02.19.06
Posted in News at 11:31 am by Paloma Cruz
A few listings, from the Houston Chronicle:
Tuesday
After Hours Network — Meeting. 6-8 p.m., Doubletree Guest Suites Hotel, 5353 Westheimer. Speaker: Moritza Day. Topic: Top job-hunting secrets. Cost: $10. Information: Jon King, 713-981-9595 or www.afterhoursnetwork.com.
Houston Area Apple Users Group — Meeting. 7-9 p.m., Montgomery College, 3200 College Park Drive, Conroe. Topic: The Woodlands-area Mac SIG. Cost: Free. Information: www.haaug.org or 713-559-6912.
Thursday
Greater Houston Partnership — Luncheon. Noon-1:30 p.m., Hilton Americas-Houston, 1600 Lamar. Speaker: Harris County Judge Robert Eckels. Topic: State of the county. Cost: $50-$100. Information: Jill Reese, 713-844-3682 or www.houston.org.
Houston Downtown Alliance — Luncheon. 11:30 a.m., Houston Club, 811 Rusk St. Speaker: Kinky Friedman. Topic: 2006 Emerging Leaders Vision luncheon. Cost: $35-$45. Information: 713-658-8938 or www.downtownhouston.org. Lucrezi, 713-973-9936.
Saturday
American Association of University Women — Conference. 8 a.m.-3:15 p.m., The Rice School, La Escuela Rice, 7550 Seuss Drive. Speaker: Beverly Begay, Harris County medical examiner’s office. Topic: Expanding your horizons in science and mathematics. Cost: $6. Information: www.aauw-whc.org.
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Posted in News at 1:08 am by Paloma Cruz
White House to help protect GOP-drawn Texas map
– reported by the Houston Chronicle
The Supreme Court today granted the Bush administration’s request to join Texas in defending a Republican-friendly congressional map engineered by Rep. Tom DeLay.
The administration will share time with Texas lawyers on March 1, when the court holds a special afternoon session to consider four appeals that stem from the bitter dispute over Texas congressional district boundaries.
Justices are considering whether the Republican-controlled Legislature acted purely for partisan gain in 2003 when it threw out district boundaries that had been used in the 2002 elections, and whether the new map violated a federal voting rights law.
The Justice Department approved the plan although staff lawyers concluded that it diluted minority voting rights. The Bush administration asked the high court last week for permission to participate in the case, supporting Texas.
The redistricting helped Republicans win 21 of Texas’ 32 seats in Congress in the last election, up from 15.
[snip]
On the Net:
Supreme Court: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/
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Posted in News at 12:24 am by Paloma Cruz
Houston will soon have a citywide WiFi network. Dwight Silverman talks about it in his blog.
City posts RFP for municipal WiFi network
The City of Houston today made public its formal Request for Proposals for a planned citywide WiFi network.
You can download the RFP in either Word or PDF format. You can also post a comment about the document.
Under this RFP, the network would be financed privately, similar to the way Philadelphia is working with Earthlink, or what Google is doing in San Francisco. The city would provide the mounting structures for WiFi radios, such as light poles.
Nice to know that Houston is finally catching up to the rest of the country.
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02.17.06
Posted in News at 1:45 pm by Paloma Cruz
HPD may add video cameras to its ranks
Officer shortage leads city to look at surveillance of streets, malls — even some homes
– reported by the Houston Chronicle
Facing a shortage of police officers, Police Chief Harold Hurtt called Wednesday for a new type of patrol: surveillance cameras on downtown streets, apartment complexes and shopping malls — and in extreme situations, private homes.
[snip]
The downtown-camera project already has a group to fund it: the Houston Downtown Management District. Once the cameras are installed, the project would be carried out by HPD. Officers would monitor video feeds from a new storefront office planned for downtown.
[snip]
The program would cost tens of thousands of dollars, Eury said, declining to estimate more precisely since the project will be put out for bids.
The emphasis on new police and surveillance is part of the city’s response to a recent spike in violent crime.
It was up 2.3 percent through November 2005, compared with the same period in 2004, though the overall crime rate was down 2.2 percent.
[snip]
Technology isn’t the only tool HPD is using to fight crime. The understaffed department hopes to entice experienced officers nationwide to work in Houston by offering a $7,000 bonus and increased pay under a program approved Wednesday by City Council. By hiring 700 new officers every year for the next three years, Houston would have 2.8 officers for every 1,000 people, the national average, instead of the current 2.2 per 1,000 people, Hurtt said.
Under the incentive program, HPD officers who have less than five years’ experience will also get a pay raise.
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02.16.06
Posted in News at 11:43 pm by Paloma Cruz
Local retail development booming, expert says
– reported by the Houston Business Journal
A veteran retail developer predicts that roughly 3.6 million square feet of new retail space will open this year in Houston.
Ed Wulfe of Wulfe & Co. says that’s a 14.2 percent increase over the amount of new retail built in 2005 (3.17 million square feet) and 2004 (3.18 million square feet).
[snip]
Only 16 percent of the new square footage that will come online this year will be built before tenants are secured — a percentage that Wulfe calls conservative and prudent.
[snip]
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Posted in News at 7:22 am by Paloma Cruz
… or they should. Here’s an event to help make that a reality:
Saturday
GEMS event: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Girls Enjoying Math and Science will be at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle, to learn more about mathematics and science and how these disciplines can be applied to future careers. Tickets are $9. Visit www.hmns.org or call 713-639-4629.
Found at the Houston Chronicle’s ON THE CALENDAR.
By the way, Saturday means day after tomorrow, February 18th, 2006.
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Posted in News at 7:17 am by Paloma Cruz
Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen owner to open cooking school
– reported by the Houston Business Journal
Sylvia Casares Copeland, chef and owner of Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen, is debuting her own cooking school on March 4.
[snip]
Copeland plans to offer classes every other Saturday in the party room at her restaurant, located at 12637 Westheimer.
During the recent Christmas season, Copeland offered hands-on tamale making classes and was surprised at the turnout.
She says nearly 200 people came to the classes. Copeland initially planned to offer only two classes, but that number was stretched to five based on demand.
[snip]
Prices for the cooking lessons range from $50 to $60, including a meal.
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02.15.06
Posted in News at 6:55 am by Paloma Cruz
And so it continues, the Houston soccer team will receive a new name. I hope this kind of indecision isn’t something we can look forward to in all things soccer.
Houston’s new soccer team to change their name
– reported by KTRK ABC Channel 13
They’re less than two months from taking the field, but the team known as Houston 1836 may soon change its name. The 1836 is the team which used to be the San Jose Earthquakes, but the new name is causing a little controversy here in Houston.
What’s in a name? Apparently a lot since Major League Soccer announced that the San Jose Earthquakes were coming to Houston and would be called Houston 1836.
[snip]
To some, 1836 might mean Texas independence. To others, it was the defeat of the Mexican army at San Jacinto and thus loss of some Mexican territory. Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia says 1836 might be sensitive to members of the Hispanic community and more.
[snip]
Commissioner Garcia’s office told Eyewitness News that she had spoken to the owner of the soccer team in California and that the name will be changed. The names being considered are the Lonestars, the Generals, the Apollos, the Mustangs and the Toros.
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02.12.06
Posted in News at 12:34 pm by Paloma Cruz
Ben Taub trauma center to take on new name
– reported by the Houston Business Journal
Harris County Hospital District officials have voted to name the trauma center at Ben Taub Hospital after a prominent local lawyer and his wife.
The center will be named the Ginni and Richard Mithoff Trauma Center after the Houston couple, who were awarded the first Ben Taub Humanitarian Award by the Harris County Hospital District Foundation in 2000.
[snip]
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Posted in News at 2:28 am by Paloma Cruz
A Houston landmark, Cactus Music, will be closing soon.
On a blue note
Cactus’ closing is another thorn for fans of independent music stores
– reported by the Houston Chronicle
Cactus Music & Video, one of the few remaining large independent music retailers in the country, will switch off its neon lights for good March 31.
The store, on the corner of West Alabama and South Shepherd, wasn’t specifically done in by a nationwide music industry slump or rent increases or the usual stimuli for a business shuttering. After more than 40 years of selling music, owners Bud and Don Daily, both in their 70s, decided to retire.
[snip]
The Dailys opened Cactus Records in 1975. The store had several retail outlets that endured ups and downs in the ’80s before all resources were consolidated into the 9,000-square-foot space at West Alabama and South Shepherd.
[snip]
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