31 January 2008

Editorial LiveJournalists (finally) comment on Schatte, Surface arrests

On January 25, news broke that the FBI had arrested Andrew Schatte and Michael Surface on corruption charges.

Today, the Chronicle Editorial LiveJournalists finally got around to commenting on the matter.

It's nice to see the Editorial LiveJournalists are as timely as ever in "leading [their] daily discussion with Chronicle readers."

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/31/08 11:50 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (1)

Pretty silver buses coming to METROpia soon!

Today, METRO's expensive blogger reported that METRO will "soon" be offering a new type of express bus service ("soon" meaning August) along three routes.

Christof Spieler had already covered this development (for free!) several days ago.

The development of express bus service is a welcome, overdue development in Houston (but will Yellow Cab allow a true Airport Express route eventually? As one local blogger likes to say, stay tuned).

We were amused by this bit of cheerleading from Spieler:

There’s been some concern that METRO’s focus on expanding rail might cause the bus system to be neglected. Until recently, METRO’s silence about the bus improvements promised in the 2003 referendum justified that concern. These announcements indicate otherwise, but they’re only a start.

Might cause? One's head really has to be in the sand to ignore the significant cuts in bus service (dubbed "service improvements" by METRO) since the 2003 referendum, a referendum that promised a 50% increase in bus service. Three express routes and pretty silver paint for the buses that will run them don't exactly negate all the bus service reductions that we've seen in recent years (except perhaps in the happy fun land known as METROpia!).

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/31/08 11:01 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (1)

Great moments in public education: Klein Oak High School

Mid-year class leveling is bad school policy, and high schools should make every effort to avoid it. But apparently it is a routine practice in Klein ISD, and it doesn't take an expert to understand how harmful it is to a student's education.

(Note: What follows may interest only readers within Klein ISD.)

30 January 2008

When pols don't have enough to do...

KTRK-13 reports tonight that two Hispanic leaders are upset that Go Tejano day at this year's rodeo doesn't feature enough Tejano music:

It's one of the most popular events at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, but some are angry about the musicians chosen for Tejano Day.

That event is scheduled for March 16, but some are upset there aren't any Tejano stars actually on the lineup. They met with rodeo officials to find out why that happened.

For more than an hour and a half rodeo officials met behind closed doors with County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia and State Senator Mario Gallegos.

"Obviously we're not happy this has happened," Garcia said.

Garcia says her office has received a number of calls from people concerned that there are no Tejano artists on the rodeo's calendar this year, a fact she personally finds offensive.

"It's part of our history, it's part of our culture for all Texans," Garcia said. "So for us 'Go Tejano Day' means Tejano music."

But unlike years past, the artists performing this year on 'Go Tejano Day' play not only Tejano. Duelo & Los Horoscopos de Durango play a mix of genres, including Tejano.

So there isn't Tejano music on Go Tejano Day. Except there is. But it's not Tejano enough. Enough apparently being exclusively Tejano.

Got it?

UPDATE (01-31-2008): The Chronicle decided to cover the story!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/30/08 11:29 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (21)

KTRK: METRO cops hogtie woman!

KTRK-13 reports tonight on a bit of police work that doesn't make the news every day:

An altercation on a METRO bus ended with a woman being shocked by a Taser.

It happened around 5pm near Mesa and Tidwell in northeast Houston. METRO bus marshals on one bus spotted a woman assaulting another woman on a different bus across the street. They entered the bus to attempt to stop the attack.

The 29-year-old woman accused in the attack was shocked at least once and arrested. After she was placed in a squad car, she reportedly tried to kick out the windows. Authorities then hogtied the woman.

Give the METRO Cop Academy credit for teaching the important art of the hogtie!

RELATED COVERAGE: KHOU-11.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/30/08 11:06 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (8)

29 January 2008

METRO dispatches "queens" to hug frustrated customers

METRO's expensive blogger today described how the transit organization is coping with extra customers at its RideStore, as people purchase Q cards, transfer value from other cards, and engage in other transactions related to the big switchover:

To help get our message out and ease the Q Card transition, three of our best Ask Me team members have been stationed at the RideStore, where lines have sometimes been long, as people wait to get their Q Cards.

At one point in the afternoon, the line was 45 people deep. Those at the top of the line said they had been waiting 45 minutes to an hour. The METRO staff behind the glass windows worked rapidly to process each client.

But among the bored faces, three angels draped in red vests weaved their way through the crowd, each with a bright smile and sparkling eyes. Call them the Ask Me queens. That's what one customer today dubbed the three ladies - part of the 100-member team METRO has dispensed to the rail platforms, transit centers and RideStores to help in our transition to the Q Card.

With the lines 45 people deep, it sounds like METRO should have had fewer "queens" and more people actually helping customers. This rollout has only taken years, so it's not like METRO should have been caught by surprise.

Too bad the "queens" were not dispensing scratch-off cards to customers whose time was being wasted. That would have been a nice touch.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/29/08 09:23 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (4)

Chron Eye for the (formerly) anti-Semitic black activist guy

It took two reporters and one photographer to work up this makeover of Quanell the Tenth.

The editorial decision-making that goes on at the Chronicle is just astounding.

BLOGVERSATION: Laurence Simon

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/29/08 08:32 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (15)

There's poo-poo in the bayou

The Chronicle's Lisa Jackson reports on a nasty mess Houston is trying to clean up:

City of Houston environmental investigators are keeping tabs on a hot spot at the junction of Country Club Bayou and Brays Bayou that has shown high levels of escherichia coli bacteria in recent water quality test samples.

E.coli, a common type of bacteria, is found in the feces of humans and warm-blooded animals.

Its presence in water generally indicates fecal contamination.

Reni Millar, an Idylwood resident and community leader, said she contacted the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and city of Houston in mid-January after a second dead beaver was discovered at the Gus Wortham Golf Course.

Millar said she also reported seeing a massive amount of sewage pouring out of a storm drain from Capitol Avenue into those waterways.

"I asked for an investigation regarding the dead beaver and water quality," Millar said.

Lisa Groves, an investigator with the city of Houston's bureau of public health engineering department, said water quality tests taken in mid-January showed that the levels of E.coli at that location were higher than the acceptable standard for "contact recreation."

When the levels are above the acceptable level — 394 E.coli per 100 milliliters — waters are not safe for swimming or boating activities.

The Country Club/Brays Bayou test results showed levels at 39,000 E.coli/100 milliliters, Groves said.

Investigators immediately launched efforts to locate the source of the contamination, Groves said. Since high levels of E.coli are associated with sewage and or/pesticides in the water, they worked with the city of Houston's Public Works department to investigate local sewer lines to determine if there were breaks or back-ups in those lines.

She said public works employees cleared a stoppage in a sewer line, which halted the overflow of sewage from the Capitol Avenue area.

They also identified two broken lines, and are working on those repairs.

With all of Mayor White's soaring rhetoric about Houston going "green," we think he needs to focus on keeping Houston from going brown! We all know the mayor wants a new soccer stadium and a new soccer field complex and another convention center hotel, but Houstonians don't want sewage in the bayous.

You may recall back in 2005 when Houston was fined $1 million for "unauthorized discharges from 11 of its wastewater treatment plants." Ewwwww!

In the end, here's the city's advice to Houstonians:

Groves said that residents should report unusual odors, water discoloration, sewage sighting and other water quality concerns to the city of Houston's 3-1-1 service line.

Call 311? Good luck with that.

KEVIN WHITED ADDS: Now that Mayor White has enthusiastically endorsed the idea of suing surrounding communities because we don't like their industrial emissions (we have to admit, it's easier than making tough, expensive choices about infrastructure maintenance and improvements in our own city -- leadership, in other words), will he be as open to surrounding communities suing the City of Houston for polluting the bayous? Just curious.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/29/08 07:51 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (8)

28 January 2008

Chron profiles GOP DA candidates

Yesterday, the Chronicle ran profiles of the four GOP candidates running for Harris County district attorney.

Here are links to the stories by Alan Bernstein:

Siegler's career in court comes with controversy

Lykos drops the charm to make court stricter

Leitner was prosecutor, now a defense attorney

HPD supervisor touts accounting, law skills

There was no accompanying profile of Clarence Bradford, but perhaps he couldn't be found by the local press, as he (understandably) tends to hide and go mute whenever the HPD crime lab is in the news.

BLOGVERSATION: Harris County Criminal Justice (I, II).

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/28/08 09:26 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (1)

27 January 2008

DA office pay raises: How the routine becomes "scandalous"

Several days ago, local media outlets reported that approximately 150 staffers in the Harris County District Attorney's office saw previously approved pay increases go into effect. The increases had been sought by DA Chuck Rosenthal (and approved by Harris County Commissioners) in 2007 after attorneys had received a raise earlier in the year.

Of course, most major media outlets chose not to report it like that, instead emphasizing that the sometime object of Rosenthal's affections (or at least affectionate emails), his executive secretary, received a hefty pay increase as well. Here is a snippet from KPRC-2's reporting, which was more balanced than some:

Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal recently approved an $11,000-a-year raise for his secretary to whom he had sent a series of romantic e-mails. However, he said he was not showing favoritism, KPRC Local 2 reported Thursday.

The raise for Kerry Stevens, the embattled prosecutor's executive secretary and former lover, took effect Saturday, according to county payroll records.

The raise boosts Stevens' salary from about $78,000 per year to about $89,500.

Rosenthal told KPRC Local 2 that Stevens' raise went into effect with 150 others in his clerical and administrative support staff.

The district attorney said he pushed for pay raises for all of his staff members after his attorneys and investigators were given increases earlier this year.

Rosenthal recently admitted that he and Stevens had an affair in the 1980s, but he said that is not the reason she was given a raise. He said it was because she has not had a pay hike since 2003.

"No, she wasn't granted any favoritism because of any relationship we had or you'd have to say that all these other 28 percent of the staff that got increases also got special favors because they were close to me," Rosenthal said.

Stevens' pay raise puts her at the top of her pay grade. Rosenthal has also been criticized for allowing Stevens to use one of the department's pool cars.

But in terms of percentage, other employees received larger raises than Stevens.

Payroll records show that many of Rosenthal's support staff saw salary ceilings increase 12 to 15 percent.

Harris County commissioners approved the salary increases on Dec. 18. Joe Stinebaker, spokesman for County Judge Ed Emmett, said commissioners usually follow recommendations of the county's elected officials.

We mostly agree with Cory Crow, who seems unpersuaded by the media piling-on with regard to this story.

However, we do think the piling-on does help illustrate why it's time for Rosenthal to step down. At the very least, his overly romantic emails and past history with his executive secretary have created a situation in which no aspect of her current or past job performance will be judged fairly or objectively by the media or the public. She may be a GREAT executive secretary, but because of Rosenthal's behavior, most people won't judge her that way -- instead, you'll see fairly routine staff pay raises portrayed as unseemly by MSM and alternative sources alike. It is not really fair to Rosenthal's executive secretary -- but it's a direct result of his bad judgment and inappropriate behavior.

Contrary to the view of Rosenthal's wife, whose letter to the Chronicle yesterday seemed ill-advised, Rosenthal's office behavior and advances toward a subordinate aren't just "private" behavior between Rosenthal, his wife, and his secretary, because it involved a public office -- and because it's human nature now for people to question the office's judgment and motivation on all sorts of matters (including routine ones, like these pay raises). That's another reason why it would be helpful to the operation of the office for Rosenthal to step down.

RELATED COVERAGE: Chronicle, AP.

BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport, Harris County Criminal Justice, Slampo's Place, Red Ink: Texas.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/27/08 11:52 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (11)

26 January 2008

Lee Brown's legacy

In Matt Stiles' story about the arrest of Mike Surface and Andrew Schatte, he garnered a laugh-out-loud quote from former Mayor Lee Brown:

Brown said Friday that the corruption alleged in the indictment should not tarnish his legacy of running the city.

He noted, for example, that the city's inspector general had launched an investigation of McGilbra before deferring to the federal authorities. Brown also said he had no dealings with Schatte or Surface.

"Many very positive things happened during my administration," the former mayor said. "It's one event, which does not characterize six years of my administration."

Pause and let that sink in for a minute. Actually, it may take several minutes, once you realize he wasn't kidding.

How should Mayor Brown's administration be characterized? Well, there was plenty of corruption, as has already come to the fore.

He loved going on international trade missions, earning the nickname Out-of-Town Brown. He abhorred bandit signs, with a passion. He didn't get bogged down in the intricacies of public infrastructure. And his dazzling budget skills eventually landed him the chairman's seat at a bank.

How about some more?

He left behind a $1.5 billion pension mess; he required a personal chef; and government work seemed to go on without him even when he was in the same room.

Remember when Laurence Simon cracked that Rice University would use a dumpster to house Mayor Brown's personal papers? Yeah, that's closer to Lee Brown's legacy.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/26/08 06:02 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (12)

For two months, citizen tries, fails to get action on graffiti

KHOU-11's Rucks Russell reports on a familiar problem:

Steve Mueller anticipated construction of the new Highway 90 could bring some traffic headaches to the area.

What the leader of the Songwood Civic Association’s Civilian Patrol never imagined was graffiti. “I’ve reported this to TxDOT. I’ve emailed pictures to the mayor’s anti-gang office and also reported it to neighborhood protection.”

He has gotten, what he calls, the run-around for the last two months.

A spokesperson for TxDOT said it is the contractor’s responsibility to get rid of the graffiti, not the state’s.

Mueller feels that everyone he’s contacted is passing the buck and possibly danger to residents.

Government bureaucrats passing the buck? Surely not!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/26/08 03:21 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)

25 January 2008

FBI arrests two in local corruption investigation

It was at the end of December that we learned that Mike Surface had resigned as chairman of the Harris County Sports and Convention Corp., citing "personal and professional interests" as reasons. About one week later, his name emerged in an FBI investigation as reported by KTRK-13's Wayne Dolcefino:

We've learned the FBI has delivered subpoenas to Houston City Hall looking for records of dealings with two companies and contractors with close ties to a slew of local politicians involved in the creation of city fire stations, county jails and even our football stadium.

Today, the feds came calling for him and an associate (again via Wayne Dolcefino):

It was just before 9am today when FBI agents arrived with their corruption catch at Houston's federal building. Two of the city's most politically powerful developers, Andrew Schatte and Michael Surface, were arrested on public corruption charges.

Their arrests will likely trigger political shockwaves through town. Before this morning, Schatte had a long list of close friends in Houston government, from city hall to the commissioners court to the Houston Firefighters Pension Fund.

Three years ago, Schattes' name first surfaced in a Justice Department investigation. Houston's former building director, Monique McGilbra, and Mayor Brown's former chief of staff, Oliver Spellman, were snared in that bribery case, but at the time, Schatte escaped indictments.

Schatte and Surface were partners in a company called Keystone, which developed Houston's troubled emergency center and others.

It would appear Schatte and Surface have some major "personal and professional interests" to attend to at the moment.

UPDATE: KHOU-11 adds more:

11 News cameras caught up with the two men as they left court. Surface posted a $100,000 bail.

He and Schatte were indicted on three counts of conspiracy and wire fraud. Surface is also accused of making false statements to authorities.

The charges allege that the two coordinated payments to a city of Houston employee, including trips, football tickets and thousands of dollars in cash in exchange for the awarding of the contract to build the Houston Emergency Center and a downtown fire station.

Both men say the charges are based on questionable claims. Both pled not guilty Friday.

Two people have already convicted in the bribery scandal.

Monique McGilbra, the former head of Houston's building services department pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe. She was sentenced to three years in prison.

Oliver Spellman, the one time Chief of Staff for former Mayor Lee Brown also pleaded guilty to taking bribes in exchange for city contracts.

Spellman got probation and a $10,000 fine.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/25/08 07:11 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (8)

KHOU reports on more HPD Crime Lab problems

KHOU-11 posts the latest distressing news about HPD's Crime Lab:

The head of the Houston Police Department’s DNA testing lab has resigned and two other crime lab employees have been suspended following an investigation into cheating by staff members of the embattled crime lab.

Vanessa G. Nelson, the DNA Section Chief of the HPD Crime Lab, left the department Thursday after tendering her resignation.

Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt also suspended Sujatha Yarlagadda, a criminalist for the lab, indefinitely.

Another unidentified crime lab employee was placed on temporary suspension, according to HPD.

The resignation of the section chief and the suspension of two employees came after 11 News revealed that members of the crime lab were alleged to have cheated on mandated proficiency exams.

For those who may wonder why the bloggers (and many commenters) here are often so derisive about governmental press releases extolling what a wonderful job [Name the Organization] is doing with [Name the Project], the ongoing saga of the HPD Crime Lab is a nice example of why we try to maintain a degree of skepticism even when we are assured everything is swell. Thankfully, KHOU-11 has remained on top of this story for quite some time.

We'll be looking forward to a frank discussion of the crime lab's ongoing problems during the campaign for Harris County District Attorney this year, given one candidate's significant role in the bungling.

UPDATE: Here is the latest email blast from KHOU:

The DNA/Serology Section of the HPD Crime Lab has been shut down after the head of the Houston Police Department's DNA testing lab resigned and two other crime lab employees suspended following an investigation into proficiency exam cheating by staff members. Exclusive details on 11 News at 5 p.m. and KHOU.com.

The earlier KHOU story has been updated to reflect the shutdown.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/25/08 04:42 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)

County Judge torpedoes Astrodome Redevelopment extension

Earlier in the week, Anne Linehan noted County Judge Ed Emmett's opposition to granting the Astrodome Redevelopment utopians yet another extension of their exclusive redevelopment rights to the decrepit dome stadium.

It therefore came as no surprise that Emmett's view prevailed (as reported by the Chronicle's Bill Murphy):

A company's bid to reinvent the Astrodome as a convention hotel suffered a major setback Wednesday when a county board refused to give it more time to negotiate a lease and finalize a loan.

Entrepreneurs from Astrodome Redevelopment Co., aiming to transform the building once known as the Eighth Wonder of the World into a 1,300-room, $450 million hotel, say their quest isn't over.

But the decision made Wednesday by the Harris County Sports and Convention Corp.'s board drops the development company's exclusive right to strike a deal, allowing the county to entertain other proposals to find a second life for the venue.

"It's really up to them whether it is the death knell," said County Judge Ed Emmett, who made a rare appearance before the board to ask it not to give Astrodome Redevelopment more negotiating time. "They still can move forward."

The sports corporation's board refused to extend the negotiating period on a 4-0 vote. Board members declined to discuss the vote in detail, saying there are confidentiality provisions in the letter of intent that limit what they can divulge.

[snip]

The Dome's future rests with two bodies. The sports corporation will review options and vote on a plan. Commissioners Court gets final say.

[snip]

With the letter of intent set to expire Jan. 29, county attorney Mike Stafford notified Commissioners Court that it would be appropriate to grant a 90-day extension because county financial experts hadn't finished analyzing the deal.

Emmett, however, urged the board Wednesday to deny the extension.

"There is no financing package that has been presented to the county," he said. "We are in a circumstance that this has been going on for years. There comes a point at which you can't just keep granting extensions."

Kudos to Judge Emmett for exercising some leadership on the matter and getting the county out of what has been an unproductive holding pattern.

Both Murphy's story and Jessica Willey's reporting for KTRK-13 emphasize that nothing precludes Astrodome Redevelopment Corporation from finally putting together a solid proposal and moving forward, but the group will no longer enjoy exclusive rights to do so. So, if the Astrodome can possibly be rehabilitated into a useful property, now is the time for all interested parties to move forward with their proposals. If not, we hope the management plants plenty of trees around the new parking lot (blogHOUSTON likes trees).

BLOGVERSATION: Off the Kuff.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/25/08 08:27 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)

Mayor White will encourage Dynamo to use sports complex

A common theme in Tom Kirkendall's posts on Houston boondoggles is how the city would be much better off spending money on infrastructure improvements. That comes to mind when reading yesterday's Chronicle story about Mayor White's proposal to buy land for a sports complex he hopes the Dynamo will use:

The complex, a long-awaited home for youth and adult soccer teams, will probably include 18 playing fields, Mayor Bill White said. The council will need to approve the land purchase for $6.42 million.

Councilwomen Anne Clutterbuck and Melissa Noriega placed a one-week hold on the item. Clutterbuck said the administration did not give council members enough time before the Wednesday vote to review the details of the purchase.

The property is just northwest of the intersection of Almeda-Genoa and Texas 288.

White said the complex would include parking, but added that not all fields would be used for soccer.

He said the city would explore funding partnerships with corporate sponsors, Harris County and surrounding cities. The Houston Parks Board, a private nonprofit that supports parkland, will help raise private funds, White said.

White said the city will "highly encourage the Dynamo to build a practice facility on that land and pay a fair rental rate."

The city is still negotiating to purchase land downtown for a possible stadium for the MLS team. White reiterated his position that the stadium itself be privately constructed. He also said that if the deal with the Dynamo falls through, the city would find another use for the land or sell it.

That's an awful lot of wishing and hoping with millions of taxpayer dollars at stake. One would think these deals would be solid -- you know, with signatures and guarantees -- before the city loosens up the purse strings.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/25/08 05:07 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (4)

24 January 2008

METRO blogger: Q Card rollout is swell!

It may have rolled out ~~weeks~~ ~~months~~ years behind schedule, but the Q Card is a major success!

At least that's what METRO's expensive blogger is proclaiming:

It's been three weeks after we officially launched the Q Card. How are we doing?

Despite some of the glitches a few of you have written about on this blog, the system is working, outreach efforts are working, and cards are getting into the hands of our riders.

How exciting for METRO! We hope Rad Sallee and the neighborhood sections of the Chronicle report this as quickly as possible. Maybe they can even include the METRO blogger's cool graphic!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/24/08 11:41 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (10)

City forester: "Compromise" Kirby widening plan won't save many trees (updated)

Remember all the hoopla when it appeared that the Kirby widening project had been modified in a way that would preserve trees and walkability?

Apparently, it was another case of irrational exuberance from pols (imagine that!).

Michael Reed reports for ExaminerNews.com that the city's forester says most of the Oak Trees along Kirby are unlikely to survive the widening, even after the big "compromise":

Despite a compromise that reclaimed 7 feet of paved width from a plan to revamp Kirby Drive, it now appears that all of the trees between Richmond Avenue and Westheimer Road will be lost to construction.

Houston foresters told a group of about 30 residents Thursday that after walking the site Dec. 7, it was determined that even with a roadway that is 73 feet across, the majority of trees will be unable to survive.

City Forester Victor Cordova said only eight trees within the area have a “realistic chance” of surviving, and that is because they are relatively small rather than in a viable location. He called moving those trees “a very expensive venture.”

At an often-heated meeting Sept. 15, about 150 residents were told by an Upper Kirby Redevelopment Authority (TIRZ) arborist that plans to widen Kirby to 80 feet would mean the removal of all 143 live oaks and 18 smaller trees from the area.

However, at a follow-up meeting Oct. 4 a compromise was announced between the TIRZ and the nonprofit Trees of Houston that was intended to save “as many trees as possible.” However, no numbers were provided.

“Give us another 3 feet on either side and we can talk,” Cordova said of the logistics for the drainage project that will include pedestrian-friendly amenities and buried power lines.

Unfortunately, for those who hoped to see at least some of the present trees remain, traffic ordinances and safety issues preclude Kirby from being rebuilt at its present 66-foot width.

As David Crossley suggests, when city policy requires that so many valuable trees be destroyed to accommodate SUV drivers who find the current lane widths "uncomfortable" there is something seriously wrong with city policy.

UPDATE (01-28-2008): The Chronicle finally got around to covering this story on January 27. The Examiner News story ran on January 23. Way to get scooped by the little neighborhood newspaper, Hearst!

BLOGVERSATION: Houston Strategies.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/24/08 11:33 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (9)

Is a Continental/United merger in play again? (updated)

Justin Baer reports in the Financial Times that United Airlines may consider rekindling merger talks with Continental Airlines:

United Airlines is considering a new round of talks to merge with Continental Airlines if its negotiations with another rival, Delta Air Lines, end without an agreement, people familiar with the company's plans said.

Glenn Tilton, United chief executive, an outspoken proponent of industrywide consolidation, signalled on Friday that the Chicago-based airlines could still strike a deal even if Delta merges with Northwest Airlines. Delta opened negotiations with both United and Northwest earlier this month, the people said.

[snip]

United and Continental discussed a possible merger a year ago after US Airways made a hostile bid for Delta, which was then under bankruptcy protection, the people said.

Those talks cooled after Delta rejected US Airways' advances, but the two sides remained in touch, they said.

[snip ....] United and Continental will probably need to wait for their peers to reach a deal before they sign their own accord; Northwest has the right to block a Continental merger under most conditions. Continental in turn can buy out that so-called golden share for $100 once Northwest reaches an definitive agreement of its own.

The Chicago Tribune's Julie Johnsson reports that one past stumbling block may not be now:

[United] was on the verge of combining with Delta a decade ago, but the deal fell apart over labor issues, sources say. And United has talked repeatedly with Continental but could never sort out ego concerns, like which team would run the company.

That's less of an obstacle this go-round, since Tilton appears more open to ceding control, say people close to United.

But that creates uncertainty as to whether Chicago's hometown carrier still would be based here after a merger.

A Continental/United merger would create a massive consolidated airline, but I think many Continental frequent travelers (not to mention executives) share my concerns over any merger that might displace Continental's excellent management team. This could get interesting if United is serious about a merger in which the smaller airline's management team gets to run the show (it's just hard to imagine that United is serious).

UPDATE (01-25-2008): The Chronicle decided to cover one aspect of this story today. Note the following paragraph from reporter Bill Hensel:

That 2006 agreement, provided United almost $5.5 million in financing to assist with the build-out of office space, along with as much as $10 million in fuel tax relief, if the carrier moved its corporate headquarters downtown from suburban Elk Grove Village instead of out-of-state. In return, United promised to remain on Wacker Drive, staffed with no fewer than 325 full-time workers, for at least 10 years.

If that seems really familiar, that's because it is! Here is the paragraph in the Jan. 20 Chicago Tribune article (linked above) that Hensel apparently lifted and rewrote only slightly:

In 2006, the City of Chicago offered United $5.5 million in tax-increment financing and up to $10 million in fuel-tax relief as incentives to move its corporate headquarters downtown rather than out of state. In exchange, United agreed to remain at 77 W. Wacker Drive, staffed with at least 325 full-time workers, for at least 10 years.

We're pleased we could help the hometown newspaper cover the hometown airline, but here's a little hint for the future: Using Google News alert emails will allow you to grab and rewrite copy from other newspapers much more quickly! In the internet age, your turnaround time should really be better than five days.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/24/08 12:14 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (6)

23 January 2008

A novel counterproposal

As commenter Rorschach notes here, the City of Houston is apparently considering selling the Hilton Americas Hotel to help finance another convention center hotel. Nancy Sarnoff and Carolyn Feibel report for the Chronicle:

The city of Houston is considering selling its 1,200-room Hilton Americas-Houston convention center hotel.

The sale would allow the city to pay off bonds used to finance the property and create more financial flexibility to undertake another project, such as a second convention hotel downtown.

That's according to Richard Campo, chairman of the Houston Convention Center Hotel Corp., the nonprofit created by the city to develop and own the hotel.

City leaders have been talking about bringing another large hotel to a site next to the George R. Brown Convention Center and across the Discovery Green park from the Hilton Americas, Mayor Bill White said Monday.

For a sale to occur, however, the city would first have to clear up hotel-related obligations tied to its employee pension fund.

The City Council approved a proposal in 2004 to use the Hilton Americas as collateral to cover $300 million of a $2 billion shortfall in the Houston Municipal Employees' Pension System.

Instead of issuing a bond, the city worked out an arrangement with the pension system allowing it until 2033 to pay off the obligation. In exchange, if the city defaulted, it would have to turn over ownership of the hotel.

But as soon as next week, the city plans to seek council approval to issue pension obligation bonds that would pay off the note to the pension fund, said Judy Gray Johnson, the city's director of finance and administration. The city owes the pension fund about $360 million, including interest.

Here is a novel counterproposal for city leaders: Fund the pension instead of (mis)using the Hilton Americas as collateral, sell the hotel, get out of the hotel business, and stay out of the hotel business.

BLOGVERSATION: Houston's Clear Thinkers.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/23/08 11:41 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)

Chron metro columnist follows up on Alice (TX) puppy

A few weeks ago, Chronicle metro columnist Rick Casey posted what was basically a rewrite of various stories from the Alice (TX) Echo News Journal on an odd fight over a puppy (he did credit the newspaper, which isn't always the case).

Casey has followed up by taking a cue from the Chron Froot Loop bureau, and has posted a rewrite of the most recent developments in the great Alice puppy caper, as reported by Corpus Christi television news reporter Gabe Caggiano.

We're still not sure why the Houston Chronicle (whose diminutive editor sometimes emphasizes "Houston") employs an alleged hotshot metro columnist to rewrite reporting from small-market Texas newspapers and television stations, but maybe some readers find it compelling.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/23/08 10:55 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (3)

Houston's best employers

KPRC-2 and the Houston Business Journal report on Fortune Magazine's list of top employers, and Houston has four of them. From the BizJournal story:

The Methodist Hospital System broke the Top 10 this year after being in ninth place on the 2007 list. The health care organization continued to be the highest-ranked local firm.

Among the things that earned the system its ranking were its "No One Dies Alone" program, in which employees volunteer time with terminal patients, and the fact that every employee except top executives and physicians received a $200 Kroger grocery card.

Falling a couple of notches was David Weekley Homes LP, which ranked 17 on the list, down from 12th place last year. In light of the homebuilding slowdown, the company canceled its annual reward trip and tripled severance pay for laid-off employees.

Camden Property Trust (NYSE: CPT) came in at No. 50. It offers its employees a 20 percent rent break if they live in any Camden-operated complex. They also can spend a week's vacation at a Camden corporate unit for just $20 a night.

Oil-and-gas driller EOG Resources (NYSE: EOG) jumped to No. 64 on this year's list from No. 83 last year. As well as providing all employees with share options, EOG also matches charity contributions up to $60,000 per employee per year and offers 100 percent health-care coverage.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/23/08 05:02 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (22)

Astrodome Redevelopment group wants another extension

Harris County's deadline for resolving financing issues related to turning the Astrodome into a destination resort is less than a week away, but the redevelopment group wants another extension. Judge Emmett and Commissioner Radack oppose an extension, but Harris County attorney Mike Stafford says giving the group more time is reasonable (via the Chronicle):

"There are still irresolvable issues. The financing was supposed to be in place," Emmett said. "At some point, you say enough. Either you have definite financing or you don't."

Emmett and other members of Commissioners Court have said they understand that the majority of county residents feel attached to the Astrodome — the world's first domed stadium, dubbed the "Eighth Wonder of the World" when it opened in 1965 — and would like to find a second life for the facility.

Radack has questioned whether reinventing the Dome as a 1,200-room upscale hotel is financially viable. He also has said he does not want the county forced into the hotel management business if Astrodome Redevelopment's $450 million investment falls through and it defaults on a loan.

Stafford said it would be appropriate to grant an extension because the county's management services department needs more time to analyze the deal.

The decision on whether to grant an extension rests with the sports corporation, which is scheduled to meet today.

"We probably would be inclined to take the advice of the county attorney, but it would be inappropriate to discuss the issue in detail," sports corporation vice chairman Charles "Sonny" Sowell said.

This boondoggle isn't dead yet.

BLOGVERSATION: Professors R-Squared.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/23/08 04:54 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (12)

22 January 2008

City ready to build ANOTHER convention hotel?!

Today's news, that Houston is looking into how to get a second convention hotel downtown, is just stunning:

The city is considering plans to bring a second convention center hotel to downtown, in an effort to take Houston one step closer to becoming a top convention destination.

Officials involved said Houston gets scratched off the lists of a lot of convention planners because it has a limited number of downtown hotel rooms.

"The current convention center hotel is filling up, and Houston can attract more conventions if it had more hotel rooms in the Central Business District, and specifically, close to the George R. Brown Convention Center," Mayor Bill White said Monday.

The plan is in its early stages, with input being collected from groups that include the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, the city's Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department and the Houston Convention Center Hotel Corp.

"We're trying to figure out what it would cost and how it would get financed," said Richard Campo, board chairman of the hotel corporation.

[snip]

Downtown hotel occupancy was 66.1 percent through November of last year. It was down slightly because 2007 was not a strong convention year, said Keeling of PKF Consulting.

The Hilton Americas has been performing well, Campo said. But for a new hotel, the ideal scenario would be for a private developer to build it.

The mayor said there are "significant pools" of private capital available that did not exist when the Hilton Americas was financed.

Greg Ortale, president and CEO of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, told the Chronicle on Monday that some type of public support would be needed.

Houston hasn't learned a thing.

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

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/22/08 05:01 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (25)

21 January 2008

Soccer stadium and rail lines

Last week in our Local Blog Talk section, Kevin linked to Christof Spieler's post about how Mayor White's newly proposed downtown soccer stadium sits right in the middle of two proposed light rail lines.

In today's Move It! column, Rad Sallee takes up the topic and refers to "local bloggers" having raised the issue, without actually naming the local bloggER -- singular. As Cory Crow notes, it's odd that Sallee didn't name Spieler, and link to his post.

But then there's this quote in Sallee's story:

Mayor Bill White's spokesman Frank Michel said that is no surprise to the city or Metropolitan Transit Authority, since both have been involved in stadium talks with the Houston Dynamo soccer team since last spring.

Whoa! Are we to infer then that this location has been the preferred location since last spring? That would have been news to many of us! But then again, Mayor White was very stingy with details as negotiations dragged on.

Maybe the new stadium location wasn't a surprise to the city or Metro or the Dynamo. But it surely was to just about everyone else.

One commenter to Sallee's column wonders if the Dynamo will pay all the costs associated with making changes to the two light rail lines. Good question!

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/21/08 08:27 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (52)

Borris and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

KTRK-13's Miya Shay sums up state Rep. Borris Miles' current situation:

1. He's facing a tough primary challenge from the man he defeated, Former State Rep. Al Edwards, 2. He's being investigated by the District Attorney's office, 3. He's being sued, with a hearing on Friday, 4. He's recently been in the hospital, recovering from pneumonia.

Whew...

Yep, pretty much.

What's needed in the Houston-area is an infusion of integrity -- on both sides of the aisle.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/21/08 07:55 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (3)

20 January 2008

More on Metro's online chat

Last week Metro CEO Frank "Procurement Disaster" Wilson participated in an online chat. I had the same experience as a commenter on Metro's blog -- unable to participate, showing no users online -- but apparently some folks were able to get in on it.

Mary Sit has posted follow-ups here, here, here, and here, as well as the transcript of the Q & A session (pdf).

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/20/08 06:21 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (4)

Randall O'Toole: Keep Houston free from urban planning

Today's Chronicle carries an op-ed by the Cato Institute's Randall O'Toole on the merits of keeping Houston free from the onerous regulations of urban planning. Here's an excerpt:

Though planners may have the best of intentions, such planning is likely to lead to higher living costs, more traffic congestion and dramatically reduced job growth.

We can see this by looking at other cities with zoning and planning.

In a sense, American cities have engaged in a controlled experiment with planning, with Houston and a few other cities doing very little, many other cities doing some planning and some cities doing highly restrictive planning.

Advocates of planning say that it will make cities more livable, but the results of many experiments across the country show just the opposite.

Cities with strong planning authority, such as Portland, Ore., and San Jose, Calif., almost invariably have the least affordable housing, the fastest growing traffic congestion and growing taxes and/or declining urban services. In the long run, these problems tend to suppress urban growth and job creation.

The national real estate firm Coldwell Banker reports that, in 2007, a Houston family could buy a four-bedroom, two-and-one-half bath, 2,200-square foot home for $170,000. The same house would cost more than twice that much in Portland and more than eight times as much in San Jose.

Such huge variations in the cost of housing from city to city did not exist 50 years ago. Today, they are mainly due to artificial housing shortages created by heavy regulations and land-use planning.

The entire article is here.

Last week Cory Crow had an interesting take on the issue of planning:

[...]its important to realize that the entire movement is being driven by affluent, predominantly, non-native Houstonians. You know, the folks that took advantage of lax zoning, low housing prices and a free regulatory environment to buy their homes. They are now trying to deny others the same opportunity afforded them. All in the name of "beautification" of course.

Or could it be that they just don't want "those people" (you know: the "unsophisticated") moving into their neighborhoods?

Just wait until Peter Brown is elected mayor!

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/20/08 04:06 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)

Dangerous time/place/behavior update

Via KTRK-13, we can add to our list of times/places/behaviors Chief Hurtt would encourage us to avoid if we want to stay alive:

People lining up to buy new Nike Air Jordans were robbed while waiting.

Eyewitnesses say the people were outside Greenspoint Mall this morning, when a guy with a gun told them to hand over their money. Several people in line panicked and broke the glass doors to the mall trying to get away.

No one was seriously hurt. But the robber made off with cash and wallets.

Be sure to add "Saturday morning, Greenspoint Mall, buying new Air Jordans" to your list of dangerous situations to avoid if you don't want to become a victim of violent crime. And the next time Chief Hurtt asks, "What are YOU doing to KEEP HOUSTON SAFE???," you can say you are avoiding dangerous time/place/behavior situations.

INTERESTING FACT: HPD has a storefront at Greenspoint Mall

PREVIOUSLY: Hurtt: You're pretty safe in Houston, unless you wind up dead!

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/20/08 12:00 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)

19 January 2008

Harris County's Housing Authority takes on national responsibility

KUHF-88.7's Jim Bell reports that as Harris County's Housing Authority has done such a capable job managing the local Katrina housing assistance and voucher program, it will now administer the program for 37 states:

The Harris County Housing Authority has taken over the job of providing housing assistance for Louisiana hurricane victims in New Orleans and more than three dozen other states. Houston Public Radio's Jim Bell explains.

Click to Listen

A New Orleans newspaper reports HUD handed this job to the Harris County Housing Authority to improve the rent voucher system, do a better job of finding housing for storm victims and paying landlords on time. Director Guy Rankin is now in charge of Disaster Housing Assistance in New Orleans, Houston, and in all the other states where storm victims were sent.

"The Harris County Housing Authority has been charged with helping those 250 housing authorities in 37 states take care of persons involved in Katrina and Rita. We're here to help people move back to New Orleans, and also those people who are here with their rental assistance through the Disaster Housing Assistance Program."

Rankin says the Harris County Housing Authority was placed in charge of the New Orleans and national housing assistance programs because it's done such a good job of helping storm evacuees in the Houston area.

"We dealt with it in Houston well, so it gained credibility, then we opened the DHAP center in Houston and that gained us more credibility. And then, quite frankly, they were having troubles in New Orleans, and they looked for who's the closest, who's the best, who can turn that project around and house people quickly."

What's interesting about this story is what's lacking: any mention of Houston's Housing Authority [edit: This is not criticism of the reporter; it's criticism of the city's Housing Department, as I try to explain here]. There was a time when Houston's Housing and Community Development Department (recently headed by FoB David Mincberg, currently a candidate for Harris County Judge) was involved with Harris County in administering the housing assistance program for Katrina evacuees.

Is Houston no longer involved in the program? Are there still problems with the city's housing authority, as brought to light by this April, 2005, audit?

These would be interesting questions for local media to investigate, as the answers may tell us something about candidate Mincberg's ability to manage public institutions.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/19/08 08:23 PM | Hurricane Stuff | Technorati | Comments (10)

With annexation come responsibilities -- especially public safety

And then we see Kingwood having a problem with crime, thanks to a decreased police presence in the community (via KHOU-11's Dave Fehling):

Since annexation, its population has soared from around 40,000 to more than 60,000.

But with more people has come more crime.

“Property crime is on the increase in Kingwood,” Sullivan said.

Turns out some thieves also like the annexed Kingwood. They’ve been hitting some neighborhoods hard, stealing everything from laptops to lawnmowers. Is Kingwood becoming an easy target?

Houston police said some of the thieves they’ve recently caught are from Montgomery County, one from Tomball — outsiders hitting Kingwood possibly because they know patrols here aren’t what they used to be.

It’s down sometimes to just two HPD cars on the streets, according to Sullivan.

“It’s an impossible task so in comparison to what we had before; it’s not as good,’ Sullivan said.

But HPD is responding. An eight-officer tactical team is now assigned to the Kingwood substation.

Its commander said they’re targeting high crime neighborhoods, doing surveillance and other investigative work patrol officers would never have time for.

They said it’s already dramatically cut the number of car break-ins.

Still, officers said their numbers working Kingwood have dropped by one-third in recent years.

So despite the addition of the tactical team, “it doesn’t make us whole at all,” Sullivan said.

Not when the police presence was decreasing as the population was increasing. Bad guys can drive around and see there's no police presence. It's an invitation.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/19/08 05:22 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)

18 January 2008

HPD: Lower Westheimer is a criminal "honey hole"

KHOU-11's Jeff McShan reports on armed robbers who have seemingly taken over lower Westheimer:

Police are trying to catch a couple of restaurant robbers who have been terrorizing customers in the Lower Westheimer area.

Vera Wolf and at least a dozen others have been robbed at gunpoint since early December.

The suspect demands purses, wallets, cash and cell phones.

"I was concentrating on that gun and what I could do not to get shot," said Wolf.

Wolf and a friend had just left a restaurant in the 400 block of Westheimer.

"We were approached by a man on the sidewalk," remembered Wolf.

The gunman ordered Wolf to hand over her purse.

[snip]

"They think they're going to go out and make some fast cash," said HPD Sgt. Rich Nieto, with HPD's robbery division. "And they've been using the Lower Westheimer area as kind of a honey hole anytime they need some money."

We would note that there is a police storefront nearby, in the 800 block of Westheimer. Of course, it's the same storefront that was blitzed by taggers just over a year ago, so it seems not to be much of a crime deterrent.

Apparently, we can add "Dining on lower Westheimer, just blocks away from a police storefront" to Chief Hurtt's list of dangerous time/place/behavior situations.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/18/08 10:27 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (20)

17 January 2008

Chief Hurtt rolls out BEAR (Ballistic Engineered Armored Response)

The Chronicle's Mike Glenn reports that HPD has added a massive armored vehicle (replete with acronym!) to its arsenal:

With a flourish that would have put Detroit automakers to shame, Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt unveiled the department's latest addition to its fleet of vehicles Thursday.

The 12-ton behemoth, which resembles a Brinks armored car on steroids, is called a Ballistic Engineered Armored Response vehicle, or BEAR.

"It's the 'baddest' bear," Hurtt said.

The armored truck will provide HPD with greater level of protection and mobility at SWAT scenes, officials said.

As one commenter wryly noted on Chron.com,

hhmmmm...in all the years I've followed the news...no one has ever shot at a moving SWAT truck...it's like giving a porn star a metal condom...

At the very least, though, it gave our bumbling police chief a photo op (although Michael Dukakis-style photo ops have been out of style for a while). As for the bigger problems at HPD.... *chirp* *chirp*

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/17/08 11:18 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (10)

Incoming TSU Prez visits with media

Earlier in the week, John Rudley, the sole finalist for the presidency of Texas Southern, met with local media.

Here are the various accounts of the meeting: Chronicle, KTRK-13, KHOU-11, KPRC-2.

The TSU Board of Regents should formalize Rudley's hiring at its meeting in a few weeks.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/17/08 10:23 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)

16 January 2008

Leaving town stirs up the news

Whenever I leave town for a few days, interesting news seems to break.

Two such items popped up while I was away this time.

First, reports surfaced of allegations of some boorish behavior by state representative Borris Miles (D) at a party:

The Harris County District Attorney's Office is investigating a complaint that state Rep. Borris Miles, D-Houston, made threats and brandished a gun at a holiday party last month.

According to witnesses, Miles entered a St. Regis Hotel ballroom uninvited, confronting guests, displaying a pistol and forcibly kissing another man's wife.

David Harris, who threw the party for his property management company, said he believes Miles, an insurance agent, was angry at him for investing in a rival business.

"He was saying things such as, 'I told you to get out of the insurance business. There ain't room in this town for the two of us. I'm going to come after you and take you down,' " Harris said.

[snip]

Rumors about the incident have swirled for weeks in both Houston and Austin. Harris agreed to speak publicly about it last month only after being contacted by the Houston Chronicle. It was not until Friday, however, that the District Attorney's Office confirmed the investigation.

[snip]

Last July, Miles shot and wounded a burglar who police said was trying to steal copper from the lawmaker's 9,000- square-foot Third Ward home. Miles, who had a concealed handgun permit and was not charged in the incident, said the shooting was self-defense.

Women, liquor, and guns! The stories may not be true (although the use of the plural term "witnesses" could suggest trouble for Mr. Miles), but they are certainly entertaining.

Less entertaining, but still worth noting, is the news that METRO's transit backbone requires more repairs because of shoddy construction. Here's the Chron reporting/METRO press release (who can really tell the difference any more?):

The downtown and Midtown segments of Metro's light rail line will be closed during parts of the next two weekends to fix problems the transit agency blames on faulty construction.

In December, Metro's board of directors authorized KBR Inc. to repair the problem at a cost of up to $812,000.

The closures will last from 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and on Jan. 19-20. Buses will shuttle passengers in the closed segments at 12-minute intervals, Metropolitan Transit Authority spokeswoman Raequel Roberts said.

Roberts said the work is to fix persistent trouble with the cables that carry current from power stations along the route to the rails. Metro says the problem caused parts of the line to shut down on three occasions.

The cables, enclosed in boxes between the rails, expand during power surges, which causes them to rub against each other and the boxes, Roberts said. Metro contends the cables were not properly suspended inside the boxes to prevent chafing.

METRO should serenade inconvenienced customers with mariachi bands and provide scratch-off cards.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/16/08 11:16 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (14)

Apparently, all the news has been covered

KTRK-13 has the scoop on some just-barely-news tonight:

It's happened again. A bird was attacked in Katy, but not just any bird. It's over eight feet tall, bright purple and the guy inside is getting sick and tired of being pushed around.

This big bird's office is the easement along Frye Road where he advertises mattress sales most weekends. Sunday he was attacked on the job.

"I saw shadows behind me," said the mascot Kyle Lincecum.

First came the shadows, then the mascot says came the push.

"Then I turned around and he shoved me real hard," he said.

A couple of assailants took part.

"One was videotaping while the other was harassing me," Lincecum said.

The assailants got away. Consider though this is the fourth time the mascot has been attacked. Each one happened around this same Katy intersection.

"They just look like hellions and ruffians and they say, 'There's a big bird, I'm gonna get it,'" the mascot's owner Russ Vogel recounted. "Sometimes I don't think they're aware of whose inside and it's a person just like them."

It is not nice of hellions and ruffians to attack people in bird costumes, but it is good that KTRK has gotten the word out (and that it's apparently such a slow news night that they were able to devote time to this problem).

In case the hellions and ruffians are roving hellions and ruffians, people in bird costumes citywide now know to watch themselves.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/16/08 09:55 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)

METRO undercover cops bust loaded vagrant, ticket him

KHOU-11's Jason Whitely reports that METRO undercover cops (we never thought we would actually use the term without derision!) actually busted a panhandler, and the guy was loaded (with cash):

[P]anhandlers, especially the aggressive ones, are hard to catch in the act like the one undercover officers ran across in downtown Houston Monday afternoon.

"He asked the lady for money and she refused,” said METRO Police Capt. Mike Raney. “He continued the request for more money. The officer was standing just a few feet from the panhandler at the time."

Police stepped in and questioned 42-year-old James Dillon but were not expecting what they were about to find on him.

When Dillon did not have any ID, plain clothes police officers searched him. Looking down in one pocket they found a wad of $1,700 in cash. Looking in the other pocket they found even more money and another citation for panhandling issued last month.

The homeless man’s cash added up to $3,426.78.

And he was caught asking for another quarter.

And here's where it gets REALLY good:

Dillon told officers he had been saving his money but could not deposit it in a bank since he had no identification.

He got to keep the cash but was written a new ticket for panhandling.

We're sure the city is going to collect on that one. And that the vagrant has learned his lesson and will stop pestering people downtown. Because that's how things work in a place called Perfect.

Ever get the feeling you are living in a theater of the absurd?

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/16/08 09:36 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (10)

Chron's Stiles assumes new role

Carolyn Feibel posts that reporter Matt Stiles will be moving on from the City Hall beat to a wider-ranging role at the Chronicle:

Yes, folks, the rumors are true. Matt has moved on from the City Hall beat. Or so he claims. But he's going to keep his stick in the fire -- as the Chronicle's government watchdog reporter here in Houston, he'll be reporting on city, county and even state government and doing what he does best: keeping our taxpayer-funded officials and workers on their toes.

Congratulations to Stiles, who has already done his fair share of this type of reporting on the City Hall beat and will no doubt produce some excellent local journalism now that he has the watchdog remit.

It's also a nice move by the Chronicle, which could do a much better job at this sort of reporting in the area -- especially Harris County. We are pretty sure Stiles will not be imitating some of his colleagues at 801 Texas Avenue, whose idea of watchdog reporting seems to be following around the local TV guys.

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

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/16/08 08:19 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (3)

15 January 2008

Chron.com's front page

...has a new look.

First impression: You have to scroll (way) down to find the local headlines -- past the reader photos and blogs, past the video section, and past the news bizarre and celebrity buzz sections.

Which makes sense, I suppose, since that's the direction the Chronicle has been heading for quite a while now -- less substance and more fluff.

Anyway, what do you think of the makeover?

BLOGVERSATION: TBIFOC.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/15/08 07:19 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (21)

Commissioner Eversole wants a do-over

Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole has decided to deal with at least one of the issues uncovered by KTRK-13's Wayne Dolcefino:

Acknowledging "numerous errors" in previous campaign-finance records, Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole said today that he planned to review old reports to ensure they comply with the law.

Eversole, a commissioner since 1991, blamed "ignorance of applicable laws" for errors on state-mandated campaign reports that detailed his fundraising and spending.

In a written statement from prominent Republican campaign consultant Allen Blakemore, Eversole said he had retained former Harris County Judge Robert Eckels to handle his future campaign reports.

He also said he asked Eckels, who resigned as the county chief executive last year and now works for the Fulbright & Jaworski law firm, to review his past reports and fix any errors.

Eversole has been under media scrutiny since late last year after KTRK-TV (Channel 13) aired reports questioning Eversole's use of campaign funds.

The Houston Chronicle also has reported that hundreds of the four commissioners' campaign expenses, particularly Eversole's, were labeled with vague descriptions such as "public relations" and "misc." Such designations could encompass everything from meals to purchases at boutique gift shops, and offer few clues about what was purchased or who benefited from those purchases.

Errors on campaign reports can result in fines by the Texas Ethics Commission, but the Harris County District Attorney's Office has launched an investigation into whether Eversole misused thousands of dollars in campaign contributions for his own benefit.

"A number of errors were pointed out in our past reports. They were a result of poor reporting practices and ignorance of the applicable laws. I have taken the criticism to heart and adopted a "best practices" approach to my campaign finances. I have made a dramatic shift in procedures and practices," Eversole said in the statement.

It's big of Commissioner Eversole to take time out from his Starbuck's visits, golf course outings, and gym workouts to attend to, you know, his actual commissioner duties. It would have been even better if he had been attending to his duties all along. And it's never a good sign when one tries to use the old "ignorance" excuse.

How much money does he get paid again?

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/15/08 06:59 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (3)

14 January 2008

Frank "Procurement Disaster" Wilson will chat online Tuesday*

File this under "Short Notice" (see update below):

Got a question for Metropolitan Transit Authority president and CEO Frank Wilson?

If so, get to a computer at noon today, log onto www.ridemetro.org, then click on "chat" to take part in an hour-long once-a-month online chat room.

Metro spokeswoman Raequel Roberts said in a statement Monday that Transit Chat "will give our customers an opportunity to ask Metro's top executives questions about Metro's programs and services, from the Q Card to the new light rail lines we're building."

"It will be live, but we do ask participants to exercise the same principles of politeness mandated on our blog," Roberts said. "Our guidelines: Be respectful, no name-calling, stay on topic."

Note: You can't call in to converse by voice, or send a text message by phone, or chat by e-mail.

Participants will type their messages into a window on the Metro Web bag and read the replies there.

UPDATE: As Matt Bramanti notes in the comments on the Chron.com story, this chat is scheduled for Tuesday -- tomorrow! The story is written for tomorrow, but posted on Chron.com today, not noting that the date for the chat is Tuesday. I have edited the headline and this post accordingly.

So, by all means available, head to Metro's site tomorrow and chat away with the dude. Respectfully, of course.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/14/08 03:09 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (0)

Soccer stadium land could cost $20 million! (updated)

Remember how Mayor White has said time and again that a new soccer stadium would not require the city to contribute public funding?

Well, today Carolyn Feibel reports that through some kind of government financing-magic, Mayor White will have to find up to $20 million for the stadium land:

The city could spend up to $20 million to buy six downtown blocks for a Dynamo soccer stadium, and it remains unclear if the team would reimburse the costs.

The blocks that officials are eyeing — just east of U.S. 59 in the warehouse district — have a total appraised value of about $5.1 million, according to the Harris County Appraisal District, or HCAD.

But local property owners who want to sell have been asking for triple or even quadruple the appraised values, as the area is seen as "hot" for development.

"I do not believe the appraisal value reflects even half of the market value," said Dan Nip, chairman of the East Downtown Redevelopment Authority. HCAD has appraised properties in the six-block area at $12.50 per square foot.

But asking prices by nearby owners have been $30 or more per square foot, Nip said. "If you have the whole square block, you can get as high as $40-$50."

City officials have not said how they would pay for the property. Mayor Bill White said he doesn't want public funds used for the actual stadium construction.

The property is bounded by Texas, Dowling, Walker and Hutchins streets.

Four of the six blocks are owned by former Councilman Louis Macey, who represented District C from 1976 to 1979. A fifth block is owned by HBS Warehouse Associates, and the sixth block is subdivided between two other owners, according to HCAD records.

But wait! There's more:

"It's important for us economically to have the Dynamo here because if we don't have a stadium for them, they're going to go somewhere else," said Councilman Peter Brown.

But Brown said the city should insist on plans for mixed-use development and shared parking around the future stadium.

"We built George R. Brown and Minute Maid Park without a master plan; we just sort of let development happen around them," Brown said. "This is an opportunity to take a more mature approach ... it's how you buffer the adverse impacts."

No concern for the "adverse impacts" on taxpayers' wallets, of course. Councilman Brown doesn't have to worry about such things.

And we all know a "more mature approach" involves lots and lots of money. Gigantic sums of public investment. No wonder Mayor White's position is, "we do not plan to provide any answers to specific questions."

MORE: I've been thinking about the evolution of Mayor White's language. In early stories, we'd get a quote from the mayor using the words, "no public funding." But as time went on, we'd see stories that included the words, "no property taxes." And now Cory Crow notes the fine-tuned wording in today's story:

Mayor Bill White said he doesn't want public funds used for the actual stadium construction.

A differentiation between land and stadium? There are millions of dollars of wiggle room in that language!

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

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/14/08 05:09 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (21)

13 January 2008

Chron Froot Loop Bureau gets more sophisticated

We haven't seen much lately from Chronicle's Froot Loop Bureau, which once featured writers who seemingly watched the morning TV news with their breakfast and then posted accounts of their TV watching to Chron.com.

It seems that the Froot Loop Bureau has now adopted somewhat of a different tactic when it comes to letting the TV guys do the initial work for them: Just fire off public information requests asking for all the stuff previously requested by the TV guys.

Nice!

Even nicer is the declaration that the correspondent is "a journalist" and that any questions about the request should be communicated via email or phone. Because that's more timely, after all.

That Froot Loop Bureau doesn't miss any tricks!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/13/08 09:29 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)

Lack of data won't hinder city's effort to stop Ashby high rise*

As he noted here, Neal Meyer has written a post about a meeting he attended last week regarding the Ashby high-rise ordinance Mayor White is pushing at the behest of Southampton residents. (Did any local media attend the meeting?)

What stands out is how capricious and ill-defined this ordinance seems to be. Not to mention that it will move broad powers from elected officials to the city's public works director -- an alarming thought, indeed, after you read some of the things the public works representative had to say.

Anyway, give it a read, and be glad someone attended the meeting and wrote about it!

(*The title refers to an answer given by an official in response to a question: "We don't know yet. We are limited by the lack of data."

Remember, this is an ordinance Mayor White attempted to fast-track ... when the city lacked data.)

KEVIN WHITED ADDS:

That's a good essay by Neal Meyer that ought to be read in its entirety.

Two snippets in particular really caught my eye, though.

Mayor White warns Council to stick with his agenda

Did you see Carolyn Feibel's post last week on Chron.com's City Hall blog, about Mayor White's warning to the new city council?

Bill White began today with a little lecture to the newly-constituted council. He laid out three rules of diplomacy for everyone to follow, while half-apologizing if he came off as schoolmarmish.

Nevertheless, White made clear he wants council members to do their homework, read reports, go to committee meetings, and traffic in specifics, not loose rhetorical generalities.

His strongest admonition: don't exaggerate!

When giving examples of unacceptable exaggeration, White seemed to be alluding to the growing controversy over the 23-story Ashby high-rise proposed near Rice University, and the city's consideration of a traffic ordinance to limit its density.

Translation: Let my communication team set the agenda and the tone for issues, especially divisive ones.

Mayor White has to be especially relieved that Addie Wiseman has been term-limited out of Council.

Mayor White's warning comes off as heavy-handed considering councilmembers are elected by their constituents, not the mayor. Councilmembers answer to their constituencies, not Mayor White. But as we have seen in his previous two terms, Mayor White is a master at building consensus behind the scenes, and if he can't build a consensus (a rarity!), he won't press forward with an issue. Most of all, though, he does NOT appreciate surprises.

White also seemed to make a preemptive statement against those who might contend he is interfering in the Ashby high-rise plan because the neighborhood is home to politically active, influential and affluent residents.

"The most modest citizen and the most humble dwelling has every right of the most powerful citizen, no matter how much money they have," White said, apropos of nothing, it seemed.

Might that be directed at Councilman Jarvis Johnson, who said this when the initial Ashby high rise brouhaha erupted?

But Councilman Jarvis Johnson, who represents District B in northeast Houston, said residents of the poor and working-class neighborhoods he represents had a difficult time getting a sympathetic ear at City Hall when they complained about single-family housing developments with no parks or other amenities.

"The city said there were standards that we set that (the developers) followed," he said. "How can this community (Southampton) push the envelope so much?"

It's not hard to figure out why Southampton residents are getting preferential treatment, no matter how hard Mayor White and his press office try to characterize it otherwise.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/13/08 07:52 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (3)

12 January 2008

Sales tax revenue up for Houston, Metro...again! (cont'd)

Good times:

Houston received a sales tax payment of $39.3 million in January, up 10 percent from $35.7 million the previous year.

The city's Metropolitan Transit Authority received a sales tax payment of $40.1 million, up 8 percent from $37.1 million in January 2007.

OTHER NEWS YOU MAY FIND INTERESTING: Projected surplus jumps to $12 million (City Controller's office)

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/12/08 12:32 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)

11 January 2008

Instant News Network: Timely, hyperlocal, online news reporting

The greater Houston area has a new player in online news reporting: Instant News Network.

Here is the organization's press release:

InstantNewsNetwork.com announced today it has bought FortBendNow.com and plans to launch constantly updated neighborhood news sites across Houston and Dallas.

"We deliver neighborhood news to your computer when it happens, not your front lawn a week later," said George Boehme, managing director of InstantNewsNetwork.com.

The lack of timeliness in neighborhood news is what drove InstantNewsNetwork.com Editorial Director Bob Dunn to create FortBendNow.com in September 2005. Today, the website averages more than 10,000 daily visits, more than 320,000 monthly visits, and more than 1.6 million monthly page views.

InstantNewsNetwork.com will expand FortBendNow.com, immediately adding two additional mobile journalists to the staff and providing a redesign that will bring additional features to the site, including marketplace and business directories.

In addition to Dunn and Boehme, InstantNewsNetwork.com's partners include Clayton Harris, most recently director of business operations for Houston Community Newspapers, as well as Lane Smith, former manager of online development for Houston Community Newspapers.

Boehme is the founder and former publisher of Examiner Newspaper Group. Houston Community Newspapers bought Examiner Newspaper Group in April, 2006.

Planned for the first quarter 2008 are three more neighborhood news sites, in West University, Bellaire and Cinco Ranch. Within 18 months, InstantNewsNetwork.com expects to be managing more than 20 neighborhood news web sites in key Houston and Dallas markets.

Boehme tells us that the organization's focus "will be very very local and timely hard news." He further reveals that FortBendNow.com's mobile journalists will each be posting 4-7 times per day, with some video, for 12-21 timely, hyperlocal news stories daily.

If Instant News Network can pull it off, then they will OWN that local news market. And they will truly be showing the big boys how news should be done in the internet age.

Of course, most newsies have envisioned the future of news reporting as looking something like this. But will it be able to make money, and thereby support the folks gathering the news (and the owners and the overhead)? When asked how the enterprise will make money, Boehme offered a one-liner: "Advertising."

We hope he's right, as we're fans of hyperlocal news reporting and efforts at developing the (online) newspaper of the future.

BLOGVERSATION: Brazosport News.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/11/08 11:50 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (4)

Dolcefino checks out a country home

KTRK-13's Wayne Dolcefino (aka undercoverman) has been poking around into Harris County affairs again, this time discovering something interesting about the ranch home of Sheriff Tommy Thomas. Here's an excerpt:

You know who helped with the design of some the sheriff's ranch house? It was Leroy Hermes. The architecture firm he founded now has the contract to design the new 1,100 bed county jail off Atascosita Road. A jail project the sheriff plays a role in approving.

"I'm sure I agreed to it, but I don't recall whether I signed off on it, I just don't recall," he said.

Thomas says Hermes volunteered to help redesign the sheriffs house plans to avoid removing huge live oak trees on the property.

"He doesn't design houses, he designs buildings," Thomas said. "It's a hobby and he said he'd be honored if he could help, I said ok."

I asked how much that would cost in the private sector.

"I have no idea," he responded.

The sheriff says the offer was made from one good friend to another, not because of the county business Hermes' firm would eventually solicit.

"This has nothing to do with any contracts with Harris County," Thomas said.

Thomas says he's been friends with Hermes 15 years.

"Leroy is a good friend, he was doing it out of the goodness of his heart, I don't think there was anything more to it than that," Thomas told us.

The remainder of Dolcefino's report gets even more interesting.

For those who still aren't clear why it's so interesting, Dolcefino elaborates on his blog:

For the record, I could care less where the Sheriff lives. Or where his second house is. Even though it's nice to see a career lawman and government official with $1 million worth of property, including a $500,000 retirement house on it.

Why the public has a right to know is because the sheriff acknowledges he got help with the architectural plans for the house from Leroy Hermes, the founder of the architectural firm the Sheriff OKed to build the new jail. He says "Leroy" and him have been friends for years, and maybe you're just fine with the Sheriff's good friend getting the deal for the new $33 million jail.

Should he have recused himself from the process because his good friend was involved? Should we care that Hermes PAC gave the Sheriff the largest political contribution days after the company got the deal? Should we care that the same deal had to be approved by the Commissioner of Precinct 4, Jerry Eversole, and that the plans for Eversole's house have the architectural stamp of --- guess who? -- Leroy Hermes. Should government officials have to disclose when people they've done business with get contracts with the government?

I don't care where the Sheriff has a weekend house. Why won't he and Commissioner Eversole disclose the extent of their financial relationships with County contractors? Why won’t he and the commissioner say how much they paid for Leroy hermes services? Was it fair market value – or something less?

The problem with these cozy relationships -- even if, as Thomas contends, it's merely a matter of friendship and not any sort of effort to influence county contracting -- is that it just doesn't look quite right. It's difficult to believe that county officials don't understand why people would raise questions over these sorts of relationships. Indeed, the recent push by some candidates for "ethics reform" at the county level suggests that at least a few local pols DO seem to understand.

County officials had best start minding their Ps and Qs. The area's newspaper of record may not devote much in the way of resources to county politics, but the undercoverman seems to be on a roll!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/11/08 09:58 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)

Why do Houstonians insist on dashing across busy freeways?

The Chronicle's Kevin Moran reports that yet another pedestrian has been killed trying to cross a busy freeway:

A man died after being hit by two 18-wheel trucks and two cars on the East Freeway near Mercury early today, police said.

The man ran across the eastbound lanes of the freeway at about 12:10 a.m., then jumped into the westbound lanes and was hit by the first truck, Houston police accident investigator Officer D. J. Guiterrez said.

"We know he was hit by at least four vehicles," he said. "He got hit by one 18-wheeler, then he was run over by two cars and then by another 18-wheeler."

The drivers of the four vehicles either stopped or called police after the incident, Gutierrez said.

No positive identification of the man had been made by 5 a.m., Gutierrez said.

The incident marks at least the third pedestrian highway death in recent weeks.

Indeed, we've seen many more reports like this over the last year or so.

Does this happen anywhere else with such frequency? What makes anyone think this is a good idea?

And can any of our readers think of a good acronym, in case Chief Hurtt decides HPD needs an education campaign on the matter?

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/11/08 09:54 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (28)

10 January 2008

Chron's Gray on Houston's new boomtown

The Chronicle's Lisa Gray does a nice job describing one of Houston's most interesting neighborhoods, "new" Chinatown:

This isn't a Chinatown like the old-style ones in New York or San Francisco — jampacked, uniformly Chinese and, because they're more than a hundred years old, built for pedestrians and maybe horses but not for cars. This Chinatown is more Houston-style, an ethnic stew with easy parking, a place where the pioneering businesses date only to 1983. It resembles other new Chinatowns, ones that sprouted in car-dominated places such as the Los Angeles suburbs and Silicon Valley.

Cars promote ethnic diversity, even in a Chinatown. In places where people get around on foot, new immigrants by necessity clump tightly with people much like them, creating enclaves where it's possible to lead your entire life. A Cantonese hair salon would naturally set up shop next to a Cantonese restaurant and a Cantonese grocery store.

But cars change that equation. When it's easy for immigrant customers to drive, merchants are freer to spread out, to set up shop wherever there's space and the rent seems cheap. Cars lead to the suburban-Chinatown mix: The Cantonese hair salon may sit next to a Malaysian restaurant. The Korean music store can occupy the storefront next to a Japanese gift store catering to little girls enamored of Hello Kitty.

Of those new car-ruled Chinatowns, Houston's is among the biggest — a bit over six square miles — and most muscular. The Asian American Business Council estimates that land values along the Bellaire strip have soared between 25 percent and 50 percent since 2004, and says that more than 2 million square feet of new construction, including high-end condos, is expected over the next two years. And as the last of the open land is developed, those once-cheap rents are likely to rise.

Even so, Houston's Chinatown seems likely to remain a bargain compared to others around the country. "Flocking from SoCal to Houston," trumpeted a Los Angeles Times headline in December. "Vietnamese Americans are lured to the Texas city by cheap real estate, a lower cost of living and a burgeoning cultural enclave." Sell your house in Los Angeles, Houston Realtors urge, then buy a bigger one here for a third the cost and invest the rest in your business.

The gold rush appears to be on, and new settlers are setting up shop in the boomtown.

Interestingly, southwest Houston's boomtown has managed to boom without light rail, major sports facilities, a Pavilions project, convention center complexes, Discovery Green, or, dare we say it, excessive planning!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/10/08 09:49 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)

Godspeed, little Frisky

The Simon family has lost another precious kitty -- Frisky, a very fluffy kitty indeed.

One of the funniest things Frisky did was to race outside on those occasions Laurence let him out. Laurence caught the hilarity on video one time, but I can't find it. If I recall correctly, one of those racing adventures led to Frisky getting lost for a day or so, and after he finally returned home, that was the end of the Frisky Races.

He's now free to race again, with his buddies Edloe and Piper cheering him on.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/10/08 08:46 AM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (7)

09 January 2008

Thoughts on the Rosenthal email flap (parts two and three)

We return to the topic of Chuck Rosenthal and email.

As described in part one, the overly romantic emails from Harris County DA Chuck Rosenthal to a female subordinate were bad enough (maybe if she had just been an intern... but we digress).

Then there was the matter of deleting emails (part two -- which didn't even get its own post because we've moved on so quickly to part three). While we're not entirely sure that the public's right to know legally requires that all emails to/from public officials be preserved forever, we're pretty sure that when a federal judge is interested in the emails, it's not a good idea to go deleting hundreds of them.

And finally, there is the matter of another batch of recently released emails to/from Rosenthal that have been described by various journalists and bloggers as misogynistic, racist, and pornographic for starters. Oh, and throw in some (likely illegal) politicking too.

[Read More]

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/09/08 11:34 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (26)

City signs letter of intent for soccer stadium land

That's the headline on Chron.com:

The city took a major step towards acquiring land for a permanent home stadium for the Dynamos, Mayor Bill White said today.

City officials signed letters of intent Monday to purchase parcels of land east of 59, near the downtown central business district. Officials would not identify the exact location, but said that discussions with the Dynamos were proceeding, with the intent of having the team finance construction of the stadium.

The preferred location of Anschutz Entertainment Group, owner of the Dynamo, has been between the George R. Brown Convention Center and Minute Maid Park on the other side of U.S. 59.

"It's not going to be done the way it was done with other stadiums, where the taxpayers picked up the tab," said White said.

The city is also "very close" to signing letters of intent for a regional amateur soccer complex, White said. The 18-field complex would be home to the Dynamos' practice facility and to amateur clubs.

The city is considering two locations just west of 288 in southern Houston. One is immediately north of Sims Bayou and the other is north of Almeda-Genoa Road.

Then who's going to pick up the tab? It's not like the city can print money. It's incredible that Mayor White has not yet been pushed to specify where this financing will come from. Undoubtedly there will be some smooth politician-speak from the mayor when he does disclose the source of tax funds that will be used to pay for the soccer stadium land, and the millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements that will be needed.

RELATED: KHOU-11

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/09/08 01:50 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (23)

Rearranging councilmember offices in the City Hall Annex

Via Matt Stiles at Chron.com's City Hall blog:

One of the perks of being Mayor Pro Tem, at least during recent administrations, is the spacious and private office suite on the second floor of the City Hall Annex, where council members and their staffs work.

Councilman Adrian Garcia, the new pro tem, is moving there this weekend. His new digs will have relatively spiffy furniture, and his staff will be separated from the open-cubicle maze that other council workers endure.

Garcia's move, however, means new Councilman James Rodriguez, who's been on the job less than a week, has to abandon the space once held by his predecessor, former District I Councilwoman (and pro tem) Carol Alvarado.

She kept the office, by the way, even after former Councilman Michael Berry served as pro tem for nearly two years after the bonus scandal.

How completely unsurprising that Carol Alvarado didn't move out of the spacious and private mayor pro tem office suite even when she was forced to give up the title. As her recent complaints about terms limits make clear, she STILL thinks she should be in that office, blessing Houstonians with her numerous talents, which include (but are not limited to) road work, garbage pick-up, park beautification, and airport construction.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/09/08 10:50 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (5)

08 January 2008

Candidates for county judge agree on online campaign-finance reporting

The Chronicle's Chase Davis reports that online campaign finance disclosure may eventually make it to Harris County politics:

About six months after Houston officials began filing their campaign contribution and spending reports in a searchable online database, Harris County's top executive says he wants the county to follow suit.

Faced with the rising profile of campaign ethics as a platform issue in the Harris County judge's race, incumbent Ed Emmett is proposing a series of reforms, beginning early this year, that he said will make county campaigns more transparent to voters.

Among other proposed changes, Emmett said he intends to lobby the Texas Legislature in 2009 for the power, if not the requirement, to make large counties disclose their elected officials' campaign filings in an online database, similar to those used by state lawmakers and Houston city officials.

A preliminary review of the issue last month by the Harris County Attorney's office suggested the county could not make the change without legislative approval.

[snip]

Charles Bacarisse, Emmett's opponent in the upcoming Republican primary election, announced before his official filing in early December that he would make ethics reform one of the five core issues of his campaign.

Democratic county judge candidate David Mincberg also trumpeted ethics as a central campaign issue when he filed for the race last month.

Bacarisse, who voluntarily posted his July campaign filing on his Web site, called Emmett's proposals "lip service" and said he will soon unveil his own proposals with the support of state Rep. Beverly Woolley, a Houston Republican.

Since all of the pols seem to agree on the matter (when does THAT happen?), then let's get on with it! Online, searchable campaign-finance disclosure is long overdue in Harris County.

Apparently, the Chronicle has tried to construct its own database:

The only two U.S. counties larger than Harris County — Los Angeles County, Calif., and Cook County, Ill., — both keep their officials' campaign reports available in online databases. But here, that information is available only in paper reports, which, unlike databases, cannot easily be searched and sorted, even if scanned and posted online.

Those scans, required of large counties under a 2005 state law, are often searchable only by hand. Therefore, voters curious about how much money a donor has given must comb through stacks of reports in order to total relevant contributions.

The Chronicle has created a database of those paper reports, which is posted online at chron.com.

Great! Would any of our readers be kind enough to supply a link? I can't find it.

UPDATE (01-09-2008): Here is the link.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/08/08 09:13 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (9)

Lampson: Panama Canal widening demands smart growth planning here

According to KUHF-88.7, something called the "Economic Action Summit" was held in Pearland (not sure when) to discuss "unplanned growth" in the counties surrounding Houston. You won't be surprised at one person who was present:

A sumit of area mayors and county officials in Pearland provided a forum to discuss future economic development plans for the region.

[snip]

Unplanned growth threatens [!!] the quality of life in Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery and Galveston Counties, but counties have little authority under state law to respond. Predicting that the Houston region will add another 3.5 million people to the 5 million, an Economic Action Summit in Pearland is looking at smart growth, as David Crossley of the Gulf Coast Institute explains.

"What do we actually want this region and out towns and cities to feel like in 30 or 50 years, and then what do we have to do in order to get to that place? What kind of investments do we have to make, what kind of plans?" Ed: "What are the factors that you have to consider, what are the realities?" "Maybe the biggest reality is that we have of a 144 towns and cities that are incorporated places inside these eight counties, with a sort of bare majority of the people living in the towns and cities, and the minority living in the other places where there are no mayors, there are no rules, there are no...and so how do we deal with that in the future if we want to preserve green space, if we want clean air, we want good water, particularly with the counties, as I say, not having the authority to do any planning."

No mayors and no rules? Shoot, there ought to be a law against that! How DO the folks in the unincorporated areas get along, anyway? Well, besides ruining all the green space, clean air, and good water for the city folks.

The story finishes with some rambling quotes from Rep. Nick Lampson who says, among other things, that we need to begin smart growth planning now to be ready for the impact of the Panama Canal widening.

Really.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/08/08 08:06 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (9)

07 January 2008

Just because he doesn't have to resign from Council...

Last week was a busy one for Adrian Garcia, as the councilmember announced he was running for Harris County Sheriff AND was named Mayor Pro Tem.

Councilmember Garcia says not to worry, that he can campaign for another office AND handle his municipal duties:

Garcia's position is largely ceremonial but is high profile as he prepares to run for Harris County sheriff. He said he does not see a conflict between his city council position and his campaign for higher office.

"I don't believe there will be a conflict in terms of the balance," he said. "I think you know me to be a hard worker. I spend a lot of time in my office, I spend a lot of time in my community and so it is just going to be really challenging myself to do more of that."

A recent Chron story on a Friendswood councilmember who was forced by state law to resign to run for another office raised questions about whether Garcia would also be forced to resign, but Matt Stiles explains that Garcia will not be forced to resign.

Nevertheless, just as we once suggested that Doctor Councilwoman Shelley Sekula Gibbs should resign her council seat to campaign for another office, we also think that Councilmember Garcia should resign his council seat if he believes campaigning for another office is more important than tending to the one he currently occupies.

As an interesting sidenote, Garcia's campaign is yet another local one that has the backing of Mustafa Tameez's Outreach Strategists. Given Tameez's involvement in a number of high-profile area races this time around (and with his party looking to make a big dent in the GOP's dominance of Harris County politics), it may be time for some local journalist to update this out-of-date profile of the political consultant.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/07/08 10:42 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (8)

City opens new underground parking garage

Construction is now complete on a new city-owned parking garage across from the George R. Brown Convention Center, and under the (not yet completed) Discovery Green park:

The city has opened a 675-vehicle garage off of Avenida de las Americas that replaces two surface lots that were razed to make way for Discovery Green park, which is expected to open in April.

The Convention District Parking garage, beneath the park, will open to the public for the Bridal Extravaganza and the Houston Cat Show Jan. 12 and 13 at the convention center. Event parking is $10.

Convention District Parking is owned and operated by the City of Houston Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/07/08 07:35 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (21)

City battles perceptions about crime

Last week, Mayor White seemed puzzled that local perceptions about crime don't match HPD's improving crime figures (via Chron.com's City Hall blog):

"There are some neighborhoods that felt a lot more insecure after Katrina," White said. The police department has deployed additional manpower to southwest Houston, and has gotten results, he said.

Still, fear of crime has not lessened. "You go to the civic clubs, you don't get the feedback that people feel more secure," White admitted.

And this report from KHOU-11 isn't likely to help those perceptions:

The first weekend of the New Year proved to be busy for law enforcement and deadly for some Houstonians.

Overnight, police were called to the scene of multiple shootings and stabbings.

You may recall more than a year ago when Chief Hurtt offered this assessment in a meeting with the Chronicle's editorial board:

"Overall in the city of Houston, you're pretty safe," says Hurtt. "If you're not involved in specific types of behavior, not out on the streets at particular times of night and particular areas of the city, you have a pretty good chance of not becoming a victim of violent crime in the city of Houston."

Unfortunately, this past weekend, too many people were involved in dangerous time/place/behavior situations, and became victims of violent crime.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/07/08 07:16 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (14)

06 January 2008

Chron: Downtown boutique hotel business booming

The Chronicle's David Kaplan reports that the downtown boutique hotel business seems to be booming:

When the Hotel Icon opened in 2004, it drew the beautiful people. Guests have included Paris Hilton, Sting and Michael Jordan.

Until recently, the Icon featured Bank, the chic creation of New York-based chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Whiskey Bar, owned by Rande Gerber, the jet-setting hubby of Cindy Crawford.

Bank and Whiskey Bar are no more: The Icon is joining other downtown boutique hotels in getting a makeover.

Its plush lobby will take on a modern look. Its new restaurant, Voice, will be less pricey and serve regional cuisine. Voice chef Michael Kramer is a nonjet-setter whose favorite way to travel is on a bicycle.

The hotel is spending $4 million on the redo, which will be unveiled March 23.

Most of downtown's boutique hotels, including the Icon, Alden, Inn at the Ballpark and the Magnolia Hotel, are fairly new properties. Their renovations could be a sign that they've survived birth pangs and are here for the long haul.

That's great news. Let's hope it means that, in the case of the Magnolia, the City of Houston has managed finally to get a cut of the action!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/06/08 04:47 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)

Mayor to O'Reilly: Don't use the S word!

Just before Christmas, in response to some immigration bluster from Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, the Chronicle ran a story asking once again if Houston is a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants.

We've grown a bit tired of the increasingly pedantic nature of that debate (since it tends to obscure the fact that our local elected leaders seem not to want to consider the issue at all), but we did find the following snippets of interest:

For years, White has tried to shed the sanctuary label, bestowed on Houston and more than 30 other cities and counties by a 2006 Congressional Research Service report. The report described sanctuary cities as having a "don't ask, don't tell" policy when it comes to questioning illegal immigrants about their immigration status.

White has twice tightened up the policy for dealing with suspected illegal immigrants, most recently after the death of Houston police Officer Rodney Johnson, who was shot in the head during a traffic stop in September 2006. The alleged gunman, Juan Leonardo Quintero, was an illegal immigrant with a criminal record.

In the past year, Houston spent $800,000 in overtime to improve screening of suspects, including those accused of minor crimes, such as traffic tickets, the mayor's office said.

And, of course, it's the local daily's job to regurgitate what the mayor's office says (apparently).

It is worth noting that the firestorm that emerged following Officer Johnson's death at the hands of an illegal immigrant forced our mayor -- who reportedly has ambitions to higher political office in Texas -- to deal with the sanctuary issue.

Continuing:

"Unlike many other cities in the United States, the governing body of the city of Houston has never adopted some sanctuary city policy or resolution," White said. "The Houston Police Department ... cooperates fully with ICE, including undertaking criminal raids against undocumented people who are engaged in criminal activities."

Technically, that's right. HPD's earlier "don't ask" sanctuary policy (previously supported by Mayor White) was the result of a directive from an unelected police chief in 1992, and not any elected body. The mayor, of course, controls the Council agenda, and apparently neither Mayor White nor any other Houston mayor has wanted this issue to come before the city's elected policymakers for real discussion, debate, and vetting of an official policy. Maybe there's no need, since our immigration problem obviously hasn't grown worse in a decade and a half (er, or maybe our elected leaders DO need to have that discussion, since the story does trumpet the fact that the policy has changed under MayorWhiteChiefHurtt -- this spin all gets so hard to keep straight!). In any case, it's helpful background to keep in mind (and helpful background curiously omitted from the story).

All pedantry over our "sanctuary" status aside, perhaps we can at least agree that that the illegal immigration issue is only growing in importance, even if you agree with Mayor White that it's apparently not a matter that should be discussed or debated by our elected leaders around the Council table.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/06/08 04:25 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)

METRO rolls out 2008 service "improvements," fare increases

KHOU-11's Wendell Edwards reports that a Houston non-profit isn't too pleased with planned fare changes:

At the Star of Hope, caseworkers hand out small tokens to help some clients get to appointments and job interviews.

The tokens, worth a dollar each, are used for Metro fares.

“It will help them get on the bus to get them to their necessary destination,” Star of Hope case worker Ural Williams said.But under new plans, Metro will change the system for charities.

In the past, they could purchase the tokens from Metro at a discount. But now the dollar tokens will become a thing of the past, replaced by $5 vouchers.

Williams says that’s a bit much for charities to just give away.

“They can abuse the system with it. They could sell it or it could become a temptation,” he said.

[snip]

The changes aren’t scheduled to take place until the end of March. The charities are hoping they still have enough time to convince Metro to change the plan.

A Metro spokeswoman said officials are sympathetic to the problem.

“We will be talking with these agencies to develop an alternative that best serves both our needs,” she said in a statement.

Let's hope so. Because the regional mobility organization frequently seems less concerned about the people who most need its services than about affluent types who want light-rail to be like a cheap, heavily subsidized "world-class" taxi that will take them right where they want to go (and about affluent developers, architects, consultants, planners, and others who hope to secure business from METRO).

The big news to start the year, of course, is that METRO has finally rolled out the Q Card (and associated fare increases) after ~~weeks~~ ~~months~~ years of inexplicable delays. Cory Crow gave that about the best treatment we've seen in the local blogosphere, and it's certainly a more skeptical treatment than one is likely to find among the local METRO cheerleaders at the city's big daily newspaper.

Speaking of skepticism, we meant to post about this Free Press Houston story on METRO that we found weeks ago via the B.S. Houston Arts Blog, but just never got around to it. While the story is a bit lacking in terms of editing (it comes from a tiny alt-weekly after all), the author's willingness to analyze METRO instead of simply regurgitating the organization's press releases and attacks on critics is refreshing. Perhaps some of the city's other print journalists will follow that lead in 2008!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/06/08 03:26 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (3)

Remembering back when...

KTRK-13's Mike McGuff closed out 2007 with an interesting look back at various Houston landmarks that have shut down.

The report (with video) is posted here.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/06/08 02:50 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (0)

05 January 2008

Dolcefino: FBI launches City Hall investigation

KTRK-13's Wayne Dolcefino reported last night that the FBI has subpoenaed City Hall in a new investigation:

We've learned the FBI has delivered subpoenas to Houston City Hall looking for records of dealings with two companies and contractors with close ties to a slew of local politicians involved in the creation of city fire stations, county jails and even our football stadium.

[snip]

We know the feds are examining the deals for the city's emergency dispatch center and at least two Houston fire facilities. But it's the names of the contractors under scrutiny and their millions of dollars in government contracts that may lead to lots of questions in the coming weeks for lots of elected officials.

Dolcefino has more details in the story posted here.

This one could get interesting!

RELATED COVERAGE: Chronicle.

UPDATE: Ubu Roi posts some related thoughts that are well worth the read.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/05/08 09:12 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (15)

03 January 2008

Mayor White is now ready to focus on crime

In his final two years as mayor, Bill White says he'll make crime reduction a priority:

On the other hand though, the Mayor said more work needs to be done, and one area of concern is property crimes, which have been on the rise in Houston in recent months.

"As of said on a number of occasions this last year, it's too high, we want to see that number drop," White said. "When we have the Real Time Crime Center up that will help us track those serial burglars, plus we’re doing some other things, number one of which is just getting more people in the field."

Real Time Crime Center? How does it compare to CompStat, which other large cities have used very effectively to help reduce crime, and which Chief Hurtt has refused to consider?

"We've made some real progress in Houston, Texas. And then when you compare the homicide rate per 100-thousand in Houston now, compared to where it was 15 or 16 years ago, it's a small fraction as to where it was," the Mayor said Thursday.

That was this week's other big news -- the city's murder rate for 2007, which the city says is down from 2006, if you trust HPD's numbers. HPD has just been caught fudging the official stats in previous years, so who knows if the numbers released this week are accurate. Maybe Mark Greenblatt's looking into it.

Over at Lose an Eye, Cory Crow makes an excellent point about the murder rate:

If you were to "draw a line" through 2006, writing off the large increase in murders during 2006 as a "one off" event sparked by the confusion surrounding the influx of a criminal element from New Orleans (Not to be confused with the 'normal folks' who were displaced by Katrina mind you) then you'd see that the "murder rate" in Houston is actually still on the uptick (albeit slight), and the only reason the numbers appear lower is due to the fact that 2006 was exceptionally high.

And, again, we've just learned HPD has problems accurately counting murders; the numbers could still increase as HPD admits:

Authorities warn that Houstonians shouldn't get too excited about the unofficial tally.

As cases are reviewed, the numbers will likely increase.

"There are delayed deaths and delays in rulings," Jett said. "In the case of an arson death, it may take six months for it to be ruled a homicide. Infant deaths are the same way."

The problems Mark Greenblatt uncovered, though, were not related to delays in rulings.

And then there's the whole issue of population numbers. It would be helpful if the story disclosed the source the city is using.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/03/08 08:26 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (13)

02 January 2008

DA Rosenthal won't seek reelection (updated)

Via the Chronicle's Alan Bernstein:

Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal has withdrawn his name from the Republican ballot for re-election today amid pressure from his own party following last week's release of intimate emails he wrote to his personal assistant.

Rosenthal publicly had rejected the local GOP's call for him to drop his re-election plans or face the prospect of the party endorsing another Republican for the March primary.

His decision to drop out of the election was confirmed about 5:35 p.m. by Michael Wolse, the Harris County Republican Party's primary director.

Minutes earlier, Republican Jim Leitner filed paperwork to put his name on the primary ballot for district attorney.

Former Houston Police Chief C.O. Bradford is among those seeking the Democratic nomination for district attorney.

And that's the end of that. Now we'll see how Leitner matches up against Bradford.

UPDATE: Er, now we'll see how Bradford matches up against:

Harris County prosecutor Kelly Siegler, known for effective theatrical tactics in the courtroom, is set to run for district attorney as a Republican after the withdrawal of her boss, District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal.

[snip]

Prosecutors Denise Bradley, Steven St. Martin and Marc Brown expressed interest Wednesday.

Defense lawyer and former prosecutor Jim Leitner already is on the ballot, and the Republican winner will face Democrat C.O. Bradford, the former Houston police chief, in the November general election. Leitner, however, indicated he might withdraw if another Republican candidate looked to him like a top-notch prospect.

Oooookay.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/02/08 06:48 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (13)

Cohen: "The name of this newspaper is the Houston Chronicle...."

In the January 2008 Texas Monthly, Paul Burka writes about reductions in the size of the Austin press corps. His story includes snippets of a conversation with Chronicle editor Jeff Cohen:

I called Jeff Cohen, the editor of the Chronicle, to ask him about the reduction in the paper’s coverage, including the layoffs at the Hearst bureau. “I don’t feel bad about having only six reporters covering the Capitol,” he said. “Texas Monthly only has one in Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city. The name of this newspaper is the Houston Chronicle, not the ‘Austin Chronicle.’ We often put Austin stories on the front page in session and out of session when they relate to the leadership or they involve watchdog reporting.” A lot of political stories, he said, can be covered with local reporters, such as a recent piece on the unfulfilled promise of electric deregulation. He acknowledged the financial pressures newspapers face: “Advertisers are unsure about where to spend their dollars in a fragmented media marketplace. That will resolve itself eventually, but in the meantime there’s a pressure to cut costs.”

In the long term, my concern, like Jefferson’s, is government without newspapers. How will people in Brownsville and Harlingen and McAllen know what they’re not reading about what’s happening in state government? They won’t. How will Speaker Tom Craddick’s claims to absolute power affect legislative races around the state if the media don’t remind the public of the controversy? Beyond these questions lies another: Will there still be newspapers—or newspaper readers—in the digital age?

Jeff Cohen says yes. “Chronicle home delivery is up,” he told me. “We’ve sold more college subscriptions in Austin, College Station, and Waco in each of the last three years. As long as there are informed and educated readers, there will be a place for newspapers.

So, how much better might the Chronicle be able to cover the Houston area AND Texas if the newspaper were to shutter its expensive (and ineffectual) Washington bureau and redeploy some of the resources to local and regional coverage?

We agree with Cohen that yes, the newspaper's base is the Houston area, and that means it should focus on Houston. Most people don't pick up the Chronicle to see what its stellar D.C. bureau is reporting. But they do pick it up to see what's going on in the area (and for coupons!). And if the Chron is truly selling more subscriptions in Austin, College Station, and Waco, then it suggests the newspaper should be broadening its regional/state coverage, not cutting it.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/02/08 10:22 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (11)

New GHCVB leader to focus on Houston's strengths

Today's Chronicle runs an L.M. Sixel Q & A with the GHCVB's new leader, Greg Ortale. Here's an excerpt:

What I really want to do is to tie our convention solicitations with the economic demographics of the city.

We're the energy capital so it makes sense to go after the energy conventions.

It's the same with the Medical Center.

There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of meetings.

Secondly, because we are a global city I want to go after international meetings and symposia and conferences. Why shouldn't the international AIDS conference be in Houston?

The third is really to position Houston as an international tourist destination.

Q: Are you building relationships with people in the Medical Center and NASA and the engineering industries who have the ties to bring conventions and meetings to Houston?

A: Some of them already exist and some are yet to be built. We're moving in that direction.

He also says there aren't enough hotel rooms in downtown for mid-range conventions that require between 2,500 and 5,000 rooms. Hopefully that's not an invitation for a government entity to build a hotel...again.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/02/08 07:51 AM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (11)

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