OS Tips & News
Erroneous Immigration Work Permits
The Federal government admitted to handing out 2000 extended work permits to undocumented immigrants after a court injunction against it. A federal judge issued an injunction on President Obama's executive order on immigration, putting the reforms on hold. After the...
FBI Warns of Domestic Threats from ISIS – What Should Be Done?
Following the shooting in Garland, Texas last week, the FBI has issued a new warning of more domestic attacks connected to ISIS. By using social media propaganda, ISIS has expanded their reach into the US, and with the expansion of technology, tracing their influence...
Will Falling Oil Prices Fuel a Recession in Texas?
Plunging oil prices bring layoffs. Will this be the end of the Texas miracle? Will the drop in Texas economy have an impact on Rick Perry’s presidential run? Is Texas’ new leadership ready to confront a poor economy in a state that has rolled along on high oil for...
HPD Chief says the War on Drugs is a “Miserable Failure”
HPD Chief McClelland is moving away from the traditional stance on drug crime. He says money should go to treatment and prevention programs rather than jailing low level drug offenders. It costs $50,000- $60,000 per year to house a single inmate in Texas prisons....
Are Body Cameras a Game Changer for Law Enforcement?
With protests raging on across the country over police conduct , many law enforcement agencies are looking into equipping their officers with body cameras to improve transparency. Houston Police Department will be arming more than 5000 officers with body cameras for...
Harris County DA Debate: A Focus on the Issues
On Sunday, candidates for the Harris County District Attorney’s race went head-to-head on the issues important to Harris County. This is a hot race to watch not only because Harris County has the largest DA’s office in the state with more than 600 employees, but they...
Beaumont could make $400K annually selling your trash
The paper and plastic that Beaumont residents throw into their big green garbage cans every week could have a new destination by the end of this year - becoming diesel fuel. And the other garbage in there, like chicken bones, shrimp hulls, leftover pasta and those...
In a Perfect World
In a perfect world, there would be no need to reform our healthcare system in the United States. As the wealthiest and most ingenious nation in the history of the world, we would have already figured out a way to guarantee access to medical care for all citizens,...
Testing Teacher Evaluations
Texas is fleshing out a new statewide teacher evaluation system, which is expected to roll out next year. The system will tie teacher evaluations to student performance on standardized tests. School districts will base 20% of each teacher’s evaluation on student...
Transformation Among Asians in Houston
Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research Introduction This report presents some of the most important findings from three expanded versions, in particular, of the Kinder Institute’s annual “Houston Area Survey” (1982-2012). In all but one of the years...