Thumbs up, down
It’s Election Day, Hugo Ortega wins Best Chef Southwest, and farewell to Dave Ward.
In the time it takes to read this column (but do read it first), you can jump into your ride, buzz on over to the polls and vote “For” on Houston ISD’s Proposition 1. It’s Election Day and there’s also a mayor’s race in Pasadena — we say go with Pat Van Houte. See HarrisVotes.com for the slates and polling information.
Treat yourself to watching the coolest video in a long time by Googling “Elon Musk and Instagram.” That’ll take you to something called the “landing burn” of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket as it returns to Earth following the deployment of a military satellite. The rocket free falls before using various engine burns to turn itself around before touching down on a pad with the grace of a ballerina. We’re only left wondering how much longer until this happens near Brownsville?
The 2017 version of the Astros is a blast to watch because of unlikely heroes like Marwin Gonzalez, the pride of Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela. Predicted by many to be a perennial bench warmer, Gonzalez is arguably the hottest hitter in the major leagues. He’s gone Joe DiMaggio in seven games through Thursday, batting an unheard of .500. The incendiary stretch included five home runs in four games where he started at four different positions. Not only can he play any position and bat anywhere in the lineup, at this point he could increase beer sales while driving the train that sits above left field.
Hugo Ortega, the visionary who redefined and refined Mexican cooking in Houston, was named Best Chef Southwest by the James Beard Foundation on Monday. “I am living the dream,” said the man behind Hugo’s, Caracol and Xochi restaurants. He isn’t kidding. Ortega’s journey to the top of his profession began in the trunk of a car driven by coyotes before a restaurant owner saw his potential. She married him. Both Ortega and his wife have thrived. The recognition affirms that success but also shows how misguided many in Washington and Austin are about those coming to America to seek a better future.
If Democrats want to know why they’re foundering like a Cleveland football team, they ought to look no farther this week than former president Barack Obama. He’s agreed to make a speech to Wall Street bankers for $400,000. Didn’t we just bail them out? Anyway, this comes not long after 44 and Michelle accepted book advances of $65 million. Which has us asking, what happened to being the party of the little guy? What happened to going to Washington, doing your job and going home? Where is Harry Truman when we need him?
Two judges — one former, one current — are making us again question why we elect those who are supposed to be the moral authority of our community. Kevin Fine and Hilary Green each made news for the wrong reasons this week. Fine, a former criminal district judge, was caught trying to trade his legal services for someone else’s illegal services. Green, a justice of the peace in Harris County, is facing removal for allegedly lying to a state commission, corruption, drug use and sexual misconduct worthy of a Larry Flynt publication. While we prefer appointments based on competency and ethics, we could live with a bill that’s alive in Austin calling for nonpartisan elections. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is said to favor this. His exceptionally competent son lost a bench in the Hillary Clinton sweep.
We borrow the signature sign-off of Channel 13 news anchor Dave Ward, “and finally tonight,” we turn two thumbs up to his career, which ended Tuesday at KTRK. At a time when most young journalists change jobs faster than they change underwear, Ward spent 50 years telling the stories of Houston in a basso profundo that evoked trust and authority. He started the job about the same time Barbara Jordan became the first African-American woman to serve in the Texas Senate, when three Apollo astronauts died in a horrific fire at Cape Kennedy, when gasoline was 30 cents a gallon and the Beatles were singing “Penny Lane.” Often criticized as a “just the facts, ma’am” guy, it was that broad experience that kept him — and us — calm and lent perspective while others relied on screaming headlines to build ratings. “Just because it flashes, makes noise and comes on at 10 p.m., doesn’t mean it’s news,” a colleague of Ward’s told us. He knew that, and it’s unlikely our town will ever share this march through history with an icon like Ward who, no matter what, brought comfort to the chaos.