| Houston Texans hike 2012 ticket prices by 8.5% |
 The Houston Texans, on the heels of the team's first playoff run in franchise history, will boost ticket prices for the 2012 season by an average of 8.5 percent.
After keeping ticket prices flat for the past two seasons while the underachieving team still continued to sell out Reliant Stadium, the Texans' average ticket price will be raised to $78.66, up from $72.47 in 2011.
The only tickets that will remain unchanged for 2012 are the Gridiron Terrace tickets, priced at $30. The largest price increase of 11...
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| Colorado land board delays $137M ConocoPhillips lease |
 The Colorado State Land Board decided Friday to postpone a vote on awarding ConocoPhillips a contract to access oil and gas mineral rights under the Lowry range east of Denver because the company is embroiled in a $70.7 million lawsuit with another branch of state government.
On Jan. 25, the Division of Oil and Public Safety, a division of Colorado's Department of Labor, sued Houston-based Conoco (NYSE: COP) in Denver district court.
The suit accuses the company of benefitting from the state spending nearly $70...
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| GH Foods recalls Cobb salad products |
GH Foods SW said Friday it is recalling about 515 pounds of “Fresh Garden Highway Cobb Salad” due to tainted eggs.
The Houston-based food-service provider said the salad contains eggs that the U.S. Federal and Drug Administration has recalled. According to the FDA, the eggs could be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, which cause listeriosis, a potentially fatal disease.
The salads recalled are in 7.5-ounce containers, have a “sell by” date through Feb. 6, 2012 and have the establishment number “P-44056...
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| Freebirds expands in Houston |
 Freebirds World Burrito is opening two new burrito joints in Houston this month.
The Austin-based restaurant chain will open a restaurant at the Enclave Shopping Center Feb. 6 and and one in Conroe at 1188 W. Dallas St. Feb. 7.
The two new Freebirds locations will employ a total 60 employees.
The company known for its “monster”-sized burritos opened a restaurant in Tulsa, Okla. in November.
Tavistock Restaurants LLC operates 66 Freebirds in Texas, California and Oklahoma.
It founded about 20 years ago.
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| Saint Arnold’s presents unique Super Bowl ad campaign |
 The Saint Arnold Brewing Co. will have its own version of “ads” on a few local TVs throughout the Super Bowl.
The Houston brewery sent a humorous newsletter out to its loyal followers saying that the brewery has launched a unique Super Bowl advertisement.
In a twist away from the traditional multi-million dollar Super Bowl commercial advertising, the brewery is offering free Saint Arnold logo static clings for craft beer fans to place on their TV screens — or secretly slip onto the screens at their favorite sports bar...
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| Rice study: Hand counting votes leads to errors |
Rice University has found that hand counting election votes might not be that efficient.
A new study from researchers at Rice and Clemson Universities found that hand counting votes after an election audit or a recount can result in error rates of up to 2 percent.
With fierce competition for public office positions coming on the ballot in 2012, 2 percent could mean the difference between winning and losing the race.
During the study, researchers examined two counting procedures commonly used in elections...
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| Fearless energy companies ‘badger’ the competition |
Two different days and two different energy companies are described by two different analysts as rocking it like honey badgers.
Yesterday, I told you about SandRidge Energy Inc.’s (NYSE: SD) $1.2 billion purchase of Dynamic Offshore Resources. Tudor Pickering Holt & Co. analysts described SandRidge as “tenacious as a honey badger.”
Today, I found Raymond James Equity Research’s note on its “strong buy” recommendation for National Oilwell Varco, a company that RayJa analysts said “continues to perform like a honey badger...
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| Founder of Situs Cos. retires |
 Martin Bronstein, the founding principal of the Situs Cos., is retiring after 26 years.
Houston-based Situs is a commercial real estate advisory firm with 400 employees in 12 offices in the U.S. and Europe. Situs provides real estate due diligence for the commercial mortgage-backed securities industry.
Bronstein helped banks and private investors liquidate and acquire assets during the economic downturn in the 1980s, according to a statement from Situs.
Bronstein and his partners launched the company’s due diligence unit in 1992.
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| Do company boards use others’ misconduct to justify theirs? |
When it comes to illegal corporate activity or misconduct such as, say, manipulating stock-option grant dates, being one of the last to get caught may have its advantages.
As it turns out, corporate boards are much less likely to fire executives or directors who manage to duck exposure until after option date manipulators at other companies are exposed to the public.
Same misconduct. Different outcome. Why? Because the boards sometimes use others’ misconduct to justify their own employees’ behavior, according to a new study by Rice University...
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| AirTran’s new Houston flights add to international appeal |
 AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV), said Friday it will offer new roundtrip service from Houston’s Hobby Airport to San Antonio and Austin airports.
The new flights will make it easier for customers who are looking for a Cancun getaway, as AirTran also announced new Austin to Cancun flights multiple times a week, starting Memorial Day weekend.
Houston customers will also be able to transfer to different international Southwest and AirTran flights in Austin and San Antonio...
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