Monthly Archives: July 2004

Alamo Drafthouse expansion

Posted on July 21, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

The Alamo Drafthouse is going nationwide. Tim and Karrie League have sold the franchise and marketing operations of Alamo Drafthouse to Terrell Braly, the company’s CEO; John Martin, the company’s principal partner; and a silent partner. The new company is … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | 10 Comments

Hi-tech pay toilets

Posted on July 21, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

When one encounters the headline Downtown could get high-tech pay toilets in the daily fishwrap, there are two questions that leap to mind right away: One, how many toilet-related puns will the story include, and two, how many times will … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 6 Comments

Less talk! More rock!

Posted on July 20, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Well, if you hate radio commercials as much as I do, here’s some good news for you. Beginning Jan. 1, Clear Channel — which owns six San Antonio radio stations — will reduce the number of commercials it plays every … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Music | 3 Comments

Ginny Schrader

Posted on July 20, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

By now, you’ve probably heard of Ginny Schrader, the Democratic candidate in PA’s 8th CD who is the recipient of the good news that incumbent Rep. Jim Greenwood is dropping out. This is good news, as it’s a new pickup … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2004 | 3 Comments

Hello, Pittsburgh!

Posted on July 20, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

The 2006 MLB All-Star Game will be in Pittsburgh, and you know what that means: It’s time to play the Economic Impact Game! Pittsburgh should get a desperately needed image boost from baseball’s All-Star Game in two years, but it’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | 4 Comments

Money race update

Posted on July 20, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Following up to this post, Rob Booth points me to the FEC search page, which has some more up-to-date info right now than Open Secrets does. A few highlights: From CD01, Max Sandlin has $727K on hand. No info as … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2004 | 2 Comments

Texas Tuesdays: Jim Dougherty

Posted on July 20, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Time for another Texas Tuesday, this time featuring Harris County’s own Jim Dougherty. He’s running against the notorious Martha “No Thong” Wong in SD 134, and he should have a decent shot of making a race out of it. Greg … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Texas Tuesdays | Comments Off on Texas Tuesdays: Jim Dougherty

Giant Presidential Head Update

Posted on July 20, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

The Bonassus notes that the newly-opened Presidents Park, which features the Giant Presidential Heads of artist David Adickes, is doing just fine, thank you very much. The park has drawn more than 20,000 visitors since March 1, [Everette H. Newman … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 3 Comments

They like us (redux)!

Posted on July 19, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

As with the Super Bowl, visitors who came in for the MLB All Star Game left with a positive impression of Houston. Out-of-towners here for the All-Star Game last week had an overwhelmingly positive experience, according to a new poll … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 2 Comments

Jus’ gone

Posted on July 19, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Say goodbye to Jus’ Stuff, Linda Lay’s former resale shop. No story, but this picture is currently on the front page at chron.com: Continue reading →

Posted in Enronarama | Comments Off on Jus’ gone

CSI meltdown

Posted on July 19, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

I think we can file this under Bad Career Moves. The firing of two “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” stars in a salary dispute was fair and intended to help the TV industry draw the fiscal line, CBS chief Les Moonves … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | 2 Comments

Perry and Phillips

Posted on July 19, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron tut-tuts Rick Perry for giving a $40K/year job to a lobbyist’s wife. Any more emotion on their part and I might actually be able to detect a pulse. Elsewhere on the Patronage Patrol, here’s a nice parting gift … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 1 Comment

The money race

Posted on July 19, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

The Morning News has an unfortunately useless article about how the various Congressional candidates are doing in their fundraising for this year. It notes that there’s a lot of money being raised, and that three Dems – Max Sandlin, Nick … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2004 | 1 Comment

Making the world safe for sex toys

Posted on July 19, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Joanne Webb, the Felonious Sex Toy Selling Housewife of Cleburne, Texas, has had all charges dropped against her. A woman who received nationwide attention when she was arrested for selling two sex toys to undercover police officers posing as a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 8 Comments

Fire at the Farmers’ Market

Posted on July 19, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Damn. I’m quite fond of the farmers’ market, and I hope it can bounce back from this. Tiffany and I were driving home from a wedding shower in Kingwood yesterday (our first trip anywhere without Olivia – Tiffany’s mom babysat … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 1 Comment

Notes from the Presidential race

Posted on July 19, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

John Edwards was back in Houston last week raising money. That’s unfortunately probably the last we’ll see of the Kerry campaign, given that it’ll be on public funds starting next week. Joe Conanson looks at the funding behind that anti-Kerry … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | 3 Comments

DeLay roundup

Posted on July 19, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Some various bits of Tom DeLay-related news from the past few days… Taking On Tom DeLay point to this Morning News article in which some charges against The Hammer from 1998 are revisited. This week, DeLay opponents latched onto the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 4 Comments

Schlitterbahn history

Posted on July 18, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Nice article about the Henry family, which owns and operates the Schlitterbahn. I’m really excited about the new park opening in Galveston, though of course I plan to continue making an annual pilgrimage or two to the original in New … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 8 Comments

Stern debuts tomorrow

Posted on July 18, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Memo to self: set radio button for 650 AM. Houston listeners will get a chance to hear for themselves Monday, when Stern’s show debuts on KIKK-AM (650) during morning drive time. It will mark the first time Stern’s show has … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Music | 7 Comments

Touring Houston

Posted on July 18, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

I had no idea there were this many organized tours of Houston. FRENCH travelers with one-day layovers in Houston typically have low expectations of the city, noted Lucette Rieger, an independent tour guide. “They’ve heard there’s not much here,” she … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 3 Comments

More great moments in headline writing

Posted on July 18, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Cow in police custody linked to headless chicken case. It’s a cement cow, and a 13-foot-tall mascot of a place called Joe’s Gizzard City. All I can say is that it’s nice to see a story that’s worthy of the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in General snarkiness | 5 Comments

Good poll news coming?

Posted on July 17, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

A blog called Preemptive Karma claims to be getting “good vibes” for Chet Edwards and Martin Frost regarding poll numbers to be released early next week. I can’t vouch for any of this information, but I’ll be watching for any … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2004 | 1 Comment

Gregg Phillips resigns

Posted on July 17, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Good riddance, if you ask me. Deputy Commissioner of Health and Human Services Gregg Phillips, a lightning rod for critics of the state’s massive social services overhaul, said Friday he is resigning. “I didn’t anticipate this effort on my part … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 2 Comments

Tulia settlement checks disbursed

Posted on July 17, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Almost all of the Tulia defendents received a share of the settlement yesterday in their lawsuit against the counties involved in the drug sting that unjustly sent them to prison. They also received some financial planning help, and an excellent … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Comments Off on Tulia settlement checks disbursed

Lawsuit challenges Jackson Lee

Posted on July 17, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Some yahoo is claiming that Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee missed the deadline to file for the Democratic primary in January and is thus ineligible to be on the ballot in November. In a lawsuit filed this week, Houston businessman Tom … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2004 | 10 Comments

June traffic report

Posted on July 17, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Just shy of 50,000 visits in June, making it a bit slower than May but still second-best all time. Nothing like a couple of links from Kevin Drum to send the hit counter spinning, that’s for sure. July is shaping … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Traffic Reports | 1 Comment

Red ‘n’ blue

Posted on July 16, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

All right, so I finally gave in and took the Slate red state/blue state quiz, and it told me that “It’s time to get out of the sun. You’re looking a little red.” I’ll echo what others have said about … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | 12 Comments

She blinded me with science fiction

Posted on July 16, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

What would you do if you were confronted with a list of the 10 Dumbest Moments in Science Fiction Cinema? If you’re smart, you’ll head over to Pete‘s place to get the real straight skinny. Do be warned, here there … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | Comments Off on She blinded me with science fiction

Convention coverage

Posted on July 16, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Karl-T has your list of bloggers who are going to Boston. Check it out, there’s surely a few there that’ll be new to you. Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | Comments Off on Convention coverage

Good question

Posted on July 16, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Via the Quorum Report, Alma Allen asks the kid of question that I think needs to get asked more often. Alma Allen (D-Houston) wanted to know one thing from her State Board of Education colleagues: If board members planned to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Comments Off on Good question

Shapiro goes for the Hail Mary

Posted on July 16, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

With the odds of another special session on schol finance dropping by the day, State Sen. Florence Shapiro is making one last try to get things done. The plan would cut local school property taxes by 35 cents and replace … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on Shapiro goes for the Hail Mary

Keeping your friends close

Posted on July 16, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

You know, the truly beautiful thing about throwing a couple hundred thousand poor children off of the state’s health insurance program is that it helps free up the cash needed to hire your buddy’s wife to the vital position of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 2 Comments

Strayhorn wants CHIP audit

Posted on July 16, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

Meant to post this earlier – Comptroller Strayhorn is calling for an audit of the state’s Child Health Insurance Program. Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn called Monday for a federal investigation into overpayments to a Children’s Health Insurance Program contractor that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on Strayhorn wants CHIP audit

Some campaign notes

Posted on July 15, 2004 by Charles Kuffner

A few notes from around the Congressional campaigns… Byron notes that Martin Frost outraised his opponent this quarter and is well on his way to meeting his overall fundraising goal. That’s good news, since we all know the campaign there … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2004 | Comments Off on Some campaign notes