Monthly Archives: September 2011

Dallas-Houston high speed rail update

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The people working on this sure do sound optimistic, even if what they’ve got is still basically vaporware. A trip from Houston to Dallas could take travelers 90 minutes if former Harris County Judge Robert Eckels, president of Lone Star … Continue reading →

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Mayor extends burn ban in parks

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mayor Parker Extends Parks Burn Ban to Include Smoking Mayor Annise Parker today signed an executive order extending the City’s temporary burn ban to include smoking in City parks.  The smoking ban applies to lighted cigars, cigarettes, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Friday random ten: The final frontier

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is a little late, as this was happening while I was doing the Songs of the Century, but here’s my tribute to the last flight of the space shuttle: 1. Space Oddity – David Bowie 2. Space Truckin’ – … Continue reading →

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My overview of the 2011 election

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Note: I was asked to write a guest post at BOR to summarize the 2011 Houston elections. I figure if I’m going to put all that effort into something, I may as well use it here, too. It’s mostly familiar … Continue reading →

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Even their own experts think the Congressional map is wrong

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Final arguments in the federal redistricting lawsuit should be heard today in San Antonio. On Wednesday, something truly remarkable happened during the testimony of the state’s expert witness: A Rice University political science professor, testifying Wednesday in a lawsuit over … Continue reading →

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We had a wildfire protection plan

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We just weren’t willing to pay for it. Long before this month’s historic wildfires in Texas, the state’s forest service came up with a $20.4 million plan to stop the flames from starting or tamp them out before small blazes … Continue reading →

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On paying for insurance at the pump

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Dallas Transportation blog comes out in favor of an old favorite. Our newspaper ran an editorial today about fighting the problem of uninsured motorists, those miserable characters who have complicated many of our lives. The news peg was a … Continue reading →

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On getting the best deal with variable electric rates

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Note: The following was written by my friend Dan Wallach, who thought I might be interested in sharing it here. He was right. My thanks to Dan for putting this together. Everybody in Houston has the ability to select any … Continue reading →

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Rick Perry must love uninsured people, because he’s helped create so many of them

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Buried in this story about the grim statistics on poverty that were recently released by the Census is this little nugget that hits close to home: Health insurance coverage also dropped for most age groups, although census officials said the … Continue reading →

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It’s a little late for appeals to history and tradition

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Baylor President Ken Starr takes to the op-ed pages to justify conference-blocking Texas A&M plead for keeping what’s left of the Big XII together. Which is fine and exactly what I’d be doing in his shoes given the unlikelihood of … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of September 12

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance joins the rest of the country in honoring our first responders as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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City may ban smoking in parks

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Um, yeah. Mayor Annise Parker said she is considering banning smoking in the city’s 380 parks because of the fire dangers presented by discarded cigarettes. “This drought is a crisis situation,” Parker said.  ”I am leaning toward a ban on smoking cigarettes, … Continue reading →

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Interview with Kristi Thibaut

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We conclude our tour of the At Large #2 field with Kristi Thibaut, who was the State Representative for HD133 from 2009 to 2011. Thibaut has worked for Continental Airlines and as a fundraiser for non-profits such as the American … Continue reading →

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No tax rate increase this year

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. Mayor Annise Parker has officially proposed not raising taxes this year. Through her finance director, the mayor is asking the City Council at its Sept. 21 meeting to adopt the existing property tax rate of 0.63875 per $100 … Continue reading →

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HuffPo on the Grand Parkway

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Huffington Post take a look at that great boondoggle in northwest Harris County, the Grand Parkway Segment E extension from I-10 to 290. Texas faces a transportation funding gap of $315 billion over the next 20 years, according to … Continue reading →

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Our education gap

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Apparently, we have one in Houston. The Houston area doesn’t have enough educated workers to fill all the jobs that local industry creates, according to a study released today by the Brookings Institution. That education gap, in turn, pushes up … Continue reading →

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Interview with Bolivar Fraga

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Next up for At Large #2 is Bolivar “Bo” Fraga, who is the son of former City Council member Felix Fraga. Fraga is a graduate of the Air Force Academy who spent more than six years on active duty, including … Continue reading →

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Another overview of the candidates

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has another overview of the lineup for City Council and Mayor. This time, as far as I can tell, the slate they provide matches exactly the candidates listed on the City Secretary’s page. It also has a bit … Continue reading →

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There are lots of hungry people in Texas

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Millions of Texans are at risk of going hungry, and the resources available to many low-income families aren’t enough, according to new data released [Wednesday] by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Texas Food Bank Network. The … Continue reading →

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Can this conference be saved?

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your latest Big XII speculation. Several reports indicate that Texas would be willing to share its Tier I revenue provided through the Big 12’s television contracts for football to help preserve the conference. That would not affect the $15 … Continue reading →

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Interview with David Robinson

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We continue our tour of At Large #2 with David Robinson, who is an architect and neighborhood activist. Robinson has served on the Houston Planning Commission and is currently an Advisory Board Member on the Hermann Park Conservancy. He is … Continue reading →

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Hurricane season is mostly behind us

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Normally, this would be considered good news. Ironically, even as the Atlantic tropics reach their peak and Texas marks the anniversaries of 1961’s Hurricane Carla on Sunday and 2008’s Hurricane Ike next Tuesday, chances of a hurricane making landfall on … Continue reading →

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Forensic Science Commission accepts its neutering

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Another victory for the forces of obstructionism. Whether they like it or not, members of the Texas Forensic Science Commission [Thursday] agreed that they will use an attorney general’s opinion that severely limits the panel’s jurisdiction as a guideline for … Continue reading →

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Car charging stations coming this week

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. Houston became the first major U.S. city to announce an electric vehicle charging network in November with the launch of NRG Energy subsidiary eVgo. Now it’s finally getting the chargers to match the announcement. A number of electric car owners signed … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Weekend link dump for September 11

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

What my dad wrote ten years ago about our family’s connection to NYFD. “So where should you go if you want to avoid pricey weather catastrophes? Oddly enough, Alaska or Hawaii.” The Monsters of Grok. I want the Niels Bohr … Continue reading →

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FBI investigation of HCC

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Any time the FBI comes to town to investigate possible corruption in your business, it’s not a good thing. The FBI is investigating possible corruption at Houston Community College, an inquiry that appears to involve its former chief financial officer … Continue reading →

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Can Ban opponents get their vote

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Impressive. [New Braunfels] City Council, confronted Wednesday by a petition challenging a controversial new law, called for a Nov. 8 election to let voters decide whether disposable containers will be banned from local rivers. The “Can the Ban” coalition gathered … Continue reading →

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Our gay state

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Is getting gayer, according to the Census. It’s no secret that Austin and Central Texas have much appeal for same-sex couples, but new census data from 2010 underscore the depth and breadth of the attraction. Among the highlights from an … Continue reading →

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What next for Sugar Land prison property?

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Now that the Central Unit in Sugar Land has been closed, what will happen to the empty facility? The fate of the Central Unit site will be decided by the three-member School Land Board, which oversees real estate investments on … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Ketchup

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I know what anniversary it is this weekend. For my own reasons, I don’t particularly care to dwell on it. There’s no shortage of salutes and memorials out there if you want them. I prefer to keep things light, as … Continue reading →

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New park protection rules

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the Mayor’s office: People Protecting Our Parks Mayor Annise Parker Announces New Fire Safety Campaign for City Parks Mayor Annise Parker, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) and the Houston Fire Department (HFD) announced People Protecting Our Parks, a new … Continue reading →

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It’s news but it’s not new

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Before the Labor Day weekend, Sen. Dan Patrick said something that was considered to be newsworthy even though he and others have been saying it for years. A Republican state senator calling for a tax increase is clearly in the … Continue reading →

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Baby steps on water conservation

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I found this story about businesses finding ways to conserve water to be strange. I expected to hear about innovation and maybe new technology, but what I got was stuff like this: The 5-star Four Seasons Hotel recently began furnishing … Continue reading →

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Eating good in the neighborhood

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron rounds up a bunch of restuarant openings and soon-to-be-openings in and near the Heights; they hedge this a bit by declaring the area of study “Super Heights, which includes the Washington corridor and its fringes, where owners are … Continue reading →

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