07.06.08
Posted in News at 3:27 pm by Paloma Cruz
It seems that times are so bad that even teenagers are having to tighten their belts. Best known for their overabundance of time and disposable income, teens are being hit by a combination of lack of jobs and increased prices. Bad news for retailers who depend on their purchases.
Teens forced to bite the bullet on spending, too
They’re among the last group of consumers cutting back
– Houston Chronicle2
The financial pressures of adults are finally catching up with American teenagers. Since summer jobs dried up, gasoline prices topped $4 a gallon and parents ran out of spare cash, teens have had to cool it on spending for clothes.
[snip]
Retailers dependent on that group are feeling the pinch. First-quarter net income at American Eagle plunged 44 percent because of discounting, and the retailer may post its first annual profit drop in five years. Same-store sales have fallen for the past two quarters. At Gap’s Old Navy chain, sales in May were off 25 percent from a year earlier. Abercrombie’s same-store sales dropped in five of the past six quarters.
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks.
Permalink
07.03.08
Posted in News at 12:21 am by Paloma Cruz
Houston-area cities get new ZIP codes
– KHOU CBS Channel 111
New ZIP codes have taken effect in Baytown, Richmond and Sugar Land.
The post office says the ZIP code changes are necessary because of growing demand for mail services.
[snip]
Footnotes
1 = may require free registration.
Permalink
06.28.08
Posted in News at 5:09 am by Paloma Cruz
The Big Green Purse is reporting that the Home Depot is recycling compact fluorescent light bulbs. Good news for those of use who have been using them but were worried about what happens when they have to be replace.
Simply bring in your expired, unbroken CFL bulbs, and give them to the store associate behind the returns desk. The bulbs will be handled by an environmental management company that will coordinate CFL packaging, transportation and recycling to maximize safety and ensure environmental compliance.
Permalink
06.24.08
Posted in News at 10:58 pm by Paloma Cruz
The Houston Chronicle recently ran a story about the lack of optimism worldwide1. “The can-do, bootstrap approach embedded in the American psyche is under assault. Eroding it is a dour powerlessness that is chipping away at the country’s sturdy conviction that destiny can be commanded with sheer courage and perseverance.”
Footnotes:
1 = Story found on the Houston Chronicle. Article may expire in a few weeks.
Permalink
Posted in News at 10:37 pm by Paloma Cruz
Police: Burned bodies of missing Pasadena children found
Search brings authorities to southeast Houston
– Houston Chronicle2
The burned bodies of two missing Pasadena children were found inside a charred wooden chest and suitcase, Pasadena police said this morning, ending a nearly weeklong search for the siblings.
Randy Sylvester Sr., the father of Randy Sylvester Jr., 7, and 3-year-old Denim Sylvester, led Houston activist Quanell X to the site beside a railroad trestle near Galveston Road and Allendale early this morning, Pasadena police Capt. A.H. Corbett said.
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks.
Permalink
06.13.08
Posted in News at 9:40 am by Paloma Cruz
Council increases funding on meal program
– Houston Chronicle2
The city council approved $59,000 in additional funding for the Deer Park home bound meal program at it’s June 3 meeting. The additional funding will cover the cost of a new vehicle, a new part-time employee and 25 additional meals on an annual basis.
Currently, the city serves an average of 83 deliveries daily. They have two part-time employees making the deliveries for the program.
City parks and recreation director Doug Burgess, who alsooversees the program,asked the city council if it would like to see a cap for the program enforced because it is close to exceeding the number of people its budget allows.
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks.
Permalink
Posted in News at 12:09 am by Paloma Cruz
South Houston, Kruse elementary schools receive grant
– reported by the Pasadena Citizen
Kruse and South Houston elementary schools will be expanding their school library collections with the help of a $6,000 grant from The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries.
[snip]
Congratulation, Kruse & South Houston.
Permalink
06.12.08
Posted in News at 11:57 pm by Paloma Cruz
OK,may not “the worst,” but a recent article from the Houston Business Journal ranked Houston as the seventh-most congested in the country. Bad news for Dallas, they ranked fifth.
Permalink
06.05.08
Posted in News at 12:07 am by Paloma Cruz
‘Sanctuary city’ issue surfaces in race for League City mayor
Candidate wants to address how illegal immigrants are handled by police
– Houston Chronicle2
With less than two weeks remaining until League City’s mayoral runoff, the focus of the race has shifted to the city’s stance on illegal immigration.
When an illegal immigrant is arrested in League City for a Class B misdemeanor or above, the police department contacts U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the person is then transported to the Galveston County jail, assistant police chief Gary Ratliff said. The city also contacts immigration officials for illegal immigrants arrested on a Class C misdemeanor, but if they don’t have an outstanding warrant, they are released after the charge has been resolved, he said.
The practice is standard procedure, but is not a written policy, Ratliff said.
If elected, Chris Mallios said he would push for an ordinance that establishes that League City is not a “sanctuary city.” He would like it to address how the city’s police department should handle the arrests of illegal immigrants.
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks.
Permalink
05.25.08
Posted in General at 12:24 am by Paloma Cruz
Award will fund teacher training, pique student interest in history
– Houston Chronicle2
Pasadena students could soon receive a better education in history after the school district was awarded the Teaching American History Grant.
The Pasadena school district is the newest recipient of the grant aimed at simultaneously improving students’ history knowledge and teachers’ classroom skills.
The $949,434 grant will fund training with expert historians in cutting-edge techniques to develop teacher knowledge and appreciation for American history, encourage dynamic instruction and make history an interesting subject.
The curriculum is geared toward developing the classroom strategy of teachers and to help them bring American history alive for students.
Teachers in this program gain a deeper understanding of history.
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks.
Permalink
« Previous entries