Houston Skatepark Video!

Check out this cool video of the Lee & Joe Jamail Skatepark!

Houston Photo Series #6

For this edition of the Houston Photo Series. A shot of Downtown!

Port of Houston Transports 20 Million Tons of Cargo in 6 Months!

Since January of 2015 to June of 2015, The Port of Houston has transported 20 Million Tons of Cargo. Houston should be proud of our booming economy. The Port of Houston is already the largest in the country in terms of bringing in foreign tonnage. Loaded container units and steel imports are the key performance drivers responsible for the strong solid growth in cargo. Year to date through June, the Port Authority's Barbours Cut and Bayport Container Terminals showed a 20 percent increase in loaded container units. The general cargo terminals showed a robust 26 percent growth in import steel tonnage during this same period. I am very proud of Houston’s economy and if you are a Houstonian, you should be too!

Houston's Buffalo Bayou Park Named One of the Best in the Country!

Houston’s Buffalo Bayou Park has been named one of the top ten best trails in the United States of America by USA Today. I am very proud of Houston for this accomplishment. Buffalo Bayou is actually what The City of Houston was founded upon, spurring the very first development along the waterway.

In 1986, the Mayor assigned a task force to publish the first Buffalo Bayou Master Plan, which turned the Bayou into a park space with the possibility of urban waterfront development. In 2002, they published a second Buffalo Bayou Master Plan which was called the Buffalo Bayou and Beyond Master Plan. This new plan would cost $5.6 Billion and takes 20 years to implement. The project goals include the creation of hundreds of acres of greenways and new parks by reclaiming industrial space along the bayou waterway. It includes habitat restoration programs, recreational opportunities for canoeing and kayaking, trails for hiking and biking, outdoor cultural events, watershed and flood control management, and mixed-use urban development.

The trail we are speaking of in the USA Today article; is the Buffalo Bayou Promenade.The Buffalo Bayou Promenade,  extends from the historic Sabine Street bridge; (just west of the Central Business District) to Bagby Street in the heart of the Arts and Entertainment District. The Buffalo Bayou Promenade has become a popular location for live performances of music and video, for outdoor sculpture exhibits (The Buffalo Bayou Art Park), for canoeing and kayaking and for walking and jogging. The promenade has won local and national acclaim for the role it has played in helping to change how Houstonians think about their waterways in general and Buffalo Bayou in particular. I am glad that Houston is getting recognition for Buffalo Bayou Park as it is one of the best urban hiking trails in the country. The best part is, the full master plan of the project isn’t even done yet.

Houston Photo Series #5

For this edition of the Houston Photo Series, we have a picture of the Bayou Place Entertainment District Downtown

The Houstorian Dictionary

James Glassman has just released a new book filled with definitions of words used almost exclusively in Houston, named “The Houstorian Dictionary”.

I love James Glassman’s book and encourage you to read it. Glassman is the founder of Houstorian, an education and advocacy group "committed to telling the story of Houston, preserving its cultural and architectural history, and supporting the landmarks that make Houston fun and unique.” The concept for the book began as an idea for Twitter. Glassman planned a series in which every day he tweeted a new definition for a Houston only used word. He planned to have 365 words, one for each day, in which posting of each word would repeat itself every year. The concept eventually grew into a book.

I encourage you to read this new book; it’s one of my favorites out of the many books that have come from Houston.

Congratulations Craig Biggio!

Congratulations Craig Biggio for being inducted into the 2015 MLB Hall of Fame!

Houston Photo Series #4

For this edition of the Houston Photo Series, I give you a historical picture, of the historical, Houston Astrodome

My Thoughts on HERO.

HERO (The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance) has become one of the most contentious issues in Houston’s political history. In this blog, I will lay out my feelings on HERO.

As HERO currently stands, it is a good law. HERO is, in many ways, a ceremonial law. As it currently stands, the only thing in HERO that isn’t in the civil rights act of 1964; is the inclusion of ones sexuality in the list of reasons one cannot be discriminated against. The issue of contention in HERO; was repealed weeks after the law was first proposed, which is whether or not it would allow one to use the bathroom based on their gender identity. However, that is not a part of the current law.

There is no reason to be against HERO. It simply reaffirms the Civil Rights Act and includes homosexuals as an identity that you cannot discriminate against one for. Opponents of HERO are misinforming the public about what HERO actually is, as the only true points of contention were repealed from the law long ago.

Texas High Speed Rail

In March of 2014, the Mayors of Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth came together to unite in their support of the Texas Central Railway's plan to build a high speed rail connecting Houston and Dallas. I fully support the Texas Central Railway’s proposal. Ever since high speed rail was constructed in Japan, there have been many organizations that have wanted to bring High Speed Rail to America. Three things have held this back: money, ridership and how close together the cities are. Believe it or not, a connection between Houston and Dallas is the best chance America has to build a high speed rail. Not only are the numbers of commuters high but also, the cities are significantly distant from each other. Making the Houston to Dallas route the best chance in America to have high speed rail. Unfortunately, there is opposition to the Texas High Speed Rail in the Texas Legislature. Although taxpayers would not pay for it, the opposition stems from those who believe the construction of the High Speed Rail will cut through their property. Texas High Speed Rail will be privately funded and seizure of property also occurs during the construction of roads. There is absolutely no reason to be against this proposal.

Houston Surprisingly dealing with budget deficits

Houston has an excellent economy and city revenue is growing but what most Houstonians don’t realize is that even this success, isn’t balancing our budget.

Since 2011, the City of Houston has not been able to balance their budget; Annise Parker’s spending policies have managed to increase the deficit at the same time that we are increasing our revenue. In 2009, Mayor Bill White handed the city over to Annise Parker; she inherited a city with a balanced budget. By 2011, Houston was again running deficits. The main culprit in our budget crisis is city worker pensions; which costs a total of $3.3 Billion dollars. Houston is known for having a good economy and ranking high on a large amount of “best of” lists. However many residents don’t realize that the city is facing a deficit. For the cities credit, the budget deficit is a $6o Million dollar gap but there are no signs of us balancing our budget by the time that the new Mayor gets sworn in in January.

I hope Houston can balance its budget so we can continue to be the economic light to the world.