Good morning, Houston. In case you didn't hear yesterday, we'll soon see the end of an era in air travel: Beginning Oct. 2, Southwest Airlines will assign passengers a place in line based on the order in which they check in. That means no more of the airline's (in)famous "cattle call" boarding process, which means there's no longer any point in arriving at the airport 16 hours early to get in the A group......

The Chronicle's Mike Snyder reports on the City Hall blog that the City Planning Commission yesterday approved the creation of a protected historic district for the Old Sixth Ward — a move unprecedented in Houston that would exclude historic homes in the near-downtown neighborhood from the city's 90-day demolition waiting period. (That measure means that, if they city denies the owner of a historic building a permit for demolition or inappropriate alteration, the owner may......

Some breaking news from KHOU: There's a lot of development going on in Montrose, and it's causing traffic problems! Well, gee — seriously? You mean that townhomes, large apartment blocks and midrise residential development aren't what the neighborhood was built to support? You learn something new every day. KHOU's report quotes City Councilwoman Sue Lovell, who worries that the flurry of development in and around Montrose could have an adverse effect: "I have never......

OK, so it's official now: If someone comes by and paints graffiti on your home or business, you have 10 days to get the place cleaned up or you could face a $500 fine from the city. It's part of a graffiti crackdown City Council approved yesterday to go after the people really responsible for the city's vandalism problem: those stupid property owners who put their buildings in the way of hoodlums with spray paint......

A proposal to tighten the city's midnight curfew for juveniles is a step closer to becoming law: Yesterday, the City Council's Public Safety Committee approved the proposed ordinance, meaning it will likely be up for a full council vote next month — with Mayor Bill White's support. The proposal would institute a 10 p.m. weekday and 11 p.m. weekend curfew for kids younger than 17; those 17 and older wouldn't be subject to the law.......

The Houston school district could have done more to prevent Gabriel Granillo's murder at Chew Park last week, City Councilwoman Sue Lovell said — which, as you'd expect, made HISD a little defensive. Remember that Ashley Paige Benton, the 16-year-old girl in custody for Granillo's murder, attends Lamar High School and some of the kids involved in the ambush at the park June 6 were reportedly wearing clothing with Lamar insignia? Lovell says parents have......

There's nothing quite like a good City Council rumble to close out the week, and we had one Wednesday courtesy of the national immigration debate — more specifically, a local plan to renew city funding to a day-labor site. The flap started after some councilmembers delayed a vote on the federally funded $100,000 contract that would allow Neighborhood Centers to continue running the site in the Second Ward where day laborers wait for jobs. The......