The buyers, typically financial firms, then can depreciate the subway -- that is, deduct a portion of its cost from their income each year for several years running. In a final step, the buyers, having no use for a subway, immediately lease it back to the city. The terms of the deals are structured to leave the city with a packet of cash. (The city often conveys the property to the investors in a long-term lease, which is treated for tax purposes as a sale.)"
========

Might I suggest that each day that passes we learn that I was not wrong in my overall criticism of METRO, and I am confident the facts that emerge over time will support my contention that METRORail is an unsafe boondoggle.

-- Tom Bazan

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/05/07 10:27 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (6)

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Metro: Keeping focused on light rail...and little else

At the end of KPRC-2's story about a handicapped man whose wheelchair got caught in a light rail track, thereby causing the double amputee to tumble to the asphalt, Robert Arnold mentioned that a follow-up story the next day would explain why the wheelchair-bound man didn't use the nearby crosswalk. I didn't see the story posted to KPRC's website, so I sent an email inquiring about the piece.

KPRC's Investigative Producer Robert Sasser replied that the follow-up story noted that the man was likely unable to cross at the nearby crosswalk because the pedestrian signals didn't work. The signal always stayed on "Don't Walk," and those who worked in the area said the signal had been that way for about six months.

Apparently the signal is one that Metro's responsible for, so after KPRC asked about it, Metro said they'd get it fixed. As of Thursday, the signal had not been fixed, but maybe that's been remedied by now.

Anyway, it's always good to see Metro's priorities so publicly on display.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/05/07 01:39 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (6)

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E&P: Chron circulation holds fairly steady

Editor & Publisher reports on the latest circulation figures (for the past six months), released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations today, and the Chronicle fared surprisingly well compared to other large newspapers.

Total Monday-Friday circulation dropped only 0.13% for the period (from 508,091 to 507,437).

Sunday circulation increased 0.09% (from 507,437 to 508,091).

Expect a glowing, press-release story featuring Jack Sweeney from the newspaper shortly. Maybe he can also explain the most recent downsizing, which seems extreme considering the fairly steady circulation numbers this time around.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/05/07 09:43 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)

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04 November 2007

Metro ignores problems for the handicapped

Last week, KPRC-2's Robert Arnold told viewers of two problem situations for handicapped folks that Metro has known about for years, but ignored:

Watch closely as a double amputee in a wheelchair gets caught, falls and then becomes stranded on the METRORail tracks. Surveillance cameras from a wheelchair store near the Museum District catch it all on tape.

For two long minutes, the man is stranded on and near the tracks, unable to get back in his wheelchair. Finally, a passing car stops, and employees inside the store come out to help.

Less than three minutes later, METRO's train passes by.

"I figured something like that would happen," said Randy Burris, who owns Wheelchair & Scooter Express.

Burris says METRO knew about the potential problem, but ignored it. He says before METRO even began rail construction, he warned them about the gap between the rails.

"I said that wouldn't work because the gap is too wide and the standard wheelchair -- the wheels will get caught," Burris said.

One day after the accident, Burris -- who's clearly an outspoken opponent of rail -- sent a letter asking METRO to look at the video. Three months later, no one from METRO has responded.

"It falls on deaf ears," Burris said.

"We tracked down the man who fell on the tracks, but the proud veteran didn't want to talk with us on camera," said investigative reporter Robert Arnold. "However, he did say the accident you saw was the second time the gap in the rail caused him to fall."

"We hope the customer is OK," said Art Jackson, manager of METRO's paratransit services. "We appreciate Channel 2 and your reporting for bringing this to our attention."

We showed the accident video to METRO's Art Jackson. In a wheelchair himself, he says METRO worked hard to make rail accessible and safe. Despite no action after the previous warnings and letters, Jackson now promises METRO will take a closer look.

"Perhaps we need to convene a meeting to discuss safety issues and make sure the rail system is operating in a safe manner," Jackson said.

The second problem is one that was even written up on Metro's own blog, and still Metro didn't do a thing to address it...until Robert Arnold brought a camera to Metro's headquarters:

The space reserved for her wheelchair looks like a regular seat. While the sign may say it's priority seating for the disabled, there's no sign letting anyone know the seat flips up so her wheelchair can fit in.

"They think I'm already sitting down, I don't need to sit in the seat," Wiens explained. "If it would say the seat flips up, then they would know it's a spot for the wheelchair to be."

So, for three years Wiens complained to METRO. She thought the solution was simple, so she even e-mailed a sign change that would clear up the confusion.

We found METRO's own blog highlighted the problem back in April.

Still, nothing changed.

"Based on the results that I've gotten, I'm not very confident they even understand what I'm facing," Wiens said.

"We appreciate Channel 2 bringing this to our attention," Jackson said. "We'll be more than happy to take a look at implementing some sort of simple signage to make sure that point is communicated."

Even though Wiens complained for three years, one day after our interview, METRO put up new signs on all the trains.

A METRO spokesperson tells us she's now looking to see what took so long to make those sign changes.

I'd say this is unbelievable, but it's Metro, and we have seen time and time again how Metro does only what it wants, and disregards any public input -- on anything.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/04/07 06:44 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (10)

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03 November 2007

Wayne Dolcefino takes on Jerry Eversole

This past week, KTRK-13 ran a 13 Undercover series into the work ethic of Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole:

How much time does Commissioner Jerry Eversole spend at the office?

What is County Commissioner Jerry Eversole buying with his campaign money?

13 Undercover follows the Jerry Eversole email trail

Harris Co. Republican party launches investigation into Commissioner Jerry Eversole

Unless there are some really good explanations for all this (better than the ones his spokesman offered), Commissioner Eversole has some 'splainin' to do.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/03/07 01:16 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (11)

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Cactus Music set to reopen

Yesterday, the Chronicle reported that the rumored resurrection of Cactus Music is nearly complete:

How appropriate today, Day of the Dead, to celebrate the resurrection of Cactus Music & Video. The venerable Houston store that died and was buried a year and a half ago is coming back to life.

[snip]

The store won't open until sometime next week — managing partner Quinn Bishop was purposely vague about the details — but those wanting a sneak peek are invited to an art opening tonight at the new incarnation, Cactus Music, at 2110 Portsmouth. That's across from the eclectic little shopping center that is home to everything from Amy's Ice Creams and the Stag's Head Pub to the Tuesday Morning discount retailer.

[snip]

Next door to the Bookstop in the Alabama Shepherd Shopping Center, Cactus Music & Video was a community landmark for 30 years. In 2003, the community rallied around the store when the property manager and developer announced plans to remove the store's marquee — a green, 29-foot-tall, cactus-shaped sign that announced what was for sale or rent and who would be performing next inside the store.

The sign was allowed to stay, but the victory proved short-lived. The store closed in spring 2006.

Strangely, even though the old Cactus Music and Video closed in March 2006, the sign in front of the shopping center remained, even after Whole Earth expanded into the old Cactus store space. In the last few weeks, however, Whole Earth apparently decided to change the sign (as illustrated by the photo). The result is ... ugly.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/03/07 12:17 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)

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02 November 2007

Press release as news story?

The Houston Business Journal's Allison Wollam actually attached her name to this story:

Starbucks is aiming to raise awareness of World Kindness Week by rewarding local Good Samaritans.

From Nov. 12 through Nov. 18, Starbucks employees will attach magnetic versions of the company's signature red holiday cups to cars driving around Houston.

Each time someone stops the driver of a car with a magnetic cup to tell them about the cup, that person will be rewarded with a "Cheer Pass" and may also receive a beverage coupon or a Starbucks gift card.

Cheer Passes will also be distributed in Houston during the holiday season at events designed to spread good cheer.

When a recipient enters the unique number from his or her Cheer Pass on www.ItsRedAgain.com, the act of goodwill that has accompanied that card can be read, shared and visually tracked on a world map.

Huh?

Can anyone explain this (especially the bolded part with the confused grammar)?

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/02/07 11:28 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)

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Houston ministers honor Chief Hurtt

KRIV-26's Isiah Carey posts that Chief Hurtt was the beneficiary of a big award today:

Houston Police Chief Harold L. Hurtt will receive the 2007 "Humanitarian of the Year" Award by the Houston Ministers Against Crime at a banquet TODAY (November 2). Local ministers are honoring Chief Hurtt for his dedicated service to their organization, and to the citizens of Houston.

The banquet will take place at The Power Center, 12401 South Post Oak, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Surely the Chief didn't stick around for the whole affair, because there can't be that many late-night flights from Houston to Phoenix.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/02/07 10:22 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)

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Haze

Does anybody know the source of the smoggy haze that has settled over Houston?

The air quality today seems like the worst in quite a while. *cough* *cough*

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/02/07 12:46 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)

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The Story Continues....

Harris County Pct.4's story continues to evolve. The latest story has the constable re-hiring the fired Captain in a civilian capacity. I have to admit this is the first time I've seen a police officer fired after being indicting by a grand jury, then re-hired as a civilian. A pretty bold move in my opinion. The other issue in the story is the search for the deputy who wrote the letter. The way I see it, if the captain is to be convicted of the offense he is charged with, the anonymous letter writer is going to have to step to the plate. Remember, we have a right to face our accusers in court. I'm sure the investigation spurred by the anonymous letter turned up evidence supporting it. However, it is only proper that the person who started the whole mess step up to the plate and testify under oath. In my opinion, it is hard to justify a felony conviction that started from an anonymous complaint (I'm sure there are exceptions somewhere). I'm sure that deputy is afraid of losing his/her job, but you can't defuse a bomb you just set off. Plus sometimes a man/woman has to make a choice about which is more important, looking in the mirror with pride or keeping a job.

On a side note, I was advised by Channel 13's Dave Strickland that the follow up story was aired four times that evening. Okay, I missed that. However I have an excuse. I work evenings (2P to 10P) and cannot catch any newscasts. I rely on the websites for the news stories. Usually those sites are updated. So, to be fair, the follow up story did air. Yet, as of 9:41AM today, their website still doesn't have the follow up story. Yes, I checked.

Posted by Jason @ 11/02/07 10:29 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)

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Zierlein and Granato reunited on KGOW-1560

Mike McGuff posted the news yesterday that Lance Zierlein was back on the air with old partner John Granato on KGOW-1560.

Today, the Chronicle's David Barron reports on the reunion:

One day into his new job at KGOW (1560 AM), Lance Zierlein said Thursday he is satisfied he made the correct decision by opting for a new opportunity rather than the stability of KILT (610 AM), his longtime former employer.

Zierlein on Thursday rejoined former KILT partner John Granato for a show that will air from 7 to 10 a.m. weekdays. They will be joined from 10 to 11 a.m. by Chronicle columnist Richard Justice, who will work solo from 11 a.m. to noon.

It was Zierlein's first on-air shift since June 8, when he was taken off the air at KILT because of his hesitancy to sign a new contract with the CBS Radio station. The parties settled their dispute in August, but Zierlien was not allowed to assume an on-air role at another Houston station until Nov. 1.

"I know I made the right decision," he said. "I like the people here, and I like the lineup here, and I think we have a great recipe for success. I have no second thoughts about making the move."

Astros first baseman Lance Berkman was the duo's guest for most of Thursday's show, so today will be the first normal show of the new regime.

"I want to do things basically the same way, but changing stations gives John and me a chance at a fresh start," Zierlein said. "We got a little complacent at 610, and this move has invigorated us. We're putting in more preparation and working hard."

It's nice to have those familiar voices on in the morning (at least on the mornings when KGOW's signal is strong enough).

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/02/07 07:52 AM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (5)

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01 November 2007

Plaudits for Houston government

Governing magazine has announced its 2007 public officials of the year, and Mayor White is among the winners. Here is an excerpt from the announcement:

White, a former business executive with no previous experience in elected office, is a cool pragmatist who wants results rather than excuses. Key to his success is that he embraces his rivals as much as he does strangers. The Democratic mayor appointed Republicans to chair key council committees, clearing the way for much of his agenda and proving that good government is also the best politics. White won reelection in 2005 with a staggering 91 percent of the vote and this month is a shoo-in to win a third and, because of term limits, final term.

White, 53, is not the most charismatic big-city mayor around today. He's not on a crusade to take over the schools, bust up the bureaucracy or build expensive sports stadiums. Rather, he looks for definable problems with serious consequences and then figures out how best to use the power of his office to solve them. Two of White's biggest coups include shoring up the pension systems for city employees and police officers, and signing a labor deal with the city's firefighters, who had been without a contract for five years. White tries not to focus on more than four or five priorities at a time, he says, "because successful organizations, like successful people, can't optimize everything at the same time."

Elsewhere, City Journal's Nicole Gelinas recently praised Houston's Katrina efforts (led by Mayor White and former-County Judge Robert Eckels):

In the aftermath of the California wildfires, pundits have compared how government officials sheltered refugees at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium with how they sheltered Hurricane Katrina refugees at New Orleans’s Superdome in 2005. But the two disasters are so different that such comparisons aren’t illuminating....

[snip]

A much more relevant comparison is between New Orleans’s handling of Katrina evacuees and Houston’s handling of Katrina evacuees. Just days after Katrina flooded New Orleans, the state of Texas, and Houston in particular, welcomed the very same people who had been languishing in the Superdome to the Houston Astrodome and other venues. Moving quickly to take in more than 25,000 people who had been stewing in the Superdome’s filth, dark, and danger—as well as 40,000 others in need of public shelter—Texas’s state and local officials rose to the occasion, confronting a disaster for which they had never planned, a disaster that didn’t affect them directly until they chose to take on the responsibility. Houston maintained an environment of safety and security at the Astrodome, showing that a competent, flexible government with access to basic resources like electricity, modern medications, and an adequate police presence can meet the needs of any population. It doesn’t detract from California’s competence in handling wildfire evacuees to say that its performance at Qualcomm unlocked no secret new formula for adequate government performance. Houston provided the same good example two years ago.

We sometimes disagree with Mayor White's priorities and proposals, but there is no disputing that he has restored a level of competence and collegiality to City Hall that was sorely lacking during the Lee Brown reign of error.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/01/07 09:57 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)

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