29 July 2007
Peter Brown fights for better streets around the Menil
Last week, the Chron ran a This Week story about how Menil officials and Councilman Peter Brown want the City of Houston to repair the streets around the museum:
The city of Houston is working on patching up the pothole-filled streets surrounding the Menil Collection, 1515 Sul Ross, while museum officials and Peter Brown, an at-large city council member, are seeking a longer-term fix.
The Menil and Brown's office said they believe repairing the streets around the facility is important because of what the museum does for Houston's image. Streets affected are Branard, Mandell, Sul Ross and Yupon.
"We appreciate the positive attention the Menil receives for its art collection," said Jonathan Fong, Brown's personal assistant. "(But) if people can't get down those streets, then they're not going to go."
Said Vance Muse, the Menil's communications director, "The Menil gets a whole lot of visitors from out of the city and out of state and we want them to get the best possible view of the city."
Muse said the museum began complaining to various city departments about six months ago at the beginning of its 20th anniversary year about the surrounding streets.
[snip]
Wes Johnson, spokesman for the Public Works, explained the financial situation.
"All the money is committed for a certain period of time," Johnson said. "You can't just suddenly start reworking streets — it's not that easy to do. In the meantime, we send people out to do some patchwork."
We imagine if Mayor White really WANTED those streets fixed, he'd find a way to make it happen.
By the way, as a commenter on the Chron story pointed out, Councilman Brown is somewhat connected to the Menil Collection by marriage -- his wife is Anne Schlumberger. Perhaps that should have been disclosed?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 07/29/07 09:59 AM |
16 July 2007
Blog Interview: Mike McGuff visits with Ken Hoffman
KTRK's Mike McGuff scored a lengthy interview with Chronicle columnist (and future KILE radio personality) Ken Hoffman, and has posted it to his blog.
Hoffman carries on about local TV weathermen, his new radio show, Michael Berry's intro song, and more.
Check it out.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/16/07 10:17 PM |
05 July 2007
KTRK's Marvin Zindler diagnosed with pancreatic cancer
Tonight's KTRK-13 news broadcast had some unfortunate news from Marvin Zindler:
We have some sobering news about a member of our Eyewitness News family. Action 13's Marvin Zindler has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
He's been a member of our family for nearly 35 years and in all those years, he's been totally open with all of us about his surgeries, from open heart surgery to cosmetic procedures. And this evening, he wants to share his latest battle with you, too. Below is text and video of what Marvin had to say from his hospital room on Thursday.
Check out Marvin's message on the KTRK-13 website, where you can also leave a message for Marvin if you're so inclined.
UPDATE (07-07-2007): Commenter FilioScotia just left a great comment about Marvin and his impact on Houston. Be sure to give it a read.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/05/07 09:13 PM |
28 June 2007
3,000
Future Hall of Famer Craig Biggio got his 3,000th hit tonight.
Baseball fans in most cities won't ever get to enjoy such an accomplishment, especially from a guy who stays on the same team his entire career.
Congrats, Bidge!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/28/07 09:40 PM |
05 June 2007
Local reporter's book soon to be a Carrey movie
The Chronicle's Louis Parks reports that a local reporter's book is about to be made into a movie starring Jim Carrey:
Jim Carrey is set to play true-life Texas con man and escape artist Steven Russell in the film I Love You Phillip Morris. Russell, a convicted embezzler, repeatedly broke out of Texas jails to rejoin his lover, Morris.
The news, reported Monday in Variety, was of special interest to Houston Chronicle news reporter Steve McVicker, who wrote the book I Love You Phillip Morris: A True Story of Life, Love, & Prison Breaks (Miramax Books, $22).
McVicker, who covered Russell's 1980s-'90s escapades while a reporter at the Houston Press, knew about as much of the details of the film deal as most authors after Hollywood has purchased their books.
"I don't know who has been signed or what," he said Monday. "All I know is what's in Variety."
The announcement didn't catch him completely by surprise. "The producer called over the weekend to make sure they spelled my name correctly," he joked.
The main thing is getting the name right on the royalty checks!
Congratulations to McVicker, whose book ought to get quite a bit of attention when the movie is released.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/05/07 10:53 PM |
25 April 2007
It depends on the meaning of "enamored"
Yesterday, KTRK-13's Miya Shay posted that the shooter who sent the Chronicle's Ken Hoffman numerous letters over the years (some of which were published in his columns) was "enamoured [sic]" with the columnist.
On KPRC-950's Michael Berry show today, Hoffman disputed the "enamored" characterization. The podcast is available for download here. KPRC's odd couple discuss the shooting and more this week.
BACKGROUND: Apartment resident kills manager, self (Rosanna Ruiz, Mike Glenn, and Robert Crowe, Houston Chronicle).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/25/07 11:09 AM |
15 April 2007
The week: People who don't like Dan Patrick still don't
As he promised during his campaign, state senator and Houston talker Dan Patrick made news this week in the capital with his high-profile efforts to draw attention to the growth of state government.
Various lefty blogs have blasted Patrick for his theatrics, which saw the senator release a list of proposed budget cuts to the press, address his colleagues on the floor on the matter of cutting government spending, and ultimately read from his list of proposed cuts when directly challenged by a colleague to pony up.
Now, it's not exactly news that Patrick provokes strong reactions, certainly from his opponents and sometimes from supporters and colleagues (on that last, I have some experience). But that's just the point -- it's not a secret. That journalists seem surprised that Senator Patrick, whose insurgent-outsider campaign was a big story for them in 2006, has taken his insurgent-outsider approach to Austin as promised is... well, surprising!
Whether folks agree with Patrick's political philosophy or not, nobody should be surprised that instead of making quiet backroom deals to cut a few thousand dollars'-worth of spending here and there (as Hart and some lefty bloggers seem to prefer), Patrick took to the floor and the press last week to push his notion of limited-government conservatism in a high-profile, incendiary way.
This probably won't be the last time Senator Patrick upsets the Austin establishment (Democrats, press, and probably even some fellow Republicans) with his insurgent brand of conservatism -- especially since it seemed to work so well this time! We rather doubt that Patrick is overly disappointed that lefty bloggers still don't much like him, but we suspect this played pretty well in his district.
What do blogHOUSTON readers think? Specifically, I'm more interested in your thoughts on the media/blog coverage of the Patrick affair and Patrick's tactics than whether you agree/disagree with Patrick's position on budget specifics (there are many other places where that can be debated).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/15/07 09:29 PM |
13 April 2007
Farewell, Ed Brandon
On the 6pm broadcast earlier, KTRK-13 had a nice farewell to longtime weatherman Ed Brandon, who closed out his career with the station tonight.
Brandon made his blogging debut as a guest on Mike McGuff's blog. Here's something that amused:
Ever tried to not think about something? If I tell you not to think about your mother, doesn't her saintly smile immediately come to mind? The subject arises as I sit here in the early morning hours of the last day of my 35 years at Channel 13. (Station big-wigs prefer that I use "brands" like "ABC13" or "Houston's News Leader." But no-one has ever asked me to tell them about my job at "Houston's News Leader." They always ask about "Channel 13.")
Ha, after 35 years, Brandon has more than earned the right to say to heck with the ABC marketing twits!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/13/07 11:10 PM |
25 March 2007
McGuff interviews KTRK's Ed Brandon
Mike McGuff has posted an absolutely fascininating interview with Ed Brandon, the longtime KTRK-13 weatherman.
There's a little bit of EVERYTHING in this interview -- Brandon's heart issues, Steve Olafson/Banjo Jones, Dan Patrick, Austin in the '60s, and more.
Interestingly enough, Brandon's a fan of blogs:
I go to right wing blogs, I go to left wing blogs. I'm fascinated by the Internet, that's why I wanted to talk about this on the blog instead. I'm not the kind of person that wants to put out a press release and say here's what I'm doing. It just seems a little egocentric.
I would be interested in participating in the blogosphere to some point. Maybe I don't know what I want to be.
blogHOUSTON can have a login ready in about 30 seconds, Mr. Brandon. Just give the word!
BLOGVERSATION: TBIFOC, MobilePodcast.org, Lone Star Times.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/25/07 10:19 PM |
20 March 2007
Flight attendant tries to live her best life now
The Chronicle's Dale Lezon reports some of the entertaining details of the lawsuit against Lakewood Church's Victoria Osteen, relating to her temper tantrum on a Continental jet in 2005:
The Osteens were on board Continental Airlines Flight 1602 at Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport, bound for Vail, Colo., on Dec. 19, 2005.
Victoria Osteen found a liquid on the arm rest of her seat and asked fight attendants to clean it up, according to Brown's lawsuit. The flight attendants did not immediately take action, however, and after they said a cleaning crew would be called, Osteen shoved, grabbed and pulled them, the lawsuit alleges.The suit states that Osteen elbowed Brown, the flight manager, in the left breast while trying to get into the cockpit. After Osteen was asked to leave the plane, she and her family complied.
The Federal Aviation Administration fined Osteen $3,000 for interfering with a flight crew member. She paid the fine, but payment is not an admission of guilt.
Brown's lawsuit claims that she suffered pain and bruising. It seeks unspecified damages for the medical care, emotional pain and mental anguish she claims to have suffered and may suffer because of the incident.
The lawsuit seems overblown, but then again, it doesn't seem very Christian to elbow a flight attendant in the breast, so maybe there's some sort of karma at work in the whole thing.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/20/07 10:48 PM |
18 March 2007
PvW: Crime issue may hinder statewide run by White
Evan at Perry vs World posts some thoughts on Houston's crime problem, and how it might hurt Mayor White if he eventually runs for statewide office:
Crime has certainly lost some of its potency as an issue. But it will be salient in White's record, and the sort of suburban female swing voters who might swing towards White will be very turned off by his record as mayor. Everyone knew that the Houston Police Department was facing an impending shortage of officers, and yet Bill White did nothing. Houston's sharp rise in crime is directly attributable to Bill White's decisions. Whether he is soft-on-crime or not, the buck stops there.
He links to an earlier post at the Professors R Squared blog that also discusses White and crime.
White's local PR operation is pretty good, but if he decides to run statewide, he'll be stepping into the big leagues, where opposition researchers are going to look more closely at his record on crime (and other issues) than some locals. It's an issue that could hurt him.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/18/07 10:10 PM |
17 March 2007
Sheila Jackson Lee heads for Sen. Clinton's cameras
We all know how Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee loves a camera, so it was amusing to read Isiah Carey's post this afternoon:
Several Houston news photographers were very upset with Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee. Those present at a Houston visit by Senator Hilary Clinton say Jackson Lee would not remove herself from in front of the camera. They said everywhere Clinton went Jackson Lee was there with her hair in the way.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/17/07 04:29 PM |
12 March 2007
Chron: "Pleasant, energetic" new county judge to focus on mobility
The Chronicle's Bill Murphy reports that newly selected-not-elected Harris County Judge Ed Emmett plans to focus on mobility during the rest of Robert Eckels' term, and (he hopes) beyond:
[I]f things work out the way he envisions — and that includes winning election next year — he will make his mark as "the regional mobility guy."
He sees himself building coalitions in and out of the county that will add more toll roads, better freeways and secondary roads, more light-rail and bus lines and a freight-train system that doesn't cause traffic snarls.
"The entire region is going to continue to grow in terms of population and commerce," said Emmett, a pleasant, energetic man who looks younger than his age — 57. "We will have more people and more freight. And we will need to add all modes of transportation to accommodate growth."
Upon our first read, we almost didn't recognize this "pleasant, energetic" fellow, since almost every story we saw during his whirlwind ascension to head of Harris County government referred to him as political insider Ed Emmett (as if his mother had named the poor lad "political insider").
It's actually somewhat reassuring that a Harris County official plans to make regional mobility a priority. Perhaps he'll be able to exert some influence over the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO), which for many years has been the nearly exclusive political plaything of Houston mayors.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/12/07 09:58 PM |
27 February 2007
Former talk radio host sentenced to jail
KPRC-2 reports that former local talk radio host Jon Matthews was sentenced to jail today:
A former Houston radio talk show host will spend three years in prison after he violated his probation for an indecency with a child conviction, KPRC Local 2 reported.
Jon Matthews pleaded guilty in August 2004 to indecency with a child by exposure after he exposed himself to a neighbor's 11-year-old daughter. He received a seven-year probated sentence.The Fort Bend County district attorney's office said Matthews violated his probation in several ways -- excessive drinking, not completing a counseling program, using the Internet in a manner inconsistent with conditions of his probation and getting within 1,000 feet of a school.
Matthews did not dispute the claims in court.
The man obviously needs help, and here's hoping he finds it. But at a minimum, he needed to be off the streets.
RELATED COVERAGE: Chronicle.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/27/07 12:39 PM |
22 February 2007
Eckels: Where did the love go?
Most politicians want to be loved. It's the nature of their craft.
And politicians who have mostly been loved while in office really get used to it.
Sometimes they don't take criticism very well.
Today, we're treated to an example of that, as the Chronicle's Bill Murphy reports that Judge Robert Eckels -- who has been criticized on blogs (including this one) and in the MSM for his bad timing in stepping aside from an elected term that he just won, which will result in a replacement being appointed for nearly two years -- is trying to rehabilitate his image and recapture the love:
Resigning County Judge Robert Eckels said Wednesday that he weighed not seeking re-election last year but worried that lame-duck status would hamper his efforts to help the area recover from the 2005 hurricane crises.
The hurricane emergency convinced him he should run, Eckels said in a meeting with the Houston Chronicle editorial board.
The judge, who is taking a job with the Fulbright & Jaworski law firm, has drawn criticism from stepping down so soon after being elected to a fourth term in November.
The area has recovered. And seriously -- lame-duck status? Leaders lead, whether they are lame ducks or not. (See Giuliani, Rudy, re: 11 September 2001).
This seems like obvious political spin concocted by Eckels and handlers to deflect what is legitimate criticism of the timing of his decision to leave public office to become a member of the lucrative pull-peddling industry. Eckels would probably be better served if he simply stopped digging what is becoming a deeper hole, but politicians who have been loved sometimes don't understand that.
The story goes on to make the following points:
Under federal ethics law, high-ranking administrators in federal government, members of Congress and their top staff are banned from lobbying their former departments or agencies for one year after leaving government.
The county has no similar revolving-door policy.
It may be time to consider one.
The county paid Fulbright $255,000 last year for work on bond transactions. Eckels said he wasn't hired to increase that business.
He declined to pledge that he would not be involved in Fulbright's county business in the next year, though he has no plans to do so.
Check that earlier uncertainty -- it definitely is time to consider a revolving-door policy.
BLOGVERSATION: Off the Kuff.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/22/07 07:49 AM |
21 February 2007
Chron.com launches Cancer Diva blog
Today, Chron.com launched a slightly different kind of blog from its usual fare: Cancer Diva.
It's written by a Chronicle staffer, Terry Hayes, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Hayes seems determined to spend what time she has left joyfully -- and to write about it. Here's a blurb from her first post:
On the medical end, I've had... two major surgeries; countless CT scans, ultrasounds and blood tests; two colonoscopies and an EGD; installation of a "port" for chemo infusion; three MRIs, a bone marrow extraction, and a PET scan; malignant ascites (my personal favorite!); shingles on my neck and shoulders; bright red rashes on my face; hair thinning at an alarming rate; oily, zit splattered skin (like being a teen again!); and skin so dry and tight that I couldn't turn my neck; and more!
But even through all the badness (and the weirdness), LOTS of awesome stuff has happened, too.
I traveled to New York City, San Francisco, London and Paris. I bought a tiny dream car. I threw a Halloween/Dia de los Muertos party. Most importantly, I realized I have a remarkable family, friends who would do anything for me, and co-workers with hearts of gold.
There's a lot to like about this lady's outlook (and a lot not to like about her terminal illness). I've added Cancer Diva to my feedreader. Maybe some readers here will find it compelling also.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/21/07 04:32 PM |
20 February 2007
Eckels to announce his contribution to cynicism about politics
The Chronicle's Kristen Mack reports that Harris County Judge Robert Eckels has found his lucrative landing spot:
Harris County Judge Robert Eckels plans to put his decades-long experience in public service to work as a lobbyist with the law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski, he told the Chronicle on Monday.
Eckels will publicly announce his plans after this morning's Commissioners Court meeting, which may be among his last.
"This is a new stage for me to play on. It's an international firm, and it has a broad range of expertise," Eckels said, citing the firm's energy and public finance practice. "I could have jumped last year if I was ready to go. But I wasn't. Now, mentally, I'm ready, and operationally, the county is ready."
We have already addressed Eckels' poor timing, so a link will suffice.
Most reporting has described Eckels' upcoming move to the "private" sector. We would suggest it's more of a lateral move within the political pull-peddling industry than a true move to a private sector that builds and sells things and contributes to the economy, but that's just one view.
In any case, Eckels -- whom we always thought of as a pol of some integrity -- will officially announce his personal contribution to cynicism about American politics and pols following this morning's meeting of Commissioner's Court.
BLOGVERSATION: Off the Kuff, HouStoned.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/20/07 07:47 AM |
15 February 2007
Chron: Judge Robert Eckels resigns
The Chronicle's Kristen Mack reports [UPDATE: see this thread] that Judge Robert Eckels has today confirmed speculation that he'd be stepping down:
County Judge Robert Eckels announced his resignation this afternoon at the annual State of the County speech
"Today, the time is right,'' Eckels said. "I had a friend who told me, 'You never become what you want to be while remaining where you are.' Harris County is moving forward, and it's time for me to do the same.''
Actually, no. The time would have been right before the last election, so voters could have picked your replacement.
Thanks for your years of service and solid conservative governance, but jeers for the way you decided to quit.
BLOGVERSATION: Lone Star Pundit, Off the Kuff.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/15/07 01:57 PM |
03 February 2007
Former HPD Chief Bradford to run for Harris County Sheriff?
We hope he does. Aside from the Bromwich reports (which have gone largely unread by the broader Houston-area population), there has been little public discussion of the role that the dynamic duo of Lee Brown and Clarence Bradford played in the scandalous mismanagement of HPD's crime lab over the years.
A campaign for Harris County Sheriff ought to provide plenty of opportunities for Bradford to enlighten the public on his role in the matter.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/03/07 02:57 PM |
01 February 2007
Eckels to the private sector?
The Chronicle's Kristen Mack reports that Harris County Judge Robert Eckels is considering walking away from his political office:
Harris County Judge Robert Eckels said Wednesday he is mulling offers from the private sector and can't rule out walking away from the four-year term he just won in November.
[snip]
"In the last 90 days I've had conversations with a New York firm and international investment banking firms," Eckels said, saying he often has been approached by lobbying and law firms interested in hiring him.
"I have had more serious discussions than in the past. They are more concrete."
[snip]
Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt talked to Eckels Tuesday. Bettencourt declined to divulge the particulars of their conversation, but said his fellow Republican gave him the sense that he was seriously weighing other options.
"There's no doubt Robert is considering doing something else," Bettencourt said.
"He's already served 12 years in this job. There comes a time when everyone has to decide what difference they can make and whether they are ready for the next phase of their lives."
Maybe a better time would have been prior to running for re-election?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/01/07 02:33 PM |
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