Past Articles by Wendy Siegle
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Sixteen communities in Houston are considered food deserts, places where grocery stores are in short supply. But the City of Houston is attempting to fill the gap. Officials are tossing around ideas to incentivize supermarkets to open up in lower-income areas. As Wendy Siegle reports, the goal is to try to shorten the distance between families and healthy food. |
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Wheelchair Tennis Clinic in Montrose Nearly two years ago, a Houston tennis pro began coaching a free clinic for people in wheelchairs. The initial response was slow, with only a couple of students. Now the weekly program bustles with activity. Wendy Siegle sat in on one of the practices of the only wheelchair tennis clinic in Houston. |
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Texas Scores Money For High Speed Rail Texas has secured $15 million dollars in federal funds for the development of a proposed high-speed rail line from Houston to Dallas. The Texas Department of Transportation applied for a portion of the grant money last month. Wendy Siegle reports. |
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Houston Gets Emergency Solar-Powered Generation Units The City of Houston is buying 17 mobile solar-powered units from the University of Houston. The containers will be able to power small appliances and devices during emergency situations or widespread power outages. And as Wendy Siegle reports — the inside of the units are fitted-out to be used for offices, storage, and first aid stations. |
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Houston Makes Ford's List of Most Electric Car-Ready Cities The Ford Motor Company has just released a list of the 25 most electric-car ready cities in the country. And as Wendy Siegle reports, Houston is on it. |
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KUHF Conversations: Hilton Kelley, 2011 Recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize A Port Arthur man has been awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for North America, which is often described as the Nobel Prize for grassroots environmentalism. Hilton Kelley is the first Texan and first African-American male to win the prize. Kelley was raised in Port Arthur, a town dotted with chemical plants and refineries. He's being honored for his fight for environmental justice in that community. Wendy Siegle spoke with Kelley about his award. |
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Missouri City to Get Second Park & Ride Missouri City is getting a new park and ride. As Wendy Siegle reports, Metro is currently scoping out possible locations to put the new lot, which is expected to serve workers in the medical center. |
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Pollution-Free Power For Electric Car Owners Power company Green Mountain Energy unveiled the state's first pollution-free electricity package today for owners of electric vehicles. As Wendy Siegle reports, a Houston-area man is the first to sign up for the package. |
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"Talk Text Crash" TxDOT Launches Distracted Driving Campaign The Texas Department of Transportation launched its "Talk Text Crash" campaign at the University of Houston today. TxDOT hopes the month-long campaign will raise more awareness about the dangers of distracted driving. As Wendy Siegle reports, students were able to get behind the wheel of a driving simulator to see how easy it is to lose control when sending a text. |
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METRO Looking into Natural-Gas Powered Buses METRO is considering whether to add natural gas-fueled buses to its fleet. The transit agency is partnering with Austin and the Texas Transportation Institute to explore its options for natural gas. Wendy Siegle reports. |
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TxDOT: Bike/Ped Accommodations a Must For New Road Projects The Texas Department of Transportation has adopted a new policy: all new road projects must make room for pedestrians and bicycles, not just cars. As Wendy Siegle reports, the new rules mean Houston should start seeing more bike and pedestrian-friendly roadways in the future. |
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New Bi-Partisan Smart Tech Transportation Bill Introduced In House U.S. Reps. Mike Rogers, R-MI, and Russ Carnahan, D-MO, have introduced a new smart transportation technology bill (H.R. 995) into the House that would give six cities the opportunity to share in $1.2 billion dollars — as long as the money is used to fund innovative transportation technologies. |
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KUHF Conversations: Stacy Malkan Lipstick, shaving cream, deodorant, shampoo. We use these products every day, but what's in them? The campaign for safe cosmetics is hosting a seminar in Houston today to the discuss the latest research on toxic chemicals in personal care products. Stacy Malkan is co-founder of the group and author of the book Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry. She's one of the experts on the panel at today's seminar, and spoke with Wendy Siegle. |
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TPC Maintains Funding for Bike/Ped, But Give Rest to Roads/Freight Rails Local policy makers today voted not to take away money from bike and pedestrian-oriented projects. As Wendy Siegle reports — it was a small win for Houston cyclists, but not the outcome most were pushing for. |
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New Advocacy Group Wants More Money For Houston's Transportation System As Texas lawmakers struggle to trim the budget, transportation advocates are hoping the legislators keep the scissors away from the dwindling pot of transportation dollars. A new organization called TAG — the Transportation Advocacy Group Houston Region — is calling on politicians to find more ways to finance highway and transit projects. Wendy Siegle reports. |
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South Texas Nuclear Company Opens Brand New Emergency Response Center Japan's nuclear crisis has renewed the debate over the safety of atomic energy programs around the world. Houston's nearest facility is the South Texas Project, a nuclear energy plant in Matagorda County. As Wendy Siegle reports — STP has just opened a brand new joint information center and emergency response system. |
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Two Direct Connector Lanes Open at 59 and Sam Houston Tollway Interchange The Texas Department of Transportation opened two new fly over lanes in northeast Harris County today. As Wendy Siegle reports — the direct ramps connect north and southbound US 59 to the newly constructed section of Beltway 8 East. |
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Divvying Up Bike/Ped/Road Money Local transportation policy makers have $80 million dollars to distribute. Last month, they stalled on deciding what to do with that money. Everything from bikeway projects to road projects is on the table. As Wendy Siegle reports — discussions on how to allocate the funding is causing transportation advisors to reevaluate how Houston's transportation system will look in the future. |
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KUHF Conversations: Galina Tachieva & Tom Low Houston's known for being a sprawling city. But it's now home to an increasing number of high density, pedestrian-friendly developments — think City Centre, Midtown, and Sugar Land town square. Wendy Siegle spoke to two sustainable development experts about this trend. They're in Houston today to lead an urban planning workshop, where they'll talk about how their ideas can be applied to Houston. |
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Sending Relief Donations to Legitimate Aid Organizations With last week's devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, donations are pouring into aid organizations from around the world. But as Wendy Siegle reports — how can you make sure your money is going to a reputable organization, and not to some scam? |
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Giffords Making "Leaps and Bounds" in Rehab, Has Been Told She Was Shot Two months into her recovery from a bullet wound to the head, doctors say Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is progressing in "leaps and bounds." She has no recollection of the tragic incident in Tucson, but for the first time she has been told what happened to her. Wendy Siegle reports on what her doctors here in Houston are calling a "tremendous recovery." |
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Triple Homicide in Northeast Harris County Authorities are investigating a multiple homicide that left three men dead in northeast Harris County this morning. |
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Texas Lawmakers Consider State Distracted Driving Bills The Texas House Transportation Committee discussed five bills today that would limit the use of cell phones while driving. All five dealt with texting behind the wheel, but just one would prohibit both typing and talking on the phone while driving. Wendy Siegle reports. |
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City Initiative Brings Fresh Produce to Houston's 'Food Deserts' According to a recent study, Texas has fewer supermarkets per capita than any other state in the U.S. the shortage is most prevalent in low-income areas, making it hard for people to find fresh fruits and vegetables. But as Wendy Siegle reports, the Houston Health Department is spearheading a new initiative to bring fresh produce to a few underserved areas around the city. |
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House-Passed Bill Would Slash Funding For Columbia Bottomlands Forest Just over a week ago, the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution bill that would keep federal programs funded for the rest of the fiscal year. It's now being taking up by the Senate. The bill includes drastic cuts to environmental programs across the county. Wendy Siegle reports on what it would mean for the Columbia Bottomlands Forest here in southeast Texas. |
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Cyclists in the Houston area won a small victory today: at its monthly meeting, the Transportation Policy Council decided to postpone a vote on a proposal that would put several bike and pedestrian-oriented projects on hold. As Wendy Siegle reports, the decision came after a number of people came out to oppose the proposal. |
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METRO Plans to Add Nearly 20 Cars to Main Street Line The Metropolitan Transit Authority has announced plans to add 19 more light rail cars to its fleet. METRO says the new cars will help serve more riders on the existing main street line. Wendy Siegle reports. |
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Policy Makers May Delay Funding For Some Bike/Pedestrian-oriented Projects Local transportation policy makers may vote this Friday to stall money for bike and other alternative transit projects in the Greater Houston area. As Wendy Siegle reports — cyclists are gearing up to protest the proposal. |
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Grand Parkway, Seg E: Traffic Benefits Vs Environmental Costs First there was Loop 610, next came Beltway 8, now planners are working on a possible third ring road that would circle around Greater Houston. A section of the Grand Parkway that would connect I-10 with US 290 is next in line to be built. In the second of our two-part series, Wendy Siegle looks at the expected traffic benefits and the potential environmental costs of Segment E. |
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Last Portion of Sam Houston Tollway Opens Saturday Commuters in northeast Harris County will have a new way to get downtown come Saturday. The final section of the Sam Houston Tollway is near completion and will open to the public this weekend. Wendy Siegle reports. |
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The Grand Parkway: Road to Nowhere or a Must For Houston's Future? The Grand Parkway was dreamed up long ago as a 180 mile ring road circling greater Houston. But less than thirty miles have been built so far. The Texas Department of Transportation now says it expects to have the nearly half billion dollars it needs to build the next section. It would run north-south and connect the Katy Freeway with US 290. But that segment is highly contentious because it would run across the Katy Prairie and would spur suburban development. In the first of our two-part series, Wendy Siegle traced the route Segment E could take. |
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METRO Gets Money Back From Spanish Rail Car Supplier METRO has officially received a 14-million-dollar refund from a Spanish-owned rail car vendor. The agency says the settlement will help move its rail projects forward. Wendy Siegle reports. |
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Air Alliance Houston Holds "State of the Air" Air Alliance Houston held its 4th annual "State of the Air" conference. EPA region 6 administrator Al Armendariz spoke about the ongoing battle between the EPA and Texas over greenhouse gas regulations at the event. Wendy Siegle reports. |
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METRO Looking to Expand Rail Service to Missouri City The Metropolitan Transit Authority may expand its rail service out to Missouri City. METRO is holding meetings this month to get public input on the project. Wendy Siegle reports. |
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TxDOT Takes on Grand Parkway Project Last month Harris County commissioners voted in favor of letting the Texas Department of Transportation build a portion of the Grand Parkway. The state has accepted the job and says it will construct three segments of the 180-mile ring road around Greater Houston. As Wendy Siegle reports — they'll have to wait till there's money available to get started. |
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Houston's Light Rail Expansion on Chopping Block METRO's light rail expansion could be in jeopardy if House Republicans have their way. A proposal to cut a federal urban transit program could come to a vote in the house by the middle of February. But as Wendy Siegle reports — METRO officials aren't worried. |
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Katy Tourist Attraction Finds Itself in Path of Grand Parkway For Texans seeking a window into ancient Chinese history, the Forbidden Gardens in Katy has offered an educational space to do just that. But this window is about to close. The quirky cultural gem of Katy has announced that it is shutting down. The reason — to make way for the Grand Parkway. Wendy Siegle reports. |
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Houston-Area Family of Five Gets First All-Electric Nissan Leaf in Texas The first Nissan leaf to come to Texas has landed in the hands of a Houston-area family. The family picked up their new ride at a dealership in clear lake. They'll likely be the only one's driving the leaf around here for a while because as Wendy Siegle reports, the production of the car is moving a bit slower than anticipated. |
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Hiking Up Fee Could Help Houston's Congestion Problems, But Not Solve Them Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst says instead of taxes, maybe we should increase vehicle fees to pay for highways. A Houston-area transportation planner likes the idea. Wendy Siegle explains why. |
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Houston METRO Slashes Fare to Airport, Hopes to Lure More People On-Board METRO is making changes to its airport service. The agency hopes the cheaper fares and added stops will entice people to take the bus to Bush Intercontinental Airport. Wendy Siegle reports on the shuttle that could see more of its notoriously empty seats filled soon. |
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Weak Economy Eased Congestion in 2009 Houston commuters were fortunate to spend less time sitting in traffic in 2009 than in 2008. That's according to a transportation study released today by the Texas Transportation Institute. The slight drop in congestion was due to the lagging economy and higher prices at the pump. But as the KUHF NewLab's Wendy Siegle reports, the respite from gridlock was probably short lived. |
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Environmental Health Advocates Meeting Tonight To Discuss Toxic Chemicals Environmental advocates from across the state are meeting together at this hour to discuss chemical pollution in Texas. EPA administrator Al Armendariz is on the panel. Wendy Siegle spoke to one of the meeting's organizers and has this report. |
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METRO Unveils Red Rail Car Promoting Safety The next light rail car you get on might be covered in red. The new look is part of METRO's campaign to promote safety. Wendy Siegle reports on the transit agency's effort to remind people to be extra careful along rail lines. |
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HPD's Crime Lab Making Improvements But Some Backlogs Still Growing Eight years ago Houston's crime lab was riddled with problems that led to the shutting down of its DNA division. The lab has been in full compliance with national standards in recent years, and now it appears more improvements have been made. But as Wendy Siegle reports, unprocessed rape kits are still piling up. |
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Activists Against Grand Parkway — Regardless of Who Builds It Now that Harris County Commissioners have voted to hand the reins of the Grand Parkway project back to TxDOT, the county should be able to get busy on other road projects. This pleases people who have long wanted the county to focus on projects in areas closer to central Houston. But as Wendy Siegle reports some activists still want the Grand Parkway, the 180-mile highway which would circle the greater Houston region, to be scrapped altogether. |
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A "Toxic Tour" of Houston's Eastside Houston has a number of sightseeing tours — most of them focus on the city's attractive destinations. But there is one tour that offers a sobering look at the dark side of Houston's industrial landscape. The KUHF NewsLab's Wendy Siegle explored these areas with guide Juan Parras, who hopes his tour will illuminate some of the more polluted neighborhoods of Houston. |
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New Plans In The Works For The Big Thicket Not all Houstonians know that just ninety miles northeast of here lies the big thicket national preserve — a biologically diverse space, home to soaring longleaf pine trees and the endangered Texas trailing phlox. For the first time in three decades the National Park Service is changing how it will manage the area. And as Wendy Siegle reports, the Sierra Club wants to make safeguarding this rare ecosystem the foundation of any new plan. |
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City's Free Weatherization Program Needs More Participants A federally funded program that gives low-income Houstonians the opportunity to reduce their energy bills is expiring next year. REEP, the City of Houston's residential energy efficiency program weatherizes the homes of income-qualified Houstonians at no charge. The city hopes it can sign up enough qualified residents before the deadline — otherwise it will have to return the money. But despite the expected savings, the program suffers from low participation rates. Wendy Siegle has more. |
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Local Food Movement Gaining Momentum in Houston Houston may not be on the list when people talk about cities with a sustainable food culture, but that doesn't mean it's not trying. Houstonians are growing local, buying local, and selling local on a much larger scale, thanks to paradigm-shifters like the recession and even Hurricane Ike. From the KUHF Newslab, Wendy Siegle reports on Houston's rapidly progressing local food movement. |
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METRO Cancels Controversial Contract With Spanish Rail Car Company Metro's board has approved a deal to terminate its controversial contract with a Spanish rail car company. The settlement means Metro is moving closer to negotiating a much-needed federal grant for the construction of two light rail lines. Wendy Siegle reports. |
