28 November 2006
Park and Pillage lots get security cams and call boxes
Yesterday Rad Sallee gave us new details of Metro's Park and Pillage security system. Whereas the Metro Police Chief said he ended the security guard program because the $1 million price tag was too steep, almost two years later he's coughing up $16 million to put state-of-the-art security cams, call boxes, and remote controlled gates in the lots. So state-of-the-art, in fact, Metro spokeswoman Raequel Roberts notes that spare parts can be bought "off-the-shelf, making repair easier," presumably in case someone decides to disable the surveillance cameras.
Amusingly, less than two months ago, Chief Lambert repeated his assertion that the security guards were cost-prohibitive. Let's see: $1 million vs. $16 million. I dunno. That government math is sure different.
Anyway, I'm late to the story, but Laurence Simon and Matt Bramanti tackled it yesterday, so go read their takes if you haven't already.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/28/06 03:45 PM |
Pat Gray is podcasting
For those of you who are missing former KPRC-950 talker Pat Gray following his abrupt departure from the station, there is good news: He's now offering a podcast at PatGray.com.
Judging from his commenters, it seems to be a hit.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/28/06 08:45 AM |
At least they're persistent
The Chronicle runs an amusing correction today:
Stewart & Stevenson, an integrated oil-field services company based in Houston, plans to raise up to $300 million by selling shares in an initial public offering. A report from Bloomberg News on Page D1 Saturday incorrectly stated that Armor Holdings was selling the shares. Also, an item correcting that mistake on Page A2 Sunday incorrectly described Stewart & Stevenson's business.
Here's hoping they've got it straight now.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/28/06 08:07 AM |
27 November 2006
You knew the mayoral press conference was coming
After several weeks of bad press on the rash of copper thefts across the Houston area, you just knew it was about time for a mayoral press conference to address the bad PR problem.
Right on cue, here's the Chronicle's coverage:
"The theft of copper and (other) metal drives up the cost of living for all Houstonians and all Americans," said Mayor Bill White, who attended a news conference announcing the sweep for thieves who have stripped huge air conditioners of copper content at churches and other buildings, sometimes working boldly in daylight hours. "All consumers are victims."
White said copper theft drives up home construction costs and prices on other products that contain the metal, which police said is selling for more than $4 a pound.
Metal thieves have formed elaborate trading systems in Houston and other cities that have developers thinking twice about building new subdivisions where police are not making special efforts to control the problem, White said.
"These are not easy crimes to solve," White said. "We can't be in a situation in which people cannot build houses."
Thieves have "cannibalized" residential and commercial construction sites and even invaded an unused police department building to take metal, police said. Thieves also have stolen the nozzles off of city fire hoses, [assistant police chief Vicki] King said.
This week's crime sweep is just one step in trying to reduce metal theft in Houston, King said.
Perhaps the lack of visible police presence because of the manpower problem helps embolden thieves and other criminals? Just a guess.
Chief Hurtt presumably is enjoying an extended Thanksgiving weekend in Phoenix. Otherwise, the latest crimefighting initiative would have gotten the proper acronym treatment!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/27/06 12:53 PM |
Hoffman: Sometimes Houston is like living in the Bizarro World
Chronicle columnist Ken Hoffman ran this missive from a reader over the weekend (Hoffman's response is italicized):
Regarding your column about the restaurant being told it can't give away free french fries to motorists during rush hour — we can disrupt traffic to take something (panhandling), but we cannot disrupt traffic to give something away?
Bob Cress, Houston
Maybe the restaurant should have given the french fries to panhandlers. Sometimes Houston is like living in the Bizarro World.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/27/06 09:44 AM |
26 November 2006
Is it legal...
...to rollerblade along a feeder road?
Yesterday as we were driving from one shopping establishment to another, we saw a guy rollerblading against traffic on the (very busy) I-45 southbound feeder road near FM 2920.
That's just nuts.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/26/06 08:35 AM |
"Six in the City" is all about reviving Houston's "cab culture"
The presidents of Yellow Cab and Liberty Cab got together and penned an op-ed for today's Chronicle extolling the virtues of the city's new $6 downtown fare program. You know, the one the cab drivers didn't actually know anything about.
We believe The new $6 go-anywhere cab program that went into effect last week is a big step toward improving circulation downtown and promoting a more vibrant, healthier central business district.
For six bucks, those who live, work and play downtown can now hail a cab for door-to-door service to more than 100 locations for dining, business meetings and errands. (The $6 fare can be shared by multiple riders.)
Dubbed "Six in the City," we think this program will prove to be a convenience and a time-saver for the rider, an economic stimulus for downtown merchants and add energy to Houston's downtown street scene.
Wasn't the ($500 million, 7.5 mile) Danger Train supposed to accomplish all that?
Since Houston City Council approved the flat rate in October, a host of entities has been working to establish the infrastructure for this program. The city has doubled the number of taxi stands at curbside, where cabs can wait for passengers, and established 30 cab-hailing locations (marked with curb signs and street decals) where passengers can be picked up and dropped off.
While those locations were identified, street lanes were striped and public awareness programs were ramped up, Houston's cab companies were bringing their drivers up to speed. With more than 2,000 taxis on the street, this is no small feat. Houston has about 150 cab companies, many with fewer than five vehicles. Each is responsible for communicating objectives to its own drivers.
In other words, it's not easy to get the word out to far-flung taxi drivers, even on a major initiative. But we're making good progress, contrary to the impression that may have been created by uninformed drivers recently quoted in the Chronicle.
We estimate that 90 percent of all cab drivers are aware of the program at this initial stage.
Rest assured, downtown folks, there are only about 200 cab drivers left who don't yet know about the $6 fare.
Yellow Cab and other companies gave informational rack cards to their drivers and Liberty Cab sent a memo to each of its drivers. Last week Yellow Cab began putting decals on each of its taxis and installing signbacks on 100 of its vehicles.
The city of Houston is providing printed collateral materials to cab companies for distribution to drivers and for the past week has been passing out rack cards and flyers to drivers at all downtown cab stands.
The program began on November 15th and a week later (after the Chron's embarrassing story), an information drive began in earnest to educate local cabbies about the new program.
"Six in the City" is the perfect opportunity to revive Houston's cab culture. The $6 fare is attractive to drivers and riders, and the new infrastructure allows cabs to operate in a feasible manner.
It's all about reviving Houston's "cab culture." Because that's something the city should be doing.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/26/06 06:53 AM |
25 November 2006
Get outside (and work off that dressing!)
The Chronicle's Lisa Viator checks in with a couple of Houston outdoor attractions.
The first is the new Greenway Pedestrian Trail at Hermann Park, which connects parts of the park that haven't been connected for nearly a hundred years:
Funded by a $1 million appropriation from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Greenway trail connects the 80-acre Bayou Parkland area to the heavily attended Heart of the Park, the Japanese Garden and Carruth Playground.
"The main purpose of the trail is to connect the 85-acre natural area on the eastern side to the center of the park," conservancy executive director Doreen Stoller said. "The Greenway is an integral component of the conservancy's ongoing Lake Plaza project, which will create a new 8-acre public space adjacent to McGovern Lake, the Houston Zoo, and the home of the much-loved Hermann Park miniature train."
Stoller said the total estimated cost of the project, including a redesigned miniature train station and pedal boathouse, public restrooms, a café and public art components, is about $8 million, including $1 million for the Greenway trail.
Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, said the 415-acre park is a unique urban anomaly — vast green space in the heart of a major metropolitan city.
It really is a lovely park.
For a different perspective on the city, Viator calls attention to monthly pontoon boat tours of Buffalo Bayou:
When the Sabine-to-Bagby Promenade debuted in June, about 10,000 Houstonians gathered to celebrate the opening of the 23-acre waterfront park along the downtown banks of Buffalo Bayou.
"And we want people to continue coming," said Trudi Smith, spokesperson for the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, a nonprofit organization that coordinates the integration of major amenities into the bayou greenbelt. It also seeks ways to increase community involvement in bayou-related activities.
Smith said one idea to get people to the bayou was offering them a way to get on the bayou. With the help of the Bayou Breeze, the partnership's pontoon boat, the Buffalo Bayou boat cruises have set sail the second Saturday of each month. Smith said the 30-minute tours are held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with limited capacity of 10 people per trip, and begin and end at the Sabine Street Bridge on the north bank of the bayou.
The next tour is December 9. While we would not characterize the park as better than the River Walk, it is a lovely green space in its own right, and the pontoon boat twist sounds fun.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/25/06 07:58 AM |
24 November 2006
KHOU: City housing repair program raises questions
Earlier this week, KHOU ran a story by Dan Lauck on one of those public-private partnerships designed to help low-income people that hasn't exactly worked out:
Six years ago the feds, the city and two non-profit agencies jumped in to save the homes of senior citizens many of whom now feel ripped off.
“And the house is unlevel. You can see that. It’s just a mess. I don’t understand it,” said Williams.
Neither does Pauline Banks, who watched from across the street. She’s in the same mess.
“This happened before I got here,” said Milton Wilson.
Wilson was brought in as the Director of City Housing, to fix the program.
He says the quality of the work was bad enough that the feds shut off the money and told the city to go back and re-inspect the work.
People who question such programs in the first place are generally labeled meanies (since the programs are designed to help the poor, the reasoning seems to be that they must not be questioned). And then, we sometimes learn years later that people with the right connections to the city seem to have benefited more than some poor people -- which doesn't really help the poor people or the taxpayers all that much.
It's worth keeping such stories in mind when we hear of the latest, greatest public-private initiatives to help the poor.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/24/06 12:41 PM |
23 November 2006
Happy Thanksgiving!
As is the norm for our family, my husband does almost all the cooking (life's good when the hubby is a chef), while we enjoy the end result, then take turkey-induced naps. =) He stuffs the bird with oranges, onions, and fresh rosemary. Oh my -- it makes for one delicious turkey!
Here's wishing all of you a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving Day.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: Of course, the Editorial LiveJournalists couldn't resist a lecture on politics on a day when even those of us who follow politics prefer to concentrate on loved ones, turkey, and football. Pathetic.
UPDATE (11-24-2006): Don Mason, the Chronicle's Assistant City Editor--Government/Politics, emails the following:
And after starting off with a pleasant Thanksgiving posting, bloghouston couldn’t resist a shot at the Chronicle even on a day when our front page contained two powerful stories about families and blessings (not to mention a giant picture of a turkey).
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, or whatever seasonal greeting you prefer.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/23/06 08:45 AM |
22 November 2006
Thanks for thinking of us!
Harris County DA Chuck Rosenthal visited with Isiah Carey recently and mentioned this little blog:
Even though he didn't indicate he reads the Insite - Chuck Rosenthal - The Harris County District attorney came pretty close. When I went to interview him this week he had a question for The Insite. He asked me if I've ever read a website called Bloghouston.net...I said yes. Rosenthal replied by saying The Insite is quite often mentioned on their site. So I'm sure at some point Mr. Rosenthal clicked the link my fellow bloggers Kevin and Anne have included. [...]
We are fans of the no-nonsense, law-and-order DA, and not just because he's a Chron "bad guy," although it is a bonus that he isn't swayed by those who aim to teach Houstonians how to be proper liberals. ;-)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/22/06 05:53 AM |
Medical Center investigating "9-volt battery" leakage
Metro spokeswoman Raequel Roberts may not be concerned with stray current, but Texas Medical Center officials are concerned enough that the foundations of several hospitals and related buildings are being checked for damage (in a KHOU-11 follow-up story):
“The thing is it’s relentless,” said Stephen Swinson, President of Thermal Energy Corporation. “It’s like shore erosion. It’s like every day. Every wave.”
Since Metro revealed its electrical problem 18 months ago, the Texas Medical Center is conducting its first comprehensive test to see if hospital foundations are now in trouble.
Swinson and the Thermal Energy Corporation are leading this investigation for a number of clients in the Medical Center. He says tests show above average levels of stray current in the area when Metro’s light rail is in operation.
Over the last couple weeks Swinson says engineers have tested almost a dozen medical buildings including foundations of the Texas Children’s Hospital, Methodist Hospital, St. Luke’s Medical Tower, and the University of Texas Health Science Center among others.
“Today there’s not danger of a building collapsing,” Swinson said, “But is there going to be future significant cost associated with having to reinforce structural members and things like that? It’s a possibility.”
And then Roberts' dismissive quote is used again, about the electricity leakage being akin to what a 9-volt battery would discharge. Uh huh. If that were true, Centerpoint Energy wouldn't be spending money replacing metal pipes near the Danger Train line, and Metro wouldn't have already spent close to $1 million trying to determine the extent of the problem.
And now the TMC is having a look at its buildings' foundations.
PREVIOUSLY: TMC: Metro needs to fix "stray current" problem
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/22/06 04:35 AM |
21 November 2006
Doctor-Congresswoman goes to Washington (cont'd)
Doctor-Congresswoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs' (mis)adventures in Washington have inspired some biting commentary from Austin American-Statesman humorist John Kelso. Here's a snippet:
About 24 hours after she took over Tom DeLay's office, seven staff members walked out and quit.
Now that's what I call a mean case of halitosis. Time to dive for the Listerine jug, lady.
Actually, it wasn't her breath. The staff members left because they reportedly didn't like the way Sekula-Gibbs was treating them. Did I mention she's a dermatologist? That's not surprising, considering how fast she got under these people's skin.
Ouch. There's more.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/21/06 10:50 AM |
Changes at KPRC-950
There are changes this morning in the lineup at KPRC-950.
The Michael Berry show greeted me this morning on my drive in. Councilmember Berry seems now to be occupying the slot previously filled by Pat Gray.
Michael Garfield, the High-Tech Texan, will apparently fill Michael Berry's old slot.
So far, there's no answer to my inquiries about what will happen to Ken Hoffman's regular gig on Wednesdays. I hope Clear Channel isn't messing with Hoffy!
UPDATE: Clear Channel's Ken Charles informs that Hoffman will still make his regular Wednesday appearance. Crisis averted!
BLOGVERSATION: Mike McGuff, Isiah Carey's Insite, The High Tech Texan.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/21/06 08:23 AM |
20 November 2006
Vote for America's Worst Newspaper
Power Line Blog has posted its nominess for America's Worst Newspaper. Second on the list, our beloved Houston Chronicle:
The Houston Chronicle: A reader who worked for the Chronicle for “quite a while”: “Its main problem is not even its liberalism, which it suffers from, but its vapidity. On top of that, the editor from Hearst Corp. is trying to teach Houstonians how to be proper liberals. The fact that no one ever hears about the newspaper at America’s fourth largest city should tell you a lot.”
The editorial leadership at the Chronicle is atrocious. Plain and simple.
You can vote for your favorite worst newspaper at Power Line News.
BLOGVERSATION: Cigars, Donuts, and Coffee.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/20/06 06:03 PM |
SEIU declares victory (but was it really?)
KTRK-13's Miya Shay blogs that the SEIU/janitors strike has come to an end, with SEIU pronouncing victory.
Here's an interesting tidbit from her blog post:
You saw it first here on the KTRK political blog! SEIU and the cleaning companies reach preliminary agreement. Sources say Mayor White made many phone calls over the past several weeks behind the scenes.
It's good to know that Mayor White views it as his job to play mediator for private firms and a labor union that shipped professional protestors in from out of town to disrupt life in Houston and break our laws. Obviously, all of the pressing problems in the city are solved. Well, except for the renegade Animal Cracker snacking, but METRO's working on that!
Anyway, look for SEIU to spin this as a big labor victory. And maybe it was. Or maybe SEIU decided that it wasn't worth paying big bail bonds to beat this dead horse of a strike.
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/20/06 03:23 PM |
19 November 2006
METRO: Don't worry about stray current
Local watchdog Tom Bazan has long been warning about the still-unresolved stray-current issues along METRO's Main Street light-rail line.
On Friday, KHOU-11's Jason Whiteley reported the latest on the problem:
Metro's light rail line is leaking electricty into the ground and has been for 18 months.
The problem is stray current is corrosive. And Bazan fears it's eating up the steel rods in the concrete foundation of the I-45 Pierce Elevated bridge.
Over time, Bazan believes the freeway could collapse.
"It's inevitable. If they don't cure the problem. It will collapse," he said. "I don't know when, but it will."
TXDOT told 11 News it hasn't checked the foundation of the Pierce Elevated. There's no need to, it says, unless engineers find evidence there's a problem. But Metro was concerned enough to ask if it could take a closer look itself.
Metro hasn't done that yet, but a spokeswoman said the public shouldn't worry about the leaking electricty. [sic]
If there's nothing to worry about, then METRO ought to be happy to perform testing ASAP and reassure the public by sharing information promptly.
The video version of the story (but not the text posted online) mentions that Centerpoint Energy has been concerned enough about the problem to replace some metal gas pipes (which are susceptible to stray current) with plastic pipes near the rail line. Their engineers must not have consulted METRO spokeswoman Raequel Roberts on the matter, or they would have known not to worry.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/19/06 09:42 PM |
Will Council's apartment ordinance reduce affordable housing?
Today's Chronicle carried an op-ed on the topic of City Council's plan to fine the owners of apartment complexes that suffer from too much crime. The point writer Teresa Lowery makes is that the costs incurred will increase rental prices, thereby impacting Houston's affordable housing market:
Even if the apartment owner is a faceless institution, it is not immune to simple math. The apartment owner who is required to make significant capital improvements and maintain a large force of security personnel will have greater expenses that must be covered by rent revenues. The rent situation is complex and the upward pressure on rents is multi-faceted.
The crime ordinance is not the only thing that will force rent increases in Houston apartments. In the aftermath of the hurricane devastation on the Gulf Coast in 2005, insurance companies have imposed very large increases on apartment landlords.
Insurance for apartments has more than doubled in many cases. The new insurance policies often carry higher deductibles and more risk for the landlords.
With insurance costs rising and the impact of the crime ordinance looming, apartment rents in Houston are going to rise significantly. This will diminish one of our city's greatest assets — affordable housing.
[snip]
When the evacuees arrived in Houston, the Houston apartment community responded like the rest of the city — by opening our arms, hearts and doors to the victims of this most horrible natural disaster. If a small segment of the evacuees is responsible for an increase in crime, as the police claim, then one must ask why the landlords are now being criticized. One could reasonably argue that the apartment landlords should be praised for reaching out to evacuees, instead of being subjected to laws that make it harder to realize a profit.
The debate over this ordinance has successfully shifted the focus away from HPD's manpower shortage onto apartment owners who responded to the city's request to take in Katrina evacuees. It doesn't seem fair, but in the end, apartment owners will pass the costs on in the form of rent increases.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/19/06 08:25 PM |
Mayor Bill vs. Jordy (cont'd)
Mayor White's quest to oust Jordy Tollett from the position as president of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau took yet another turn on Friday, as the Chronicle's Kristen Mack reports:
The executive board of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau voted Friday to search for a possible replacement for bureau president Jordy Tollett.
Considerable pressure was applied on the board's 28 members, who cast secret ballots when deciding whether to follow up on Mayor Bill White's recommendation to enlist a national executive search firm to find candidates when Tollett's contract expires next year.
The board also passed a unanimous measure asking Tollett to reapply for his job."We asked that Mr. Tollett participate in that search as a candidate we have a lot of faith in," board President Doug Horn said. "Jordy has considered that position and will get back with us. He is taking it into advisement."
Greater Houston Partnership CEO Jeff Moseley will head a search committee to be formed next week. It is expected to submit candidates in 60 to 90 days.
Tollett's five-year contract is up in February.
Apparently all of Houston's problems -- skyrocketing violent crime, congestion, potholes, a bumbling police chief who spends much of his time in Phoenix -- pale in comparison to that pressing problem of a Non-Friend-Of-Bill heading up the allegedly independent Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.
ADDITIONAL COVERAGE: Houston Business Journal.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/19/06 05:36 PM |
Maybe the LiveJournalists should stick to leftovers
The great economist Milton Friedman passed away several days ago, and the Editorial LiveJournalists decided to offer their opinion yesterday.
Unsurprisingly, their editorial missed some of the more important aspects of Friedman's life and work, despite seeming to crib from a well-crafted obituary in the New York Times.
Also unsurprisingly, there were a few missteps in the Chron editorial. To wit,
Known for his love of laissez-faire economics and an adviser to leaders from Richard Nixon to Ronald Reagan to Margaret Thatcher, Friedman perhaps was most influential in his recommendations for government control of the money supply, which he believed was crucial to economic growth.
Compare to this, from the New York Times:
Though he had helped ignite the conservative rebellion after World War II, together with intellectuals like Russell Kirk, William F. Buckley Jr. and Ayn Rand, Mr. Friedman had little or no influence on the administrations of Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon. President Nixon, in fact, once described himself as a Keynesian.
It was frustrating period for Mr. Friedman. He said that during the Nixon years the talk was still of urban crises solvable only by government programs that he was convinced would make things worse, or of environmental problems produced by “rapacious businessmen who were expected to discharge their social responsibility instead of simply operating their enterprises to make the most profit.”
It's a shame that the newspaper of record in the nation's fourth largest city can't have a better editorial page.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/19/06 02:53 PM |
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