17 April 2008
Show bidness, Houston/MLS style!
As we've been discussing already here, Mayor White has taken public the city's previously "private" negotations with the Houston Dynamo, complaining about attempts to "pressure" the city.
Here is the MLS Commissioner's letter (which implies the team will move if a stadium deal is not soon reached), and here is the Chronicle's summary:
In response to a generic question about the state of the negotiations, White told reporters that one of the team's owners recently showed him a letter from Major League Soccer urging a quick resolution to the negotiations. The letter, written by Commissioner Don Garber, hints at the possibility of moving the team from Houston if a stadium deal is not reached with the city.
"It is inconceivable that MLS will allow the team to continue playing as a secondary tenant in a college football facility, particularly after the league moved the team due to the challenges at San Jose State," Garber wrote. "While another relocation would be equally traumatic, we both must consider our options to ensure that the team has a path to economic success."
The Dynamo came to Houston in 2005 after the team was unable to reach a public-private partnership with the city of San Jose, Calif., for a new stadium.
White was blunt in his response to reporters.
"I've gotten a little bit of a reputation, probably deserved, that I don't respond well to threats," he said. "I smiled."
Team officials later held a news conference to explain that they never intended to pressure the mayor.
But Oliver Luck, president and general manager, also reiterated the team's contention that a significant city investment in the new stadium is necessary to make the franchise successful.
"We have made our position very clear to the mayor that we are looking for some public support for that building, and we will do the right thing, which is to continue to negotiate with the city to try to identify any potential revenue streams that may eventually bridge the gap we're now facing," Luck said.
Mayor White is generally the one who plays political hardball when he wants his way on some issue, and as he admits to the Chronicle, he really doesn't respond well to threats.
Since the city is already somewhat committed to this deal, my notion is that much of this was for show. MLS was surely pressuring the city behind the scenes for everything it can possibly get in negotiations it thought were private (lesson: "private" negotiations with Mayor White stay private when that suits him), Mayor White decided to go public with the "private" MLS threats, Oliver Luck goes public to say it's all a big misunderstanding (and privately delivers reduced team demands) -- and voila, everyone's happy and a deal (that is more costly to the city that what had been proposed previously) will be cut in a few weeks!
That's how I see this turning out. What do you think?
BLOGVERSATION: Lose an Eye, It's a Sport, Houston's Clear Thinkers.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/17/08 10:44 PM |
KTRK's Lawson checks in with Priscilla Slade Rehabilitation project
Not even a month since disgraced former TSU president Priscilla Slade copped a plea to avoid prison, her rehabilitation is officially in full swing, beginning with an "exclusive" softball interview with KTRK-13's Melanie Lawson. The text is not available online, but here is the video.
It is not that we were admitting that any criminal acts had taken place.
Rather, she wishes she had communicated better with the regents, because (as she puts it) everything she did was in the interest of Texas Southern University.
Strangely, the "exclusive" interview with Slade also includes a snippet from Slade's attorney blasting Chuck Rosenthal. (It is bizarre that supporters of white-collar criminals like Slade and Jay Aiyer somehow want to blame Chuck Rosenthal and portray these criminals as victims).
However, Slade herself says she forgives Rosenthal. And she hopes to get back into the corporate world or the academic world!
Maybe Slade can even show KTRK-13's "exclusive" uncritical interview to potential employers (and hope they don't deploy the research services of Google.com).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/17/08 10:16 PM |
16 April 2008
Press: Bus Q Card loaders don't take new five dollar bills
In this week's Houston Press, Rich Connelly reports that some of METRO's Q-Card loaders aren't capable of reading the new $5 bill:
Metro's new prepaid Q Cards are supposed to be the latest thing in convenience. You can even add money to your card while you're riding on the bus!
Unless, that is, you're using one of the new five-dollar bills. The fancy Q Card machines don't take the purple-tinted currency.
Didn't anyone at Metro realize the government was changing the five? It was in all the papers.
"We're aware of this issue," says Metro spokeswoman Raequel Roberts. "We have software that we're about to install to process the new bills and we should have it in place by May 1, which we understand is the day the new bills will truly hit the market."
(News flash: The bills have already "truly hit the market.")
Roberts says the bus "reloaders" are custom-made; the reloaders on the light-rail platform are not custom-made, and they take the new five-dollar bills just fine.
Buses (not the 7+ mile-long train line) cover the bulk of METRO's service area, so the fact that the loaders work on the train platforms really doesn't help most transit users.
That's our favorite regional transit organization in action!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/16/08 11:29 PM |
Slumlord-Representative Vo just keeps digging the hole deeper
Yesterday, the Chronicle's Matt Stiles posted that Slumlord-Representative Hubert Vo had hired an alleged "political pro" to help him with his problems:
Glenn W. Smith, a former director at Public Strategies who worked for the late Gov. Ann Richards, is in town now to advise Vo on media strategy.
Smith, also a former Austin Bureau chief for the Houston Post, met with some of us today. The message was pretty clear: Vo's a good person. The apartments aren't that bad. And employees at the complexes do good things for the residents, including organizing health fairs and security training.
"I've met him a few times, and I liked him, so I wanted to help," he said. "I want him to be able to tell the good part of the story."
Cory Crow asks the obvious (and not so obvious) questions:
I'm sorry, WHAT good part of the story? The bit where the children are using dead rat carcases as toys? Or where residents of his broken down apartments are using dead rodents as a hedge against high food prices?
And in the Chron blog comments, I wondered if it might not have been a better strategy actually to FIX the slums.
The "political pro" was apparently not happy today, after Empower Texans released the following video:
Here's what the "political pro" had to say, also courtesy of Stiles:
UPDATE: A response from Glenn Smith, Vo's new spokesman:
"The Houston Chronicle used a false characterization of Mr. Vo that the paper knew was a false characterization. As expected, partisan hacks are now exploiting the Chronicle error."
Smith said he was referring to an adjective - the "s"-word - that appeared in an editorial, and not the paper's coverage overall. He wouldn't comment about that.
What was the error?
If the guy doesn't want to be called a slumlord, maybe he should fix up his properties? Crazy suggestion, I know!
PREVIOUSLY: Stiles: Slumlord-Rep. Vo urged HPD to ease up on his slums, The serial slumlord saga continues, State Rep. Vo is a serial slumlord, Hubert Vo's "next step toward positive change": ridding himself of slumlord status!.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/16/08 10:55 PM |
DA candidate mockery officially underway
The Houston Press has a nice PDF on the two (unqualified) candidates who are the finalists in the Harris County DA race.
And surprisingly, the Editorial LiveJournalists today said that Clarence Bradford still needs to talk about his role in the botched K-Mart parking lot raid (recently settled by the city) and the HPD Crime Lab:
While Bradford likely will avoid having to testify at trial about the Kmart fiasco, it should and likely will be an issue in his November contest with former Judge Pat Lykos for Harris County district attorney.
As the crime lab scandal also happened on his watch, Bradford must explain what responsibility he bears for these costly blunders and why he didn't prevent them.
The blog declines to make endorsements of candidates, but I have to say that "none of the above" is looking like a really good choice in this race.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/16/08 10:32 PM |
15 April 2008
Design finalists chosen for Dynamo Stadium
Wait a minute. I thought Mayor White said there wasn't a particular plan or proposal for the land the city, er, didn't buy for the Dynamo's new stadium. Well, the city DID buy it for the Dynamo, but not really (*wink, wink*). I mean, we all KNOW it's for the Dynamo, but the Mayor doesn't want any public input, so he says there's not a specific plan or proposal for the more than $16 million (speculative) land purchase.
Anyway, the Houston Business Journal reports that five finalists have been chosen to design the Dynamo Stadium that, ummmm, isn't really set to go anywhere because, uhhhh, the city doesn't have any land set aside for a soccer stadium. Really.
And don't miss the last paragraph of the HBJ story:
The Dynamo wants to have an architect in hand as it continues to negotiate the stadium financing package in which the club and the City would share the cost of the project, according to team President Oliver Luck.
"Share the cost."
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/15/08 07:55 PM |
Chron.com keeps it classy
A reader called our attention to the featured story on Chron.com last night.
As this screen capture illustrates, the featured story was about the top stolen cars in Houston, linking to this photo gallery. The link below ("Here's the full list: Are you worried?") goes to a Chron.com forum discussion. And the link below that ("Lost your car? Find another one here")? Right to the Chron.com car section.
Way to keep it classy, Chron.com, way to keep it classy.
As our reader noted with regard to the link to the car section,
I thought, no, no, no…this CAN’T be what I think it is….and it was, indeed, the car ads.
I know, I know, here’s how we can save journalism! Let’s all go out and steal cars so the car ads will increase in the Chronicle! That’s the ticket!
Don't give Jack Sweeney any ideas!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/15/08 06:44 PM |
A Klein ISD mandate: Pay up or else!
Parents of Klein Oak High School students received this email yesterday (typos and all):
The following is an important message from Klein Oak administration for all
students that will be attending Klein Oak in the Fall 2008 ~ In the fall of 2008, all klein Oak students will be issued a tablet PC. Students will be required to purchase or place a deposit for their tablet. The tablets will be an educational tool that all students will be expected to utilize
throughtout the school day and at home. Meetings have been scheduled in April and May with more meetings planned fro late summer. All parents are required to attend one of these meetings. The next meeting is Tuesday, April 15h at 6:30 pm in Klein Oak Commons. A meeting is also planned for May 8th. Payments for insurance or deposit will be accepted at this time.
"Students will be required to purchase or place a deposit for their tablet." Please! The correct wording is "Parents will be required to purchase or place a deposit for their tablet."
One bump in the hallway from another student, one little prank that goes awry, some student thievery, or whatever else you can think of...parents will be shoveling money into Klein ISD for these unnecessary toys.
And there's no opt-out.
What will the district do for families who can't afford the tablets? We may be an "affluent" district overall, but the number of families with students enrolled in Klein Oak who aren't affluent is increasing.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/15/08 06:42 PM |
14 April 2008
Arrest warrant issued for Borris "Shooter" Miles
KPRC-2 reports that an arrest warrant has been issued for outgoing state Rep. Borris Miles:
An arrest warrant was issued on Monday for state Rep. Borris Miles, accused of deadly conduct, KPRC Local 2 reported.
A Harris County assistant district attorney said that Miles was indicted in connection with two incidents in December where Miles was accused of pulling out a gun in a threatening manner.
A Houston woman and her husband filed suit against Miles earlier this year, asking that he be tested for sexually transmitted diseases and claiming he forced a kiss on the woman at a holiday party.The Harris County District Attorney's Office investigated the complaint that Miles entered a St. Regis Hotel ballroom uninvited, confronting guests, displaying a pistol and forcibly kissing the woman.
He is also accused of pulling a gun on a TSU regent's wife at a Rockets game at the Toyota Center the same night.
He was indicted on two counts of deadly conduct, a Class A misdemeanor, officials said.
If convicted, Miles, 42, faces up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.
The dwindling number of Borris Miles supporters are going to have a hard time spinning the man's buffoonery as merely unsubstantiated accusations by personal enemies or a frivolous partisan vendetta on the part of Chuck Rosenthal. Like anyone who stands accused of criminal behavior, Borris Miles certainly is entitled to his day in court, and perhaps he'll even prove his innocence. And in all honesty, we can't wait to hear more about what sounds like one wild night in the life of Borris "Shooter" Miles!
RELATED COVERAGE: Chronicle, KTRK-13, KHOU-11.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/14/08 09:46 PM |
13 April 2008
Klein ISD wants Taj Mahal high schools; parents want "underperforming" district to provide a quality education
Today's Chron covers the Klein ISD bond election that we've discussed here several times. In it we learn that if the bond passes, Klein residents will be trailblazers in the Greater Houston area:
For some Klein residents, it was sticker shock of monumental proportions: two $130 million high schools included in the school district's May 10 bond proposal.
Though the Klein schools are on pace to become the most expensive campuses in the Houston area, industry leaders said the hefty price tags are simply a sign of the times: mounting construction costs and the desire of school districts to economize with super-sized facilities.
Welcome to the era of the $100-plus million high school, they say.
Cypress-Fairbanks flirted with — but didn't reach — the $100 million milestone late last year with two high schools planned for 2011. Klein's campuses, however, look to leave that figure in the dust.
The mammoth 640,000-square-foot campuses will include amenities such as natatoriums, black-box theaters, dance areas and extensive career and technology programs to serve about 3,500 students.
"The community expects those programs," said Liz Johnson, spokeswoman for the 42,000-student school district. "And it's really more efficient to build a larger school.
Ack! Yes, it's more efficient for the school district to build a larger school, but if a quality education is what's desired, larger schools are not the answer.
It seems, however, that quality education is not the top priority for Klein ISD these days, as the recent rankings from the non-profit think tank Children at Risk show. Klein High School, which would receive a $130 million rebuild if the bond passes, moved up from #19 to #18, but the other three high schools in the district nosedived. My friend Connie O'Donnell wrote a letter to KISD Superintendent Dr. Jim Cain after seeing the results. With her permission, I'm excerpting a portion of the letter here, and reprinting it in full at the end of the post.
As you are probably aware by now, the Houston Chronicle has published the findings of the Children at Risk group which ranks the Houston area schools. I remember meeting with you and Dr. Robert Sanborn, who heads up this group, and discussing the low ranking of Klein Oak not too long ago. I thought for sure we would see Klein Oak rise up the list since then, but actually Klein Oak has dropped from #40 last year to #74 this year. I am hoping that you or someone in your administration can help me understand why this has happened. As a matter of fact, here's how the other Klein ISD high schools fared: Klein High went from #19 to #18, Klein Collins went from #26 to #47 and Klein Forest went from #73 to #113.
Connie goes on to include this quote from Dr. Sanborn:
"Klein is an under-performing school district. Klein has an affluent population. They have parents who really care. It seems like they're doing all the basic things but nothing extraordinary, and that is reflected in their rankings."
The only extraordinary things Klein officials want to work on are fancy high schools with natatoriums, black box theaters, dance areas, and career centers. All that would be well and good, one supposes, if the district weren't letting the rest of its responsibilities deteriorate. It's outrageous that KISD has only one high school in the top tier! Klein Collins is second tier, Klein Oak is third tier, and Klein Forest is fourth tier! And the district wants taxpayers to rebuild Klein High into a palatial showstopper?!
Dr. Cain did respond to Connie. He disputed Dr. Sanborn's findings. He also acknowledged that Klein Oak has been facing accelerated growth, but the district's solution is to build a new wing onto the school. Yippee! That will surely improve things.
Currently Dr. Cain is busy on the Klein circuit, so to speak, selling his proposal. Word is that he's hitting seniors groups, telling them their taxes won't increase. Gee, that's great. But what about folks who try to sell a house that's zoned into one of the three tanking high schools? How's that for a selling feature?
Another part of the bond that's a concern is the "laptops-for-all." Apparently they are tablet PCs. Parents must buy insurance, and there isn't an opt out. My son saw one yesterday, and he said it's cool looking, but slower than molasses. Great! What about situations where parents are currently trying to limit the amount of time their kids spend on a computer? Thanks, Klein ISD, for taking that parenting decision out of the hands of parents. Now kids can spend hours a day perfecting their learning surfing skills.
Remember what the number one complaint of businesses is about students entering the workforce? A complete lack of basic writing, math, and reading comprehension skills. Tablet PCs really should address those problems. Not!
Too bad there aren't any grownups at Klein ISD, making the decisions. Too bad Dr. Saavedra is already taken.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/13/08 03:23 PM |
Mayor White's Peace Plant initiative
We think Mayor White should start one, because Peace Plants and other house plants actually reduce levels of benzene in the air -- and we all know Mayor White's been after the local chemical industry to reduce benzene:
Former NASA research scientist Dr. Bill Wolverton found plants improve air quality through their natural "filtering" ability. He discovered house plants can absorb up to 87 per cent of volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde and benzene, found in many homes and offices.
Indoor plants work round the clock to "clean" the air! How? They absorb toxins into the root zone, where they're turned into nutrients. Some tropical plants suppress airborne mold. Some of the hardest working plants are the peace lilies, ferns, palms, and spider plants. Some plants actually work at night while we sleep. These green heroes "breathe out" oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide at night, rather than in the daytime, when the majority of plants do their "breathing."
[snip]
Snake plants, broad sword ferns and rubber plants are among the top air purifiers recommended by experts. They're easy to grow, are natural humidifiers and remove airborne chemicals. Other green heroes are chrysanthemums, Gerbera daisies and spider plants.
We think this could be a win-win-win: Mayor White thinks of himself as a green mayor, and what's more green than plants? He can convince chemical industry officials to provide beneficial plants to citizens in the areas most affected by benzene levels, while putting his picture and a city of Houston logo on each pot; and then he can hold a congratulatory press conference announcing his plan, to great fanfare of course, with industry leaders behind him, as he announces how he worked to bring everyone together in Peace Plant harmony.
It'll be awesome.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/13/08 07:22 AM |
12 April 2008
Stiles: Slumlord-Rep. Vo urged HPD to ease up on his slums
The Chronicle's Matt Stiles posts tonight that in February, Slumlord-Representative Hubert Vo sent an interesting letter to HPD assistant police chief Dorothy Edwards, who oversees Neighborhood Protection.
In the letter, Slumlord-Representative Vo accused certain officers of "using their authority to harass and issue tickets instead of working with the apartment managers" among other things.
And as Stiles points out, Vo sent the letter not on personal or company letterhead, but on his official Texas House of Representatives letterhead! Prominently displayed at the bottom of the letterhead is the fact that Slumlord-Representative Vo is on the Law Enforcement Committee.
Nothing like trying* to use your elected position of power to intimidate local law enforcement to the benefit of your private enterprise. For a relative newcomer to politics, the Slumlord-Representative catches on fast!
PREVIOUSLY: The serial slumlord saga continues, State Rep. Vo is a serial slumlord, Hubert Vo's "next step toward positive change": ridding himself of slumlord status!.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/12/08 12:44 AM |
Best to be wary of those blind committees (of men)
The Chronicle's Kyrie "MeMo" O'Connor is lamenting the rumored departure of Katie Couric from CBS News:
I have been angry all day about the reports that Katie Couric will be forklifted out of her CBS Evening News job in the near or not-so-near future.
Here's the joke about that: You literally could not pay me to watch her newscast. For one thing, I am among the millions of people who are still at work when she comes on. For another, I get my news other ways, from print and Internet and TV, but not at that exact moment in my day. And I wouldn't even if I could. I watched her news show when she started, so thrilled to have a woman in that post that I overlooked every news muscle in my body, all of them twitching this is a mess.
From the beginning, her show looked like it was put together by a committee. A committee of well-meaning people, maybe, but not people with vision. It reminded me of everything I've fought off in very similar meetings for the past 15 years.
But I cheered on Couric, because I wanted her to succeed, or any woman to succeed, even with a stacked deck like that.
Anyone who tells you a man would have been shown the door by now, even in that mean TV game, is a fool. Women in the public eye are still treated so much worse than men it's stunning.
MeMo was never very forthcoming about who made the boneheaded decision to send a features reporter to impersonate a Katrina refugee some time ago. But this post raises an interesting possibility -- perhaps it was a committee "of well meaning people... but not people with vision." Probably dominated by men!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/12/08 12:23 AM |
11 April 2008
The serial slumlord saga continues
The Chron's Matt Stiles has more on state Rep. Hubert Vo's apartment buildings. When the city first ordered repairs at one of his apartment complexes, Vo didn't comply fast enough, so the city was forced to hand out misdemeanor citations:
City officials first issued warnings to make repairs at that property, but later issued misdemeanor citations when the work was not done quickly.
Vo, who hired contractors to address those issues after the city's inspections, said Wednesday that he was not aware of the conditions at his complexes but that he took full responsibility for them.
Ignorance is not a defense. In fact, it tells us a lot about his character, that he would say he was unaware of such living conditions. He ought to be ashamed of himself, he ought to apologize to his tenants, and he ought to be making some sort of restitution.
And Stiles learned that one of the ladies in yesterday's story received a suspicious phone call:
Also Thursday, a resident quoted in the Chronicle report complained about retaliation for speaking out.
Residents who complain about conditions generally are protected by state law against retaliation by their landlords.
The woman, Tomasa Compean, said Thursday morning that she was afraid the complex management was trying to force her out.
She said she received a phone call from someone who asked for her by name, and then asked if she was looking for an apartment to rent. She said she questioned the caller and was told the management of her apartment complex had passed on her phone number.
"I don't want them to do that. Why are they calling other apartments? If they want me to leave why don't they tell me themselves? I'm not going to leave. I've lived here 18 years," she said.
Later in the day, Vo's campaign denied any retaliation and said the management had agreed to complete the repairs next week.
"I also want to assure you that I have informed all my employees that there will be no retaliation against anyone who has pointed out problems to you or anyone else," the statement said.
Meanwhile, the city has ordered repairs at another of Vo's properties, with a one-month completion deadline.
Conditions are so egregious, even the Chron's editorial board has harshly criticized Vo:
"It's not my intention to have those apartments like that," Vo told the Chronicle. From a veteran apartment owner, such a statement would be doubtful. From a civic leader who is advising others on how to clean up their properties, it is ludicrous.
Vo's GOP opponent in the November election, HISD trustee Greg Meyer, criticized Vo for waiting until the apartment conditions became public before promising to deal with them. At least Vo is realistic enough to admit that the disclosures are "going to kill my reputation" and says he wants to move on and repair the damage.
If he's serious, Vo has a very busy summer ahead of him. He must tackle two levels of damage: the physical condition of his properties and his tattered political image. For starters, he should issue a complete list of his apartment holdings and detail which apartments are in need of repair and what he's doing to make them sound. He should also pay rebates to the unfortunate tenants who have been living for years in substandard conditions.
At the conclusion of that process, the legislator should apologize and promise to be a responsible property owner henceforth. It might not salvage his political career, but it would go a long way toward restoring his honor.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: Democratic consultant Mark Campos calls out the local left blogosphere over its relative silence on the Vo slumlord matter:
Commentary has noticed that local Dems have been eerily quiet on the not so good run that Harris County Dem State Rep Hubert Vo has received in the Chron. There is another Chron article today plus an E-Board special. It seems like on the internet yak-off lines, local Dems have a take on every thing. In fact, most go out of their way to let you know their opinion on all kinds of stuff. Commentary has not heard a single peep coming out of the local Dem camp on this matter – nada – silence. Then again, what can you say?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/11/08 05:09 AM |
10 April 2008
Chron adds to Harris County government beat
Earlier today, Matt Stiles introduced the Chronicle's new Harris County government reporter, Liz Peterson.
Tonight, she's posting away on the Houston Politics blog -- and is already asking more interesting questions than the Chron's metro/teen diarist:
Earlier this week, the Commissioners Court agreed to study whether Harris County should open a public defenders office.
I chatted with a local bail bondsman this morning about his experiences in and out of Harris County courtrooms. He didn't give the court-appointed attorneys a rave review: a 5 at the very best on a scale of 1 to 10. But he's done business in Dallas as well and doesn't think their public defenders office has done much better. And he questioned whether the county could really save money in the long run, after it pays the lawyers' salaries and benefits, not to mention the cost of office space and utilities.
He raises some interesting points. Will employees of a public defenders office be better trained and equipped to handle these cases? Will they care more? Or will the results largely be the same no matter what system the county employs?
Welcome to the local blogosphere, Ms. Peterson. It's good to have some new blood around here! We're looking forward to more reporters bringing questions to Harris County government.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/10/08 10:39 PM |
Do the restrooms have sponsors yet?
Via Swamplot and Lou Minatti we learn that Discovery Green is awash in brands/sponsors. Swamplot provides the list:
McNair Foundation Jogging Trail
Waste Management, Inc. Gardens
Lindsey Waterside Landing & Garden
Kinder Lake
Anheuser-Busch Stage
Fondren Foundation Performance Space
Cemex, USA Terrace
Flores Terrace
Vinson & Elkins Garden
Alkek Building
John P. McGovern Playground
Stedman West Veranda
Cullen Veranda
Jones Lawn
Sarofim Picnic Lawn
Andrea and Bill White Promenade
The Brown Foundation Promenade
Bracewell Plaza
Wortham Foundation Gardens
Maconda’s Grove
Riley Family Fountain
Long Plaza
Clifford and Doris Faulkner Seating Area
Compass Bank Waterside Lawn
Merrill Lynch & Co. Pier
Cooper Industries Water Garden
Monument au Fantome, a gift from the Duncan Family
Houston Astros Garden Grove
Carruth Lake Lights
Gita and Ali Saberioon Plaza
Simmons Family Stage
Sara and Bill Morgan Reading Room
Powell Foundation Reading Room
Mist Tree, a gift from Fayez Sarofim
Devon Energy Global Garden
Robert R. and Kay M. Onstead Foundation Walk
Harriet and Joe Foster Dog Run
Burguieres Foundation Seating Area
Tharp Fountain
Kinder Large Dog Run
Friends of Lily, Kelly & Sadie Kinder Seating Area
Wells Fargo Seating Area
The Bela Fountain
L.H. and C.W. Duncan Foundation Seating Area
Marathon Oil Bike Racks
Centerpoint Energy Seating Areas
Bernice Hevrdejs Butterfly Garden
Sanders Hummingbird Garden
Beverly and Staman Ogilvie Seating Area
J.P. Morgan Chase Bench Area
Jimi Derrick’s Arbor
Wachovia Securities Seating Area
Nancy G. Kinder Oak
Jack C. Alexander Plaza
Lily Chen Foster Garden
Allen Family Rose Garden
Mary Lents Native Plant Garden
Fulbright & Jaworski LLP Garden
Carruth Foundation Bocce Courts
Hagstette Putting Green
Michelle Rozzell Bulb Garden
Trini’s Shuffleboard Court
Listening Vessels, a gift from Maconda Brown O’Connor
Martin Family Scent Garden
Ray C. Fish Foundation Bench Area
I don't think the Reading Rooms refer to the restrooms.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/10/08 07:18 PM |
State Rep. Vo is a serial slumlord
After last week's news that state Rep. Hubert Vo is a slumlord (who owns a $4.5 million mansion), the Chron's Matt Stiles took a field trip to visit Vo's other properties. What he found is that last week's discovery was not an isolated incident:
Residents in local apartments owned by state Rep. Hubert Vo live in conditions that appear to violate numerous health and building standards, a Houston Chronicle review of the properties has found.
In recent days, the Houston Chronicle documented exposed electrical wires, rotting wood, broken and boarded-up windows and other potential violations of the city's "minimum standards" for occupied buildings.
After seeing the Chronicle's photographs, inspectors from two city departments pledged investigations into properties owned by Vo, D-Houston, saying the conditions could lead to misdemeanor criminal citations.
"There was nothing in those pictures that wasn't a violation," said Jodi Silva, a spokeswoman for the Houston Police Department's neighborhood protection division. "You have to keep your property to certain minimum standards, and that's what these are falling under."
The Chronicle's inquiry began last week after city inspectors, acting on complaints, cited Vo for conditions at an apartment complex he owns in the East End. There, inspectors found open electrical boxes, loose wiring and inadequate balcony railings — all misdemeanor violations.
Vo's other properties, in varying degrees, showed similar problems, though one complex was outside the city limits and not subject to post-construction inspections.
Among other potential city violations at three complexes were overflowing Dumpsters, damaged parking lots and an algae-filled swimming pool — all conditions that could prompt criminal fines.
Vo, who has owned the properties for years, took blame for the problems Wednesday, saying he had not done enough to ensure the complexes were maintained. He said he would improve the conditions, pledging personal inspections of individual units, cooperation with city officials and outreach to residents to encourage them to report concerns.
So, while Vo touts himself as "Dedicated to Public Service" and "Accessible. Responsive. Independent.," he has actually not been interested in serving the people who pay him rent each month, until Stiles started poking around. Examples:
Tomasa Compean, 58, has lived for 18 years in her one-bedroom unit, where she pays $450 a month and has never received new carpet or paint. White powder bug poison outlines her baseboards, and a leaky faucet has left a large patch of rust and mildew in her tub, which apartment officials have covered only with paint.
[snip]
"The worst things are the roaches and mice. That's just too much."
Carmen Aguilar, whose two-bedroom apartment faces a dusty courtyard next to a swimming pool filled with opaque green water, pointed to a buckled wall and a large, moldy hole above her bathtub.
Meanwhile, Vo is having a pity party:
Vo said he knew he would face criticism:
"It's going to affect me very much. It's going to kill my reputation. I just have to move on and try to repair the damage.
It's all about him. Poor Hubert Vo.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: Be sure to click over to the Chronicle photo gallery of the Vo Slums. This photo of a murky green swimming pool is pretty good, although the actual structural violations of the slums are more of a concern. Certainly, the photos are quite a contrast from those of Vo's personal real estate!
RELATED: More Vo Real Estate for Sale: Memorial Mansion with Multiples (Swamplot)
BLOGVERSATION: Houston Politics, Lose an Eye, It's a Sport, Swamplot.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/10/08 05:06 AM |
09 April 2008
UH academic: Enforcement of immigration laws damaging to immigrants!
The Chronicle's Susan Carroll reports that "immigrant rights" organizers are putting together a downtown protest march next month:
Immigrant advocates in Houston on Wednesday called for supporters of comprehensive immigration reform to join a May 1 march downtown as part of a larger, nationwide protest.
The Houston march is scheduled to coincide with protests, marches and rallies across the country, said Maria Jimenez, a longtime Houston activist, calling it a "national mobilization." Organizers had no projected turnout for the march, which will start at 2 p.m. in front of the Mickey Leland Federal Building at 1919 Smith St., and end at Antioch Park at 1400 Smith St.
"We're inviting the community to stand up for itself," said Cesar Espinoza, an organizer with the Central American Resource Center in southwest Houston. "We need to fight laws that damage our communities and our families."
Organizers said they were hoping to bring attention to a bill pending in Congress called the SAVE Act, the Secure America through Verification and Enforcement Act, which would add an estimated 8,000 U.S. Border Patrol agents and require employers to use federal databases to verify the status of all workers. The SAVE Act offers no path toward legalization for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.
Lorenzo Cano, associate director of the University of Houston Center for Mexican American Studies, said the act misses the crux of the immigration issue by focusing primarily on enforcement and ignoring the millions of immigrants drawn to the U.S. for work.
The notion that the U.S. shouldn't begin to make some minimal effort to enforce its immigration laws because illegal immigrants think that's mean doesn't seem all that convincing to us -- but then again, we aren't illegal immigrants or academics at UH's Mexican American Studies program.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/09/08 10:18 PM |
08 April 2008
KTRK wins another round in email fight; Sheriff undeterred
KTRK-13's Christine Dobbyn reports that the local ABC affiliate won another legal battle today in its effort to obtain emails from the Sheriff's Department:
13 Undercover asked for thousands of deleted emails from Sheriff Tommy Thomas. Now, after weeks of fighting for our legal right to see those emails, we will finally get the chance.
The ruling out of the 281st District Court says the sheriff's department email policy put into place on January 9 violates state law, and the judge says they cannot ever enact a policy like this one again.
The email policy was ordered in place by the sheriff's department on January 9 -- two days after 13 Undercover reporter Wayne Dolcefino interviewed Sheriff Thomas as part of multiple investigative reports. The policy ordered all departmental emails more than 14 days old be deleted.
[snip]
The ruling says the sheriff's department email policy violated state law and tells the department they can never enact a policy like this one again. Deputies must make all the emails available to Dolcefino within two weeks, and the department must pay Wayne's attorneys fees. That means the sheriff's department's decision to fight the original request will cost taxpayers $30,000.
That seems like great news for the public. Given the energy and expense involved in the fight to withhold the public's information, the emails could be very interesting.
The Sheriff's Department may not be done spending your money to withhold your information, however:
First Assistant County Attorney John Barnhill told Eyewitness News, "We've spoken with the Harris County Sheriff's Department and Sheriff Tommy Thomas has requested that we file an appeal in this case on his behalf. Accordingly we will file a notice of appeal."
At what point can some grownup in Harris County government insist to Sheriff Thomas that he's wasted enough of the public's money, and that it's time to turn over the public's information?
RELATED COVERAGE: Chronicle.
BLOGVERSATION: Off the Kuff.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/08/08 11:50 PM |
Chronicle reports on a deaf inmate's problems communicating; however, he communicated with a bat...
In this story the Chronicle takes the case of a young man who was in jail and who is deaf. Reporter Terri Langford addresses the issues of communicating with deaf people inside the Harris County jail. Okay, fine, no problem. Langford left out one, teeny, tiny little factoid in this story.
"Christopher Fuentes' hands fly in front of him, recalling his recent stay inside the Harris County Jail after a violent Super Bowl Sunday fight with his brother landed him there."
What reporter Langford didn't elaborate on was that Mr. Fuentes took a base ball bat and almost beat his brother to death. The two got into an argument (because Mr. Fuentes wanted something and was told no by his mother) and started fighting. At the scene, police were told the brother did pick up a knife, but never got to use it. The brother was knocked on the floor and was trying to defend himself, but Mr. Fuentes kept beating him, and beating him, and beating him. The house was a bloody mess. So reserve your sympathy for this guy. The alleged "knife wound" was news to everyone since nobody said the knife got used.
"As a teen, Fuentes was diagnosed as bipolar and received services and medication ..." His mother told officers this on the scene and was trying to convince the officers that he wasn't responsible for his actions. She was overheard by one officer saying she was going to try to downplay this to help her son. It looks as if that is exactly what she did.
Posted by Jason @ 04/08/08 09:40 AM |
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