Entries from Houstonist tagged with 'robertblack'
April 19, 2007
The Chronicle reports on the latest developments in the TSU saga today: Three of the school's regents are resisting Gov. Rick Perry's call for their resignations, and an accrediting agency says Perry's plan for state conservatorship could endanger TSU's accreditation. "I'm not going to resign because that would be an acknowledgment of doing something wrong," Regent David Diaz told the Chronicle. "I haven't done anything wrong." Diaz, the Rev. Robert Childress and Belinda Griffin had......
Continue Reading "3 TSU regents refuse to resign"April 18, 2007
More on Gov. Rick Perry's proposal to oust the Texas Southern University regents and appoint a state conservator to run the troubled university: Perry has agreed to consider an alternate proposal from the Texas Legislative Black Caucus if the group can come up with a plan that would get the school back on track as quickly as conservatorship. "If members of the black caucus can bring us a tool ... that gets us there, that......
Continue Reading "Perry: I'll consider alternate plan for TSU"February 23, 2007
Gov. Rick Perry is apparently fed up with questions surrounding his executive order requiring Texan pre-teen girls to be vaccinated for human pappilomavirus, a variety of viruses that cause most cases of cervical cancer: On Thursday, pressed with questions about the mandate while trying to promote a plan to sell the state lottery and use the proceeds to fund cancer research, Perry snapped at reporters. "I wish you all would quit splitting hairs, frankly, and......
Continue Reading "Perry to world: Enough with the HPV questions!"February 19, 2007
Good morning, Houston. We're beginning today with news that's not happening in Texas, but could have had repercussions in our transportation industry: In Arizona, lawmakers just missed banning truck mudflaps with silhouettes of naked women on them. The ban came in a proposed amendment to a bill regarding the legal height of truck fender splash guards, and it took aim not at racist slogans and busty outlines on mudflaps. "I personally am tired of......
Continue Reading "Morning Roundup: Cleaning up the mudflaps edition"February 14, 2007
This whole selling the lottery idea is turning out to be harder than Gov. Rick Perry might have thought. First there were the lawmakers wondering if selling state assets was the right thing to do, then there were the questions about the economics of the deal, and now there's concern over a couple of potential cases of conflict of interest with hires by UBS, the investment firm consulting the state on the proposal to sell......
Continue Reading "Perry Jr.'s job: coincidence or politics?"February 6, 2007
Good morning, Houston. In these days of strange diseases, air and water pollution, global warming and assorted health warnings, we sometimes begin to wonder if anything's safe anymore. And the answer? No, nothing. Example: Today, nearly a million Easy-Bake Ovens are being recalled because one can get one's fingers or hand stuck inside — and slowly nuked. Of course, Houstonist understands the need for safety, but now we're afraid to make dessert tonight. Life......
Continue Reading "Morning Roundup: Danger is everywhere edition"January 26, 2007
We noted yesterday that interim TSU President J. Timothy Boddie Jr. had been in Austin making the case for $25 million in emergency money from the Legislature. But the story that came out later in the day was far more interesting: Gov. Rick Perry has given TSU's regents about a month to come up with a solid financial plan — or quit. Perry was reportedly shocked by the financial state of the university as reflected......
Continue Reading "Perry to TSU: Shape up or else"January 23, 2007
Remember last week, when rocker Ted Nugent made headlines by performing at Gov. Rick Perry's inaugural ball wearing a Confederate flag T-shirt and brandishing fake machine guns? Yeah, it still puts a smile on our faces, too. Anyway, we halfway expected some half-apologetic statement from Austin about the performance, but no — Perry loved the show, and so did the Nuge. The Chronicle caught up with Nugent by phone yesterday and asked him about the......
Continue Reading "Perry to Nugent: Rock on!"