Morning Roundup: A riot of reports edition

Good morning, Houston. Suppose you're trying to keep up with piles and piles of government reports. How can you tell when there are too many? Simple: You ask for a report, of course. That's what the Texas State Library and Archives Commission did — and in a 668-page report, the commission has declared that the state is over-reported. The commission looked at more than 170 state agencies and universities and found more than 1,600 reports that are regularly required, some 400 of which are obsolete, redundant or not needed as often as they're produced. The report on reports is just the beginning: The commission now has to assess the required reports one by one, a task it says will take at least a year. But still, officials are optimistic: "I think we can reach our goal of eliminating the deadwood without compromising the need for accountability in our state agencies," state records administrator Michael Heskett told the AP.

>> HISD bond opponents seek votes at church: As Election Day nears, opponents of HISD's $805 million bond proposal turned to local churches, urging members to vote against the package. Among the opponents was U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who compared the fight against the proposal to the civil rights demonstrations of the 1960s: "We are in a Montgomery bus boycott moment. This is an opportunity to make a difference for this city," she said. The bond package, if approved, will be used to build 24 new schools and renovate 134 others; several historically black campuses would also be consolidated as part of the proposal. Opponents say the consolidations need to be dropped from the proposal and more money should be allocated to some mostly black campuses, like Booker T. Washington High School and Ryan Middle School. "We're going to send a message that we can't — no, that we won't — be overlooked anymore," City Councilman Jarvis Johnson said. "We're going to build the Fifth Ward up again so those people in those lands — The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Pearland — will come back here."

>> When trees attack: When Mary Stewart's godmother planted a mulberry tree next to her house about 50 years ago, she probably didn't think much of it — but since then, the tree has grown into quite a problem for Smith, a 79-year-old retiree: It's literally destroying her home. The weight of the tree is causing a kitchen wall to cave in, and the floor beneath Smith's stove has buckled, causing the gas company to shut off service; elsewhere in the house, vines from the tree are sprouting from the walls and floors. "I know eventually what will happen," Smith told KHOU. "It will come all the way through the house." Smith has asked the city for help, but her requests have been turned down; Judy Harris with the Houston Department of Health and Human Services said that, unfortunately, the story isn't unique. "We want to meet needs when we identify them, and a lot of times there are waiting lists and the funds aren't available," she said. In the meantime, we imagine Smith would appreciate a visit from someone with a good saw.

>> Today's weather: It's hard to believe that there have been hardly any clouds over Houston for more than a week now — who woulda thought? The sunny skies will continue today; look for an afternoon high of 77 and a low tonight of 56.

More headlines, you say? Absolutely, yes ...