Happy bissextile day, Houston. If you're reading this from jail — we're actually not even sure if you can use the Internet in jail — well, don't feel alone: According to a new report from the Pew Center on the States, 1 of every 100 American adults are behind bars today. The good news: Texas is one of the states that has tried to slow the growth of its inmate population through community supervision of low-risk offenders and alternative punishments for some former prisoners who violate parole and probation rules. Inmate populations increased in 36 states and the federal prison system last year, the report says.
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Results tagged “homelandsecurity”
Artists from both coasts duke it out on the charts this week.
Good morning, Houston. Does all this rain make you feel like crap? There may be a medical reason: It's called non-allergic rhinitis, and it can be triggered by changes in air pressure — you know, the kind that accompany bad weather. Rhinitis symptoms are a lot like those that come with allergies: congestion, sinus pressure and post-nasal drip. Decongestants, saline washes and nasal sprays can help, but the only thing that'll really make you...
It seems like, all across the network, folks were up to no good. Maybe it was all the green beer from last weekend... Gothamist spent the week writing about New Yorkers behaving badly: at the post office, at the Garden, and at the fertility clinic. Calvin Klein may not be misbehaving, but he's just a little dirty, and in a completely different way than some NYC kitchens. SFist had its share of misbehave-rs, too, like...
Be honest, now: Hasn't there been at least one time in your life when you've wished that the state would take driver's licenses away from old people? Seriously — we know it's ageist and insensitive and whatever, but you know the thought has gone through your head. Well, all you cruel, cruel people, you're not alone: The Legislature is thinking about it, too. A bill introduced by state Sen. John Carona (R-Dallas) would amend the...
Good morning, Houston. Isn't it a letdown knowing that there's not even the remotest possibility of ice-related mayhem this morning? It looks like the worst of the arctic weather is over and we're now headed into a very, very slow warm-up. But we have a question: Can't we get just one sunny day? Is that too much to ask?
Sunday. Usually, a quiet, contemplative day in the Blogosphere. But not here in the Ist-a-Verse. Nonono! Just look below and see all of the wild and crazy stuff our staffs are up to. In Austin, bands are beginning to confirm for SXSW and the rumor mill is up and running. Good thing, too, because we all know how much Austinites love live performances. Austin also found itself in the national spotlight, with Longhorn Legend...
So, some good news: According to a scorecard released today by the Department of Homeland Security, Houston is the best-prepared city in Texas to deal with a major disaster, scoring higher than San Antonio and Dallas — but the bad news is that that's not really anything to write home about, Harris County Judge Robert Eckels said. The DHS surveyed 75 U.S. cities, metro areas and territories for their emergency preparedness, including advanced, integrated communication...
While the neon refinery pictured is on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science and is perfectly safe, emitting no smoke plumes, operating refineries do have their issues, at times. Yesterday afternoon, a Valero Refinery in Texas City began flaring when some steam boilers lost power, causing a Level 1 Alert to be called for the area (Houstonist wonders - what colors are assigned to these alerts? This one sounds "cerulean" to us). The Galveston Daily News had this report on the incident:
The Texas Department of Public Safety has plans to change the way Texans renew and change address information on their driver licenses. In fact, the licenses will have a complete makeover. According to KHOU, all changes will have to be made in person, which will cause an increase in the already-packed Motor Vehicle locations. Don't rush to make changes now, though - beginning in 2008, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles will require everyone with...
Good news for you Texans fans planning to attend this weekend's game: The FBI said the threat to blow up seven NFL stadiums, including Reliant, was a hoax. The online threat, you'll remember, made the news Wednesday after the Homeland Security Department put local officials and stadium owners in the cities named in the threat — Atlanta, Cleveland, Houston, New York, Oakland, Miami and Seattle — on alert. But it turns out the bomb threat...
The Homeland Security Department has put officials and NFL stadium owners in seven U.S. cities, including Houston, on alert after a warning was posted online claiming that the cities' stadiums would be destroyed by dirty bombs this weekend — but the government says it's looking at the threat "with strong skepticism." The threat was posted Oct. 12 as part of an ongoing online conversation. It warned of attacks on NFL stadiums in Houston, Atlanta, New...
With all the national media attention focused on Houston during the flood Monday, it's no surprise that U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee popped up to call for a meeting to discuss the state of Houston's bayous and the installation of warning lights at flood-prone intersections around the city. After all, Jackson Lee comes running every time there's a chance to get her name in the papers serve her constituents. No, what surprised us — but...
There's been no peace of mind for our friends in Texas City lately: First they had to deal with exploding apartments, then Jesse Jackson came back, and now there's word that the city's levee system might not stand up to a powerful hurricane, which could affect nearly 5 percent of the nation's oil refining capacity and thousands of homes. And we thought the Jesse Jackson thing was bad! The Chronicle looked at the Texas...
ahead — if you need to use the Bolivar Ferry: Starting tomorrow, motorists using the ferry will be subject to random searches.
After four wet days, officials say conditions are right for flooding today if Houston gets heavy rain concentrated in an hour or so. There's been as much as 17 inches of rain since Sunday morning in some parts of the area, and though the bayous haven't overflowed, they are elevated.
From the "It's good to know we have this kind of people protecting us" file comes the story of two federal air marshals who seem pretty happy abusing their positions, if testimony from a Homeland Security agent is correct. Burlie L. Sholar III and Shawn Ray Nguyen are accused of conspiring with a cooperating witness to use their jobs to smuggle 33 pounds of cocaine aboard a plane from Houston to Las Vegas. They were...
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