25 August 2010
Gattis on The Wave
TORY GATTIS takes a look at Houston's Wave jitney service, which is flourishing.
It's nice to see the market responding to shortcomings in the area's transit coverage.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/25/10 10:00 PM |
An update on the West U Council spat
THE WEST U EXAMINER reports that West U's council is functioning somewhat normally again, after a spat between Mayor Bob Kelly and Councilman George Boehme.
Several weeks ago, Boehme apparently took umbrage at the mayor's criticism of his pursuit of city concessionaire business, pledging not to seek it in the future. Frankly, Boehme should have given it up when he became an elected official, so at least the childish antics eventually led to something positive.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/25/10 09:55 PM |
24 August 2010
"Nonpartisan" Houston Votes group accused of voter fraud
A FEW WEEKS AGO, TEXAS TRIBUNE led the cheers for Houston Votes, which it characterized as a "nonpartisan" voter registration group targeting the Houston area. Of course, our cursory search indicated the board of the "nonpartisan" group was composed exclusively of Progressive/Democratic activists and donors, even though such a review apparently eluded the Texas Tribune reporter and editing staff.
Today, as Texas Watchdog reports, the Harris County Voter Registrar Leo Vasquez accused the group of voter fraud:
“The integrity of the voting rolls in Harris County, Texas, appears to be under an organized and systematic attack by the group operating under the name Houston Votes,” Vasquez said at a 2 p.m. press conference at his office, where he also released copies of applications in some of the most egregious cases.
[snip]
“Evidence shows that the Houston Votes and Texans Together organization are conspiring on a pattern of falsification of government documents, supporting perjury in a deliberate effort to overburden our processing system," he said.
Vasquez compared the group to ACORN, another disgraced progressive organization.
Texas Watchdog has posted supporting documents from Vazquez's office on their website.
UPDATE: Texas Watchdog posts more details here.
UPDATE (08/26/2010): Predictably, some of the lefty partybloggers who were touting Houston Votes have all weighed in with angry outbursts.... mainly about racist Republicans. When you got nothing, cry RACISM RACISM?! That dog has just about stopped hunting.
John Thornton's Texas Tribune still has not provided an update to that embarrassingly bad puff piece they ran a few weeks ago.
RELATED COVERAGE: KTRK-13, KHOU-11, KUHF-88.7, KIAH-39, Chronicle.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/24/10 08:16 PM |
METRO is broke (cont'd)
THE EXAMINER'S MICHAEL REED reports that METRO's liquidity ratio -- a key measure of an organization's ability to pay short-term debt -- has dropped to its worst level in five years (0.86 to 1).
The federal government prefers that agencies have at least a 1 to 1 ratio. In typical government-speak, METRO insists its ratio would look better if only the federal government would give it more money!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/24/10 08:05 PM |
Another car takes on Danger Train
METRO'S DANGER TRAIN apparently had another fender bender today.
We should build more at-grade rail!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/24/10 07:46 PM |
Anti-red-light-camera petition ceritified, to go on ballot
KUHF-88.7 reports that the City of Houston has certified the anti-red-light-camera petition, and that Council today approved putting the question on the ballot this fall.
It will be nice for voters finally to have a say on the matter (which won't necessarily please some members of Houston's ruling class).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/24/10 07:42 PM |
23 August 2010
Slampo on Dumb Justice and KTRU
SLAMPO returns from hiatus to comment on Dumb Justice (the kind found on the Chron sports pages) and KTRU.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/23/10 04:50 PM |
McClelland continues to imitate predecessors
MARK BENNETT posts about some recent backtracking by HPD's police chief.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/23/10 04:47 PM |
METRO's latest service adjustments
METRO'S EXPENSIVE BLOGGER touted the organization's latest service "adjustments" over the weekend:
This Sunday, METRO is changing some of its bus service to improve reliability and efficiency.
These changes include adjusting trip times, adding service or eliminating trips to match ridership. No entire route will be discontinued.
TRANSLATION: We're broke, can hardly afford the tram we have let alone the additional lines we're trying to build, and so we're cutting bus service where we can to save a few pennies. Have a nice day!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/23/10 04:40 PM |
Chron: Watchdog criticizes Texas legislator "double dipping" on expenses
THE CHRON broke a nice story over the weekend on state legislators' "double-dipping" when it comes to reimbursements from campaign accounts and the state per diem.
Well, the Chron didn't exactly break it (that's watchdog journalism, after all) -- the Chron reported on a watchdog group that did the work. Several Houston-area legislators got the treatment.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/23/10 04:36 PM |
20 August 2010
TW: Did UH Regents KTRU meeting violate state law?
DID THE UH REGENTS MEETING that authorized Chancellor Renu Khator to pursue the purchase of Rice station KTRU (in a divided vote) violate state law?
Texas Watchdog's Steve Miller reports that the meeting probably violated the spirit, and perhaps the letter, of the law:
[T]he agenda item for Tuesday's public meeting at which the U of H purchase was approved may have been lacking in full disclosure, said Joe Larsen, a lawyer with the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas.
[snip]
“The agenda did not make reference to the sale of KTRU, so the question becomes, how high is the expected level of public interest?” Larsen said. He said one explanation might be that there was more than one radio station under consideration for purchase, but "the best I can say is, if UH knew at the time the target was KTRU, that this fact should have been included in the agenda because they should have anticipated a high level of public interest."
It is fairly obvious from different reports that Rice (a private university), wanted details of this deal kept quiet. Unfortunately, the University of Houston (a public university) decided to help out as much as it could, possibly violating state law, and with the assistance of the area's newspaper of record. The vote was close, so interested citizens/taxpayers might well have influenced the decision with a little more notice and information. Shame on UH and the Houston Chronicle for withholding both.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/20/10 07:47 AM |
19 August 2010
METRO is broke (cont'd)
FRESH OFF MICHAEL REED'S reporting on METRO's precarious financial situation, KHOU-11's Mark Greenblatt reports today that the transit agency has announced a budget shortfall of $49 million for this year.
The agency says this development will "slow" spending on light rail. Perhaps it will also kill this murky real-estate deal favored by "NEW METRO" appointees George Greanias and Christof Spieler.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/19/10 01:39 PM |
Unca Darrell: There's something about Tom DeLay...
UNCA DARRELL notes that the Chronicle still has trouble when it comes to reporting objectively about Tom DeLay.
Old habits die hard.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/19/10 08:46 AM |
Chron: HCC board to get report on smelly contracting deals
THE CHRON'S ERICKA MELLON reports that HCC's Board of Trustees will meet in closed session to receive details on an investigation into possible conflicts of interest involving Yolanda Navarro Flores and Abel Dávila and work done for HCC.
The HCC board's attorney told the Chronicle that "he doesn't know when or if the public will learn what the investigator shares with the trustees."
We hope that local news organizations make sure that the public is kept informed on the matter.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/19/10 08:41 AM |
Chron: Plan to change term limits "all but dead"
THE CHRON'S BRAD OLSON reports that Council surprised Mayor Parker by effectively killing an effort to modify the city's term limits yesterday. Mayor Parker has declared the effort "all but dead," Olson writes.
Can we just declare the current misguided effort (launched by former mayor and current gubernatorial candidate Bill White) completely dead, and move on to more important matters?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/19/10 08:34 AM |
Hair Balls criticizes Chron/UH KTRU news embargo
HAIR BALLS' RICH CONNELLY engages in a bit of the media criticism once practiced at the Houston Press many years ago (before the quest for pageviews led to the proliferation of so much amateurish online content at Village Voice Houston). In this post, Connelly criticizes the Chronicle's agreement to embargo the UH/KTRU story in exchange for the exclusive right effectively to post the university's press release ahead of other media. Village Voice Houston, to its credit, heard rumors of the planned purchase and posted them, forcing the Chron to post their UH press release early.
As Connelly laments, the earliest version of the story -- which we still have, thanks to the wonders of the Diigo cache -- truly reads like a press release:
[E]mbargoed stories are rarely critical of the entity you've made the embargo agreement with.
Chron.com later "updated" the story in that annoying, nontransparent fashion of theirs to add a little balance.
This really shouldn't surprise, of course. The Chronicle is a pro-establishment newspaper, and that has frequently been reflected in the newspaper's coverage of various local entities (whether it was Jesus Ortiz's homages to Astros owner Drayton McLane over the years, or various METRO beat writers' sloppy kisses to METRO, or even Jeannie Kever's most recent article celebrating the UH chancellor's big raise, due to "world-class" performance!).
No, it's not the best journalism, and like Connelly we have little use for most news embargoes or the journalists who agree to them. We'd rather see the newspaper more often reflect the perspective of readers/taxpayers instead of so many of the newspaper's favored sources, and be much more aggressive in its watchdog role. But that's just not the institutional perspective at Jeff Cohen's Chron, unfortunately.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/19/10 08:20 AM |
18 August 2010
Examiner's Reed on METRO's deteriorating finances
THE EXAMINER'S MICHAEL REED continues to lead the way in terms of METRO reporting, with this assessment of the organization's precarious financial state relative to its grand plans. Here is an important takeaway, but be sure to read the entire story:
Based on the June 2010 unaudited report, Metro’s [liquidity ratio*] for 2009 appeared to be about 0.79-to-1, having fallen from 1.55-to-1 in 2007 to 1.03-to-1 in 2008, according to Metro financial reports for those years.
The FTA is already reviewing Metro funding documents following allegations the agency used outdated, pre-market-bust sales tax revenue projections in its November application for $900 million in funding. Metro has denied that allegation.
Clearly, METRO's financial condition was deteriorating under the previous leadership, which largely kept the public in the dark about it**. Here's hoping the "NEW METRO" will take a much more sober, public, look at the agency's finances versus the agency's grand plans -- and put these sorts of murky Houston Way deals on hold in the interim.
* Defined elsewhere in the story as "cash, accounts receivable and nonrestricted investment portfolio vs. current liabilities."
** Not that this was hard, given the lack of interest displayed by Chron reporter Mike Snyder, or even the Snyder/Falkenberg attacks on a KHOU reporter who was looking more closely at the rogue agency's financial dealings.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/18/10 11:17 AM |
17 August 2010
TMW: Renew Houston tax "is regressive, open ended, and [frustrates] political accountability"
THE MIGHTY WIZARD posts a detailed analysis of the massive tax increase being proposed by the Renew Houston special interest group.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/17/10 01:08 PM |
16 August 2010
One crazy Chron correction
THE CHRON recently posted one hellacious correction:
A story on Saturday’s front page incorrectly characterized the relationship between Angela Gomez, her husband and Global Financial Services. She is accused by the federal government of using a brokerage account there to move money in a bribery scam involving a Mexican government official. The couple does not own the firm. Gomez was arrested while in town for a civil arbitration involving Global Financial Services. No allegations of illegal activity have been made against Global Financial Services. “Ms. Gomez was a customer of Global Financial Services several years ago and never has been an owner of the firm,” said Andrew Harvin, an attorney for Global Financial Services. “Global Financial Services had no role in any wrongdoing by Ms. Gomez or her husband and it will fully cooperate in any investigation.”
Hmm, did Hearst's lawyers come up with that?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/16/10 10:18 PM |
Chron: Pasadena cruise facility fails to attract ships
THE CHRONICLE'S JENALIA MORENO reports that a Pasadena cruise-ship terminal constructed as part of a $387 million bond issue approved by Harris County voters... has not managed to attract any cruise ships.
Hard to believe, we know, that the mere thought of Pasadena, TX hasn't attracted the eye (or several eyes, even) of the cruise-ship industry!
The people behind the boondoggle remain optimistic, however, hoping that further development of the property (translation: spending) will make it more attractive. Can we suggest a new-and-improved Gilley's? Or not...
BLOGVERSATION: Swamplot, Bay Area Houston, Live Oaks.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/16/10 10:04 PM |
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