Monthly Archives: March 2007

Perry speaks to Texas Monthly

Posted on March 16, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

In case you haven’t seen the Texas Monthly interview with Governor Perry, which has in some ways already been overtaken by current events, even if it’s only a week old. All things considered, it’s probably just as well that Perry … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Comments Off on Perry speaks to Texas Monthly

What if the dinosaurs had survived?

Posted on March 16, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

What would the world be like if that asteroid of 65 million years ago had missed? Here’s one possible scenario. Nothing like a little alternative paleontology for a Friday morning, right? Feel free to make whatever dinosaur jokes you can’t … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | 2 Comments

Easing up on the tubers

Posted on March 16, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

A small amount of sanity has been restored in New Braunfels, where it was sorely needed. The City Council settled on new river rules Wednesday night, easing some of the proposed restrictions on tubers that were contained in the ordinances. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 1 Comment

The blogging judges

Posted on March 15, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Galveston County Judge Susan Criss and her blog get a nice shoutout in the Chron today. When Criss started the blog “As The Island Floats” in January she began it with warnings that she would not discuss cases before her. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | 1 Comment

More on the voter ID bill

Posted on March 15, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the letter (PDF) that Sen. Ellis and others sent to Lt. Gov. Dewhurst regarding voter ID bills. Nothing new information-wise, but as you can see it was signed by all 11 Democratic Senators. It’s nice to see such unity … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 2 Comments

Why some made the ballot and others didn’t, continued

Posted on March 15, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Previously, Matt Stiles reported on why some candidates who had filed to be in the May 12 City Council special election were disallowed on the ballot. Short answer: they failed to fill out a portion of the ballot application in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2007 | 1 Comment

Voter ID bills appear to be dead for this session

Posted on March 15, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Sen. Rodney Ellis has a letter signed by 11 senators saying that they won’t vote to bring up a bill that would require a picture ID and proof of citizenship to vote or register to vote – which … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 1 Comment

Statewide smoking ban update

Posted on March 15, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

The statewide effort to ban smoking in restaurants, which began in the Senate, has now come to the House. A House committee public hearing on a statewide smoking ban was a virtual replay of arguments made on the local level … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 6 Comments

The “logic” behind Jessica’s Law

Posted on March 15, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

This DMN article is about the qualms that District Attorneys have about “Jessica’s Law”, but it also very neatly captures the weird logic being employed by some of that law’s supporters. Mr. Dewhurst said that while the state should be … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 3 Comments

Voters reject tax decrease

Posted on March 15, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for future reference. Voters defeated a ballot measure Tuesday that would have lowered city taxes more than 3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. Voters cast 1,656 ballots against and 1,241 for the proposal to decrease city property taxes … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2007 | Comments Off on Voters reject tax decrease

Bye-bye, TYC board

Posted on March 14, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Good riddance. The entire Texas Youth Commission board will resign on Friday after approving a rehabilitation plan for the agency, a spokesman for Gov. Rick Perry said today. The rehabilitation plan is to be presented by Ed Owens, the acting … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Comments Off on Bye-bye, TYC board

When you’ve lost Cornyn…

Posted on March 14, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

How bad does the Great Prosecutor Purge have to be for the Bush Administration for this to happen? The controversy swirling around Attorney General Alberto Gonzales over the firing of eight U.S. attorneys intensified Tuesday, with Senate Republicans offering only … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 2 Comments

Interview with David Goldberg

Posted on March 14, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Next up on the interview list is Bellaire High School senior David Goldberg, who was a lot more polished and sure of himself than I was when I was his age. It’s all over at Kuff’s World. I’ve got at … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2007 | Comments Off on Interview with David Goldberg

“Hand counted paper ballot” bill filed

Posted on March 14, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

From my inbox, the following is from VoteRescue: VoteRescue in Austin, Texas is proud to announce the submission yesterday of HB 3894 by Texas Rep. Lon Burnam of Tarrant County, which calls for hand-counted paper ballots, and the elimination of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 2 Comments

Blood has been given

Posted on March 14, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

As I pledged last month, I gave blood yesterday – we had a corporate blood drive, so I didn’t even have to leave my building. Actually, I did a double red blood cell donation, which uses a technique called apheresis, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in See, I do have a life! | 1 Comment

What will the Medicaid ruling cost Texas?

Posted on March 14, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

You have probably heard that the upcoming ruling by Judge William Wayne Justice in the lawsuit that will require Texas to meet its Medicaid obligations (the case is Frew v. Hawkins) might cost Texas up to $5 billion per year. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on What will the Medicaid ruling cost Texas?

Mayor White wins award for Katrina work

Posted on March 14, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations to Mayor White. Mayor Bill White and a Louisiana school superintendent won the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on Monday for their actions in response to the Hurricane Katrina crisis in August 2005. White and Doris Voitier, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Comments Off on Mayor White wins award for Katrina work

Accenture contract officially dead

Posted on March 13, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

I’d say “rest in peace”, but that’s an overbid. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission today said its ending by “mutual agreement” a trouble-plagued contract with a private company to determine eligibility for social services and oversee enrollment. The … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on Accenture contract officially dead

More on Abbott’s HPV opinion

Posted on March 13, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday, after AG Greg Abbott issued an opinion regarding Governor Perry’s HPV vaccine executive order, I was a little puzzled by what it all meant. I’m still a little confused today. Attorney General Greg Abbott has informally told two top … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Comments Off on More on Abbott’s HPV opinion

Today’s TYC roundup

Posted on March 13, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

There continues to be an awful lot going on with the Texas Youth Commission and what we’ve learned about what was and was not done about the allegations of sexual assault against its teenage inmates. Here’s a few links to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 1 Comment

Give TCEQ the right tools for the job

Posted on March 13, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Whether you believe that Mayor White is meddling in other cities’ affairs or taking necessary action to compensate for failings elsewhere, it should be clear that the state needs to do its job of enforcing environmenal laws. Towards that end, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 2 Comments

Why some made the ballot and others didn’t

Posted on March 13, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Matt Stiles answers the question why not all of the candidates who had filed for the special City Council election made it to the final ballot. He also clears up the Roy Morales mystery and gives an update on Ray … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2007 | Comments Off on Why some made the ballot and others didn’t

The Mobility Corps

Posted on March 13, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

This sounds like a good idea. Responding to traffic hot spots by motor scooter, compact car and bucket truck, the city’s long-awaited Mobility Response Team will hit the streets in July to guide traffic safely past accidents and broken stoplights. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Comments Off on The Mobility Corps

Connecting Uptown to Downtown

Posted on March 13, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve said before that one of the underappreciated aspects of the light rail line is that it makes it easier to be a carless visitor staying in a downtown hotel. That’s all well and good, but a lot of visitors … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Comments Off on Connecting Uptown to Downtown

Abbott says Perry’s HPV order “does not carry the weight of law”

Posted on March 12, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

I’m trying to make sense of this, but the more I read, the more confused I’m becoming. Gov. Rick Perry exceeded his authority in ordering middle-school girls receive a new vaccine against cervical cancer, Attorney General Greg Abbott has told … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 3 Comments

Putting lipstick on a catcher

Posted on March 12, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

I nearly choked on my lunch today when I saw the Chron not only address the grievous shortcomings of Brad Ausmus as an offensive player, but try to make up for it by the use of Catcher ERA as a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | 2 Comments

Interview with Roy Morales

Posted on March 12, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve got another interview with a City Council candidate up at Kuff’s World. Today it’s Roy Morales, and I’ve got three more in the pipeline after him. I may or may not talk to everybody, but I’ll get to most … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2007 | Comments Off on Interview with Roy Morales

Ron Paul is off and running for President

Posted on March 12, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

By the time you read this, Rep. Ron Paul will most likely have made the announcement that he is running for President. U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, a fierce critic of the Iraq war, formally will declare his candidacy for the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | 5 Comments

Sixty down, eighty to go

Posted on March 12, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

We’re almost halfway through the 80th Lege, and I agree with Burka that it’s been a bizarre session. We’ve had the Speaker’s race, the four-fifths rule non-suspension, the shenanigans to bypass the constitutional spending limit, the TYC and Jessica’s Law … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 1 Comment

John Belushi

Posted on March 12, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

For some odd reason, I’d always had it in my mind that John Belushi suffered his fatal overdose in 1983, so I was a bit surprised to learn that it’s been 25 years since his death. For a guy who … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | 3 Comments

Warrant roundup draws to a close

Posted on March 12, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

The great Scofflaw Roundup that we heard about last month is now over. Houston was among 153 cities that participated in the so-called “Great Texas Warrant Round-up,” which began March 3 and ended Saturday at midnight. The joint effort was … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 1 Comment

It all comes back to redistricting

Posted on March 11, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

You may have heard this story by now. Presidential advisor Karl Rove and at least one other member of the White House political team were urged by the New Mexico Republican party chairman to fire the state’s U.S. attorney because … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Comments Off on It all comes back to redistricting

A recent history of the TYC

Posted on March 11, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday, I speculated about the reasons why the TYC had a policy in place to allow for people with felony convictions or felony charges pending against them to be hired. In today’s story on the roots of the TYC crisis, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Comments Off on A recent history of the TYC

Meetings scheduled for University Corridor

Posted on March 11, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

If you live near some part of the Universities light rail line, heads up: There are public meetings coming up to get input regarding environmental issues. Details as follows: West side area: Between West Alabama, Main Street (Wheeler Station), Bissonnet … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Comments Off on Meetings scheduled for University Corridor