Headlines

• The Texas Drought, As Seen from Space (Things Don’t Look Good) [State Impact]
• State Warns of Blackouts this Winter [Fuel Fix]
• TIAA Looks to Sell Half its Stake in Four Oaks Place Complex [Real Estate Alert]
• The Myth of Zoning-Free Houston [Slate]
• Rice Student Owes University $15,000 After Naked Glass-Breaking Accident [CultureMap]
• MFAH Names New Director as Museum Prepares to Construct a Third Exhibition Building [29-95; previously on Swamplot]
• Two-thirds of Controversial Montrose Management District Board Have A Friend in a High Place [Texas Watchdog]
• For History Buffs, Houston Then (1891) and Now [The Atlantic Cities]

Photo of Texas City Dike by Joel Olives [license]

• Hess Tower Downtown Reportedly Sold for Record $445 Million [Prime Property]
• City Council To Hear Arguments on Parking Ordinance Today [abc13]
• Discount Retailers Aldi, Alco Planning Multiple Houston Stores [Houston Business Journal]
• New Mi Tienda Store off 59 Will Feature Outdoor Silo with 36,000 Pounds of Corn [Houston Chronicle]
• Lake Conroe’s La Torretta Resort in Default [The Woodlands Villager]
• Texas Drought Expected To Continue Through Spring [Texas Tribune]
• WWI Museum Rolls into La Porte on Big Rig [The Pasadena Citizen]
• Now-Former Houston Chronicle Art Critic Hits the Road, Creating ‘Highly Ineffective Social Sculpture‘ [Slog]
• Conroe, Montgomery County Fight Plan To Inject Toxic Waste into Old Oil Wells [State Impact]

Photo of Hobby Airport sculpture: Michael Coppens [license]

• Google-Map Your Way Through Bush and Hobby Airport Terminals [TechBlog]
• HUD Brought in To Revamp Houston’s Hapless Housing Department [Houston Chronicle]
• LEED Gold Hilton Garden Inn Going Up at Highway 290 and West Little York [Houston Business Journal]
• HOV Lane on 290 Westbound Now Open from Eldridge to Skinner Rd. [Cypress Creek Mirror]
• Bayou City Art Fest Won’t Abandon Deforested Memorial Park [Culturemap]
• Insurance Company Claims Rare Bugatti Sports Car Driven into La Marque Lagoon on Purpose [Jalopnik]
• $900 Million Federal Grants a Milestone for Houston Passenger Rail [Streetsblog]

Photo of Woodlands Waterway: Joel Olives [license]

• Springwoods Village Wants 4 New Hotels [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• Revised Development Ordinance Would Allow Higher-Density Housing Outside Loop [Prime Property]
• Anemic Hurricane Season Comes to an End [Houston Chronicle]
• Shortage of Highest-Quality Retail Space Inside the Loop, Leasing Brokers Say [GlobeSt.com]
• Is the Chronicle’s Art Critic Trying To Get Himself Fired? [The Great God Pan Is Dead]
• Linbeck’s Plans for Downtown Block South of Market Square [Prime Property]
• Making Houston Safe for Math and Engineering Tourism [Houston Strategies]

Photo of Brazos State Park: Flickr user garlandcannon [license]

• Houston Population to Reach 6.18 Million Next Month [Houston Business Journal]
• Yale Street Bridge Use Restricted as TxDOT Reduces Load Limit [Off the Kuff]
• Houston More Than Halfway Through Cutting Down 7,000 Dead Trees [Memorial Examiner]
• Woodlands Water Restrictions Lifted [The Woodlands Villager]
• Stray Dogs Running Wild in East Houston [KHOU]
• DIY Home Energy Audits from City Green Building Resource Center [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston’s Director of Sustainability Focuses on Cost Savings [The Atlantic Cities]
• Houston Still Trying To Quit Ghost of Enron [Fuel Fix]

Photo of Buffalo Bayou from McKee St. Bridge: Mike Fisher [license]

• Burger House Scouting for Locations Near Rice Village [Eating Our Words]
• Sundance Cinema Officially Opens Today in Former Angelika Spot Downtown [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Fundraising for New Bike Museum, Near Children’s Museum [Houston Chronicle]
• Bellaire Council Spending $100K for Park at Old Teas Nursery [Bellaire Examiner; previously on Swamplot]
• Occupy Protester Wants Occupiers from Other Cities to Spend Winter in Houston [Houston Politics]
• Spring Branch Smokey’s Bar-B-Q Goes Up in Smoke [Houston Chronicle]
• Harris County Burn Ban Sticking Around for 2 More Weeks [Cypress Creek Mirror]
• Plumbers Expect 25 Percent Increase in Business on ‘Brown Friday’ [Houston Chronicle]

Photo near Tidal Rd., Deer Park: Flickr user ageing accozzaglia [license]

• Major Culling of ‘Beloved’ T.C. Jester Trees [Hair Balls]
• Traffic-Blocking Trees Trimmed on Wayside [abc13]
• Thousands of High-End Apartments Planned for Inside the Loop [Houston Chronicle]
• Harris County Likely To End 7-Month Burn Ban [MyFox Houston]
• Louis Vuitton and Burberry Plan Major Galleria Expansions; Prada and Miu Miu on Their Way [CultureMap]
• City of Houston Orders Decrease in Water Release from Lake Conroe by 15M Gallons per Day [The Courier of Montgomery County]
• Galveston City Council Approves Updates to Comprehensive Plan — Minus Bus Service Expansion [Galveston County Daily News]
• Renamed “Buffer” Ordinance to Prevent Future Ashby Highrises to Come Before City Council in December [River Oaks Examiner; previously on Swamplot]
• Moving Amnesia, a Symptom of Having Moved 27 Times [Design Houston]

Photo of T.C. Jester trees: Monica Fuentes [Houston Press]

• Three Years After Ike, 200 Abandoned Buildings Remain on Demo List [Galveston County Daily News]
• Hacker Targets South Houston Sewer System [Houston Chronicle]
• Privacy, Hacking Concerns About Smart Meters [Cypress Creek Mirror]
• Smart Meters for Electricity Mean Higher Rates for Reading Your Gas Meter [FuelFix]
• Galveston Seeks $122M for Housing Programs [Galveston County Daily News]
• Pelican Builders Branches Out into Residential Development with Woodlands Project [Houston Business Journal]
• Orange Show Eyeopener Tour Shows Judge Hofheinz’s Former Astro Village Hotel Suite, Other Quirky Sites [CultureMap]
• Report: Las Vegas Should Turn to Houston for Lessons in Rebuilding Its Economy [Las Vegas Sun]

Photo of Hilton Americas Hotel: Laurie Ballesteros

• Occupy Houston Protesters Block Rush-Hour Traffic, Get Arrested [Houston Chronicle]
• Local Businesses Protest Proposed Increases in Off-Street Parking Requirements [CultureMap]
• Major Repairs — and Closures — Scheduled for Southwest Freeway this Weekend [Hair Balls]
• Security Cam Video Shows Houston Press Music Editor Heart Attack, Rescue at Metro Light-Rail Station [Hair Balls]
• Aerial Studies Reveal Histories of Cities Slowly Consumed by Parking Lots [The Atlantic Cities]
• Bunker Hill Village’s Strey Lane Drainage Project Given Green Light [Memorial Examiner]

Photo of Bay Area Park: Mike Fisher [license]

• Federal Judge Rules in Favor of Houston’s Allied Home Mortgage [Bloomberg; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Home Builders Could Face Higher Efficiency Standards [Houston Chronicle]
• Artist Finds Inspiration in Houston’s Demolished Buildings [CultureMap]
• Open House on I-45 Expansion Plans North of Downtown< /a> [Off the Kuff]
• Memorial Park’s Dead Trees Will be Hauled to Atascocita for Lumber, Pulp [CultureMap; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Home Sales Up Again, 9 Percent from Last Year [Houston Chronicle]
• New Container Store Opening Saturday at Former Circuit City in The Woodlands [Design Houston]

Photo of Webster fire hydrant: Mike Fisher [license]

• Bellaire Zoning Change Would Create ‘Urban Transit Village’ at 59 and 610 [Bellaire Examiner]
• 610 North Loop Westbound Between Yale and 290 Ranks No. 8 Nationally for ‘Consistent Unreliability,’ No. 16 for “Lunchtime Delay.’ [Houston Business Journal]
• Free Paint Fridays at the Environmental Service Center [abc13]
• Crimson Real Estate Fund Buys Westchase Office Bldg., 6.3 Acres for Apartments [Houston Business Journal]
• Former NBA Star David Robinson Buys Katy Fwy. Hilton Garden Inn [Houston Chronicle]
• Sierra Club’s Grand Parkway Segment E Lawsuit Gets Day in Court Today [Houston Tomorrow; previously on Swamplot]
• Mitchell Historic Properties Details Plans for, Frustrations with Galveston Piers It Wants To Buy from City [Galveston Daily News; previously on Swamplot]
• Katy, West Houston Residents Likely to Pay More for Water Next Year [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of Dynamo Stadium: Chris Canetti

• Houston Housing Authority Auctions Off Its Houses, Nets $8 Million [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• Designer Kristen Johnson Shares Her Favorite Houston Home Stores [Design Houston]
• Loan-Free Mirabeau B. Condos in Montrose To Be Sold at Cost [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Design Glitches at the Houston Modern Outdoor Design Tour [Architangent; see also Art Attack and slideshow]
• Portions of Memorial Park Closed Today for Dead Tree Removal [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Office of Philip Johnson/Alan Ritchie Architects Opens [Houston Business Journal]
• Recycling Programs Coming to Houston Apartments [Off the Kuff]

Photo of 3231 Audley St. from Modern Outdoor Design Tour: Brinn Miracle

• Future Texas Water Supply Uncertain [Houston Chronicle]
• Fears in Galveston That Expanded Park-and-Ride Would Cause Exodus from the Island [Galveston County Daily News]
• Houston’s Office, Industrial Real Estate on an Upswing [Houston Business Journal]
• HISD To Annex 7,500 Students as North Forest ISD Forced to Close [KHOU]
• HISD’s Barnett Stadium Passes Inspection, but Illness Mystery Still Unsolved [Bellaire Examiner]
• Urban Wildfire Could Spark in Memorial Park [West U Examiner]
• Chateau Restoration Hardware Opens its 14-Foot Gates in Highland Village [CultureMap; previously on Swamplot]
• Fred Rizk, Developer of 10,000 Houston Apartments, Dead at 86 [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of South Shore Harbor Lighthouse:Mike Fisher [license]

• Houston’s Restaurant Community Fights Proposed Parking Changes [CultureMap]
• MetLife Sells Half its Stake in Wells Fargo Building [Prime Property]
• Unfinished Dynamo Stadium Already Bringing Business Boom to East End [abc13]
• Residents Say Local Food Truck Service is Price Gouging Them [MyFox Houston]
• Tucker Carlson Helps Revive Trendlines Real Estate Report with Return of Fancy Party [Houston Business Journal]
• Black Bears Return to East Texas Forests [MyFox Houston]
• Carnival Cruise Lines to Debut New Ship in Galveston [Houston Business Journal]
• San Luis Pass Bridge Toll Increase Tabled — For Now [Galveston Daily News]

Photo of Montrose sunrise: Anna Grove

• Inside the Menil Director’s New Menil-Inspired Home, Near the Menil [New York Times]
• Public Hearing Today on Changes to City Off-Street Parking Requirements [City of Houston; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Foreclosures on Decline, Says RealtyTrac [Houston Business Journal]
• Debt-Ridden Metro Finally Getting Long-Awaited $900 Million from Feds [KHOU]
• HAR’s New iPad App [Prime Property]
• Tiki Island Causeway Gets Promised Landscaping [Galveston Daily News]
• Cleanup Continues for Tornado-Struck Community [Click2Houston]
• Speed Bumps Generate Electricity, Power Drive-Thru’s Cash Registers [Autopia]

Photo: Flickr user telwink [license]