Yet again, the Chronicle’s fetish for light rail colors [1] its news reporting. Here’s the headline:

Houston rides high in rail, bus contest

Here’s the story:

Light rail train operators and maintenance crews from the Metropolitan Transit Authority took sixth place in a June 7 competition in Pittsburgh with those from 13 other cities.

Not bad, considering Metro has had less than two years experience with rail transit.

Forgive me if I don’t consider a 6th place finish to be “riding high.” I would characterize that result as “middling,” “mediocre,” or “about average.” And what’s with that “not bad” line, rationalizing Metro’s middling performance? Could we leave editorial judgements on the editorial page?

It sounds like the contest — at least the bus portion — was interesting:

In the agency’s bus “Roadeo,” which includes fine maneuvering, parking and an obstacle course, plus diagnosing and repairing mechanical problems, Metro’s Charlie Kennedy again topped the bus operator competition. Kennedy, who drives the 137 Northshore Express, won the Best Operator in North America title in Las Vegas in 2002.

Congratulations to Mr. Kennedy. Hopefully Metro won’t [2] cut your route.