Women Bank Robbers

adavis32 — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:38:58 +0000

Tonight at 10- we’re talking about the increase in the number of Houston-area bank robberies committed by women. A neat tool an investigator told me about is Bandit Tracker. Law enforcement officers use it to see pictures of bank robbers all over the country… and compare the pictures and crimes to robberies in their own jurisdictions; but anyone can log onto the site. If you recognize one of the suspects, call the police agency investigating the case.

New HOA Laws

adavis32 — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 18:18:29 +0000

Thursday at 5pm, we aired a story about a slew of new HOA laws that came out of this Legislative session. Some took effect in June, some yesterday… and some will start in January. We couldn’t include all 32 of the laws in our 2 minute report; but some of you have called and emailed asking where you can get a list. For your convenience, I am posting all of the new laws here. The summary of each new law is very general. For specifics and exceptions, refer to the House or Senate bill or the Texas Property Code to read the law in its entirety.

Rain Barrel Rules (Texas Prop. Code 202.007d) HB3391 Effective 9/1/11

HOAs must permit owners to install and use rain-harvesting devices if they meet certain architectural requirements.

Solar Panels (Texas Property Code 202.010) HB 362 Effective 6/20/11

HOAs must permit owners to install solar panels with certain permissable limitations.

Storm Shingles (Texas Property Code 202.011) HB 362 Effective 6/20/11

HOAs must allow owners to install shingles of certain materials made to resist wind and hall, provide heating/ cooling efficiency, or generate solar energy.

Flags (Texas Property Code 202.011) HB 2779 Effective 6/20/11

HOAs must permit owner to display the US, Texas or military branch flag, with permissible limitations.

Religious Display (Texas Property Code 202.018) HB 1278 Effective 6/20/11

HOAs must allow an owner to display religious items on his front door or doorframe, with certain permissible limitations.

Open Board Meetings (Texas Property Code 209-0051) HB 2761 Effective 1/1/12

Board Meetings (regular and special) must be open to owners, with some exceptions.

Meeting Notice (Texas Prop. Code 209.0056) HB 2761 Effective 1/1/12

HOAs must give owners notice of an HOA-wide election or vote.

Recount Procedures (Texas Prop. Code 209.0057) HB 2761 Effective 1/1/12

HOAs must conduct a recount of an election vote if requested by an owner.

No Secret Ballots (Texas Prop. Code 209.0058) HB 2761 Effective 9/1/11

Secret Ballots are prohibited.

Owner Voting Rights (Texas Prop. Code 209.0059) HB 2761 Effective 9/1/11

Owners may not be disqualified from voting for any reason.

Director Qualifications (Texas Prop. Code 209.00591 & .00592) HB 2761 Effective 9/1/11

Owner director qualifications are void; all owners may run for the Board.

Developer Director Transition (Texas Prop. Code 209.00591c) HB 2761 Effective 1/1/12

Establishes time frame when non-declarant owners must be elected to the Board.

Electronic & Absentee Ballots (Texas Prop Code 209.00593 & .00592) SB 472 & HB 2761 Eff. 9/1/11

Electronic and absentee ballots votes are valid if the ballots meet certain requirements.

Director Appointment (Texas Prop. Code 209.00593) HB 2761 Effective 1/1/12

Directors may not be appointed to positions whose terms have expired.

Election Vote Tabulators (Texas Prop. Code 209.00594) SB 472 & HB 2761 Effective 9/1/11

Only election vote tabulators allowed access to ballots.

Annual Meetings & Elections (Texas Prop. Code 209.014) HB 2761 Effective 1/1/12

HOAs must hold annual meetings or owners may themselves call an election meeting.

Recording Requirement (Texas Prop. Code 202.006) HB 1821 Effective 1/1/12

Unrecorded HOA dedicatory instruments are of “no effect.”

Website Posting (Texas Prop. Code 207.006) HB 1821

An HOAs dedicatory instruments must be posted on an HOA “publicly accessible” HOA website that must include copies of all governing documents of the HOA (i.e., declaration, bylaws, rules, articles and all amendments).

Declaration Amendment (Texas Prop. Code 209.0041 (SB 472) Effective 9/1/11

Declarations may be amended by 67% of the Owners (or less stated in the declaration).

Open Records (Texas Prop. Code 209.005) HB 2761 Effective 1/1/12

HOAs must adopt and file an open records policy; open records procedures established.

Records Retention Policy (Texas Prop. Code 209.005m) HB 2761 Effective 1/1/12

HOAs must adopt a records retention policy; certain statutory time frames established.

Military Notice (Texas Prop. Code 209.006b) HB 1127 Effective 1/1/12

Mandatory inclusion of military notice established.

Payment Plan Guidelines (Texas Prop. Code 209.0062) HB 1228 & HB 1821 Effective 1/1/12

Payment plans required and guidelines are mandated.

Application of Payments (Texas Prop. Code 209.0063) HB 1228 Effective 1/1/12

Mandatory application of payments schedule. States HOA must apply owners’ payments in the following order: delinquent assessments, current assessments, attorney fees or third party collection costs, other attorney fees, fines, other amounts.

Third Party Collections (Texas Prop. Code 209.0064) HB 1228 Effective 1/1/12

Required notice to owner prior to turning delinquent accounts over to a third party collection agent and certain contingency fee arrangements made unenforceable against an owner.

Copy Charge Foreclosure (Texas Prop. Code 209.009) HB 2761 Effective 1/1/12

No HOA foreclosure for copy charges related to books and records.

Junior Lienholder Notice (Texas Prop. Code 209.0091) HB 1228 Effective 1/1/12

Prior notice of foreclosure must be sent to junior lienholders.

Judicial Foreclosure (Texas Prop. Code 209.0092) HB 1228 Effective 1/1/12

Non-judicial HOA foreclosures prohibited.

Foreclosure Amendment (Texas Prop. Code 209.0093) HB 1228 Effective 1/1/12

Foreclosure provisions can be added or removed by owners from declaration.

Lien Notices (Texas Prop. Code 209.0094) HB 1228 Effective 1/1/12

Confirms prior law that HOA lien notices and similar instruments affect title to property.

Transfer Fees (Texas Prop. Code Chap. 5, subchap. G) HB 8 Effective 6/17/11

Certain types of transfer fees are prohibited with general exceptions for most HOA transfer fees.

Resale Certificates (Texas Prop. Code 207.003) HB 1821 Effective 1/1/12

New requirements and time frames for resale certificates are established.

Two other websites you might be interested in:

www.HOAdata.org

www.TexasHOAReform.org

Bagged at Target

adavis32 — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 03:06:23 +0000

Have you heard about Target’s recyclable bag policy? If you bring a reusable bag to the store, Target will give you a 5 cent discount for NOT using one of its plastic bags.It seems like a good idea to get people thinking about recycling. But it seems like Target employees are missing the point. I recently walked to a Target near my house, pushing my son in his stroller. At the check-out, I told the clerk I didn’t need a bag because I could just put my purchases in the bottom part of the stroller. Then she refused to give me the 5 cent discount because she said I wasn’t using a recyclable bag. What??!?

Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks this is crazy.

Which Family Deserves a Free Home Energy Makeover?

adavis32 — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:42:10 +0000

Well… they’re all deserving… but only one can win! And you get to choose.
Click here to read about the families and cast your vote.

The folks over at Thirty Green and Gary Parr on KSEV are pooling contractors to overhaul one home. The goal is to cut their electric bill in half by making the home more energy efficient. The winner may get a new AC, hot water heater, windows… all sorts of stuff. Vote now and tune into KSEV 750 AM today at 2pm. I’ll be on the air with Gary talking about the contest and the finalists.

Baby Formula Deal Too Good Not to Share

adavis32 — Sun, 01 May 2011 16:11:05 +0000

Yes, yes! I am still here! I know my last post was mid-Feb., and now it’s almost May. I am buried in Babyville (typing with one hand, holding Jack with the other right now)! Little Jackson Five Eisenbaum was born March 8, 2011. Ever since, my days go something like this: Feed Jack, change Jack, calm Jack, hurry and clean the bottles/ wash poopy baby clothes/ scarf down lunch while Jack is sleeping, repeat. Yes, my beautiful baby boy is keeping me busy; but I found a deal I wanted to share with other first time parents out there.

Abbott Nutrition is selling a 48-pack of 2-oz Similac Advance Ready-to-Feed Formula bottles (normally $41.94) for $13 + Free Shipping.

My husband and I have found these bottles so convenient for feeding Jack on the go. Just stash several bottles in your diaper bag… and you don’t have to worry if you can’t find a private or clean place to nurse in public. But convenience comes at a cost. At Target, the 8 bottles will cost you $6.99 or .87 a bottle. With this deal, you pay only .23 a bottle.

Just go to the Similac site and use promo code LUTEIN. Shipping is free. If you stack with promo code THANKS15, the price is just $11.13 (This code is only usable if you are a new customer for an additional 15% off and is limited to one request per household, one code per family).

Some websites say that the promo codes above have expired, but we just used it this week and they worked.

Baby Shopping Online For Less

adavis32 — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 03:04:13 +0000

Tonight at 10… we showed you the “Top 5 Biggest Wastes of Money for Expecting Parents,” according to baby consumer expert Alan Fields.

“Amazon Mom” is a way to save money shopping online for baby. My husband and I signed up back in the fall. It’s free to become a member… and when you do, you’ll get 3 free months of Amazon Prime 2-day shipping. That means anything you buy on Amazon with the “prime” logo will be shipped to you for free. You’ll also get 30% off all diapers and wipes on Amazon.

Log on here to sign up. Happy Shopping!

Crib Bumper Dangers

adavis32 — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:49:07 +0000

Today at 6, we brought you an update to our crib bumper investigation from December.

You can watch today’s story here. Mom Michelle Gilley-Hall and her husband have set up a foundation to raise money for SIDS research and promoting safe sleep environments for babies. To make a donation and/ or find out more about AnnaKathryn and her parents mission to educate others, click here.

Duped by a Discount Store

adavis32 — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 06:15:07 +0000

Just a lesson not to assume that just because you find a product at a discount store that you’re getting a good deal…
I recently tried a new hair product I got with a free coupon at Beauty Brands. I liked the “Matrix Thicklift liquid Volumizer” and I was almost out… so when I saw the product at Loehmann’s this weekend, I snatched it up.

It wasn’t until I got home, that I noticed something strange on the price tag. Do you see it?

To add insult to injury, when I looked at the cost of the original bottle (that I got for free) from a non-discount store, I noticed it was less expensive than the bottle I got at Loehmann’s!

“Just Desserts” with the San Jacinto Girl Scouts

adavis32 — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 19:05:49 +0000

Thursday night I got to help with one of my favorite events- the San Jacinto Girl Scout Councils’ “Just Desserts” annual fundraiser.
Eight celebrity chefs from around Houston faced off in a pallet-pleasing competition at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston. The challenge? Create an original dessert using a common ingredient: Girl Scout cookies.

I was paired with 10-year-old girl scout Rachael Riley of Vidor Troop #3497 to help judge the entries. Tough work- especially for a pregnant woman who craves sweets 24/7!

Only Girl Scouts who sell more than 1,000 boxes of cookies are invited to the exclusive event. Riley sold 1,644 last year. This year, she’s at 358 boxes, but she plans to beat her number from last year. So if you see her (or any Girl Scout for that matter), buy a box or 2.

My favorite creation was from Chef LJ Wiley. He made granola out of Shortbread Cookies. It could be breakfast, dessert or a snack anytime. Good stuff!

Problem Etsy Vendor

adavis32 — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:41:11 +0000

Sunday night, we showed you problems moms across the country are having with an Etsy seller going by the name of Customhouse Baby & Babylovin Bedding.

You can watch our 2-part story by clicking here.

A lot of you wanted even more specific advice than what we had time to provide to the masses via our broadcast. I contacted consumer attorney David Tiede, Director of the Texas Consumer Complaint Center at the University of Houston Center for Consumer Law to ask what recourse you might have if you lost money to either one of these vendors.

First, the obvious recommendations that most of you have already tried:

File a complaint with Etsy. (Etsy took the shops offline, but says since you paid through PayPal, you should file your complaint there.
File a complaint with PayPal. (PayPal has a 45-day window that allows you to file complaints and get a refund if you didn’t receive what you ordered. Most of you were past that window before you realized you wouldn’t get your bedding).
File a complaint with your credit or bank card if you used one for payment through PayPal. (Most credit cards give you 2 billing cycles or 60 days to file a complaint about non-receipt of goods).

If you’ve exhausted all of the options, here is Tiede’s advice:

The problem with a bad out-of-state retailer is that it is usually pretty hard to get anything from them without suing them in their home state, because that is usually where you can get at their money.

Here, if you have 24 women, who are collectively out more than $10K, they might want to get together and hire an attorney at a reasonable hourly rate to sue in state district court in Vermont, assuming that the defendant has some funds and is not totally out of business. That could be tough, because they would have to be organized and all pitch in to hire an attorney.

At the very least, they should also all file complaints with the Vermont AG, and perhaps even the local district attorney. Given the number of people who have been wronged, that might be a free way to get them some justice, and might get the retailer’s attention quickly, assuming that this person is even “semi-legitimate” or not totally bankrupt.

Majorie Loux was living in Boston when she took most orders for Customhouse Baby. Then, it appears she moved to Newport, Vermont and set up Babylovin Bedding.

Her address in Vermont (that she gave me when I inquired about having her make some bedding with fabric I had purchased) is:

Bernadette Woods
153 Main ST. #4
Newport VT 05855

My next question for Tiede was- ”what about small claims court when the victims live in one state and the seller lives in another?”

Yes, you can file across state lines, but the problem is that you will have to go to Vermont to appear at trial eventually, and the economics of that will not work out for most here. Smaller risk is each person filing against this person in their local small claims court (on the basis that the transaction took place where delivery was to have taken place), and then filing the judgment in Vermont to get “sister state” recognition. Here again, some organization would be needed, but an idea is that they each get their own state small claims court judgments, and then negotiate with one local Vermont collections lawyer to file all the judgments in Vermont for execution.

I hope this helps you. If not, thank you for helping me educate others about the risks of ordering through Etsy and using PayPal.