03.28.06

prepare for tornadoes

Posted in News at 6:48 am by Paloma Cruz

Pasadena should be ready for tornadoes
– reported by the Pasadena Citizen

Some studies have ranked Pasadena as high as seventh in the nation for reported tornado landings.

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With this in mind, the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency explains that good planning and quick response are the keys to surviving tornados.

More than 1,000 tornadoes develop across the United States each year, and due to its massive size and it’s location in the Southern Great Plains area, the state of Texas typically leads the nation in the number of reported tornadoes each year.

Tornadoes are most destructive when they touch ground. FEMA representatives explain that a tornado will usually stay on the ground for no longer than 20 minutes; however, one tornado can touch ground several times in different areas.

With wind speeds that approach nearly 300 miles per hour, tornadoes can uproot trees and structures and turn harmless objects into deadly missiles. Mobile homes and travel trailers are particularly vulnerable to tornadoes.

More than 80 percent of all tornadoes strike between noon and midnight and generally occur near the trailing edge of a thunderstorm. According to FEMA, it is not uncommon to see clear, sunlit skies behind a tornado.

When a tornado threatens, individuals need to have both a safe place to go and time to get there. Injury or deaths related to tornadoes most often occur when people are hit by flying objects, are caught in a collapsing building, or when they try to escape the tornado in a car.

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During a tornado, experts recommend going to the lowest level of the building, an inner hallway, or a closet or bathroom without windows. The risk of debris being propelled through windows or doors is great, so staying away from all glass and windows is imperative.

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03.27.06

the search for PISD superintendent continues

Posted in News at 11:45 pm by Paloma Cruz

Salary key in Pasadena superintendent search
Trustee studies strategy designed to recruit, retain
– reported by the Houston Chronicle

Deciding how much to pay a school superintendent can make school board members lose sleep.

It’s such a hot item that the Texas Association of School Boards had a workshop session on the topic at its statewide winter conference two weeks ago in Corpus Christi.

In fact, the session on Planning Superintendent Compensation was offered twice during the three-day conference.

Nelda Sullivan, the Pasadena Independent School District board president, was there, taking notes.

[snip]

Pasadena ISD is seeking a replacement for Rick Schneider, who retired in mid-December after nearly 14 years as superintendent.

His annual base salary of $255,000 reflected not only the unusual length of his service but also the district’s size — nearly 50,000 students and 5,000 employees — and students’ scores on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, Sullivan said. If he were still working, Schneider would rank as the third highest paid superintendent in the area, according to a Houston Chronicle study conducted as part of Sunshine Week, a national program that stresses the importance of open records.

While the search is under way, Kirk Lewis, who was previously deputy superintendent for administration, is serving as acting superintendent.

[snip]

As acting superintendent, Lewis earns $144,000.

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At his base salary of $255,000, Schneider was among the best paid superintendents in the state, according to this year’s superintendent survey conducted by the Texas Association of School Boards in conjunction with the Texas Association of School Administrators.

As self-reported by 775 superintendents across the state, the average superintendent salary in the responding districts is $100,027, an increase of 4 percent over the 2004-05 school year.

The median superintendent salary (with half the reported salaries below that point and half above it) also increased by 4 percent, to $87,464 for this school year.

The Houston area’s seven-county Region 4 Education Service Center, with 54 school districts, has the state’s highest paid superintendents, with an average base salary of $148,573.

[snip]

03.20.06

Pasadena race settled

Posted in News at 1:15 am by Paloma Cruz

Pasadena race settled, sort of
Incumbent loses court ruling, but he will file appeal
– reported by the Houston Chronicle

Ten months after Pasadena voters first cast ballots for the District C City Council position, a winner finally has been named.

That doesn’t mean the issue is settled, however.

The 1st District Court of Appeals on Thursday declared Leroy Stanley the winner over incumbent Don Harrison. Harrison’s attorney, Jeff Shadwick, said he plans to appeal the three-judge panel’s decision by asking that all nine justices consider the case, or by going to the Texas Supreme Court.

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03.19.06

Fiesta Taxi moves into Pasadena

Posted in News at 11:15 pm by Paloma Cruz

Taxis Fiesta addressing needs of Hispanic community
– reported by the Pasadena Citizen

Pasadena has few bus stops, less taxi services, and few places within walking distance.

Taxis Fiesta, the 24-hour bilingual taxi service based in Houston, is moving into Pasadena to help with these problems. The company is slated to make its move into town official today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the office of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce on Fairmont Parkway.

[snip]

Martínez started Taxis Fiesta 20 years ago to provide a more accessible transportation option to a growing Hispanic community in Houston, and hopes to do the same in Pasadena, the largest city with the largest Hispanic population surrounding the Houston area.

“It was in response to the need within the Hispanic community,” said Martínez. “There was no bilingual transportation service that was marketing into that community so I started it and the city gave us 25 permits and we are now 200 cabs here in the Houston area. We’re very exited now at this point on our 20th anniversary here (in Houston) … going into Pasadena.”

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03.06.06

kudos to FISD for academic decathlon win

Posted in News at 6:13 am by Paloma Cruz

My brother was in decathlon, so I know how much work, sweat and pressure is involved in the preparation for the competition. And then there’s the pressure of the competition itself. Congratulations to Friendswood Independent School District for its recent win.

FISD academic decathlon wins state
– reported by KHOU CBS Channel 11

The academic decathlon team for Friendswood Independent School District won its 14th consecutive state championship during the weekend.

The team scored 44,668 points — the highest score out of 22 schools in its division.

Despite the state title, the Friendswood team won’t be headed to the national competition. That honor was reserved for Plano Senior High School, which was the winner of the large-size school division and earned the highest score of all schools with 46,554 points.

[snip]

The team earned 55 medals in the regional competition. The event consists of 10 events in academic subjects, including art history, classical music, economics, mathematics and science.

03.05.06

Pasadena gets a skate park

Posted in News at 2:02 pm by Paloma Cruz

Skaters ready for park to open
– reported by the Pasadena Citizen

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The excitement comes from the sport being so mainstream that Pasadena has decided to build a skate complex in Memorial Park. The apprehension comes from the hype that is generally associated with a sport once the public is truly interested.

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The park is set to be completed by 2007.

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03.01.06

Dillard’s at Pasadena Town Square to close

Posted in General at 11:10 pm by Paloma Cruz

Pasadena Town Square braces for major change in retail mix
– reported by the Houston Business Journal

The largest department store in Pasadena Town Square Mall is scheduled to permanently shut its doors next month, signaling the beginning of what could be a wave of changes for the 24-year-old mall.

The 212,316-square-foot Dillard’s store will close on March 13, and 126 employees will be laid off, according to documents from the Texas Workforce Commission.

The 744,309-square-foot Pasadena Town Square Mall is currently 95 percent occupied, according to Houston-based real estate research firm O’Connor & Associates. Dillard’s owns the anchor space that it occupies there.

[snip]

After the Dillard’s closure, Foley’s and Sears will be the only remaining anchor stores in the mall. But the future of the 122,576-square-foot Foley’s store is also in question.

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