The Houston Symphony has announced its 2004-05 season. The Symphony has gone through a tough financial stretch over the past couple of years, but it is a class organization and deserving of Houstonians’ generous support. The Symphony plays in Houston’s venerable Jones Hall, which is located in the heart of Houston’s downtown Theatre District.
For the next three years, it would be a very good idea to avoid this area around the Spur 527 into downtown Houston from the Southwest Freeway as a major road renovation project gets underway this weekend. Frankly, it would be a good idea to avoid the entire stretch of the Southwest Freeway from Kirby or Shepard Drives on the west to the 288 Freeway on the east. Until drivers get used to this project and readjust driving routes, be scared. Very scared.
The Houston Chronicle is reporting that a Galveston County Grand Jury has indicted Robert Durst again, this time on charges of “tampering with evidence” (I’m not sure that’s exactly how I would characterize cutting up a corpse and throwing it into Galveston Bay, but what the heck). As noted in a prior post, Mr. Durst is well represented by noted Houston criminal defense attorneys, Dick DeGuerin and Mike Ramsey. Mr. DeGuerin, who must feel as if the Durst cases are an annuity for him, commented about the new indictment: “It’s just sour grapes.”
Houston-based Plains Exploration & Production Co. has agreed to buy Houston-based Nuevo Energy Co. in a stock deal valued at almost $600 million. If completed, Plains will issue about 37.5 million shares to Nuevo shareholders (based on Plains’ $15.89 per share Wednesday closing price), and assume $350 million of debt and convertible securities. The deal is scheduled to close in the 2nd quarter of this year.
The Houston Chronicle reports on Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts‘ announcement of the late Caroline Wiess Law‘s bequest of almost 60 artworks valued at between $60-85 million. Mrs. Law was a daughter of Harry Wiess, one of the founders of Humble Oil Co., the predecessor to Exxon Mobil. Mr. Wiess and his wife Olga were founding members of the Museum of Fine Arts, which has grown into the centerpiece of Houston’s Museum District just north of the Texas Medical Center.
In a prior post, I noted that The Producers is playing at the Hobby Center the next couple of weeks. One of my sons, my wife and I went to this past Friday’s performance, and it is truly a great show. Even Everett Evans, the Chronicle’s tough theatre critic, gives the show a spectacular review. This is Broadway at its finest, so don’t miss it.
The excitement over the Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte acquisitions resulted in the Astros‘ selling out their season opener against Barry Bonds and the Giants in record time. More on baseball later.
Rich Connelly of the Houston Press–Houston’s “alternative” weekly newspaper–has a funny piece in this week’s edition on the Super Bowl XXXVIII festivities in Houston.
The Chronicle reports today on a big case involving several large gas pipeline companies, the Port of Houston and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In this opinion, the Fifth Circuit recently overturned federal District Judge Lynn Hughes’ summary judgment in favor of the pipeline companies that shifted a substantial amount of the relocation cost of some pipelines to the Port.
The Houston Chronicle is reporting that New Houston Mayor Bill White has announced a delay in the Smith Street rebuilding project in downtown Houston. The downtown street rebuilding project in Houston was begun early in former Mayor Lee Brown‘s administration, and it may have been the most badly botched public works project in the city’s history. It’s a good move for Mayor White to attempt to get this mess under control before tearing up Smith Street, one of the main arteries in downtown Houston.