Results tagged “staterep”

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 more than $4,000 over the 2006 year-end average of $115,700. Oh, one other thing: People from more expensive markets are apparently discovering that things are cheaper here. "Areas in Texas, which we have long characterized as undervalued, are now attracting significant migration at the expense of much higher-cost metros of California or Florida," the report said. Oh, .

Good morning, Houston. Remember the plans for the Dynamo stadium on the east side of downtown? And remember Metro's plans for two new light rail lines heading out from the east side of downtown? Turns out there's a question about whether the stadium will be in the way of the rail lines — and it's not clear yet whether the proposed stadium will have an effect on the rail alignments. "We are evaluating a number of options. Any proposed solutions will be part of the ongoing process with the FTA. We do not expect this to affect the timetable for construction," Metro spokeswoman Sandra Salazar told the Chronicle. Metro maps — which Salazar said are being revised — show the East End and Southeast rail lines routed along Capitol Avenue, which runs through a site the Chronicle reported that the city and Dynamo are looking to buy for the stadium.

Good morning, Houston. Who said Barbie never did anything for anybody? She's helped make 4-year-old Phoebe Swann famous, at least for a little while: Swann recently caught a 50-pound Black Drum with a Barbie fishing rod. It happened during a family trip to Rockport; Swann was using the Barbie rod with a red plastic worm as bait when she reeled in the big fish. In case you're wondering, Swann and her dad threw the fish back — and there's no word on whether she's willing to sell the lucky pole.

Houston State Rep. Borris Miles of District 146, used a pistol to shoot one of two men whom he says were trying to steal materials from the house he is building. The man was wounded in the leg, but it was not life-threatening. The incident took place yesterday evening at the construction site for his new home at 3742 MacGregor Way. Rep. Miles was reportedly repairing a leak at the new home when he heard...

Good morning, Houston. So, did you hear about the calf that ran loose along the Gulf Freeway feeder road near Clear Lake City Boulevard yesterday? As if there aren't enough things causing traffic on our freeways, you know? The calf apparently got loose through a hole in a fence, and it wandered along the feeder for nearly an hour and a half, eluding its would-be captors until it slipped back through the hole where...

So Gov. Rick Perry has appointed five regents to the Texas Southern University board. That leaves four seats open, and though there has been a surge in the number of applicants in the last year, finding people to fill those empty spots won't be easy, as the Chronicle notes today. State records show that fewer than 50 people applied for spots on the TSU board over the past six years, while twice as many applied...

Good morning, Houston. It's Thursday — the last day of May — which means there's just a few more hours to enter the Houstonist photo exhibition. We're accepting entries until 11:59 p.m. tomorrow, so be sure to send your photos before then. As always, the details and entry form are at 600sqmi.com. Good luck! >> Aw, hail: We knew there was a chance of rain yesterday, but we didn't expect a long bout of...

If you didn't get a chance to vote in Saturday's election, don't worry. You'll get another one on June 16 - that's when Roy Morales and Melissa Noriega will go head-to-head in a runoff. That's also Mayor White's birthday, so let's make him proud, although he was coy about who he voted for himself. The special election was held on Saturday to fill the vacant at-large seat formerly held by Shelley Sekula-Gibbs. The S. S....

Good morning, Houston. We're sure you've heard about the tornadoes that devastated the border city of Eagle Pass on Tuesday night, destroying buildings and killing at least 10 people. And now there's information on ways to help the people of Eagle Pass: State Rep. Pete Gallego (D-Alpine) has set up a page on his website with a list of places you can send donations, including banks and the San Antonio chapter of the Red...

Houston politicians really are men and women of the people. Tonight, State Rep. Ellen Cohen will host a town hall meeting at Rice University to hear from her constituents about education in Texas. There will be two presentations, one by former Lt.-Gov. Bill Ratliff, of Raise Your Hand Texas, and a second by students from Lamar and Bellaire High Schools discussing tuition deregulation. After this, there will of course be time for comments and questions...

Two things seem clear from last night's town hall meeting on problems at Texas Southern University: one, that TSU has problems that need fixing, and two, that supporters feel putting the school under a state university system would be a big mistake. Hundreds of people attended the meeting held by the Texas Southern University Advisory Committee, the group Gov. Rick Perry appointed to find a way to clean up far-reaching financial problems at the historically...

Good morning, Houston. We hope you're recovering from your President's Day festivities — if you need something to take the edge off, we suggest one of President William Howard Taft's favorites, the Bronx Cocktail (and in case you wondered, there is precedent for drinking them at this hour — just don't indulge too much or you could end up more like Taft than you'd want to be). Cocktail or no, we all know nothing...

Good morning, Houston! So how about this weather, huh? It kinda puts us in the mood for some news — but honestly, most anything does. We're strange like that. So let's get right to it ... >> Modesty writ large: State Rep. Charlie Howard of Sugar Land has filed a bill in Austin seeking to keep explicit content off billboards, a move he said is meant to protect kids from seeing dirty stuff —...

Good morning, Houston. Let's be frank with each other, shall we: Haven't you ever thought of yourself as a superhero? Yeah, we thought so. You'll be happy to know that it's your lucky day — or weekend, whatever — because the Sci Fi channel's Who Wants to Be a Superhero? is casting. Candidates have to have their identities set, show up in costume and explain "the true nature of their superhuman abilities and invoking the...

Interim Texas Southern University president J. Timothy Boddie Jr. was in Austin yesterday asking lawmakers for emergency support to keep the university running — and it looks like that could take quite a bit of money, according to KTRK. "We've got some serious challenges at TSU," said [State Rep. Borris] Miles. "They're facing an immediate need of 26, 27 million dollars. They're coming up to address those issues with legislators who know the governor and...

Set Tasers to stun, Officer! The move by Houston Police Cheif Harold Hurtt to avoid a moratorium on the use of these stunning weapons is really none to shocking. Even in light of recent, and highly controversial events at Walter's on Washington. Mayor Bill White has asked for a statistical analyis of how officers use Taser stun guns along with a "cease fire", if you will, until the results are in. On the heels of...

Photograph of Rick Santorum conceding defeat with his family by Gene J. Puskar/AP The -ists this week had politics on the brain. And what goes better with politics? Partying-- that's two great tastes in one. Oh, and Kevin Federline...can't forget about Kevin Federline. That's three great tastes in one. -Bostonist discussed two big state issues-- what sort of math constitutes a marriage and what kind of alcohol can be sold in most grocery stores....

So you'd think being dead would put a slight kink into the campaign of a candidate for state representative, right? Think again: Glenda Dawson's campaign seems to be going full steam ahead — though Dawson died Sept. 12. Dawson, a Republican, was running against Democrat Anthony DiNovo for a third term in the Texas House when she died. But it seems her campaign didn't slow down a whole lot; a new flier mailed to voters...

Houstonist loves breaking news, but sometimes news on blogs exists in an echo chamber. Earlier we reported that a poll commissioned by KBH showed Bell within 5 points, which is what was reported on other blogs and confirmed by someone who said they were sure of the same thing and was in a position to know. Well, here's the real scoop from Kuff, who heard the same thing: Burka had heard the poll in question...

The day after Priscilla Slade was taken off the school's payroll, the former TSU president got a standing ovation when she was honored at a Juneteenth celebration Sunday night. State Rep. Al Edwards, who organized the event, explained that Slade was being honored for the good things she did at the helm of TSU: "When she took over, that university couldn't do a thing," he said, adding, "When a person is having problems, that's when...

The Texas Southern University regents will hold an emergency meeting this afternoon to decide the fate of TSU President Priscilla Slade, who's under fire for hundreds of thousands of dollars in unauthorized expenditures she made while in office. The meeting was originally set for May 5, but regents decided to move it up — perhaps as a reaction to the bizarre, carefully orchestrated "media campaign" Slade began last week. It's been interesting — not unexpected,...

Have you noticed fewer home meth lab explosions in your neighborhood lately? There's a reason for that: A state law requiring cold and allergy pills to be sold behind pharmacy counters has cut home meth making by more than half, officials estimate. But have you noticed your friends strung out on better speed? The law may be responsible for that, too. In various parts of the state, police report dramatic drops in the number of...

It looks like the Texas' stepped-up enforcement of the no-drunks-in-bars rule is starting to hit the state where it really hurts: in the pocketbook. Phillip Jones, president and CEO of the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau, said he's gotten calls from hundreds of people concerned about the crackdown. Two groups — one with almost 25,000 people and another of several thousand — have said they're not considering Dallas as a convention site because of the...

Houstonist always loves some hot politico-on-politco action. Talmadge Heflin, known for a weird custody battle involving an immigrant ex-maid, was the powerful Republican chair of the house appropriations committee until upset by Democratic challenger, and current State Rep., Hubert Vo in 2004. Word on the street is that Talmadge will make another run to regain his vanquished throne, and drive Vo from the castle… er… Austin. This from Quorum Report: "I still have work to...