The Guidry News
© 1996, Guidry News
Service
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The Guidry News
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© 1996, Guidry News
Service
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Houston-Galveston Area Council Galveston Island Fourth of July Houston-Galveston Area Council Galveston Island Fourth of July Houston-Galveston Area Council Galveston Island Fourth of July Houston-Galveston Area Council Galveston Island Fourth of July Houston-Galveston Area Council Galveston Island Fourth of July Houston-Galveston Area Council Galveston Island Fourth of July Houston-Galveston Area Council Galveston Island Fourth of July Houston-Galveston Area Council Galveston Island Fourth of July Houston-Galveston Area Council Galveston Island Fourth of July Houston-Galveston Area Council Galveston Island Fourth of July Houston-Galveston Area Council Galveston Island Fourth of July
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The Texas Senate today voted 27-4 to approve House Bill 2. The legislation, if signed by Governor Rick Perry, would lower school property tax rates for maintenance and operations from a maximum of $1.50 per $100 of assessed value to $1.10 over two years, give teachers a $2,500 pay raise over the next two years and create a teacher incentive program. “I applaud Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and the Texas Senate for demonstrating a strong commitment to education reform by passing legislation that will improve teacher pay, put more money in the classroom, and bring greater accountability and reform to Texas schools," said Governor Rick Perry. "I look forward to working with the House and Senate conferees so they can send me an education reform bill that will give schoolchildren and teachers the resources they deserve and need.” On Wednesday, the governor appointed nine individuals to the Governor’s Criminal Justice Advisory Council, which Perry created by executive order. Release and Names Perry said that the bipartisan panel, with representation from all geographic sectors in Texas, will advise him on how the state can improve its criminal justice system. “I created this council and appointed these members – who represent some of the finest minds in Texas on criminal justice matters – to help ensure that justice is dispensed more fairly for the guilty, the innocent and the victims of crime,” Perry said. “The work this council produces will give Texans greater confidence in a justice system designed to protect us all.” Perry said he has great confidence in our criminal justice system but “no system is perfect, and we must not be afraid of asking the questions that will lead to creating a more perfect system of justice for all the people of Texas.” Houston-Galveston Area Council The Houston-Galveston Area Council hosted a workshop for newly-elected municipal officials in the 13 county region today at the Westchase Hilton and Towers in Houston. The group included mayors, city council members and staff from 25 cities. Bennett Sandlin, general counsel for the Texas Municipal League reviewed legal issues such as the Texas Open Meetings Act and the Texas Public Information Act. Friendswood Mayor Kimball Brizendine and City Manager Ron Cox discussed teamwork between the city council and city staff. "The power of council is as a group," said Brizendine. "We believe that proactive, responsive, effective leadership is essential," Cox added. Guidry News Service Publisher Jim Guidry discussed media relations with the newly elected public officials. Chris Breaux with Null-Lairson, P.C., discussed financial management with the city officials. Photos and audio excerpts from the meeting will be posted on The Online News Station. Houston City Council on Wednesday agreed to postpone funding for a cable television public access channel until a city council committee reviews complaints by Council Member Addie Wiseman about a program that included "a profanity-laced comedy routine" that she saw at 3 a.m. "It's not violating anyone's rights to say, 'We have standards of decency, and they've got to be adhered to,'" Wiseman said. Some members agreed that the content is not appropriate, but others were concerned about First Amendment issues. Pasadena Mayor John Manlove and eight reelected or newly elected members of the city council will be administered oaths of office by Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Sylvia Garcia tonight at the Pasadena Convention Center. Manlove said that he will target an aggressive agenda for the next four years in his speech tonight, listing priorities as a move to limit smoking in public places; installation of cameras at key intersections for red-light enforcement; revisiting the city charter, which was last updated in 1992 and dictates key items including Pasadena's form of government; and economic development initiatives including new cruise ship terminals for Pasadena and initiation of the first Green Coffee Association Symposium, targeted to establishment of "green" coffee storage and shipping through the Port of Houston. Manlove notes that Pasadena is one of only a few Texas cities operating under a strong-mayor form of government, while most cities use a council-manager format. The ceremony will be televised on cable television Channel 16 and also on the city's website at www.ci.pasadena.tx.us. United States Senator John Cornyn introduced legislation today to create a voluntary country-of-origin labeling program for beef, pork and lamb, saying the bill will provide producers the most effective and efficient means to promote their products. The bill is co-sponsored by Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and 13 other Senators. The Meat Promotion Act of 2005, S. 1333, directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture to implement a voluntary labeling program similar to existing breed and state programs such as “Angus Pride” and “Ohio Signature Beef.” It would replace a mandatory program scheduled to take effect next year that could cost the industry up to $4 billion. “The debate over country-of-origin labeling is not about whether or not promoting U.S. products is a good idea—we’re simply debating about how to do it,” Cornyn said after introducing the bill. “I stand with our livestock producers who support a voluntary method to market and promote their products as born, raised, and processed here in the United States. I believe this legislation provides the most effective and efficient opportunity to achieve that goal, while helping the economy of rural America.” Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson announced this afternoon that the first ever sealed bid sale of fishing cabins on state lands brought in more than $112,000. “We’re very pleased with the results of this little test,” Patterson said. “This is state land that previously didn’t earn any money. We’re changing how we do business here at the Land Office, and this is just one small example of how we’re working to put more money in the schoolchildren’s fund.” All money from the bid sale will go into the state’s $21 billion Permanent School Fund, which helps fund some of the state’s share of public education costs. A total of 12 bidders submitted bids for the five sites offered. The winning bidders will now be allowed to build fishing cabins on spoil islands created by dredging in the Upper Laguna Madre in Kleberg County. Four of the sites are near Bird Island and one is near Baffin Bay. Bidding started at $10,000 for the right to obtain a permit for a site and build a cabin up to 1,000 square feet in area. With more than $112,000 earned for the school fund, that puts the average bid price at about $22,500. The permits will be issued for five years, and can be renewed in five-year increments if all conditions of the contract have been observed. Anything built on the sites will belong to the state of Texas. This is the first time the Texas General Land Office has offered cabin permits on a sealed bid basis. The permits, hugely popular with coastal fishermen, were initially awarded to those who were occupying cabins on state lands in 1973, when the School Land Board and Texas General Land Office were granted regulatory authority over the structures on state lands. Since then, the permits have been handed down to the original permit holders’ heirs, or transferred to other interested parties with School Land Board approval. For additional information email cabins@glo.state.tx.us, visit www.glo.state.tx.us/ast_inspection/summary.html#anchor2274 or call (361)-825-3038. Galveston Island Fourth of July Galveston's 4th of July Parade will be held on Monday, July 4, at
10 a.m. The
parade will proceed from 25th Street and The Strand to 21st
Street, then
south on 21st to Postoffice Avenue, then west on Postoffice to 24th,
then south on 24th to Sealy. The theme of this year's parade is "Salute to Veterans," with a special emphasis on veterans of World War II. Galveston County Veterans Service Officer Bob Dambach will be parade marshal. "A celebration of our nation's independence will follow immediately after the parade, at the Sealy Pavilion, across from the Rosenberg Library," said Bill Love, an organizer of the parade. " Entertainment and free hot dogs and lemonade will be provided, and flags will be handed out to children." The annual Fourth of July Fireworks Display will be held at 9:15 on July 4, on the Galveston Seawall at the 37th Street rock groin. "Fireworks over the water are spectacular," said Dianna Puccetti, chair of the Galveston Island Park Board, which co-sponsors the annual show with the City of Galveston. "The way they reflect off the waves on the Gulf of Mexico is just fantastic. You owe yourself a trip to Galveston just for the fireworks, but there are plenty of other activities in store for the weekend, too." To accommodate pedestrian traffic on the Seawall, the city will halt parking on Seawall Boulevard at 5 p.m. and begin rerouting cars off the boulevard at approximately 6 to 7 p.m. In case of rain, the fireworks display will take place the next evening, Tuesday, July 5, at 9:15. The board of directors of The New Kid Care has chosen Tina Laningham as executive director. "Laningham will work to alleviate the problem of hunger among Houston’s most impoverished children and to expand the reach of this 20-year-old Houston charity," said a news release. “More than three years ago, when I awoke to the need of Houston’s hungry children, I began to help in the important work of Kid Care," said Gil Baker, chair of the board of The New Kid Care. "Today, with the hiring of Ms. Laningham, and the addition of her expertise in feeding needy children, the board of directors feels renewed confidence in our ability to continue to reach out and feed Houston’s hungry young citizens.” “The children of Houston have been given the awesome responsibility of shaping our city’s future," said Houston Mayor Bill White. "We can’t ask them to face that responsibility hungry. The New Kid Care is doing important work by helping to fuel the learning that must take place to develop that next great leader, teacher, astronaut and healthy Houstonian." "The core mission of feeding Houston’s hungry children will continue to drive the organization in the future," Laningham said. "If one child goes one day without food, it’s a crime against compassion. As a healthy, abundant city, we are all responsible for ensuring every child has at least one nutritious meal every day. The New Kid Care provides the resources and logistics so that Houston’s hungry children get that healthy meal every day, five days per week.” Baker noted that Laningham "has had a distinguished career in the not-for-profit sector", recently serving as communications manager for the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership. Previously, she had an eight-year tenure as executive director of Sunshine Supportive Employment in Galveston. Prior to that, she worked as agency relations manager at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. Laningham also has served as a reporter and editor for Guidry News Service. The New Kid Care operates from a facility at 205 West Crosstimbers, in north Houston. The organization delivers meals to more than 900 children in need of food, five days per week. Scheduled
Meetings Today, June 30 Friday, July 1 Gulf
Coast E-news,
published by Guidry News Service, provides comprehensive
coverage of posted public meetings in Galveston, Harris and
Jefferson Counties as well as regional news impacting the
Upper Texas Gulf Coast. Jim and Lynda Guidry are publishers of Gulf Coast E-news and The Online News Station. Carl Guidry covers events in Jefferson County. Anita Donatto covers the education beat in Galveston. Patty Mayeux is editor of Gulf Coast E-news. Robert John Mihovil is a special photographic correspondent for Guidry News Service We
are seeking to hire reporters & marketing agents to
expand our coverage in Jefferson & Harris Counties. |
College
News Public
School News Real Time Houston Traffic Maps & Cameras Story
Links,
on the left side of the Gulf Coast E-news page, is
made up of "bookmarks" to the
stories in the newsletter. Click on the link
to go directly to the article. Print
individual articles: Click the "Print
Version" link below each story, then use your
regular print program. On The Online News Station, if you click on an audio link and the photos stop loading, click on Refresh or Reload and they will resume. |
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