Monthly Archives: August 2012

Here come the city bonds

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

For your approval. Houston voters will decide in November whether local governments can borrow more than $2.7 billion for schools, parks, libraries and public safety. City Council OK’d its portion of that total Wednesday, a $410 million package of bond … Continue reading →

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Gearing up in District A

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

And they’re off. It appears unlikely that former District A Councilwoman Brenda Stardig will get a one-on-one shot at a comeback from her 2011 loss to current Councilwoman Helena Brown. “It is my plan to run for District A,” Amy … Continue reading →

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The demographics of jury service

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Why is it that juries in Harris County tend to not reflect the demography of the county as a whole? District Clerk Chris Daniel explains why in a recent Chron op-ed. If you’re familiar with the concept of “citizen voting … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of August 13

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance would like to thank Mitt Rmoney for clarifying what this election is about better than it ever could as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Petitions to overturn homeless feeding ordinance submitted

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There’s plenty of signatures, but no guarantee that this will make it onto the ballot. Activists seeking to repeal a new law requiring City Hall’s permission to serve charitable meals on city-owned land turned in 34,000 petition signatures on Monday … Continue reading →

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Guinn seeks recount

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t say I blame him. Democratic Precinct 2 constable candidate Zerick Guinn has requested a recount in his primary runoff against Chris Diaz, who won by 16 votes after incorrect election results posted online showed Guinn with a commanding lead … Continue reading →

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FTA writes another check for light rail construction

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Keep ’em coming. The expansion of Houston Metro got another boost from the federal government with the allocation of $188 million in additional construction funding for the North and Southeast light rail lines. Congressman Gene Green, the Houston Democrat who … Continue reading →

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What does it mean to be a beer?

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Boy, is that a deep question or what? Until recently, beer drinkers who took their time to read the labels on their bottles or cans may have encountered some head-scratching fine print concerning Texas. Underneath the name of Brooklyn Brewery’s … Continue reading →

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Back to Blue

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee has announced its list of targeted districts for 2012. From their press release: The list of nine includes five former House members — Abel Herrero (HD 34), Yvonne Gonzales Toureilles (HD 43), Carol Kent … Continue reading →

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Once again with sales price discolsure

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Loren Steffy returns to a familiar topic. By some estimates, Williams Tower could sell for as much as $475 million. When it comes to paying the taxes, though, the 64-story tower will be worth less than half that much. That’s … Continue reading →

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

Deal struck on the GMP

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Well, this is interesting. The Metro board on Aug. 3 approved a ballot proposal that would have shifted tens of millions of dollars more in mobility payments to Houston at the expense of the county and small cities by basing … Continue reading →

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Ashby set to rise

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not, here it comes. Construction on the 21-story luxury apartment building at 1717 Bissonnet is scheduled to begin by the fourth quarter of this year and is expected to take 18 to 24 months to complete. Kevin Kirton … Continue reading →

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San Antonio’s pre-k referendum

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Houston is chock full of ballot referenda this fall, but the most interesting and potentially consequential one in the state is San Antonio. An initiative from San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro that would direct a portion of sales tax revenue … Continue reading →

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Some children left behind

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Nearly half the public schools across Texas failed to meet tougher federal academic standards this year, according to preliminary data released Wednesday. The failures spiked sharply from last year, when a quarter of the state’s schools missed the mark. … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

More DeLay trial news

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Some other action on the Tom DeLay front this week. The Tom DeLay legal marathon inched forward Wednesday on two separate fronts. John Colyandro, a DeLay co-defendant who has been under investigation since 2003, found out his trial won’t start … Continue reading →

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Pothole app

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County now has an app for reporting potholes and other problems. Users must download the app and set up a profile. After that, one can take a photo of the problem, point to its spot on the map or … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for August 12

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Photobombed by an ostrich. If that’s not a meme, it should be. I don’t care what anyone says, I’m going to listen to music when I want to. You can’t increase your metabolism by exercising. Haven’t we all seen this … Continue reading →

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HCC board approves its bond package

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

More bonds for your consideration this fall. Houston Community College trustees voted Thursday to placea $425 million bond referendum on the November ballot. If approved by voters on Nov. 6, the bond would help update classroom technology, build a new … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

No, we can’t eliminate the property tax

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The latest wingnut economic fantasy is that we can completely eliminate the property tax and replace it with an increased sales tax. Debra Medina was a champion of this during the 2010 GOP gubernatorial primary, which should give you some … Continue reading →

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Who wants to sue over the HCDE election?

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Depends who you ask. At a court hearing July 30, the county, both political parties and an attorney for [runoff winner Erica] Lee all said they wanted the department of education’s suit dismissed (the school board wanted it to continue). … Continue reading →

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Romney-Ryan

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. You’ve probably read all you can stand to read about this by now since it was everywhere on the internets yesterday, but do read Charlie Pierce if you haven’t already – he’s the best cure for mainstream media … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Thing Called Love

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Song #56 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “Thing Called Love”, originally by John Hiatt and covered by Bonnie Raitt. Here’s the original: That’s not the original recording – the original is a straight-ahead rocker – but come … Continue reading →

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HISD board approves its bond package

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

In the end, it wasn’t a close vote. The school board voted 8-1 to seek a $1.9 billion bond issue that would rebuild or renovate most of the district’s aging high schools, remodel several elementary and middle schools, and upgrade … Continue reading →

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The Radack way

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You have to admire the single-minded focus, I’ll say that much for the man. Allen Watson may have figured his role as a member of Metro’s board of directors occasionally would dent his political capital, but a vote he cast … Continue reading →

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Janitors win new contract

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’m very glad for them. Janitors who clean some of the largest office buildings in Houston have reached a tentative agreement with six of the city’s largest cleaning companies, a union representative said late Wednesday. The deal is expected to … Continue reading →

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Galveston passenger rail back on track

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry about the pun, they can be hard to avoid when writing these titles. Anyway, the on-again, off-again Houston to Galveston rail line is apparently on again. A Houston-to-Galveston passenger rail line postponed indefinitely after the economy hit bottom in … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Closing ceremonies

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Inspired by this, here’s one last Olympics-themed Random Ten: 1. Bicycle Race – Queen 2. Holy Diver – Dio 3. The Boxer – Simon and Garfunkel 4. Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen 5. Jump – Big Daddy 6. Nightswimming … Continue reading →

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No Dome vote this year?

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There may not be an Astrodome-related bond referendum on the ballot this year. The last day Commissioners Court can place a referendum on the November ballot is Aug. 20, according to county attorneys. The court’s Tuesday meeting was its last … Continue reading →

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The first rule of women’s health

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Is don’t talk about things that make certain Republicans queasy. A proposed state rule that would prohibit doctors in Texas’ Women’s Health Program from discussing the option of abortion with their patients — even if the patient asks about it … Continue reading →

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Two suggestions for better elections

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Ed Kilgore writes that Tennessee Democrats shot themselves in the foot with the winner of their low-information, low-profile Senate primary. [F]acing incumbent Sen. Bob Corker will be some obscure dude named Mark Clayton, who won a plurality of the vote … Continue reading →

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Here comes I-69

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Best have your tinfoil hat at the ready. The first Houston-area piece of a trade corridor — debated for more than a decade and envisioned as one day linking Mexico to Canada — has been officially designated. Motorists will soon … Continue reading →

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We speak again of an elections administrator

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I’ve been wondering when this might happen. Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart said he will ask the Texas Secretary of State’s Office to examine his office’s election processes after a “human error” in his office caused erroneous … Continue reading →

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A matter of priorities

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Compare and contrast. State Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, the outspoken voice of the far right in the Senate, said he will be pushing vouchers that parents of school-age children could use for charter schools, online offerings or additional alternatives to … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Oh, God, make it stop

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Hell, no. [Kinky] Friedman, the singer-satirist and unsuccessful candidate for governor in 2006, says Perry is vulnerable to a challenge if he runs for re-election in two years. And Kinky knows just the challenger to beat him — Kinky Friedman. … Continue reading →

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