12 November 2006
Radack calls out new treasurer
In her most recent column, the Chronicle's Kristen Mack focused on the Harris County treasurer position that will be filled by former City Councilman and failed mayoral candidate Orlando Sanchez. Harris County commissioners are on the record now for abolishing the office. Amusingly, Steve Radack had a pointed comment about the new officeholder:
Radack said Sanchez's campaign focused on himself and not the position.
"It wasn't about doing a better job," he said. "It was about Orlando needing a job."
Sanchez does seem to enjoy the public trough just a little too much for an alleged conservative. It will be nice if Radack and company follow through on eliminating this office and sending Sanchez back to the private sector.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/12/06 04:53 PM |
11 November 2006
The Dynamo's dream stadium
According to the Chron's David Barron, the Houston Dynamo have found the perfect model for their own stadium/complex:
As the Dynamo prepare to play the New England Revolution on Sunday for the championship of Major League Soccer, the apple of every Dynamo fan's eye and the object of his or her fondest flight of imagination is sleek, colorful Pizza Hut Park, the 2-year-old, 20,500-seat stadium that will host Sunday's game.
But as Dynamo president Oliver Luck strolls the grounds this afternoon, he will give equal attention to the 16 soccer fields that surround the stadium on the 118-acre campus. And he will, no doubt, consider whether Pizza Hut Park's combination of professional and developmental soccer venues is, as MLS officials suggest, the ideal blueprint for Houston's future.
The Dynamo have enjoyed instant on-field success in their first year in Houston, where the franchise moved from San Jose, Calif., while playing home games at the University of Houston's Robertson Stadium. The team will continue playing at UH at least through 2008 under the terms of a three-year lease signed this year.
But league and team officials have their eyes fixed on a new, soccer-specific stadium complex for Houston. And officials with Hunt Sports Group, which owns the FC Dallas team in MLS and manages Pizza Hut Park, don't think Houston will find a better example than the venue where Dallas-Fort Worth, at least for the moment, has outshone Houston in terms of stadium and arena planning and development.
Houston-area taxpayers need to be wary of Dallas-envy. It's very expensive:
Located 23 miles north of downtown Dallas, Pizza Hut Park and its surrounding fields were built for $81.5 million, including $55 million from the city of Frisco, Frisco Independent School District, Collin County and other entities. Hunt Sports Group paid for the rest and has a 20-year agreement for $100,000 per year to lease and manage the complex. Pizza Hut will pay $25 million over 20 years for naming rights.
Oh boy. Do you think the city of Houston can get $50 million out of the street and bridge repair fund? Can this be coded as an airport improvement? Will HISD be pressured to give up land or money for the new complex? Will HCTRA funds be raided to help build a world-class soccer complex?
In the end, it is highly likely that elected and unelected officials from local governmental agencies will decide that taxpayers need to pay for a new soccer venue. That's just the way these things seem to go.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/11/06 09:02 PM |
10 November 2006
Come out to honor our veterans tomorrow
Tomorrow is Veterans' Day.
We would encourage you to come downtown for the Veterans' Day parade if at all possible.
The event was nearly cancelled earlier this year because various groups were concerned that Houston's turnout would be poor.
Here's hoping that turnout is very good. It's an especially good chance for all those people who "support the troops but not the war" to come out.
Callie and I will be there, so please come say hello if you make it downtown.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/10/06 07:32 AM |
09 November 2006
WSJ: Midtown development lags
The Wall Street Journal ran a story by Thaddeus Herrick on Houston's Midtown yesterday. Since the Journal is subscriber only, here's a brief (fair-use) excerpt:
For two decades, a group of locals have touted the urban promise of Midtown, some 500 acres of homes, businesses and vacant lots that sit between this city's downtown and the bustling Texas Medical Center.
In 1995 they formed the Midtown Redevelopment Authority, attracting a five-block pedestrian-friendly residential and retail project known as Post Midtown Square that was a considerable departure for car-happy Houston. Light rail service gave the area a further boost in 2004, with Midtown getting three stations along the $324 million, 7.5-mile line.
But today more than half of the 475 blocks in Houston's Midtown are yet to be redeveloped. Perhaps more troubling, about half of the blocks along the light-rail line are vacant. "It's not very encouraging," says F. Charles Le Blanc, executive director of the Midtown Management District and Midtown Redevelopment Authority.
At a time when urban neighborhoods across the country are undergoing revivals, often with transit-oriented development leading the way, Houston's Midtown is a notable exception.
The story hits on points covered by Mike Snyder in the Chronicle nearly two months ago.
Both stories missed some of the more interesting "developments" along the Danger Train line, though!
BLOGVERSATION: Houston Strategies.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/09/06 09:45 PM |
This Chron Eye is full of...
Laurence Simon noticed a new Chron Eye for the Death Row Killer Guy (courtesy of Rosanna Ruiz).
He then compared it to CNN/AP coverage of the same story.
The interesting results are here.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/09/06 11:27 AM |
08 November 2006
Doctor-Congresswoman-elect-for-a-few-weeks plans tax cuts!
Doctor-Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, who won the special election to serve out the last weeks of Tom DeLay's term but mounted an unsuccessful write-in campaign for the full term, told the Chronicle's Alexis Grant today that she will be resigning her Council seat and assuming the Texas CD-22 seat in Washington as soon as the results are certified:
As she prepares to head for Washington, D.C., for a two-month stint in Congress, Shelley Sekula-Gibbs said this morning that she plans to resign her Houston City Council seat as soon as Tuesday's special election is certified."I made a commitment to the voters of District 22," she said at the start of today's regular council meeting. "It would be really wrong of me to say I don't want that vote and that responsibility."
[snip]
"It is a short job and people know that," Sekula-Gibbs said of her upcoming job.
She added that she still believes she can accomplish some improvements such as lowering taxes during that time.
Huh?
Basically, she's going to have time to let in the movers to take measurements in her office, so the new majority can move in. Maybe she'll use her franking privileges at least one time, to send out Christmas holiday cards to the district.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/08/06 01:02 PM |
07 November 2006
Cantu developments put Pulitzer celebration on hold
Roughly a year ago, the Chronicle's Lise Olsen excitedly concluded that an innocent man had been executed in Texas.
The anti-death-penalty newspaper's editors and executives were, no doubt, looking forward to the newspaper's first ever Pulitzer, which was sure to come after this big story on a pet issue! And a certain editor's spouse was probably excited as well.
Alas, the quest for that Pulitzer has suffered somewhat of a setback:
A private investigator searching for proof that might exonerate a San Antonio man executed 13 years ago gave nearly $2,000 in cash, meals and small gifts to key witnesses who say the man was innocent.
Most of the money, $1,496, was directed toward Juan Moreno, the shooting victim whose testimony almost single-handedly convicted Ruben Cantu in 1985 and whose recantation is the centerpiece of a campaign to clear Cantu's name.
Moreno and his wife were compensated primarily for lost wages when they missed work to meet with the investigator, who was working with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
The authors of the story go on to explain that some people think the payments are perfectly ethical, and no big deal. The tone of this story, however, is certainly more glum than the tone of the story from a year ago. The Pulitzer celebration will have to be postponed, or perhaps even canceled.
BLOGVERSATION: Cigars, Donuts, and Coffee.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/07/06 09:36 PM |
Federal judge rules city must build wheelchair ramps under ADA
The Chronicle's Rad Sallee reports that a federal judge has ordered the city to construct wheelchair ramps along certain streets in order to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act:
U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal ruled last week that the city of Houston must install wheelchair ramps in the curbs of 34 intersections in the Montrose area — and any others where entire blocks of a street are repaved in the future.
The requirement, a provision of the Americans with Disabilities Act, was triggered when the city repaved West Alabama and other streets in preparation for an expected flood of traffic when Spur 527 was closed for reconstruction.
Rosenthal ruled in favor of plaintiff Kristen Jones and her attorney Dan Lundeen in 2004 and last year approved the list of intersections on streets including West Alabama, Fairview and Webster.
The new, permanent, injunction says the ADA requirements apply to any Houston street that gets resurfaced in the future "from intersection to intersection," and to newly constructed streets.
Assistant City Attorney Don Fleming said the city's former policy was not to rebuild ramps if they were still "usable," but to install new ramps if there were none present when a street was resurfaced.
"The mayor, the city and its engineers are committed to full compliance with the court order, the ADA and related standards to ensure complete access," Fleming said.
That's good to hear! But maybe a little more effort towards complying with the ADA would have headed off the need for litigation (and the cost, for that matter).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/07/06 09:09 PM |
HPD to take on role of apartment inspectors?
Fresh from punishing property owners who are victims of graffiti, City Council will now consider punishing apartment owners whose properties suffer from crime, reports KTRH-740's Brent Fuller:
The ordinance to be considered by City Council Wednesday has no specific requirement that apartment projects with high crime rates hire more security. The city has also eliminated a system it had first considered that would have ranked complexes by "tiers," or levels 1-4, with 1 being the safest, and 4 being the most dangerous.
Instead of these requirements, the city defines crime as a public health issue, allowing it to fine complexes with persistent violations up to $2,000 a day. It also sets forth how Houston police will inspect apartments, and what actions they can take to correct recurring crime problems.
A complex designated as "eligible for remedial action" by the city is subject to HPD inspection. Depending on what officers find, owners can be forced to take certain actions which will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Owners will also be charged a $400 inspection fee.
One suspects the crime at the more problematic complexes is directly related to the Katrina influx that the City of Houston welcomed once upon a time.
At least the early Rube-Goldberg-like ratings system has been eliminated from the proposal.
UPDATE (11-08-2006): The Chronicle posts more of the onerous details of the proposal, which has been championed by a self-identified conservative on council, Toni Lawrence.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/07/06 08:55 PM |
Proposition G supporter Larry Kellner visits area churches
Isiah Carey has the scoop on what Continental CEO Larry Kellner was doing last Sunday:
The Insite has learned Continental Airlines C.E.O. Larry Kellner found his way to several African American churches last Sunday to get out the vote on Proposition G. The proposition, which has the backing of Mayor Bill White, would amend the charter of the city of Houston to exclude airport revenues and other self-sustaining enterprise funds, from the city's current limits on revenue collection. Kellner was reportedly accompanied by high ranking officials from the Mayors office on a tour of churches that began at 7 Sunday morning. I'm told the churches were: Wheeler Avenue, Good Hope Baptist and St. Anges Baptist. Tuesday will tell if Kellner's efforts worked!
Do you think Mr. Kellner told the folks that the ballot is long and complicated and they should just vote yes for everything? Do you think the ACLU is okay with this?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/07/06 06:34 AM |
Metro's stray current cost approaches $1 million
Tom Bazan keeps digging and Metro has been forced to release more details of its efforts to fix MetroRail's stray current problem. KTRH-740's Brent Fuller reports that the price tag keeps going up:
The Harris County Metropolitan Transit Authority first began repair work last year, after it was notified by Centerpoint Energy that some electricity was escaping from light rail conductors and leaking into the ground.
The problem, known as "stray current", is not a danger to the traveling public. However, sustained exposure to electrical charges can corrode both iron and concrete. In the August 17 letter to Siemens Transportation Systems, Metro said it had already spent $243,000 repairing anchors at rail bridges which had been damaged.
Metro officials have said they expect Siemens to pay for all testing, repairs, management and other costs racked up during the transit agency's stray current investigation. More than $917,000 has been spent from May 2005 to June 2006, according to Metro. Its unclear if Siemens has paid back any of that so far.
More repair costs are expected in the future. For instance, Metro told Siemens in the August 17 letter that an estimated $157,000 would be needed to fix 20 drainage installations along the rail line. The letter also indicated certain "thresholds" installed near the Pierce Elevated downtown would have to be dug up and reinstalled.
We certainly hope that any future light rail will address this problem in the planning stage and not in the post-construction stage.
DOCUMENT: August 17 METRO letter to Siemens (pdf).
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/07/06 04:43 AM |
05 November 2006
Talking to the little people
If you need a good reason to vote for Proposition G, the Chron's editorial board would like you to know that throughout history, the world's great cities have remained great when they remembered to keep taxes high enough to fund airport expansions and water service.
And Mayor White would like you to tell your friends via email to vote FOR all the city propositions, because the ballot is long and complicated, meaning Mayor White thinks your friends aren't smart enough to figure out for themselves how they should vote.
Or something like that.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/05/06 07:03 PM |
03 November 2006
HPD investigations hampered by equipment failures
Almost two years ago, KHOU-11's Jeremy Rogalski reported that HPD was having trouble getting its officers the equipment and training they needed to perform their duties properly, especially investigations:
"It's just terrible," said Sam, one recent HPD accident investigator, who wished to remain anonymous. "If we ask for equipment they say well you didn't have it last year, why do you need it this year?"
And so Sam says officers are forced to dip into their own pockets to buy cameras, measuring wheels, even laptop computers that work because the city-issued gear often doesn't.
"We're just not in a position right now to buy everything that we need," said Police Chief Harold Hurtt, who took the job in March.
Fast forward two years, and the same problems are still plaguing HPD. This time, KHOU's Jeff McShan reports:
When Sergio Gonzales’ tow truck slammed into a vehicle killing Leon Roberson and his wife Maureen two weeks ago, many believed it was just a matter of time before Gonzales would be charged with a crime, especially after witnesses said he was going 90 mph down Wallisville just before impact.
But 11 News found we may never know exactly what happened that night, because the detailed report taken by HPD’s accident division wasn’t so detailed.
Warren Diepramm is a veteran prosecutor for Harris County.
“You’ve got understaffed people with outdated equipment trying to do an investigation that is in many ways much more complex than a murder scene,” said Diepramm.
He says they need training and they are not getting it.
“They need help. They need support. I mean there are so many victims out there of violent crimes involving motor vehicles where the perpetrator just gets away with it,” Diepramm said.
Regarding the Gonzales case, a blood sample taken from him for testing disappeared for several days. Reportedly it was just found and finally taken to the DPS crime lab, but that is unconfirmed.
What about the photographs taken at the scene by investigators? The camera didn’t work. No photos are available, which are critical for the investigation.
[snip]
We learned that in five recent fatal traffic accidents, no photos are available. The 35mm point-and-shoot cameras that cost less than $50 apparently didn’t work at those scenes either.
The linked video of Jeff McShan's story has more details than the online story does, including quotes from Mayor White and HPD spokesman Dwayne Ready.
HPD is faced with numerous challenges right now; having malfunctioning equipment should not be one of them. Let's hope KHOU's continued digging helps get Houston's police officers the tools they need to do their jobs, and keep people who commit crimes off the streets.
UPDATE: KPRC-2 reports that the DA's office has assembled its own "vehicular accident assault team to help gather evidence. Officials said it was necessary after coming up short or with the wrong evidence too many times."
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/03/06 05:27 PM |
Is "Customer Only" parking enforceable?
KTRK-13's Jeff Ehling got to the bottom of a question many of us have: what happens if you park in a "Customer Only" parking space and you aren't patronizing that particular business:
Towing signs dot the landscape in Rice Village. From the Walgreen's to the furniture store, it seems every business is trying to keep its parking lot clear for customers only. The intimidation factor is enough to keep Linda Leon from parking in front of a dry cleaners.
"They might tow my car," she told us.
In fact, anyone can park there or in front of the furniture store, or in the Walgreen's parking lot because the tow warning signs look nothing like the legally required towing sign.
[snip]
"It has to be the red and white sign with the universal tow symbol saying unauthorized vehicles will be towed away," said Jeanette Rash with the Texas Towing and Storage Association.
Rash knows about towing regulations. After all, she owns a towing service and is member of the Texas Towing and Storage Association.
"It has the universal tow symbol on it -- towing enforced, unauthorized vehicles will be towed at owner's or operator's expense; towing enforced at all times and a 24 hour phone number," she said.
His story includes more on what happens if you do get towed.
Now we know. Thanks, Jeff!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/03/06 03:58 PM |
France is the ideal state! (cont'd)
Yesterday, the humorless Chronicle Editorial LiveJournalists came to the rousing defense of ... France [insert your own joke here], whose honor they apparently feel was insulted by Rick Perry's "Mr. Way too liberal for Texas guy" spoof of Chris Bell:
It's Perry, though, whose ad wins the grand prix for foreigner-bashing. This week his campaign debuted the magisterial "Mr. Way Too Liberal for Texas Guy" ad. In it, an announcer derides Democratic contender Chris Bell for being too much ... like France. "And you voted to let the United Nations oversee elections in America because no one stands up for democracy like the French ... So wear your fancy beret with pride, Congressman Bell."
Poor, humorless James Howard Gibbons. I think he's still smarting from Matt Bramanti's assessment of the "ideal state."
I've written elsewhere that I think this ad of Perry's is one of the best I've seen/heard in a while. A few days ago, an AP story that ran in the Chronicle had this to say:
ANALYSIS: Perry hits a home run with this hilarious spoof on a jingle for light beer. It's bound to appeal to voters of all political stripes, especially young people familiar with Bud Light's "Real Men of Genius" ad campaign. After all, who likes paying taxes? Or berets? The ad is especially brilliant because it lets Perry attack Bell for the third time on air without coming across as a negative nag. Of all the mud Perry could have slung as failed presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry stumped for Bell in Austin on Friday, this was the perfect tone to take. Between the ad itself and the watercooler chatter sure to follow, Perry is bound to grab the attention, and possibly even support, of many people who hadn't given much thought to the governor's race.
FACT CHECK: It's hard to even think about whether the accusations are true when you're rolling on the floor laughing, but there are some question marks....
Unlike the Editorial LiveJournalists, the AP writer apparently did not see the need to go on to defend the French. She was probably laughing too hard. The Editorial LiveJournalists should try it sometime. It's therapeutic!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/03/06 10:36 AM |
MeMo: Rules for thee, but not for me
The Chronicle's Kyrie "MeMo" O'Connor insists her readers are being mean to her, and she's NOT going to put up with it any more:
But, dear reader, we still have to have some rules for the rest of you. Ad feminam attacks are not going to be permitted. You don't get to insult my looks, my hormone levels, my place of birth or, most important, my ethics unless you're waving a document, or tell me to go back where I came from. I've never said that stuff to you.
Really?
I guess some impostor wrote this:
And even though Anne Linehan sends her poor little turtleneck-clad kids to their gray, cell-like rooms with copies of Pilgrim's Progress when she hears it ... I'm going to be on Wait, Wait Saturday at 10 a.m. on KUHF 88.7.
and this:
I think it's kind of cute that my blogsister Anne Linehan totally wussed out on the Kent story. This is my problem with True Believers of all stripes -- it always turns out they're as hypocritical, self-serving, imprecise and loony as the rest of us. Which is, as Don Imus would say, fine.
So, apparently some MeMo impostor insulted Anne's children/motherhood in a joke that was about as funny as the radio gig being referenced, and insulted Anne's membership in the "sisterhood" because Anne would dare have a different opinion from a Chron newspaper elitist from back east.
Since the Chronicle's erratic features editor is suddenly so concerned about ad feminam attacks and what commenters on other blogs might say about her, we certainly hope the Chronicle IT staff figures out the security breach that allowed those posts on the MeMo blog. Because they obviously couldn't have come from Ms. O'Connor.
Seriously, it seems a little strange to put stuff out on the web, and then to have occasional tantrums when people react to it (even if one believes they have reacted stupidly). The contributors here at this little blog take some shots from around the blogosphere. Some seem sensible, some seem motivated by personal animosity, some seem like a transmission from outer space. But I consider all of it a feature, not a flaw. The stuff's out on the internet to generate interest, right? It's flattering when people take the time to talk about the topics we blog about here (and less so when they talk about us personally, because we're humble that way and we try not to be the topic of conversation).
NOTA BENE: Just in case anyone's reading that as a green light for a flurry of ad feminam attacks, however, we'd urge you (as always) to be responsible in the exercise of your first amendment rights. :)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/03/06 09:52 AM |
02 November 2006
Council to debate airport advertising contract
An airport advertising contract will be a topic for Council to discuss next week, and according to KHOU-11's Doug Miller, the advertising isn't aimed at passengers:
On the council agenda next week is an airport advertising contract: $600,000 a year for three years.
They’ve actually had a similar contract for the last four years, but now that it’s been put out for another bid some council members are asking a simple question: “Why in the world do Houston’s airports need to advertise?”
“If they want to fly into Houston, they’re going to have to fly into one of our airports and not our lakes,” said council member Addie Wiseman.
But aviation officials said passengers are not exactly the target here.
“The main target market is decision-makers at airlines, decision makers at distribution companies, all these kind of businesses that make the airports grow,” said Rich Fernandez with the Houston Aviation Department.
For example, the city’s building a new airport facility for perishable cargo like flowers and fruits.
Ads in trade journals could help convince foreign importers to fly their perishable goods into the U.S. through Houston.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/02/06 09:22 PM |
Good, hyperlocal reporting from the Chron
The Chronicle's Helen Eriksen reports that supporters of Katy ISD's latest (and bigger) bond initiative include a new group made up mainly of two developers:
Supporters of a school construction bond measure in the Katy Independent School District are gearing up for a last-minute push before Tuesday's general election to get the $269.5 million initiative passed.
Critics, however, are rallying resistance against the measure.
The latest developments include the emergence of a new pro-bond group heavily backed by master-planned-community developers and a complaint of an alleged ethics violation to the Texas Ethics Commission.
If the bond passes it will finance three elementary and two junior high schools over the next three years to accommodate a mounting student population. It would also pay for a ninth-grade center, renovation projects at more than a dozen district campuses and buy land to build eight new schools.
[snip]
The bond debate has recently turned toward a new pro-bond political action committee, Partners for Progress Inc., which was launched in July.
Campaign-finance reports filed Oct. 10 show Partners had amassed $65,040 in donations primarily from two land developers, including $50,000 from Cinco Ranch developer Newland Communities and $15,000 from Houston-based Trendmaker Homes.
The Oct. 30 report does not show additional donations to the PAC but shows $29,826 in expenditures.
The story is reminiscent of one the Chron's Jason Spencer did almost two years ago, shining a light on who was supporting a Cy-Fair ISD bond measure.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/02/06 08:42 PM |
City of Houston to increase total tax revenues
Well, this one flew under our radar: at the end of October, the city held two public input meetings regarding a property tax increase a proposal to increase total tax revenues (see forum for correction):
The City of Houston will hold a public hearing on a proposal to increase total tax revenues from properties on the tax roll in the preceding tax year by 2.45 percent (percentage by which proposed tax rate exceeds lower of rollback tax rate or effective tax calculated under Chapter 26, Tax Code).
The public notice continues on with much more information, including which councilmembers are for it and which are against it. Only Shelley Sekula-Gibbs and Addie Wiseman oppose the increase.
There is a second notice posted on the city's website that says the vote on the tax rate increase will occur on Wednesday, November 8th at 9 a.m. -- when most folks are at work. Of course, both public input meetings were held on weekday mornings as well.
PREVIOUSLY: City, METRO are enjoying sales tax windfall, Houston's sales tax revenue up almost 20%, Houston has a surplus and Mayor White doesn't want to share it
UPDATE: I have edited this post to reflect a correction in the forum.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/02/06 04:56 PM |
Metro's evolving mission
What's Metro up to these days? Well, certainly not 50% more bus service, but there are other things keeping Metro officials busy, such as building neighborhoods, developing bottled water and bike repair amenities, and creating public spaces:
The Intermodal Terminal site borders this interconnected trail network. It could provide a connection from these trails to transit. It could link them to the residential areas of the North Side. And the development around the Terminal could provide amenities – bike repairs, bike lockers, bottled water, places to get some food – for the people using those trails. And the trails could provide a useful link to the Terminal – someone who lives in the Heights and works in the Medical Center, for example, could ride along White Oak to the Intermodal Terminal, park their bike, and take the train to work.
Sounds great! World-class even! Maybe Intermodal Terminal planners could include showers? We wouldn't want Houston to be crowned America's Sweatiest City.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/02/06 01:57 PM |
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