30 June 2008
What’s Wrong with Richard Justice, Jose de Jesus Ortiz, Cecil Cooper and Carlos Lee, to Name a Few (Houstoned Ballz)
Want to know what "the great minds running the Astros think"? John Royal says all you need to do is read Richard Justice and Jesus Ortiz to find out (Houstoned Ballz).
Cory Crow has more (Lose an Eye, It's a Sport).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/30/08 08:59 PM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati |
Terry Abbott, HISD's press secretary, resigning (School Zone)
HISD press secretary Terry Abbott will be leaving his post for the private sector at the end of August (School Zone).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/30/08 08:41 PM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati |
HCC "leadership" favors athletics program
The Chronicle's Ronnie Turner reports that HCC is considering an unnecessary extravagance:
The Houston Community College System board of trustees will vote Tuesday on a student fee that would enable it to add an intramural athletic program, with the possibility of elevating it to an intercollegiate program in the future.
If the fee is approved, students would pay an extra $6 per semester, effective in the spring of 2009, to fund the intramural program, which would begin this fall. HCC chancellor Mary S. Spangler estimates that the fee would bring in an additional $250,000 per semester, money that would be split among five of the HCCS campuses: Central, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest. She said that the other campus, Coleman College for Health Sciences, probably would not have a program because of its lack of facilities.
[snip]
Despite the possible financial strain an athletic program would bring, Spangler sees benefits in having one.
"The more activities that you can engage students in at the college, research shows the more likely students are to be engaged to stay in their classes and to move from one semester to the other towards their goal," she said. "There are a number of different kinds of things to do that: student government, athletics, working at the college; those kinds of things keep them involved."
Obviously, HCC's "leadership" really wants intercollegiate athletics.
Why this is a good idea for HCC, given its mission, is far less clear.
UPDATE (07/02/08): HCC's board of trustees voted unanimously to start the intramural athletics program (and almost certainly believes it will lead to bigger things).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/30/08 08:24 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (10)
Rick Casey champions another cause (Life at the HCCJC)
A Harris County Lawyer goes after "Rick Casey's latest holier-than-thou tripe" (Life at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/30/08 07:05 AM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati |
Continuing to suspend reality on financing the soccer stadium (Houston's Clear Thinkers)
Tom Kirkendall again considers the absurdity of Texas Southern's proposed investment in the Dynamo soccer stadium (Houston's Clear Thinkers).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/30/08 07:00 AM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati |
29 June 2008
An Editorial LiveJournal from Mr. Gibbons!
Mr. Gibbons' diaries are SO elegant, witty, and insightful (especially true when compared to other Chron diaries)! We urge everyone to check out his ideal state.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/29/08 10:38 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
28 June 2008
East End no longer overlooked (except when it still is)
At METRO's exciting East End light rail groundbreaking this week, amidst the streamers and fireworks (but apparently NOT scratch-off cards -- or an agreement with the contractor actually expected to do the work), Mayor White offered the following boast:
"It may have been said in the past, but it can't be said now that the city of Houston is overlooking the East End," Mayor Bill White said to applause from about 200 attendees.
Really?
Perhaps the mayor's Prius and bicycle don't find their way into the East End on his commute to and from City Hall each day, because KHOU-11's Brad Woodard reports that funded East End sidewalk improvements are indeed being overlooked by Mayor White's government:
The City of Houston has a predicament on its hands.
They’ve received millions of federal dollars to build sidewalks intended to keep kids safe going to and from school.
But those sidewalks haven’t been built, and now that money is just sitting there while construction costs rise.
“This is a wealthy city. We shouldn’t see this,” civil engineer Gonzalo Camacho said.
In reality, it’s what you don’t see on many of the East End streets that concerns Camacho.
“The fact is, people live here. They have to walk from here somewhere. The only way people and kids can walk along here is cross the street and go over there. But there’s no crossing here,” Camacho said.
It was Camacho that did a cost analysis and helped the city get the federal grant. They were supposed to use the money to improve sidewalks around six East End Schools.
They got $2.4 million from the Safe Routes to Schools program, all funneled through TXDoT.
“That was in September. September of ’07. It’s June of ’08. Any new sidewalks yet?” Camacho said.
There aren’t.
“The funding is available. It has been secured on behalf of the City of Houston, so now it’s up to the City of Houston to secure those funds and implement those projects,” TXDoT’s Raquelle Lewis said.
More specifically, it’s up to the Public Works Department.
So much for not overlooking the East End.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/28/08 12:37 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
AT&T Calling Dallas New Home (High Tech Texan)
AT&T is relocating from San Antonio to Dallas. Michael Garfield wonders why Houston didn't make a bigger push to attract the company (High Tech Texan).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/28/08 11:14 AM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati |
27 June 2008
Chron headline writers offer helpful advice
The subheadline on a Chron story in the * section today amused us:
Beating up the boss is a common fantasy
Astros pitcher tried just that, but the experts advise otherwise
Who can argue with expert advice?
Or with crack Chron headline writers who have a knack for conveying what's important.
So just one question -- Do the * kids fantasize about beating up their boss (it being such a common fantasy and all)? Or is it the Chron headline writers who have such fantasies?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/27/08 11:07 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (3)
Astros-Rangers: Shawn Chacon Is Suspended, Carlos Lee Is Fat (Houstoned Ballz)
Drayton McLane's PR man in the Chron sports department thinks Carlos Lee gets criticism not because he appears to loaf, but because the local media isn't diverse. John Royal is flabbergasted (Houstoned Ballz).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/27/08 09:31 PM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati |
John Culberson: Most connected Congressman (PoliSci@UST)
The UST poli sci folks call attention to Rep. John Culberson's web connections (PoliSci@UST).
Proof that the Left doesn't have a monopoly on web geekery!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/27/08 08:41 PM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati |
Metro consultants: Search and report (Chron Houston Politics)
Matt Stiles posts a link to a searchable list of METRO contract vendors since 2006 (Chron Houston Politics).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/27/08 01:38 PM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati |
Mixed thoughts on Smart Growth Distinguished Lecture (Houston Strategies)
Tory Gattis comments on Scott Bernstein's smart-growth lecture for the Gulf Coast Institute (Houston Strategies).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/27/08 12:37 PM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati |
Chief Hurtt's trip to London cost $14,000
KPRC-2's Phil Archer has details of a trip Chief Hurtt took to look at a DNA lab:
Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt addressed concerns on Thursday about a trip to London for the crime lab that cost taxpayers thousands of dollars, KPRC Local 2 reported.
HPD is rebuilding its scandal-plagued DNA lab. That's the reason Hurtt said he and three staff members flew to London earlier this month at a cost of more than $14,000.
[snip]
The chief insisted that it was not a pleasure trip. He said the visit was strictly business.
"We have to be able to do this right where people have confidence," Hurtt said.
Hurtt went to London to look at a DNA laboratory operated by Forensic Sciences Services, a state-of-the-art lab that the chief said can process more DNA samples faster and more accurately than any in the U.S.
"This is the vision that I have for the Houston Police Department's DNA lab," Hurtt said.
You'll recall just this week city councilmembers couldn't think of a single probing question to ask HPD Crime Lab Director Irma Rios.
The story notes that HPD is now negotiating to hire "London-based consultants." It was just this past January that HPD's crime lab was in the news as the head of DNA testing resigned after a cheating scandal. So now Chief Hurtt wants to go from disgraced and dysfunctional to state-of-the-art and tops-in-the-U.S. I'm guessing Houstonians would settle for just processing DNA samples successfully. Period. You know the old saying, "champagne taste on a beer budget"? Chief Hurtt has champagne taste, with a near beer track record.
Does Harris County's Crime Lab function successfully without London-based consultants? Well, we know it functions successfully and with little media fanfare!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/27/08 05:12 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (8)
26 June 2008
Mayor White: Dynamo and city are working constructively on stadium deal
According to the Chron's Bernardo Fallas, negotiations on the Dynamo's soccer stadium are moving along:
Mayor Bill White joined other community leaders at Houston Community College's South Campus to unveil plans for an adjacent 18-field, soccer-centered youth sports complex near Texas 288 and Airport Boulevard that will also serve as the Dynamo's training facility.
White also met with Leiweke for more than an hour as both sides work toward a stadium deal.
"We had a good meeting," Leiweke said. "Today was significant because I think we're down to one or two issues — they're big - but one or two issues."
Calling the meeting productive, White said negotiations are in the advanced stages and agreed that points of contention have been narrowed down.
"We're working constructively with each other," White said.
The sticking points, White and Leiweke said, involve money and how a $110 million, 22,000-capacity facility would be financed. White warned those points could still be deal killers.
Asked what those points are, White didn't hesitate.
"Money," he said.
The Dynamo's parent company wants to build the stadium near downtown. The city recently spent $15 million to buy five blocks of land and swapped for a sixth block just southeast of Minute Maid Park and U.S. 59. The tract, located near Texas and Dowling streets, would house the stadium, and White has said the city could find other uses for it should the deal fall through.
White also said the proposed youth soccer complex, which the Dynamo are a partner in, will not be affected by the outcome of the stadium negotiations. That facility is expected to open by late next year.
Even though Mayor White says he learned his lesson about transparency, he's obviously not quite ready to put that lesson into action: He's still not sharing details.
It's also on point to remember that whenever Mayor White really wants to do something, he'll find the money to do it. Emergency radio system -- not a priority. Youth soccer complex and Dynamo stadium -- priorities.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/26/08 07:54 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (8)
Do the Rockets plan on sawing Craig Ackerman in half?
The Chronicle's David Barron reports on the selection of Craig Ackerman as the new radio voice of the Houston Rockets, but it's this snippet that is most interesting:
His elevation was expected, as was the Rockets’ decision to become the latest NBA team to cut back to two broadcasters from one.
They cut back to two from one?
Neat trick!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/26/08 12:35 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (2)
Jason Friedman signs off (Houstoned Ballz)
Jason Friedman has done such a nice job covering the Rockets for the Press... that's he's moving on to the Rockets (Houstoned Ballz).
That alone should make it worth adding the Rockets.com RSS feed to your favorite feedreader. (If the feed were updating, anyway ).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/26/08 12:20 PM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati |
25 June 2008
Chron's Stiles scores interview with Sheriff Tommy Thomas (updated)
Yesterday, the Chronicle's Matt Stiles reported on his extended interview with Harris County Sherrif Tommy Thomas.
Stiles followed up with additional material on the Chron's Houston Politics blog, and is considering ways to make more of the interview available.
Thomas has been in the news a great deal lately, for all sorts of alleged scandals. Until now, the sheriff has taken Clarence Bradford's approach to tough questions (avoid them at all costs!), which should be an untenable stance for someone who wants an important public office and certainly is an untenable stance for someone who already holds an important public office. Ducking tough questions about real issues only gives the appearance that there is something to hide.
Sheriff Thomas claims all of the negativity is "pure politics." Maybe so. But the last time we checked, Thomas held an elected (political!) office. Politics is to be expected.
If Sheriff Thomas intends to hold on to his elected political office, then the Stiles interview needs to be the start of many more interviews in which the sheriff tries to convince the public he deserves to keep his job -- if he really wants to keep it. Because we doubt that one interview is going to do the trick.
UPDATE: Given Wayne Dolcefino's latest reporting on the emails Sheriff Thomas tried to avoid giving up, we're even more convinced that Sheriff Thomas' damage-control interviews are far from over.
UPDATE (06/27/08): More Dolcefino stories here and here.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/25/08 08:21 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)
Falkenberg: Houston still sucks (Bayou City Madman)
"The neat thing about Lisa Falkenberg isn't the stunning narcissism that requires a half-dozen first-person pronouns in every column, but the desperate lack of originality that transforms other journalists' work into her personal discovery (it's the journey)" (Bayou City Madman).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/25/08 12:13 PM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati |
24 June 2008
Local law-enforcement agencies turn to the net for recruiting
KTRK-13's Mike McGuff reports on HPD's officer recruitment blog:
The blog is the unique brain child of Mike McCoy, a senior officer with the Houston Police Department. It's one of the few blogs that show up in a search engine concerning the subject. Officer McCoy, who works in recruiting, says he wanted a way to go straight to the potential recruits.
"I think a lot of young people nowadays are on the Internet all the time," Officer McCoy told abc13.com. "They're always searching different career paths on the Internet. And I thought, if you blog and you YouTube, and you just put in keywords like 'The Houston Police Department,' not only will you get our website, but my blog is popping up now because I post every day on it."
The Houston Police Department Recruiting Blog has only been around since March but has already started a dialogue between an officer hungry department and possible recruits.
Kudos to HPD for taking the initiative on this. The internet should certainly be used to full advantage in recruiting.
Elsewhere, KPRC-2's Daniella Guzman reports on the Harris County Sheriff's Office recruiting site, which we discussed briefly here:
The new Harris County Sheriff's Office Web site is fast and action-packed, similar to a Hollywood movie, but some have problems with it, KPRC Local 2 reported Monday.
The site is filled with hi-tech, 3D, high-definition films targeted to the young generation.
"We are trying to attract people who are are into video games, hi-tech and electronics," said Capt. John Martin with the Harris Country Sheriff's Office.
It has a Mission Impossible theme, filled with music and modern graphics. The Sheriff's Office is promoting positions in all their departments, a very similar strategy to the Army and the Navy's Web sites.
The Democratic candidate running against Sheriff Thomas doesn't like the website:
Councilman Adrian Garcia is running for county sheriff.
He said the quote on the Web site from Ernest Hemingway does not appear to be recruiting public servants. It reads, "There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter."
"It looks like a commercial for Dog the Bounty Hunter. It's not professional. We need to send out a professional message," said Garcia.
Of all the criticisms he might level about professionalism in the department, that one seems misplaced. Reasonable people might quibble with a spot or two in some of the videos, but the end product doesn't seem unprofessional to me -- far from it. And the department claims that it's effective:
The Web design company, ATGNAT.COM, said the site is already starting to pay off for the department.
"They have had enormous number of hits. The other advantage is the people looking at the Web site stay there for at least seven minutes," a company spokesman said. The Web site has been since June 1. Officials said they have already had 30,000 hits.
Both HPD and the Sheriff's Office need qualified officer candidates. If they can use the web effectively to attract those candidates, that seems like a good thing.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/24/08 08:23 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
Fundraiser for Harris County District Attorney candidate C.O. Bradford (Isiah Carey's Insite)
Isiah Carey posts about a Clarence Bradford fundraiser, in which the former police chief promised to pursue outreach and true justice in the community (Isiah Carey's Insite).
Since this was a fundraiser, we presume no tough questions were asked about Bradford's tenure running HPD.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/24/08 10:18 AM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati |
Dad was right about law school (Houston Politics)
Carolyn Feibel reports that one of the city's outside lawyers is giving himself a $100/hour raise (Houston Politics).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/24/08 08:47 AM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati |
Is there a Heights highrise in the works? (Off the Kuff)
Charles Kuffner worries that dense development might be coming to an area near him (Off the Kuff).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/24/08 08:45 AM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati |
Council committee holds a lovefest for Crime Lab director
KHOU-11's Jeremy Desel reports on the grilling HPD Crime Lab director Irma Rios didn't receive yesterday before City Council's Public Safety Committee:
However, five months after the DNA section of the lab was shut down and its manager resigned in another scandal, the city council members who sit on the committee did not have any tough questions to ask of Rios.
“As you can see, there is some good news. We have some real accomplishments to report,” committee chairwoman Melissa Noriega said at the start of the meeting.
The praise did not stop there.
“I want to thank you very much Ms. Rios for all your hard work and leadership,” said committee member Anne Clutterbuck.
No questions about the proficiency testing scandal that closed the lab down. There were questions about a recent trip to England by lab personnel who were on a “fact finding mission,” on the use of private crime labs.
“Are there many privatized crime labs in America also?” councilman M.J. Khan asked Rios.
The answer is yes. As a matter of fact, that is exactly where the city of Houston has been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars as it sends out all DNA testing while the HPD lab has been closed.
No questions about that though.
So, 11 News asked Noriega why no questions about the scandal.
“That is a very, very legitimate point. I don't disagree with you at all,” she said.
Then why didn't councilmembers do their homework so they could ask her tough questions? Why even make a pretense of questioning Rios if nothing substantive was going to come of it? It's not hard to "Google," and certainly local media have had more than a couple of stories on crime lab problems over the past several years.
This past February, Jeremy Desel sat down with Rios and was not afraid to ask her pointed questions. His interview revealed that the lab was spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on outside testing -- still.
But that was of no concern to councilmembers. Did Mayor White not want any tough questions asked? Is D.A. candidate Clarence Bradford trying to ride out any mention of "crime lab scandal" during this election season, since investigations have condemned his leadership?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/24/08 05:14 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
23 June 2008
Taxed, but not serviced -- and Rad Sallee explains why
Here's an amazing admission from Rad Sallee in today's Move It! column:
Metro and Harris County are planning commuter rail, and outlying counties are interested, but now it's the inner city's turn. It voted for rail. Affluent suburbs generally voted against it. Years earlier, some of the same suburbs also voted not to be part of Metro. Some didn't want its 1-cent sales tax. Some just didn't want transit and what it might bring. Metro cannot legally extend service outside its taxing jurisdiction, except by contract.
So there you go. METRO won't provide transit services to the outer 'burbs because those folks didn't vote for light rail. Oh sure, there are several (overcrowded) Park and Pillages, and a few token bus routes, but by and large, METRO will continue to collect tax revenues from the outer loop residents, and as punishment, will make sure the inner loop gets the lion's share of the pie. It's nice to see Sallee confirm what many of us have suspected.
I'd rather see my tax money go to Harris County to pay for the upkeep and expansion of the roads we use, many miles from any METRO transit offerings.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: There was another amazing admission in the column:
Transit service does not pay for itself and is not expected to. Its core mission is to serve low-income areas, where a high percentage of residents depend on it. Metro needs some improvement on that score, and distributing the planned rail lines around the city is a start.
He was doing such good work, until he got to the last part. Unfortunately for low-income residents, they've mainly seen their bus service reduced (despite the promise of a big increase in the referendum) and the routes adjusted to feed the existing light rail line to nowhere.
METRO in recent years (without much adult supervision from the mayor, we would add) has acted much more like a development agency for affluent types who desire a world-class city than it does a transit organization whose primary mission is to move people who can't afford cars.
And here's an interesting admission in another Rad Sallee piece (on plans for rail in the East End):
The Metropolitan Transit Authority has loyal supporters in Houston's East End, whose voters approved Metro's transit plan in 2003 by a 14 percent margin.
Voters in the East End and other lower-income areas certainly helped push the 2003 referendum to its narrow victory. They almost certainly were persuaded both by rail and by promises of a 50% increase in bus service. The promised bus service hasn't actually panned out, and the rail service remains a work in progress (although the folks in the Gulfton area in southwest Houston are probably wondering why there aren't more rail stations for them in METRO's grand plans).
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/23/08 06:30 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (10)
Houston sports media wars (Lose an Eye, It's a Sport)
Cory Crow comments on Houston sports talk (Lose an Eye, It's a Sport).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/23/08 08:02 AM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati |
22 June 2008
Experiment: TXPIA Requests/Updates forum
As promised a while back, we've finally launched a little sub-forum experiment in local sunshine.
Here's how we envision it working:
Anyone registered for the forum can add a post to this sub-forum. The initial post should be the actual TXPIA request that has been filed (with an informative subject line). Replies can be left for status updates (if the agency has responded, or not, details, etc). Electronic documents can easily be posted to Google Docs (pdf included now), shared, and linked, so that people can peruse the results of the TXPIA requests.
We'll keep an eye on the forum, and highlight the most interesting stuff (if anyone winds up posting material there -- we have no idea at this point) on the blog.
There is probably some better way to go about this (comments and suggestions welcome), but we'll give it a try this way for now.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/22/08 11:19 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
City settles ERACER-related lawsuits
KHOU-11's Lee McGuire reports that Houston taxpayers will wind up spending nearly $750,000 to settle lawsuits stemming from the infamous 2002 K-Mart parking lot raid:
Settling a lawsuit concerning two 2002 crackdowns on illegal street racing will cost taxpayers $731,617.
The Houston City Council Wednesday approved a settlement agreement between the Houston Police Department and two groups of teenagers. In a lawsuit, the teens claim they were detained and arrested in violation of their civil rights.
[snip]
Under the settlement, each of the 101 teenagers will get between $2,500 and $5,000, and it awards several hundred thousand dollars in attorneys’ fees.
The KHOU story does not mention that HPD was led by Clarence Bradford at the time, nor does it offer any quote from the current candidate for Harris County District Attorney. He may have been hiding from reporters under a table somewhere, though.
The Chronicle coverage does mention Bradford:
The city is close to settling the last two lawsuits stemming from the botched police raid and mass arrests in a Kmart parking lot in 2002.
If council approves the proposed settlements on Wednesday, the city will be finished with the legal fallout from the raid, which became a scandal for the Houston Police Department and then-Police Chief C.O. Bradford.
Bradford now is the Democratic candidate for Harris County district attorney.
Houston police arrested 273 people during an Aug. 17, 2002, sweep through a Kmart parking lot on Westheimer.
The sweep was part of a crackdown on illegal street racing, but Capt. Mark Aguirre ordered the arrest of everyone in the parking lot. Many of those arrested said they were store customers or passers-by.
The action was roundly condemned and led to the indictment of Aguirre on five misdemeanor charges of official oppression. He later was acquitted. Aguirre was fired in 2003. He unsuccessfully appealed his firing, saying he was being made a scapegoat for the botched raid.
There is no quote from Bradford in this story either. That table he's hiding under must be impenetrable!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/22/08 11:07 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
Response to Peter Brown's op-ed (Houston Strategies)
Tory Gattis takes apart some of the more fanciful arguments advanced by Councilmember Peter Brown in today's op-ed (Houston Strategies).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/22/08 10:44 PM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati | Comments (0)
Riding the METRO #82 to work (Firebolts, Lightning Bolts, and Hell Storms)
The Mighty Wizard documents the time spent using the #82 Westheimer bus to commute to/from work, and compares it to other transportation alternatives (Firebolts, Lightning Bolts, and Hell Storms).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/22/08 10:39 PM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati | Comments (2)
Peter Brown has figured out the root cause of violence: high gas prices
Really. Anger and violence are caused by high gas prices and job dissatisfaction, so sayeth Councilman Peter Brown:
With word Saturday that yet another parent was implicated in an attack on his children — police say he led them to the partially burned bodies — there was a feeling that something is horribly wrong with some families in the Greater Houston metropolitan area.
"Whether it is high gas prices or people not happy with their jobs or whatever, we have got a lot of anger and violence in our society, way too much, particularly family violence," Houston Councilman Peter Brown said.
It's a complete mystery why the reporter solicited a comment from the elitist mayoral wannabe.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/22/08 01:33 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (14)
Newsweek: Diversified Houston has no problems (updated)
This column at Newsweek.com points out that Houston's current boom isn't solely centered upon oil and gas, something locals already know of course. It also notes that Houston is weathering the current housing market crisis better than many metro areas "thanks to endless supplies of land and a lack of zoning laws," something mayoral-wannabe Peter Brown would love to change.
And there's a paragraph to make Mayor White smile:
In midtown New York eateries, suddenly strapped investment bankers are limiting themselves to prix fixe lunches. But at noon last week, the 130 seats at The Grove, an expense-account jewel box that overlooks Discovery Green—a downtown parking lot made into a 13-acre park—were filled with jovial diners. As we tucked into our skirt steaks (so big they should have been dress steaks) and a side of French fries smothered in shredded short ribs and cheese, UBS executive Stephen Trauber ticked off a series of recent deals his team worked on that would make his New York counterparts weep: a $3.5 billion oilfield-services acquisition, a giant initial public offering of a Brazilian oil company, several stock offerings.
It's often amusing to read these types of columns, where a Coaster (in this case an East Coaster) tries to shed some light on Houston for other Coasters (East and West), almost as if Houston is a foreign land.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: The Washington Post gets in on the act with this article on Houston.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/22/08 07:25 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
21 June 2008
Councilmembers aren't impressed with Frank "Procurement Disaster" Wilson
Michael Reed of the River Oaks Examiner provides some background on councilmembers' reactions when the consent agreement with METRO first came before Council over a week ago:
While voicing varying degrees of support for rail, Pam Holm, Jolanda Jones and Ron Green said they still had unaddressed concerns about the protection of the neighborhoods and the small businesses that would be affected.
“Procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part,” Jones said of questions she submitted to the Metropolitan Transit Authority the day before the June 11 meeting. “I still need answers to those questions.”
[snip]
Green, however, said while he feels the Metro board is competent, “there is a serious management disconnect” when it comes to keeping the council informed.
[snip]
When White said Metro had communicated at several public sessions, many attended by Chief Executive Officer Frank Wilson, Jones responded that at meetings she attended, community concerns and ideas were ignored.
Calling Metro’s attitude at that time “disrespectful,” Jones said, “He (Wilson) told us what he wanted to say … They could have had 1,000 meetings.”
[snip]
After the meeting, Wilson told Examiner broadcast partner ABC-13, ““The delay of a week in a 100-year project is insignificant."
And indeed it was, but it is interesting to see local pols publicly voice doubts about METRO. METRO's leadership IS incredibly arrogant, and does all it can to keep the public in the dark. METRO and Mayor White just wanted this consent agreement to pass so METRO can get on to the ground-breaking. While METRO says ongoing dialogue will continue, METRO, under the leadership of Mr. Procurement Disaster, will do what it wants. As Councilwoman Jones said, Frank Wilson says what he wants to say. Period. He's just not interested in differing opinions.
That's how METRO operates, and that's how Mayor White enables Frank Wilson.
PREVIOUSLY: METRO's consent agreement sidesteps committee vote
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/21/08 12:21 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (9)
“I Can See Us Sittin’ 'Round the Table, When from the Family Koran Dad Would Read …” (Slampo's Place)
Slampo's neighborhood gets free Korans, courtesy of the Book of Signs Foundation (Slampo's Place).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/21/08 11:24 AM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati | Comments (5)
La Colombe d'Or brings back "oil barrel special" (I've got the Munchies)
Cory Crow likes La Colombe d'Or's creative resurrection of the "oil barrel special" (I've got the Munchies).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/21/08 11:18 AM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati | Comments (0)
Caffeinated Wi-Fi: Coffee Groundz in Midtown (Chron TechBlog)
Dwight Silverman reviews Coffee Groundz in Midtown (Chron TechBlog).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/21/08 11:12 AM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati | Comments (0)
Comparing boondoggles (Houston's Clear Thinkers)
Tom Kirkendall reflects on the political forces that lead to boondoggles like METROrail (Houston's Clear Thinkers).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/21/08 11:07 AM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati | Comments (0)
Mayor White's new revenue stream, er, flood
The Chron's Mike Snyder has the latest on the city's Ready-Fire-Aim! floodway ordinance:
City officials are recommending changes in a controversial law that limits development in flood-prone areas known as floodways, easing some restrictions that have prompted protests and lawsuits from affected property owners.
The changes, which would permit new construction on vacant land in floodways subject to certain conditions and fees, could be considered by the City Council as soon as next week, said Councilman M.J. Kahn, who chairs the flooding and drainage committee.
But of course!
RELATED: Floodway Coalition of Houston
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/21/08 06:25 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (1)
20 June 2008
We thought Mayor White was against mixed-use developments
At the Chron's Houston Politics blog, Mike Snyder notes that Mayor White shared his vision of Houston in an interview on NPR:
Over the next 20 years, Houston will become a denser city where people won't have to drive as much because they're riding mass transit and living close to where they work and shop.
That might sound like a pie-in-the-sky prediction from a New Urbanist visionary, but it actually came from someone not known for flights of fancy: Mayor Bill White.
In an interview aired today on National Public Radio's Morning Edition, White said the high price of gasoline is increasing demand for urban mixed-use developments, which combine housing, retail and other amenities.
Unless the dense, mixed-use development is a certain high-rise on Bissonnet.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/20/08 07:45 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (6)
19 June 2008
Mincberg website promises a stand on issues, one day
On the Chron's Houston Politics blog, Alan Bernstein posts about a statement from Harris County Republican Party Chairman Jared Woodfill today calling attention to the issues section of David Mincberg's website:
In case the print isn't clear, the issues section reads "Check back in the weeks and months ahead to learn where David stands on the issues."
We certainly hope he figures out what he hopes to do at some point! Apparently, it's been much easier to trash his opponent (if the front page of the website is any indication).
According to Bernstein, Woodfill's Democratic counterpart was not amused, issuing a competing statement that Ed Emmett's campaign site doesn't even HAVE an issues section.
So there!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/19/08 10:16 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)
Preserving the old county courthouse won't be cheap
Earlier this week, KTRK-13's Ted Oberg looked into the rising cost of restoring Harris County's historic courthouse:
Inside the building is been gutted in preparation for a $65 million restoration to eventually house just state appeals courts. Proposals to put county commissioners here or a justice museum were dropped from the plans.
"I am for restoring old courthouses and historic buildings," said taxpayer advocate Bob Lemur. "Anytime a project goes from $30 million to $65 million in 7, 8, 9 10 years something is strange there."
This project, when initially proposed as a renovation in 2003, was supposed to cost an estimated $30 million of your tax dollars. Then $36, then $47 million in 2005 before jumping to $65 million in 2006. Twice the cost for the same project and unlike when it was first built, voters have never approved a nickel of the spending.
"The number is getting higher and higher," said Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack.
Why though? Answers in county records are short on specifics.
Looks as if it's time for some specifics.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/19/08 07:58 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
Today was "Dump the Pump Day"
METRO blogger Mary Sit wants us to give transit a try:
[Thursday] is the third annual, national Dump the Pump Day in which transit agencies nationwide are urging people to take public transit, save gas and help save the environment.
If you’ve never tried METRO before, it’s a good day to take a ride – and then make a commitment to ride public transit one day a week.
What does she suggest for folks who live within METRO's tax boundaries, but who are provided no transit services?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/19/08 06:56 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (10)
Continental announces move to Star Alliance
Continental Airlines today announced intentions to move from its current alliance with SkyTeam to the Star Alliance (which includes United, Lufthansa, and Air Canada, among others):
Continental Airlines today announced that it intends to transition into the Star Alliance from the SkyTeam alliance as a result of a review that was conducted following the Delta-Northwest merger announcement.
For the time being, the Continental/SkyTeam relationships are business-as-usual. Continental is committed to making this transition in a very customer-friendly manner. There will be a significant transition period, including regulatory approvals, for Continental to move from one alliance to another. Until further notice, OnePass members can continue to earn and redeem miles on SkyTeam airlines and SkyTeam lounge reciprocity continues as usual for SkyTeam Elite Plus members traveling on international SkyTeam itineraries.
The change in alliances will allow Continental's customers to benefit from the larger Star Alliance network, which has truly global coverage including 20 airlines. Continental's customers can continue with all of their travel plans as they exist today, and no changes to OnePass accounts are necessary. In the future, after a transition period that we expect will last at least a year, OnePass members will start to have reciprocity for earning/redeeming miles on other Star Alliance airlines and the SkyTeam reciprocity will end. In addition, Continental's Platinum Elite members traveling on international Star Alliance itineraries will have access to Star Alliance lounges at a future, yet-to-be-determined date. In the U.S., Continental intends to code-share with United Airlines, a primary member of the Star Alliance, and code-sharing with Delta and Northwest will be phased out. We will communicate further details once they are confirmed.
Further information about the Star Alliance is available at staralliance.com. In addition, a complete news release on Continental's Star Alliance announcement on this subject is available at continental.com
The initial reaction of this CO frequent flier is that this is about the best option for Continental in the current environment. I have no problems with SkyTeam, but I like the routes/associations gained through an association with Star Alliance, and either of those two is preferable (in my view) to the mating with OneWorld (AA/BA) that had been tossed out. The alliance allows access to some nice routes, while avoiding the headaches of a merger (United may be too problematic even for Continental's superior management to sort out). The devil is in the details, of course: How reciprocal will elite recognition be? Will Continental's popular OnePass program be watered down as a result? And what will happen to upgrade and reward availability?
As one might expect, the FlyerTalk forums are already burning up over this news.
BLOGVERSATION: Houston Departures.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/19/08 01:57 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
Hoffman: Baker nominated to Texas Radio Hall of Fame
The Chronicle's Ken Hoffman checks in on former local talker Chris Baker:
Veteran radio talker Chris Baker, the only local host ever to host two different shows on two different stations (KTRH and KPRC) at the same time, was abruptly dismissed from both stations in November.
Then last week he was nominated for the Texas Radio Hall of Fame.
That's radio for you. One moment you're up, one moment you're down.
Often they're the same moment.
I asked him, how badly do you want to be elected to the Hall of Fame? Most people in Baker's position take the politically correct route ... "I'm happy just to be nominated."
Yeah, right.
If you ever listened to Baker, you know his politics are, well, a little different. Some things never change.
"I don't know how others feel, but to me it's a really big deal," said Baker, who now does his yakking on KTLK-FM in Minneapolis.
KTLK — wow, "talk" about your great radio call letters.
"I grew up listening to Texas radio stations, like KLIF, the Mighty 1190, in Dallas and KFJZ in Fort Worth. As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be on the radio. I spent many days and nights talking into a broomstick over a giant Zenith stereo in our living room doing talk-ups to Kenny Rogers' Something's Burning, James Brown's Papa's Got a Brand New Bag and Mitch Ryder's Devil With a Blue Dress.
"My heroes are in the Texas Radio Hall of Fame, and if I were to make it, it would be surreal. I had an incredible seven years in Houston, and I am proud of every moment and miss Houston more than you can imagine.
Here's hoping our old friend makes it in.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/19/08 08:02 AM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (3)
18 June 2008
Shakeup at KHCW-39 news
The Chronicle's David Barron reports on big changes to KHCW-39's news operation, as the station gets ready to expand its evening newscast:
Sherry Williams and Alan Hemberger will be replaced by Steve Simon and Mia Gradney as anchors of KHCW's (Channel 39) 9 p.m. newscast, and news director Joe Nolan has resigned, effective June 27, three days before the station expands its nightly newscast from 30 minutes to an hour.
While Hemberger will remain with Channel 39 as a weekend anchor, Williams is no longer employed by the Tribune Co.-owned station, general manager Roger Bare said.
Neither Hemberger nor Williams was available for comment Tuesday afternoon.
Neither Nolan nor Bare would comment specifically on the reasons for the anchor shifts, citing station policy regarding personnel issues.
Hemberger and Nolan gave that operation needed credibility. These moves don't bode well.
UPDATE (06-20-2008): David Barron reports that Hemberger asked for the move to weekends, as the expanded newscast would cut into important family time (he has a special-needs daughter). While the newscast could sure use his credibility, it's understandable (and praiseworthy) that Hemberger's family comes first.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/18/08 10:25 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (1)
Metro gets okay to build its toy (Lose an Eye, It's a Sport)
Cory Crow critiques METRO's (and now Council's) blurry vision of Houston transit/mobility (Lose an Eye, It's a Sport).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/18/08 09:57 PM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati | Comments (1)
Fun with Houston’s Leading Information Source (Lone Star Times)
Matt Bramanti complains about the Chron's Sunday delivery service, and hints at a special project for people who receive unsolicited/unwanted copies of the newspaper (Lone Star Times).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/18/08 09:37 PM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati | Comments (0)
METRO cops bug reporter, METRO vote today (ABC13.com Political Blog)
KTRK-13's Miya Shay describes how she and a KTRK cameraman were harassed by Tom Lambert's finest at a light-rail station (ABC13.com Political Blog).
It's surprising METRO didn't break out the elite counterterror strike force to help keep the journalists safe. Of course, the notion of four METRO officials keeping Shay and her cameraman off a platform for their own safety rings about as true as euphemisms sometimes used in Burma.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/18/08 08:35 PM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati | Comments (7)
Real Time Crime Center needs another $1 million
At the Houston Politics blog, Carolyn Feibel notes a budget item for HPD:
$1.06 million for additional software for HPD's crime analysis center.
That's the Real Time Crime Center MayorWhiteChiefHurtt touted as better than CompStat. In fact, Chief Hurtt called it "CompStat on steroids":
Hurtt says that specialized software will link together databases kept by federal, state and county agencies. It will help identify whether local crimes are part of a trend or cluster, even "forecasting" where crimes might occur, so the 60-member "crime reduction" unit can be dispatched quickly to that "hot spot."
The steroids metaphor may have been ill-timed considering the current baseball scandal. That said, however, Hurtt said that HPD visited NYC, Chicago and L.A. and adopted the "best practices" of each of those departments. And all for about $2.9 million, whereas New York's crime center cost $11 million.
Seems almost too good to be true.
Another million dollars? Was the program incomplete when the city bought it? Is this an upgrade? What is the extra million for?
And has anyone cornered Chief Hurtt for a definition of "CompStat on steroids"?
Regarding "best practices" of NYC, Chicago and L.A., do those police departments also undercount homicides?
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: Maybe that should be, CompStat on $teroids?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/18/08 07:14 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (6)
17 June 2008
KHOU: DPS ready to audit HPD; Mayor says no; Congressmen critical
Last night, KHOU-11's Mark Greenblatt continued his reporting on HPD's recent difficulties in reporting crimes accurately. To recap the earlier stories:
In the last year, the 11 News Defenders have uncovered crime after crime that Houston police simply never reported, leaving them off annual crime counts.
We found them claiming an amazing “zero” embezzlements; having not one, not two, but four different totals for the amount of DWIs; and leaving at least 16 murders out of reports to the state and federal government — often leaving their investigation and grieving loved ones in limbo.
The problem has drawn the attention of two area members of Congress, Ted Poe and John Culberson, both of whom are interviewed by Greenblatt. Neither is complimentary of the city's handling of this scandal.
Mayor White, who really doesn't like criticism, wants no part of an independent audit (or, seemingly, Greenblatt's questions):
The Texas Department of Public Safety is the FBI’s partner agency watching over Texas’ crime statistics, and they said they’d be glad to do a full audit of HPD’s figures.
The problem?
Houston’s leaders need to ask for one.
It is something Mayor Bill White doesn’t want to do.
11 News: Why not ask DPS to come in and do this audit?
Mayor White: I would prefer to have the internal controls and procedures that we think are sufficient that work and have more DPS people come and help us find criminals.
11 News: Why not put this to bed for good and get the most comprehensive audit that’s being offered, if you ask, by DPS?
White: Well I think some of the things we’ve done internally to check the numbers are very comprehensive, and you think by asking the same question time and time again you’re going to get me to say something different?
Snippy, snippy!
Of course, that strategy of comprehensive internal checks of the crime lab some years ago worked out really well. For a while. Until the city had to spend millions of dollars to hire an independent auditor to tell them everything that was wrong.
Mayor White's bumbling police chief apparently wanted no part of Greenblatt's questions:
The Houston Police Department, via a statement, said that it would welcome an audit of its crime stats from “any authorized outside agency.” Still, Police Chief Harold Hurtt declined an 11 News request for an interview for this story.
Way to reassure the public, Chief! That's some leadership. If he keeps practicing hiding under a table when reporters are asking questions, maybe one day he too can run for District Attorney!
It's good to see Greenblatt continuing to push this important story forward. Citizens need to be able to trust the crime statistics being reported by their local government.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/17/08 10:50 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)
Litton Loan: Unsatisfactory to the BBB, good enough for Mayor White*
Did you know that Mayor White recently teamed up with ACORN, and some financial institutions to hold a "Foreclosure Prevention Fair"? The Houston Press' Richard Connelly dug up a stunning tidbit about the event:
One of the participating financial institutions: Litton Loan.
That caused some raised eyebrows at the Houston chapter of the Better Business Bureau.
"We [moved to] revoke their membership some years ago, and they have maintained a high volume of complaints with a lot unanswered and unresolved," says Stacey Fletcher, BBB's senior director of dispute resolution.
When the agency notified Litton of the action it intended to take, the company quit the BBB. (Take that!)
Litton has maintained "a consistently unsatisfactory rating" at the BBB since June 2005, Fletcher says.
The problems aren't limited to Houston. Nationwide, Litton has faced an avalanche of complaints, with consumers saying they have been charged late fees for on-time payments or even when a consumer sent his mortgage check to his old bank just after the bank sold the loan to Litton. (There's supposed to be a 60-day grace period for such payments, but Litton tends to lack grace, apparently.)
Fletcher says the BBB is baffled as to why the Mayor's office chose to have Litton as a participant.
"The Bureau is not going to recommend a company to help people for the Mayor's program or otherwise if they choose not to meet our basic consumer complaint standard," she says.
Mayoral spokesman Frank Michel says Litton is exactly the kind of business that should be participating at the fair.
"The whole purpose of the foreclosure fair is to help fix the mess made by some of the lending industry's most-problem[atic] practitioners. That's why we have to have some of those companies at the fair," he says.
Say what??? That has to be one gigantic misquote. It is not possible that someone could think it was a good idea to team up problem lenders with folks facing foreclosure. That's insanity! City-sponsored insanity!
Litton Loan undoubtedly found some new victims, courtesy of the City of Houston. Maybe Annise Parker will soon start a new initiative to help folks harmed by the city's foreclosure fair!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/17/08 08:25 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (18)
16 June 2008
Sheriff's office video. Let's go hunting! (Houston Politics)
Matt Stiles questions the tone of this video featuring the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force (Houston Politics).
I think it's pretty cool, and Cynthia Hunt's inclusion is even better. What do you think?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/16/08 09:28 PM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati | Comments (2)
Lifestyles of the less well-heeled (cont'd)
Mayor vows action on apartment safety
With renewed attention on substandard conditions at some Houston apartments, Mayor Bill White plans to spend up to $1 million a year on additional inspections to ensure compliance with the city's safety standards.
[snip]
White has considered policy changes for more than a year, since two children were shocked by an open power transformer at a north Houston apartment complex. But recent Houston Chronicle stories documenting code violations and substandard conditions at apartment complexes helped speed the decision, city officials say.
Mayor White "vows action," "plans to spend up to $1 million," "has considered" doing something for more than a year, and now (more than a year later) things are "speeding up." Man, talk about a breakneck pace!
Just wondering, why didn't he take action a year ago after two children were injured?
Contrast this with how Mayor White sprung into action when a high rise threatened the views of some of his, er, wealthy, influential, civically-active constituents. He moved so fast, he created an ordinance that would have had a stifling impact on high-rise and multi-family construction all over Houston.
However, when it comes to dealing with Houston's slum apartments, Mayor White paces himself and considers things. That's pretty revealing.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: Interestingly, a post over at the Chron's Houston Politics blog that hinted at former multifamily houston czar and current County Judge candidate David Mincberg's ineffectiveness in solving these problems produced an entirely self-serving proclamation from Mincberg's campaign:
I'm thrilled to see this initiative come to fruition," Mincberg said. "The Mayor's program not only helps identify problems, but also provides project owners with the information to make the necessary improvements. Everyone involved has worked hard to ensure the City developed a long-term solution to protect the safety of residents.
Back in March 2007, Mincberg seemed to be (self-)promoting the notion that a fix for Houston's slum apartments was just around the corner. Apparently it was not. Just a few months later, according to Mayor White's dispatch on the Chron blog, Mincberg became preoccupied:
David Mincberg had worked on this a bit, and the City has been grateful for his services, but he has been asked to pass off responsibilities for this because of other time commitments and pursuits.
He got too busy running for Harris County judge actually to finish solving the City of Houston problem he said was on the verge of being solved?
And this is the guy who promises to run Harris County "like a business"? Yikes!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/16/08 07:42 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (1)
15 June 2008
Trees for Houston unhappy over Kirby reconstruction
The Examiner news group's Michael Reed checks in with ongoing complaints over the Kirby reconstruction that will take out trees between Richmond and Westheimer:
Four months after learning a compromise it agreed to on Kirby Drive construction would still mean the loss of all the trees lining the street between Richmond Avenue and Westheimer Road, Trees for Houston has withdrawn its support.
“These plans will, in fact, completely destroy the very environment that has drawn significant reinvestment dollars and marketing appeal to the Upper Kirby area,” said Barry Ward, director of the organization.
Ward’s comments came in a news release a week before the organization’s founding President William Coats told a group attending the Upper Kirby District TIRZ on May 28 that the nonprofit now supports reducing the width of the proposed street surface alterations by a foot on either side.
Mayor White, who doesn't much care for critics, certainly doesn't seem to care for this group's criticism:
In a news release May 23, Houston Mayor Bill White took issue with the Trees for Houston statement, saying it gave the appearance the city, “various council members,” merchants and landowners had “cooked up” a plan to destroy the area.
“That sounds pretty bad, doesn’t it? But it’s not true,” White said.
The mayor added that the top priority of the project is drainage, followed by mobility, promotion of a pedestrian-friendly retail area and added greenspace.
He said not only had Trees for Houston agreed to the original compromise, but all but one adjacent property owner endorsed the project.
As presented in a May 21 letter to Bailey, Trees for Houston asked that a redesigned Kirby consist of five 10-foot lanes and two 10.5-foot outer lanes to accommodate buses. City ordinance, however, requires outer lanes of 11 feet.
Without a doubt, the main priority of this project is drainage.
But, we have competing secondary priorities -- center esplanades with pretty landscaping and lanes wide enough for oversized-SUV navigation by affluent River Oaks types (ultimately, what the "compromise" favors and what Mayor White is defending) versus pedestrian-friendly development that also seeks to preserve existing trees/"greenspace" for people who actually live in the area and prefer walkability improvements (what Trees for Houston and this former resident of the affected neighborhood favor). It's not entirely honest for the mayor to act as if choices aren't being made among those secondary priorities (poor choices, in my view).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/15/08 10:22 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (8)
Plagiarism at Hearst: A tale of two Texas newspapers
A few days ago, Bob Richter, the (not-invisible) public editor/ombudsman/reader representative of Hearst's San Antonio newspaper reported that one of the newspaper's columnists had resigned (no doubt under pressure):
“Ramiro [Burr] caused the Express-News to unknowingly publish work under his name that was not, in fact, his own work,” said Robert Rivard, editor of the Express-News.
“It was the work of at least one other writer who did not receive credit and who we did not know about. Ramiro decided on his own to resign just as our investigation was concluding and we were preparing to take appropriate action. We have a zero-tolerance policy whenever someone on our staff presents work as their own that is not their own.”
Richter has previously described the Express-News' zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism:
Express-News writers who plagiarize other writers' work typically are summarily fired. In an era when nearly anyone can publish nearly anything — on blogs, personal Web sites and the traditional ways — newspapers and media Web sites must be ever vigilant against plagiarism.
In contrast, at the Hearst daily in Houston, writers who have "borrowed" other writers' work with no consequences include a featured columnist and editorial writers, the editor doesn't seem to care, and the reader representative is an invisible man.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/15/08 09:08 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
Dash Express: Very cool, but a little stupid where it counts (Chron TechBlog)
Dwight Silverman gives a Dash Express a Houston test drive (Chron TechBlog).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/15/08 06:01 PM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati | Comments (0)
Clarence Bradford sighting! (cont'd)
DA candidate Clarence Bradford, the former Houston police chief, asserted that "crime is out of control" here. We wondered out loud whether that means former police chiefs did not do their jobs right. Bradford did not answer directly or offer stats to gird his assertion but did say that more and more citizens "distrust components of our criminal justice system" because of said scandals.
We don't imagine he did deign to answer a reporter's question directly! Indeed, the scary thought that he might have to answer tough questions about his role in the crime lab fiasco probably sent him scurrying back under a table.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/15/08 05:41 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
Thinking jobs and cost of living? Think Houston.
A publicist for BusinessWeek passes along the news that in their latest compilation of "Best and Worst Cities For Your Job," Houston gets the most mentions.
The accompanying article reflects on some of Houston's strengths:
Only a few years ago, Houston was reeling. The implosion of Enron in 2001 had sandbagged the local economy, and the mood was grim. But that seems like a long time ago now. The explosion in energy costs has boosted the city's oil- and natural gas-fed economy, which is home to ExxonMobil (XOM) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA), as well as Waste Management (WMI), KBR (KBR), and many more. Job seekers in all sorts of careers have started streaming into Houston, where the unemployment rate was 3.8% in April, the lowest level in eight years, and where the job growth rate was 2.8%.
Businessweek.com worked with Seattle's Payscale.com to determine where the best and worst cities are for 20 common careers and found that—when it comes to earning a comfortable living—Houston it [sic] at or near the top for most jobs, from human resources manager to graphic designer. We adjusted the median compensation for jobs in each of the top 25 big-city metros for cost of living. Houston, Dallas, and Charlotte, N.C., rose to the top for many of the jobs because they're affordable cities with competitive salaries. New York, San Francisco, Washington, Los Angeles, and Boston, which have some of the highest salaries, sank to the bottom because residents there pay through the nose for real estate, parking, groceries, and almost everything else.
[snip]
Barton Smith, a professor of economics at the University of Houston who summers in Colorado, towed his favorite 1987 Dodge Colt Vista station wagon back to Houston one year because it would have cost him more than twice as much to replace the engine in Colorado, he said.
Housing Is a Crucial Cost"The real wages in Houston adjusted for cost-of-living differences are relatively high because cost of living is low," Smith said. "It's not just housing, but housing gets a lot of attention."
People way outside of Houston are starting to catch on to its strengths, even as some less enlightened locals continue the hot pursuit of world-classness via trinkets.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/15/08 05:29 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
The definition of insanity, Harris County style (Off the Kuff)
Charles Kuffner laments the "insanity" of Harris County wanting to expand its space to lock up bad guys (Off the Kuff).
In their provocative book Freakonomics, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner argue persuasively that the significant reduction of crime in America in the 1990s can be attributed to three significant factors: 1) the impact of abortion, 2) higher rates of imprisonment, and 3) increased number of police.
Their abortion linkage, while interesting, is not very instructive to policymakers.
Locally, however, the other two factors are extremely important for crime policy. HPD's manpower shortage is a significant problem for area crimefighting, a direct result of of former Mayor Brown's policies and the seeming indifference of current Mayor Bill White, so significantly boosting HPD manpower almost certainly will fall to Bill White's successor.
Compounding HPD's manpower issues by undoing the positive effects of higher rates of punishment (and the prison capacity for the same) would be a big mistake, though. We hope more sensible thinking will prevail at the county level.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/15/08 05:12 PM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati | Comments (0)
Entitled to their own facts (Unca Darrell)
Since the Chron's letters editor is not always up to the task, Unca Darrell does a bit of fact-checking/debunking of a letter that appeared in the Hearst daily. (Unca Darrell)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/15/08 04:54 PM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati | Comments (0)
TxPIAs for Dummies (The METRO Edition)
We've written before about Tom Bazan's regular attempts to pry ridership data, fare revenue, and other assorted items of interest out of METRO, and how METRO routinely ignores his requests. When Tom gets really insistent (translation: he gets the TXOAG involved), METRO reluctantly complies, but even then it's often only a partial fulfillment.
A recent example of METRO's delaying tactics was when the transit agency finally handed over March's ridership details -- in the middle of May. The reason for the stalling was apparent: March's numbers showed a decline in ridership.
Anyway, Tom has decided to help out the poor dears who compile the information. He's now making daily TxPIA requests for ridership and fare data, thinking this might make it easier to get him the numbers. Presumably METRO tallies its numbers daily, so forwarding that shouldn't be too hard, right?
So, how's it going? Well, I did see an email last week from METRO paralegal Jacqueline Maldonado regarding the June 8th TxPIA request. METRO will notify Tom by June 23rd if/how it will be complying.
Now seems like a good time to recall the immortal words of METRO CEO Frank "Procurement Disaster" Wilson:
We operate the METRO organization in a completely transparent manner.
Can you imagine how much worse it would be if METRO weren't completely transparent???
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/15/08 02:47 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (0)
METRO's insanity
I thought these three opinions on METRO's current focus were worth highlighting. First up are two letters to the editor in today's Chronicle:
MARTA vs. Metro
Councilman Peter Brown is against any delay in the Metro light rail vote, saying we are "woefully behind Atlanta." (Please see "Amid concerns, council delays rail line vote," Page B2, Thursday.) Has he ever ridden Atlanta's rail system (called MARTA)?If we had a system like MARTA, we wouldn't have a majority of Houstonians against our own rail system. MARTA is grade separated, so it doesn't stop for every red light, and never has street accidents. MARTA has real train stations, where you actually use a ticket for entry, instead of Metro's "honor system." MARTA has built parking garages at many stations, so commuters can drive to the closest station, park and ride to downtown. How many of us would like to use Metro light rail, but there is nowhere to park near a station? And most importantly, MARTA runs from the suburbs through downtown and to the airport.
In most cities, residents fight to get the rail system to come to their neighborhood. In Houston, we fight to keep it out. And this won't change until Metro realizes street-level rail will never work.
STUART FELDMAN
HoustonDanger of currents
On Wednesday I earnestly asked City Council to deny Metro consent to build rail on Richmond Avenue because of the 66-inch high-pressure waterline that lies beneath 2.6 miles of Richmond Avenue, from Wheeler Station to Cummins and beyond. There is no question that the water line would be subject to stray currents produced by the rail line above it. The steel pipe cannot be fully protected from stray electrical currents, nor can it be properly inspected with the rail line built on top of it.
During Wednesday's City Council meeting, we witnessed the remarkable appearance of Dr. Richard Wainerdi, president of the Texas Medical Center. Wainerdi graduated from the University of Oklahoma in engineering, and then took a masters and a doctorate in engineering from Penn State. Wainerdi stated he was speaking as a "professional engineer.
The Medical Center is concerned about stray electrical current eating away at their building foundations near the rail line, but they are beyond anxious about stray current opening up "pinhole leaks" in the enormous system of high-pressure steam pipes that form the backbone of the Medical Center's heating and air-conditioning capabilities.
Wainerdi pointed out that if a pinhole leak developed in a high-pressure steam pipe, it would burst with a catastrophic blast, probably injuring or killing people nearby. Even more devastating, it would mean immediate loss of heating or cooling in the entire Medical Center, where "there are at least 800 babies in bassinets at all times." It would make the Medical Center uninhabitable for 150,000 employees, patients and staff. Wainerdi said that for such a failure not to occur under the circumstance of stray current from the rail line, "you have to repeal the laws of physics."
What does this have to do with Richmond Avenue? Everything. The source of the stray current is the same: the electric rail that Metro intends to build on top of 2.6 miles of high-pressure steel pipe. And the effects of that stray current on the Richmond pipe would result in precisely the catas-trophic failure and blast of the pipe that the Texas Medical Center is so anxious to avoid.
Metro and the city of Houston Engineering Department are untruthful when they state that stray current will be contained on Richmond Avenue and proper inspections of the pipeline can be achieved. How do you inspect 2.6 miles of pipeline through a few manholes placed along the route? Stray current is highly unpredictable; it can cause a pinhole leak at any point along the entire pipeline.
I urge City Council not to let Metro build on Richmond, but move the rail back to West-park, where it already owns the right of way, and where none of these problems exist.
CHRISTIAN N.SEGER
Houston
I don't recall any local media stories highlighting Dr. Wainerdi's appearance before City Council last week, but because of a busy week, it's entirely possible I missed it.
Secondly, Kevin highlighted this post by Lou Minatti last week, which translated some METRO spin for us. In response to a commenter, Lou Minatti posted a comment that nicely sums up what many of us think:
So clue me in: How does Metro's light rail plan remove cars from the roads, other than via collisions? The Red Line is a charade, and the numbers Metro touts are due to the fact that TMC employees use it to get from remote parking lots to their offices. (It's handy during Rodeo time, though.)
Hands up: How many of you will be riding light rail once it's expanded out to Hillcroft and out to the east side? That's what I thought.
Light rail in low-density cities like Houston, Atlanta and Dallas is not about moving as many people as efficiently as possible from work to home to play, it is about the city promoting land development. They think that by running light rail along certain corridors that people will naturally want to live work and play along these corridors. Well, that's great for monied DINKs with $300k townhouses and condos. The city also thinks that's great because of the additional property taxes. Meanwhile, it doesn't get one single person in Sugar Land, Katy, Woodlands, Pasadena or west Houston off the road. The light rail lines benefit a tiny handful of inner-loop residents (and property developers) at the expense of all of us. You 1 million people up along FM 1960, do you enjoy paying your 1 percent Metro sales tax despite having NO SERVICE WHATSOEVER?
The only thing I would add is that there is bus service along FM 1960 between Kuykendahl and SH 249. I've been meaning to take pictures of all the bus stops along that westbound stretch to highlight how METRO treats the folks who have to ride the 86. Generally speaking, the bus stops consist of a METRO sign and a small square of concrete. One or two have benches, and a couple have trash receptacles. None has a mural covered shelter. About the only shelter any of these bus stops have is a nearby tree or the overhang of a nearby business.
But hey! I'll bet inner loop residents will enjoy their new light rail stations.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/15/08 08:06 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (8)
14 June 2008
Slumlord-Rep. Vo: I hope voters won't hold this against me
Slumlord-Rep. Vo pats himself on the back, saying "I kept my promise," except that he kept his promise only after he was caught. He certainly didn't keep his promise to his tenants until Councilman Rodriguez raised a stink.
Former Congressman J. C. Watts' definition of character is fitting in this instance: “Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught.”
"I have put into place some procedures to keep this from happening again. [...]"
Maybe he could actually visit his properties once in a while, and talk to his tenants.
Vo said he hoped voters would not define him based on one issue.
"I can't speak for my opponent," he said. "I just hope that people will look at my legislative record and the things that I have done for the district."
Don't forget Vo's motto: Accessible. Responsive. Independent -- "It’s all about being accessible to you and our community, responsive to the needs of your family or small business, and independent enough to put people over politics."
Maybe now Vo will apply his motto to his tenants, and not just voters in his district.
MORE: I had forgotten about Vo's attempt to intimidate HPD to ease up on his slum properties -- he used official Texas House of Representatives letterhead! As Kevin noted at the time, "Nothing like trying* to use your elected position of power to intimidate local law enforcement to the benefit of your private enterprise."
I'll bet Slumlord-Rep. Vo hopes voters won't hold this whole sorry spectacle against him.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/14/08 09:03 AM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (0)
13 June 2008
There's no such thing as "closure" (Women in Crime Ink)
Extraordinary Harris County prosecutor Kelly Siegler tries her hand at blogging (Women in Crime Ink).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/13/08 07:49 AM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati | Comments (1)
Constitutional scholar (Slampo's Place)
Slampo points out some potential problems with Senate candidate Rick Noriega's recent comment on constitutional amendment (Slampo's Place).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/13/08 07:30 AM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati | Comments (1)
Slumlord-Rep. Vo cleans up his act
Matt Stiles posts that Slumlord-Rep. Howard Vo has resolved electrical and structural issues, and his apartment complexes are now in compliance.
Now, can he keep his properties in livable condition?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/13/08 04:57 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
11 June 2008
Chron Editorial LiveJournalist still piqued over leftover rejection?
Some time ago, Chron Editorial LiveJournalist Andrea Georgsson lamented on the Chronicle editorial page that none of her neighbors wanted her leftovers when her electric went out.
The outrage!
She may still be upset (and unstable), judging from this unsigned editorial today:
Waste not
This nation of fatties who throw out tons of food is beginning to stop taking meals for granted
The newspaper is full of stories of rising food prices, more demand for food assistance through food pantries and sharply lower food donations to feed growing numbers of hungry people — not to mention violent unrest provoked by unaffordable prices and scarcity. From this, a small bright side is emerging: Americans are taking renewed interest in curtailing the massive amount of food wasted everyday.
In the lean years of the Great Depression, families would not dream of throwing away perfectly edible food. But economic times improved, and modern agriculture production and distribution methods created a cheap and plentiful supply of meats, grains and produce. Today, cleaning one's plate to avoid wasting a morsel has given way to wasteful all-you-can-eat buffets, outsized portions and leftovers that are thrown out rather than eaten. The moldering contents of office fridges across the land tell the story of a people who by and large take food for granted and are indifferent to its waste.
The last time the Department of Agriculture reported on how much food goes to waste each year was in 1997. That study found that Americans toss out or let rot an astonishing 96.4 billion pounds of the 356 billion pounds of edible food produced, according to the May 18 New York Times. Milk, fresh produce, grain-based foods and sugars, the Times said, comprised two-thirds of the waste.
Some of the tossed food is table scraps. Some is left to rot in fields. A shocking amount is composed of restaurant and grocery discards that are 100 percent edible. They are fruits and vegetables with minor blemishes, dented canned goods, still-fresh dairy products discarded on sell-by dates that are widely viewed to be overly conservative, and trays of never-touched prepared dishes that didn't sell.
She had to be DYING to work her unwanted leftover London Broil into the editorial!
Calling the US a "nation of fatties" was a nice touch, though -- surely a demonstration of the "elegance, wit and insight one looks for in ... editorial pages in their ideal state," as Chief Editorial LiveJournalist James Howard Gibbons once put it.
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/11/08 11:25 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (1)
Consultants paid to recommend rail, recommend rail (Lose an Eye, It's a Sport)
Cory Crow is unsurprised that consultants paid to recommend rail end up recommending rail (Lose an Eye, It's a Sport).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/11/08 10:59 PM |