Tag Archives: Austin

Coronavirus and the Census

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, man, does this have the potential to be devastating. In some corners of the state, the meticulous planning spanned more than two years. Detailed maps of Texas communities were pored over. A ground game to knock on doors was … Continue reading →

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

Here come the shelter-in-place orders

Posted on March 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The shutdowns are getting shut-down-ier. Many of Texas’ biggest cities and counties are ordering residents to shelter in place whenever possible. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff on Monday evening ordered residents to stay in … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

SXSW canceled

Posted on March 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Austin Mayor Steve Adler declared a local disaster Friday in response to the new coronavirus and issued an order canceling South by Southwest for the first time in its 34-year history. The 10-day event was scheduled to begin next … Continue reading →

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

Cable franchise fees lawsuit heard

Posted on February 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Rooting for the cities, because this is a mess. Lawyers representing 59 cities, including Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, on Wednesday asked an Austin district court judge to temporarily block a Texas law passed last year that cuts government … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Cable franchise fees lawsuit heard

Another scooter injury study

Posted on February 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Keep ’em coming. Electric scooter injuries have surged along with their popularity in the United States, nearly tripling over four years, researchers said in a study published Wednesday. Nearly 40,000 broken bones, head injuries, cuts and bruises resulting from scooter … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Another scooter injury study

Texas Central and Lone Star Rail

Posted on December 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. In South Central Texas, 20 state legislators have revived talk of a San Antonio to Austin passenger rail line. Area lawmakers signed a letter in August asking Transportation Committee chair and state Rep. Terry Canales (D-Edinburg) to study … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Texas Central and Lone Star Rail

On Abbott, Austin, and homelessness

Posted on October 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

What Chris Hooks says. On Wednesday, the governor plunged headfirst into a political controversy that has dominated discussion in the city since June. Back then, the city council partially neutered several ordinances that essentially made being homeless in the city … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on On Abbott, Austin, and homelessness

Other counties also considering property tax rate hikes

Posted on September 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. A statewide property tax relief plan that takes effect next year is prompting hefty tax increases this fall in many of the biggest cities and counties in Texas, even in places that … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Will Lone Star Rail get resurrected?

Posted on September 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe! A coalition of San Antonio and Austin state representatives has asked the House Transportation Committee chair to study the possibility of passenger rail between the two cities ahead of the 2021 legislative session. Congestion between the two cities will … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Will Lone Star Rail get resurrected?

It’s up to cities to make the Census work

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Lege shirked its duty, so this is what’s left. Across the country, states are spending millions on making sure they get a better headcount of their residents. For example, California officials announced they are investing as much as $154 … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

UT’s new tuition policy

Posted on July 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Seeking to make college more affordable, the University of Texas will use some of its oil money to dramatically expand the financial aid it offers to low- and middle-income undergraduates on its flagship Austin campus. The system’s governing board … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The real goal of SB2

Posted on June 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s take a look at the quotes from the supporters of SB2, the new law that will impose revenue caps on all Texas cities, to see what they say about it. “They’re going to have to start looking at spending … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The real goal of SB2

Sometimes, bad bills do die

Posted on May 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The calendar giveth, and the calendar taketh away. One of the the biggest priorities for Texas Republicans this session appears to be on the verge of legislative death. A series of bills that would broadly prohibit local governments from regulating … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Sometimes, bad bills do die

Austin’s scooter study

Posted on May 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Be careful riding these things, and for crying out loud wear a helmet. A first-of-its-kind study on injuries related to dockless electric scooters found that most incidents were preventable, and now Austin city officials are hoping to use their findings … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Senate passes all of its SB15 alternatives

Posted on April 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

When one big bill won’t do but four smaller bills will. The Texas Senate on Tuesday preliminarily approved the last two bills in a package of splintered legislation aimed at limiting the ability of cities to regulate private companies’ employment … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Senate passes all of its SB15 alternatives

Instagram in space!

Posted on April 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Far out. Like, literally. Internet service can sometimes be spotty here on Earth. Just imagine checking email from the moon or searching Google from Mars. A Houston satellite and artificial intelligence company wants to make that possible through an “interplanetary … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Instagram in space!

World’s worst pastors drop Austin equal rights lawsuit

Posted on March 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A conservative Christian organization has dropped a federal lawsuitthat sought to overturn an Austin anti-discrimination ordinance that offers employment protection based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Dave Welch, head of the Houston-based U.S. Pastor Council, said the decision was … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on World’s worst pastors drop Austin equal rights lawsuit

Is the anti-sick leave bill also anti-equality?

Posted on March 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Could be. Whose word do you take for it? What started as seemingly simple state legislation hailed as good for Texas businesses is drawing skepticism from legal experts and outrage from advocates worried it would strike employment protections and benefits … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Another scooter casualty study

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

To be done in Austin. As many as 14,000 dockless electric scooters are on the streets of Austin, whose 326 square miles are home to almost 1 million people. That likely makes Austin one of the cities with the highest … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Another scooter casualty study

The down side of scooters

Posted on February 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Watch out for that tree. And that pedestrian, and that street light, and that strange bump in the sidewalk, and that abandoned scooter someone just left lying there… In September 2017, Tarak Trivedi, an emergency room doctor, and Catherine Lerer, … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The down side of scooters

Take a Tesla to Austin

Posted on January 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Because sure, why not? Want to ride in a Tesla? For $250, you can be chauffeured on a one-way trip between Houston and Austin. Dallas is just $400 away. Austin-based ElecTrip is billed as an energy-efficient alternative to private flights … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Take a Tesla to Austin

We’re already on the next generation of scooters

Posted on January 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

And of course, they’re coming to Austin. Already home to thousands of electric scooters, many of them crowding downtown sidewalks, the Central Texas city will be the first to experience a new generation of shareable electric scooters from an Oxnard, … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on We’re already on the next generation of scooters

Hitch-ing a ride

Posted on January 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’m kind of fascinated by this story about another ridesharing app/service. High-tech hitchhiking has arrived in Texas. Austin startup Hitch offers a ride-sharing service connecting people driving between Houston and Austin with people needing rides. “Over 10,000 cars make trips … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Hitch-ing a ride

MLS comes to Austin

Posted on January 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Welcome to the big leagues. After a long and often rocky courtship, Austin and Major League Soccer became a match. The league formally welcomed Austin as its 27th franchise with a raucous downtown party Tuesday full of chanting and flag-waving, … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

It’s bill-filing season

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here are some highlights from Day One: House Bill 49, by Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, would get rid of daylight saving time in Texas. Some lawmakers have tried to do this in past sessions. House Bill 63, by Rep. … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

World’s worst pastors file suit against Austin’s equal rights ordinance

Posted on October 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Exactly what you’d expect from these jerks. A Houston-based religious nonprofit behind the so-called bathroom bill is suing the City of Austin over its anti-discrimination hiring ordinance. The U.S. Pastor Council filed suit in a federal district court late last … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The firefighter pay parity referendum won’t be decided by the voters

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

it will be decided by the courts. Here’s a story out of Austin to illustrate. Former Travis County judge Bill Aleshire has sued the city of Austin in the Texas Supreme Court, challenging the ballot language of a proposition up … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The firefighter pay parity referendum won’t be decided by the voters

Austin drops its bag ban

Posted on July 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

What choice did they have? The City of Austin says it will no longer enforce a ban on single-use plastic bags at most retail outlets, following a state Supreme Court ruling last month that struck down Laredo’s bag ban. The … Continue reading →

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

More on flood tunnels

Posted on July 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

They’re a thing, I swear. While it’s far from clear whether it will ever happen, the concept almost immediately generated widespread response when it was announced earlier this spring. Local officials told the Houston Chronicle it’s outside-the-box thinking with benefits that could outweigh … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I got those “too many traffic lights between Houston and Austin” blues

Posted on July 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

But maybe not for long. Depending on which route you drive. [T]he Texas Department of Transportation is in the final stages of a decadeslong effort to at least make that 170-mile trip from Austin to Houston free of traffic lights. … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

“Families Belong Together”

Posted on July 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Make some noise, then make sure everyone you know gets out and votes. As the temperature inched to the triple digits and sweating crowds swarmed the south lawn of the Texas State Capitol, speakers declared with grief, hope, indignation and … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Where the anti-vaxxers are

Posted on June 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

A lot of them are right here. Four Texas cities, including Houston, rank among the 15 metropolitan “hotspots” of vaccine exemptions, more than any other state, according to a new study. The study found Austin, Fort Worth and Plano also … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Where the anti-vaxxers are

Scooters come to San Antonio

Posted on June 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Beware, y’all. Electric scooters started popping up on the streets of San Antonio early Friday morning as part of an initiative by Los Angeles-based scooter-sharing company Bird to provide an alternative mode of transportation, mostly for those downtown. The scooters, … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Scooters come to San Antonio

Too many people don’t get sick leave

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the CPPP: All Texans should be able to care for themselves or a loved one if they get sick, regardless of what kind of job they do or how much they earn. Approximately 4.3 million Texas workers – or … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments