Otto Mation

Satish Byali has added a photo to the pool: Third-tallest (64-story) class A office tower located in the Uptown District of Houston, Texas. . [EXIF: D800, 24mm, f/11, 1/200secs, iso400] . www.satishbyali.com View the full article

Patrick Feller has added a photo to the pool: View the full article

Patrick Feller has added a photo to the pool: View the full article

Patrick Feller has added a photo to the pool: View the full article

Patrick Feller has added a photo to the pool: View the full article

Patrick Feller has added a photo to the pool: Now Marriott Courtyard SpringHill Suites View the full article

Patrick Feller has added a photo to the pool: Now Marriott Courtyard SpringHill Suites View the full article

Patrick Feller has added a photo to the pool: The Republic Bank Center is now the Bank of America Center View the full article

Patrick Feller has added a photo to the pool: http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2943/33762805291_d31ed6c291_m.jpg Now Bayou Lofts View the full article

Patrick Feller has added a photo to the pool: Now St. Germain Lofts View the full article

Patrick Feller has added a photo to the pool: View the full article

Patrick Feller has added a photo to the pool: View the full article

Patrick Feller has added a photo to the pool: Formerly Houston National Bank View the full article

Patrick Feller has added a photo to the pool: Formerly Houston National Bank View the full article

Patrick Feller has added a photo to the pool: View the full article

Patrick Feller has added a photo to the pool: View the full article

Patrick Feller has added a photo to the pool: View the full article

Patrick Feller has added a photo to the pool: View the full article

Patrick Feller has added a photo to the pool: View the full article

Patrick Feller has added a photo to the pool: View the full article

By Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune Bryan English, the Iowa Republican operative who guided U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz to victory in the first-in-nation caucuses last year, has joined the Texas senator’s re-election campaign. English recently moved to Houston and is serving as a senior adviser to Cruz’s 2018 effort, according to Cruz officials. English is the first major addition to Cruz’s re-election campaign, which for months has formally and informally involved a number of longtime aides. English was Cruz’s Iowa state director during his 2016 presidential campaign. After the campaign, English went to work for a pro-Cruz outside political group — a group that is now readjusting its focus following Donald Trump’s upset victory in the White House race. The field is still taking shape for the 2018 race. Two Democrats are weighing challenges to Cruz: U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio, who has said he will announce his decision by the end of April, and Beto O’Rourke of El Paso, who is expected to announce his candidacy soon.. Things have been quieter on the Republican side. U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul of Austin was encouraged to take on Cruz after Cruz initially declined to endorse Trump last year, but speculation about a McCaul challenge has since died down. This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2017/03/16/ted-cruz-taps-his-former-iowa-director-re-election-campaign/. The post Cruz Taps Former Iowa Director for Re-Election Campaign appeared first on Covering Katy News. View the full article

‘Silent Majority’ Turns out in Katy KATY (Covering Katy) – Supporters of President Donald Trump held a public rally along Fry Road at the Katy Freeway, Saturday in Katy. “We are supporting Donald Trump and we are supporting his agenda, said Steve Jackson who came to Katy to show support for the President and his policies. The Katy event was just one of many organized pro Trump rallies all over the country on Saturday, and its location left anti-trump organizers scrambling to get their forces from Houston to Katy. Anti Trump Forces Believe Katy Residents Don’t Represent Houston Majority Only a handful of people who opposed Trump showed up in Katy to counter the rally. One of the protesters was Dr. David Michael Smith who said he was a member of the Houston Socialist movement. He claimed the pro Trump rally was held in Katy because the residents here don’t represent the majority of people who live in Houston. “They (Trump supporters) scheduled this out in Katy where it is not nearly as representative of the population of metro Houston,” said Smith. Smith’s words were not heard by the Trump supporters, but they would likely have been considered insulting had the President’s supporters been within earshot when they were spoken. Those who rallied in Katy believe Smith’s view of people who live in Katy is completely wrong. They see themselves as the silent majority. “We’re glad that a silent majority has finally woken up to what is going on in this country,” Jackson said. His wife Pat also noted that Trump supporters wanted to have a positive rally without causing any disruptions. “It’s something positive. We want to go out and support the U.S.A. and make America great again,” Pat Jackson said. Socialist Dr. David Michael Smith came to protest the pro Trump Rally. He believes the people of Katy don’t represent the views of Metro Houston. Others at the Rally echoed that sentiment. “We are here to support our President. God bless him. said Carlin Mothersbaugh who belongs to a group of Katy area Republican women. “A group of our ladies started a little group called Katy Area Trumpsters, and we meet once a month to discuss politics and everything Trump,” she said. We came “to make people aware that we are supporting Donald Trump and we are supporting his agenda,” Steve Jackson said. That was their point. They came armed only with signs, flags and messages on t-shirts. There was no violence and no need for police in riot gear. It was just a roadside rally in Katy, Texas on a Saturday. Pro Trump Rally Anti Trump Rally The post Peaceful Pro Trump Rally Held in Katy appeared first on Covering Katy News. View the full article

KATY (Houston Chronicle) – Draped in American flags and chanting “lock her up,” dozens of Houston-area supporters of President Donald Trump gathered Saturday morning in Katy to rally around the new commander-in-chief – even as counter-protesters demonstrated against him. The enthusiastic gathering at the Fry Road Park and Ride was part of a nationwide series of similar events intended to strike back at anti-Trump sentiment. “We won,” Houston Area for Donald Trump organizer Cooper Jackson said before the event kickoff. “That’s a point we’re going to try to make.” Bob Holden, a veteran from Willis, came out to stand up to protesters who have vocally opposed the new president. “Any anti-Trump rally is really a criticism of poor and middle-class working people,” he said. “It is time to stop attacking working class people. Every time they criticize Trump they are criticizing the people who voted for him.” Some in the crowd also came out to oppose mainstream media coverage of the Trump administration. “You people are absolutely horrible,” offered one rally-goer. CLICK FOR MORE FROM THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE. The post Trump Supporters Rally in Katy appeared first on Covering Katy News. View the full article

By Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune WASHINGTON, D.C. (Texas Tribune) – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is maintaining his largely neutral stance on Texas’ “bathroom bill” as pressure picks up on him to weigh in on the legislation. “This is an alarming issue that is an obvious concern to a lot of Texans,” Abbott told The Texas Tribune on Thursday night while attending the Latino Inaugural Gala, an event celebrating Friday’s inauguration of President-Elect Donald Trump. “I think it’s very important that legislators have the opportunity to listen to the concerns of their fellow Texans and consider the right remedies for those concerns.” Abbott’s remarks came a day after House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, delivered a speech in which he expressed apprehension about the legislation and said Abbott’s opinion on it could make a “big difference.” The legislation, Senate Bill 6, would require transgender people to use bathrooms in public schools, government buildings and public universities based on “biological sex” and would pre-empt local nondiscrimination ordinances that allow transgender Texans to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has called the bill one of his top priorities of the legislative session. When he was asked about the bill before it was released, Abbott took a wait-and-see approach, calling it a legitimate issue but saying more information was needed on it. He indicated Thursday night his posture toward legislation has not changed much in the two weeks since Patrick unveiled it alongside state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, the bill’s lead author. Pressed on the issue Thursday night, Abbott again emphasized that it is worthy of attention, especially after President Barack Obama created a “new paradigm” by issuing guidelines last year allowing for public schools to accommodate transgender students. “So you have parents of kids in schools who have legitimate concerns about this new situation that their children are put in that they’re going to have to address,” Abbott said. “Now, it may mean dealing with the administration in Washington, it may mean that we come up with some new laws, but what’s important is we find remedies that allay the concerns of these parents about the situation their children have been put in.” Abbott spoke with the Tribune as he left the gala, which was held by Trump’s National Hispanic Advisory Council. The event featured brief remarks from Abbott’s wife Cecilia, the first Hispanic first lady of Texas. “Mr. Trump’s message of economic opportunity, optimism and security really resonates with all Americans,” she said, “and the Trump Hispanic Advisory Council was instrumental in helping Mr. Trump get that message out to the Hispanic population.” Republicans have high hopes for Trump’s administration, and the Texas governor is no exception. He said he expects Trump to quickly issue executive orders aimed at Obama-era measures, and he is looking forward to swift action on a repeal of Obama’s Affordable Care Act. On border security, Abbott said he expects “stiffer enforcement” from the Trump administration, as well as some kind of fulfillment of Trump’s signature campaign promise to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. “Because of the fencing that already exists, they can go into those areas that they already occupy and be able to build wall or build fencing or build whatever type of barrier that could stave off” illegal crossings, Abbott said. “But the real thing they could do immediately is really just an attitude change … where the Trump administration will say, ‘No more will we allow people in illegally.’” Aside from SB 6, lawmakers in Austin are currently focused on the budget, with the two chambers releasing their versions Tuesday. The state’s cash crunch has some lawmakers raising the prospect that they will need to turn to Texas’ Rainy Day Fund to plug holes in the budget. Asked what advice he has for lawmakers on the Rainy Day Fund this session, Abbott hinted it could come in his State of the State address, which is scheduled for Jan. 31. “Stay tuned,” he said. “I’ll speak more about the budget in my State of the State. Let me not give away too many secrets right now.” He noted that he has laid out criteria, both as a gubernatorial candidate and during last session, for when lawmakers should turn to the fund. Abbott has proposed tapping the fund only for the purposes of “meeting unforeseen shortfalls in revenue, reducing existing debt, one-time infrastructure payments and expenses related to state disasters.” “I’m going to stick to that,” Abbott said. For Abbott, the inauguration marks the beginning of the second half of his gubernatorial term. Talk of the 2018 races is already heating up in Austin, where Patrick recently held a news conference to try to finally quell speculation he wants to challenge Abbott. Earlier this week, Abbott’s campaign disclosed having $34.4 million in the bank, a massive stockpile for a re-election bid. Asked Thursday if he is expecting any challengers for re-election, Abbott invoked the freak accident that left him partially paralyzed at age 26. “As a guy who’s in a wheelchair because a tree fell on him while he was jogging, my attitude is you never know when a tree’s going to fall on you,” Abbott said. “So be prepared for whatever may come, and I’ll be prepared.” As for his message to voters in 2018, Abbott suggested he would again focus on building GOP support in minority communities. “I believe that the Republican Party stands for the principles and ideas of the people who are in this room, which is the Hispanic community, of the African-American community, of the Asian community,” Abbott said. “One of my goals during the next campaign cycle is to make sure that the values of the Republican Party connect with the values of every single group in the state of Texas.” This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2017/01/19/bathroom-bill-abbott-still-sees-issue-concerning-m/. The post On “bathroom bill,” Greg Abbott staying neutral as pressure builds appeared first on Covering Katy News. View the full article

Move Designed to Head Off Future Problems WASHINGTON (AaronLayman.com) – Well that didn’t take long! The proposed FHA premium reduction has been halted by the Trump administration. Mortgageee Letter 2017-07 was issued within hours of Mr. Trump being sworn into office. The scheduled 25-basis point premium cut was slated to take effect January 27, a parting gift of the outgoing administration. The FHA premium reduction appeared ill-timed and more of a knee-jerk reaction to the recent spike in rates. Of course the housing industry is never one to waste an opportunity to juice sales, so many mortgage loan officers had cheered the news. The Mortgage Bankers Association was quick to respond to the news, reaching out to the new administration. I can see both sides of this argument, but the unfortunate truth is that the FHA premium reduction was indeed ill-timed, particularly when we are already dealing with an echo-bubble in housing. FHA loans have been getting more risky, not less, because the inflated nature of house prices across the country puts more marginal borrowers at risk of being upside down on their home. Any rational real estate practitioner should be able to understand this basic point. When house prices are outpacing incomes, the solution is not to inflate the price of homes even further. This is part of the problem with FHA loans, which have been loosening their restrictions, attempting to keep borrowers within reach of inflated home prices. This piece from summer of 2016 explains the giddiness of the housing gurus, as FHA loans were getting approved at increasing rates even before the premium reduction was proposed. This would suggest that premium reductions were not needed. What is concerning is the fact that FHA only requires a 3 and a half percent down payment to begin with. FHA rates are often lower than those for conventional buyers putting 20% down because of the government subsidy, and applicants only need a 580 credit score to qualify. When things go south, and they eventually will, taxpayers will be on the hook for the losses when those marginal borrowers default on the loans. The FHA program received a $1.7 billion injection (aka bailout) back in 2013, a lingering result of the last housing collapse. The FHA previously cut premiums back in 2015, sparking a big jump in the share of FHA-backed loans. The share of FHA loans is still hovering above longer-term averages. Not surprisingly, the 2015 premium reduction also spurred home price increases, thereby reducing home affordability and the stated objective of the premium reductions. I welcome the halt to the FHA premium cut. I think it was a poorly-timed gimmick. The FHA program is already stretching “affordability” too far and inflating the prices of homes. It will be interesting to see if the new administration is equally concerned about another problem plaguing the U.S. housing market, that of money laundering by foreign nationals into U.S. homes. This is another big problem with artificial house price inflation, one that will likely to continue be hidden from the public view. The post Layman’s Analysis: FHA Premium Cut Halted by Trump appeared first on Covering Katy News. View the full article