Ups and downs
Big cheers for Kevin Brady, H-E-B and Ozzy Osbourne’s return to the Alamo.
Congressional committee chairmanships were better “investments” for hometowns before term limits and the demise of earmarks. But after a post-Tom Delay power void, Houston will be served well by the earnest Kevin Brady as king of Ways and Means. Here is how the Washington Post recently described the job: “The vastness of the committee’s jurisdiction makes it a focal point for the lobbying industry and a fundraising spigot for the chairman. … Lobby firms hire teams of experts who focus on Ways and Means and industries throw millions at lobbying the committee.”
It shall come as no surprise to anyone dealing with the weekend rains that meteorologists around here see strange stuff in the crystal ball. El Niño, they say, will bring an exceedingly cold, wet winter. Not to worry: ERCOT, the entity that manages Texas’ power grid says that thanks to more wind and solar power, we’ll have ample juice to power the heaters.
If only we had ample ability to deal with our sewage. Houston’s Public Works Department needs to get its, um, stuff together. Following Saturday’s rains, KHOU reported that 2 million gallons of sewage spilled into White Oak, Buffalo, Brays and Sims bayous. Thankfully, the TV journalist reminded viewers to not drink water from bayous. The Thumbs staff boils ours.
Gasoline prices in Houston are down 88 cents year-to-year. The best deal? A Chevron station in Tomball is pumping regular for $1.63 a gallon.
Avoid the intersection of Loop 610 and U.S. 59 while driving out there. It’s the second-most congested stretch of road in the state, says an updated list from Texas A&M. The Aggies would, of course, say Texas’ worst road (I-35) is in Austin. Harris County bagged (not bragged) five of the top 10 spots.
H-E-B has new owners, 55,000 of them. The privately held San Antonio grocer is granting stock to more than 55,000 employees on Jan. 1. “We believe a company full of owners can out-perform a company full of employees every day of the week,” said Scott McClelland, the Houston division president.
The first volley of national blowback from the vote to strike down HERO came from the New York Times’ editorial page. Here’s how its piece opened: “Sometime in the near future, a transgender teenager in Texas will attempt suicide — and maybe succeed — because vilifying people for their gender identity remains politically acceptable in America.” And here’s how it ended: Transgender people “should take comfort in knowing that history will not be kind to the haters who won on Tuesday. In time, the bigots are destined to lose.” It’s worth Googling to read the parts in-between.
While some local clergy pushed “no” votes on HERO, not all religious groups share their antipathy toward transgender folks. The body that represents synagogues in the Reform Jewish movement — Judaism’s largest U.S. branch — voted Thursday to pass a far-reaching resolution in support of transgender rights. The resolution calls for Reform Jewish synagogues and summer camps to have gender-neutral restrooms and encourages gender-neutral language.
This week marked 15 years of continuous habitation on the International Space Station. The national treasure, controlled by flight directors at the Johnson Space Center, has flown more than a billion miles and hosted more than 200 visitors from 15 countries.
An interesting office closer to home is the Heights Clock Tower Building, a finalist for a development award from the Urban Land Institute. The bonus for driving by the iconic structure at 22nd and Lawrence is a pastry and bread-buying binge at Kraftsmen Baking on the first floor.
What do Henry Cisneros, Julián Castro and Terry Grier have in common? All three are being floated by the Los Angeles Times as potential superintendents of L.A. Unified, the second-largest school system in the U.S.
And, finally today, the British shock-rock geezer, Ozzy Osbourne, once banned for life from the Alamo for urinating on the nearby Cenotaph in 1982, returned to the Texas shrine this week. He previously apologized but is mining this visit for all it’s worth. Please bring back Phil Collins.