Results tagged “rodneyellis”

In January, a small item ran in National Geographic called "The Bicycle Bump," which noted that Houston had an increase of 235% in the number of bike racks installed on city buses. (Houston went from 1,510 to a whopping 5,059 bikes.) more ›

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... more ›

It's been a busy weekend for Texas Southern University, where the regents are reportedly meeting this morning to fire interim President James Timothy Boddie, whom they had picked to lead the troubled school last fall. According to KTRK, the new president will be Morris Overstreet, a law professor who earned his law degree from TSU in 1975 and was elected to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 1990. There aren't any more details on... more ›

Another development in the story of Texas Southern University's ongoing problems: On Friday, Gov. Rick Perry asked all the university's regents to resign and called for the appointment of a state-appointed conservator who would have the sole power to run the school. It's a drastic step — especially in light of the fact that a commission Perry appointed to find a way for TSU to get back on its feet decided a conservator wasn't necessary... more ›

Good morning, Houston! Looks like we're far from the only people enjoying the bliss that is freedom from telemarketers: According to the AP, almost 25 million phone numbers were added to the federal do not call list in fiscal 2006, bringing the total ... uh ... number of numbers on the list to 132 million. And amazingly enough, it's working: The percentage of complaints last year was small, and the FTC has taken enforcement... more ›

The governor's TSU advisory committee issued its recommendations for turning the troubled university around yesterday, and as expected, the report neither called for a state-appointed financial conservator or for putting TSU under a state university system, but it did recommend changes in the school's board of regents and that TSU be subject to regular financial investigation. more ›

More news from TSU: The AP is reporting that the 11-member panel charged with finding a way to fix the university's finances won't recommend putting a state-appointed conservator in place to manage the university's finances, but will recommend that some members of the Board of Regents resign immediately. The information comes from a draft report the panel prepared; its final report was due Thursday, but the panel asked for and received a 10-day extension. more ›

Hey smokers: If you're thinking you'll live with Houston's pending smoking ban by leaving the city limits to light up, think again: If state has his way with legislation he'll announce today, the entire state of Texas will one day be smoke-free. How do you like them apples? "A broad array of cities in Texas have stepped up and shown leadership on this issue," said Ellis, D-Houston. "In my judgment you have to make this... more ›

We noted yesterday that interim TSU President J. Timothy Boddie Jr. had been in Austin making the case for $25 million in emergency money from the Legislature. But the story that came out later in the day was far more interesting: Gov. Rick Perry has given TSU's regents about a month to come up with a solid financial plan — or quit. more ›

So now that Houston has passed its smoking ban, a lot of bar owners in the city are concerned that they'll lose customers to bars just outside Houston, where smoking is permitted. But they may not need to worry: If state Sen. Rodney Ellis has his way, the entire state of Texas will one day be a no-smoking zone ... so we won't die. “I mean look, there are a lot of things that will... more ›