30 September 2008

Post-Ike blogger gathering Saturday, Oct. 4

Now that Houston is almost back to normal following the storm, it seems like a good time for a post-Ike blogger gathering.

We're planning on hitting the West Alabama Ice House on Saturday, October 4, from 6 pm - ????

If you're a local blogger, commenter, reader, whatever -- feel free to drop by and have a brew (or several) with us!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/30/08 09:39 PM | Announcements | Technorati | Comments (17)

HPD asks for another $1.25 million for crime lab

Talk about a money drain. From Chron.com:

The Houston Police Department is asking City Council to approve $1.25 million to hire outside scientists to review all tests done by the recently reopened DNA crime lab.

Limited DNA testing resumed at the crime lab in July, but the department still outsources the majority of tests to a Dallas firm.

The two consultants, Dr. Charlotte J. Word and Dr. Robin W. Cotton, would review every case involving DNA testing and check the processes and conclusions reached by HPD's in-house laboratory, according to Dr. Laura Gahn, the DNA lab's technical director.

The hiring of independent, outside consultants was a recommendation of the multi-year, $5.3 million probe of HPD's troubled crime lab, completed in 2007.

"Now, you have an extra level of oversight from outside, giving the public an extra level of confidence," Gahn said.

Right. An "extra level of confidence." The problem is, HPD's crime lab inspires little confidence, let alone "extra."

So, there goes another million down the drain. You may recall that, back in February, Crime Lab Director Irma Rios was interviewed by KHOU-11's Jeremy Desel, when she said that the those in the crime lab were "being good stewards of the public's money." And then she commented that cost was not a problem, which is evidenced by this multi-year fiasco. The only time money has been a problem was when the city didn't want to continue funding the Bromwich crime lab investigation. Now, after fighting that report, HPD wants to spend a million implementing one of its recommendations.

PREVIOUSLY: Crime Lab archives

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/30/08 05:09 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (3)

28 September 2008

Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion blown to bits by Ike

I missed this among all the Hurricane Ike news:

The Pavilion suffered severe damage to its Teflon coated Fiberglas fabric roof and support structure over the reserved seating area, said officials.

A structural engineering firm inspected the facility and concluded that The Pavilion should not be used for public gatherings until the fabric roof system and steel structure have been completely repaired.

“Our facility is unsafe in its current condition to hold any type of public event do to the damage,” said Jerry MacDonald, president and CEO of The Pavilion.

As for Reliant Stadium, work has begun to repair the damaged roof, as well as interior walls and carpets that were damaged by flooding when the roof panels were blown off.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/28/08 07:25 AM | Hurricane Stuff | Technorati | Comments (6)

26 September 2008

METRO bus driver kills woman; METRO investigates

Earlier this week, a METRO bus driver killed a woman who had just exited the bus. Both KRIV-26 (Fox) and KHOU-11 have stories that suggest METRO officials might not be able to blame this accident on the victim:

(Channel 26) Shawn Cunningham says, he was at the bus stop to pick up his mother, 61-year old Arrilla Carr. He says Carr stepped off the bus, which quickly lurched into a right-hand turn.

And after the bus passed by, he saw his mother crumpled on the pavement. "I looked and my mom was laying in the middle of the street, twisted up like a wrung-out towel."

Cunningham is a trucker by profession, who says the bus driver's turn was too sharp and too fast. He believes if the driver had checked his convex mirrors, he would have seen Carr walking alongside the bus.

And:

(Channel 11) Police say she had just gotten off the bus at Veterans Memorial and Pecan Drive in North Houston when the bus cut across the shoulder of the road. The back end of the bus went up on the curb where Carr was about to cross the street.

Fox's story notes that METRO is investigating (itself??), and that the bus driver has been "relieved of duty." And now, the victim's family has filed a lawsuit.

However, an award-winning Houston Press investigation two years ago uncovered how abominably METRO behaves in these situations:

The Houston Press has spent the last four months independently investigating Metro's bus operations. It took an appeal to the Attorney General of Texas's Open Records Division to open up Metro's records. In examining thousands of public documents and interviewing more than a dozen recent survivors of Metro accidents and families whose relatives were killed by Metro buses, the Press found repeated instances of the following:

• Metro rejecting the safety recommendations of its own investigators

• Metro offering bus accident victims much lower amounts to settle cases than what was recommended by its own claims committee

• Metro hounding victims to settle their cases, even approaching them to sign settlement forms as they lay in their hospital beds

• Metro not offering any form of apology to victims even when their bus drivers caused the accidents

• Metro creatively interpreting accident statistics in ways that enable it to misrepresent the actual number of bus crashes occurring each year

• Metro taking no responsibility for accidents incurred by First Transit, a private subcontractor that operates one-sixth of Metro's buses and consistently posts a higher accident rate.

Mrs. Cunningham's family will have to persevere if they hope to hold METRO to account.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/26/08 06:48 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (3)

23 September 2008

Houston City Council Agenda 9/23/08

Last week, Mayor White cleared the entire agenda in order to consider quickly four items related to hurricane clean up. This week's agenda is much more normal, but there are still a few items related to Ike, or of general interest.

Item 11 (no dash) is a series of revisions to the ordinance governing the meetings and agendas. It's worth noting that they strengthen the ability of the Mayor (or other presiding officer) to have disruptions removed. I guess they're tired of ducking eggs.

In Item #11-1, the council is temporarily suspending the maximum vacation time that employees may accrue. Many employees don't bother taking all their vacation days, and accrue close to 750 hours, at which point the city forces them to take days off, or they forfeit the time. Right now, everyone needs to be at work, but no one wants to suffer the loss of a benefit, so the council is arranging for employees to continue to accrue vacation for now.

Item #12, selling some Kirkwood right-of-way to Preach the Word Evangelical Church, Inc.

Item #33 provides for the sale of several blocks-worth of streets to Valero Refinery around 95th through 97th Streets.

Item #32 provides for the annexation of land north of I-10 between Barker-Cypress and Park Row. Go, go, gadget tax base!

Item #34 makes changes to the ordinances relating to regulation of private parking lots, including the right to boot vehicles therein.

Oh, and the big one, going on right now, in a rare evening session:

Item #1. PUBLIC HEARING on the proposal to establish a tax rate of $.63875/$100 of value for Tax Year 2008.

Nothing to see here. Move along...

Posted by Ubu Roi @ 09/23/08 08:01 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (9)

METRO says "safety" prevents HOV-lane openings; Judge Emmett criticizes

A reader who resides in Clear Lake emailed us yesterday complaining that METRO continues to run its park-and-ride buses on the main lanes instead of the HOV lanes, turning her commute into a two hour ordeal.

A quick check of METRO's expensive blog turns up this bit of reasoning as to why the HOV lanes are not open:

Our Park & Ride service has been running on its normal schedule since yesterday.

However, all buses are operating in the main lanes. Several of you have e-mailed us, asking why aren't METRO buses using the HOV lanes?

METRO Police Chief Tom Lambert says it's for safety reasons.

"There's no power to operate the vertical gates and the electronic safety signage. Also, some static safety signs are missing. These signs are being made at this time," said Lambert. "We are also working closely with Centerpoint Energy to restore power to HOV gates. We will not open or operate HOVs until power is restored and all safety critical issues are addressed."

In other words, METRO has no sort of disaster plan for the HOV lanes, and no plan to operate them manually in the event of an extended power-loss event. Because of "safety." No solutions to real problems -- That's the customer-oriented attitude we have come to expect from METRO!

Mayor White, who seems to fancy himself an urban General Patton (really!), might consider directing a profanity or two towards METRO regarding their poor planning at some point. Or perhaps Judge Emmett could be dispatched simply to fix things; he seems actually to get results.

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

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/23/08 12:32 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (16)

22 September 2008

Houston blog talk linkpost: Random post-Ike edition

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/22/08 11:33 AM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati | Comments (0)

Biz Journal: Recovering from Ike

Houston Business Journal: How Houston was piecing itself back together in the wake of one of the strongest hurricanes in recent history.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/22/08 05:03 AM | Hurricane Stuff | Technorati | Comments (0)

METRO's transit "backbone" up and running again

After taking more than a week off, the Danger Train will operate on its regular schedule today.

Good thing METRO had plenty of buses around as backup!

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/22/08 04:50 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (7)

21 September 2008

Peter Brown: "Use Ike to rebuild a sustainable Houston...and become like Amsterdam"

But of course:

What about life after Ike? Is it back to "business as usual," waiting for the next hurricane, hoping that it will strike somewhere else? Or do we regroup, and start organizing and planning, for a different kind of Houston, a city much more resilient to the forces of nature?

Urban experts agree that "sustainability" will define the great cities of the 21st century. Mother Nature has sent us a stern warning. In no uncertain terms, Ike, not really "the big one," is serving to redefine "sustainability" -- in local Houston terms the ability to stay in business after a major storm.

[snip]

Yet with the same vision and fortitude that built the Houston Ship Channel we can become like Amsterdam — a city recognized for its bold actions to overcome its vulnerability to flooding and storms.

To ensure this future as a thriving coastal city, we must make three major investments — in flood control, more stringent building standards and in a "hurricane-ready" electrical power distribution network.

What would we do without urban experts? Does Houston really want to "become like Amsterdam"?

You know how the councilman/mayoral-wannabe wants to fix electrical power distribution:

Houston City Council member Peter Brown is on a mission to clean up Houston's scenic view. He says the city has been littered with overhead power poles that only taint Houston's beauty. Brown says power companies like CenterPoint Energy should look at burying their cables or installing their untility poles on easements behind properties instead of locating them directly in front of homes and businesses.

[snip]

CenterPoint spokesperson Alicia Dixon tells The Insite their company is more than willing to work with the council member and the community. She says however underground utility lines are 15 times more expensive than overhead. She says the extra expense would be passed on to the consumer and or the developer.

Previously, he objected to power lines because they littered his view. Now he can mold his argument around disaster-preparedness; the problem, however, is that it's extremely cost-prohibitive. And while passed-on cost isn't an issue for the wealthy councilman, fifteen-times more expensive will be an issue for folks of more average means.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/21/08 09:34 AM | Hurricane Stuff | Technorati | Comments (15)

20 September 2008

HISD talks make-up days; Gayle Fallon whines

Here's HISD exploring how to handle make-up days:

To the disappointment of some, Saavedra said students will have to make up seven days of school they missed. He is considering adding an hour to the school day, but has not decided on a final approach.

"A certain number of days may be waived by the state, but our principals feel we need to make up the instructional time anyway for the benefit of the students," HISD spokesman Norm Uhl said.

Here's Houston Federation of Teachers President Gayle Fallon's response:

Gayle Fallon, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers, disagreed with the decision to make up the seven missed days. But if teachers are required to work beyond their typical work day, she said, they should be paid overtime.

"They're showing a total lack of consideration for their staff," Fallon said. "Do they think the staff wasn't injured in any way by this storm?"

Now, now, Gayle. Please recall what the Chron's editorial board wrote yesterday:

No one says making schools sound enough to get kids back to their desks will be easy. But HISD officials must rise to the occasion, keeping foremost in their plans what's best for the students, not their own convenience.

The teachers union must also "rise to the occasion, keeping foremost in their plans what's best for the students."

Ending question: Were teachers paid during this unexpected time off?

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/20/08 08:18 AM | Hurricane Stuff | Technorati | Comments (3)

19 September 2008

Houston SPCA

The Houston SPCA has taken in many lost and abandoned animals from Galveston and is now sponsoring "Operation Save A Life":

In the wake of Hurricane Ike, many animals have been lost, abandoned, and injured on Galveston Island. The Houston SPCA is asking the community to help give these storm victims a second chance at life by participating in “Operation Save a Life.”

The Houston SPCA’s “Operation Save a Life” is asking every family who is able to foster a Galveston pet for ten days. If after ten days, the displaced animal is not reclaimed by its original owner, the foster parent has the option to adopt the animal or return him/her to the shelter for placement.

Follow this link for more info, or to make a donation to help the HSPCA continue its fine work.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/19/08 04:00 PM | Hurricane Stuff | Technorati | Comments (0)

Editorial LiveJournalists lecture HISD

Add another Chron editorial to the list of examples of why Banjo Jones' Modest Proposal is a good idea:

All schools in the Houston Independent School District, which closed the Thursday before Ike made landfall, will be closed through Friday and possibly longer. In the aftermath of the massive storm, that's understandable. What makes less sense is HISD's game plan to open all schools on the same day.

This strategy has not been well thought out. Obviously, each school will have to remain closed until it has power and water restored. Some parents have expressed relief at not having to worry about maintaining a school schedule during this hectic post-hurricane week. Too, many families who evacuated remain out of the city.

But after a week without class, it is imperative that HISD officials open schools as quickly as power is restored and inspections of grounds and mechanical systems are complete. It is not reasonable to wait to open the first school until the last school is ready.

As of Thursday, about a third of district schools had power, according to district spokesman Norm Uhl.

Anyone with half a brain knows that school districts want to be up and running as soon as possible. As HISD spokesman Norm Uhl has said on KTRH-740, once a school gets power it still takes several days to check out all the necessary electrical functions to see if all is running properly. The Chron editors would be the first ones throwing a hissy fit if HISD didn't practice due diligence to make sure schools were safe and functioning. Plus, add in the fact that districts will schedule make-up days on a district-wide basis, not on a school-by-school basis.

The ending paragraph of the editorial is especially offensive:

No one says making schools sound enough to get kids back to their desks will be easy. But HISD officials must rise to the occasion, keeping foremost in their plans what's best for the students, not their own convenience.

Please, shutter the editorial page.

UPDATE: Obviously HISD was afraid of facing the wrath of the Chron's editorial board:

The Houston Independent School District announced today that 120 schools with electricity will reopen for students on Tuesday. The remaining schools will be phased in as they become ready.

"We will continue to add to the list of ready schools on a daily basis," HISD Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra said.

Dr. Saavedra was no doubt mindful of the Chron's displeasure with the slow pace of schools getting power...as if HISD has anything to do with getting electricity flowing again.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/19/08 11:53 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (4)

METRO's "transit backbone" still offline; buses back in service

Barry Klein passed along and highlighted some information on METRO in this Chronicle story that ran in Thursday print editions:

Because of continuing electrical outages on the region's HOV-lane system, Metro cannot operate normal park-and-ride service today, the transit agency announced Wednesday.

Park-and-ride service will continue on an abbreviated schedule, with buses leaving on the hour and half-hour from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Buses will continue to operate in the main lanes.

MetroRail is under testing but because of continuing traffic-signal outages, Metro will have to continue running buses down the MetroRail corridor.

MetroLift will resume normal operations today.

Metro has been running normal local service since Wednesday, but because many traffic signals are down around the city, Metro asks that customers remain patient if their bus arrives late.

More info on METRO operations can be found here.

It's rather a good thing that METRO has such a large fleet of buses, no?

On the other hand, it seems rather less of a good thing that the Danger Train runs down busy streets, at grade, mixes with vehicular traffic, and is dependent upon traffic signals having power (instead of a segregated system with its own infrastructure, including power, if we are determined that we must have rail in our relatively low-density city). We make the point about the follies of at-grade light rail frequently here (which seems to make some METRO fans -- including some who pose as professional journalists and neighborhood/transit "advocates" -- frown), but here's one more illustration of the problems that can result when the pursuit of world-class-ness is poorly conceived. Again, thank goodness for the large fleet of buses!

Just for fun -- leave us your over/under on how many days total that you think the Transit Backbone will be offline.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/19/08 09:17 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (6)

18 September 2008

Editorial LiveJournalists forget when 9/11 took place

Matt Bramanti noticed that the Chron Editorial LiveJournalists were playing Editorial Humorists today:

Last weekend, as Hurricane Ike buffeted Southeast Texas, another massive storm pummeled Wall Street, leaving financial institutions reeling and triggering the most precipitous drop in the stock market since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 9, 2001.

That big a gaffe HAD to be intentional, right? They're trying their hand at humor, surely?

If not, then this proposal from Banjo Jones looks smarter and smarter.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/18/08 08:20 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (6)

17 September 2008

Emergency agenda

An emergency meeting of the Houston City Council has been called, and there are only four ordinances on the agenda. Summary of the items:

1. Extends the disaster declaration beyond the initial seven days authorized by Mayor White.

2. Creates the Hurricane Ike Aid and Recovery Fund for disaster relief and recovery; appropriates $5,000,000.00 out of the Limited Use Roadway and Mobility Capital Fund and authorizes borrowing to reimburse the fund, and provides for donations to be accepted into the fund.
a. Approves spending the $5,000,000.00 for disaster relief and recovery, including making contracts for goods or services to assist the residents of Houston, Texas, and other victims of Hurricane Ike in disaster recovery, and declaring the city will request Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursement.

3. Appropriates an additional $20,000,000.00 out of the Rainy Day Fund (how appropriate...) and $5,000,000.00 out of Limited Use Roadway and Mobility Capital Fund for transfer to the Hurricane Ike Aid and Recovery Fund. It's not clear if this is an additional $5,000,000 from that fund or not.
a. Amends Ordinance 2007-987 that approved a disaster debris removal contract between the City of Houston and DRC EMERGENCY SERVICES, LLC, to authorize application for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursement; and creating a maximum contract amount - $98,000,000.00
b. Amends Ordinance 2007-883 that approved a disaster management recovery and consulting services contract between the City of Houston and BECK DISASTER RECOVERY, INC for disaster management services for the Solid Waste Management Department, to authorize application for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursement; and creating a maximum contract amount - $15,000,000.00

4. Appropriates $1,500,000.00 from the TIRZ Affordable Housing Fund (2409) to the temporary emergency home repair program to be used for repair of damage caused by Hurricane Ike to qualifying single family homes.

Number 3.a. is the jaw-dropper. Nearly $100 million to remove debris? Wow. Just wow.

Posted by Ubu Roi @ 09/17/08 11:03 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)

11 September 2008

Here's comes Ike, ready or not! (Discuss)

Hurricane Ike seems determined to pay us a visit.

Here's wishing everyone who must evacuate is safely on the road.

Here's wishing everyone who doesn't need to evacuate stays OFF the major roads.

We're gonna throw this thread open for Hurricane Ike discussion. If you have any interesting news, tales of Heller Hysterics, links to good hurricane coverage, or anything else related to Ike, please feel free to share your thoughts. Consider this the blogHOUSTON hurricane watch party (who knows, before it's over, we may have a real one at the West Alabama). :)

UPDATE: Please post your hurricane photos to our newly created Flickr group.

UPDATE (ANNE ADDS): This is bad. I hope the photographer was able to find someone to rescue these dogs.

IKE INFO: Track | Models

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/11/08 12:57 PM | Hurricane Stuff | Technorati | Comments (74)

10 September 2008

Mayor White pulls trigger on downtown hotel development scheme

On a day when most Houstonians are focused on that little hurricane out in the Gulf, Mayor White decided to announce that he's moving forward with plans to sell the Hilton Americas and boost downtown hotel development. Carolyn Feibel reports for the Chronicle:

The city of Houston has put its downtown convention center hotel, the Hilton Americas-Houston, up for sale, officials announced this morning.

"We do believe there can be significant interest in this property at a very good price," said Mayor Bill White.

An offering memorandum placing the hotel on the market was issued today by CBRE/Concordis Real Estate. Hilton is the operator of the hotel, located across the street from the George R. Brown Convention Center.

White told City Council he personally would be involved in sale negotiations and that he had a "reserve price" in mind that he would not share with anyone.

[snip]

The Hilton Americas has seen its average occupancy increase to more than 70 percent since opening in December 2003, city officials said.

KHOU-11's Lee McGuire offered a bit more detail:

Houston Mayor Bill White says it’s time to begin a new push to add more hotel rooms in downtown Houston, and he’d like to start by selling the building that houses the Hilton Americas to a private company.

[snip]

It has been 10 years since city leaders began to address the issue of a lack of hotel rooms downtown. In the late 1990s, White said, there were only 1,700 rooms to attract conventions to come to downtown Houston. Today, there are five thousand.

White says that is still not enough. “We lag far behind other big convention cities,” he said. “Next month, I will come to council with something to provide additional incentive for new hotel rooms in the downtown area.”

[snip]

The city, through a hotel corporation set up to build the property, still owes about $270 million on the project in secured debt. White says he believes the city could sell it at a profit, and then re-invest what he calls “significant” additional money into existing pension obligations and other new hotel projects downtown.

The most recent figures available show the Hilton Americas operates at about 64 percent capacity, on average. Just after it first opened in 2004, it was at fifty percent capacity.

So, which occupancy figure is correct -- the one cited by the Chronicle or the one cited by KHOU?

In any case, Houston lags behind other big convention cities for various reasons (climate, lack of tourist attractions, and other perceptions about the city) that do not include a lack of hotel rooms downtown. It's hard to see how a massive injection of taxpayer (your) money will change that dynamic significantly (although we imagine that developers and associates will cheer the proposal).

Our preference would be to see the Hilton Americas sold for a profit, that profit to be used to shore up the ongoing, massive unfunded liability in the pension plan (which Mayor White apparently plans to pass on to the next guy, much as he was left the problem by Lee Brown), and the city to get out of the business of downtown development/speculation, which is not a core function of municipal government and not something that should be distracting us given our current difficulties with core functions of government (like police and public works, or as we learned yesterday, well-functioning courts).

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/10/08 11:13 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (20)

A "modest proposal" from Banjo Jones

A few days ago, Banjo Jones posted some thoughts on areas the Chronicle might consider cutting as part of its latest round of downsizing:

I have an idea on one way the paper can handle the layoffs. I don't think it would get rid of the entire 80 employees they're looking to shed, but it'd be a start -- eliminate the entire opinion section where the paper publishes its institutional view of the world.

Such a move could be couched in terms that a lot of mainstream media haters would love; tell them, it's not our business to tell you what to think, we'll leave that you. Think whatever you want. We don't care! We're just gonna report the damn news.

Like Matt Bramanti, Cory Crow, Unca Darrell, and others, we used to spend a fair amount of time debunking and/or mocking the Editorial LiveJournalists and their error-ridden prescriptions, although we have gradually come to the realization that nobody pays much attention to them (as evidenced by the little traffic generated from Dwight Silverman's whimsical linkblog on the online editorial page), and that our own time is usually better spent tossing out our opinions for discussion. So we tend to agree with Banjo that if that page went away, it wouldn't be a huge loss.

Banjo goes on to suggest that the paper might keep some local columnists (since Jeff Cohen fashions himself a great developer of the same -- really!), or it might just as easily whack them. The newspaper's metro/state/DC columnists are such an undistinguished group that it's hard to object to the "whack them" proposal. For that matter, why not also save some money by downsizing that D.C. bureau that rarely breaks important stories, and letting Hearst set up a D.C. bureau from which all its newspapers can draw (not unlike the Chronicle/Express-News combined Austin bureau)?

We're all for whatever can be done to protect the local/state news staffs from further cuts.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/10/08 10:47 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (2)

09 September 2008

City, vendor negotiate agreement on muni courts computer system fiasco

The Chronicle's Matt Stiles reported today that the City of Houston will get back some of the milliions it has wasted on a deeply flawed computer system for the municipal courts:

The city will receive $5 million in a settlement with the company that designed a problem-plagued computer system at Municipal Courts, according to a copy of the deal.

Maximus Inc. also has agreed to waive millions more in support and maintenance costs over the next two years, says a proposal the City Council is set to consider Wednesday.

The settlement marks a turning point for city officials, who have considered litigation against the company while watching it struggle to implement a complicated, paperless case-management system.

Now, it appears the city could look to a new vendor to build a different system, but will continue using Maximus for as long as three to four years, according to the agreement.

City Councilman Ronald Green, a lawyer who has held hearings about Municipal Courts reforms, said city officials were not clear enough to the company about its needs when the contract was approved in 2003. Nor, he said, did Maximus understand the scale of the courts, where more than 2 million people visit annually.

"Everybody underestimated what the city needed to move into the 21st century," he said. "Everybody takes some blame. It wasn't all Maximus' fault. But it wasn't all the city's fault, either."

[snip]

Other city officials declined to make public comments because the settlement contains a "Non-Disparagement" clause.

"Maximus and the city agree to issue a joint release characterizing the settlement in a neutral manner — specifically that the parties have determined that in light of the current circumstances that it is in the parties' best interest to modify their existing relationship," it reads.

Stiles' measured reporting really doesn't convey just how big (and expensive) a fiasco this has been for the city (unfortunately, it is doubtful that the Chronicle's weak metro columnists will give the matter the treatment it deserves -- oh how nice it would be to have a real metro columnist like some cities, but that is not the topic of this post). Cory Crow has some salient thoughts on the matter. We're going to stick with the more succinct "fiasco." Check that -- FIASCO.

However, after perusing the critical posts in our own archives (the tone of which no doubt prompted some enablers of the city's entrenched elites to proclaim we were being mean and overly negative), we thought it might be fun to provide a sampling of what some city officials had to say as the FIASCO progressed, along with some snippets from various reporting. It will all be posted beneath the [Read More] link. Enjoy (and especially keep some of the comments from city officials in mind when you see city officials today claiming that the Real Time Crime Information Center is "CompStat on steroids," talking about "bridging the digital divide," and other assorted nonsense)!

08 September 2008

Crumbling infrastructure

Once again, the City's priorities are catching up to it, in a very disruptive manner. A water leak has buckled the East Freeway, the Chron.com reports. I'm sure the State of Texas is going to enjoy picking up the tab for damages caused by the city's decaying infrastructure.

Traffic is blocked on the East Freeway this evening after a water leak near the East Loop caused the roadway to buckle, TranStar officials said.

All westbound lanes of the East Freeway were closed shortly before 8 p.m. after an underground water line burst near the East Loop, said TranStar spokeswoman Dinah Massie Martinez.

Vehicles driving over the area caused the concrete to weaken and the roadway then began to buckle, Massie Martinez said.

Those pesky vehicles! All their fault, you know. Um, not exactly. Washing out the subsurface under the roadway left the concrete with inadequate support. The problem is, there's no telling how long this has been going on, and therefore, how large of a cavity has been washed out. So how big is it? Well as of the posting, the city doesn't know.

TxDOT, the Houston Police Department and the City of Houston's water department are at the scene trying to locate and fix the leak...

The article isn't clear on exactly where the line break is. If it's just inside the loop, there's a 30" steel main that crosses under the freeway not far from Gellhorn. If it's just outside, there's a 12" steel line next to Oates Rd. The 30" line could be a real problem -- if it is a large washout, the repairs could take a day or two, and tomorrow's commute is going to suck. So would an evacuation of High Island -- or anywhere else in East Houston if this is still a problem on Wednesday. Significant traffic would be pushed towards the Beltway, and the logjam would make it less likely that Zones B or C would evacuate if required. Or it might spur them to evacuate early, leading to another Rita-jam.

To quote Ms. Martinez again, "But hopefully they'll fix it before then." Yes, our public officials are always looking on the bright side, and full of hope, aren't they?

Posted by Ubu Roi @ 09/08/08 10:17 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)

Houston blog talk linkpost: 09/08/08

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/08/08 09:30 PM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati |

Choosing Houston's "It" building

The Chron and the American Institute of Architects Houston want readers to vote on Houston's most "iconic" building.

The article is here, and includes a list of the buildings up for consideration.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/08/08 07:23 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (0)

METRO's not-yet-express bus service

Seems there's been a bit of a delay in rolling out METRO's much-anticipated Signature/Express/Quickline/Whatever bus service. You may recall back in January METRO's expensive blogger announced the exciting new transit offering:

METRO's Board of Directors approved last month a contract that calls for Signature Bus Service to be on our roads by mid-August. You may be noticing enhanced bus shelters and furnishings, which we're installing this month.

We'll initially offer this Quickline Signature Bus Service on three routes, totaling 18 miles: Bellaire,Texas Medical Center/Palm and Tidwell. Future plans call for 28 miles of Signature service on Westheimer and Gessner.

Fast forward past August, into September, and the Examiner's Michael Reed reports:

Metro had been advertising the Aug. 25 launch — and painted large, circular logos into the pavement along the Bellaire Boulevard route.

There was no notification, though, of the delays (see accompanying story).

One Metro spokeswoman Carolina Mendoza said the delay involved “development issues” involving elements of the special stops and not separate road construction along the roadway, which planners knew about in advance.

She said the line would be running “as soon as some of those issues are resolved.”

Another Metro spokeswoman, Raequel Roberts, also indicated the new bus service had been delayed by “some final construction work and tweaks to the system.

“Once we are satisfied everything is working to our satisfaction we’ll announce the start. Nothing major — just want to make sure it’s providing the service we want and that people understand completely how it works,” Roberts said in an e-mail.

But Bellaire City Manager Bernie Satterwhite received a timetable and a different reason from Metro.

“They say start will be in 30-60 days depending on the progress on Bellaire Boulevard in Southside Place,” said Satterwhite in an e-mail response to an Examiner query about what Metro was telling the city.

Typical METRO. METRO is so unburdened by having to provide quality customer service, the agency couldn't be bothered to notify riders:

Bellaire City Councilman Will Hickman was one Bellaire rider who tried to use the new service. Instead, Hickman complained at last week’s City Council meeting, he ended up on the old Bellaire No. 2 bus to the Medical Center.

It wasn’t the sleek, swift ride he had expected. Hickman complained that it took him more than an hour to get to work.

When he finally got to his office, Hickman said he checked Metro’s website. Sure enough, it said the Quickline service was scheduled to fly.

Metro updated its website Tuesday morning, announcing the new service was “coming soon.”

Good grief! All those handsomely paid people inside the Lee P. Brown Administration Building, and no one thought to update the website??!

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/08/08 07:09 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (1)

KHOU reports on CompStat; critics continue to mischaracterize

Last week, KHOU-11 ran a story by Christine Haas that featured Jay Wall, a CompStat advocate and HPD critic whose arguments should be familiar to readers here:

1) HPD's misleading murder reporting (documented well by KHOU's Mark Greenblatt) casts doubt on HPD's leadership generally.

2) CompStat is a proven management tool that could be used to good effect in Houston, especially given HPD's reduced manpower.

3) HPD's "Real Time Crime Information Center" is not "CompStat on Steroids" (as HPD and City officials allege from time to time, mistakenly), since it is reactive and is an information resource, not a comprehensive, proactive crimefighting/management tool (like CompStat).

The Haas story dealt with all three themes, albeit with varying degrees of success:

1) HPD's misreporting of crime statistics is only referenced in passing. Viewers/readers unfamiliar with Mark Greenblatt's reporting probably won't understand why this is an important issue -- or even that it is an issue.

2) The management tool point is only made in passing, and the point is not well developed. The fact is, the combination of accountability AND proactive crime targeting/prevention are reasons why CompStat has seen success elsewhere (and occasional grumbling from entrenched people who feel threatened by change). The smarter use of crimefighting resources would seem to be a no-brainer here, because of the manpower shortage.

3) Opponents of CompStat are either intentionally or ignorantly trying to portray the Real Time Crime Information Center as something it is not -- an alternative to CompStat. CompStat is a management approach to fighting crime. HPD's Real Time Crime Information Center is an information tool at best (and there are questions about its robustness). When the police union president compares the two in this story, he appears to be advancing the MayorWhiteChiefHurtt PR/political line -- but the comparison isn't accurate. And it was probably confusing for viewers.

This story appears to have suffered from trying to be overly ambitious and cover too much. If area journalists tackle these important topics in the future (especially points 2 and 3, since Greenblatt has done some good reporting on 1), it might be nice to see points 2 and 3 above treated in some depth -- with more expert commentary on the success of CompStat where it has been tried, and more expert commentary on the differences between CompStat and the Real Time Crime Information Center. We certainly hope that CompStat gets a fairer hearing from the city's next mayor (and, hopefully, a new police chief who understands CompStat), whoever that turns out to be.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/08/08 01:11 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)

07 September 2008

Chron: Eversole expects FBI probe to force him out

The Chronicle's Liz Austin Peterson reports that Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole thinks the FBI is about to try to take him out:

Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole said Thursday that he expects to be forced from office by an FBI investigation into corruption allegations that appears to be centering on the design of his home by a prominent retired architect.

The Precinct 4 commissioner said FBI agents have interviewed many of his friends, some as recently as this week. He said he expects to be called in for questioning soon and would not be surprised to be indicted, though he insists he is innocent.

"I guarantee they can take that information that they've got and the friends that they've talked to and they can make a case on me," said Eversole, who volunteered the update regarding the investigation when asked about recommended ethics changes at the county. "That's why I say my days are numbered. There's no doubt about it."

Not to convict the man before he's had as much as a day in court, but if Eversole actually believes the feds have a case and his "days are numbered," shouldn't he consider resigning to get his legal affairs in order?

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/07/08 07:46 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)

06 September 2008

Danger Train apparently strikes pedestrian; KPRC website pulls story (updated)

Earlier in the week, the Danger Train apparently struck a pedestrian.

The original story was here on the KPRC-2 site, but that link no longer works, so here is the cached google version.

A version was also posted to MSNBC.

Nothing on the web ever truly goes away, which may come as news to the KPRC web editor (as well as Richard Justice). But wouldn't it be nice if someone elaborated on this news, instead of trying (unsuccessfully) to pull the news story?

ANNE LINEHAN ADDS: In the forum, Royko notes that in spite of the general local media blackout on Danger Train accidents, they are still happening:

How many have heard about the 39 tram incidents in 2008?

Well, none of us have heard of the 39 accidents because local media isn't interested in reporting them, and METRO definitely isn't interested in sharing them, unless there's a TXPIA involved.

Be sure to follow the link to see some of the Danger Train "highlights" so far this year.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/06/08 06:33 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (2)

05 September 2008

Continental decides to imitate future Star Alliance brethren

Continental Airlines today joined most of the other legacy carriers (and its future Star partners in particular) in the race to add fees and take away perks. Here's an excerpt from Mark Babineck's report for the Chronicle:

Continental Airlines, falling in line with most of its rivals, said today it will charge many economy-class domestic customers $15 each way for the first bag they check.

As with several of its competitors, Houston-based Continental will not charge the fee to elite-level frequent fliers or customers traveling on full-fare refundable tickets. Continental also said it won't charge military personnel and their families traveling on official orders.

[snip]

Also, Continental reduced mileage bonuses for elite frequent fliers in its OnePass program. Effective March 1, so-called "Platinum Elite" customers will earn a 100 percent bonus (down from 125 percent) and "Silver Elite" members will get a 25 percent bonus (down from 50 percent).

The "Gold Elite" bonus of 100 percent remains in effect.

The carrier further said it will stop awarding a minimum of 500 frequent flier miles per trip even if the distance traveled is less. Actual flight miles will start being awarded for tickets purchased Nov. 15 and beyond for travel on or after Jan. 1.

Until now, Continental had somewhat distinguished itself from most of is legacy competitors, providing "meals at mealtime" and avoiding many of the annoying fees that other legacies have enacted. Further, Houston's hometown airline had largely insulated its OnePass program from truly detrimental changes. No longer. It's not as bad as it might have been (big fees on reward tickets and elimination of ALL bonus mileage for elites, moves that some carriers have made), but that doesn't make it good. And it's likely to be counterproductive, since infrequent travelers will probably now be lugging oversized bags onto the plane and slowing the boarding process considerably.

Boo, Continental. Bad moves.

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

UPDATE: Continental does seem to have enough cash flow to sponsor awful basketball. So at least they're giving something back (so to speak) after ripping customers.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/05/08 09:50 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)

More downsizing at the Chronicle

Over at Lone Star Times, Matt Bramanti notes that the Chronicle is facing more downsizing:

The Houston Chronicle offered voluntary buyouts to its employees today, with a goal of reducing staff by roughly 80 full-time positions, Publisher and President Jack Sweeney said Thursday.

Depending on how many employees request buyouts, layoffs might be necessary. When the reductions are completed at the end of the month, the full-time staff will be cut by 5 to 6 percent, Sweeney said.

The problems the newspaper industry faces are numerous, but the Chronicle's current "dumbed down and trashed up" strategy should not be a model for other newspapers.

Final word goes to Matt:

A little math reveals that the Chronicle employs about 1,450 people. Less than four years ago, more than 2,400 people worked for the Chron.

Firing a thousand people must be good for editor Jeff Cohen’s golf game. His handicap currently stands at 8.6, down from 9 during last year’s layoffs.

Nice shooting, Jeff!

RELATED: Chronicle to reduce workforce (Houston Business Journal)

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/05/08 06:32 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (3)

Annise Parker speaks out on BARC

A few months ago, several of us speculated that Annise Parker might be seriously eying a run for mayor of Houston, after White is term-limited out. Shortly after that, any suspicions I had on the matter were strengthened by the introduction of a regular City Controller's Report, delivered to employee mailboxes periodically. The lead article of the first seemed quite topical at the time, focusing on HPD.

Well, the second issue has just come out and, perhaps not coincidentally, the lead article is also quite up-to-the-moment -- if somewhat lacking in any mention of the reason for such topicality. The lead article "BARC Deserves the Best -- At Long Last", takes on (what else?) the city's Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care. As this is a city publication, and may not be available to the general public, the full text is below the fold.

[Read More]

Posted by Ubu Roi @ 09/05/08 04:14 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (0)

04 September 2008

Texas Watchdog calls out City of Houston on ethics statements

Over on the Texas Watchdog site, Trent Seibert and Crystal Hubbard have posted a story on City of Houston's apparent difficulties complying with a state ethics disclosure law. Here's an excerpt from the story:

Houston city officials have failed for the past two years to post ethics forms online as required by law, Texas Watchdog has learned.

The ethics forms are meant to make public any ties city officials may have to a business seeking a government contract.

On Wednesday - and only after Texas Watchdog questioned city officials about the missing ethics forms - the city posted a single conflict-of-interest form that was originally filed in 2006.

Texas Watchdog has also posted a number of forms that were filed, but (inexplicably) never made it to the City of Houston website.

BLOGVERSATION: Chron Houston Politics.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/04/08 09:54 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)

03 September 2008

Houston blog talk linkpost: 09/03/08

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/03/08 11:58 PM | Houston Blog Talk | Technorati |

02 September 2008

Chron: Dogs overheat in city vehicle while animal control officer dines

The Chronicle's Bill Murphy reports some truly disturbing news regarding the deaths of several dogs under the "care" of a City of Houston employee:

Eight dogs died last week after a city animal control officer who had picked up the animals left them in a truck without air conditioning on a day when the high was 95 degrees.

The officer told animal shelter officials that the air conditioning was running when she left the truck for 40 minutes to have lunch, but it malfunctioned while she was in the restaurant, said Kathy Barton, spokeswoman for the city health and human services department.

But officials at the city Bureau of Animal Care and Regulation were investigating whether she forgot to leave on the air conditioning because it was working when she returned to the shelter, Barton said.

"I do not believe we are dealing with a cruelty issue," she said. "We are dealing with a mechanical issue or a human failure issue."

The dogs were left in the truck Aug. 26, when the high at George Bush Intercontinental Airport was 95 degrees.

When the officer returned from lunch, the dogs were all "in distress," Barton said. Two were dead when the officer returned to the shelter. The other six died that afternoon.

"It was a very unfortunate situation, and it just reinforces not leaving any living thing in an un-air conditioned vehicle," Barton said.

The officer has been assigned to duties within the shelter while the investigation is conducted.

Frank Michel, spokeswoman for Mayor Bill White, said, "As soon as the supervisors found out what happened, the officer was removed from the street. There is an investigation. We will get to the bottom of it and take appropriate action."

Past experience (with the crime lab, of all places, where incompetence can also have life-or-death consequences) has shown that it's nearly impossible to fire municipal employees for cause in this city. So we are not holding our breath that anything at all will be done if this employee is indeed found to have valued her lunch more than the animals entrusted to her care.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/02/08 10:22 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (16)

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