Morning Roundup: Life in the confused lane edition

Good morning, Houston. Have you ever wondered why our freeways have multiple names — for example, I-45 south of downtown is also called the Gulf Freeway, the section through downtown is the Pierce Elevated and the part north of downtown is the North Freeway? Yeah, we have, too — and it seems we're not alone: The Chronicle's Tex-Arcana column tackled that question this weekend. The answer? In Houston, at least, the names tell where the freeways are headed: The Gulf Freeway, for example, leads to the Gulf of Mexico; the Eastex will take you to East Texas. (We assume you can figure out, then, where names like Southwest and North came from.) Other Texas cities name their freeways, too: We know about the Central Expressway in Dallas and Mopac in Austin, but who knew that U.S. 281 in San Antonio is called the McAllister Freeway? Not us. (By the way, if you're a freeway junkie, check out the excellent TexasFreeway.com — it's enough to keep you occupied for a half a day, at least.)

>> Crime: Concern or campaign issue?: Even considering Houston's much-publicized crime spike in the last couple of years, things really aren't that bad here, HPD statistics show: Between 1990 and 2006, the city's murder and violent crime rates fell significantly, and the overall crime rate dropped 5 percent from 2005 to 2006. So why are City Council candidates making it seem like we're all going to be robbed and murdered every time we leave the house? Easy answer: It gets people's attention. "Crime is hotter than it has been certainly in the last three [political] cycles," political consultant Allen Blakemore told the Chronicle. "We certainly find candidates coming back from their door-knocking and saying, 'Gosh, it's No. 1.'" And there may be some basis for that: Petty crimes, like burglaries, thefts and graffiti, are up slightly, and those are the crimes people tend to see in person on a daily basis. City Councilwoman Anne Clutterbuck said she reviews crime statistics before she talks with her constituents, and she tries to let them know that things are getting better. But, she said, "sometimes there is a bit of a time lag between reality and perception."

>> Speaking of crime, you might want to check your attic: Here's a new twist on an old story: Police say a man suspected of burglarizing a Near Northside home might have been living in the house's attic for a while. According to HPD, the man had been getting in and out of the house through a side window; on Friday, he apparently saw the man who lived there leaving and figured the house was empty. But he was wrong: The man's 84-year-old wife was still home, and when the suspect slipped in through the window, he found her waiting with a pistol. The woman shot at the suspect several times, hitting him once near his neck. "She was in fear of her life. A stranger was in side her home. She used the force necessary to protect her personal safety," HPD Sgt. Richard Nieto told KTRK. The suspect ran down an alley and collapsed on the sidewalk in front of Sherman Elementary; he's now in Ben Taub. In addition to the Friday invasion, police say they believe he may have robbed the man of the house at knifepoint Thursday.

>> This week's weather: Looks like we'll have a few more days of beautiful sunshine before things begin clouding up again: Expect brilliant sun and highs in the mid-70s today and Tuesday, with a few clouds moving into the area toward the end of the week leading to another cool front late in the weekend. Today, expect a high of 75, with an overnight low in the lower 50s.

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