Houston Blogs: InFocus

Dancing With the Presidential Stars

There is a lot of news coming from both sides of the border in advance of Obama's visit here:

- The US named 3 cartels drug kingpins - easing the way to take their money.
- The US named a new border czar.
- The US is pledging more cooperation and calls President Calderon - heroic & courageous.

- Mexico says violence is down on the border 26% in 2009.
- Mexico uncovered a huge and dangerous weapons cache two days before the visit.
- The Mayor of Ciudad Juarez agrees to have a newly trained police force up and running by year's end.
- Mexico's President Felipe Calderon & his US Ambassador diplomatically but firmly push the US to reinstate the assault weapons ban.

They're all attention grabbing. They all seem to go in the right direction towards slowing the violence, but what's left to do today?

A large and very international press contingent has converged on Mexico City for this meeting. There are hundreds - if not more - US government employees here to make sure it goes well. In the end the two Presidents will be together for about 90 minutes.

And while this meeting is light on time - it is heavy on symbolism. In choosing to hold this meeting in Mexico City, the Obama White House says it is sending a clear signal of respect and admiration for what Felipe Calderon is doing. President Bush visited Mexico - most recently then-President Vicente Fox's ranch. He never came to Mexico City.

The events are highly choreographed today. In order to avoid making nightmarish traffic here in Mexico City even worse and avoid what is clearly a security challenge - Obama is flying from the airport to a military base nearby and then taking a short drive to Los Pinos, the Mexican White House.

There will be a brief welcoming ceremony and troop review and then a 90 minute meeting between the two Presidents. Afterwards a press conference with the two men is expected to have 4 total questions - two from Mexican media - 2 from US reporters - all of them pre-selected. Not exactly expansive, but again don't let the brief time get in the way of the symbolism here.

The US is clearly accepting a role in solving this crisis. Every article on the meeting this morning talks about shared responsibility. It plays well here in Mexico - we'll see what happens at home.

Eating the Dusty Plastic Sundae

Every once in a while you pop into a restaurant and there’s a tray of desserts - ice cream sundaes, rich chocolate cakes, flan – your favorites sitting right there waiting for you.  But then as you sit and wait, those deserts sit and wait and the ice cream never melts.  They’re plastic – and in a lot of cases, not dusted very often.  They look great from a far, but are far from good close up.  I thought about that while in Mexico covering Spring Break this week.

It is a legitimate story and there are legitimate travel concerns for Spring Breakers this year.  But more than anything else what I hear from colleagues, my family and even a Spring Breaker or two is how lucky I am to be there.  I am.  The weather is certainly nicer in Cancun than it was in Houston this week and being at the beach is always better than being at the office.  But it’s not a real dessert – it’s the dusty sundae.

If you ever want to feel old –I’m 36 – go to Spring Break as an adult.  No matter how much I thought I could fit in, I think every college student figured I was an inch away from coating my nose with zinc oxide and hiking up the black knee socks.  There were many students gracious enough to stop the party long enough to tell me how they were dealing with the travel warnings in Mexico and nervous parents back home.  One guy even stopped me to tell me how much he wanted to be in TV – asked about an internship and just as I was about to feel valuable – he asked me if he could carry some of our gear in exchange for help getting past the nightclub’s doorman.  I couldn’t help feeling a lot out of place. The next day a young woman was nice enough to ask if I was a pediatrician – don’t know why.  She just knew I was way too old for to be here for fun.

I am not complaining.  This is a great assignment and I hope the pieces we are sending back help put the Mexican travel warnings in some perspective. (You can see them here.)

But, as the father of 3 little girls, I never want to go back to Spring Break.  I will happily send my daughters for their moment in the debaucherous sun – but the thought of one of them or their friends swilling cheap vodka from a bottle on the beach and spitting it into the mouth of a random young man (I saw someone's else sweet daughter do that on the beach in Cancun) is a little more than a daddy can bear.

No thanks. That really is the dusty sundae.  When my kids are old enough - I’ll stay home and have a real sundae with my wife. 

Stimulus Money: What’s It For and When Will Texas Get It?

I started wondering when the stimulus would move from plans to action … and when we asked questions it seems the money won’t come for a while.  Yes the unemployed will get $25 more a week – and food stamps are going up an average of $38/month. 

 

The larger program dollars – education, transportation and health care – won’t come for months.  Our TV story is posted here.

 

One of the great frustrations is finding out what the money will be spent on.  Formula funding accounts for 24% of the money.  That’s money states know they will get.  38% is tax cuts.  The other 38% are competitive grants.  No one knows where that money is going because the rules to compete for them haven’t even been written yet.

What we were able to verify is the formula money – and what Texas expects to get.  If you are interested – and it’s not too long – I’ve posted two state-created documents detailing Texas’ expectations.  You can see them here.

VIDEO: Houston's jobless tell their stories

New Texas Unemployment figures came out today showing that Texas is finally feeling what the rest of the country's already felt. Our unemployment rate is now at 6% - Houston's is 5.5% - translating to 157,000 Houstonians who can't find work. We are covering the stats on the TV side today. Our coverage is here. But numbers don't tell the full story of what is happening in Houston.

Despite assurances that Houston is doing better than other parts of the country - there are still thousands of our neighbors out of work - and for them it is little comfort that Houston is better than anywhere else. It's bad to be out of work anywhere.

Earlier this week we went to find those people. We spent Wednesday morning at Northwest Bible Church's Between Jobs Ministry. It is a long-standing project of the church that aims to help people - regardless of religious affiliation - find new jobs. Their track record is impressive. You can look at some of their success stories on their website: (http://www.nwbc.org/id15.html).

We asked some of the group's members to sit down with us and share their stories of getting laid off - how they heard the news - what scares them - what it was like to tell children and spouses. The interviews were surprisingly candid. Take a look - the bios attached were written by the job seekers themselves. I am not saying these are the model job seekers or the most dramatic stories. These are a slice of our community – people who need work and willing to shed the embarrassment and talk about it.

I would love to hear your comments as well. This is a tough time to understand what is happening in our city. I need to hear from you what is really happening in the job market.

Pat Gonzalez
I bring great energy and competence to my work. I am diplomatic, organized, maintain a high level of integrity and have strong Spanish/bilingual communication skills as well as conversational Italian. I am cheerful and posses the "can do" attitude and ability to handle matters of tremendous sensitivity. Although I was laid off in late January, I did not start my job search until July 2008. I immediately started to attend the weekly 7:30a.m. BJM, Sr. Managers Meetings, though. I desire a position as an executive administrator (senior level focusing on project management) or in client development. And despite all the tough times, I still feel that losing my job of 25 years was the best thing to have happened. Losing your job is losing your identity in a sense — and what better way to find your strengths and refocus your direction in life. I am in "LinkedIn" and people can use that to gain access to my e-mail and my network. (WATCH PAT)

Jeff States
Certified Purchasing Management Professional with broad-based experience in purchasing, contracts management and inventory control for chemical manufacturing, oil & gas, packaging and pipeline companies. Proven record of accomplishments in process improvements, transactional efficiencies and cost savings to impact the bottom line. I began my job search on December 16, 2008 and I'm searching for a procurement or contracts management position. Along the way I have been impressed with the friendships I have made in a short time period through the Between the Job Ministries group and the willingness of others who are searching for a position to help you. Contact: jtbgroup1@yahoo.com (WATCH JEFF)

Wade Hooker
I'm a native Houstonian that attended Cy-Fair High and Texas A&M, class of 1992. My journey of 3 'reductions in force' within 14 months began in Oct 2007. After 7 years with Centex Homes, I was out of work. In Nov 2007 I went to work for a private builder in Albuquerque and was laid off in April 2008 due to market conditions. We moved back to Houston in May 2008 and I went to work for Meritage Homes. I was laid off in Dec 2008 due to organizational changes made to adjust to the current market. My goal is to find a mid to senior level position within a Purchasing/Supply Chain operation. I'm a results-driven Professional prepared with more than 13 years of experience in purchasing, management, supply chain, business development, market strategy, pricing, market analysis and project management. "You can get mad or you can get busy!" wade.hooker@gmail.com (WATCH HOOKER)

Lane Claybourn
I am a native Texan. I grew up in Bay City and have lived in Houston for 24 years. I have been married almost 25 years and have three children - one in college, one in high school, and one in junior high. My degree is a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. I have been looking for work since just after Hurricane Ike. My ideal job would be to spend money for very wealthy people. But back to the real world, I would like to work in the Supply Chain/Logistics field in a position that has potential to grow into management. My experience has mostly been in the chemical and oil & gas industries. I didn't expect the economy to take as sharp a downturn as it did and I didn't expect to still be without a job. But I also didn't expect to grow so much from the experience or to feel as worry-free as I do. lookatthattruck@yahoo.com (WATCH CLAYBOURN)

Karin Giani
I was born in The Netherlands, raised and educated all over the world. I worked in Europe, the U.S. and South Korea. After years of trying to figure out where 'home' is, I have finally concluded that my home is wherever I'm living in the now. I proudly consider myself a citizen of the world! While attending university (Business administration and Economics) in the Netherlands I moved to South Korea with my husband. While taking classes at EWHA University, the only institution which taught the courses I needed in English, I was introduced to the non-profit world. In 2000 after retiring from a CPA firm in The Woodlands, I saw a niche in the small to medium business sector where I could continue to feed my passion to help others by starting up my own accountancy practice. I enjoyed the daily challenges that my diverse clients presented me which expanded my knowledge in many areas. For seven years my practice grew and prospered. When it came time to make a decision to expand or sell. I chose to sell my practice to another like-minded CPA. Not long after I was suddenly widowed. I was fortunate to have made the right decision. Without warning after being happily married for 21 years, I found myself a widow with two children ages 16 and 19, Nov. 27, 2007! I was left without a signed will, life insurance policy and debt. My skills were so diverse that I found myself sinking in broad interests and the more I tried to surface the more I recognized that, like it or not, the path to a new life had been forged. I had to quickly adapt pragmatic strategies to maintain my sanity and my strength. What people I’ve met along the way don’t know about finding a job... The main theme is knowledge... Read the local and worldwide newspapers.. Watch the news... Keep up to date in all economic, business related, charitable, human interest and sport arenas worldwide... You never know when a topic can be used to get your foot in the door!(WATCH KARIN)

Larry Bunge (WATCH LARRY)

Darren Franklin (WATCH DARREN)

Fallout from inmate's death

There are new developments in the case of Clarence Freeman, the man who died after an altercation with a sheriff's deputy at the Harris County Jail earlier this year. A sheriff's deputy and jail supervisor have now been fired. Read my full story

45 Second Choke Hold, Inmate Death, A Widow Reacts, But No Sheriff's Office Report Yet

Internal Documents show a Harris County Jail Detention Officer used a choke hold on a jail inmate for 45 seconds on New Year's Day.  That inmate was conscious to fill out a statement describing the choke hold before being taken to the hospital.  At the hospital, the inmate - Clarence Freeman - was put on a ventilator and died 9 days later.  He reportedly never regained consciousness.

Tonight on the TV side you can hear from Freeman's widow as she reads the documents for the first time.

You can read them for yourself here:

Clarence Freeman's Statement

Detention Officer Nathan Hartfield's Statement (used Choke Hold)

Detention Officer Travis Vaughn's Statement (Witness)

As you will read the statements were written on January 1st and 3rd.  The autopsy reports were completed and sent to the Sheriff's Office weeks ago.  We check every day and there is no sign that the Internal Affairs investigation is complete yet.  It means that if the deputy did anything wrong - either in violation of rules or the law - it hasn't been figured out yet. 

I initially thought that would be an anomaly.  It isn't.

We have the records and are finishing up the data work right now.  We'll show you tomorrow that 7 months isn't out of the ordinary and many investigations take longer.

Tracking Uninsured Drivers

Last night we highlighted the cost of uninsured drivers in Texas.  The state estimates 20% of drivers have no insurance.  It costs Texans $1 Billion in extra insurance premiums.

The City of Pasadena is towing cars found without insurance.  Since February 493 cars - 81 a month.  Dallas will start doing it in January.

You need to prove you have insurance to buy and register a car in Texas.  So what happens most often in these cases is that people buy a 6 month policy, quit paying after the first month, and keep the (invalid) card for another 6 months. 

The state is out to stop that.  DPS is testing a program in Austin right now and hopes to roll it out statewide this fall.  It's a database of all insurance policies in the state - and when a policy is cancelled insurance companies promise to tell the state.  The state will make that database available to officers in their car computers.  The program, TexasSure has been delayed numerous times in the past, but seems to be on track now.

We didn't include it in the TV piece, because DPS decided not to allow access to videotape the system in action.  They say the test will be over in early August.

Gil Gauthe, Former Priest, Convicted Pedophile Back in Court

Gil Gauthe, one of the first Catholic priests to be convicted of abusing children, was back in a Galveston court this morning.

Actually Gauthe wasn't there, his case was.  Gauthe was next door in the Galveston County Jail where he's been since April on a charge of failing to register as a sex offender.

By way of history - Gauthe was a priest in rural Louisiana when he pleaded guilty to the sexual abuse of dozens of children.  He was sent to prison in Louisiana for 9 years.  When he got out he was convicted of injury to a child in Polk County.  Earlier this year, we found him living unregistered as a sex offender in La Marque.  The week our story aired (see it here) he was arrested for failing to register as a sex offender.

We went to court this morning, the case was postponed.  Gauthe's lawyer, David Suhler (in photo left), wouldn't answer any questions except to call us scallywags and accuse us of criminal trespass when we went to interview Gauthe in April.  It may be a legal tactic to make Gauthe's interview inadmissible in court (Gauthe did say he still has feelings for young children) - except that his client, Gauthe, invited us into his home for a 90 minute discussion.

We will be in court next time to see what happens to the former catholic priest.  Stay tuned.

What did the Hospital Lose? A look at stories we don't report

At a recent conference for Investigative Reporters, I watched a dynamite story from Denver on a hospital that lost hundreds of items patients brought in with them.  The most disturbing: a prosthetic eye.  See the story here.

Not above borrowing a great idea, I asked two of our local hospitals for the same information (Harris County Hospital District & UTMB are the only public hospitals subject to Texas' Public Information Laws).  The Hospital District was very quick in providing their (short) list.

It is so short we decided against a story - but here is the list so you can see it yourself:

Description of Property		Date lost	Value	Name of Hospital/Clinic	Location Last Seen
Cash		2/14/2007	100	Ben Taub General Hospital	Emergency Center, Shock Room #1
Wheelchair		2/17/2007	not provided	LBJ General Hospital	Restroom
Cologne bottles		1/28/2007	150	Ben Taub General Hospital	Emergency Center, 1 South
Cash		2/26/2007	1400	Ben Taub General Hospital	Emergency Center
Gold grill teeth cap		7/19/2007	900	Ben Taub General Hospital	Security Office
Cash		8/22/2007	20	LBJ General Hospital	Admitting
Medication		9/17/2007		LBJ General Hospital	Emergency Center
MP4 Player, with accessories		9/28/2007	100	Ben Taub General Hospital	Hospital, 4th floor
Cash		10/23/2007	not provided	Ben Taub General Hospital	Security office
Cash		10/24/2007	220	Ben Taub General Hospital	Emergency Center
Cash		11/1/2007	1500	Ben Taub General Hospital	Security office
Cash, Cellphone		4/2/2008	120	LBJ General Hospital	Emergency Center Unit 2
Silver colored ring		4/30/2008	not provided	LBJ General Hospital	Emergency Center, Shock Room #1

I just got UTMB's and it is similar.  I will post it for a soon. 

Taxes Up, Prices Down & 80% of Taxes are Too High*

We reported the story last night about the dozens of neighborhoods where tax appraisals went up, but property sales are dropping.  It is a somewhat sobering look at a city where we are allegedly not affected by the nation’s real estate troubles.

If you want to see what’s happening in your neighborhood/zip code click here.

The issue seems to be one of timing.  Tax bills are printed with your home value as of January first.  The sales data we examined is through May 31.  Five months of sales haven’t been good to many neighborhoods.  The bulk of them are in the $85-150,000 price range.  That says Houston Area Realtors chair Michael Levitin is the group most affected by the mortgage crisis.

A Business Week article this week predicts government agencies will have a tough time next year because of dropping revenues.  HCAD does not predict the same here in Harris County predicting a tax roll increase of 8% overall.

With that said there were a lot of things I couldn’t squeeze into the piece last night:

-          Of the 350,000 people who protest taxes, 80% of them win.  * When I said that in the studio (off air) last night, a colleague suggested that is absolute proof of something wrong with the system.  You agree?

-          The new iSettle system is working well.  There is at least some fear that it will become so popular even more people will use it and overload the protest system.  It already takes 6 months of hearings to get through them all.