Results tagged “affairs”

So, Houstonians, you think energy prices are higher than a proverbial cats back? We can power our world on biodiesel, wind turbines and solar power? You have the opportunity to experience what it takes to power a city of 3.9 million, courtesy of Chevron and the publisher of Economist magazine. So, bang here to try your hand at running "Energyville" and learn a little about energy supplies. Here's a blip from the Chronicle that gives...

Did you protest the taxes on your home this past year? If so, we hope you did your research on your neighbors’ appraisals already. If you didn’t, you’re out of luck. Thanks to a new law passed by the state, the Harris County Appraisal District (HCAD) was forced to pull their property appraisal database from their website this week. Don't get out your walking shoes yet – the information can't be obtained from the county...

Apparetly, the troubles at the HPD crime lab aren't quite over yet: An analyst in the lab was suspended last week, accused of improperly handling evidences, which means that police will have to review about 200 narcotics cases. The analyst, whom the Chronicle identifies as James K. Carpenter, reportedly "was not handling evidence in compliance with lab protocols," which led investigators with the police department's Internal Affairs Division to check out the lab last week....

Good morning, Houston. We're regular NPR listeners, and we enjoy it as much as the next guy when legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg gives us another thrilling reading of a Supreme Court transcript. Even so, we were a little surprised to hear an ad the other day for NPR's newest piece of merchandise, the limited-edition Nina Totin' Bag. Yes, it's what you'd think it is: a tote bag with Totenberg's mug on it (in,...

Houston World Affairs Council: Young Professionals Group Hosts International Celebration

Senior Time magazine columnist Joe Klein will speak tonight at the Wortham Center on Islam, Iraq, and the War on Terror. Klein is "one of America’s most astute observers of politics and international affairs" and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the author of a number of books, including his most recent Politics Lost: How American Politics Was Trivialized By People Who Think You’re Stupid, a tirade against political consultants in...

Barbara Jordan – U.S. congresswoman, first African-American woman to serve as a Texas state senator, and professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs – was a ceaseless voice for civil liberties and morality in politics. She is also one of Houston's own, born in the Fifth Ward. Today at Brazos Bookstore, Max Sherman talks about his new collection of Jordan's speeches, which also includes a DVD of her speeches Brazos Bookstore 2421 Bissonnet...

Ben Browning and Nik Edgell were lucky to escape from their bookstore when an arsonist set it on fire Feb. 26 — but they weren't fortunate enough to avoid what they say was harassment from arson investigators who showed up to look into the blaze. The issue, apparently, is that the bookstore — Sedition Books, at 4420 Washington Ave. — offered literature on anarchism, Communism, gay rights, radical feminism, socialism and other "viewpoints outside the...

Houstonist grew up in this city (for the most part), and we think we turned out fine. Right? Well, our shortcomings and hangups aside, it's dangerous to be a kid in Houston these days, according to Children at Risk President Robert Sanborn. Sanborn spoke to a group of child advocates at a summit at the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast yesterday. This is what he had to say about the state of affairs...

Kids are used to the routine of bringing a note to school when they've been absent from something, right? But soon, parents might have to get into it, too — at least those who miss scheduled parent-teacher conferences, that is. Under a bill before the state Legislature, parents who skip out on teacher conferences could be charged with a misdemeanor and fined up to $500 if they don't present a "reasonable excuse" for missing the meeting.

God Sleeps In Rwanda: Movie Screening & Lecture Tonight at the Holocaust Musuem (yes, Houston has one of the best in the country), The Houston World Affairs Council will present a free screening of "God Sleeps in Rwanda," a documentary film by Kimberlee Acquaro and Stacy Sherman and narrated by Rosario Dawson. The film was an Academy Award nominee for best documentary short film in 2005. Acquaro will be on hand to answer questions...

Today, Houstonist submits to you a Tex Mex thought experiment: What if you were to take a decent Tex Mex restaurant, say, Spanish Flower, dim the lights to 15% of their original brightness, spiffy up the wait staff, add a valet service, and stock the restaurant with pretty patrons? Here are but a few of the curious results: your otherwise humdrum Saltillo tile takes on the mysterious hue of an exotic Italian slate. Usually...

Each week, Houstonist highlights a few of the more interesting events going on in the city. Check back each day for more details. Is that so much to ask?! Monday, Jan 29 Movies Houstonians Love @ MFAH: Barbara Bush The Museum of Fine Arts' series, Movies Houstonians Love is back. The former First Lady kicks things off with a guest lecture preceeding her favorite movie,Life Is Beautiful directed by Roberto Benigni (Italy, 1997, 116...

After about one-third of the original homes in River Oaks have been demolished, the Chronicle has now picked up a story about the will to preserve. The homes in the area, which were largely built by well-known architects for well-known families, have been meeting the same fate as many others in Houston (think Bellaire, West University, and creeping in to older neighborhoods - sixth ward, Heights and beyond). The average house size in the U.S....

Remember the Houston school board's mostly private meeting at Vic & Anthony's a couple of weeks ago? The one where HISD trustees racked up a bill of $1,786.50 — that's $150 per person — while discussing Superintendent Abelardo Saavedera's job performance? The one that a private company paid for? Yeah, well, the Chronicle brings the meeting up again today and asks the question that's been on our minds: Was it ethical? And the answer is no. And yes.

We were sitting around this weekend wondering what happened to everyone's favorite city councilwoman — no, not that one; we're talking about Carol Alvarado, who stepped down as mayor pro-tem after it was discovered staffers in her pro-tem office took $143,000 in unauthorized pay bonuses. It's been quite a while since we heard anything in the pro-tem case, but now, finally, there's some news: The four dismissed pro-tem employees and Alvarado herself will testify before...

Looks like the flow of bizarre news from TSU won't be drying up anytime soon: In his keynote address to the school's graduates Saturday, state Rep. Harold Dutton blamed the TSU board of regents for contributing to the problems with ex-president Priscilla Slade, saying they mishandled the investigation into her spending and her dismissal. Slade, you'll remember, was fired and later indicted for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars of university money on unauthorized personal expenses during her presidency. But Dutton said the regents are as much to blame as anyone:

A federal appeals court ruled today that Tom DeLay cannot be replaced with another candidate on the November ballot A Humble salon owner accused of secretly videotaping customers in tanning booths was placed on a curfew during a court appearance today Last night in Montrose, a man dressed as a woman was stabbed at a bus stop; the victim is expected to be OK and police are investigating the incident The latest revelation from KHOU:...

Anyone remember Josiah Sutton, the guy who was exonerated in a rape case in 2004 thanks to foul-ups by the HPD crime lab? This weekend he was back in jail — briefly — for traffic violations, and he claims they were the result of more HPD mishandling. Police say Sutton was arrested just before 1 a.m. Sunday in the 8800 block of South Braeswood for driving with no license and no auto coverage policy. Though...

Texas doctors who provide abortions illegally could be subject to the death penalty because of the way the relevant legislation is put together, reports the Dallas Morning News. The state Attorney General's Office has been asked to clarify a probe that began when the Texas Legislature declared a fetus "an individual" back in 2003. Then, in 2005, it became a criminal act to perform certain abortions (for doctors without the required certification, for example). Therefore, legislators may have accidentally created a situation i which a doctor could be charged with the death of a child younger than age 6--a capital crime in which the death penalty is on the table as a punishment option, according to the Texas District and County Attorneys Association.

Remember last month when we talked about Sgt. Jack Oliver, the Houston police officer who's undergoing a sex change? When the story broke in mid-June, reports made it sound as though Oliver had decided to go to the media himself. As KPRC reported at the time:

Ex-Enron chairman Ken Lay's funeral arrangements have been made, but the state of his legal affairs remains up in the air — at least for now.

An HPD officer who earned more than $100,000 in overtime pay last year decided to resign from the force after the police department began an investigation into his overtime, HPD and police union officials said yesterday. William Lindsey Jr., 50, made news earlier this year for his pay — $170,000 last year, the highest of any officer — and for the fact that he had racked up an impressive number of reprimands in his 27 years with the force.

John Hamilton Parker, a 15-year veteran of HPD, has been a hard worker this year. In January, he reported arresting a woman wanted on a drunk driving warrant and taking her to a county psychiatric center for a mental health evaluation. In February, he said he arrested a man wanted for the aggravated sexual assault of a child and transported him to the Harris County Jail. The problem: He apparently didn't actually do either of...

bathroom.) A fan reportedly found Olesen and the women running the bases when he went to the bathroom with his kid:

H-E-B said yesterday it's recalling its entire baby food line after customers in Houston and Corpus Christi reported they found pieces of glass in jars of peas, carrots and applesauce. The food, which was removed from shelves statewide, will be shipped back to the quality-assurance lab for testing.

As the four employees in the mayor pro tem's office wait for word today on whether they'll lose their jobs (though KHOU says they already know), there are still questions about exactly how they got away with giving themselves about $200,000 in payraises and bonuses. Yesterday, the attorney for office manager Rosita Hernandez said Hernandez didn't steal taxpayers' money and alleged Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado knew about the raises and bonuses — in other words, if Hernandez goes, it looks like she'll try to take Alvarado with her.

For a mid-week pick-me-up, there's nothing quite like news of two of our professional, mature city officials almost throwing down in City Council chambers. The catfight nearly occurred at a Council meeting yesterday, when Carol Alvarado apparently called Shelley Sekula-Gibbs a ... uh ... well, actually, we don't know what, because the news report didn't say. But it managed to ruffle Sekula-Gibbs's magnificent yellow feathers.

We here at Houstonist are practically apolitical, but we love Houston Rockets sportscaster Lisa Malosky. Therefore, in a completely bipartisan and apolitical way, we recommend all Lisa Malosky fans to check out the campaign kickoff for Ellen Cohen, where Lisa Malosky is going to be speaking.

That's why we're so, so glad that theater owners are talking about ways to curb phone conversations during movies.