31 January 2009
$62 million down the drain...
...er, drains. Well, except the drains are clogged up:
Art was the crowning glory of the city-financed Cotswold Project, a $62 million effort to transform a drab section of downtown Houston into a dazzling destination for residents and visitors. But less than a decade after dozens of fountains and artworks were installed, many have fallen victim to tight budgets and vandals.
Meanwhile, plans to restore five Texas Avenue sidewalk mosaics damaged or destroyed during street construction came to a halt when money allocated for the project was spent elsewhere. Although an arts group now is weighing options for restoring the mosaics, the question of how to fund such efforts is unresolved.
A recent stroll through blocks remade in the Cotswold Project revealed at least three of 12 fountains malfunctioning or not operating. Some were choked with leaves and debris or caked with calcium deposits.
But don't worry, the city's on top of it now:
The city’s Convention and Entertainment Facilities Department was assigned responsibility to maintain the Cotswold fountains, spending about $150,000 annually to carry out the task.
After a tour of the fountains Thursday, department spokesman John Harris said two workers, rather than one, will be assigned their upkeep.
Problem solved!
As for the restoration of the mosaics, the money that had been set aside for that was instead used to upgrade sidewalks where future METRO passenger platforms will be located. Maybe someone can ask METRO to open its wallet and fix the mosaics, especially since our local transit agency is on an art kick now.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/31/09 04:34 PM | Houston Arts/Culture | Technorati | Comments (3)
30 January 2009
Chron editors demonstrate their timeliness
Two months after the Examiner's Michael Reed reported on the fate of Bolsover Street, after the failure of Lamesa's Sonoma project, the Chronicle's editorial board opines thusly:
What infuriates and puzzles many locals is that a perfectly good, well-traveled street — a valuable commodity in the congested Village — is now lying idle, and could stay that way for the foreseeable future. That’s not a good deal for the public, and points to a serious lack of foresight and prudence on the part of the city.
The 2400 block of Bolsover Street, which bisects the lot, was, in effect, sold to the project’s owner, Lamesa Village, by the city, over the objections of many residents. It was slated to become a pedestrian plaza, accessible to the public, with shade trees and water features.
Today, thanks to a plummeting economy and a strangled credit market, the project is on hold indefinitely. Bolsover is gated shut, and the rest of the property now consists of a bare lot on the north side — with a few piles of dirt and random fence posts — and a shuttered sales office next to a once-bustling, now defunct Walgreens to the south.
Oh, well! If it makes the elitists on the editorial board feel any better, Mayor White promised he'd do better next time.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/30/09 07:06 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
Least surprising news of the week (updated with a Bob Stein revision!)
That HPD tried to tweak the city's questionable red light camera study to produce a more favorable conclusion -- one more in line with what MayorWhiteChiefHurtt have been peddling ever since the cameras were first installed:
The Houston Police Department tried to influence the outcome of a controversial city-commissioned study by changing how crashes at intersections with red-light cameras were counted, according to documents included in a lawsuit.
HPD’s request was refused by the study’s authors, however, who concluded the number of accidents at 50 intersections with the cameras had increased, not decreased as city officials expected, documents say.
Attorneys fighting to end Houston’s 2-year-old red-light camera program seized on the documents — released after an open records lawsuit they filed against the city — as evidence the study was tainted by a purposefully skewed methodology.
[snip]
According to an e-mail included in the lawsuit, an HPD official asked Stein in April to rule out accidents if they occurred more than 100 feet from the intersection. Kallinen also said that documents he obtained indicated the department attempted to rule out crashes that did not involve a red-light violation. Either of those steps would be more likely to lead to results showing the cameras reduced crashes, Kallinen said.
Stein, whose involvement has been criticized because his wife works for White, said the study’s other authors rejected HPD’s suggested change because they were using what they believed was the best methodology.
Mayoral spokesman Patrick Trahan said the police had legitimate reasons to consider limiting the crashes that way, as they did not want the study to include collisions that had nothing to do with running red lights or the cameras.
UPDATE: Over at the Houston' Press' Hairballs blog, Houston bicyclist Bob Stein goes on a tear, giving his side of things, including this:
Third, Stein argues that he was misquoted when he reportedly said that "collisions are going up all over the city." This quote appeared in a January Associated Press story as well as elsewhere in the media.
It was "A complete and gross misrepresentation of the quote," says Stein. "I said, 'collisions are going up all over the city at the intersections that we studied,' not that they were going up all over the city. They in fact are going down, which is clearly demonstrated in the emails. Collisions throughout the city are not what we were studying."
Hmmmm, here's what was written in the Chronicle at the end of December:
Study authors said the reason for the increase at "monitored approaches" is actually that the city has seen a major uptick in collisions during the past year, one that they believe red-light cameras helped mitigate. In other words, the study, released today, concludes that there were far fewer collisions at intersections with red-light cameras than there otherwise would have been if the cameras had not been installed.
"Collisions are going up all over the city," said Bob Stein, a Rice University political science professor and one of report's four authors. "But red-light cameras have held back that increase at approaches where they have been installed."
Clear as mud.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/30/09 06:39 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (4)
29 January 2009
Chron Froot Loops update, 1/29/09 edition
The Chron.com Froot Loops Bureau posts this update today:
A 14-year-old Magnolia girl remains in critical condition today with injuries suffered after she jumped out of her parents’ car and was hit by a vehicle on the North Freeway, according to KHOU Channel 11.
The incident happened Wednesday night as the parents were driving their daughter to a Tomball hospital. They had picked her up after she had run away and was taken into custody by police, KHOU reported.
As the family drove on Interstate 45, the girl argued with her parents and suddenly jumped out of the car near the West Canino exit, police said.
[snip]
The teenager suffered severe head and internal injuries, and doctors at Memorial Hermann Hospital may have to amputate her legs, KHOU reported.
Here is a link to the KHOU-11 story, since hyperlinks and cereal apparently don't go well together.
UPDATE: And just like that *poof* the story is updated and the KHOU reference is gone.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/29/09 10:06 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
Chron teen diarist goes back to basics
The Chron's teen diarist returns to familiar territory today:
From Karl Rove to Bono, everybody’s got advice for the new president.
But if Barack Obama is looking for fresh suggestions, light on cynicism and free of partisan taint, I know of a group that will give it to him straight: Houston-area kids.
Playing to your strengths is good advice for any columnist, but especially a struggling one. Good move today, going back to basics!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/29/09 10:01 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (5)
28 January 2009
Good news and bad news in 2008 crime statistics
Last week, Chief Hurtt held a press conference to discuss 2008 crime statistics.
Most local media outlets only regurgitated his comments, without any detailed reporting on the numbers, but KTRH-740 has helpfully posted a table of the raw numbers.
While there is some good news in these numbers, obviously there is room for improvement.
As candidates gear up for municipal elections, we hope they are preparing for a robust discussion of Houston's crime problem, the leadership at HPD, and proven approaches to crime like CompStat.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/28/09 11:38 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
KHOU: No property tax break for Ike victims
KHOU-11's Lee McGuire reports that Harris County residents whose homes were significantly damaged by Hurricane Ike shouldn't be expecting any property tax breaks:
On the outside, Jim Kaufman’s Nassau Bay home looks like it survived Hurricane Ike, but from the inside, it’s clear, it did not.
“It’s a pretty devastating blow to come back and see this. It’s all gone,” said Kaufman.
Kaufman said that his home is a total loss. But to Harris County tax assessors—it’s worth exactly what it was before the storm.
Taxing jurisdictions have the ability to “reassess” property after a hurricane, reducing home values and, with them, taxes. According to HCAD, after Ike, not one county - school district - or city - did anything of the sort.
“I think it’s unseemly that someone who has lost a house has to pay full appraisal on the house,” said State Senator Dan Patrick.
State Senator Patrick says local governments should have given taxpayers a break. Many considered it—but all rejected it.
Patrick is right. This is an issue he is well positioned to champion, and we hope he charges forward on it.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/28/09 11:12 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
Former KHOU reporter Faxas singing, acting, hawking Miracle Lid
Remember former KHOU-11 reporter Eileen Faxas?
Chron columnist Ken Hoffman saw her in an informercial recently:
So I’m watching Chef Nick use the Miracle Lid to cook pasta with no water, while his sidekick hostess gasps with amazement and gushes over each bite like she hasn’t eaten in a month. You know, it’s the typical infomercial team. The experienced male expert and the wide-eyed female host who can’t believe what amazing events are taking place, all because of this earth-shattering product that could be on my doorstep in 4 to 6 weeks.
Then, as I’m watching, it suddenly hits me …
Hey! I know that woman! The one who can’t believe you can make a delicious pot roast with less fat, less oil, in half the time, from frozen to fabulous in under 30 minutes!
Hey! I know that woman! The one who can’t believe you can make a delicious pot roast with less fat, less oil, in half the time, from frozen to fabulous in under 30 minutes!
That’s Eileen Faxas, the former reporter on Channel 11 News.
She’s doing infomercials now?
“Yes, that’s me, but I’m doing a lot of things now, not just that,” she says. “I live in Miami, and I’m recording my second CD, and I’m about to perform in the first Florida production of Les Mis érables, and later this week I’ll know if I am cast as the lead in another musical,” Faxas says.
Faxas worked on Channel 11 News from 1998 to 2005. She was one of the Defenders, sticking up for the little guy in his daily battle against the world.
When she left, she told Channel 11, simply, “I want to go sing.”
Small world, eh?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/28/09 10:43 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
27 January 2009
Houston company gets caught (allegedly) bribing Detroit city official
The Texas Watchdog crew caught this bit of news earlier:
Cash bribes and trips to Las Vegas helped pave the way for a $47-million-a-year contract between the city [of Detroit] and a Texas company that recycles sludge, a former executive said Monday as he pleaded guilty in federal court.
The influence-peddling reached a climax in fall 2007 when a City Council member accepted payments to vote in favor of the deal with Houston-based Synagro Technologies, the government alleges. The contract was approved, 5-4.
Interestingly enough, that "Texas company" happens to be a Houston company that also does business with the City of Houston, as Jennifer Peebles points out:
Synagro Technologies has done business with the city of Houston for some time. The city last February re-inked its contract with the firm, giving city officials a free hand to spend up to $26 million with the firm without needing to return to the City Council for specific approval.
Neat! We can't help but wonder if there are any similar (Houston Way) connections here.
And the Texas Watchdog folks seem interested as well, so if you know of any possible shenanigans involving area government officials and Synagro, do shoot Texas Watchdog an email.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/27/09 10:01 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
Mayor White says lease at One Park Place, make Houston better!
The Houston Chronicle seems to have decided there might be a future in watchdog reporting, especially watchdog reporting that involves The Houston Way.
Recall that in late December, local reporters Bradley Olson and Carolyn Feibel did some fine reporting on many interesting coincidences (or not) involving prominent local pols (including Mayor White) and politically well-connected developers that eventually resulted in the city taking a small bit of private land for a "public" park that the city's parks director now says he never wanted, but which (coincidentally *wink*) would serve as ornamentation for a planned development.
For the second time in roughly a month, the Chronicle has posted another story that raises questions about the extent to which Mayor White has gone to bat for a politically well-connected developer. Here is an excerpt from the reporting by Bradley Olson, Nancy Sarnoff, and Carolyn Feibel:
The mailing reads like a finely produced marketing brochure, touting the opening of a new downtown apartment tower and urging Houstonians to consider moving there: “One Park Place will be the residence of choice downtown because its 346 residences offer 14 floor plans with finishes typical of high-end condominiums, spectacular views, a nearly one-acre resort-style pool area, a grand terrace overlooking the park and retail spaces.”
Except it is not a marketing brochure. It is a Jan. 16 letter, penned by Mayor Bill White on city letterhead and sent by the developer of One Park Place to hundreds of people and human resources representatives at businesses and organizations across Houston.
Land-use experts and officials in other Texas cities said the letter is highly unusual. Most office holders involved in development and revitalization projects tout improvements in generalities, but rarely, if ever, participate in a marketing effort for a specific business interest.
White said he views One Park Place as a linchpin of the development in the works around Discovery Green, a key element of the plan to revitalize downtown. He also said he would do the same for any major residential development downtown.
City officials in Austin, Dallas and San Antonio were reluctant to weigh in on White’s letter, except to say that they were not aware of their mayors ever taking such a step. Mayors there have spoken publicly about some developments and attended ribbon-cuttings, but none of their staffs were aware of an endorsement on city stationary.
Government watchdogs said such a written endorsement is an inappropriate use of the mayor’s office, most notably because the owner of the development company, Marvy Finger, is a campaign contributor. Finger’s daughter, Jill Jewett, is a former senior staffer of the mayor and left City Hall to work for the Finger Companies.
“It is appropriate for mayors to help promote downtown living, but where you cross the line is where you’re promoting one project and endorsing it and asking people to consider a particular residential tower,” said Tom “Smitty” Smith, director of the Texas office of Public Citizen. “Using city stationary and other trappings of your office to promote a particular building goes beyond the line.”
The amount of the political donation is actually pretty small, but it seems clear that developer Finger is better connected politically than some developers in town (the Ashby high rise developers come to mind). The former mayoral staffer apparently didn't work for Finger long, but again, it's the connection that's the key. The Houston Way is all about the connections!
No less a master of The Houston Way than Bob Lanier is cited by another developer in defense of the unusual letter:
Randall Davis, who redeveloped the Rice Hotel, applauded White for supporting Finger’s project, saying downtown needs the help. Davis also said then-mayor Bob Lanier helped a great deal with his project.
No doubt that's true!
We're having trouble getting too worked up over this, even though turning City Hall into an advertising firm for a local developer does seem a bit unseemly (not to mention clumsy). The Chron.com commenters sure don't seem to like it, though. What do you think?
BACKGROUND: PDF of Mayor White's letter.
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport, Texas Watchdog, Slampo's Place, Chron Houston Politics.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/27/09 12:22 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (14)
26 January 2009
Chron Austin bureau chief can't remember facts, opines regardless
Poor Clay Robison must be one tired guy.
He oversees the combined Chronicle/Express-News Austin Bureau.
He moonlights as a (lefty) editorialist once a week.
And a legislative session just got underway.
So, perhaps that explains this snippet from his latest opinion column:
Let’s see, now. Most of the Republican judges in Harris County who were on the ballot in November were ousted in heavy, straight-ticket Democratic voting. A few years ago, Dallas voters booted a bunch of Republican judges in similar fashion.So, Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, files a bill to prohibit — guess what — straight ticket voting in judicial races.
It won’t pass.
But it reminds me that Republicans took over the courts in Harris County in 1994 in a similar straight ticket sweep that unseated many Democratic judges.
I don’t remember if any Democrat filed a similar bill then. If so, it obviously didn’t pass either.
That's about the laziest bit of journalism to appear in the Chronicle since... well, since somebody sat down over Froot Loops and (mis)reported a KHOU story a few mornings ago.
Over at Lose an Eye, It's a Sport, Cory Crow gives the matter a more comprehensive treatment. We're betting he's not going to hear from the newspaper's invisible reader rep.
In any case, we'll suggest once again that Robison shouldn't be writing opinion columns and running the news bureau. Maybe if he stepped away from one of the jobs, he could actually do the other one well.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/26/09 10:00 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (3)
25 January 2009
Stay the execution of Larry Ray Swearingen (updated)
We've had some fun over the years with the Chron Eye for the Death Row Killer Guy, which was once the anti-death-penalty Houston Chronicle's formulaic portrayal of every single cold-blooded killer who was scheduled to meet his end in Huntsville.
To its credit, the newspaper has largely stopped the practice of hagiographic features on the worst of the worst in Texas. Who knows, maybe they grew tired of the mockery.
Unfortunately, their credibility and honesty on the issue have long since been squandered. And so, not many people take the newspaper's struggling Editorial Board, or its Teen Diarist, seriously when both say that a Texas man is about to be executed for a terrible crime that new evidence (or reinterpretation of old evidence) suggests he probably did not commit.
This time, the newspaper is right. The Editorial Board and the Teen Diarist (and others) make a convincing case that enough doubt has been raised about Larry Ray Swearingen's guilt that he should be granted a stay
As our mockery of past Chron Eyes should make clear, we don't have much sympathy for the truly guilty, worst of the worst in the state of Texas. But it's no laughing matter when serious, evidence-based questions, are raised about the guilt of a man sentenced to die (on Tuesday).
It's the most serious penalty the state can impose. Irreversible. Final.
The first time the state demonstrably gets it wrong will likely be the last. This could very well be that instance. Why take the chance?
Larry Ray Swearingen isn't going anywhere. There is time enough to make sure we -- because "we" are the state -- have it right. Or that we do not.
Err on the side of life and delay this execution.
UPDATE (01-26-2009): The Dallas Morning News reports that the Fifth Circuit has ordered a stay. This should allow yet another look at the evidence and another round of arguments from defense and prosecutors alike. It is important to get this right.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/25/09 11:19 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
Renaming Tolerance Bridge
Thank goodness someone came to their senses. Now if someone could just 86 that horrid design...
After announcing the “Tolerance Bridge” project, city officials realized there was one thing they couldn’t tolerate: the name.
So, they’re asking Houston artists, writers and other local visionaries to suggest a new name for a proposed pedestrian and biking bridge that will span Buffalo Bayou near Montrose and Allen Parkway.
The $7 million civic art project, with its “twisting arc” design, is intended to celebrate Houston’s cultural diversity and the cosmopolitan sensibility and mutual respect shared by its residents.
Are your eyes bleeding yet? Those two paragraphs are just painful. Any clue how one gets classified as a "local visionar[y]"?
After announcing the project in early December, Mayor Bill White received some feedback about the title, and asked the Houston Arts Alliance to contact its membership for more ideas. The organization is taking suggestions through Jan. 31.
Oh great, the Houston Arts Alliance. The organization that brought Houstonians the Flaming Chicken and the Bouquet of Bathtubs is seeking visionaries to name the ugly bridge.
At least $2 million for the bridge, designed by German arts collaborative Elmgreen & Dragset and architects with the Houston-based SWA Group, will come from private donors. Philanthropist Mica Mosbacher said she came up with the idea for a public art project celebrating tolerance after the 2006 hate-crime beating of David Ritcheson, a 17-year-old Hispanic teen from Spring.
“We did not want the family to feel that was how the majority of Houstonians viewed people of other races,” Mosbacher said.
Then why not name the bridge after David Ritcheson? But if that's not a possibility, it's hard to top the suggestion in the most recommended comment on Chron.com
Name it Geoffrey. Geoffrey is a good, solid name.
It's probably better than anything Houston artists, writers and other local visionaries will come up with. And did you catch the math? It's a $7 million project (for now) that is seeking $2 million from private donors. Guess that means taxpayers get to pay $5 million!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/25/09 06:40 PM | Houston Arts/Culture | Technorati | Comments (15)
Houston METRO officer represents Houston well in DC
A few days ago, Jason blogged about the Houston METRO officer who saved a woman who was about to have an unfortunate encounter with a train.
As it turns out, officer Eliot Swainson was one busy guy helping save D.C. residents:
Less than 24 hours after saving a woman who fell in front of a Washington subway train, a Houston, Texas, transit cop was at it again.
Moments after leaving an interview Wednesday about his heroics at the train station, Houston Metro Officer Eliot Swainson helped victims escape an early morning fire at a Washington row house.
Swainson, who was deputized to help with crowds at President Obama's inauguration, and two Washington transit officers noticed smoke pouring from the row house in northwest Washington.
[snip]
"We just pounded on doors and stuff," he said. "We couldn't get into the unit that was actually burned -- there was just too much smoke coming out of there."
D.C. residents are surely thankful for Officer Swainson's assistance.
Now if you don't mind, we'd like him back, thanks! He's a man who's much too useful to be in D.C. We'll happily trade you Queen Sheila and other useless pols.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/25/09 06:19 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (0)
23 January 2009
Chron Froot Loops Bureau comeback in '09?
The Houston Chronicle's Froot Loops bureau makes a rare appearance today:
Homicide detectives are still investigating an overnight shooting in which a resident of a north Houston apartment said he disarmed a burglar and killed him with his own gun.
The shooting occurred about 10 a.m. Thursday at the Worthington Apartments at 1350 Greens Parkway, KHOU Channel 11 reported.
We have missed the Froot Loops Bureau!
Here's the actual link to the KHOU story, since the Bureau apparently isn't a fan of hyperlinks.
UPDATE: Upon re-reading, we are confused. Was the shooting overnight, was the shooting at 10 a.m. Thursday, or was the shooting this morning?
Perhaps the Froot Loops staffer needs to have more coffee with the cereal.
UPDATE 2: On the KHOU video report, Rosa Flores says the break-in occurred about 10 o'clock last night, the owners got home at some point, and the struggle/shooting ensued then.
UPDATE 3: The Chron story has been updated to reflect a 10 pm shooting. It apparently has not been updated with a reporter verifying facts from police and witnesses and reporting those, instead of "reporting" the TV news.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/23/09 11:03 AM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (1)
22 January 2009
A little problem for one mayoral aspirant?
KTRK-13's Miya Shay blogs about a potential problem for possible mayoral candidate Ben Hall: One must actually live in the city to run for mayor.
Not to worry, though -- Hall is looking into buying Slumlord-Rep. Hubert Vo's mansion within the city limits.
Or maybe to worry -- local blogger Houtopia asserts in a comment that if Shay's reporting is accurate and Hall truly lives in Piney Point, then it's too late for him to decide he lives in Houston for the purpose of running for mayor.
This could get interesting.
BLOGVERSATION: Swamplot, Prof 13.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/22/09 10:46 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (3)
Houstonians like kittens... and crazy auto accidents
When we came to the end of this slideshow accompanying a wild story on KPRC-2's website, we were amused by this "View most popular" page:
Apparently, Houstonians like pictures of cute kittens... and pictures of 10-vehicle accidents that injure pedestrians and pets and destroy property.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/22/09 10:03 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
A red light camera ticket nightmare
What could possibly go wrong? How about this (via KPRC-2):
Eileen Donevant did what I hope most of us would do. She took her directions from a Houston police officer motioning her through the red light.
About a week later, she got a $75 ticket for running the red light.
So what do you do?
“If an officer's directing you to go through an intersection, then yeah, you need to do so,” Lt. Kevin Gallier said.
Then why, we asked, did Donevant get a ticket?
“There are some times, just like in any other organization, where some communication can break down,” explained Gallier.
Really. That's not what we've been told. After all, someone is personally checking each and every ticket to make sure only valid tickets are mailed out.
HPD says each set of pictures snapped and the video captured by the red-light cameras is reviewed before a citation is mailed out, but the officer directing Donevant through the red light is not in the picture. He’s standing off camera to the right.
Oh. Nevermind. Personally reviewing every ticket isn't a guarantee something won't go wrong. How many tickets were mailed out that day based on the officer waving cars through the intersection? How many people just paid instead of facing the nightmare to fight the ticket?
HPD did delete Donevant’s ticket when we contacted them, but Donevant says prior to calling us she wrote letters and called the city herself with no success.
The city says the only way to appeal a red light camera ticket is to schedule a hearing downtown.
One is presumed guilty; therefore, in order to correct a municipal screw-up, one must take a day off from work or arrange for child care, drive downtown, find parking (a very fun prospect thanks to Liliana Rambo's organization), and wait to be heard.
And don't forget -- the city now wants to put a hold on vehicle registrations for those who don't pay their tickets. Super! That's running the city like a business!
Moral of the story? If you receive a red light camera ticket in error, contact local media.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/22/09 06:43 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (13)
HPOU lawsuit appears to be moving forward
KPRC reports that the Houston Police Officers Union is ready to proceed with a lawsuit against Marvin Driver and Quanell X for slandering Houston Police Officers. The lawsuit could be filed next week according to the article. This will be the first time I know of that Quanell's posturing will have landed him in court on the receiving end of a lawsuit. The HPOU also sent a letter to District Attorney Pat Lykos asking for an investigation of Mr. Driver for false reporting. There is an interesting line about former DA Rosenthal's policy of not prosecuting anyone for false allegations against police officers. While Rosenthal was probably checking emails many officers lost their livelihood, lost money, and lost their reputations defending themselves against false complaints only to be cleared with scant notice in the media. It will be interesting for us to watch Quanell actually have to take responsibility for his actions for once.
Read the HPOU letter to DA Lykos here.
Posted by Jason @ 01/22/09 09:28 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (11)
21 January 2009
Fun with local inauguration coverage
Every four years, it seems local news outlets go crazy with their coverage of the Presidential inauguration.
This year was probably worse than most, given the historic nature of the event. Unfortunately, the whole thing can lead to way too many good journalists struggling with way too little to say and producing... well, fare that is below the usual standards.
Here are a few such things that caught my eye:
It may have been dusk, but as thousands of Muslims gathered in places of worship around the city to pray, it felt like a momentous new dawn. (Brad Woodard, KHOU-11 News)
and
The inauguration of President Barack Obama was an event shared by the country, the world, and even by a lot of people who voted for Sen. John McCain. We just watched history play out in front of our eyes, and now it’s time to let it all sink in. This was culmination of an election cycle unlike any in U.S. history. Two years, 20 or so candidates, and a now the country has its first African American President. (Miya Shay, West University Examiner)
Please feel free to share your favorite examples of inaugural-related damage to the English language committed by local journalists in the forum. Now that it's over, we might as well have some fun with it!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/21/09 10:59 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (6)
METRO officer saves woman at DC Inaugural
With a lot of negative press on the Metro Police Department I found a positive article. Metro Police Officer (yes our Harris County Metropolitan Police Department) Eliot Swainson was in Washington D.C. working with their transit police for the inauguration of President Obama. Officer Swainson heard a woman was stuck on the track as a train approached. Unable to pry her from the track, Officer Swainson pushed the woman into a crawl space as the train passed over. Afterward, the 68-year old woman was rescued and transported to the hospital with minor injuries. So, kudos to Houston Metro Officer Swainson, a Texas officer who did an outstanding job in Washington D.C.
Posted by Jason @ 01/21/09 02:56 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (6)
20 January 2009
KTRK: Artsy lights over SW Freeway bridges already in disrepair
The bridges that cross Southwest Freeway do more than connect two parts of Houston.
They serve to beautify what is otherwise one UGLY stretch of concrete (and, quite often, graffiti and trash).
Unfortunately, one of the striking features of those bridges -- the unique side-mounted fiber-optic lights that once could change colors -- is striking at the moment because most of them haven't been working for quite some time.
KTRK-13's Christine Dobbyn has more details:
Karen Othon of TxDOT says the state is aware the lights are out and that some are even hanging from the bridge.
"It's not the full picture. It's not what they were intended to be," said Othon.
She adds they have been a maintenance challenge.
"It's not like we can just take a bucket truck up there on a freeway lane and replace a light bulb, it's such a specialized issue," said Othon.
The California company that made the lights claims a little maintenance every six months should keep them shining brightly. Any warranties on the lights have now expired.
Crews at the bridge on Wednesday said they were working on repairing peeling paint. TxDOT is not sure if the lights can be repaired or may now have to be replaced at taxpayers' expense.
Earlier in the story, Dobbyn notes that the original price of the lights was $275,000 (as part of the overall $100 million reconstruction project).
It would be great if someone could figure out how to get the lights back to how they are supposed to look, or just pull the things down and be done with it. At the moment, it just looks awful.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/20/09 08:10 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (13)
19 January 2009
Competing MLK-Day parade groups see no need to come together
It's Martin Luther King Day, on the eve of the historic inauguration of America's first black president.
Locally, that's still no reason for two bickering groups to come together, as Jennifer Radcliffe reports for the Chronicle:
The MLK Parade Foundation will host the lone downtown event at 10 a.m. Monday, while the rival Black Heritage Society will march at noon on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Ovide Duncantell, founder of the Black Heritage Society, said he moved his parade to the south Houston neighborhood after he lost out on the sole permit for the downtown parade. He vowed to be first in line for the downtown parade in 2010.
Despite the historic nature of this year’s event, organizers of Houston’s rival MLK parades said they don’t feel compelled to unify.
We are still highly amused by Laurence Simon's unity proposal.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/19/09 08:14 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (9)
18 January 2009
HIWI: Ike - The Book
Last week, the Houston It's Worth It crew announced that they're accepting submissions for a new book -- this one focusing on Hurricane Ike:
Obviously this subject is still an open wound for many of our neighbors and we don’t want to be insensitive to those who still have a long road of recovery ahead. Rather, we want to highlight the camaraderie and support brought about in the storm’s aftermath – refrigerator cookouts/recipes, extension cord jungles, and neighborhood cleanups. Tell us your stories or poems, dig up a “day ten without power” journal entry, find that song you penned by candlelight and of course, send us your photographs (even those taken on your iPhone or BlackBerry); if you made a hurricane song playlist, go ahead and send that too.
Basically, we want to present a more personal account of Hurricane Ike – from the perspective of those who lived through it, not just from The Galveston Daily News or Houston Chronicle. Thanks again for making HIWI a success, you are indeed the city’s greatest ambassadors.
The deadline for submissions is Friday, February 13. Submission information can be found on the HIWI website.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/18/09 05:42 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
16 January 2009
Chron: Borris Miles found not guilty; Defense attorney alleges conspiracy
The Chronicle's Brian Rogers reports that a jury has found former state Rep. Borris Miles not guilty of charges of deadly conduct stemming from alleged misconduct at a 2007 holiday party:
Jury foreman Forrest Peugnet said there wasn’t enough evidence to convict.
“There just wasn’t a smoking gun,” Peugnet said.
After the verdict, Miles said he was “glad the truth finally came out.”
“I went to the Toyota Center; I went to the St. Regis, but I didn’t have a gun at all,” Miles said.
He also said he would consider going back into politics if asked by his former constituents.
In closing arguments, Hardin said leading members of Houston’s African-American business community had orchestrated a campaign to unseat Miles and ruin his insurance business by lying about what happened.
“These people, who had an incredible motive to lie, did in fact, lie to you,” said Hardin. “What’s happening here is a disgrace.”
Prosecutors said that believing all of the witnesses conspired is ridiculous.
“Do you think all of these people want to come down here and talk about this?” Assistant District Attorney Jon Stephenson asked jurors.
“Of course not. It’s ridiculous.”
Voters apparently thought there was some merit to the story. Perhaps Miles should have Rusty Hardin run his next campaign! Hardin can be a persuasive fellow.
So the next question is: Did Miles' accusers conspire to smear an innocent man for personal and political reasons, and will the appropriate authorities pursue that possibility with as much energy as they pursued this case?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/16/09 10:19 AM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (3)
15 January 2009
Optimism abounds for Dynamo stadium deal
The Chron's Liz Austin Peterson says officials from the city, the county, and the Dynamo are moving closer to a deal:
Houston Mayor Bill White asked the county in July to contribute $10 million to the project by joining the city’s East Downtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, which includes the stadium’s proposed site.
Harris County Commissioners El Franco Lee and Sylvia Garcia tentatively agreed late last month to join the project as long as the city agreed to conditions including restricting the use of county money to building the public amenities and infrastructure serving the stadium, rather than the physical structure itself. That could include water and sewer lines for the stadium, or the parking lots and tree-lined plazas surrounding it.
Other conditions include guarantees that Texas Southern University will be allowed to play home games at the stadium and that 15 percent of the seats never will be sold for more than the average price of a movie ticket. The county also wants Dynamo to be held responsible for all facility upkeep and proposes the team fund such repairs through a monthly fee in addition to the lease.
Dynamo president and general manager Oliver Luck said the team is amenable to working with the county on the conditions that involve its operations.
White spokesman Frank Michel said the city is reasonably optimistic it will be able to reach an agreement with the county.
And then there's this:
Dynamo co-owner Anschutz Entertainment Group is willing to invest $60 million to build the $85 million stadium, Luck said, with the rest coming from federal tax credits and other sources.
The city's $20 million land purchase for the stadium doesn't appear to be included in those numbers.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/15/09 04:59 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (8)
14 January 2009
Chief BARC vet neglected to mention suspension of license
The Chronicle's Bill Murphy reports the latest unflattering news regarding BARC:
The chief veterinarian at the Houston animal pound had her license suspended in New Jersey and was placed on probation for three years after a veterinary board in 2004 found that she had provided substandard care to three dogs.
Eunice Ohashiegbula-Iwunze didn’t note the New Jersey suspension on her application for the Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care job in 2007 and omitted it from her application for the top post at BARC several months ago — though the applications may not have required such information.
Animal welfare advocates, who uncovered the information about the veterinarian, called on the city to fire her.
“The city should not have hired Doctor O, and she should not remain on staff at BARC,” said Kelly Cripe, an activist who served on an animal task force created by Mayor Bill White in 2005. “Animal owners in Houston need to understand that if their animal goes missing, it is one truck ride from BARC. You wouldn’t take your animal to a vet in private practice with this track record, and you shouldn’t have to at BARC.”
Michael Terraso, who has oversight of BARC as assistant director of the city health and human services department, said that as far he knows, the city did not learn of Ohashiegbula-Iwunze’s suspension until Monday.
As Cory Crow notes, creative résumé manipulation is just another component of The Houston Way.
BARC frequently draws (deserved) criticism from animal rescue groups, but neither the organization nor its general approach ever seems to interest city leaders for long (not even those who fancy themselves "quality of life" leaders). Even the Chronicle editorial board today criticized "city officials" in relation to BARC. It's rare for the current administration to lose Mrs. White, about as rare as a timely editorial from the same!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/14/09 08:30 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)
12 January 2009
Queen Sheila: Economic stimulas must come to Houston!
KRIV-26's Isiah Carey describes a Sheila Jackson Lee press conference that was delayed today, due to a spelling glitch.
It's good to know that even in tough economic times, we can count on Queen Sheila for a laugh.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/12/09 10:42 PM | Houston People | Technorati | Comments (2)
The latest METRO Solution: A pretty brochure
The Chronicle's Rosanna Ruiz reports that METRO has responded to the facts that it still can't reach agreement with its preferred rail construction partner and still can't actually finance its rail expansion by... creating a fancy brochure (!):
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County went as far as creating a nine-page color brochure that promised that construction could begin within 90 days on North and Southeast light rail lines with a $410 million infusion.
Moving that quickly — and simultaneously — on two light-rail lines may seem farfetched considering that Metro's track record includes completing only a single, 7-mile rail system.
Also, Metro has thus far been unable to reach a final contract agreement with Parsons Transportation Group, the firm it announced in April would build its rail lines.
Here is an excerpt from a fun comment on the story:
Houston Transit seems to have it's [sic] hands out for $400 million for new light rail. If, Houston Transit got the $400 million, what would be the "remaining cost" the five new alignments -- $3 billion or 4.5 to 5 billion? Ans: 4.5 bil - 5 billion more.
(Houston's 50%, need to be borrow all of it: $2.5 bil)
Where is the brochure showing Houston total Light rail construction costs that would include future Debt Service and Operating Costs. I hope the new rail brochure shows all the "new" rail crossing rail in downtown --the new bridges or tunnels over or under Main Street.
The brochure should also show Metro's current "lousy" bus service declining by 20% more, due to increased light rail operating and debt costs. Maybe the brochure should show the City of Houston's additional Stimulus request for $175 million to build road and bridges for Metro's Intermodal Terminal. (roads for a PPP Project that will be privately owned of course)
For even more fun, the brochure might also show Frank "Procurement Disaster" Wilson (unethically) negotiating his next gig with some contractor if/when he is unable to deliver the promised rail expansion on time or otherwise.
We're pretty sure that METRO's brochure won't show any of those things.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/12/09 10:27 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (4)
11 January 2009
City to update bikeway plan
The Chronicle reports that the city's bikeway plan is about to get an update:
With continuing construction by the Texas Department of Transportation on three bike trails in the Heights, west Houston and the Texas Medical Center — and growing enthusiasm by Houston cyclists — the city of Houston plans to update its 15-year Comprehensive Bikeway Plan.
“Starting with February, we will be doing an update of the Comprehensive Bikeway Plan,” said Dan Raine, bicyclist-pedestrian coordinator with the city’s Public Works Department.
“This is a 15-year-old plan that has not been updated in 15 years, so it involves assessing our existing conditions, projects we currently have under design and construction.”
All projects within the 300 miles of bike trails were conceived beginning in 1993.
“Fifteen years later, we really need to look at where we are now and where we need to go,” Raine said.
His office will work with the city’s Super Neighborhood Councils to help identify new projects that will bridge any gaps in the existing system and to improve existing bikeways and connectivity.
“We want to develop new projects to help fill in the missing pieces,” Raine said. “We want to get a lot of citizens’ input on that.”
Here's wishing them well on the project. It's good to see the city focused on park resources that serve many (as opposed to a few).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/11/09 10:34 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)
Untimely: Chron Editorial Board comments on parking revisions
Over the weekend, the Chronicle used one of its two house editorials to question the recent revisions to the city's parking ordinance:
Although the measure sailed through council without opposition, the Chronicle's Bradley Olson and Peggy O'Hare found the response from some downtown business owners and meter customers was less than enthusiastic.
Michael Massa, the owner of the longtime downtown eatery Massa's and a board member of the Downtown Alliance, says parking rules should be less restrictive. "Parking enforcement is already causing people not to come downtown," he commented. Because of the difficulties, "we don't have people dying to come downtown and shop."
Even the city's top elected official suggests that the new enforcement plan may need some tweaking. According to Mayor Bill White, the purpose of the law was to prevent downtown workers from turning street meters into publicly subsidized employee parking. However, the mayor allows that "whether or not there are circumstances that have created some undue hardship for people who must be at a place for more than two hours is something that we ought to look at."
Well, that's all well and good, but supposedly these revisions DO represent tweaking.
It's odd that the Chronicle Editorial Board waited until this weekend to comment on the matter, when their suggestions might have had more impact before the vote. It was on the published city agenda, and the Chron's Houston Politics blog posted about it as well. Nevertheless, the Editorial Board waited until after the fact to offer its sage counsel on the policy. Even worse, there were several days during the week that it ran an insipid "Another Voice" editorial instead of penning two house editorials. That's a weak performance from the Chronicle Editorial Board.
It's especially weak when contrasted with other units in the newspaper. For example, we've suggested in the past that the DC Bureau might be a luxury that the shrinking newspaper could no longer afford. However, after shedding several dead-weight columnists, the DC Bureau seems to be focusing more on local angles for their coverage; they're active bloggers, and they have a presence on Facebook and Twitter. In short, they seem to be working harder to attract, serve, and engage readers. The Chronicle Editorial Board might consider following their lead.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/11/09 10:26 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
Weingarten gets its way on retroactive variance
Back in December, Swamplot reported that Weingarten's new project at the site of the old River Oaks Shopping Center had run into a little problem: Apparently some of the new construction violated certain setback provisions.
Rather than tearing down the offending construction and reworking it, Weingarten announced plans to seek a variance (after the fact), even as neighbors organized against what they deemed a noisy potential new nuisance.
Fast forwarding a month, Swamplot reports that Weingarten managed to win approval for its (retroactive) variance request after satisfying some demands of the complaining neighbors. And as quoted by Swamplot and originally reported by Miya Shay for KTRK-13, Weingarten secured what was surely a helpful assist from two councilmembers:
Despite the anger of some neighbors, Weingarten at the end of the day got what it wanted: It got the variance. It doesn’t have to tear down the structure that initially was against city code. And it still has the support of several council members, many of whom have received campaign donations from some of the management at Weingarten.
In a comment on Swamplot, the Stop Shepherd Noise group indicates it is pleased with the outcome.
As for Weingarten -- it's certainly helpful to have the city's pols on your side in such matters. Why the company didn't abide by Houston's existing development regulations in the first place remains unclear, but perhaps that's just not The Houston Way.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/11/09 09:59 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
Misspelling correction FAIL
The Chron corrections page recently noted the following:
The capiton of a photograph that ran on B4 of Thursday's paper misspelled the name of philanthropist Harry Bovay.
Will there be a correction noting the misspelled word in the above correction at some point?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/11/09 07:54 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (5)
Apache Corp. donates thousands of trees to Harris County Flood Control District
After Hurricane Ike, Mayor White unveiled a new program called "Million Trees + Houston." I haven't heard anything about it since then, but KUHF-88.7 has a nice story on the Harris County Flood Control District's tree-planting program:
Everything the Harris County Flood Control District does relates to flooding. Tree planting is one of those activities...and it's almost by magic.
"One of our basins was just very bare. Went out four days later, and there were about seven thousand trees out there. It was amazing."
Heather Saucier handles media relations for the district. She says for the past five years, they've planted an average of 30-thousand trees every year.
[snip]
The activity makes it one of the largest tree planting agencies in the area. But it doesn't come cheap. Saucier says the district is getting help from Apache Corporation. It is a Houston based independent oil and gas exploration and production company.
"Had we had to purchase these trees, we would be spending more than three hundred thousand dollars. And so, this was a very generous gift from Apache, and we're gonna make sure we make very good use of these trees."
And without a lot of fanfare, Apache Corporation has almost reached its goal of planting one million trees:
"We have a goal of planting a million trees through the Apache Foundation and the Harris County Flood Control District, along with a number of other governmental agencies, schools, volunteer groups in five states have helped us with our goal of planting these trees and we're looking forward to this Spring and planting our millionth tree, hopefully right here in Houston."
That's excellent.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/11/09 04:10 PM | Houston Business | Technorati | Comments (2)
10 January 2009
Texas Watchdog to host meetup Jan. 17
Texas Watchdog, the relatively new local watchdog group, is planning to host a blogger/citizen-journalist/activist meetup of sorts at the Stag's Head Pub at 2:00 pm on January 17.
Here's a blurb from their earlier blog-post announcement:
Come on out and hang with our staff. We want to know how we can help local bloggers and citizen journalists in reporting and using freedom of information laws in the Houston area — and find out how we can better investigate and keep an eye on local and state government agencies in the Houston area.
[snip]
Bring your story tips, your questions, your complaints — and let’s have a refreshing beverage and relax some, too!
If you want to pass along story ideas to the Texas Watchdog folks or just learn from working new-media journalists how to get info out of your local school or METRO or other public entity -- this sounds like a perfect opportunity! And the fried mushrooms aren't half bad at the Stag's Head either.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/10/09 02:02 PM | Announcements | Technorati | Comments (1)
Dangerous time/place/behavior update
From the Department of Conflicting Messages comes this report by KHOU-11's Jeff McShan on downtown crime.
On the one hand, downtown sounds a little scary:
A Houston security guard said he was making his rounds at a park across from downtown’s Toyota Center at 3:40 a.m., when two men reportedly came toward him from across the street. He said they nearly scared him to death.
“That's when they approached me, and one of them put a gun to my head,” said the guard, who didn’t want to be identified.
He said the men took off with his wallet and car keys.
“At that point, I panicked. I freaked out and ran,” said the guard. “I was on the radio yelling for backup and telling them that I was being robbed at gunpoint.”
On the other hand, it doesn't sound so bad:
Going through three months of crime statistics, 11 News learned that robberies downtown, when compared to the rest of the city, are rare.
In fact, from September until the end of November of 2008, there were only 20 reported incidents. The majority of them happened between midnight at 3 a.m.
But the number of downtown car break-ins during the same time was much larger. There were 75 auto thefts reported and 155 car break-ins.
To refine this in terms of Chief Hurtt's Dangerous Time/Place/Behavior theory of Houston crime, you should largely be fine downtown unless you are a security guard patrolling a property in the wee hours of the morning.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/10/09 01:17 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
07 January 2009
City toughens two-hour parking limits downtown
The Chronicle's Bradley Olson reports that Mayor White and his Council today took on the pressing matter of ... downtown parking meter limits:
Bolstered by an update to Houston parking laws that sailed through City Council on Wednesday without discussion, the city is set to enforce the time limits posted at parking meters. That means that if it says two hours, you really can stay only two hours.
Drivers who stay beyond the posted limit will get a ticket, even if they have paid for additional time or have bought the all-day "Downtown Hopper" pass. The stricter ordinance also includes a provision making it clear that no one else can feed the meter for you.
[snip]
Tickets for exceeding the time limit, like those for when a meter has expired, are $25.
That bolded conclusion helps bring everything into better focus.
At least it's better than the previously contemplated crackdown on handicapped parkers.
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport, Texas Liberal.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/07/09 10:33 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (23)
Everyone's a media critic (including the Fifth Circuit)
Tom Kirkendall noticed something interesting in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals' recent Skilling decision:
The Court clearly is not impressed by the objectivity of the Houston Chronicle, citing the newspaper's highly inflammatory coverage of Skilling's case in finding presumed community prejudice against Skilling. Of course, the Chronicle's most vitriolic critic of Skilling doesn't even notice (see also here and here) the Court's criticism.
In the internet age, everyone's a media critic, even the Fifth Circuit!
Kirkendall also posts a pdf of the decision with his notes interspersed, which makes for interesting reading. This is the sort of thing that newspapers concerned about their survival might be doing as well.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/07/09 10:26 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
Are you going to miss Whitney Casey when she's gone?
The Chronicle's reader representative has resurfaced in 2009, and offers this look into the inner workings of the newspaper's Star section, courtesy of a reader email and the reader rep's followup:
Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2009 7:22 PM
Subject: Whitney Casey's PhotosThe assortment of come-hither poses that accompany "columnist" Whitney Casey's offerings weaken the credibility of her articles. I believe she has the incorrect job if what she wanted, instead, was to be a "pin up" girl.
In addition, it makes it appear she is using her position to find a relationship of her own. I don't believe the Chronicle has the duty to assist her. Indeed, other columnists' photos rarely change, even if they need to be updated.
Jim's Response: I went straight to Kyrie O'Conner, Chronicle deputy managing editor/features, on this. This is what she had to say: "It was our choice, not Whitney's to run a larger (and changing) photo with her column. She happened to have some new photos and given the nature of her column, we thought they went with it."
If it's dumbed down and trashed up, one might guess Kyrie O'Connor was involved.
The Houston Press blog Hairballs was documenting the rotating glamor photos way back in October 2008, though, so that's not entirely new.
What is new is the Star section's efforts in promoting Casey's new book. Here's a sampling:
Whitney Casey hit a snag in her plan for finding a man.
It seems that interviewing 250 men and writing an advice book, The Man Plan: Drive Men Wild – Not Away, on how catch a fellow’s attention, left her a little too much in the know for one potential date, who was scared off by Casey’s mastery of the tricks of the trade.
“The Man Plan is ruining my man plan,” Casey said.
Not that the blond, 6-foot former TV journalist — she hosted Great Day Houston and now writes a relationship column in the Houston Chronicle — has trouble catching eyes.
But after a year of finagling a book deal, then researching and writing it, Casey finds herself touting The Man Plan nationally, with a heart on the mend. She recently broke up with her doctor boyfriend.
A while back, O'Connor posted "You're going to miss us when we're gone" in reference to continuing problems in the print newspaper industry.
The metro and state desks? Absolutely.
Rotating glamor shots and related columnists/articles? Not so much.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/07/09 10:09 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (2)
KHOU: Violent crime jumps to highest level since 2005
KHOU-11's Lee McGuire reports that the city would like you to know that "total crime" is down in Houston.
Unfortunately, violent crime in Houston is up:
“Total crime,” as defined by city data reported to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting system, stood at 5,561 events per hundred thousand people in 2008. This is a drop of roughly 8 percent from 2007. The highest recent figure, 6,553 events per hundred thousand people, occurred in
However, incidents of “violent crime” in Houston are up year-to-year. These crimes occurred at a rate of 1,024 per hundred thousand people in 2008, a jump of 2.5 percent from the year before. It is the highest level in Houston since 2005. “Violent crime” includes forcible rape, murder, non-negligent manslaughter, robbery and aggravated assault.
However, incidents of “violent crime” in Houston are up year-to-year. These crimes occurred at a rate of 1,024 per hundred thousand people in 2008, a jump of 2.5 percent from the year before. It is the highest level in Houston since 2005. “Violent crime” includes forcible rape, murder, non-negligent manslaughter, robbery and aggravated assault.The number of rapes jumped significantly year-over-year. There were 24 rapes per hundred thousand people in 2007, but nearly 32 per hundred thousand in 2008, a 33 percent jump. Aggravated assaults were also up 11 percent.
Crimes committed in December were not included in the data released Wednesday.
It's not at all clear that we can even trust these numbers, given the city's murder reporting shenanigans previously exposed by McGuire's colleague Mark Greenblatt. But those are the numbers we have, and it's not good news.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/07/09 09:40 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
06 January 2009
KGOW-1560 scores ratings victory
KGOW-1560 (The Game), which only recently began encoding its signal to register with Arbitron, scored a nice victory in the latest ratings book. The Chronicle's David Barron posts the details:
John Granato and Lance Zierlein, the onetime leaders in Houston morning drive radio sports talk, begin the new year on top once again.
KGOW (1560 AM), which reunited Granato and Zierlien in November 2007 after both left longtime sports talk market leader KILT (610 AM), topped the December Arbitron ratings among men 25-54 with a 1.7 audience share in morning drive.
KFNC (97.5 FM) was second at 1.5, KILT was third at 1.0 and KBME (790 AM) brought up the rear with a 0.5 share.
[snip]
KILT, bolstered by its Texans and Rockets game broadcasts, remains the market leader in the weeklong numbers among men 25-54, the key demographic for sports radio advertising. KILT has a 1.8 share to 0.9 for each of the other three stations in the 6 a.m. to midnight weekly numbers for December.
KILT also retains a substantial lead in cumulative listeners. The station had 152,200 weekly listeners in December to 94,800 for KBME, 59,200 for KFNC and 31,200 for KGOW, according to Arbitron. KILT also had the highest weekly cume in morning drive with 42,400 weekly listeners in men 25-54 to 40,600 for KFNC, 23,600 for KGOW and 17,400 for KBME.
KGOW, however, had the highest average quarter-hour share because even though it has fewer total listeners than KILT, its listeners spend more time tuned in than do KILT’s.
“You want both, more listeners and more time spent listening,” Topper said. “But if I had my druthers, I’d rather have a small group of people who are passionate about the station.”
KGOW seems to be having some early success building an independent radio station with a popular, personality-driven show and an intensely loyal listenership. That model is the one followed in the beginning by The Ticket, which is a Dallas sports talk monster and now has all sorts of great shows and personalities in addition to the venerable Hard Line and Dunham & Miller programs. So here's hoping KGOW follows that buildout model and is able to improve its weaker shows over time.
One thing that is striking about the Houston radio numbers is just how weak they are overall. Either there aren't that many radio listeners interested in sports talk in Houston, or many people find some of the hosts and programs unlistenable. I'm inclined towards the latter. What do you think?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/06/09 08:00 AM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (13)
05 January 2009
Murders decline in 2008
KHOU-11's Jeff McShan reports that murders as reported by HPD declined in 2008:
In 2006, there were 376 homicides within the city limits. In 2007, the number dropped to 347, and in 2008, it dropped again to 292.
300+ murders was an outrage, so it's good that the city is now (barely) below that number.
That is, if we can trust the numbers reported by HPD. Recall that McShan's colleague Mark Greenblatt has exposed past misreporting of murders by HPD.
It will be interesting to see the overall crime numbers for 2008.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/05/09 10:35 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
04 January 2009
Rebuild UTMB
Way back in November, we noted the problems caused by Ike to UTMB, and pointed out that it would be nice if various pols could get behind rebuilding the important resource.
While people were busy shopping and decking the halls and such in December, the issue did get some attention from opinion leaders.
Mayor Bill White, County Judge Ed Emmett, and Dr. Red Duke pointed out the gap in medical services caused by UTMB's service reduction in an op-ed in the Chronicle.
Local industry has sounded the alarm regarding the loss of UTMB's excellent trauma services.
And Texas Monthly's Mimi Swartz effectively blasted UT's board of regents for its response to UTMB's plight (and its likely illegal November meeting that resulted in massive layoffs at the institution).
A lawsuit is pending regarding the regents' likely illegal meeting, but that lawsuit will have about as much impact on the UTMB decisionmaking as a Facebook page or online petition (not much). If area pols (and people) don't get behind restoring this important medical resource, it seems likely that its decline will be permanent (and it will hardly surprise if a shiny new med school opens in, say, Austin, eventually). As a growing region in a growing state, we can hardly afford any permanent reduction in area medical capabilities, so here's hoping our area pols get their act together on this.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/04/09 10:44 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
Taking apart Mayor White's spinning of red-light-camera study
There have been several follow-ups to Bradley Olson's story on the findings of Houston's long overdue red-light-camera study.
TheNewspaper.com came up with a couple of interesting points after looking the data:
The Rice-TTI study compared 24 months of pre-installation data to between 13 and 21 months of post-installation data for each of the five groups. According to TheNewspaper's analysis of overall accident data found in the appendices, the average number of monthly collisions went from an average of 15.4 collisions per month in the two years prior to camera enforcement to 58.3 accidents per month in the post-installation period. Although this figure is not reported in the study itself, the general fact is briefly acknowledged.
"The absolute number of collisions at camera-monitored intersection approaches is not decreasing," the study admitted.
To achieve the appearance of success, the study divided red light camera intersections into "non-monitored" approaches -- the directions of travel at the intersection where the red light camera is not looking -- and the "monitored" approaches where ticketing took place. There was a 132 percent increase in collisions at the non-monitored approaches of the intersection where red light cameras were installed and a non-significant 9 percent increase at the monitored approaches. The study treated these increases in both rear end and T-bone collisions as unrelated to the red light camera as long as the accident happened outside of the camera's view.
The study concluded that because the accidents went up at the non-monitored approaches of red light camera intersections, but effectively stayed the same at the monitored approaches, that the red light cameras were responsible for the "benefit" (a smaller increase) at one part of the red light camera intersection, but not the increase in acccidents at the other. This line of thought would suggest that the increased accidents at the non-monitored approaches of red light camera intersections reflected an increase in accidents at the other city intersections that had no red light cameras at all. The study admits this implication is untrue.
The second point: The data from the Houston study is at odds with the data from the statewide red-light-camera study that purported to show red-light cameras reduced accidents:
Increases in Houston collisions documented by Rice-TTI mysteriously became decreases in collisions in the TxDOT-TTI report, as follows:
Monroe at Gulf Freeway East Service Road: a 913% increase became a 41.7% decrease
Hollister at Northwest Freeway: a 747% increase became a 60.5% decrease
FM1960 West at Tomball Parkway: a 307% increase became a 44% decrease
Richmond at Dunvale: a 103% increase became no change
South Sam Houston Freeway at Telephone Road: a 164% increase became a 19.3% decrease
East Freeway North Service Road at Normandy: a 52% increase became a 25% decrease
North Freeway West Service Road at West Rankin Road: a 18% increase became a 32.7% decrease
Then Bradley Olson posted a follow-up story on Chron.com suggesting the Houston study was flawed, which prompted Scott Henson, who blogs at Grits for Breakfast, to express his skepticism:
While not long ago, the Chronicle touted the results of a much less rigorous study uncritically, in this case, where the results do not support red light cameras, the whole story was centered around claiming the research methodology was flawed. Writes Bradley Olson:
Because red-light cameras are known to have a spillover effect — meaning that they have been shown to impact the number of accidents at intersections where there are no cameras — robust examinations of camera programs always compare crash data with that in other cities.
It's what statisticians call a control group. Unless the study authors compare crashes at the 50 intersections where red-light cameras have been installed with other intersections in which they have not been — preferably in other cities — no conclusions can be drawn from it.
This is utter gobbledy gook, not a legitimate statistical analysis! Red light cameras create their OWN control group when researchers monitor accidents at the intersection BEFORE and AFTER enforcement begins.
That was the flaw I identified in the Texas Department of Transportation study published in December - in the vast majority of intersections they studied, data was not gathered before cameras were installed to compare them. In the Houston study, they had that data going back several years, so IMO the results are actually much more robust and probative than TXDOT's.
[snip]
The reporter also claims, bizarrely, that, "At a ratio of 10 to 1, study after study on the effect of red-light cameras ... have found that they drastically reduce crashes." That's simply false on its face, which further leads me to think Olson's sources were feeding him a line of bull. As I wrote in reaction to the TXDOT study:
in Lubbock red light cameras were discontinued after accidents overall increased 52% at intersections with cameras. Similarly, the state of Virginia eliminated their use after studies in every city using the devices found the number of accidents increased. In other jurisdictions, studies have found reductions in right-angle accidents but nearly equal increases in rear-end collisions, including in injury accidents.
The Houston figures jibe closely with those results, so I don't see why Olson or Mayor White are so surprised that accidents increased in Houston, too. That's what happens when officials prioritize revenue generation over public safety.
And finally, a letter in today's Chronicle, points out that most red-light-camera violations occur in the first two seconds after the light has turned red:
These are not very likely to be the ones that cause serious accidents, but they certainly are the source of a huge amount of revenue being raised by the city. Heavily penalizing these early violations does almost nothing to reduce the accident rate because most red-light-running accidents are caused by drivers who are oblivious to the red light. They run the light much later than two seconds into the red, and they are usually impaired or oblivious to the danger they face.
And a California study showed that three-fourths of all red-light-camera violations occurred in the first second after a light turned red.
The point?
Lengthening yellow light times will do more to reduce red light running and accidents than cameras ever will.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/04/09 03:32 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (2)
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