Email Author Bob Burtman

1998 Stories by Bob Burtman

• Then There Were None

  published December 24, 1998

  Bhirag Bhatt says he never knew who made the accusations that triggered the investigation. The head of the city health department food inspections... More >>

• D.on't

  published December 3, 1998

  Pasadena Police Sergeant Loni Robinson shuffles through a stack of hair-raising photos -- a truck with a c-clamp covering an air leak, another... More >>

• Semi-Safe

  published December 3, 1998

  Driving home from work on Pasadena Boulevard, Judy Wren had no reason to be especially cautious as she approached the intersection with the Texas... More >>

• Bad Sports

  published November 5, 1998

  Kris Wingenroth hoped she'd put the worst behind her. The Rice University swimming coach had survived a team revolt in 1996, and even though a... More >>

• Grand Prix Profits

  published October 15, 1998

  Houston Department of Public Works Director Jerry King didn't think twice when he signed the letter. He'd only been on the job a couple of days,... More >>

• Steel Reunion

  published October 1, 1998

  On June 24, at precisely 11:30 a.m., a group of almost 100 workers emerged from the Union Tank Car manufacturing plant on U.S. 90 near Sheldon... More >>

• Nature Boy

  published September 17, 1998

  It's not often that a musician inspires fans to drastic measures. Case in point: Greg Brown had trimmed his tour schedule a few years back and... More >>

• Hard Time

  published September 10, 1998

  Even in his freshly laundered prison whites, Roy Criner has a darkness about him that casts a long shadow in the visitor's room at the Darrington... More >>

• Frontline Firing

  published July 30, 1998

  Almost four months pregnant with her third child, Angie Brown hardly looks the picture of a hard-bitten health inspector with more than seven... More >>

• Mission Impossible

  published July 30, 1998

  When city health department food inspectors leave home so they can reach their first destination at precisely 8 a.m., the tracking devices mounted... More >>

• Phantom Tickets

  published July 30, 1998

  On November 11, 1996, Bernard Silverman met with Lieutenant Steve Jett of the Houston Police Department's Public Integrity Review Group (PIRG).... More >>

• Obstacle Courses

  published June 25, 1998

  It's not often that a city employee admits to being physically ill at the sight of poor-quality work done by his department. So when public works... More >>

• Psalms of Silence

  published June 18, 1998

  Within the weathered walls of Trinity Episcopal Church, the rich opening swells of Bach's "Fantasie in g minor" fill the sanctuary and announce... More >>

• Pushing a Project

  published May 28, 1998

  Jerry King doesn't like to talk about the past. The new director of the city's Public Works Department prefers to focus on how his agency will... More >>

• Aria Speedwagon

  published May 28, 1998

  Ornate edifices filled with the besuited and begowned, hefty divas clad in period finery, the inescapable air of formality, ticket prices that... More >>

• Sidewalk Service

  published May 7, 1998

  Hardly a day goes by that some disgruntled homeowner doesn't call the city Public Works Department and complain of a cracked driveway or sidewalk,... More >>

• Ill Treatment

  published April 30, 1998

  When Moises Garcia got his first doses of radiation late in 1995, he felt immediate relief from the wrenching pain in his shoulder. Diagnosed with... More >>

• Feel for the Real

  published April 23, 1998

  In recent years, the throbbing, roots-oriented style that dominated reggae's formative decade has given way to a more modern adaptation: Strutting... More >>

• Star Power and Substance

  published April 23, 1998

  Baaba Maal provided the African celebrity glitter at this year's International Festival, but a pair of lesser-known emigrants from that continent... More >>

• Shuffling Funds

  published April 16, 1998

  As evidence mounts that the Public Works & Engineering Department routinely broke city rules governing construction contracts, the department... More >>

• Below Standards

  published April 2, 1998

  Of the hundreds of public works projects designed and built during the administration of former mayor Bob Lanier, none was as sweeping or massive... More >>

• Waiting for Get Done

  published March 19, 1998

  When Ace Tin and Sheet Metal Works, Inc. got a contract in 1996 to replace the siding at Miller Outdoor Theatre, Kathy Highsmith was thrilled. The... More >>

• Tough Customer

  published March 19, 1998

  Her phrasing is reminiscent of Billie Holiday; her deep range brings to mind Sarah Vaughn. She's won several awards and made classic contributions... More >>

• Waste Not, Want Not

  published March 12, 1998

  In his years as a petrochemical plant manager, Joe Monk has grown accustomed to pejoratives hurled in his direction. Until recently, though,... More >>

• Gradual Growth

  published March 5, 1998

  If forced to lump Michael Fracasso into a category among singer/songwriters, you could say that he's the literary type. His songs have always had... More >>