31 May 2009
Another blog slowdown
I'm heading off on a mostly internet-free adventure for a couple of weeks, so posting here is likely to be slow for a while.
We're going to turn off new registration in the forum this time, because every time we post one of these announcements, the spammers drop by. We'll turn it back on when we crank back up. It won't affect any current members.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/31/09 02:34 PM | Announcements | Technorati | Comments (0)
28 May 2009
State lege rebukes The Houston Way (at least on Rivercrest issue)
The Chronicle's Bradley Olson posts that the state legislature has taken action related to the Rivercrest street closing issue:
A bill that would require the city of Houston to hold a public hearing before making major modifications to roadways passed in the Texas Senate over the weekend. It lacks only the signature of Gov. Rick Perry to become law.
The legislation was prompted by the one-way closure of East and West Rivercrest Drive off Westheimer near the Sam Houston Tollway, a move by the city last May that caused an uproar in the neighboring community of Briargrove Park.
The legislation won't do anything to reverse that particular closure, but it does serve as a rebuke to Mayor White and the city's lack of transparency and due process on this issue. Perhaps other neighborhoods will benefit from the legislation in the future.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/28/09 11:46 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
Before interpreting legal cases, we recommend reading them carefully
We finally found a little time to read Judge Sim Lake's thorough, meticulously crafted decision on the redistricting lawsuit brought against the City of Houston by Vidal Martinez and Carroll Robinson.
If you haven't had a chance, it's really worth the read, first for historical purposes (there is some excellent background on Houston and Texas as related to the Voting Rights act) and second because it truly is a meticulously crafted, well argued refusal to stretch the Voting Rights Act and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments beyond reasonable limits.
Unfortunately, if you read Bradley Olson's coverage for the Chronicle instead of the decision itself, you got a much different interpretation of the case:
The lawsuit argued the city was violating its own charter by refusing to redistrict and add two council districts when its population passed the 2.1 million threshhold in late 2006.
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake rejected that contention, finding the plaintiffs had failed to show the city’s charter compelled redistricting.
Two sentences, two dead-wrong assertions.
The lawsuit argued for relief under the Voting Rights Act and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, not the City Charter per se. And Judge Lake rejected those arguments, without the need to reach any judgment on the requirements of the City Charter itself.
Don't believe my interpretation? Fine. Here's Judge Lake, on pages 7-8 of the opinion:
The plaintiffs do not allege that they are entitled to relief based on a violation of the City Charter, nor do they ask this court to order the City to comply with its Charter. The plaintiffs' claims for relief are instead based only on alleged violations of rights secured by federal statutes and the federal Constitution.
Judge Lake rejected those claims on federal grounds, of course, dismissing the case.
Olson apparently isn't the only local journalist who didn't read the decision carefully. Ann Raber at Texas Watchdog offered this strange assessment:
Federal District Judge Sim Lake’s decision hinged on the need for an official, accurate count of the population and demographic information.
No it didn't.
When interpreting legal cases, there's really no substitute for reading extra carefully (or perhaps just reading in the first place). Otherwise, silly preventable errors can result.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/28/09 11:29 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (0)
Westchase embraces surveillance cameras; Chron cheers
In the leadup to Memorial Day last week, Mattress Mack and other Westchase district leaders excitedly announced a "private-public partnership" to install security cameras all over their part of town:
The proposed camera system was introduced Tuesday by Houston businessman Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale and his wife, Linda, who live in an apartment at the Westside Tennis and Fitness Center, which they own. McIngvale said he became a fan of camera-surveillance technology because it quickly ended auto thefts and burglaries after he installed them at his furniture business.
“Police are stretched on their budgets, so it’s something we wanted to do as merchants,” said McIngvale, a member of the nonprofit Operation Westside Success, which is raising money for the system. “We’ve got a big economic stake in this, and it’s up to us to make our neighborhoods better.”
[snip]
James Murphy, general manager of the Westchase District, said cameras the improvement district installed on private property outside restaurants and shopping malls led to a dramatic reduction in crime.
“We have 11 cameras we’re using, and it’s fantastic,” Murphy said. “We’ve reduced parking-lot crime in those locations 70 percent on average, and in some areas more. We’re talking about auto theft, auto break-ins and robberies.”
Apparently, the cameras are not as effective at preventing arson, but maybe they'll still help catch the Gallery Furniture arsonists!
While surveillance cameras do have some merit in reducing crime in parking lots, a fair amount of research suggests that they otherwise have little impact on crime. Interestingly, that perspective does not find its way into the Chron story, which instead focuses on what the newspaper is good at: cheerleading.
If Mattress Mack wants to raise money to install cameras to help protect cars in West Houston, good for him. However, we suspect that the police force established several years ago by the district will be a greater deterrent to serious crime.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/28/09 09:48 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
METRO: Your tax dollars at work
This is METRO in action.
This is METRO applauding itself.
This is Tom Bazan's latest on METRO's declining ridership numbers:
METRO fixed-route bus boardings again experienced a huge decline of -26.02% for April 2009 over April 2008. Bus boardings for first seven months of FY 2009 is -21.83% below the same FY 2008 period. In real numbers, there were 11,298,800 fewer bus boardings this fiscal year. The fixed-route bus boardings for the Jan-Apr 2009 period are -29.43% less than the Jan-Apr 2004 period when the tram service was initiated.
The fixed-route bus boardings have DECLINED each of the past NINE months, -20%, with a net loss of -13,240,300 boardings. There have been bus boarding declines in 11 of the past 14 months.
The tram boardings were again off -2.44% for April 2009, and the estimated tram boardings for the first seven months of FY2009 have declined -4.3%. The tram boardings have DECLINED each of the past SEVEN months as compared to the same 7-month period in FY2008. The total loss of tram boardings totals -307,800.
This is METRO applauding itself.
This is METRO's latest service "improvements."
This is local media skepticism of METRO's latest service "improvements."
This is METRO applauding itself, one and a half years behind schedule.
Your tax dollars at work.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/28/09 06:18 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (4)
Chron.com: Where people go to die twice!
A reader alerts us to this death notice currently on Chron.com (dated May 27, 2009):
Ted Busch, a former first assistant district attorney of Harris County who had a reputation as a dedicated, demanding prosecutor, has died. He would have been 76 on the Fourth of July.
"He was a career prosecutor and smart and extremely dedicated to helping provide a quality prosecutors' office while seeing that justice was done," said friend and former colleague Bert Graham, the current first assistant DA.
Former Harris County District Attorney Carol Vance called Busch "a real pro" and "one of the most beloved and unforgettable characters to grace the halls of the DA's office."
People we respect say Busch really was a fine prosecutor for the citizens of Harris County.
They also tell us he died nearly a year ago. Here is the story that the Chronicle ran back then.
Apparently, Chron.com is not just for screaming baby photos. It is also a place where a person can die several times!
Here is a screenshot of today's Chron.com deaths page:
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/28/09 07:53 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (1)
27 May 2009
Chron.com: Dumbed down and trashed up (cont'd)
It's almost become passé to mock the confused jumble of user party photos, journalist and reader blog content, tacky ads, and (oh yeah!) links to news stories that occupy the front page of the website of the area's newspaper of record.
Sometimes, though, content like this merits a shout-out (click here for an enlarged view):
In case the image isn't clear enough for you, the text that accompanies that featured bit of news is as follows:
Pics of screaming babies: hilarious!
Photos of other people's kids throwing fits will make you feel better about your own little devils. Take a look at some of the best temper tantrums caught on film. It's OK to laugh.
It's a good thing that the Chron.com web team scrubbed the site of all references to this little blog a while back, so the Chronsters could narrowly focus on the community's more *ahem* legitimate news and commentary.
UPDATE: KHOU.com has posted an amusing, somewhat related AP news story ("Chron.com, other newspapers consider charging fees for Web sites").
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/27/09 11:57 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (7)
25 May 2009
METRO Solutions: $150,000 per new rail transit rider?
In a post today, blogger and blogHOUSTON commenter Neal Meyer takes apart the three-hour-commute prediction of Ray Chong, until recently one of the City of Houston's traffic bureaucrats. That's well worth reading in itself, but it gets even more interesting towards the bottom of the post:
One item that Mr. Chong's story may be more to the mark on is the assertion that public transportation's share of commuting trips will drop from 3.8 percent to 3.3 percent. One big story that has not been reported by the media concerning recent controversies surrounding eminent domain issues and cost estimates behind Metro's North and Southeast corridors is that in its FY 2010 report to Congress, the FTA is stating that spending $897 million on the North Corridor rail alignment is going to result in a mere 7,500 new riders being attracted to using transit (see page 221 of the report). The Southeast Corridor rail alignment is projected to cost $911 million and is expected to attract a mere 4,500 new riders to transit (see page 227 of the FTA report). Yes gentle readers, you read that correctly. The FTA is telling Congress that it is recommending helping Metro spend $1.8 billion to attract 12,000 new riders to rail transit, a figure that works out to spending $150,000 to attract a new rider to transit. Meanwhile, my yet to be completed FY 2008 - FY 2009 ridership numbers are indicating that Metro lost 10-20 percent of its ridership over the past year. If we continue to pursue such policies, then it is quite plausible that Houston's transit agency will end up bankrupting itself merely to substitute rail transit for bus transit, but not gaining any meaningful market share of transportation trips or doing anything to alleviate traffic congestion. Indeed according to Metro's federal enviornmental impact statements, the agency intends to cut off road lanes available to vehicle traffic along most of the routes where it wants to run rail.
That's some interesting insight into METRO and the FTA documents, and the entire post is recommended reading. Wouldn't it be great if the city had a newspaper that regularly engaged in cost/benefit analysis of such matters? Ah well, at least we got to hear from Christof Spieler and Robin Holzer in today's transit column!
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/25/09 10:24 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (3)
What Memorial Day means to the Chronicle editors
Unca Darrell has the sorry details of the Chronicle's Memorial Day editorial. Here's a taste:
The Chronicle simply does not share the intense love of country and respect for our military that most Americans feel. Patriotism exists in vestigial form at the Chronicle, but it is always expressed in qualified and conditional ways, with the head turned away. One imagines their saying to a beloved on an anniversary, "This is the day for expressing affection, and that's fine, but you could afford to lose a few pounds."
As we have witnessed countless times before, the Chronicle editors are incapable of honoring the meaning behind almost any holiday. Their own agenda must take precedence.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/25/09 12:01 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (4)
24 May 2009
HPD Officer in critical condition
Authorities said Officer Lloyd Morrison stopped to investigate a wreck at about 3 a.m. at 45th and Cullen streets along with a fire crew, when one of the vehicles involved in the crash slammed into his patrol car.
Investigators said Morrison then exited his car and was checking on the people in the vehicle when another car ran into his patrol car, pinning him between the vehicle and a fire truck.
The fire department was able to pull him from between his vehicle and the fire truck by lifting his car off of him, police said.
Officer Morrison is a familiar face amongst officers who worked drunk driving task forces or simply brought drunk drivers to the HPD intox station in downtown Houston. When I worked nights, I brought in many drunk drivers for whom Officer Morrison conducted breathalyzer tests. He always seemed to be in a good mood, despite the chaotic running down the halls, completing paperwork, filing charges, etc. I was always glad to see Lloyd working intox because I knew my job just got easier. We wish Lloyd a speedy recovery!
Police the two drivers are accused of drunken driving and are expected to be charged with DWI when they are released from the hospital. [sic]
A better charge would be intoxication assault!
Posted by Jason @ 05/24/09 10:41 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
More on Richard Vacar's hasty departure (updated)
We noted last week that eyebrows were raised when Richard Vacar hastily retired as head of the Houston Airport system. Today, the Chron's Bradley Olson has more, and it appears the non-profit agency Vacar created could have been the problem:
The genesis of the Houston Airport System Development Corp. came in 2000, when City Council authorized the city aviation department to assist a company making a bid to manage 13 airports in Mexico. Under the “technical services” agreement, the city would be reimbursed for the time aviation employees spent on international development at a rate of 1.8 times the actual costs, plus expenses.
The idea behind the development corporation was that money eventually would flow into city coffers, and airport employees would add cosmopolitan élan to their résumés by consulting for other airport systems around the world.
But little money has made its way into the city treasury . Houston airport officials said they could not provide details last week on how much time employees have spent on HASDC activities, how much money the city has been reimbursed, or even how many employees have performed work for the corporation.
Vacar said he believed there had been between $60,000 and $70,000 transferred to city airport operations from HASDC and stressed it would be much more in the future.
From Olson's previous story, we learned of the city-approved agency:
Under a 2000 agreement in which City Council authorized the consulting activities, employees in the aviation department are allowed to do work for HAS Development Corp., and the city is reimbursed 1.8 times the cost of the employees’ time, plus expenses. A percentage of revenues generated annually is given to the city, board member Dionel Aviles said, although he declined to say how much.
According to 2006 and 2007 financial forms filed with the Internal Revenue Service, HASDC took in a little more than $1.1 million each year.
“It’s a very good concept,” Aviles said. “It will benefit the city of Houston in the long run.… Eventually, as these contracts take shape in other airports, they will accumulate a lot of money that will go back to the city of Houston.”
So ... we have a non-profit, quasi-governmental agency that's been flying under the radar, promising big financial rewards for the city sometime in the (distant) future. It's interesting to note that in nine years of existence, this appears to be the first time the agency is receiving any scrutiny.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: The Chronicle's lazy plagiarist of a metro columnist (Rick Casey) writes that he and Olson both tried to get Mayor White to tell them why he effectively fired Vacar, but that White wouldn't. Unbelievably, Casey leaves it at that, basically whining that White wouldn't write his column for him and that may lead to rumors. John Kass or Mike Royko this is not.
In fact, one wonders how much longer the salary of this Jeff Cohen pet can be justified, in light of all the layoffs of real journalists who actually contribute something to the newspaper. The fact that a column on this explosive comment generated only ten (!) comments says a great deal.
Also, Rich Connelly emails that he posted about the Houston Airport System's international dealings back in March, and that the organization was not forthcoming about its finances back then.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/24/09 01:39 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (3)
23 May 2009
Mayor White gets first-hand look at Safe Clear
In a story that can only make one laugh, Mayor Bill White's daughter's car was towed as a result of his own program.
Rushing to the scene of the burning Gallery Furniture warehouse Thursday as a passenger in his daughter Elena’s Prius, White had her park in the emergency lane near the Tidwell exit ramp, from which they both jogged a block to the scene.
“After thanking the firefighters and consoling employees, we ran back to the car,” he said. “It had just been towed.
Is this the same Prius his daughter was driving when she was arrested for drunk driving?
Perhaps they ought to get rid of that Prius. It seems to be a trouble magnet.
Posted by Jason @ 05/23/09 01:16 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)
22 May 2009
Introducing local fire photos
While on the scene of this fire that made the news, there were many people taking pictures with their cell phone cameras. I ran into a Houston Firefighter taking pictures. He told me of his web site where they post photographs of fires they have battled. The Houston Fire Department did an outstanding job on Cook Road. One fireman got injured. He had blood running down his face from a cut on his forehead. He got it wiped up and went straight back to his post.
Anyhow, for local pictures of scenes made by HFD go here and enjoy the photographs!
Posted by Jason @ 05/22/09 12:16 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
20 May 2009
Blog vacation
Memorial Day weekend is quickly approaching, and that means the little blog is going on vacation for a few days, as some of us are headed out of town and some of us just like a break here and there.
You might still see a post or two, but probably not, so feel free to treat this as an open-comments thread to discuss Houston-area stuff while we're away (within the usual guidelines about flame ways and such, please).
And thanks again for being part of our little online community!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/20/09 10:03 AM | Announcements | Technorati | Comments (2)
18 May 2009
KHOU: Dump truck flattens (occupied) wheelchair
KHOU-11 reports on a grisly accident in south Houston:
A man trying to cross Old Spanish Trail in his wheelchair was hit by a dump truck Monday afternoon.
It happened around 2 p.m. at the Almeda intersection near the VA Hospital.
Arthur Williams, 50, was badly injured and was rushed to Ben Taub Hospital by ambulance.
Police say the driver of the dump truck was rear ended at the intersection near Old Spanish Trail and Almeda. A police officer who was investigating the accident told the drivers to go through the intersection and pull into a nearby gas station.
According to investigators, the driver of the dump truck had a green light.
Williams was in a non-motorized wheelchair. He was caught in the middle of the street when the light for oncoming traffic turned green, according to witnesses.
”I don’t think that the dump truck could see that he was there,” said Donna Brown. “I was looking from over there and I was saying ‘oh my God, he needs to make it across the street.’ From the height of the dump truck, I don’t think the driver saw where he was.”
Crazy.
What is even scarier than the text of the report is the photo of the flattened wheelchair on KPRC-2's website.
We wish the victim a full and speedy recovery.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/18/09 10:45 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
Favorite headline of the day
One doesn't see a headline like this every day, even in the big city:
Everyone can use a helping hand from time to time.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/18/09 10:31 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (1)
17 May 2009
Powerful head of Houston Airport System abruptly "retires"
On Friday, KTRK-13's Miya Shay posted news that Richard Vacar, the powerful head of the Houston Airport System, had retired, effective the day before.
Bradley Olson followed up with a lengthy story on the "retirement" for the Chronicle, although there remain more questions than answers about the abrupt departure:
While his reason for leaving remained unclear Friday, several City Hall employees and officials focused on his role leading the Houston Airport System Development Corp., a nonprofit tied to a web of companies that run operations and construction projects at airports in Ecuador and Costa Rica, as well as facilitating training in Houston of Chinese airport officials. In 2005, a cooperative agreement also was announced with the West African nation of Senegal.
White and Vacar were known to get along poorly, according to several officials close to both men, although few expected their relationship to lead Vacar to leave.
This does not have the look or feel of a voluntary retirement of a powerful agency head (especially since HAS staff seemed to have no clue it was coming). Rather, it has the look and feel of someone being pushed out, for reasons that remain unclear.
Perhaps Vacar and Mayor White got crosswise on some issue, like the Costa Rican airport discussions or the revenue expected to accrue to HAS (and not the City of Houston proper) from various deals that Vacar has overseen (with little scrutiny). Perhaps there is some sort of scandal that is about to emerge, and the housecleaning is beginning well in advance. The lack of transparency so far isn't very helpful.
We hope the city's watchdog journalists continue to look into the matter. HAS is a fairly big, quasi-public player in the city, and the citizenry deserves better answers about suspiciously abrupt personnel changes. For that matter, we could probably benefit from a closer look at the organization's dealings over the last decade or so.
BLOGVERSATION: Houblog.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/17/09 09:19 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (6)
Morales' exaggerations shot down by Chron reporter (updated)
In one of his last stories for the Chronicle, Alan Bernstein reports that mayoral candidate Roy Morales seems to have problems describing his experience accurately:
Houston mayoral candidate Roy Morales told a group of voters in March, “I manage the Head Start program.”
The claim by the retired Air Force lieutenant colonel was untrue, which Morales acknowledged to the Chronicle last week.
[snip]
Since February, Morales has made several campaign assertions about his work experience that appear to inflate his record.
Politicians fib all the time, of course, but generally it is a matter of telling voters what they want to hear on certain issues, as opposed to lying about facts that can easily be checked. If he were a serious candidate, we'd expect the other candidates to give Morales some grief. But he's not, so this episode will probably be more of a comedic matter than an ongoing campaign issue.
UPDATE: Candidate Morales emails the following:
Dear Kevin,
We have talked in the past. The information in the Chronicle was misinformation and incomplete information. We have submitted a response to that inflammatory article. There was no exaggeration on my experience. In fact, I have always down played my credentials. Your blog and others should wait until all of the information is on the table because all you are doing is propagating the defamation of character. I would be willing to talk to you directly and provide you all of the documentation to back up my career. I have posted a document on my Facebook to clearly show my sterling career. As far as Head Start, just go to Harris County Department of Education web site to see that I am the Chairman of that committee.
Roy Morales
If Morales indeed did not acknowledge the alleged untruth (from the Chron's reporting, now bolded in the post), then we would fully expect the area's newspaper of record to run a correction to that effect, and we will be happy to note that correction as well.
BLOGVERSATION: Off the Kuff.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/17/09 03:16 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
A little exercise in compare and contrast -- local media edition
The Chronicle's indispensable Metro columnist Rick Casey is unhappy because a local citizen ran for commissioner of Harris County Emergency Services District No. 9, and won the seat. Casey's unhappiness stems from low election turnout, and the local citizen's belief that God led her to run for the position.
Compare that withering column to KPRC-2's recent multi-part investigation of Harris County Emergency Services District No. 1, detailing an exclusive contract the agency had with a private, for-profit helicopter company:
For the last 14 months, a private for-profit PHI helicopter has transported patients to hospitals in and around Houston, working exclusively for the nonprofit government agency Emergency Services District 1.
Anytime ESD 1 paramedics decided a patient needed to fly to a hospital instead of taking a ground ambulance, ESD 1 would dispatch PHI.
In 2007, before ESD 1 signed the contract with PHI, the district only airlifted 12 patients in the entire year. In 2008, after ESD 1 signed the deal with the air medical company, it transported 106 patients. That’s a 783% increase.PHI made its money by directly billing and collecting from the patients it flew.
In one case, an accident victim was transported by helicopter to the hospital, released several hours later having suffered no major injuries, and received a $12,000 bill from the helicopter company. An ambulance bill would have been under $1,000. After Channel 2's investigation, HCESD 1 ended its exclusive contract with the private helicopter company.
When the Chronicle talks about "tenacious, watchdog journalism," it's a safe bet Casey isn't included.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/17/09 01:01 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (0)
Mayor White's 2010 budget
Yesterday, one of the Chronicle's two multiple editorial writers praised Mayor White's fiscal brilliance as Houston faces the "harsh economics" of today:
It’s a credit to the term-limited mayor’s management skills that the final spending plan of his six years in office significantly increases funding for public safety, which now accounts for more than half of general fund operating and maintenance expenses, while holding the property tax rate at its current level. White plans to re-evaluate spending levels in September and will issue a draft budget outline for 2011 before leaving office next January.
[snip]
“These are times when hard choices need to be made and we’re not punting any of those choices,” said the mayor in unveiling the proposed budget.
He cautioned that the economic downturn could be lengthy and would require both patience by residents and continuing efforts to reduce city spending.
Inquiring minds want to know if the hard choices include the mayor's plan to retrofit 11 million square feet of city buildings to meet the Clinton Climate Initiative's Energy Efficiency program standards.
Inquiring minds want to know if the hard choices include the mayor's plan to help subsidize a new soccer stadium.
Inquiring minds want to know if the hard choices include cutting back funding for the Houston Art Alliance, which has proven it fritters away taxpayer dollars.
Inquiring minds want to know if the hard choices include a pause in the city's hybrid vehicle-buying program (spend millions of dollars to save hundreds of thousands of dollars, you know).
The point is when times are tough, citizens do face hard choices with their budgets. Rarely do we see government officials make those hard choices -- they'd rather cut back on essential services and infrastructure improvements than actually get rid of non-essential fluff. And whenever possible, they like to sweep some things under the rug completely.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/17/09 12:20 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (0)
16 May 2009
SF Chron: HPD Chief Hurtt in running for top police job in San Francisco
News reaches us from the Hearst newspaper in San Francisco that HPD Chief Harold Hurtt is in the running for a position there:
The field of candidates for San Francisco's new police chief has been reduced to a dozen or so semifinalists, including five from inside the department, according to sources with knowledge of the selection process.Inside candidates include Deputy Chief Kevin Cashman, now in charge of patrol; Capt. Greg Suhr, whom Chief Heather Fong recently demoted from deputy chief; Capt. Denis O'Leary, now in charge of the narcotics unit; Capt. Al Casciato of Northern station; and Capt. John Goldberg, now in charge of the department's tactical division.
[snip]
Among the outsiders, the most frequently mentioned candidates are Gascon, San Mateo Police Chief Susan Manheimer, Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt and Pasadena Police Chief Bernard Melekian.
Chief Hurtt has established himself as a true pioneer when it comes to reordering police priorities in Houston, not to mention the innovative use of technology to enhance safety (and municipal revenues), and has managed to pull this off while still maintaining very close ties to Phoenix, where he lived for many years previously.
While the little blog does not endorse political candidates, we are more than happy to endorse HPD Chief Harold Hurtt for a similar post in the great city of San Francisco. We sincerely urge San Francisco to make this hiring as quickly as possible. The truly good ones don't stay on the market for long, and we wouldn't want you to miss your chance!
UPDATE: The local Chron is finally on the case!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/16/09 12:40 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (14)
MeMo riles the sisterhood on Supreme Court vacancy
Kyrie "Memo" O'Connor, the Chronicle's erratic features editor, recently offered this perspective on the Supreme Court vacancy:
If Obama appoints a woman to the Supreme Court, everyone will be happy. Two-ninths of the court will seem appropriate, even fair. Most people won't say hey, why aren't there three women, or six, or eight? all of which outcomes would actually be more fair to men than has been the history of the court since its inception.
Now, somebody -- do I see your hand raised, Matty B? -- will point out that something as important as a U.S. Supreme Court opening should go to the very best person, not the very best [fill in group here]. That it's never been handled that way -- certainly not in the past century -- won't persuade a purist. And of course if this were a perfect world the purists would be right.
But until there are eight women on the bench, I'm going to be grumpy.
We don't recall seeing any objections on MeMo's blog when diminutive Chron editor Jeff Cohen laid off the only two women on the editorial board a few weeks ago. Furthermore, we don't recall seeing any objections on MeMo's blog when Dai Huynh, the newspaper's award-winning food writer, was told not to return from maternity leave at that same time, and a male took her place.
What is that bumper-sticker phrase, "Think Globally, Act Locally?" Maybe that advice applies here.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/16/09 11:50 AM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (5)
15 May 2009
Checking in on the Pavilions
Via KHOU-11, one of the developers of Houston Pavilions is optimistic the project can attain 60% occupancy by this summer:
Geoffrey Jones is the co-developer of Houston Pavilions. It’s a three block project near Dallas and Main Street.
”I don’t think anybody could look you in the eye and suggest that they haven’t to some extent been nicked by what’s gone on generally in the economy,” Jones said. “But really when you think about it, the Pavilions are a success story.”
The downtown mixed-use development opened in October of 2008 with House of Blues, XXI Forever and Books-a-Million claiming the anchor positions.
In the next few months, Jones says Lucky Strike Lanes, Yao Restaurant & Bar and Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar will open their doors. Polk Street Pub, Cork Wine Bar and Mia Bella are under construction. III Forks Steakhouse, Great Wraps and Qatar Airways are also renting space in the downtown development.
”There’s not a day that goes by that my partner Bill Denton and I don’t thank our lucky stars that this project is located here,” Jones said. “We don’t believe there’s another city anywhere in the nation where we could experience the same measurement of success we are experiencing here.”
Of course, he thanks his lucky stars the Pavilions is in Houston -- local taxpayers gave generously to his project.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/15/09 05:03 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)
13 May 2009
Chron revisits downtown HOV lane question
Roughly four years ago, the Chron's transit columnist at the time was asked about downtown HOV/"Diamond" bus and carpool lanes, and basically told readers that the regulations are not enforced, and indeed would be nearly impossible to enforce.
In this week's transit column, the question returns, but the newspaper ran the more "official" answer:
The diamond lanes in downtown Houston and Midtown run along Smith, Louisiana, Milam, Travis, Fannin and San Jacinto. During certain hours—which vary and are marked by signs—only “mass transit vehicles” or vehicles making right turns can use the lanes, said Raequel Roberts, spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Any type of peace officer can enforce the law, including Houston police, Metro police and Harris County deputies.
The maximum fine for a violation is $200, says Randy Zamora, senior assistant city attorney. Usually, the ticket is $170 with court costs. Zamora said he couldn’t calculate how many bus lane violations had been issued in the past five years because the tickets are lumped together with violations for “failure to obey an official traffic control device.”
Hmm, our best guess is that the regulations still are not enforced, because they still are nearly impossible to enforce. But if you do get a ticket, please don't blame us. It would hardly be shocking if city officials started working a Downtown HOV/Diamond-Lane Violators revenue stream!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/13/09 10:09 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (8)
If it sounds like, looks like, and smells like The Houston Way...
On Monday, the Chronicle ran a followup on the Rivercrest street-closing issue ("Debate reopens over Rivercrest street closures").
In the story, reporter Bradley Olson notes that the debate continues over the closing of the street, and whether any sort of regular policymaking process took place. Mayor White, of course, contends that everything was aboveboard, and The Houston Way played no role at all (we're not sure if he said it in that "aww shucks" voice of his and winked, but we are imagining it might have gone that way).
Still, the bolded phrase in this lonely little graf seems telling:
City officials said that while there was no council discussion or vote on the one-way closure, they took pains to notify residents in both neighborhoods of the proposed changes, including meetings with both groups.
Maybe if such controversial executive moves that seem to favor the politically connected were subject to council discussion and voting, there would be fewer accusations of a lack of due process. Just a thought!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/13/09 09:44 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
Chron's Bernstein leaving newspaper to work for Sheriff Garcia
Yesterday, Unca Darrell posted the news that veteran political reporter Alan Bernstein will soon be leaving the Chronicle, to go to work for Sheriff Adrian Garcia. We've since confirmed the news with another knowledgeable source.
It's not clear who will take over Bernstein's duties. We've sent a query to Chron reader rep Jim Newkirk, but since he doesn't answer emails, we are not holding our breath for this to be the exception. Maybe he will post something about it on his blog.
BLOGVERSATION: Hair Balls, Campos Communications, Life at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/13/09 09:11 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
Some area officials resist release of full ethics disclosure forms
On Monday, Texas Watchdog reported on the roadblocks they have faced recently in obtaining full ethics disclosure forms from city and county officials.
Area officials have redacted information related to spouses reported on those forms.
Upon first glance, a reasonable person might think this is only right -- why drag spouses further into the nasty business of politics? However, as anyone familiar with The Houston Way knows, spouses of Houston's movers and shakers are quite often movers and shakers in their own right, and those sorts of connections (and potential benefits that accrue from them) can actually be of great interest to watchdogs (and, of course, the public).
Furthermore, when Texas Watchdog faced similar obstacles in Corpus Christi and objected, the state attorney general instructed Corpus Christi officials that the full disclosure forms were in the public domain, and parts could not be selectively withheld from the public. So the precedent for the release of this public information has been clearly established.
In a followup today, Texas Watchdog reports that County Judge Ed Emmett voluntarily disclosed the information about his wife to the group, after being informed that it had been redacted by county officials.
We would hope that area officials who have withheld this information are prepared to be as forthcoming as Judge Emmett, because it is difficult to imagine the attorney general is going to reverse his previous finding and reward the local stonewallers.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/13/09 10:19 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
12 May 2009
Wayne Dolcefino on Probation
David Barron of the Houston Chronicle reports that Channel 13's undercover reporter Wayne Dolcefino pleaded no contest to charges of criminal trespass in Austin County:
"KTRK (Channel 13) reporter Wayne Dolcefino will serve nine months of probation-like supervision after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor trespassing charge in Austin County."
"Dolcefino, 52, was sentenced by Austin County Court at Law Judge Daniel Leedy to deferred adjudication, which means he will not have an official conviction if he successfully completes his unmonitored “community supervision” and pays his $500 fine and $330 court costs.
He was accused of trespassing Jan. 8, 2008, on the Austin County ranch of Houston architect Leroy Hermes, said Austin County Attorney Travis Koehn.
“(Dolcefino) was videotaping at the entrance of Mr. Hermes’ property in Austin County. The gate had a keypad electronic lock, and they messed with that to the point that it opened up, and then went onto the property and videotaped it and then left,” Koehn said."
The reason I highlighted this story was to make a point. We're all for reporters and watchdog groups watching the government and keeping elected and public officials in line; however, for someone to grandstand at other people's misdeeds and then commit one himself seems just a little hypocritical. Police cannot use evidence obtained illegally to make a case against a person suspected of a crime. Police and elected officials are also held to a higher standard of conduct because they are charged with monitoring and judging the public's behavior. So, if news reporters feel it is their mission to expose corruption or misbehavior, that's fine. However, shouldn't they also hold themselves to a high and ethical standard of conduct lest they be nothing more than common hypocrites?
As of 11:31 PM, I couldn't find this story on any of the other news websites, particularly Channel 13's own site. Perhaps the story aired on the evening broadcast. If so, I missed it.
BLOGVERSATION: Hair Balls.
Posted by Jason @ 05/12/09 11:37 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
11 May 2009
Chron wants Congressional hand (not handout or bailout)
One of the Chronicle's two editorial writers* weighed in today on the matter of "saving" newspapers.
Cory Crow was as unimpressed as we were, and much more motivated to explain why, so go read him here.
"Newsosaur" Alan Mutter did a nice job last month debunking the notion that somehow Google is to blame for the decline of newspapers, and suggested that editors and publishers need to get to work trying to figure out how to remake their enterprise.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has recently taken some steps in that direction, and seems to be trying hard to re-engage potential readers. The Chronicle, on the other hand, has exorcised a blog from its blogrolls, rolled out this website, cut its delivery area, and shrunk the size of the newspaper. It's hard to see how those moves (or punishing Google, or changing antitrust provisions, or continuing to lay off quality journalists, or having an invisible, unresponsive "reader representative") are going to fix the problems locally.
BLOGVERSATION: Unca Darrell.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/11/09 10:20 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (5)
Chron picks up on HPOU sanctuary-directive criticism
Last month, various blogs noted that Houston Police Officers' Union president Gary Blankinship had pointedly urged Mayor White to scrap General Order No. 500-5, the city's sanctuary directive.
James Pinkerton has a lengthy story on that bit of "olds" in today's Chronicle.
When putting together a story like this, a certain type of comment always has to run:
Houston Assistant Police Chief Dan Perales, said the necessity of combating crime in immigrant communities prompted the implementation of General Order 500-5 in 1992. That need has not changed, he said.
“We want to make sure that individuals do come forward to report crimes” without fear of arrest or deportation, Perales said.
If that's true -- and we're not saying it is or is not -- then wouldn't a public debate over the 17-year-old sanctuary directive (put in effect by an unelected police chief) only serve to legitimize it? So why not have that debate, and invite in experts for testimony?
Those questions are not explored in the story.
UPDATE (05-12-09): Charles Kuffner also comes a little late to this topic, with this observation/query:
I really don't know why it is that the Houston Police Officers Union has decided it wants HPD to be different from every other urban police force in the state and start questioning residents about their immigration status.
Really? Okay, we'll take a stab at it -- maybe Blankinship is tired of attending funerals of fellow cops killed by illegal immigrants, and honestly thinks that a less accommodating stance by HPD on illegal immigrants might reduce the number of those funerals he has to attend?
But Blankinship doesn't run a Dem Party politics blog like Kuffner, so he may not understand this policing stuff as well. Fine. Let's have a public discussion at Council, invite in immigration and law-enforcement experts, and sort it out. Why is that so scary to Mayor White?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/11/09 09:38 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
City hires BARC director, doesn't want to talk about it
At the end of last week, the Chronicle's Bradley Olson reported that the city's troubled Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care (BARC) is under the supervision of a new director:
Ray Sim, most recently the director of Animal Care and Regulation in Broward County, Fla., has been on the job for two weeks, said Kathy Barton, a spokeswoman for BARC. Barton said he would not be available for an interview until next week. More detail about how he was selected also would not be available until then, she said.
[snip]Sim, a University of Utah graduate who also studied business administration at Brigham Young University and Westminster College, has worked in animal care since at least 2004, according to a copy of his application. He left his previous post in Broward County in January after only three months because, according to his application, county officials anticipated privatizing that facility.
Sim spent one year before that in El Paso as deputy director of animal services and led an animal services department in the Gainesville, Fla., area from 2004 to 2007, he stated on the application. He became a “certified animal welfare administrator” in 2004.
Sim will head an agency that receives far less funding relative to the city’s population compared with Dallas, Austin and San Antonio.
Will head? Apparently he has been heading.
So why all the secrecy about his hiring, especially from an administration whose mayor claims to favor transparency?
On the topic of BARC, here's another sad tale of ineptitude. We wish Mr. Sim luck in cleaning up that mess. He's going to need it.
BLOGVERSATION: Hair Balls.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/11/09 09:02 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
10 May 2009
A month in, Chron discovers METRO Solutions cost discrepancies
Way back at the beginning of April, KHOU-11's Jeremy Desel reported on cost discrepancies related to METRO's big expansion plans.
The Examiner News's Mike Reed followed up on the story nearly a week ago.
The Chronicle finally decided the story was worthy of mention this weekend.
So, great for he-says/she-says "reporting." But where is the analysis? The watchdog coverage?
Here's hoping the TV stations or Tom Bazan or Texas Watchdog are up to that task moving forward. Because we are talking about a LOT of money up for grabs, and a guy who doesn't exactly have the best record when it comes to spending the public's money.
UPDATE: Carolyn Feibel emails and explains that her reporting relied upon updated figures she obtained herself (rather than Magaziner's), that she interviewed relevant parties, and that this took some time. She also points out that this took place as she was learning a new beat, and vows that she'll certainly be watching the money.
Those are all fair points, and in retrospect, my question about the analysis was too harsh. Mea culpa! I do think the Chron might have run a filler blurb about this news while Feibel developed the longer story, and that would have been timely, but those are not decisions made by the reporter. It's also worth noting that the newspaper really didn't seem to have much of a contingency plan to cover the beats of reporters it laid off, and the news product has suffered while able reporters scrambled into new roles. That's a management problem, not a reporting problem, and I regret that I am belatedly making that point/clarification. We're looking forward to reading Feibel the METRO Watchdog moving forward!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/10/09 10:53 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
Correction adventures from the Chron web team
Here is an interesting correction from the Chron:
In his Friday column, Rick Casey erroneously reported that Susanne Daviscq was the only candidate for commissioner of Harris County Emergency Services District #9 in today’scq election. She is opposed by incumbents Phil Whithamcq and Don Groggcq. The two receiving the most votes will fill two slots on the board.
Back when Casey plagiarized from a Washington Post reporter, he was allowed to "correct" that problem in his own column. Apparently, the standards for Casey corrections are more "flexible" these days, and corrections are made in the corrections section.
One does wish the online corrections would at least spell the names correctly, though.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/10/09 10:30 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
The University life IS the life
KTRK-13's Undercover Man Wayne Dolcefino documented this week that the life of state university administrators IS the life.
Having lived the university (low)life through grad school, I became aware of the nice lives led by university administrators during stints in Missouri, Illinois, and dear UH, so these stories were not particularly surprising or shocking. But maybe commenters feel differently. Do tell!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/10/09 10:20 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
Thin-skinned mayor reacts to Chron reporting on Rivercrest irregularities
Houston's thin-skinned Mayor can let no negative news story go unchallenged (however rare those negative stories may be).
To that end, here is a letter to the Chronicle from our part-time* mayor:
Rivercrest Drive is a residential road more narrow than current standards, built like an upside-down U with an entrance and exit on Westheimer. The street was developed when the area was “in the country” and public entities later built a thoroughfare, Briar Forest Drive, parallel to San Felipe, cutting right through the east and west segments of Rivercrest. Other thoroughfares running north and south were built to each side of Rivercrest, to protect neighborhoods from cut-through traffic. As West Houston was transformed from prairie to suburb, a limited number of drivers each day — about 100 during rush hours — chose to cut through this neighborhood rather than using the thoroughfares. Residents of Rivercrest sued the city and prevailed in court. That suit was mediated, but the city rejected the recommendation of the mediator to, essentially, close the street because of public objections from other residents. Instead, at an open Council session on May 28, 2008, after an extensive public discussion with many citizens living on Rivercrest and in adjacent neighborhoods, we instructed the Department of Public Works to institute traffic calming measures on Rivercrest that would discourage cut-through traffic while allowing complete public access. The Department of Public Works has also developed alternatives to the standard “speed bumps” which may be used in narrow residential streets where cut-through traffic becomes a particular safety problem. It was clear from the discussion at the public meetings that many residents of Rivercrest believed their street was unsafe unless it was closed to through traffic. It was also clear that some nearby residents objected to any measure taken to reduce cut-through traffic on Rivercrest, although not a single citizen stated that they needed to cut through this neighborhood in order to get someplace. All of these citizens were sincere, and we do not question their motives.
The history of Rivercrest is fairly unusual. It would have been simpler if measures to reduce cut-through traffic were implemented when Briar Forest Drive was built, although there was much less traffic than exists today. The Department of Public Works implemented the “one-way” exit solution after a decision was announced in open public session following input from both the residents and adjacent neighborhoods. The balance between mobility and reducing cut-through traffic may not have been perfect, but it was not done in the “back room” or a result of some kind of corruption.
- Mayor Bill White
Does he REALLY want to go there?
Because all of the relevant Rivercrest traffic documentation can be obtained (and published) by area watchdogs fairly easily. However, chances are good that the contenders for the U.S. Senate seat that has not yet come open have probably already requested those documents now that Mayor White's crack communications staff has highlighted them with this letter. Doh!
BLOGVERSATION: Houston Politics.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/10/09 10:01 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
Houston real estate, Chron style
The Chronicle's Nancy Sarnoff reports that former mayor Bob Lanier's River Oaks home is now on the market.
Previously, Sarnoff reported that the swine-flu epidemic might boost Houston's sagging hotel business (er, perhaps not).
The daily newspaper is cutting-edge when it comes to real estate, no?
At least we have Swamplot.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/10/09 09:45 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
09 May 2009
Hey! We thought these things were the cause of unworldclassness
The Houston Press' Hairballs blog notes that there's some serious visual blight at Discovery Green:
Nothing says seat belt safety like five oversized inflated balloons in the shape of a cowboy, duck, bull, Godzilla monster and Elvis look-alike.
At least that's what the Texas law enforcement community is hoping, as they unveiled the 24-foot-tall "safety ambassadors" this morning at Discovery Green as part of the 8th annual TxDOT "Click It or Ticket" seat belt safety campaign.
Did TxDOT get permission from Mayor White and City Council?
Oh! Maybe the city is classifying these as "residential lawn decorations." Yeah, that's probably it.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/09/09 11:39 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (5)
07 May 2009
King: City budget in deficit since 2004
Today's Chronicle ran an op-ed from Bill King, the businessman and former mayor of Kemah who reportedly considered running for mayor and city council in Houston but decided against it. While we are all familiar with the notion that the City of Houston's budget is technically "balanced," King points out some problems with the way city officials have constructed the current budget "balance":
The city’s 2009 budget projects that the city will have general fund revenues of $1.84 billion. These revenues are derived from property taxes, sales taxes, fees and fines and certain miscellaneous categories such as interfund transfers and the sale of capital assets. However, general expenses were originally budgeted at $1.93 billion, leaving a projected deficit of about $70 million. The budget called for this shortfall to be made up by borrowing $20 million and reducing the city’s general fund balance (the amount we have left over in the bank at the end of the year) by about $50 million. In other words, the budget was “balanced” by borrowing money and going into our savings.
However, since the budget was adopted projected revenues have been falling and are now estimated to be about $30 million to $40 million less than originally expected. The city has reduced budget expenses by about $10 million, leaving a projected general fund deficit of $90 million to $100 million.
In the January monthly report, the controller included a line entitled “Amount Needed to Balance the Budget” in the amount of $64 million. (See this document.) In the February report, after the controller had declared that the budget was balanced, this line was euphemistically renamed “Budgeted Decrease in Fund Balance.” (See this document.)
The fact that the city is running this kind of deficit may be surprising to many readers. But the city has actually run deficits, albeit much smaller ones, since 2004.
Hmm, hasn't someone who proposed to run the city like a business been mayor of Houston since 2004? And might that pol, who is busy running for his next office, be more than happy to leave this problem for his successor to solve a few years down the road? Those are just questions -- you tell us.
And be sure to read all of King's provocative op-ed, because it will be up to citizens to try to get the current crop of mayoral candidates to focus on substantive issues like this one, as opposed to pandering to whatever special interest is sponsoring them on any given evening.
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport (and here).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/07/09 10:22 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
Chron editorial writer gets timely (for the Chron, anyway)
On Monday, we commented on the possibility that Houston voters might get a chance to modify term limits for municipal offices.
Today, one of the the Chron's two editorial writers* weighed in on the topic.
Sadly, that represents a pretty quick turnaround for the two editorial writers.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/07/09 09:54 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
Originality is overrated (at least judging from the metro/state columns)
A reader emails the following links and a question, as follows:
Lisa Falkenberg: H-Town’s pride on the line
Rick Casey: State lawmaker: 'I'm a victim'
Is it too much to ask from the columnists at my paper that their reporting not be solely based on what they’ve read in other publications?
Frequently -- yes, that would seem to be too much to ask.
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/07/09 02:08 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (5)
Maybe topiary turtles would have been a better choice
Remember how METRO hoped sunglass-wearing elephants would make riders keep an eye out for terrorism?
Well, METRO's marketing department had another brainstorming session, and the end result is topiary bunnies to make riders think of the (not-so) Quickline bus service:
They are topiary bunnies designed to catch your eye and remind you of our new Quickline Signature bus service - the 402 Quickline Bellaire - we are launching June 1.
[snip]
Each bunny has its own sprinkler head built in it - and that sprinkler taps into our existing sprinkling system at the TMC Transit Center. The large ones weigh at least 200 pounds and are anchored into the ground.
JoAnne Lingenfelter, manager of marketing at METRO, came up with the idea of planting topiary bunnies to market our new Quickline service.
"It was something different, something kind of fun - and something most people wouldn't object to," said Lingenfelter.
[snip]
The 402 QL Bellaire will feature bus shelters with up-to-the-minute next bus arrival info, improved lighting and better benches. The buses will be hybrid diesel-electric and will sport high-end interiors.
The cost to ride? Just $1.25 - the same price as local buses.
Enjoy the bunnies....and get ready for our fast-as-bunnies Quickline service coming next month.
Well, maybe next month. METRO hasn't exactly been able to keep to the Bellaire Quickline timetable IT set more than a year ago:
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
[snip]
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.”
That's our METRO!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/07/09 04:54 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (5)
05 May 2009
Some days, the healthy choice may not be going for a jog
A METRO police officer today shot and killed a man who, according to reports, acted in a threatening manner with a knife despite being Tased by officers several times. A woman pushing a stroller nearby was apparently grazed by one of those shots, but thankfully the injury was not life-threatening. All of this took place along the busy Rice University jogging trails near Main and University this morning.
Various accounts of the deadly incident are posted on KHOU-11, KPRC-2, KTRK-13, and the Chronicle.
Some of the story comments are just crazy, especially since so few details were immediately available (or maybe because so few details were immediately available).
BLOGVERSATION: Hair Balls, Isiah Carey's Insite.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/05/09 10:21 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (18)
Here's an easy one
KTRK-13's Ted Oberg asks, "Did we overreact to swine flu threat?"
Yes.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/05/09 09:52 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (3)
04 May 2009
State lege takes up municipal term limits
The Chronicle's Matt Stiles posts that Houston voters might soon get a chance to vote on revisions to the city's term limits:
The bill, authored by state reps. Garnet Coleman and Carol Alvarado, would call for an election, allowing voters to decide whether elected officials like the mayor, City Council members and controller would be able to stay in office longer.
Those officials now can only serve a maximum of three, two-year terms. Alvarado, for example, had to leave the City Council after six years, and Mayor Bill White is being forced from office this year. The bill, which still must pass the Texas Senate, would extend that to six, two-year terms or three, four-year terms.
Stiles reports that the Texas House passed the legislation today (131-8), and that it will move on to the Texas Senate.
Term limits have been a topic of discussion at recent blogHOUSTON gatherings, and we've grudgingly come around to the notion that we need to retain term limits in Houston, but extend the terms. What do you think?
BLOGVERSATION: Off the Kuff.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/04/09 10:53 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (17)
Houstonians still concerned about crime, despite talking points
The Chronicle's Bradley Olson ponders why Houston political candidates continue to talk about crime, even though Houston crime statistics have shown some improvement:
Crime has emerged as a top issue for Houston political candidates this year, with a host of City Council and mayoral aspirants placing their approach to public safety at the top of their list of promises to voters.
Actual crime, however, is going down in Houston, and markedly so.
In 2008, the number of major crimes committed per 100,000 residents in Houston was lower than any year since 1980, according to Houston Police Department data. In the first three months of this year, violent crimes have declined 8 percent compared to the same period last year.
In the words of a statistician, the decrease in criminality appears to have an inverse relationship, at least for now, with political rhetoric on crime, which has ramped up in recent months.
“It’s probably very difficult for any politician to acknowledge that the problem of crime is decreasing, because that undermines the importance of the issue,” said Dennis Longmire, a professor of criminal justice at Sam Houston State University who has studied public attitudes toward crime.
There is probably some truth to that.
However, there are other possible contributing factors. A bumbling, Phoenix-oriented police chief has done little to inspire confidence. Plus we know from Mark Greenblatt's award-winning reporting that HPD under MayorWhiteChiefHurtt has miscategorized murder statistics, and then tried to smear the reporter who pointed it out. We also know that the White Administration has been fond of using certain (inflated?) population statistics in assessing the crime rate, but treats those same population statistics as completely unreliable when it comes to the pesky matter of City Council redistricting. This is the sort of game-playing by pols that causes normal citizens to trust their gut and what they see on the street (not to mention the fact that they see very few cops on the street, thanks to the ongoing manpower crisis) more than the talking points emanating from pols currently in office.
So far as that goes, MayorWhiteChiefHurtt's talking points do not seem to be resonating with voters, according to Olson:
Nearly three quarters of Houston-area residents interviewed in 2008 for Rice University’s annual Houston Area Survey said that they are “somewhat worried” or “very worried” they or a family member will become a victim of a crime.
That is higher than any year since the mid ‘90s....
Olson concludes with a nice quote from former mayor and HPD chief Lee P. Brown. Sadly, there is no update on the status of Lee Brown's book.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/04/09 10:24 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
Is Houston's storm planning inadequate?
There is way too much disjointed filler in this week's "Move It" column (which is more about infrastructure in general than transit), so we're going to play editor and cut it to what's really interesting and hyperlocal:
When we talked last week, infrastructure was in the news. Floods had left motorists stranded and even led to a drowning in a culvert under the new Katy Freeway. “For a long, long time, we’ve just shrugged our shoulders and said ‘It floods around here,’ ” [D. Wayne Klotz, Houstonian and president of the American Society of Civil Engineers] said. “But I’m just wondering if that’s good public policy.”
Klotz said it might be a good time to reconsider our local storm water capacity: “Our design criteria for drainage in Houston is the lowest of any major city on the Gulf Coast,” he said. Specifically, the city’s pipes are designed for a two-year storm event, one that has a 50 percent chance of happening at any given time. Other places plan for a five-year event, which brings much more water, Klotz said.
That is the sort of thing we'd like to hear being discussed, in detail, by all of the folks running for Mayor and Council this time around.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/04/09 09:35 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (11)
03 May 2009
Reed: Questions about cost of rail expansion "remain largely unanswered"
The Examiner News' Michael Reed posts this update on the ongoing debate over the cost of METRO's planned light-rail expansion:
The Metro Transit Authority signed a contract last week with Parsons Transportation Group to build the next phase of four more light rail lines in Houston.
Still, questions about the cost of at least two of those lines, raised at the board meeting Feb. 19 by longtime Richmond rail foe Paul Magaziner, remain largely unanswered.
The contract, which was initially agreed to by the board last month, was valued at $1.46 billion with a portion of that Phase 2 funding going to the construction of North and Southeast corridors at amounts of $387 million and $441 million, respectively.
However, a March 23 letter of no prejudice from the Federal Transit Administration to Frank Wilson, Metro board president, said the current net project cost estimate for the North Corridor is more than double that amount — almost $896.8 million.
A similar letter from the FTA concerning the Southeast Corridor placed its net cost estimate at $911.2 million.
Adding to the confusion, each set of numbers was provided by Metro.
Confusion? How can this be, since Frank Procurement Disaster" Wilson assures us that METRO operates "in a completely transparent manner"?
PREVIOUSLY: KHOU's Desel exposes light-rail cost discrepancies; METRO refuses to comment.
BLOGVERSATION: Houston Strategies.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/03/09 09:57 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (0)
On shady deals (and shady dealmakers?)
Several days ago, Texas Monthly posted a web preview of a story that will appear in its June 2009 issue about State Rep. Allen Fletcher of Tomball and some of his shady business associates.
True to form, lazy Chronicle columnist Rick Casey has a column that recaps the Texas Monthly piece (but doesn't link to it) and "adds" snippets of his own interview with Rep. Fletcher. At least he didn't plagiarize, this time. Attribution isn't that hard, even if originality can be.
Blogger and blogHOUSTON commenter Rorschach has posted on the Fletcher business here and here. The latter post is particularly interesting.
BLOGVERSATION: Lone Star Times.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/03/09 08:56 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
"Move It" returns to the Chronicle
After a brief hiatus following Hearst Corp's latest bloodletting, the Chronicle's "Move It" transit column returned this week.
Carolyn Feibel, who previously reported on City Hall, will now be manning the beat.
Her introductory column (on HPD's truck safety activities) is here, and concludes with an invitation to email her local transportation questions and/or complaints (traffic@chron.com).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/03/09 08:02 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (0)
Hey, never mind about that flu pandemic
Here's a headline on Chron.com:
Dire warnings were premature, experts suggest
When the World Health Organization raised its swine flu threat level last week to suggest the first pandemic in more than four decades was imminent, the group’s director warned that “all of humanity is under threat.”
Across the country, it’s looked like that. School closings will keep more than 300,000 Texas students at home this week. Stores have sold out of masks that experts don’t recommend. Sports events and concerts have been canceled. Headlines have warned that “Outbreak Threatens Global Recovery.”
By the week’s end, an increasing number of experts were questioning whether it was overreaction.
“I don’t see anything to justify this panic,” said Robert Krug, a flu researcher at the University of Texas in Austin. “From all the evidence, this doesn’t look like a particularly lethal virus. People need a little more perspective.”
Great. Thanks a lot, hysterical media. This news will surely disappoint one Chron editor who found the swine flu a source of happiness in her otherwise (apparently) dull life:
The swine flu panic has had an unintended consequence, but not an unexpected one. It has made people a little happy. Now I am not making light of death, especially a toddler's death, but really, we are all a little in love with anything that takes us out of our daily lives.
Normal people are not made "happy" by the swine flu, and normal people have daily lives that are fulfilling enough, thank you very much.
Meanwhile, if a student has the H1N1 virus strain, the federal government is forcing school districts to shut down affected schools for two weeks. TWO WEEKS! At the end of the school year. For the FLU!
Every year the CDC estimates 36,000 Americans die from the flu, but do schools shut down for two weeks every winter whenever a child gets sick? Of course not.
But it has given the media something new to cover wall-to-wall for a couple of weeks, and it brought some happiness to a Chron editor's life.
BLOGVERSATION: Trent Seibert.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/03/09 08:24 AM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (5)
Channel 2 investigates parking at HPD headquarters
Back in 2005, Mayor White decided he wanted a parking authority, and his right hand voiced the reasons why it was needed:
"You really need an element, an entity, an authority that focuses strictly on parking, on enforcement, on the meters, making sure that they're all working, responsible for valet zones, cab zones, and enforcements of those ordinances," said Carol Alvarado, Houston Mayor Pro Tem.
Last week, KPRC-2 Local 2 Investigates publicized a weeks-long investigation of the parking situation around HPD headquarters. The result: HPD employees think rules are for other people:
Parking spaces were often scarce or non-existent for downtown visitors in a five-block area surrounding the 1200 Travis headquarters, as officers and other employees displayed "Official Police Business" or "Police On Duty" signs in their windshields.
"It's not fair," said Quentin Thompson, who struggled to find a space to have lunch in the area.
"It's an abuse of authority, I think," he said. He was forced to park in a more expensive $8 lot since not a single space was open on Clay Street, one block south of the headquarters high-rise.
Local 2 Investigates recorded license plates and vehicle positions over a three-week time frame, finding entire streets off limits for other public parking on some days. Each day, dozens of HPD employees' cars remained in the same spot without moving for the entire day.
"No comment, please don't do this," said one officer whose pickup truck was a daily fixture, as Local 2 Investigates approached with a camera to ask questions.
Other employees tried some far-fetched tricks to avoid answering questions after word began spreading that news cameras were nearby.
At least three employees walked more than a block out of their way. One officer had unlocked his car, but then rushed away from the camera. One Burglary and Theft Division officer even pretended his car was unfamiliar to him, as he tried to avoid questions about his daily parking routine. He walked a block out of his way, then zig-zagged to jump on a METRO Rail ride to avoid answering questions. He was spotted in his car days later, but he had found a new parking space.
Other employees slammed their doors and sped away without a word as they were questioned.
And what does the city have to say about it?
Mayor Bill White reacted, saying, "People ought to be obeying the policy of the department, period."
Which is...what, exactly? Well, after Channel 2 confronted HPD, a new memo was sent out explaining the department's parking policy for employees.
And where, pray tell, has the Houston Parking Authority been all this time? After all, these are metered spaces that could be pulling in revenue for the city:
On some blocks, each of the 17 to 19 spaces were occupied by police employee cars, but those spaces could be generating $1.25 per hour for the city, or even more if cars leave early and new cars arrive.
The Houston Parking Management Division provided records showing the parking meters that are tied up with police employee cars are pulling in a fraction of the revenue that other meters are collecting.
While some meters, which cover an entire side of a street, record 41 transactions or more each day, the meters near HPD headquarters only recorded eight or nine transactions during the entire day from a sample week in April.
Liliana Rambo, the city's parking management director, issued a written statement.
"We recognize that there needs to be an improvement of the management of the curb space in the area around Police Department Headquarters. We recognize that an alternative solution needs to be developed for the parking of vehicles driven by police personnel. We are working in collaboration with the police department in putting a plan in place to solve this issue."
She did not address a question e-mailed to her by Local 2 Investigates, inquiring about why her enforcement personnel seem to have stopped patrolling the areas heavily occupied by the police employee cars.
Has she been hanging out with Clarence Bradford?
Recall in the past Ms. Rambo tried to crack down on legitimate handicapped parking, for the purpose of creating "more turnover so that everybody has access to that particular parking space [...]" But when it comes to the metered spaces around HPD, she hasn't been so interested.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/03/09 07:08 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (6)
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