Good morning, Houston. Sure, the national economy may be going to hell in a handbasket, but look on the bright side: Houston's housing market is remaining pretty strong, so at least you homeowners have something of value! According to a new report, the median home value in Houston fell just $500 between the end of the third quarter 2007 and the end of the year, to $119,300 from $119,800 — still a gain of......

We noticed a news story yesterday about the city of Piney Point Village's plan to move its city hall to a $1.5 million, 7,000-square-foot mansion — a plan that isn't sitting well with some of the neighbors. KPRC had more on the story yesterday, and it looks like Piney Pointers aren't getting any happier. The basic idea is this: The city wants to move its offices to the six bedroom, six and a half bath......

If you're not already registered for CitizensNet newsletters, we suggest you do so. CitizensNet sends you periodic e-mails with city news that is tailored to your neighborhood and your interests. And, if you're interested in the environment, you'll now receive the city's environmental e-newsletter, The Environmental Standard. City environmental news and information is always available online, but the e-newsletter is a very convenient and compact medium for receiving it. This month's issue deals mainly with......

The Mayor’s Youth Council (MYC) is launching its 2nd Annual Youth Survey to identify the most important issues to Houston’s youth. Young people who reside or attend school in the City of Houston can have their opinions heard by completing the survey online. The survey asks questions about 37 issues in six major categories: Community Out-of-School Opportunities; Crime/Safety; Prejudice/Discrimination; Health Education & Outreach; Traffic/Transportation; and Environment. These issues were identified by the MYC in their......

Has your city-issued garbage can turned up missing lately? Turns out you might be the victim of those wily scrap metal thieves: According to KHOU, folks are now using the big, black, wheeled plastic trash cans to store their scrap metal booty: They stick their stolen scrap in stolen City of Houston garbage cans. Then, if they see a police officer coming down the street they just pull the can over to the curb and......

What do you get when you cross Chron.com with Houston city government? A delicious new blog. Finally, the Chronicle has tapped the market of people who want to know everything that goes on at City Hall - we're talking seven posts a day worth. In all seriousness, we're excited about the new blog, especially its "On the Agenda" feature. Matt Stiles is the official City Hall blogger, but we already have four posts today from......

Mayor White recently approved the hiring of five new call-takers for the city's 311 help line. The Houston Service Center's help line has seen an increase in calls lately, and the wait time was up to an average of two minutes. The new call-takers should bring that number down to about 30 seconds, according to director Gloria Bingham. We know we were getting tired of waiting so long just to report out-of-order stoplights. The city......

Between Houstonist and our friends, we've probably managed to rack up enough speeding tickets in the last year to keep city government financially solvent. And no wonder: According to the National Motorists Association, Houston is among the 10 worst cities in the U.S. for speed traps. We rank No. 5 on the list behind the Detroit suburbs, D.C., Orlando and Colorado Springs. Austin comes in 7th. Really, this is just another arbitrary ranking, kind of......

A new report confirms what even the most timid nature lover can acknowledge: Trees are nice to have around, even in Houston. Aside from being nice to look at, read a book under or avoid the sun beneath, trees are a sort of cash crop for the Houston area, if at least in environmental terms. According to the Texas Forest Service study, the region boasts 663 million trees valued at more than $205 billion. By......