NewsTrust - All Rated Stories

Obama administration touts record-setting deportation figures

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Houston Chronicle - By Susan Carroll - Oct. 06 (News) - Top Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials announced record-setting national and local statistics on immigration enforcement Wednesday, highlighting a sharp increase in the number of "criminal aliens" removed last year. The total number of illegal immigrants removed nationally during the 2010 fiscal year topped 392,000, and more than half — some 195,000 — had at least one conviction other than illegal entry on their record, ICE officials reported.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.4 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Americans' views on immigration reveal complexities

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Houston Chronicle - By Spencer Gaffney - Jul. 19 (News Analysis) - When it comes to the highly inflamed issue of immigration, Americans hold complex and seemingly contradictory views.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.4 average - 6 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Did cutting time, money come at cost of safety?

Sat, 29 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Houston Chronicle - By Tom Fowler - May. 29 (News Report) - BP officials insist safety was a top priority on the Macondo drilling project more than 40 miles off the coast of Louisiana, but there were plenty of reasons for the oil giant to want to cut corners to save time and money.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.9 average - 7 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

The whys of NASA's post-lunar history

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Houston Chronicle - By Eric Berger - Jul. 19 (Special Report) - From NASA's view, the progression of space programs — shuttle first in 1981, followed by the space station in 1998 and finally Constellation — make sense in a universe constrained by finances and challenged by the unchangingly difficult physics of spaceflight.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average - 6 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Should the mayor take over Houston schools?

Sun, 10 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Houston Chronicle - By Ericka Mellon - May. 10 (Special Report) - As the Houston school board searches for a superintendent, a national movement is growing to yield that power — and more — to local mayors or boards they appoint. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan sent shock waves through public school systems this year when, shortly after taking office, he urged mayors to take over struggling urban districts. “At the end of my tenure, if only seven mayors are in control, I think I will have failed,” said Duncan, former CEO of the Chicago school district, which has been under the mayor’s power since 1995.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.6 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Houston dropout rate vexes outgoing schools chief

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Houston Chronicle - By Jennifer Radcliffe - Feb. 08 (News Report) - The embarrassing high school dropout problem that HISD Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra inherited and that he fought to rectify will almost certainly be passed along to his successor, the outgoing schools chief acknowledges. In a one-on-one interview after last week’s surprise announcement that he will step down by spring 2010, Saavedra claimed significant victories in raising test scores, narrowing the achievement gap and installing an aggressive performance pay system for teachers. But Saavedra also acknowledged that his inability to stem Houston’s dropout problem after nearly five years on the job is his biggest disappointment.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.5 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Houston's first all-girls public school to open this summer

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Houston Chronicle - By Jennifer Radcliff - Feb. 03 (Special Report) - Andres Flores, 13, explains with certainty why he prefers attending an all-boys’ school. “Boys and girls fall in love. While this is all happening, the boys get off task,” he admitted. Flores is a sixth-grader at KIPP Polaris Academy, a charter school that opened in 2007 to help prepare middle school boys from the North Forest area for college. This summer, a sister school for girls will open in the same Mesa Drive strip mall. The campus, KIPP Voyage Academy, is expected to be Houston’s first all-girls public school. Nationally, the number of single-gender public schools has jumped from 11 in 2002 to 518 now, according to the National Association for Single Sex Public Education. “This is about expanding choices for parents,” said Leonard Sax, director of the national association. “It’s certainly a good choice for some kids, but one size does not fit all.”

NewsTrust Rating: 2.9 average - 4 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Fighting Global Illiteracy

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Houston Chronicle - By DorisH - Jan. 29 (Opinion) - According to this International Reading Association 2007 study "The relationship of illiteracy and poverty is undeniable." Here are just a few facts culled from The International Reading Association. • The per capita income in countries with a literacy rate less than 55% averages about $600. • Teaching mothers to read can lead to a decrease in infant mortality of up to 50%. • 98% of all non-literates live in developing countries. • 52% of all non-literates live in India and China. • Africa as a continent has a literacy rate of less than 60%. • In all developing countries, the percentage of children aged 6-11 not attending school is 15%. In the least developed countries, it is 45%.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.5 average - 7 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

McCain, Obama must play up their positives

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 22:32:54 -0700

Houston Chronicle - By Bennett Roth, Richard S. Dunham - Jun. 08 (News Analysis) - arack Obama wows huge crowds with his Kennedyesque charisma and his soaring oratory, but he can seem lackluster and shallow on a debate stage. Republican presidential candidate John McCain revels in the human interaction with average folks at town hall meetings, but he often appears stilted and stumbling when delivering a prepared speech to a large audience. McCain, 71, runs strongest among older voters but has trouble attracting the support of the younger set. Just the opposite is true of the 46-year-old Obama. The two candidates who have emerged from the grueling primary season have sets of strengths and weaknesses when it comes to policies, experience, campaign style and support among key voting blocs. The success that each man has in maximizing his assets and minimizing his liabilities could go a long way toward determining which one emerges victorious in what is starting out as a very close presidential contest.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.0 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

John McCain's Idea Of 'Change'

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 04:56:37 -0700

Houston Chronicle - By desperado - Jun. 06 (Opinion) - Does this look vaguely familiar? (graphic of McCain ad: 'A Leader We Can Believe In') I kid you not, this was taken directly from the McCain web site. Underneath the picture are these words: 'The choice is between the right change and the wrong change; between going forward and going backward.' I may be wrong, but if McCain wants to promote himself as 'the right change' a good place to start might be by not ripping off his opponents logo and slogan. But that's just me.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average - 5 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

'We Should Not Let Them Back into Polite Society'

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Houston Chronicle - Jun. 06 (Editorial) - In his conclusion, Richard Clarke made a startling assertion that I happen to agree with. When asked about repercussions for those who lied, he said that at a minimum, "We should not allow these people back into polite society and give them jobs on university boards and corporate boards and just pretend that nothing happened when there are over 4,000 Americans dead and over 25,000 Americans grievously wounded. They'll carry those wounds and suffer all the rest of their lives. Someone should have to pay, in some way."

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average - 18 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

McCain wants to show voters he's different

Sat, 31 May 2008 22:39:50 -0700

Houston Chronicle - May. 31 (News Report) - John McCain is planning to send a message that he's "a different kind of Republican" as he fully opens up a general-election campaign against Barack Obama.

NewsTrust Rating: 1.9 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Senate to strip oil company tax from energy bill

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 08:47:16 -0800

Houston Chronicle - By David Ivanovich - Dec. 13 (News Report) - Facing a veto threat from the White House, the Senate today by one vote rejected a bid to move forward on an energy bill that would dramatically boost vehicle fuel mileage requirements and raise taxes on major oil companies. In response, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said leaders would strip out a tax provision that had bothered the Bush administration and many Republicans in the Senate.

NewsTrust Rating: 2.8 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Democrats in Senate put energy challenge to Bush

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:44:41 -0800

Houston Chronicle - By David Ivanovich - Dec. 12 (News Report) - The Democratic-led Senate threw down a challenge to the White House on Tuesday with plans to bring an energy bill to the floor that would slap oil and gas companies with higher taxes. "If it goes to the White House, we would hope that common sense would prevail and the president would sign that," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

NewsTrust Rating: 2.8 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Expert links stockpiling to oil price

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 11:43:48 -0800

Houston Chronicle - By David Ivanovich - Dec. 11 (News Report) - The Bush administration's decision to add more oil to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve has added as much as 10 percent to the price of crude, an oil consultant told a Senate panel Tuesday.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.5 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Students must remember 'God' in Texas pledge

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 08:20:04 -0700

Houston Chronicle - By Melanie Markley - Aug. 02 (News Report) - Texas students will have four more words to remember when they head back to class this month and begin reciting the state's pledge of allegiance. This year's Legislature added the phrase "one state under God" to the pledge, which is part of a required morning ritual in Texas public schools along with the pledge to the U.S. flag and a moment of silence.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.1 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

The Working Class Is Not Stupid About Immigration

Tue, 22 May 2007 09:37:39 -0700

Houston Chronicle - By Froma Harrop - May. 22 (Opinion) - The American working class has few friends, and that sad situation is never more apparent than when the issue is immigration. The fat cats want unlimited supplies of cheap labor. It makes sense. That a giant union purportedly serving low-skilled workers would further that end does not. The Service Employees International Union is backing a proposal to greatly expand the supply of low-cost labor pouring into the United States. The reason why is close to crazy.

NewsTrust Rating: 2.3 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

We still know stunningly little about the heart

Sat, 05 May 2007 11:13:48 -0700

Houston Chronicle - By Eric Berger - May. 05 (Opinion) - [In the Human Genome, researchers have found] two base pairs (or SNPs) that raise the risk of heart disease in whites by 40 percent.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.4 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Reid: Bush in Denial Over War in Iraq

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 06:55:58 -0700

Associated Press - By David Espo - Apr. 23 (News Report) - With a veto fight looming, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Monday that President Bush is in a state of denial over Iraq, "and the new Congress will show him the way" to a change in war policy. Reid, D-Nev., said the Democratic-controlled House and Senate will soon pass a war funding bill that includes "a fair and reasonable timetable" for the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops. In a speech prepared for delivery, he challenged Bush to present an alternative if, as expected, he vetoes the measure. Asked to react, White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said, "I fear that they are talking themselves into believing that we are not facing a determined enemy -- a sworn enemy of the United States, and they do this at our peril." "It's important that everyone understand that this is an enemy determined to kill innocent Americans, innocent Iraqis to destabilize the region," she said. "Short of understanding the seriousness of that, the consequences could be dire."

NewsTrust Rating: 3.6 average - 5 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

2 dead in JSC hostage standoff

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 01:12:35 -0700

Houston Chronicle - By Mark Carreau, Ruth Rendon - Apr. 21 (News Report) - A NASA contract worker barricaded himself inside a Johnson Space Center building Friday and killed one of two hostages before committing suicide. William A. Phillips, a 60-year-old engineer, fatally shot co-worker David Beverly in the chest with a snub-nosed revolver about 1:40 p.m., authorities said.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.0 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

N.Y. Times to apologize for photo, video of soldier

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 08:27:56 -0800

Houston Chronicle - By Michael Hedges - Feb. 01 (News Report) - The New York Times will express regret for hurting the feelings of the family of a Texas soldier after publishing a photograph and a video showing him as he lay dying in Baghdad. The letter is part of an agreement reached Wednesday between the Army and the Times to resolve a controversy about the use of images of Staff Sgt. Hector Leija without his consent. "The New York Times agreed to write a letter to Sgt. Leija's family explaining the process we go through to notify families and why we run the articles and photographs we do, and expressing regret that the family suffered distress," said a statement from the newspaper.

NewsTrust Rating: 2.4 average - 7 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Electronic voting led to errors, report says

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 14:31:24 -0800

Houston Chronicle - By Rosanna Ruiz - Jan. 03 (News Report) - Electronic voting machines meant to streamline the Election Day process have resulted in late poll openings, data-retrieval errors and widespread machine failures, according to a new report about last year's midterm election.

NewsTrust Rating: 2.8 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Round Rock teens' protests head to court

Mon, 12 Jun 2006 03:13:57 -0700

Houston Chronicle - By Lisa Falkenberg - Jun. 12 (News Report) - Across the nation, teenagers who cut school in March for pro-immigration rallies faced consequences from stern lectures to suspensions to having their prom rights revoked. But in this clean-cut Austin suburb known for its tough-minded approach to law and order, teens are facing what some of the harshest consequences in Texas and some say the nation: criminal prosecution.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.6 average - 8 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer