Monthly Archives: July 2010

HISD needs math tutors

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

If you’re a numbers person, HISD needs you. From the inbox: The Houston Independent School District is seeking dynamic college graduates to provide in-school math tutoring to middle and high school students as part of the district’s groundbreaking Apollo 20 … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Who wants to run the Texas Lottery?

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The contract is up for a bid, and the competition is fierce. Companies that run lotteries around the world are expected to ante up by this week, proposing how they would oversee the Texas Lottery if they were to land … Continue reading →

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Wasting our youth

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This is just wrong. Thousands of high school graduates like Juan are discovering the dichotomy between a federal law that ensures their education and one that prevents them from using it. “I never saw myself as an immigrant,” said Juan, … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

How to really put the unemployed to work

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Workforce Commissioner Tom Pauken has the germ of a good idea here. Unfortunately, he’s incapable of seeing what it is, and so goes off a cliff with it. “Even in good economic times, there were people in Texas who … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Council Member Johnson arrested

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Houston City Councilman Jarvis Johnson was arrested Wednesday night after he initially refused to stop his vehicle immediately when a police officer tried to pull him over, officials said. Johnson is charged with evading arrest, according to the Harris … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

EPA cracks down further

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here it comes. The Environmental Protection Agency has formally denounced the state’s air-pollution permitting system for some of its biggest industrial plants — and reactions are pouring in. Texas’s system, the EPA said in its release, “allows companies to avoid … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sometimes, government really is run like a business

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

And that’s not such a good thing, as former deputy state comptroller Billy Hamilton pointed out in testimony before the House Select Committee on Government Efficiency and Accountability. Don’t expect savings anytime soon. Check out other states that tried the … Continue reading →

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Austin ponders its urban rail future

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As with so many things these days, how to pay for it is a big issue. The Austin City Council, looking at a daunting $1.3 billion tab to build a proposed urban rail system, voted Thursday to spend $100,000 for … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of June 28

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is fired up and ready to go with its post-convention blog roundup.

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