Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • B2

Check out Salsa Verde, American-Statesman reporter Asher look at news about the environment, at statesman.com/go/green STATESMAN.COM LOCAL BRIEFING statesman.com austin360.com ST WC SATURDAY, ne 19, 2010 B2 the waterways Friday was Take Our Children to Work Day at the Austin Fire Department, and for 5-year-old Daniel Martinez, that meant a ride on the rescue boat. Daniel joined his father, who has worked at the Fire Department headquarters for six years, and his sister on the boat. Thao guyen AMERICAN-STATESMAN AUSTI XAS DIG ST SA A TO IO White promises open responses Bill White said Friday that a free press should be viewed as an ally to good government and that if elected governor, media inquiries will be met with open responses. will be holding myself accountable by making myself the Democrat told a gathering of the Texas Press Association. meet inquiries by the press with stonewalling or White accused incumbent Gov.

Rick Perry, a Republican, of only allowing ops and controlled press He also said Perry fails to give straight answers to questions, citing response of it when asked by an Associated Press reporter about criticism of expenses at his temporary residence. Perry spokesman Mark Miner called criticism hypocritical, noting that White has refused to release all of his tax returns from his time as Houston mayor. Perry one of the most transparent governors in Texas Miner said. White said a free investigative press should be seen as an ally to root out problems and get to the truth. He also renewed his call for Perry to agree to televised debates something Miner says Perry will do after White discloses all his tax returns.

RA BURY Plane crash victims mourned Residents on Friday were mourning the loss of ve members of two families who died in a New Mexico plane crash. Family friends said the families were traveling Thursday so they could spread the remains of the mother of one of the crash victims. Killed were Rodney and Delaine Duree and their 11-year-old son, Lake. Rodney Duree was chairman of Airport Advisory Board. Also killed were Karl Richey, a middle school coach, and his wife, Keri Richey, an elementary school teacher.

Their two sons 16-year-old Alexander and 12-year-old Kristopher remained hospitalized in El Paso. Witnesses told investigators that the aircraft plunged while attempting to land Thursday at Sierra Blanca Regional Airport near Ruidoso, N.M. Compiled from wire reports AUSTI Cathedral of Junk gets reprieve The Cathedral of Junk has been saved at least for now in the latest twist of the wrangling over South Austin artist Vince yard art. During a meeting Thursday, Hanneman said city of cials told him that he will be allowed to keep the 33-foot tower of castoffs that he has constructed over the past 20 years. Hanneman had decided to dismantle it this week after months of back-and-forth with city code enforcement officers over safety concerns.

Now, Hanneman said he has agreed to submit a letter from an engineer con rming the safety. He said he also will apply for a building permit early next week. Once all done, city officials said they will issue him a certificate of compliance in the following weeks to be tacked onto the ever-mounting pile of junk. It was the intent all along that the Cathedral be preserved, said Leon Barba, an assistant director with planning and development review. Hanneman, Barba said, misunderstood what the engineer Hanneman said he is happy that the structure will remain an Austin landmark but said working through the city bureaucracy was unnecessarily complicated.

is the hardest thing ever had to he said. was like a cross between a divorce and a There are new rules for the Cathedral following the agreement: Hanneman will have to limit the number of people who visit the tower to 50 at a time, and visitors can no longer climb on the structure. City manager picks green czar City Manager Marc Ott on Friday named Lucia Athens to be first chief sustainability officer, according to a news release. As green czar, Athens will coordinate the environmental efforts across departments. Athens is currently a senior strategist for Seattle-based Col linsWoerman, a sustainable architectural and design firm.

However, Athens started her career in Austin, where she worked in the Green Builder Program. She was also one of the co-authors of the rst edition of the Austin Green Builder Guide. is a recognized leader and will bring the knowledge and track record for developing best managed practices to Ott said in a statement. Ott committed to creating the $116,000 position amid a budget crunch. Vouchers to help homeless vets The Austin Housing Authority will receive $453,738 to pay for housing vouchers for 50 homeless veterans, the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Friday. The funding is part of $7.5 million the agency is distributing nationwide to give housing aid to nearly 1,300 homeless veterans and represents more than half of the $879,885 given to Texas housing authorities. Of cials with the Central Texas Veterans Affairs Health Care System said earlier this year that the number of homeless veterans, especially those who have fought in the Iraq and Afghanistan con icts, has risen sharply in the Austin area. Participants in the Veterans supportive housing program receive the vouchers to help pay rent for privately owned housing. RO ll I OOD Council taking applications Rollingwood will collect applications to fill its open alderman seat on the City Council.

The opening was created after Alderman Bill Hamilton ran for mayor in the May 8 election. The council voted 3-1 Wednesday to appoint an alderman by an application process. Alderman Roxanne McKee voted against the move. The opening will be posted on the website, according to the city secretary. Applicants will be asked to submit a boards and commissions application by July 15.

The council and mayor will review the applications. The council could have also held a special election or appointed the third-place candidate, Kelli Carlton, in the May election for two council seats. Carlton leads the Rollingwood Park Commission. Compiled from staff reports en TRA XAS DIG ST Get the latest crime reports in your neighborhood with the Crime Tracker at statesman.com/news/crimetracker. STATESMAN.COM Associ A ted press Texas Democrats called Friday for House Speaker Joe Straus to remove a Dallas-area lawmaker from the powerful House Transportation Committee after reports surfaced that the member has been driving two vehicles, including a Mercedes-Benz, owned by a company that makes millions through state transportation contracts.

Boyd Richie, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, said the possibility that Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, has traded legislative favors for use of the vehicles is enough to warrant her removal from the committee until an investigation is concluded. A spokeswoman for Straus did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press inquiring whether he would remove Harper-Brown. appears Linda Harper-Brown has pro ted by securing luxury vehicles in return for doing legislative favors for an industry with business before her Richie said. this information proves true, Linda Harper-Brown ran a legal and ethical red light, and she could no longer properly represent hardworking Texans who pay for their own cars and Straus spokeswoman Tracy Young said the speaker was concerned and aware of the reports.

But, she added, believes that Representative Harper-Brown is a valued member of the House and believes she deserves the opportunity to have all the facts According to The Dallas Morning News, which rst reported the story along with television station WFAA, Harper-Brown requested and received state of cial license plates for a 2010 Mercedes E550 sedan and a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe. The vehicles are owned by Durable Enterprises Equipment Ltd. husband, William E. Brown III, said that the cars are compensation for accounting work he does for the owner of Durable and that he lets his wife drive the Mercedes. Harper-Brown, who did not return calls from The Associated Press, posted a video to her constituents on YouTube saying the allegation of wrongdoing was a political attack by opponents who want to bring Washington-style big government to Texas.

She did not directly respond to or mention the cars in the video. She has not reported the cars on nancial disclosure statements or in campaign finance reports, but her husband told The Dallas Morning News that she have to because they are part of his pay. The arrangement has some questioning the toughness of Texas ethics laws. Craig McDonald, director of the political watchdog group Texans for Public Justice, said the relationship between Harper-Brown, her husband and Durable to high He called for lawmakers to close loopholes in the law that allow the couple to avoid disclosure. Jeffrey C.

Bryan of Arlington owns Durable and several related companies that have received more than $12.3 million in contracts from the Texas Department of Transportation since 2007. One of companies, Paradigm Traffic Systems got into the business of selling components for cameras installed at red lights after Harper- Brown won passage in 2003 of a bill that never mentioned red-light cameras but opened an avenue to allow cities to use them. Brown, who owns an accounting firm, said his wife done anything illegal or improper. He said his prerogative to let her drive one of the cars he receives for compensation. like I buy her supper, just like I buy her Brown said.

seat is viewed by Democrats as a possible gain in this election. Democrats call for GOP removal from House committee Linda Harper- Brown sits on the House Transportation Committee. appears Linda Harper-Brown has pro ted by securing luxury vehicles in return for doing legislative favors for an industry with business before her Boyd Richie Texas Democratic Party chairman Legislator driving cars owned by firm with state transportation contracts.