Illegal Driving To Mexico

From the Houston Chronicle:

When will they learn?

The driver of a tour bus that crashed on its way back to Houston from Mexico, killing one person and injuring dozens of others, was not licensed to drive a commercial vehicle outside Texas, according to records obtained by the Houston Chronicle on Friday.

Driver Roberto Garcia Cruz, 42, of Houston, was only licensed to drive commercial vehicles inside Texas on what is known as an "intrastate" commercial license, records from the Texas Department of Public Safety's driver records division show.

He probably was on a run to pick up illegal immigrants.

Prisoner Releases In New Orleans

Could this really be true?

Better cooperation and communication between the Orleans Parish district attorney's office and city police significantly reduced the number of defendants automatically released from jail because prosecutors had failed to decide whether to charge them, city officials said Thursday.

Six suspects left jail on so-called "701 releases" in December, compared with a high of 580 in January 2007, acting District Attorney Keva Landrum-Johnson said.

Former District Attorney Eddie Jordan, who resigned in October, took biting criticism because of the 701 releases, named for a section of the criminal code. State law requires prosecutors to charge or refuse cases within 60 days of a felony arrest, or release the person.

Come on people; can't you recognize smoke and mirrors?

Great News For Houston

Harris County District Attorney Charles A. "Chuck" Rosenthal Jr. pulled the plug on his Republican re-election campaign after all on Wednesday at the climax of a day of flip-flopping, intrigue, political pressure and clock management.

The county Republican Party officially accepted his one-sentence withdrawal letter three minutes before the deadline for removing candidates from the March 4 primary ballot — and three days after Rosenthal had defiantly vowed to run and win, despite a scandal over intimate e-mails he sent to his executive secretary, Kerry Stevens.

The action means Harris County, the nation's leading jurisdiction for sentencing murderers to death by injection, will get a new chief prosecutor next January after eight years of service by Rosenthal.

He plans to serve the remainder of his current term through 2008.

Yes there is crime, but there is a Lot More

Several critics love to point out the criminal statistics in New Orleans. New Orleans, however, is not the only city that is facing an upswing in crime. What we should be concentrating on is the positive. Perhaps Rafael Goyeneche said it best:

There are hopeful signs, however, Goyeneche said, pointing to improved schools in the city since the 2005 storm, grass-roots efforts to tackle crime, and a growing effort to upgrade city life.

"This city is beginning to do some things that I've been waiting 25 years to see," Goyeneche said. "I think there is a renewed sense of purpose; people are focused and demanding more than what was in play before Katrina hit."

Let's work together in moving this city forward.

Hope For Cocaine Addicts

Two Houston Scientists see hope for cocaine addicts:

The Baylor College of Medicine scientists have developed a cocaine vaccine, currently in clinical trials, that stimulates the immune system to attack the real thing when it's taken. As a result, cocaine no longer provides a kick.

This is good news and I hope it works because cocaine addicts cause a lot of destruction to others as well as themselves.

Help Sought For Nigerian Unit

This seems strange:

The Nigerian corruption commission that investigated some of the West African business transactions involving Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, has signed up a Washington lobbyist to help it gain financial resources from government and non-governmental entities in the United States. In a filing with the Justice Department, KRL International and its managing director, K. Riva Levinson, said they will be doing the work on a "pro bono" basis.

The September 2006 report from the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission gave some of the first indications about some of the individuals and companies that the FBI was examining as part of its corruption investigation of the congressman. The FBI had asked the commission to investigate.

Jefferson was indicted in June on bribery, racketeering and other charges. He has proclaimed his innocence and is now scheduled for trial Feb. 25. According to its filing with the Justice Department, KRL said it would be "seeking U.S. support for the anti-corruption agenda of the Nigerian commission." It said it would be meeting with members of the executive branch, Congress, the private sector, the news media and non-governmental organizations such as think tanks.

Am I missing something?

Houston's Real Estate Market: Boom or Bust

Houston love to compare themselves to New Orleans, leaning more to pointing out how they have outpaced the "Big Easy" in everything from dealing with the homeless to solving crime. Well, Houston, since you want a little fanfare, here goes:

The number of home sales — which was down 3 percent for the year at the end of November — will likely outdo the number sold in 2005. And on the commercial side, robust job growth and leasing activity gave developers reason to start and propose new buildings.

The historic surge in the energy industry fueled this growth, as big oil companies took on more office space and transferred employees from outside Houston who bought homes and leased apartments.

Still, the local real estate market lost some of its resiliency toward the end of the year, as the credit crunch caused some commercial deals to fall apart and contributed to a slowdown in the housing market.

You left out the part concerning the vast amount of real estate scams here in Houston. When you toot your own horn, make sure you report all of the facts.