The continuous flow of old and new faces – immigrants like Herrera as well as sixth-generation Texans – has helped to make Neighborhood Centers, founded in 1907, one of the biggest helping hands in East Texas. The organization is a nonprofit behemoth, with 74 service sites in 60 Texas counties. Its $263 million in services,… Continue reading

Harrisburg Boulevard, where Houston transit officials are building a new light rail line, has changed a lot in the past five years. But according to one popular community clock, the time has been 9:29 since Sept. 25, 2009. At least that was the last time the clock, removed during rail construction and shoved into storage,… Continue reading

To see what’s changed — change that’s a source of pride for some and of anxiety for others — travel a few blocks north, where new homes with stone facades are replacing the low brick ones built in the 1950s and ’60s. These are the houses close to what’s left of the West Fertilizer Plant.… Continue reading

The water dance of cargo and assist ships largely goes unnoticed until something goes wrong, like it did Saturday, and an estimated 168,000 gallons of fuel oil spill into Galveston Bay. Then maritime operations are shut down and environmental cleanups take precedence over collision investigations. Given the tight space ships have to work in, maritime… Continue reading

Two years of often contentious negotiations ensued as Metropolitan Transit Authority officials responded to concerns that the overpass would split the neighborhood and inhibit redevelopment. With the city of Houston as peacemaker and financial partner, Metro shelved its overpass plan in 2011 and agreed to build an underpass, winning the wary support of residents. But… Continue reading

A four-student group, the Houston Area Research Team, is working with Metro to increase use of transit by cyclists. One of the biggest stumbling blocks was the on-bus racks, which limited options. Though the team found the racks were not overcrowded – only peak routes seemed to have a high bike-per-bus demand – they sought… Continue reading

A man dressed as Santa Claus waved excitedly on Thursday as a southbound Metro train rumbled past the corner of Fulton and Boundary. To Northside residents, a trainload of people whizzing by is about as much of a novelty as seeing Santa.The hoopla over last Saturdays opening of the Metropolitan Transit Authoritys new light rail… Continue reading

Two major transportation projects scheduled to open in Houston this week – perhaps on the same day – represent distinct and sometimes warring visions of regional mobility and growth. On Saturday, the Metropolitan Transit Authority will open its Red Line light rail extension from downtown to just north of Loop 610. And state transportation officials… Continue reading

All of the options represent major changes to what TxDOT traffic counts rank as one of the state’s most congested freeways. “The thing that is somewhat astonishing is the amount of traffic going through that is not destined to downtown or around downtown,” said Bob Eury, executive director of the Houston Downtown Management District. “It… Continue reading

“We can’t just sit back and have no one step up,” said Hector Garcia, who has ridden in the event since 2005 and manages the group’s online presence. “Everyone is learning. Every group ride faces challenges.” Estimates of the typical number of Critical Mass riders in Houston range from 1,000 to 2,000. Though the Houston… Continue reading