Tag Archives: Hurricane Ike

Shriners Hospital in Galveston to reopen

Posted on July 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Delegates at the national Shriners convention meeting in San Antonio voted Monday to reopen a world-renowned burn hospital for children in Galveston, closed since it was damaged by Hurricane Ike in September. Convention delegates voted to keep open … Continue reading →

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Planting vegetation against the tide

Posted on June 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose there’s more than one way to try to save your beachfront property. In Texas, a thin green line in the sand separates private property from public beach. And that line of vegetation is drawn by Mother Nature. Some … Continue reading →

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And here are the vetoes

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the full list, with links to statements about individual bills, here’s his press release, and here’s his budget statement. A few points of interest: – Perry wimped out and allowed HB770, the Wayne Christian Homestead Bill, to become law … Continue reading →

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UTMB to open emergency room

Posted on June 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Awesome. The University of Texas Medical Branch is scheduled to open a full-service emergency room Aug. 1 for the first time since Hurricane Ike inundated its campus more than eight months ago, relieving pressure on overburdened emergency rooms throughout the … Continue reading →

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Keep Heights Green

Posted on June 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Got this via a Heights mailing list I’m on: Keep Heights Green, a local non-profit organization whose mission is to replant trees in the Greater Heights area lost during Hurricane Ike, is hosting its first fundraising event on Thursday, June … Continue reading →

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Falkenberg on HB770

Posted on June 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Falkenberg hops on the HB770 train, both in her column and her blog, with video of Rep. Wayne Christian at work. I don’t really have anything to add to that, but I will note that there’s another reason to … Continue reading →

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Editorialists urge veto of HB770

Posted on June 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

HB770, the originally obscure bill to grant homestead exemptions to folks who lost their house in Hurricane Ike that has generated a big stink thanks to the self-serving provision inserted on behalf of State Rep. Wayne Christian, is getting panned … Continue reading →

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Still bitching about the beach

Posted on June 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Who would have thought that an otherwise-obscure bill about granting homestead exemptions to people who lost houses in Galveston to Hurricane Ike would become the most controversial bill of the first week post-sine die? Open beaches advocacy groups sent out … Continue reading →

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Open beaches

Posted on June 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Got the following email from a colleague and thought it was worth mentioning: Very late Sunday night a “deal” was made in the Texas legislature to make an exemption in the Texas Open Beaches Act – the law that guarantees … Continue reading →

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More Tier One schools

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s some genuine good news from Sunday night’s chaos. Legislation intended to lift some of the state’s public universities to top-tier status has passed the House and Senate and now goes to Gov. Rick Perry, who is expected to sign … Continue reading →

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House approves windstorm insurance bill

Posted on May 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The one known threat of a special session has just been dramatically reduced. House members today approved the conference committee report shoring up a fund supporting hail and windstorm insurance coverage for coastal property-owners. Assuming the Senate similarly OK’s the … Continue reading →

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See you later, alligator

Posted on May 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We all know how much Hurricane Ike has affected and continues to affect people and property. I at least had no idea how devastating it had been to the state’s alligator population. The throaty bellow of adult male alligators, a … Continue reading →

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“Near normal” hurricane season

Posted on May 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Better than a highly active season, I guess. With the Atlantic hurricane season drawing near, the last of a growing number of storm prognosticators, Uncle Sam, chimed in Thursday with its predictions. Federal forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric … Continue reading →

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Windstorm insurance bill passes House committee

Posted on May 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve mentioned the prospect of a special session several times lately. One of the issues that could be the cause of a special session is windstorm insurance, as the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association took it on the chin last year … Continue reading →

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Ike, Ike, baby

Posted on May 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know why I hadn’t seen this story coming. In retrospect, it seems so obvious. Doctors who work in Houston’s busiest maternity ward say they’re expecting an especially bustling June, leading some to conclude that Hurricane Ike was the … Continue reading →

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Joe for Galveston

Posted on May 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

From my inbox, some good news from Joe Jaworski: Galveston matters, and the Island’s next Mayor must ensure this message is clearly understood: Galveston is more than a storm ravaged Island with a history; it is an iconic Texas coastal … Continue reading →

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Windstorm insurance changes

Posted on May 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

If you live near the coast, get ready to pay more for windstorm insurance. Coastal residents insured by the state windstorm fund could see increases of 5 percent per year for the next three years under a bill passed Thursday … Continue reading →

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I hate you! I need disaster relief!

Posted on May 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Care to guess who is the biggest requestor of federal disaster relief funds since 2001? Why, none other than Governor Rick “Secession 4 Eva!” Perry, that’s who. According to FEMA’s website, Texas has been the site of 13 “major disaster … Continue reading →

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Busy day yesterday

Posted on April 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

There were a lot of bills passed yesterday by one chamber or the other. My mailbox is full of press releases touting them. I’m going to go ahead and print them beneath the fold as a roundup. A few bills … Continue reading →

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Hey, remember when we were gonna reform county ethics?

Posted on April 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

How’s that been going? Efforts to clean up Harris County government appear to be on indefinite hold as any serious debate about ethics reform has been derailed for months by infighting and political gamesmanship. Commissioners Court has yet to act … Continue reading →

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Settlement in UTMB lawsuit

Posted on April 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Hot off the presses. University of Texas regents today settled an open records lawsuit, agreeing to give hiring priority to 2,400 employees laid off at UTMB in December, one of the plaintiffs said. In return for dropping the lawsuit, the … Continue reading →

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Measuring hurricanes

Posted on April 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The venerable Saffir-Simpson scale for measuring hurricane strength is so simple to use, it’s not really adequate for the task of assessing risk and estimating damage. “If I could wave a wand and make it go away, I would,” said … Continue reading →

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The Ike Dike

Posted on April 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This certainly sounds like a promising idea. Protecting the region from a hurricane’s storm surge, says William Merrell of Texas A&M University at Galveston, is simple: Extend Galveston’s seawall to the island’s West End, build a similar structure along Bolivar … Continue reading →

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UTMB versus Shriners

Posted on March 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Well, this might help keep Shiners Galveston Hospital open. The University of Texas Medical Branch on Friday asked a judge to stop Shriners Hospital for Children Galveston from locking its doors and imperiling millions of dollars in shared burn research. … Continue reading →

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A setback for Shriners

Posted on March 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Alas. Local Shriners vowed Wednesday to take their case for reopening the storm-damaged Shriners Hospital for Children in Galveston to convention delegates after the national leadership again decided to keep it closed. Officials of the 1,000-member Galveston-based El Mina Shrine … Continue reading →

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If UTMB, why not Shriners?

Posted on March 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The recent news that the UTMB Hospital will remain in Galveston and is now rehiring laid off workers was great to hear not just for Galveston but for the larger region, which really needed the facilities. Now that this one … Continue reading →

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UTMB rehiring

Posted on March 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is good news, though it does make you wonder what the point of all the initial layoffs was. The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, which laid off more than 2,400 employees last fall because of damage caused … Continue reading →

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UTMB hopsital to stay in Galveston

Posted on March 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is a pleasant surprise. The University of Texas Medical Branch hospital, still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Ike, will remain on Galveston Island under a plan approved today. The decision by the University of Texas Board of Regents … Continue reading →

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UTMB layoff lawsuit update

Posted on March 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Missed this last week. A lawsuit challenging the layoffs of nearly 3,000 employees at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston will be fought on home turf, a state district judge ruled Wednesday. The courtroom audience applauded as Galveston … Continue reading →

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Two stories about gambling

Posted on March 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron’s David Barron talks to some experts about putting slot machines at horse tracks, which is one of several major proposals to expand gambling in Texas this legislative session. William Eadington, an economics professor at the University of Nevada … Continue reading →

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Brennan’s to reopen

Posted on March 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The venerable Brennan’s of Houston restaurant, which burned down during Hurricane Ike, will reopen later this year. Alex Brennan-Martin said he wanted to put to rest the rumor that Brennan’s of Houston would never reopen. It will, in October, 13 … Continue reading →

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Reason #437 why I’m skeptical of the gambling industry

Posted on March 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The regulatory agency that oversees horse and dog tracks in Texas is begging for a handout to make it through the end of the fiscal year. Faced with a 14 percent, nearly $678,000 shortfall, the commission that oversees horse and … Continue reading →

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A step forward for Houston-Galveston rail

Posted on February 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We know that Metro is hoping for some stimulus money to help build light rail lines. Galveston is also hoping for some rail-related stimulus funds. A commuter rail line between Galveston and Houston has been on the drawing board for … Continue reading →

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Mardi Gras Galveston

Posted on February 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Let the good times roll, y’all. The annual celebration [kicked] off this weekend, with all the parades, music and fun from past years. Sixteen krewes are marching and some are putting on longer parades and more floats for the event … Continue reading →

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