26 June 2010
Unca Darrell: Chron and the oil industry's pain
UNCA DARRELL takes the Chron editorial board to task on... the six-month deepwater drilling ban.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/26/10 01:13 PM |
No shame
HAIR BALLS has some sneering good fun with an all-too-typical case of "sudden acceleration" in Galveston (apparently, the gas pedal was mistaken for the brake).
Of course, when the poster's wife had a bout with "sudden acceleration," that was worthy of an expose by the entire Village Voice empire against the carmaker (because surely the wife -- never identified as the wife, a nice lapse of journalistic ethics that agitated one Village Voice editor when pointed out -- didn't mistake one pedal for the other).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/26/10 01:08 PM |
25 June 2010
Blogger happy hour
HEY ALL,
Time for a beer, we think. A group is descending on the West Alabama Icehouse today about 6pm for some cold brews, the typical blogger BS, and some cool tunes from old fav Mary Cutrufello.
Come on by and have a beer with us if you can.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/25/10 01:14 PM |
Another day, another Chron ed board error
MATT BRAMANTI forced this correction today from the Chronicle editorial board:
The editorial "Other worldly" in Thursday's Chronicle incorrectly stated that the U.S. Olympic hockey team defeated the heavily favored Soviet squad to win the gold medal in the 1980 Olympic Games. Following its upset victory over the Soviet Union, remembered as the "Miracle on Ice," the American team defeated Finland to win the gold medal.
Factual errors, poor writing, and frequently condescending lefty sermonizing are all too typical of that editorial board's output. The newspaper would be so much better served by shuttering the thing and redeploying the resources to the local news space.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/25/10 08:09 AM |
24 June 2010
Chron: Budget wins approval; councilmembers question $22 million hole
THIS INTERESTING LINE was tucked away in Bradley Olson's Chronicle recap of the unanimous Council vote to approve the budget:
Some council members questioned how Parker will cut $22 million in spending during the coming year through unspecified "efficiencies."
That sort of makes it sound like our "balanced" budget still has a $22 million deficit. So Councilmember Jolanda Jones probably isn't going to get her shower built any time soon.
BLOGVERSATION: Live Oaks.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/24/10 10:12 PM |
Swamplot on the Astrodome redevelopment boondoggle "polling"
SWAMPLOT mocks the unscientific online "poll" being spun by Astrodome redevelopment boosters as evidence that folks want to spend $1 billion+ on the boondoggle they've constructed.
As we noted earlier today, the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation really is shameless. It would be nice if some leader would step up, put a demolition plan together, and end this madness.
Do we not have any leaders in Harris County?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/24/10 12:20 PM |
Gattis on Astrodome redevelopment sleight of hand
TORY GATTIS asks and answers an interesting question regarding the latest Astrodome redevelopment proposal:
How does demolition cost almost as much as two new Reliant Stadiums, you might ask? Well, they cleverly included their real wish-list with all 3 options: a new mega-hotel on-site, new arena, additional exhibition space, and a large parking garage. There's no option to vote against any of that. It's also a clever way of making the all-out revamp package seem not that much more expensive than demolition.
It was clever. That sort of clever sleight-of-hand was apparently all that taxpayers got out of that $50,000 sweetheart consulting deal that produced three poor "package" options for a building that has outlived its usefulness and should have been demolished years ago.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/24/10 08:21 AM |
23 June 2010
Houblog: Public Works director resigns (updated)
HOUBLOG posts that the word at Public Works is that director Michael Marcotte has tendered his resignation.
Houblog says multiple sources claim Mayor Annise Parker requested the resignation.
UPDATE (06/25/2010): The Chronicle finally got around to reporting this news. Advantage: Houblog!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/23/10 08:27 PM |
Chron: Parts of HPD fingerprint lab remain in disarray
HERE'S ANOTHER SERIOUS PROBLEM that Mayor Annise Parker has inherited from the Bill White/Harold Hurtt dynamic duo (as reported by Moises Mendoza and James Pinkerton for the Chronicle):
In the Houston Police Department's fingerprint lab, counter tops rot, leaky chemicals spill out of their packaging and some equipment doesn't work.
Four years after police became aware of troubles at the police facility that processes fingerprint evidence, and months after its problems first came to public light, parts of the lab remain in disarray, internal police documents show.
The documents obtained recently through an open records request also provide a glance into how HPD commanders allowed the problems at the lab to fester over the past decade.
This is a nice job of watchdog reporting, using public information requests to track/document an ongoing problem.
Incidentally, the comments from blogHOUSTON fav* Martha Montalvo later in the story are worth reading. Unbelievably, she was reportedly one of the names that was considered to replace Harold Hurtt as chief a few months ago!
* We are being facetious, for those who aren't inclined to follow the links.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/23/10 08:39 AM |
22 June 2010
Unca Darrell and the Chron's bad habits
UNCA DARRELL observes, "You can take the girl out of the Houston Press, but...."
Then again, the Chron editorialist DID finally discover Ixtoc this week, so that's progress at the newspaper of record in the energy capital of the world. Baby steps!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/22/10 07:48 PM |
Examiner's Reed details METRO's "Houston Way" real-estate dealings (updated)
IN SOME OUTSTANDING REPORTING for the Houston Community Newspapers, Michael Reed details an interesting deal put together by the outgoing board at the "old" METRO for its real-estate agency. Among other fascinating tidbits, he notes:
- A sweetheart deal between the "old" METRO and its real-estate agency that increases commission amounts AND specifies that all acquistions -- through donation, swap, eminent domain, it doesn't matter -- will earn the new "sweetheart" commissions.
- An apparent discrepancy between the actual deal amounts and the amounts reported in METRO's financial statements.
- A METRO vice president who, interestingly enough, is a partner at the real-estate agency.
- The daughter of a partner at the real-estate agency who is also apparently listed as a broker at the firm and just happened to find herself employed at METRO as an associate vice president for real estate services.
Be sure to check out the story in its entirety, as Michael Reed ties together all of that and more. It's yet another fascinating chronicle of The Houston Way and a rogue transit agency.
Apparently, Mike Snyder's celebratory piece that all the problems are fixed at the "new" METRO was premature (as this bad deal and these persistent apparent conflicts of interest are ongoing concerns)! Of course, as Cory Crow notes, METRO's response will almost certainly appear shortly in the Chronicle. And it would not surprise if the Chronicle's new media-criticism department turns its fire on Michael Reed!
The only really good news to come out of Reed's story is this:
Under the terms of the agreement, the contract can be dissolved by Metro at any time the agency feels its best interest is no longer being served.
Mayor Annise Parker acted decisively in getting rid of some of the bad apples at the "old" METRO, and George Greanias acted decisively recently in firing some bad bus drivers. Will they take on this latest instance of The Houston Way in a similarly decisive manner?
UPDATE (06/23/2010): Does anyone recall the original, stated purpose for the contract with McDade Smith, the real estate firm that just scored this sweetheart deal with the outgoing METRO board?
Fortunately, our archives provide some guidance. Both the Chronicle and Houston Business Journal reported back in 2005 that David Wolff/Frank Wilson brought the company on board for two major purposes: Transit-oriented development and helping METRO to sell unneeded properties.
Only one of those purposes (selling unneeded properties) really strikes us as legitimate or proper for the area's transit organization. Clearly, the outgoing METRO board's decision to expand the real-estate firm's role AND to give it a sweetheart deal goes WAY beyond any rationale or justification that was ever presented to the public. It's another example of David Wolff/Frank Wilson/Bill White arrogance and the Houston Way "bidness" model that Mayor Parker and her new METRO board should correct as quickly as possible.
BLOGVERSATION: Harris County Almanac, Swamplot, Texas Watchdog.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/22/10 06:53 PM |
District Court upholds massive water-rate increase
THE AUSTIN DISTRICT COURT where the City filed its effort to uphold the massive water-rate increase (a case subsequently joined by water-rate increase opponents Hotze and Bettencourt) has found in favor of the City.
Documents posted here.
UPDATE: Well lookee, the Chron finally decided to cover the story. Better late than never!
BLOGVERSATION: Live Oaks.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/22/10 11:05 AM |
Houston media departures
MIKE MCGUFF notes that longtime KUHF news anchor Jim Bell is retiring (here's hoping he has more time for online commentary now!).
McGuff also reports that Chronicle legal journalist Mary Flood is leaving the newspaper.
Finally, a Twitter user posts that several Chron editors were let go last week.
Best of luck to the departing/departed!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/22/10 09:31 AM |
KPRC: New METRO terminates bad bus drivers
KPRC-2 reports that METRO has terminated a couple of bus drivers who were recently featured on the news.
One was allegedly using social media websites while driving; the other had a suspended license.
Another interesting tidbit from the report: METRO apparently has no system for tracking the videos it keeps from buses and trains, although the agency promises it will fix that.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/22/10 08:30 AM |
21 June 2010
Growing Houston smartly (or something)
ONE OF SEVERAL INTERESTING ASPECTS of this Culture Map Houston article on Houston's Smart Growth crowd and their vision for Houston... is that it pretty clearly confirms that the Citizens Transportation Coalition (which now has a former* board member represented on Mayor Annise Parker's METRO board) is indeed a smart-growth advocacy organization, rather than merely an organization that gives voice to local citizens on transportation matters (which is how more than one incurious Chron reporter has mischaracterized the group).
Maybe whoever is handling transit issues for the Chron these days will take note! (Okay, in all honesty, we doubt it).
Please feel free to discuss other interesting aspects of this article about the grand vision of Houston's smart-growth visionaries.
* updated for greater accuracy.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/21/10 10:11 PM |
KPRC: City Hall nixes HPD phlebotomy practice plan
LOCAL BLAWGGERS PAUL KENNEDY AND MARK BENNETT offer their takes on an HPD plan, nixed by City Hall, for officers to practice drawing blood from state prison inmates (HPD Practices On Prisoners For Drawing Blood From Drunk Driving Suspects, KPRC-2 News).
BLOGVERSATION: Grits for Breakfast.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/21/10 07:59 AM |
Yeah, but Chron.com has world-class user party pics!
MARC CAMPOS observes:
The Chron can send a reporter over to France to cover a bike ride but not the World Cup – huh? How can we claim to be an international city when our newspaper can’t even send their soccer beat writer to cover the World Cup.
Surely there's a local reader blog or some other amateur coverage to offer a local perspective. That seems to be the trend in area print journalism these days, unfortunately.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/21/10 07:51 AM |
19 June 2010
Sit and Spin on some online travel mag and the Danger Train
METRO'S SIT AND SPIN BLOG* excitedly points out that some online travel magazine touts the Danger Train as a great way to "see the sights" in Houston.
Our advice to sensible people is to ignore any travel magazine that tells you a one-line "rail system" that is only 7.5 miles long in a city with Houston's sprawl is useful for seeing the city's sights.
* If the "New METRO" is so concerned about being accountable and transparent to the public, could someone PLEASE tell us why this blog still exists?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/19/10 07:44 PM |
CM Clutterbuck proposes eliminating bilingual honor-system giveaway (updated)
HERE is a strange lede from a news story:
In Houston's massive $4.2 billion budget, bilingual pay is a blip on the radar.
It's a $1 million "blip" annually, according to Councilmember Anne Clutterbuck, and a "blip" that is funded completely on the honor system. Clutterbuck proposes that, going forward, the City specify language needs when it offers jobs, instead of just offering to pay any employees who say they are bilingual.
That sounds way too sensible to us -- she surely won't put together a majority!
UPDATE: Some special interests are already upset, right on cue!
UPDATE (06/21/2010): Councilmember Clutterbuck has clarified her intent (not that we really thought it needed clarification):
After hearing concerns from the public and administration, Clutterbuck has offered substitute language to her amendment that reads: Eliminate bilingual pay for all non-classified employees unless the employee is in direct contact with the public, demonstrates proficiency and there is a reasonable expectation that the language will be used in the normal course of their job duties.
The Councilmember continues to sound eminently sensible. That will never do.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/19/10 07:33 PM |
18 June 2010
Unca Darrell: A bridge too phor
UNCA DARRELL continues his running critique of the editorial board at America's Worst Big City Daily.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/18/10 08:48 AM |
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