08 December 2010
Stein: Parker Administration "operating... like rookies"
Yesterday's report by KHOU-11's Gabe Gutierrez on the apparent disarray at City Hall contained so many interesting nuggets that we thought we'd break them out instead of including the piece in a roundup.
To start:
Finance Director Michelle Mitchell, who was appointed by Parker’s predecessor, Bill White, said she was returning to the private sector.
"It was mutual agreement with the mayor,” Mitchell said. “She's ready to go in a different direction. And I'm going to take my little conservative nature (elsewhere)."
That's the first quote we've seen from Mitchell since the news broke of her departure, and what an intriguing quote! It just begs for followup/elaboration, doesn't it? I'm dying to know what "different direction" and "conservative" mean.
Next:
"The (Parker) administration doesn't quite have a handle on its relationship with council," said 11 News Political Expert Bob Stein. "It's just hard to believe that this administration probably had 12 to 13 years under their belt and yet seems to be operating, like the mayor once said, like rookies."
Has Bicyclist Bob been reading blogHOUSTON?
He's right, though:
As she accepted a national community policing award Tuesday afternoon, the mayor downplayed the resignations -- especially Clutterbuck's.
She got miffed at local journos (not known as the most aggressive bunch, honestly) and walked out of her own press conference, according to Isiah Carey. Another rookie-like blunder.
And finally:
"I'm sorry that [Clutterbuck] doesn't feel that she has a good of a working relationship with some of my senior staff, as she does with me, but this was her decision,” Parker said. “I tried to talk her out of it.”
The finance director is bailing on Parker, one of the most astute councilmembers when it comes to municipal finance is bailing on Parker, and all the mayor has to say is some folks need to learn to play more nicely with her staff? Bicyclist Bob is right -- that sounds much more like a rookie than the last mayor.
The good ship Parker sure seems to be taking on a lot of water, unnecessarily, right now.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/08/10 09:23 PM |
07 December 2010
METRO to cut power overnight to 150 homes
Here's the "New METRO" at work on one of our cooler nights:
Power line poles are being replaced. The power shutdown is scheduled for tonight starting at 11:30pm. About 150 homes will be without electricity until 4am Wednesday.
"There's seven construction segments on the north corridor," said METRO contractor Joe Dooley. "Four have already had relocations and this is the fifth, so there are two more."
[snip]
Meanwhile the League of United Latin American Citizens questions why the outage has to happen on such a cold night.... "I think they should postpone it at least until it gets a little bit warmer," said Herlinda Garcia with LULAC.
METRO says their construction plans were made well in advance and any postponement would cost millions in delays. (Cynthia Cisneros, Rail construction mean no power for neighbors, KTRK-13 News)
The "New METRO" seems about as arrogant and clueless as ever.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/07/10 08:35 PM |
News and views roundup (12/07/10 edition)
Here are some lunchtime news and views for your consideration:
- Facing key votes, Houston mayor rattles the council (Bradley Olson, Houston Chronicle)
Who ever thought that Annise Parker -- a former councilmember and a prominent city official during Bill White's tenure -- would already be suffering such acrimonious relations with Council not quite a year into office?Former Mayor Bill White was a master of Council relations, no doubt because he worked long hours, wasn't afraid to make numerous phone calls, and often involved perceived ideological opponents heavily in policy formation. We often disagreed with his policy priorities/outcomes, but there is no doubt that he was a master of the process. Mayor Annise Parker would be well advised to follow his lead more, and worry less about the aspirations of potential political opponents (Clutterbuck) or ideological opponents (Sullivan). A mayor strong enough to involve councilmembers in policy and move an agenda consistently will be pretty formidable when election time rolls around. Bill White proved that.
- Fight brews at Houston City Hall over budget, furloughs (KHOU-11 News)
This is "focusing?" Really? Interesting."We've been focusing on finding the efficiencies," Mayor Annise Parker said. "Now we're down to what we can do to plug the hole."
- City Hall Drama (Camposcommunications’s Blog)
Perhaps she thought inclusion was the extent of Bill White's Council management style. If so, she was badly mistaken.First of all let me say that my pal CM Anne Clutterbuck, who resigned as Mayor Pro Tem yesterday, was the Mayor’s pick in the first place. My pal CM Mike Sullivan, who is being booted off as Chair of the Redistricting Committee was the Mayor’s original choice without a whole lot of consultation might I say to Chair the Redistricting Committee. These are her picks that are now on the outs. She is the one that tapped these two conservative GOPers for key leadership positions.
- Falling Out (Greg's Opinion)
Indeed. And during her first year, with much bigger policy problems looming.I don’t think anyone expected Annise to be a continuation of Bill White and it’s still a long ways to go before she gets to the Lee Brown level of council discord. But the number of what seems to be avoidable errors is still a bit disconcerting.
- Mayor Parker and HISD Superintendent Grier Propose Possible Cooperative Green Initiatives (Mayor's Office, City of Houston)
Basics like the budget and council relations may be a problem, but at least the Parker Administration is on top of priorities like green initiatives and transgender bathroom usage! - Residents battling neighborhood historic preservation in southeast Houston (Sonia Azad, KTRK-13 News)
Another poorly considered Parker Administration priority continues to cause problems. - DA stays silent at death penalty challenge (Brian Rogers, Houston Chronicle)
Good. The entire charade reminds us of a glorified graduate student boozing session, in which the participants are convinced they are in pursuit of great truths (and become more convinced as the booze flows -- in this case, the equivalent is media attention). In reality, normal people just observe stunts like this and continue to lose respect for government and the judicial system. The DA's office just earned points with people like that. - The 177th's Death Penalty Hearing (Life at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center)
- Harris County voter registration changes causes stir (Shern-Min Chow, KHOU-11 News)
- Metro to cut fare, add stops on Bush Intercontinental shuttle (Chris Moran, Houston Chronicle)
We're curious what will be done with the Passenger Plaza, how much revenue it has already gobbled up (fresh coffee, flowers, and smartly dressed concierge staff aren't free after all!), and how much it will cost to extract METRO from it.On Jan. 23, the fare will drop to $4.50. Metro plans to close the passenger plaza and instead send the bus to the George R. Brown Convention Center and the downtown Hilton, Doubletree, Hyatt, Marriott, Four Seasons and Crowne Plaza hotels.
The fare reduction and rerouting is a six-month experiment. Metro officials are projecting that the ridership increases and savings from closing down the Pierce plaza will save $350,000 over eight months.
Unfortunately, it may simply be too late for this service. The price was too high from the start, and the fact the bus didn't make any loops to downtown destinations (or to the Med Center) but instead forced a transfer or cab ride hindered its utility for potential customers. That's too bad, because the alternative (the long slow bus ride through neighborhoods) is poor.
- Museums in the Dome? Local Man Says Yes (Jack Williams, KUHF-88.7 News)
Why is this silly discussion ongoing? Just dynamite the thing already and build a parking lot.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/07/10 12:34 PM |
05 December 2010
News and views roundup (12/05/10 edition)
Just a little weekend roundup:
- Houston starts voluntary furlough program for city workers (Bradley Olson, Houston Chronicle)
Hmm, wasn't CM Sullivan one of the councilmembers who voted unanimously to pass the city's "balanced" budget back in June? And it now turns out that there is a problem? Interesting.Some viewed the proposal as a mere starting point for much more draconian cuts sure to be on the way.
In addition to the $30 million gap the city must close in the next six months, there remains a $118 million gap in 2012 and about a $420 million projected deficit in the next three years. To deal with those gaps, the administration has begun to contemplate raising taxes, instituting additional furloughs and renegotiating pension payments.
[snip]
"It's too little, too late," said [Councilmember Mike] Sullivan, who said he would take a furlough. "I compliment her for showing up to the party, finally, but it's not a significant cut and she needs to make some significant cuts."
- Houston's finance director quits amid budget crisis (Bradley Olson, Houston Chronicle)
Ship. Sinking? - Angry woman releases possum outside Houston City Hall (Kevin Reece, KHOU-11 News)
Well played, madam. - Mayor's Office Makes Clear Transgendered Woman Should Not Have Been Arrested For Using Women's Bathroom (Hair Balls)
It's good to know the mayor's office has its priorities in order. If Mayor Parker could finally issue a similarly clear statement on the ongoing red-light-camera controversy, that would be great! - Hollywood myth-making on Valerie Plame controversy (WaPo)
A good editorial by the Washington Post. The Chron's *ahem* uncritical commentary on the movie was recently taken apart by Unca Darrell. - Mike Reed wins public service award for coverage of Metro shenanigans (Brazosport News)
Kudos to Mike Reed! While he (and Mark Greenblatt) were busy exposing METRO's shenanigans, all that the Chron apologists (which included the editorial board, Lisa Falkenberg, and Mike Snyder) had to offer was some lame criticism of journos in town actually covering the mess.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/05/10 07:51 PM |
04 December 2010
The government's definition of "customer service"
YOU GET TO PAY FOR THEIR INCONVENIENCE: Remember the Parking Authority's motto, "customer-service driven"? Well, how about this for customer service:
Question: I parked my vehicle in a non-City owned parking lot and it’s been booted? What do I do?
Answer: If you paid to park in the lot and can provide a copy of your receipt, the lot owner must release your vehicle, but a $25 administrative fee may be charged. If you cannot provide proof of payment for the parking, you may be charged up to $100 plus the parking fees to remove the boot. If you feel you were unfairly booted, you may request a boot hearing in the Harris County Justice of the Peace Court
So, you paid to park AND you have your receipt to prove it, but you can still be charged a fee for the lot owner's inconvenience. Guilty until proven innocent!
A run through the rest of the Parking Authority's FAQ section gives new meaning to the phrase "customer-service driven." Here's another fun one:
Question: Can I legally park at a nonfunctioning meter?
Answer: According to City Ordinance, parkers may receive a citation while parked at a non-functioning meter. We encourage public parkers to report non-functioning meters to 3-1-1 as soon as possible with the exact location and meter number.
However, Lilliana Rambo has complained in the past about having only four mechanics to repair broken meters. So, good luck with that!
RELATED: Victim Turns Tables On Parking Boot Firm, KPRC-2
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 12/04/10 09:04 AM |
03 December 2010
World-classness roundup: Dynamo stadium deal moves forward
Yesterday's news regarding the Houston Dynamo stadium should warm the hearts of all those folks who think trinkets are the way for Houston to become world class(ier):
- Deal Reached For Dynamo Stadium (KPRC-2 News)
- Dynamo Stadium gets OK from Houston Sports Authority (AP)
- Downtown stadium OK'd for Dynamo (Chris Moran, Houston Chronicle)
- Dynamo Stadium Deal Approved on East Side (Ford Atkinson, KRIV-26 News)
- Downtown Dynamo stadium approved for building (KHOU-11 News)
Amidst the revelry over Houston's latest step toward world-classness, government watchdog Tom Bazan emailed the following, which we pass along for further consideration:
To amortize the $20,000,000 in infrastructure bonds over 50 years at 5% taxpayers would be required to pay annual payments of $1,095,534.71!!!
There is a decline in revenue for the Sports Authority, so how in the hell will the bonds be repaid? A mere $65,000.00 per year in rent is a bigger giveaway than when Lee Brown and Jordy gave away the Fire station #1 to Tillman for his Heliport and Aquarium.
When does this become a criminal giveaway of taxpayer resources?
Please discuss!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/03/10 10:35 AM |
01 December 2010
News and views roundup (12/01/10 edition)
It's your "Mayor Parker, Tear Down Those Cameras!" edition of news and views:
- Why You Should Start a Company in... Houston (Laura Rich, Fast Company)
- Red-light camera issue gets red hot in Houston (Brad Olson, Houston Chronicle)
- They Got Scoreboard (Camposcommunications’s Blog)
Agreed!Speaking of elections, a story in today’s Chron can have some folks thinking that the City of H-Town is looking to forget about the fact that the voters said no to the red light cameras last month....I don’t know about that. I would think that the City would want to get in front of the voters and take down the cameras. The City needs to do a better job of ‘splaining their latest moves in court.
- Mayor "Fighting" To Keep Cameras Turned Off (KPRC-2 News)
Sorry, but that quote does not match the headline. That quote tells me that Mayor Parker thinks the red-light-camera contract ($$$) might just trump the will of the voters. As noted previously, that contract was apparently rewritten by former Mayor Bill White to make it more difficult for the city or anyone else to terminate it prematurely."We're trying to extricate ourselves from the situation, but there are broader issues having to do with the use of the charter amendment to unwind the contract, and there are some serious issues on whether a vote of the citizens can unwind the contract," Parker said.
Whatever the "serious issues" -- and they may well include financial penalties that will reflect badly on both former Mayor Bill White and the City Controller at the time (Annise Parker) -- the voters have spoken. Campos has it right, above.
- City Cuts Take-Home Vehicles For Employees (KPRC-2 News)
Good move. - HPD budget: No officer layoffs, overtime slashed (Gabe Gutierrez, KHOU-11 News)
- Is Houston enforcing apartment safety inspections law? (Ted Oberg, KTRK-13 News)
- Stealing An ATM Is Easier When The Storeowner Doesn't Turn On The Security Camera (Hair Balls)
We are highly frustrated when we see press or police blaming victims."These store clerks will buy these high-dollar video systems," he explains, " and then they don't know how to work them -- and of course, we can't force them to learn how to work them. It's highly frustrating for police officers."
- Who's really behind DeLay's fall? (Rick Casey, Houston Chronicle)
What a glowing profile by Rick Casey of a non-partisan, clean-government crusader. *wink* Casey neglected to mention that said crusader Cris Feldman was a member of the (100% Dem-activist) board of the parent organization of the ACORN-like Houston Votes, the group that got itself in hot water earlier this year for fraudulent voter-registration activity in Harris County, but that was surely an oversight. Surely. - KTRK 13 reporter Gene Apodaca calls it quits (Mike McGuff)
- Becca Cason Thrash: Star Of CultureMap, Which Doesn't Mention She's Married To An Owner Of It (Hair Balls)
Richard Connelly and the Village Voice Houston Amateur Hour probably shouldn't be lecturing anyone on the journalistic ethics of spousal identification. Recall that last year, a Village Voice exposé on problems with Toyota vehicles featured Connelly's wife, who had a mysterious sudden acceleration incident with her Toyota Prius (Toyota issued a voluntary recall for that vehicle, conceding that some floor mats might get rolled up in the accelerator; we suspect many more instances involved mistaking the accelerator for the brake). She was not identified as the wife of an editor in the Village Voice empire, and we never saw any clarification issued to the print papers that picked up the original story or any update on how the arbitration proceedings went (post-story). So much for journalistic ethics. - Corrections: 29 November 2010 (Houston Chronicle)
Maybe the editorial board could do some minimal level of fact-checking?In the Nov. 23 editorial "Charge!," the Chronicle cited an incorrect figure drawn from an Associated Press story. The news service has issued this correction: "The Associated Press reported erroneously that the 2,500 kilowatt hours of electricity consumed by an electric vehicle driving 10,000 miles would be 20 percent more than the average annual consumption of U.S. homes. The 2,500 kilowatt hours would add about 20 percent to a home's average consumption of 11,000 kilowatt hours."
- A closer look at Bagwell HOF candidacy (Tag's Lines)
It's not a very close (or even honest) look from Cheerleader McTaggart, or it would include some reference to Bagwell's admitted use of Andro (as documented by the Chron's Jerome Solomon). It was legal at the time he used it, but it is considered a performance enhancing drug. Voters will probably consider it even if some local cheerleaders like to pretend it never happened.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/01/10 09:27 PM |
30 November 2010
Merely cautious or cleverly duplicitous: What are the City's red-light-cam plans?
TheNewspaper.com makes an interesting connection regarding the City's curious behavior on the red-light camera controversy:
[Federal Judge Lynn] Hughes had called a colloquy among lawyers for the city -- David Feldman and Hope Reh -- and the lawyers for ATS -- Andy Taylor and George Hittner -- on the day after Thanksgiving. Although the city technically filed suit against ATS, the city staff do not want to see the cameras removed any more than ATS does. The parties hashed out a compromise that happened to give ATS everything the firm wanted.
"ATS requests the court to preserve the status quo by enjoining the city from terminating the public safety program or otherwise implementing Proposition 3, pending an adjudication of these fundamental issues of law affecting not only these parties, but the general public at large," Taylor wrote in its brief to the court filed Wednesday.
The actions in Houston track what happened last year in the city of College Station after voters approved an anti-camera referendum. Attorneys for the city attempted to lose the lawsuit that ATS filed to overturn the result of the public vote. Ultimately, public pressure on elected officials forced the College Station cameras to come down, even though a local judge ruled against the vote. ATS is hoping it can win this time by arguing not only that voters have no right to overturn a city council decision through the charter amendment process, but that no power can take down the red light cameras.
The Newspaper goes on to point out that the City of Houston purposely removed an opt-out provision from the contract with ATS previously*, in an apparent effort to make the agreement bulletproof against legislation then being debated in the Texas legislature.
Various councilmembers have said they intend to honor the will of the voters, whatever may come of the legal wrangling. Councilmembers Jolanda Jones and Anne Clutterbuck have been very clear in that regard.
Mayor Annise Parker -- who communicated effectively in her successful mayoral campaign -- seems unwilling to provide an equally definitive statement about the cameras, deferring instead to the city's equally cryptic attorney and refusing interview requests (the mayor was much too busy to talk about the will of the people on this matter today, it seems). Perhaps she's merely being cautious, but it does invite speculation about her intentions.
* Another headache passed on from Bill White to the Parker Administration?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/30/10 09:26 PM |
29 November 2010
Unhappy neighbor
One of the residents on a major cross street in our neighborhood apparently isn't very happy about the ongoing massive water leaks in his/her yard over the past few weeks:
What a mess! The repairs seem to be taking a while each time (lots of water being wasted in our green city, hmm).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/29/10 08:58 PM |
Somebody apparently missed the "DO NOT POST!!!!!!" title
Here's an interesting item from the Chron's John McClain that just appeared in our feed reader:
DO NOT POST!!!!!! Texans WR Johnson fined, not suspended for fighting
This is the lede:
Texans receiver Andre Johnson found out today that the NFL has fined him $25,000 but will not suspend him for his role in the fight with Tennessee cornerback Cortland Finnegan on Sunday.
And then when that story finishes, here's the next lede:
The NFL has suspended Texans receiver Andre Johnson and Tennessee cornerback Cortland Finnegan for their fight in the fourth quarter of the 20-0 victory over the Titans on Sunday at Reliant Stadium.
Johnson will miss Thursday’s nationally televised game at Philadelphia.
Thanks, Chron.com!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/29/10 11:34 AM |
News and views roundup (11/29/10 edition)
Did everyone get enough turkey?
If not, we have a few turkeys in today's catchup news and views roundup:
- Red light camera battle continues this week with lawsuit (Samica Knight, KTRK-13 News)
The on-air version of the story last night seemed much critical of the city's apparent duplicitousness in this matter than the online version.You may remember several weeks ago, Houston citizens petition to get the cameras on the ballot, then at the beginning of the month voted them out.
Since then, the city filed a lawsuit against American Traffic Solution, the Phoenix-based company that installed the cameras and that lead to a countersuit by ATS. In its lawsuit, the camera company says the election was invalid, claiming the city of Houston broke the law by allowing Proposition 3 on the ballot in the first place.
Now a federal judge has ordered that the cameras stay in place while it's decided whether the referendum was, in fact, legal.
- Red Light Camera Controversy Continues (Ford Atkinson, KRIV-26 News)
Not only is that exactly what they have done, but they have seemingly done it with the assistance of Mayor Annise Parker and the city's "preemptive" lawsuit that was filed. The mayor needs to stop hiding behind the city attorney and too-clever legal ploys, and assure citizens that regardless of the outcome of these wasteful lawsuits, the city will heed the will of voters and be ridding the city of the red-light cameras as quickly as possible.American Traffic Solutions, which has the red light camera contract, claims voters had no right to overturn an ordinance dealing with public safety.
The claim, according to Houston attorney Randall Kallinen, violates a company promise.
"The red light camera company has said and has promised they were not going to sue to have this election overturned. That's exactly what they did," says Kallinen.
- Judge halts Houston's red-light camera removal — for now (Bradley Olson, Houston Chronicle)
- Mayor Parker Wants Qualified, Eligible Veterans In All City Positions….Just Not In UNION REPRESENTED Ones! (Big Jolly Politics)
- Traffic signal light outages spark concerns (Satara Williams, The Champions Sun)
This is not unlike spending millions upon millions for a toy train, only to neglect the rest of the transit system (which has seen overall utilization plummet year after year despite significant population increases). While Houston's sexiest blockquoter* will never criticize a LibDem boondoggle, we have no such aversion to criticizing government when it screws up, whoever is at the head. County government needs to do a better job on traffic signal maintenance. Kudos to the community newspaper for calling attention to the matter.“Budget shortfalls have limited our traffic signal maintenance funding,” Wayne Gisler, the Assistant Manager of Traffic Engineering for Harris County, said in a email to Wang, “ In order to maintain the signals operating in a safe and efficient manner during our fiscal crisis, we've had to limit maintenance to emergency repairs only.”
Many understand the pitfalls of the economy and the financial bind that it has imposed on several fronts.
However, some believe that more funds should be funneled into signal infrastructure opposed to other arenas.
“I understand the budget but there’s a bigger picture. They’ve spent tax money on work for the Grand Parkway,” Wang said. “If you build a piece of infrastructure you have to be able to maintain it. If you can’t maintain it, then you shouldn’t build something new.”
- Almost Famous (J.C. Reid, 29-95)
A highly compelling essay on Houston and its food scene. Enjoy it, Houston -- you don't need trinkets and dumb regulations to convince coastal elites you're world class.I agreed with Caswell's implication that Eater.com's decision was driven more by style than substance, as did the echo-chamber of Houston's food bloggers and Twitterati (for what that's worth).
Ultimately, though, I kept thinking to myself, "Who cares?" Yes, Houston's restaurateurs and chefs must consider professional reputations and economic factors that could benefit greatly from more national exposure. But would that be good for Houstonians and the Houston food scene? Would Houston's chefs be better off showboating for a national audience like so many other regional chefs have done? As much as I'd like to see Houston chefs like Bryan Caswell, Monica Pope, or Chris Shepherd get their own TV shows, I'd much prefer them in their own kitchens cooking for fellow Houstonians. And somehow, I get the feeling, that's what they'd prefer to do too.
And even if there was a concerted effort to raise the national profile of the Houston food scene, how could you "brand" the bubbling cauldron of cuisines, dishes and ethnicities that make up the culinary landscape of Houston? ("Creole" and "New Creole" are terms that are sometimes used). The sheer size and diversity of Houston food scene is overwhelming even for those of us who spend a great deal of time trying to make sense of it all. On a recent speaking gig in Houston, TV food personality Anthony Bourdain admitted to being "intimidated" by Houston.
* Hat tip to Slampo.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/29/10 08:32 AM |
23 November 2010
Have a great Thanksgiving
The blog is likely to be quiet over the next few days.
We hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving break with plenty of quality time with family and friends.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/23/10 10:11 PM |
News and views roundup (11/23/10)
Here's a final pre-Turkey Day roundup:
- Movie studio plan for Dome still lives (Chron Houston Politics)
Are we STILL doing this? Blow the thing up and turn it into a parking lot already. - Controversy bubbling over Houston Mayor Annise Parkers' transgender order (Miya Shay, KTRK-13 News)
That clarification didn't clarify much. The Parker Administration sure has been having a bad run lately.The mayor's office issued a statement Monday evening saying, "There appears to be a misunderstanding regarding applicability of my executive order and we need to clarify that. This is a matter of providing practical solutions in a diverse city. It is not about behavior. Where there is inappropriate behavior, there will be enforcement."
- Mayor disputes Houston's ranking among most dangerous cities (Bradley Olson, Houston Chronicle)
- Acclaimed Author/Urbanist Joel Kotkin Hails Houston – the Opportunity City (Center for Houston's Future)
But doesn't he understand that we won't be "world-class" if we don't pursue anti-growth regulations and ding taxpayers to purchase more trinkets??The author’s advice to Houston - “Keep being who you are, and don’t try to be Boston, Chicago, or any other city.” This, Kotkin says, has brought us where we are, and will earn us the well-deserved recognition as an undisputed City of Opportunity.
- "Fear and hype" over Muslims blamed for bogus bomb tip on Westheimer (James Pinkerton, Houston Chronicle)
On Monday, Dawud played down the incident, explaining that while he was not happy to be awakened, having the cab of his tractor searched, or having to wait while the bomb squad was summoned, he knows authorities have a responsibility to check reports of a possible truck bomb.
"It ain't no big thing," Dawud said. "The cops were cool. They were very professional."
- Red Light Citations - To Pay or Not to Pay? (KRIV-26 News)
We wouldn't -- but this doesn't constitute legal advice. - Long Wait In Court Leaves Drivers Fuming (Amy Davis, KPRC-2 News)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/23/10 10:08 PM |
21 November 2010
News and views roundup (11/21/10)
Time to clear out the weekend links:
- Ex-Port VP's severance raises eyebrows (Chris Moran, Houston Chronicle)
Clearly, this is an organization that desperately needs some oversight (and maybe more media coverage). - HUD probe forces projects to halt (Bradley Olson, Houston Chronicle)
Does the Friday-press-conference method of trying to bury bad news like this really work any more?The temporary moratorium comes as the city's housing department continues to struggle under the onus of adverse HUD findings from the mayoral administrations of Bill White and Lee Brown.
In previous years, HUD "findings," or challenges to the way the city has administered federal money, have resulted in requirements that the city repay millions to the agency.
- Residents in half of city's historic districts seek vote on status (Mike Morris, Houston Chronicle)
That must be a little embarrassing to Mayor Parker and Councilmember Lovell. - Battle brewing between Heights homeowners and city (Andy Cerota, KTRK-13 News)
- MetroLift riders complain of long waits (Jeff McShan, KHOU-11 News)
- Harris Co. departments asked to prepare 10% budget cuts (Chris Moran, Houston Chronicle)
- San Antonio's KLRN launching news program in January (Jeanne Jakle, SAEN)
Strangely, there's no reference to his plagiarism in this glowing review.“Rick” is Rick Casey, an award-winning columnist for the Houston Chronicle, who has deep roots in S.A. journalism. Though born in St. Louis, he graduated from St. Mary's University here. After contributing to publications all over the country, including the New York Times and Washington Post, he returned to the Alamo City, where he worked as writer and editor for the old SA Magazine and as reporter and columnist for both the San Antonio Express-News and the old San Antonio Light.
[snip]
“You have to approach San Antonio with a good combination of outrage and humor,” Casey said in a phone call from Houston, adding he is thrilled about this chance for a little energizing change. “I'm really excited about having the opportunity to plug back into San Antonio.”
Casey will commute from Houston, where he'll continue to write two columns a week.
Casey has never really thrown himself into covering Houston despite writing for our daily and living here, so going back to San Antonio ought to work out well. Kind of funny that San Antonio will be getting a Houston-area hack to comment on their affairs, while Houston gets a San Antonio-area talker to comment on its affairs (in the form of Joe Pags).
Hat tip to Slampo for the heads up on this one.
- These Men Want to Save You a Taco (Truck) (Eating Our Words)
The story wasn't racist (and the unsubstantiated accusations of the same grow to have less effect all the time, thankfully), and the story wasn't even KPRC's! Just another example of fact-free/editor-free emoting at the Village Voice Houston Amateur Hour.It doesn't help that mainstream news outlets such as KPRC gives air time to frivolous, casually racist stories like "Health department says filthy taco truck vendors found during surprise visits."
- Searching for real answers in the debate about Global Warming (ABC13 Weather Blog)
We're always inclined to pay more attention to trained professionals like Tim Heller than to the Chron's little faith-based global-warming enthusiast guy. - HISD as an education "lighthouse for the world" (Houston Strategies)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/21/10 09:27 PM |
More METRO service improvements!
A NEW ROUND OF METRO SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS: If you have any interest in giving METRO your opinion on the proposed "improvements," December 1st at noon is your time. If you can't be at METRO's under-utilized downtown headquarters on a workday, you can call in or log your opinion online. Just another example of why METRO is the Gold Standard in transparency.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/21/10 09:07 AM |
It's not their hard-earned money so they don't really care
IRRITATING ATTITUDE OF THOSE WHO HAVE TAX DOLLARS AT THEIR DISPOSAL:
Sports Authority Chairman J. Kent Friedman on having to use reserves to cover a debt payment:
"It doesn't cause me any concern at all," he said.
Port of Houston Chairman James Edmonds on a generous severance package given to a former PR executive:
"I think she provides value. I'm comfortable with the agreement..."
Just remember, these (unelected) elites know better than you how to spend your money. Since they don't work for taxpayers, they have no incentive to be responsive to taxpayers. Here's an idea: Anyone who can spend taxpayer dollars should have to be elected by voters.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/21/10 07:49 AM |
18 November 2010
News and views roundup (11/18/10)
It's your Thursday night edition of news and views:
- Parker loses fight to appoint union leader to port authority (Bradley Olson, Houston Chronicle)
The sense of entitlement from all parties was off-putting, but Mayor Parker's clumsy, failed effort to reward a political constituency also drew some pointed criticism:
Mayor Pro Tem Anne Clutterbuck, who along with Councilman James Rodriguez led the way for Longoria's reappointment, appeared to chide Parker for setting up a situation where one candidate would be publicly spurned.
"It is my sincere hope that ... our nominations and appointments process will not proceed like this in the future and that we will return to the habit that has been in place the previous years that I've served on council, where we do not put our outstanding citizens who volunteer themselves for service to a losing side of the vote," she said.
- Mayor appoints transgender attorney to judge post (Brian Rogers, Houston Chronicle)
Brian Rogers wasn't the first out of the gate with this story, but his *ahem* seamless gender transition from one graf to another merits praise. As for the substance of the story, let's hope the person is a good judge, and that this isn't merely another instance of mayor Parker rewarding a political constituency.A graduate of Texas A&M, Frye was an Eagle Scout and an Aggie cadet known as Phillip Frye.
She later graduated from law school and has practiced criminal defense law in Houston since 1986. She now heads a six-lawyer firm.
- Red Light Camera Fallout: HPD Will Take Cops From Neighborhood Patrol For Traffic Duty (Hair Balls)
Instead of snide comments about the motivations of voters and threats to cut neighborhood patrols, perhaps Mayor Parker's police chief could show some creativity in dealing with his budget (like Mayor Parker's fire chief, see below). - Reorganization part of HFD's $13 million cost-cutting plan (James Pinkerton and Brad Olson, Houston Chronicle)
That's some leadership from the HFD chief. Hidden away in the story is that fact that Mayor Parker and her Council raised ambulance fees from $415 to $1000, though! - City spends $360,000 on sculpture despite budget problems (Gabe Gutierrez, KHOU-11 News)
An outrageous fee increase for ambulance transport and big cuts at HPD and HFD, but the arts special interests keep their trinkets? Talk about misplaced priorities. - Police: Classmate Confesses To Killing Teen, Burning Body (KPRC-2 News)
Apparently, he also skipped the big Bullying Summit that few attended. - Winning the Gold in Transparency (Write on METRO)
Since METRO has a long history of NOT being either of those things, we should thank METRO's expensive blogger for highlighting a useless state program that ought to be eliminated when the Texas legislature convenes and starts trying to deal with budget shortfalls.The NEW METRO has just earned the Gold award in the Texas Comptroller Leadership Circle program, launched by the Comptroller of Public Accounts.
The program, started a year ago, spotlights local government agencies that are open and accountable to the public.
- Budget woes force UH to weigh businesslike model (Jeannie Kever, Houston Chronicle)
"Businesslike" and academia are terms that don't go together, unless you're a reporter trying to keep sources happy (because happy sources toss exclusives your way for not reporting news in a timely manner, after all). - Houston cops write fewer tickets as city officials crack down on overtime, court no-shows (Jennifer Peebles, Texas Watchdog)
- Why You Have To Appear In Traffic Court, But Officers Don't (Amy Davis, KPRC-2 News)
- Travelers at IAH OK with New Scanners (Bill Stamps, KUHF-88.7 News)
This traveler isn't. Neither is the one linked directly below. - Changing Airport Security on our Own (The Loop Scoop)
- Give up Medicaid? Not easily (Lisa Falkenberg, Houston Chronicle)
The teen perspective returns to the Chronicle after a hiatus. Did any teens miss her?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/18/10 09:17 PM |
17 November 2010
News and views roundup (11/17/10)
The seemingly unfocused Parker Administration hits political turbulence in today's edition of news and views:
- Radiation in Houston's tap water, long history of contamination (Mark Greenblatt, KHOU-11 News)
That old Chris Bell/Dan Jones plan to sell bottled water under the Houston label looks sillier all the time. - Houston's red-light funds loss adds to grim outlook (Brad Olson, Houston Chronicle)
Forget the silly Chron headline on the story. The real stories are: 1) That Mayor Parker seems to be dithering with relatively trivial nonsense (like historic preservation, eco-shuttles, and education summits) while the city's deficit grows larger (and the choices to close the deficit more painful); and 2) That Council passed a sham "balanced budget" back in June, and everyone just went along with the charade for months.Several City Council members sharply criticized the administration in an acrimonious budget meeting last week in which many of the stark details were revealed, particularly the amount of time Parker spent on updating the city's historic preservation ordinance in the wake of the financial challenges.
Mayor Pro Tem Anne Clutterbuck, who chairs council's Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee, said council members are prepared to make tough decisions, but they need time to weigh the various austerity measures Parker is planning.
"It is the sincere desire of council to see the administration bring something forward so we can act on it," she said.
Much of the frustration was over a $9 million increase in expenses and the fact that efforts to cut the budget through departmental consolidations or better management of the city's fleet have not yet been realized.
- Controversy grows over Port of Houston board appointment (Gabe Gutierrez, KHOU-11 News)
No, actually, that's not "really what the Port's all about." But it is illustrative when folks who want payback waddle up to the political trough and are so forthcoming. See below.Dozens of supporters, for both candidates, packed city council chambers to speak before council members.
"Dean will represent labor,” union member Richard Shaw said. “And that's really what the Port's all about. It's about working men and women out there."
- Makeup of Port Commission called into question (Miya Shay, KTRK-13 News)
It would be nice if Mayor Parker were spending a little more time trying to fix the budget mess (preferably with more spending cuts and fewer fee increases).Multiple sources at City Hall say the reason Parker has been working hard to appoint Corgey is because his particular union supported her during the mayoral campaign. We understand she's doing a lot of lobbying in the background right now to get her way. It's a crucial vote that can go both ways.
- Perception of Lykos runs two ways (Brian Rogers, Houston Chronicle)
- Sheriff Garcia using tax money to do favors (Jeremy Rogalski, KHOU-11 News)
- Top value: High price for Houston's 'GhostBusters' skyscraper a good omen (Houston Chronicle)
Matt Bramanti notes that wikipedia seems to have been an inspiration to the Chron's sorry editorial board on this one.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/17/10 09:09 AM |
15 November 2010
News and views roundup (11/15/10)
It's your "busybodies, fibbers, and hypocrites" edition of news and views:
- Few come to UH summit offering tools to fight bullying (Safiya Ravat, Houston Chronicle)
Could it be that this "problem" really wasn't such a problem?Not to worry, we're sure the busybody set will jump all over the next not-problem.
- This is not what Heights' residents signed up for when they agreed to be in a Historic District. Who can call this progress? (Cynthia Mullins' Real Estate Market Blog)
In the real world, the unintended consequences can be a problem. Never in A Place Called Perfect, of course. - What's next for Bill White? Not a run for Senate, he says (Joe Holley, Houston Chronicle)
A jeans-wearing Bill White happily took 21-year-old daughter Elena to lunch at a gourmet hamburger joint in the Heights on Saturday. The former Houston mayor has had precious few such father-daughter moments during 22 months of almost constant campaigning, first for the U.S. Senate and then for the Governor's Office.
22 months? Wait a second.... that would mean Bill White was running for statewide office as mayor of Houston, even though his parents taught him that's not the right way to do things.So here's an observation from a friend -- when Rick Perry repeatedly says he has no interest in running for another, supposedly higher office, the state's lackluster political media will not believe him. When Bill white says he has no interest in running for another office, the state's lackluster political media fall all over themselves repeating the news (while basically running a free "Hire Bill White" reverse want ad). Interesting.
- Houston drainage fee fight heading to Austin (Gabe Gutierrez, KHOU-11 News)
- Fighting city hall: Houston man's $2,500 water bill adjusted down to $3.74 (Steve Miller, Texas Watchdog)
Accident investigations? Huh?“We do accident investigations constantly, and when these things come up, they are red flags. We jump on them quickly,” said Alvin Wright, a spokesman for the public works department. Wright said the news coverage played no role in the billing adjustment.
They "jump on them quickly?" Texas Watchdog reported on a problem that dates to July. It is now November. Somehow, we think Alvin Wright's definition of "quickly" is not quite the same as a normal person's. We also think he might be fibbing when he suggests media coverage played no role in getting this problem fixed. But we might be wrong. *shrug*
- Derivatives, SubPrimes, Hedge Funds - and Republicans Against Tort Reform? (Big Jolly Politics)
Nice catch, David Jennings. - Eversole federal indictment either imminent or never (Rick Casey, Houston Chronicle)
There you have it.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/15/10 08:57 PM |
14 November 2010
News and views roundup (11/14/10)
A friend requested we do SOMETHING to get that Chron.com "unicorn vomit" Disney screen to scroll down the page, so here's a weekend roundup:
- Company: Houston red light cameras to go dark on Monday (Andy Cerota, KTRK-13 News)
- Houston will turn off red-light cameras on Monday morning (James Pinkerton, Houston Chronicle)
After this news broke, Mayor Annise parker tweeted, curiously:
It's a story because the administration was never clear on what "appropriate action" meant.Told all Htown media after the election that I would take appropriate action on the red light cameras on 11/15. Suddenly thats a story?
Precision -- or ambiguity -- in messaging matters.
- Cash-strapped Sports Authority agency dips into reserves (Chris Moran, Houston Chronicle)
- A Question for Kent Friedman (Houston's Clear Thinkers)
- Official Says Farmers Market Lacks Racial Diversity (Isiah Carey, KRIV-26 News)
The usual suspect (useless race-obsessed bureaucrat) at "work." Just precious. - City Hall Employee Files Complaint with the City of Houston Over City Hall Farmers Market's Lack of "Racial Diversity" (Eating Our Words)
The pro-diversity white liberal response to the race-baiting of useless bureaucrat. Also precious. - Rice, UH Officials Made Embargo Agreement With Chronicle On KTRU Story So They Could Have "A Quiet Weekend" (Hair Balls)
- You know it has been bad for Dems when... (Big Jolly Politics)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/14/10 09:30 PM |
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