Headlines

• New Texas 130 To Have Nation’s Fastest Speed Limit — 85 MPH — When It Opens in November [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Sports Stadiums Pull Downtown Development Eastward [Houston Business Journal ($)]
• Midtown Officially Designated a State Cultural Arts and Entertainment District [InnerLooped]
• Solar-Powered Water Park To Break Ground This Month on Lyons Ave. in Fifth Ward [Culturemap]
• Greater Houston Partnership Names Bob Harvey President, CEO [Houston Business Journal]
• Houston Among Top Cities for Relocation This Past Summer, Finds United Van Lines Study [Prime Property]

Photo: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• State, Marquette Cos. Strike Deal on 1,053 Acres of Pastureland in Galveston’s West End, Reviving Development Project [Galveston County Daily News; previously on Swamplot]
• Ruggles Green Opening Greenest Restaurant Yet in Sugar Land This Month [Houston Chronicle]
• Uptown Transit Plan Would Add Dedicated Bus Lanes to Post Oak Blvd., West Loop [River Oaks Examiner]
• White Oak Bayou Bike Trail Closed Until Spring 2014, from Delays in T.C. Jester Improvement Project [The Leader]
• League City Residents Claim Coyote Is on the Loose, Preying on Pet Cats [Galveston County Daily News]’
• ‘Computer Glitch’ Prevents 7,000 Bellaire Residents from Getting Water Bill [Click2Houston]
• Texas Records Worst Year Ever for West Nile [KUHF]

Photo of Texas Medical Center: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Nordstrom To Open at The Woodlands Mall Sears Site by Fall 2014 [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• Commercial, Residential Development Planned for 128 Acres at I-10, Katy-Fort Bend Rd. in Katy [Houston Chronicle]
• $4.9M Renovations Begin on Sylvan Beach Pavilion in La Porte [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Luby’s-Fuddruckers Combo Now Open in Pearland [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• A Brief History of the Galleria, Houston’s Milan Arcade-Inspired Mall [Houston Chronicle]
• Galveston Ends Busiest Tourist Season Since Ike with 44,000 Visitors over Labor Day Weekend [Houston Chronicle]
• Webster, Pearland Hotel June Revenues Hit Record-Breaking Numbers [Pearland Journal]
• Wooden Pedestrian Bridge in Grogan’s Mill Closed Following Heavy Rains [Woodlands Villager]
• In Spring, One Man’s Pet Chickens Are Another Man’s Loud, Smelly Nuisance [abc13]
• What You Can Learn from Other People’s Water Bill Disputes [Houston Advocate]
• Commuters Wanted for Online Survey on Katy Fwy.’s Toll Lanes [KUHF]

Photo of BBVA Compass Stadium: Jackson Myers via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• UTMB Planning $82M Expansion of Victory Lakes Specialty Care Center [Galveston County Daily News]
• Hines To Announce New Multifamily Project ‘Near Upper Kirby, River Oaks Areas’ [Houston Chronicle]
• Sovereign Tower Developer Aiming for Pedestrian-Friendly Apartment Complex [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Ashby Highrise Battle Influences Memorial, Sugar Land Protests [Houston Chronicle]
• Repairing a Frank Lloyd Wright-Inspired Home Along Sims Bayou [Houston Chronicle]
• Transportation Officials Considering Freeway Roundabout Around Downtown [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Home To 4 Of TxDot’s 10 Most Congested Highway Stretches [Hair Balls]
• Highway Tolls Going Up 25 Cents, 10 Cents for EZ Tag Users Starting This Saturday [Click2Houston]
• Armed Lifeguard Officers To Patrol Galveston Beaches Another Year [Galveston County Daily News]
• Pay No Attention to the Brown Leaves; Relocated Ghirardi Compton Oak in ‘Great Shape’ [Galveston County Daily News]
• Space-Tech Cameras May Help Spot Wildfires [KUHF]
• West Nile-Infected Mosquitoes Could Be on the Decline, Say Officials [KUHF]
• Buc-ee’s a Finalist in Contest for Most Popular Restroom [Newswatch]

Photo of MD Anderson’s Zayed Building, 6565 MD Anderson Blvd.: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Man Falls To Death from Reliant Stadium Escalator During Texans-Vikings Game [CBS Houston]
• Title Company Attorney Pleads Guilty to Mortgage Fraud Surrounding Condos in Downtown’s Commerce Towers [Prime Property]
• Council Approves Seventh St. Rezone as a Residential Commercial Area [Galveston County Daily News]
• Financial Battle Over $28.2M Sewer System on Bolivar Peninsula [Galveston County Daily News]
• New Cuchara on Fairview Would Win Best Use of Illustration in a Restaurant, If That Were an Award [Eating Our Words]
• Consignment Store Relocates from FM 1960 to Oak Ridge North To Capture Growing Market [Woodlands Villager]
• Fort Bend Brewery Debuting at Craft Beer Festival This Weekend, To Open by November [Your Houston News]
• 16 of the Original Project Row Houses Get Shiny New Metal Roofs [Glasstire]

Photo of Alabama Theater Trader Joe’s sign: Cody Lutsch

• Forever 21 Heading to 2 Levels of Former Borders Spot in the Galleria [Culturemap]
• Bombay Pizza a Lesson in How To Run a Restaurant Downtown [Eating Our Words; review here]
• Want To Buy Courtyard Café in Downtown Galveston? [Galveston County Daily News]
• Roger Clemens, Culinary Scene, Concert Venue Put Sugar Land in National Spotlight [Houston Chronicle]
• Thousands of Marijuana Plants Seized in East Montgomery County Woods [Houston Chronicle]
• Piles of Tires on South Post Oak near Fuqua Removed [Houston Advocate]
• Moss Hill, Liberty, and Shepherd Farmers, Ranchers Slowly Recovering from Drought [Cleveland Advocate]
• West Nile Hasn’t Peaked Yet in Texas, Says State’s Health Commissioner [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of east Montgomery marijuana field: Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, via Cleveland Advocate

• Galveston City Council Approves Housing Plan Before Federal Deadline [Houston Chronicle]
• Judge in Sierra Club Lawsuit Allows Grand Parkway Construction To Proceed but Orders New Study of Addicks and Barker Dams [KUHF; previously on Swamplot]
• Ashby Highrise Opponents Stage Rush-Hour ‘Park-In’ on Bissonnet To Protest 21-Story Tower [Prime Property]
• Dunkin’ Donuts Signs Agreements for 24 More Houston Locations [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Will Have a Strong Office Market as Long as Oil Prices Remain Stable, Says Analyst [Wall Street Journal ($)]
• $6.8M Flyover Proposed for Research Forest off I-45 To Ease Traffic [Woodlands Villager]
• Bulldozer Drives into Humble Auction House, Causes $1.5M Worth of Damage [abc13]
• Bastrop State Park Looking To Plant 4M-6M Loblolly Pine Seedlings over Next 5 Years To Restore Habitat [KUHF]
• Nevada Chain Acquires Houston Community Newspapers [Spring Observer]

Photo of Hermann Park’s Sam Houston statue: elnina999 via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Downtown’s 32-Story Former Tenneco Building, Now Kinder Morgan Tower, Up For Sale; Could Fetch $400M [Prime Property]
• Residential Tax Appraisal Values Mostly Stable, with Increases in Memorial, West Portion of Inner Loop, Oak Forest and Garden Oaks; Industrial Base Grew 14.6% [Houston Chronicle]
• Number of Houston Homes at Risk of Foreclosure Hits 2-Year Low [KUHF]
• Nearly Half of Mortgage Borrowers Younger Than 40 Are Underwater, Finds Zillow Report [Atlantic Cities]
• La Marque Library To Avoid Closure Under New Budget Plan [Galveston County Daily News]
• New Texas City Tanger Outlets Looking To Fill 900 Positions [Galveston County Daily News]
• Disney Cruise Line To Sail from Galveston for at Least 2 Years, Starting Sept. 22 [Galveston County Daily News]
• TxDOT To Outsource Some Routine Highway Maintenance in Houston [Houston Business Journal]
• A Sneak Peek at UH’s Remodeled Blaffer Art Museum [Art Attack; previously on Swamplot]

Photo of 3009 Post Oak: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Texas City’s Gulf States Building Demolished in Downtown Revitalization Efforts [Galveston County Daily News]
• Moon Tower Inn Guys Planning Two New Ventures in the East End [Eating Our Words]
• Slideshow: Preview of OKRA’s Downtown Charity Bar [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• What Went Wrong with the Houston Pavilions? [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• More UH Students Choosing Dorm Living Over Commuting; More Housing Options Coming [KUHF]
• Texas Homeowners Protest Conversion to Smart Meters [Star-Telegram]
• City Council Considering Charging $1 an Hour for Seawall Parking [Galveston County Daily News]
• Red-Light Camera Company Sues League City over ‘Misleading and Confusing’ Ballot Language [Galveston County Daily News]
• Enterprise Rent-a-Car To Pay Harris County $1.15M for 100,000 Unpaid Toll Violations [Houston Chronicle]
• One Year After Wildfires, Nearly All of Bastrop State Park Open [Hair Balls]
• Using Heights Blvd.’s 2 1/2 Block ‘Jogging Trail to Nowhere’ for Art Car Displays [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of OKRA Charity Saloon skylight: Candace Garcia

• Walmart Opens Hiring Center on W. 18th St. in Timbergrove for New Heights Shopping Center [Houston Chronicle]
• Galveston Housing Authority Chairman Resigns, Promptly Rescinds Resignation Amid Federal Funding Drama [Galveston County Daily News]
• Downtown Management District Now Has Power To Dole Out $37M in Residential Development Incentives [Houston Chronicle]
• Mac Haik: Energy Corridor Is the Best Submarket in Houston and Maybe the United States [Houston Business Journal]
• Bellaire City Council Endorses Uptown Transit Center on Westpark Near 610 Loop [River Oaks Examiner]
• Woodlands Township Approves Lower Property Tax Rate for 2013 [Woodlands Villager]
• Dolce Vita on Lower Westheimer To Reopen Today After Dumpster Fire Closed Restaurant for 3 Months [Culturemap]
• Sugar Land Reports First Case of West Nile Virus [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Design Center Sample Sale Happening Today and Tomorrow [Culturemap]
• CAMH Launches Online Fundraiser To Bring Rob Pruitt’s Andy Warhol Sculpture to Houston [Glasstire]
• Slideshow: Houston Arts Alliance’s Public Art Installations [Culturemap]

Photo of Spring Creek: Karl Anderson/Cypress Creek Mirror

• Downtown’s Hotel Alden Sold to American Liberty Hospitality; Name Change Considered [Culturemap]
• Cinco Ranch Apartments Under Construction at Mason Rd., Westpark Tollway [Covering Katy]
• Pasadena Bus Service To Continue Through October While Future is Mulled [Houston Chronicle]
• When Will the ‘Functionally Obsolete’ Yale St. Bridge Close for Rebuilding? [The Leader News]
• FEMA Awards $1.4M To Repair Ike Damage to Galveston’s Historic Tall Ship Elissa [Houston Business Journal]
• Houston To Upgrade City-Owned Fleet Vehicles Through Partnership with Zipcar [Hairballs]
• How To Spot Illegal Grow Houses [KUHF]
• New Website Spells Out Where Your Property, Sales Tax Dollars Go for All 254 Texas Counties [KUHF]
• List of Houston Farmers Markets, Co-Ops, CSAs [Culturemap]

Photo of St. Joseph Professional Building, Crawford and I-45: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Giant, Greek Temple-Like Palladium Theater Opening Along Grand Parkway at West Bellfort in December Will Have Restaurants, Bars, Bowling [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Buyers ‘Scramble’ as Home Supply Hits Lowest Level in 5 Years [Houston Chronicle]
• 63,000 Acres of Harris County To Get Aerial Mosquito Spraying This Evening [Houston Chronicle]
• Woodlands Residents Fed Up with Frequent Power Outages [Woodlands Villager]
• 800 Noise Citations Written Up in Past Year, Though ‘A Lot’ Have Been Thrown Out of Court [abc13]
• New Website Rewards Houston Commuters with Coupons for Walking, Biking To Work [Culturemap]
• The Abandoned Streets of Houston Documented in New Website [HAIF]

Photo of Webster, Texas: Stephen J. Alexander via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Midway Cos., Magic Johnson Company Acquire Houston Pavilions for $100M [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Barry Terrell of Tookie’s Fame Planning To Open a Seafood Restaurant in Seabrook [Galveston County Daily News]
• Value of Houston Building Permits Up $1B from July 2011 [KUHF]
• Galveston Has Until Sept. 1 To Create Public Housing Plan or Repay $56M in Disaster Funds [Houston Chronicle]
• Texas To Receive Nearly $30.8M in Unspent Transportation Funds from U.S. Government [Houston Business Journal]
• Fort Bend, Montgomery Among Top Counties on ‘Where the Jobs Are’ List [CNN Money via Houston Business Journal]
• Discovery Green Greener Thanks To Replanting Program [Culturemap]
• Toronto Photographer Captures Highway Interchanges from the Sky [Atlantic Cities]
• The Geography of Craft Beer [Atlantic Cities]

Photo of San Felipe: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Dreaming Up Possibilities for KBR’s Former 136-Acre Bayou-Front Campus East of Downtown [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• First Local Aldi Grocery Store Already Under Construction, Along South Mason Rd. Near Cinco Ranch in Katy [Covering Katy]
• Property Values Increased 3.6% in Galveston Over Last Year, Appraisal District Reports [Galveston County Daily News]
• Latest Figures Show Greater Houston Area Has Nearly 90 Percent Apartment Occupancy Rate [KUHF]
• 4 Years After Ike, Hundreds Still Waiting for Homes To Be Fixed Through Recovery Program [Click2Houston]
• $2M in FEMA Funds Sent to La Marque Never Spent on Recovery Projects [Galveston County Daily News]
• Ike Dike vs. Rice Plan: Status of 2 Initiatives To Prevent a Storm Surge in Houston, Port Arthur Areas [Houston Chronicle]
• After 4 Days of Operation, New $24M Galveston-Port Bolivar Ferry Out of Service for Software Repairs [Galveston County Daily News]
• Cashing In on Port of Galveston Cruise Passenger Parking [Galveston County Daily News]
• New Website Tracks Ozone in Houston with Real-Time Map [KUHF]
• Exploring a Rare Urban Coastal Prairie in Deer Park [Houston Chronicle]
• Building a Contemporary Art Collection for Houston’s Airport Terminals [Culturemap]
• Billionaire Robert Pattinson Dreams of Buying Rothko Chapel in New David Cronenberg Film of Don Delillo’s Cosmopolis [Culturemap]

Photo: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Hines Begins Constructing Apartments Next to WaterWall Park, One of 11 New Multifamily Complexes Planned for Galleria Area [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• City Plan Would Offer Developers Financial Incentives To Build Residential Properties Downtown [Houston Chronicle]
• Study Presents Plans for a More ‘Livable’ Washington Ave Corridor [The Leader; presentations]
• OKRA Charity Bar Opening in Former Red Cat Jazz Café Location Downtown in November Will Raise Money from and for Nonprofits [Houston Chronicle; preview]
• Brokers Report on Houston’s Real Estate Sector [Houston Business Journal]
• Rockets Owner in Talks To Buy Dynamo, Control BBVA Compass Stadium [Houston Business Journal]
• UH Board Approves $85M To Begin Football Stadium Construction; Could Start by January [KUHF News; previously on Swamplot]
• River Oaks Residents Concerned About Apartment Complex Crime Wave [Click2Houston]

Photo of ghost signs at Congress and Bastrop: Molly Block via Swamplot Flickr Pool