02.27.08
Posted in News at 12:29 am by Paloma Cruz
Boom and bust may be a relic of city’s past
Experts consider oil-driven ups and downs unlikely to be repeated
– Houston Chronicle2
[snip]
“There is a whole lot more stability than there was in the 1980s,” said Hankamer, whose commercial real estate brokerage specializes in hotel properties. “There is lot more discipline by lenders and builders and equity investors. People are real careful not to build something that is not fully needed.”
The hotel industry learned a lesson, he said, as did the city’s entire business culture. To rely on oil was to play Russian roulette with three loaded chambers. Houston not only had to change its way of doing business, it had to change what business it did.
And so was born the Houston Economic Development Council, established to broaden the economic base.
How well it succeeded, as well as the Greater Houston Partnership which absorbed it along with the Chamber of Commerce, is a matter for historians to debate.
There is no doubt that some active efforts, such as the expansion of the port facilities and the Texas Medical Center, had an effect. But so did the ongoing waves of immigration, much of it unanticipated.
A consistently affordable cost of living also has helped Houston keep growing despite oil’s ups and downs.
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks
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Posted in News at 12:23 am by Paloma Cruz
Houston’s League of Women Voters looks to the future
Group works to update image, keep nonpartisan mission thriving
– Houston Chronicle2
The Houston Area League of Women Voters is distributing about 100,000 copies of its Voters Guide for the March 4 primaries, and perhaps the only relevant thing missing from the free publication is a sense of renewal for the nonpartisan group.
The Houston chapter says it is holding steady at about 500 members, making it the second-largest in the nation, behind Seattle. But the local organization is joining chapters across the nation in publicly expressing concern that baby boomers and younger generations will not uphold the league’s missions with the same sense of obligation and public service.
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks
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02.23.08
Posted in News at 12:21 am by Paloma Cruz
ABC Channel 13 reports on the top 10 most stolen vehicles in Houston for January:
- Ford Trucks - 151
- Chevrolet Trucks - 140
- Honda Cars - 119 (Civic - 69.96%) / (Accord - 29.79%)
- Dodge Trucks - 91
- Ford Cars - 65 (Taurus - 49.94%) / (Mustang - 14.28%)
- Dodge Cars - 57 (Intrepid - 48.04%) / (Stratus - 19.18%)
- Chevrolet Cars - 53 (Impala - 22.03%) / (Malibu - 20.33%)
- GMC - 40
- Toyota Cars - 40 (Corolla - 43.33%) / (Camry - 43.13%)
- Buick Cars - 24 (LeSabre - 50.00%) / (Park Ave - 19.46%)
Their source: the Houston Police Department.
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02.14.08
Posted in News at 10:32 am by Paloma Cruz
Houston-area flu cases up 31% over previous season
– Houston Chronicle2
Three Houston-area children have died in what health officials are calling a “moderately severe epidemic” of flu.
From October through January, emergency room workers had treated
32,965 people, according to the city Department of Health and Human
Services. That represents an increase of 31 percent, or nearly 8,000
patients, over the 2006-2007 flu season.
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks
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02.13.08
Posted in News at 11:16 pm by Paloma Cruz
H-E-B to sponsor children’s health care drive
– Houston Business Journal
H-E-B and the Children’s Defense Fund on Feb. 23 will begin an enrollment drive for parents to enroll their children in low-cost health care coverage.
[snip]
Parents can also call 1-877-KIDS-NOW or download an application at www.chipmedicaid.org.
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02.08.08
Posted in News at 10:36 am by Paloma Cruz
Getting on track for growth
As Houston’s population keeps rising, experts say city needs a strategy to stay competitive
– Houston Chronicle2
[snip]
By 2015, 1 million additional people are expected to settle in the
eight-county region. Three million more are expected by 2035. To cope,
the region needs rail links to airports, more housing downtown, and a
plan for its aging, ad-hoc sewage systems, the panelists said. Some
better marketing would help, too.
[snip]
Houston’s competitors globally are New York; Los Angeles; Chicago;
London; Paris; Sydney, Australia; and United Arab Emirates’ Abu Dhabi
and Dubai, according to panelist Robert Grow, a land-use attorney
lawyer for Salt Lake City.
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks
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02.07.08
Posted in News at 10:37 am by Paloma Cruz
Found at the Houston Business Journal:
Gregory Price has been named chairman of the Houston Technology Center’s advisory board for 2008.
Price, director of consulting solutions and information technology at Pannell Kerr Forster of Texas PC, will take up his post on Feb. 14.
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Posted in General at 10:32 am by Paloma Cruz
From Startup Houston:
The Rice Alliance has gone and outdone themselves again by nearly doubling the amount of funds that will be awarded at this year’s Business Plan Competition. They will be awarding over $600,000 dollars in funds for approximately 36 different graduate teams from around the world, which enables them to lay claim to hosting “the largest and richest intercollegiate MBA/graduate-level business plan competition in the world, with more prize money, more teams competing, and more judges than any other competition.” (Somebody please tell me they are videotaping this thing, because I think this would make a great reality show). Also, according to their web site, every team will receive some type of cash award so noone goes home empty handed.
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Posted in News at 10:29 am by Paloma Cruz
Kroger joins rivals on low-price generics
Grocer’s $4 prescriptions follow trend as competition intensifies
– Houston Chronicle2
Got prescriptions? Houston patients now have more than 100 new places to get generic medications for less money.
Kroger rolled out a program on Wednesday across the Southwest, including its 102 area stores with pharmacies, offering 30-day supplies of 300 generic medicines for $4. Generic versions of oral contraceptives Ortho Cyclen and Ortho Tri Cyclen, as well as one fertility drug, will cost $9.
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks
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01.24.08
Posted in News at 3:59 am by Paloma Cruz
Headlines to note:
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