16 September 2007
Not every city is afraid of a "food fight"
Mayor White and City Council may not have the stomach for a bidding battle over the right to operate food concessions at Bush Intercontinental, but Albuquerque, New Mexico, has no such qualms. That city is currently soliciting Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for its airport food concessions contract:
DESIGN, DEVELOP AND OPERATE FOOD CONCESSIONS AT THE ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONAL SUNPORT - MANDATORY PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING: 09/13/2007, 10:00 A.M. (LOCAL TIME)
RFP Number : RFP2008-003-SB
Closing Date: 11/15/2007
Albuquerque's website even includes a helpful definition of an RFP:
Request for Proposals (RFP) involve situations where the award cannot be made on lowest price alone. Proposals are primarily for services, or include services, and a scope of services is provided by the City. Responses are evaluated by a committee with a predetermined evaluation criteria that encompasses more than price and allows for evaluation of proposals best accomplishing the scope of services. Full details of all current Requests for Proposals are available for free to everyone.
The definition doesn't mention donations to elected officials, or a current vendor's less-than-expected revenues as part of the evaluation process. Go figure.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/16/07 01:39 PM |
15 September 2007
The price tag for downtown's "revitalization"? Five billion dollars!
Last week, Kevin noted a KHOU-11 story on the continuing decline of downtown's nightlife. Then, Tom Kirkendall added this bit of context:
This [decline] despite the fact that various local governmental entities have invested at least $1 billion in the downtown area by building a baseball stadium, a basketball arena, a convention center hotel, a light rail system and assorted other goodies.
Sort of makes you wonder what would happen if even a portion of that $1 billion were invested in something that Houston really needs, such as improvements to flood control and traffic hotspots?
Last Sunday, a GHCVB advertising insert in the Chronicle added even more details:
Downtown Houston continues to evolve as a bustling business, theater, and entertainment district. Home to four professional sports teams, eight performing arts companies and a wide selection of restaurants and nightlife, the consensus is in -- Downtown is alive and fun.
Since 1999, public and private investors have spent nearly $5 billion to revitalize downtown. This includes the METRORail, a light rail system to ensure convenient and accessible public transportation, two sparkling new professional sports stadiums, numerous new hotels and renovations to expand the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Five billion dollars. We're sure the homeless appreciate it.
PREVIOUSLY: KHOU: Downtown or ghost town?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/15/07 06:27 PM |
MayorWhiteChiefHurtt's latest big idea
HPD wants drones. For traffic management. Really.
KHOU-11's Jeff McShan has the story:
Sources tell 11 News that Mayor Bill White, and Police Chief Harold Hurtt came up with the idea to use drones -- unmanned flying machines -- to help with traffic mobility.
They could also be used for police tactical situations. Like the SWAT incident at NASA in April.Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalva confirmed the department is close to making it happen.
“And what's important and what needs to get out there is we are doing this in cooperation and assistance with the FAA,” said Montalva.
A few police agencies across the country have tried to use drones in the past two years, but most have been unsuccessful.
11 News learned the drones that were used were like small model airplanes, some costing just $30,000.
Houston will be different, Montalvo says.
“I can tell you right now, I don't want to get into specifics, but we are looking at state of the art, actually drones that have been used by the military,” said Montalvo.
HPD and Miami's police department have been talking with the FAA and drone manufactures about testing these large drones that cost about $1 million each.
Unbelievable.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: TranStar has state of the art freeway monitoring capabilities, yet MayorWhiteChiefHurttMarthaMontalvo want to invest in drones at $1 million a pop to solve a traffic-monitoring "problem" that isn't a problem (money that could be better invested in fighting crime on the ground)? That truly is unbelievable. Is there a drone manufacturer in the Phoenix area that stands to benefit from this? (Just to clarify, as per the comments -- KHOU points out the drones will be "free" to the cities testing them. But, of course, they won't be free forever, and it's not clear that they are needed regardless).
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/15/07 09:32 AM |
14 September 2007
LULAC wipes egg from its face...
Remember this officer-involved shooting? The reaction from LULAC and the robber's own mother were typical knee-jerk reactions without digesting all of the facts. Remember, the officer shot this guy as he ran towards him with a weapon. After the shooting, a gun, and property taken from the robbery victims were found near the suspect's body. He also had been pointed out as the robber. Citizens are tired of being victims, yet LULAC seems to care nothing about the law abiding community. Well, not surprisingly, the grand jury declined to indict the officer. Yet, when you compare KPRC's story with the Chronicle's, you'll notice an important detail was missed by the paper. Remember HPD released the surveillance video from the shooting which the grand jury had. The suspect's mother said her son was just trying to run away. However she's trying to repress the fact that her son was a robber and a coward trying to get away. Make no mistake, he would have continued to prey on innocent citizens. For whatever reason, the Chronicle missed something that KPRC covered:
But on Thursday, LULAC District Director Jose Jimenez said the officer had to protect himself and residents of the apartment complex.
"The Police Department opened up and showed us the videos, especially the video before the shooting and after the shooting, to show us there were children around. This is a very difficult situation and we're going to have to support the grand jury's decision on this," Jimenez said.
Uh oh. I bet Mr. Jimenez had to grind his teeth while making that statement. There was no way that LULAC could exploit this into a ethnic-divisive issue to further its agendas and expand its treasury. When shown the obvious danger this robber posed to innocent citizens (children included) even LULAC has to see the light, even if only once. Why did the Chronicle miss this? Did the reporter not run to LULAC just this time? Or did the Chronicle not want to embarrass LULAC?
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: Everybody welcome aboard our new blogger, the proprietor of Cigars, Donuts, and Coffee. We've been reading and linking Jason for a long time, and finally decided we should try to talk him into posting here on occasion. We're pleased that he agreed!
Posted by Jason @ 09/14/07 11:04 AM |
13 September 2007
The Spirit of Marvin lives on at KTRK
Mike McGuff informs that the Spirit of Marvin lives on at KTRK.
Consumer reporter Jeff Ehling will be continuing Zindler's tradition of reporting on restaurants.
Here is the web version of Ehling's first report, which ran on the 6pm broadcast tonight.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/13/07 11:24 PM |
KHOU: HPD "cracks down" on downtown-area homeless
KHOU-11's Karla Barguiarena reports that HPD is cracking down on crimes committed by the homeless:
For months, HPD says they’ve been inundated with complaints about crime committed by the homeless.
“You have everything from crimes being committed to cars being broken into, urinating, defecating in a public place,” Captain Gregory Fremin said.
Officers said squatters building shacks on abandoned downtown properties are another problem.
Walter Brooks says he and a handful of others have been living underneath a billboard for five months.
Until now, only two officers have been assigned to deal with the issue on a full-time basis.
The new plan calls for all downtown officers to keep an eye and ear out for homeless crimes while investigating other cases.
Right.
They might start by clearing out the growing homeless encampment under the Spur 527 overpass near Richmond in Midtown (the gateway in and out of downtown). Or the vagrants who have made certain abandoned buildings in Downtown/Midtown their home. Indeed, one doesn't have to look around much in Downtown/Midtown to find any number of places that could be cleaned up, if MayorWhiteChiefHurtt are indeed serious about the problem.
But we strongly suspect that this is just another one of those empty PR announcements that will have no effect on anything. We'll start to believe otherwise if the growing Spur 527 Homeless Encampment is cleared out anytime soon. (I'd take a photo of it, but one homeless person recently informed me angrily that I was not allowed to photograph near the encampment).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/13/07 11:18 PM |
Arts scene benefits from Houston economic boom
The Chronicle's Charles Ward reports that Houston's booming economy means boom times for the city's arts scene as well:
Houstonians may complain about $3-per-gallon gasoline, but managers of the city's major performing-arts groups have to be smiling about the good fortune the current oil boom is bringing them.
Society for the Performing Arts has already sold a whopping 58 percent more tickets (or seats) through season subscriptions compared to this time last season. Houston Grand Opera is up 43 percent.
Six of the seven major ensembles that perform in downtown theaters have experienced growth in subscription sales for the 2007-08 season compared to the 2006-07 season. Only Da Camera has seen a decline.
Arts managers have done a lot right this year with programming, marketing, pricing and customer service. But the real reason the hard work is paying off is the city's economy.
"Houston's booming," said University of Houston economist Barton Smith, and the biggest reason is the energy business.
"During times of boom, not only are we adding jobs and population but entrepreneurial income — upper-middle-class and upper-class income — is growing proportionally faster.
"What you're observing with regards to the arts is very typical of Houston during (a) boom period."
Houston is still very much an energy city, and when the energy industry is humming (as it is now), Houston arts certainly benefit.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/13/07 10:53 PM |
12 September 2007
Some trees have all the luck
The Kirby Drive road widening project is threatening nearly 300 trees, and tree-lovers all over Houston are raising a hue and cry:
Save the Kirby Drive trees! (Trees for Houston)
Kirby Drive reconstruction plans pose important questions, trade-offs (CTC's Robin Holzer)
Trees for Houston vs. the Upper Kirby District TIRZ (Houston Strategies)
Kirby widening poses dangers (Gulf Coast Institute Blog)
Tree fight brewing in Upper Kirby district (KTRK-13)
However, the 200 or so trees along the path of Metro's proposed Richmond light rail expansion have few advocates on their behalf. Recall that Metro has said it will replace mature oak trees with crape myrtles and pine trees which will make Richmond "more attractive" than it was to begin with, according to a Metro official.
Other than that, there appears to be little outcry for saving the Richmond trees.
But as we all know, roads are bad and mass transit is good. Therefore, it is okay to sacrifice some trees if it is for the cause of utopian transit.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/12/07 07:09 PM |
Running the city like a (family) business
The Chronicle's Carolyn Feibel reports that Council today is expected to consider a sweetheart airport concession extension for a politically connected contractor, instead of opening the bid process:
Mayor Bill White and the City Council are poised today to extend a lucrative airport food contract for at least eight years rather than go through a potentially messy competitive bid process.
The concession contract, which is scheduled to expire next June, has not been put out to bid since 1990. The original agreement has been amended three times.
"You're essentially making an evergreen contract here," City Controller Annise Parker said. "I'm also really surprised that an administration that really prides itself on its transparency has made a decision in the back room."
The deal would give JDDA Concession Management, owned by local businessman Jason Yoo, until the end of 2016 to manage the food courts in Terminal C at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, with an option for another two years after that.
Since 2003, Yoo has donated at least $28,000 to the campaigns of eight council members and $1,260 to White.
The city's awarding of food and beverage concessions for Bush and Hobby airports has led to public and politicized "food fights" in the past. The concessions are highly desirable; JDDA took in more than $46 million in revenue during the past three fiscal years, and turned over about $4.6 million of that to the city.
Controller Parker's criticism seems spot on.
Mayor White, who often preaches transparency (when he's not preaching about running the city like a business), seeks to deflect blame for this decision:
The mayor said he initially wanted to rebid the contract, but said he was approached by some council members on behalf of JDDA, which wanted the extension.
Sorry, Mayor White, but you control the agenda, and you have demonstrated a winning track record on your priorities (whether it's SAFEclear, red-light cameras, Houston MediaSource, or dumping Jordy Tollett). This notion that "Council made me do it" is unconvincing coming from one of the strongest mayors in recent Houston history.
Feibel does some good work in figuring out which Councilmembers pushed the Mayor in the direction of back-room dealing:
White declined to name the council members who had stepped forward on behalf of JDDA. But when asked, Councilmen Jarvis Johnson and Michael Berry said they had.
"They had, I guess, a slump in business," said Berry, who received a $5,000 contribution from Yoo in 2005. "And they didn't think it was fair that the contract was up as soon as it was."
JDDA purchased the contract from the previous vendor, Entertainment One Inc., in 2005, but the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and renovations at Terminal C meant lower-than-expected revenues, according to JDDA's attorney, Robert Miller.
Johnson said the extension was the "right thing for the city to do," since food sales declined during the airport renovations.
"The new deal gives us what we need. It also gives the city more income," the councilman said. Johnson received a $2,000 contribution from Yoo this May. Yoo's daughter also worked briefly on Johnson's staff in early 2006. But Johnson and Berry denied any political favors or conflict of interest.
Councilman Ronald Green, who got $5,000 from Yoo in March, also supports the contract extension.
"I wanted us not to have a major food fight," Green said. Extending the contract allows "continuity" and brings in more money for the city, he said.
So, transparency and open competition should be tossed out -- and the contract extended until 2016 -- because there was a slump in the business and a political contributor thinks it's unfair that the contract he acquired has an expiration date?
That's a stunningly unconvincing (and condescending) assertion from Berry and his colleagues.
Matt Stiles further breaks down Yoo's political contributions here.
While we do not support the way this deal was constructed, we do understand why Mayor White is on board (despite his previous rhetoric about transparency):
The mayor agreed to negotiate an amended contract, but added conditions: JDDA had to bring in a partner with national experience in airport food management, boost the city's cut on food and beverage sales, and commit to spending $10.5 million for new food courts.
If the concession were publicly bid, the city probably could get only $7 million for renovations, airport officials said.
Mayor White has consistently worked to create new revenue streams or enhance existing revenue streams for the city during his tenure, so it seems in this instance that boosting a revenue stream trumped his previous rhetoric about transparency. And it's consistent with the theme of "running the city like a business" -- even if it's more like the family business.
Kudos go to Councilmember Anne Clutterbuck, who is a sane and compelling voice on this topic:
"We're elected to make the tough decisions," she said. "I don't think we should shy away from the controversial issues because it might not be something we're interested in working on."
"We need to open it up," added Clutterbuck, who received $1,000 from Yoo in 2006.
We concur.
UPDATE: Councilmember Clutterbuck tagged the item today, saying the process should be opened to competition. Mayor White sounds determined to move forward with the sweetheart extension, however. The tag will postpone consideration of the item until next week.
BLOGVERSATION: NewsWatch: City Hall, ABC13.com Political Blog, Slampo's Place, Lose an Eye, It's a Sport.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/12/07 09:48 AM |
11 September 2007
Commissioners Court approves extenstion for Astrodome redevelopment group
KHOU-11's Lee McGuire reports that Commissioners Court has approved an extension for developers to secure financing for the proposed Astrodome redevelopment:
The Harris County Commissioners Court approved an extension Tuesday for developers to come up with financing for a proposed $500 million renovation of the Astrodome.
Mike Surface, chair of the Harris County Sports and Convention Authority, said the entire project will be privately financed at no cost to taxpayers.
[snip]
“Well, I think anybody who looks at the dome will look at it and say, what are we going to do with it? But in this case, the Astrodome redevelopment corporation has a very definitive plan,” County Judge Ed Emmett said.
[snip]
The County Commissioners expect to have a new redevelopment plan to vote on sometime around January.
So far, developers have a bank interested in putting up the money, but they say it will take months to hammer out details on a financial agreement.
That financial agreement could prove fleeting. In the current financial environment, most institutional investors are not looking to finance shaky boondoggles.
It is interesting that our selected-not-elected County Judge is so enthusiastic about the project, but perhaps he doesn't want to be known as the guy who presided over the destruction of the old stadium.
In a related story, KPRC-2 notes that taxpayers continue to fork over a few million dollars a year while the utopians and pols dream of rides that make people say "wow!"
Meantime, the continuing cost of operating the dome is another concern. It costs approximately $2.8 million annually.
There's $30 million in debt still owed on the bonds.
That's just your money, taxpayers. No worries.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/11/07 09:58 PM |
Slade: To heck with students, so long as I get double points!
The trial of disgraced former TSU president Priscilla Slade is continuing, and the Chronicle's Brian Rogers has an update on Slade's carefree spending of the institution's funds:
Standing in front of a mountain of cardboard boxes filled with crystal, fine china and silverware, the former assistant of ousted TSU President Priscilla Slade testified this afternoon that the school paid almost $40,000 for the 25-person dining set.
She also testified that it was tax-free, because of Texas Southern University's tax-free status.The woman who handled some facets of the finances for the president's office, Erica Vallier, testified that the $39,793.75 bill from Neiman Marcus was paid from funds that were meant for equipment and furniture for the president's office.
Slade is accused of spending more than $500,000 of the cash-strapped university's dollars on personal expenses, including renovations to her house, drapes and bedding.
KRIV-26's Isiah Carey points out that Slade was also earning some serious Neiman Marcus rewards points with her/TSU's purchases:
Prosecutors say Dr. Priscilla Slade took abuse to a new level at Texas Southern University. Assistant District Attorney Donna Goode says Dr. Slade went out and purchased $39,000 in crystal china so that she could earn double points on her Neiman Marcus credit card. It's part of the stores InCircle Friends buying awards program. Goode says Slade purchased the expensive eating ware through TSU and had her staff research if she would be able to claim bonus points on her personal Neiman's card.
It apparently wasn't enough to bilk the university (and the public) with her overly lavish lifestyle, but she had to make sure she got the personal reward points as well? Slade is even more audacious than I originally thought.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/11/07 09:40 PM |
10 September 2007
KHOU: Downtown nightlife continues decline
KHOU-11's Karla Barguiarena reports on downtown's once-thriving bar/restaurant scene, which continues a steady decline:
You don’t need to walk more than a block to see downtown Houston businesses are hurting.
It is a stark contrast to the way things used to be.
[snip]
Many people believe crime and the sirens that follow are keeping the crowds away.Take this past weekend for example.
A young man was shot and killed inside the nightclub “Next.”
It is located on the eastern edge of downtown.
Business owners tell 11 News they are feeling it in their pocketbooks.
Lately, one bar and restaurant after another has been closing its doors.
The latest victim is St. Pete’s Dancing Marlin.
“St. Pete’s was the probably the toughest one of the bunch, the most determined to stay but almost everything is closed now,” said Bill Sadler who used to own the restaurant Solero’s. Sadler says he has watched downtown go downhill. “It started out the A-list was going Downtown and construction just drove them out and in their absence a lesser element moved in. You got kind of a gangster crowd.”
Downtown really is starting to resemble a ghost town again, compared to what it was like around the Super Bowl. It's a shame to see St. Pete's Dancing Marlin go, as it was always one of the classier joints downtown and a personal favorite.
While the story cites crime as a likely contributor to the collapse of bars/restaurants downtown, parking issues and the worsening problem with vagrants have probably played a part as well. Who wants to head to a place that is thought to have a crime problem, with the added fun of paying for parking and dealing with the pushy vagrants who have been allowed to take over downtown over the past couple of years?
We're sure Discovery Green and the Pavilions will fix everything, though!
PREVIOUSLY: KHOU: Downtown or ghost town?, Nothing says world-class like parking garages and eau de urine, KTRK CrimeTracker: There's some percentage of crime downtown, we think.
BLOGVERSATION: Houston's Clear Thinkers.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/10/07 09:47 PM |
09 September 2007
Proposed Astrodome Hotel to have rides to make you say "wow!"
The Chronicle's Bill Murphy checked in last week with the latest news on the proposed Astrodome Hotel boondoggle:
Entrepreneurs looking to turn the iconic Astrodome into an upscale convention hotel have scrapped a "best of historic Texas" theme for a more modern, streamlined look.
A faux Texas courthouse and other features that played on the state's past are out. Plans now call for including a section of the Dome's seats, part of the diamond and an overall contemporary design that plays up the building's cutting-edge nature when it opened in 1965.
"We're going to have rides. There could be air rides that take you off the ground and make you say, 'Wow,' " said Scott Hanson, president of Astrodome Redevelopment Co., the firm hoping to transform the Dome. "We're going to have a few of those. They would be easy-going rides that would show off the venue."
Give him credit for honesty, because it does seem likely that some people will be taken for a ride if this thing continues to move forward.
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport, Houston's Clear Thinkers.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/09/07 09:45 PM |
HPD announces new overtime/paperwork policy
The Chronicle's Lindsay Wise reports that HPD has revised a policy on overtime (and paperwork):
The Houston Police Department will revise its payroll policies after an audit and media reports criticized the department's lax procedures for monitoring officers' overtime and outside employment.
Starting Nov. 1, HPD will require all officers to complete a weekly report documenting all regular and overtime hours worked, including extra jobs outside the department and time taken off.
The report will consolidate all the information on a single piece of paper, making it easier for supervisors to track the total time worked by their officers, many of whom work long hours with HPD and then supplement that income with depart- ment-approved private security jobs.
"It's a user-friendly tool for them to have all the information in one place so they can get a snapshot picture of what their officers are doing," said HPD's general counsel, Craig Ferrell.
All problems can be solved with just a little more paperwork! Right?
RELATED: HPD ends what we call 'The Superman Rule' (Wayne Dolcefino, KTRK-13 News).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/09/07 09:28 PM |
08 September 2007
Who are these other "observers"?
The Chronicle's Matthew Tresaugue checks in with an update on the race for HCC trustee positions.
Unsurprisingly, onetime Council candidate and hot local Democratic political prospect Jay Aiyer will not be seeking re-election. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor campaign-finance-related charges earlier this year, although he tells Tresaugue (unconvincingly) that the guilty plea didn't affect his decision.
That would have been enough of a story, but Tresaugue apparently couldn't resist this conclusion:
While the campaign will go on without him, it's possible that Aiyer will resurrect his political career, observers said. He did not provide specific details about his plans after his term ends.
[snip]
"This misdemeanor isn't helpful, but it's not a political career-ender," said Richard Murray, a professor of political science at the University of Houston.
"To re-enter, you need to pick your spot carefully."
What observers? Only one is quoted. It might have been helpful for readers to hear from a few more.
It might have been especially helpful since Richard Murray is a Democratic activist (and noted political scientist) commenting on a fellow Democrat, and his son Keir Murray was heavily involved in Aiyer's Council campaign. This is not to suggest that Keir Murray isn't an independent guy making his own way or that he was involved in any of the campaign-finance irregularities (I think he is an independent guy and have no reason to believe anyone but Aiyer was involved in irregularities), but simply that Tresaugue might have quoted some different "observers" in addition to Professor Murray. (It's even possible that Tresaugue did, and his work was chopped by an editor).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/08/07 04:16 PM |
07 September 2007
Chron's Mack headed to the Washington Post
The Chronicle's Kristen Mack today writes about Clarence Bradford, who will be officially kicking off his campaign for Harris County District Attorney later this month. Bradford was Lee Brown's chief of police, and has been criticized for the crime lab problems that occurred on his watch (he has not spoken about the fiasco in depth, so the campaign should be an excellent opportunity for the public to learn more about his mis-management of the problem). Lately, Bradford has been working for Lee Brown's consulting group.
There will be plenty of time to consider Bradford and the coming campaign, but this blurb at the end of Mack's column caught my eye:
The race will be the marquee local election on the ballot next November. I, however, won't be here to cover it. This is my last column for the Houston Chronicle. In October, I will begin writing for the Washington Post.
My time in Houston has defined my career. I started out as a general assignment reporter, working nights in 2001. Nine months later, I became a City Hall reporter. While covering people rooted to this city, I began to feel connected as well.
This city and this paper have given me amazing opportunities. Houston, Harris County and Texas politicians always keep it interesting. I'm sure that won't change.
The Washington Post is definitely a step (or several steps) up, so congratulations to Ms. Mack. There's always the potential for local news coverage to take a hit when a veteran hand moves on, so here's hoping that the Chronicle is able to secure quality replacement(s).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/07/07 08:17 AM |
06 September 2007
KPRC: Greek sisters and hometown airline take on fires in Greece
KPRC-2 runs a story on some local Greeks and the hometown airline teaming up to help fight the raging fires in Greece:
A Houston radio personality and her sister need donations to try to save part of their homeland, KPRC Local 2 reported Thursday. Kathy Christie Dasigenis was on vacation in Greece when massive fires broke out.
"Taking off from Greece was quite emotional because you feel so helpless," Dasigenis said. "You are scared. You want to go home. You don't know really how to help. As you're taking off, all you can see is fire after fire after fire."
Dasigenis' sister, Roula Christie of 104.1 KRBE's Roula & Ryan Show, was back home in Houston and already working on a plan to save as much of Greece as she could.
[snip]
A third sister searched the Internet and found Barricade Gel, a fire-blocking product. She called the makers and told them about the plan.
The sisters still had to find a way to buy enough gel to make a difference.
They set up the Arcadians of Texas fund at Washington Mutual Bank. They have raised about $19,000.
Another stumbling block was finding a way to get the gel to Greece.
One of the sisters is a flight attendant for Continental Airlines. Christie sent an e-mail to Chief Executive Officer Larry Kellner.
"Within three minutes he called my cell phone," Christie said.
Continental agreed to ship the gel to Greece.
The sisters planned to fly to Greece on Friday to personally deliver the product.
Several members of the blogHOUSTON crew would be more than happy to help deliver the materials, personally. But it sounds like the three sisters have things under control.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/06/07 10:27 PM |
Chron headline writers strike again (cont'd)
The Chron's online headline writers seem to be having a rough week.
Here are some of the fun ones that have appeared over the past few days:
Unless Architect-Councilmember Peter Brown is designing historic buildings, we think that should have been "designated."
How about "upheaval?"
The story reveals the man was shot in southeast Houston, near I-45 and Scott St (near UH), and not southeast Harris County or, say, Alabama.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/06/07 10:07 PM |
Is this what you expect from an elected official?
Get a load of this: Residents complain about prostitution in their neighborhood, police investigate, someone is busted, that someone hires a local elected official as a defense attorney, and the local elected official gets that someone off the hook.
KHOU-11's Jeff McShan has the details:
So, when residents recently called to complain about prostitution that was allegedly operating out of a spa business in their neighborhood, the complaints made it all the way up to the 16th floor to Police Chief Harold Hurtt's office, and then HPD's vice division was told to take a look.
After an undercover investigation at the business that was called Spa Goz and after reviewing the completed file the Harris County District Attorney's office charged 37-year-old [Name Redacted By Request] with prostitution.
The prosecutor believed he had a strong case, so did the defendant who hired attorney Ronald Green.
That’s Houston City Councilman Ronald Green.
“I believe that everyone is entitled to a defense. Part of my job as a lawyer is to provide defense, but also part of my job as a city council member is to make sure the city of Houston and HPD makes good cases,” Green said, defending his participation in the case.
Green’s defense strategy proved to be successful. A judge ruled that HPD's evidence against Smith was not good enough and she was found not guilty.
Sources inside the D.A.'s office and HPD tell 11 News it’s frustrating to fight crime for the citizens of Houston and then to have one of their leaders fight back at them.
Look at the bolded statement from Councilman Green. There is absolutely no other way he can think of to help HPD build good cases than to go against the citizens he supposedly represents? Or maybe he doesn't. Which councilmember DOES represent the residents who complained about the prostitution business? I wonder what he or she thinks of Councilman Green's actions?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/06/07 08:22 PM |
05 September 2007
bH salutes Mr. Perennial Losing Candidate Guy
Today is the filing deadline for municipal elections, and the Chronicle's resident database/spreadsheet guru has the list of candidates.
There will be plenty of time for the serious candidates to tell us all their serious plans. But for now, we're just happy to note the entertainment value likely to come from official candidates Outlaw Josey Wales IV, Michael "Griff" Griffin, and Roy Morales.
Someone ought to do a "Real Men of Genius" spoof of them!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/05/07 09:37 PM |
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