Some important things could have been resolved at today's Metro board meeting, particularly the absence of a contract between Metro and an outside company to design and build four proposed light-rail lines, the cornerstone of future mass transit in Houston.Instead, we got wife-beating. It started when anti-Metro-zealot Tom Bazan told the board that he thought it was discriminating against poor people and minorities by minimizing bus routes in favor of rail. Board member Bishop James Dixon to
Photo by pfrench99There had been a bit of a dust-up this week because the Metro board didn't release the details of the most expensive infrastructure contract in the city's history before the Board of Directors voted on it this afternoon. Perhaps to reconcile, Chairman David Wolff broke standard procedure at today's meeting and allowed public comments, "because it was so important." Barry Klein, an out-spoken critic of the rail, spoke first, and after he did, board Wolff said: "We appreciate him
Photo by pfrench99More news -- good or bad depending on your side of the fence -- about Metro's planned light-rail lines came today when board chairman David Wolff announced that Metro has all but got its first funding agreement from the Federal Transit Administration.For 2010, the feds listed the North and Southeast corridors as two of the five recommended projects on its budget, and Metro is set to get $75 million for each. Construction on both lines could start as early as June, Wolff s
We reported yesterday on things looking up for Metro, but today Hair Balls learned that our transit authority is violating the federal government's definition of civil rights. According to a letter dated April 27, the Federal Transit Administration conducted a Title VI Compliance Review of Metro earlier this year, which, among other things, ensures "that the level and quality of transportation service is provided without regard to race, color, or national origin" and evaluates the "social an
