Results tagged “regulations”

Seattlest has a talk with the photographer from last week's "Segway Mom" and then experiences some dissension in the ranks over the question of wine vs. beer. It's not West Side Story, but about as close as they'll get. They're also still waiting on some inbox relief after a spammer is arrested. As Chicagoist counts down the days to its third anniversary party, they found all-organic pizza to be underwhelming amidst the hoopla, tried...

Good morning, Houston. It's Friday again — the Friday before Memorial Day, to be exact. And because we'll be taking a breather on Monday, we wanted to take a chance to direct you over to the history of Memorial Day, a holiday that traces its origin to Waterloo, N.Y., in 1866. Check it out, enjoy, and have an excellent holiday. >> Microwaved baby's father drops opposition to foster care: Joshua Mauldin, the man accused...

Due to a number of problems that have already been reported with early voting, several counties are ready to get rid of the voting records system used in Texas because it is too flawed. The system, TEAM, began operating in January in order to comply with federal regulations on centralizing voting information across the state. Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt said that the new database is "causing statewide voting problems" and that "it's a...

Mayor White traveled to Austin two weeks ago to speak to the state legislature about SB 1317, a bill that would prevent cities from creating ordinances that protect air quality. It was no secret that the bill was targeted at the mayor's recent move to minimize the pollution caused by refineries that lie outside Houston city limits. The bill, authored by State Sen. Mike Jackson (R - LaPorte), was passed by the Senate yesterday, despite...

In October of last year the (Silver Dollar) Jim West mansion was sold to Olajuwon Farms (the bucolic name of Hakeem's land management company). After sifting through archives, though, Linda Sansing, a teacher in Clear Creek ISD and co-founder of Preserved in Time (a nonprofit to help raise awareness of the West mansion), found a deed restriction that may prevent any tampering with the mansion until July of 2012. The Greater Houston Preservation Alliance's David...

Mayor Bill White will be in Austin this afternoon to testify before the State Senate Natural Resources Committee considering a bill that would strip cities of their ability to create ordinances that protect air quality. The bill, SB 1317 was authored by State Sen. Mike Jackson, a Republican from LaPorte (surprised?), and its captions lets us know that it is "relating to prohibiting a municipality from enacting regulations on air pollution that apply outside its...

Good morning, Houston. We know what you're thinking this morning: "Sure," you're thinking, "this has been a pretty good week, but it would be way better if I got to walk through a giant model of the human colon!" Boy, are you in luck — a 25-foot interactive model of the colon will be at Ben Taub tomorrow. The Super Colon, as it's called, will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at...

Residents of Houston's sixth ward, which was founded around 1877 and is the largest collection of victorian homes in the region (apart from Galveston), are taking their words of pro-preservation to ever-popular YouTube.com. Their messages relate the importance of the neighborhood in Houston and how the architectural significance is diminishing significantly. According to the Chronicle:

Posting the videos was an act of "creative desperation" after activists waited almost a year for city officials to help them create land-use regulations through the neighborhood's Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, or TIRZ, said Larissa Lindsay, president of the Old Sixth Ward Neighborhood Association.

Continue reading "Sixth ward residents upload to YouTube"

In the wake of a pit bull attack that left a 4-year-old boy dead in northeast Harris County a couple of weeks ago, county officials have given the green light to a study of how best to prevent dog attacks in the future. The county's pit bull task force, formed after last month's attack, will look at whether local regulations, state laws or more animal control officers would help the most when it comes to...

A couple of City Councilmembers have come up with 11th-hour alternatives to the city's proposed smoking ban, which council is supposed to take up tomorrow. The proposal would ban smoking at all workplaces in Houston, including restaurants and bars; exceptions would be patio areas and businesses designated as tobacconists or cigar bars.

Somehow, the world of -ists managed to make it through the week despite news that Jen & Vince broke up. Chicagoist had fall on their mind as they made squash and fudge, read "House of Leaves" and ">tried to figure out what's next for the Cubs. Not fall related, but still of utmost concern, the whole skinny black pants thing. Torontoist fought off an evil scourge of raccoons and went to go see who would...

The city's Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission voted to send a letter to Andrew Alexander, CEO of Weingarten Realty Investors to encourage saving the endangered art deco buildings. There was no mention of Commission involvement as far as doing more than expressing epistolary concern because, well, they really can't do anything more. Since the buildings aren't listed as landmarks, and do not geographically fall in a historic district, there isn't even any hope of...

We figure the next couple of days might be among the safest for air travel, considering all the security regulations that went into effect yesterday after British authorities foiled a terror plot involving transatlantic jets. But they may also be your best chance to be on TV or in the paper if you're in the right place: Local media has descended on airports to check up on travelers and see how they're coping with life under the travel read alert.

Even though the support continues to grow for the preservation of the River Oaks Shopping Center and Theater, many questions remained unanswered, and Weingarten has continued to keep their reticence. Rumors and some evidence throw a mix of names into the equation: Hermes Architects for the northwestern curved section, Wallace Garcia Wilson Architects for the highrise, and Barnes and Noble for an anchor. While concerned patrons, shareholders, and members of the community continue to...

Kendrick’s mother, who is not a suspect in his disappearance, burst into tears.

Houston is the fifth fattest city, according to Men’s Fitness Magazine. But America’s largest beverage distributors are stepping up and ceasing almost all soda sales to public schools, so Houstonist hopes our city might drop in the fattest city rankings. (We realize that moving over to the fittest city side will take more than cutting out sodas.)

Ex-Galveston ISD Athletic Director Brent Jaco, who was demoted after he reported a UIL violation that caused Ball High's football team to be disqualified from the state playoffs, has asked for his job back. Jaco filed a grievance asking the Galveston school board to overturn the decision of Superindentent Lynn Hale, who recently announced her retirement.

Sidewalk solicitation is now serious business, based on an ordinance City Council passed Wednesday placing a number of restrictions on people who stand by the side of the road to take your money. The new law began with a discussion about barring minors from soliciting on city streets and ended with a new set of regulations for unlicensed solicitors aimed at reducing traffic tie-ups, drive-by panhandling and potentially dangerous situations.

City Council delayed a vote this week on a proposal to ban people under the age of 16 from soliciting donations for charity on Houston streets. Instead, councilmembers decided to make the discussion broader — now it's about cutting the number of homeless window-washing panhandlers.