Morning Roundup: Law and order edition

Good morning, Houston. If you ever stop to think about all the ordinances in effect in the city — admit it, you do — you probably wonder just how much space all those laws would take up if they were written down. Well, now we know: around 5,000 pages. That tidbit comes from the Chronicle's Matt Stiles, who recently reported that the city approved a new three-year contract with the Municipal Code Corp. of Tallahassee, Fla., the firm that's kept up with the city code since 1958. MCC puts a searchable version of the Code of Ordinances online and also prints bound copies of the two-volume book for libraries, city officials and anyone else who's interested enough to order one. Yes, there are a lot of obscure laws on the books — pick a topic, search and see what you find — but Stiles notes that two outdated ordinances are no longer in effect: one that prohibits driving livestock through ditches and another that defines loud televisions as nuisances. As for the infamous "goo-goo eyes" ordinance, which prevented men from flirting with women in public, it hasn't been on the books since the 1950s. Whew.

>> 'Bossy Bandit' strikes again: The FBI reports that a bank robber known as the "Bossy Bandit" has robbed another Houston-area bank: The unknown man knocked over a Trustmark Bank branch at 14604 Northwest Freeway around 11:30 a.m., demanding cash and telling a bank employee not to put an explosive dye pack in with the cash. He repeatedly ordered the teller to "hurry up" — hence the "bossy" part of his name — and then fled with the money. The man, who is believed to have robbed a Wells Fargo bank on the Katy Freeway on July 3, is in his late 30s to early 40s, around 6 feet, 3 inches tall, and weighs about 175 pounds. Anyone with information should call 713.222.TIPS.

>> Condo residents on the move: Eight families living in the Winfield 1 condominiums in southwest Houston must move by Thursday because their complex has been declared unsafe by the fire marshal. Fire inspectors found several code violations at the property, including exposed wiring, trees blocking emergency access and piles of trash that presented fire risks; some residents said the complex's manager, Texas Community Management, had failed to maintain the property even though residents were continuing to pay maintenance fees. A TMC spokesman said the violations are all the result of a fire at the complex last year and that the company can't fix them until all the insurance money comes in, and Troy McKinney, an attorney who serves on the property's homeowners association board, agreed. He said residents have been living with the same conditions since the fire and that there's no reason to make them move now — but moving they are. A relocation specialist with the city housing department will help Winfield residents find new places to live, a spokesman for Mayor Bill White said.

>> Today's weather: Looks like another mostly cloudy day, with a 50 percent chance of storms. The high should reach 89 this afternoon, with temperatures falling into the mid-70s overnight (and look for a slight decrease in the rain chance tonight, too).

Check out more headlines after the jump. It's not illegal ... we think ...