Tag Archives: Plano

A few questions about Swyft Cities and the Whoosh project

In my earlier post about the Whoosh elevated autonomous cable car project in North Texas, I got a comment from Leonard Lee addressing some of the concerns I had raised. He invited me to contact him if I had any … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A few questions about Swyft Cities and the Whoosh project

Whoosh!

Okay, this is a new one. Transportation planners have a new idea about how to take on congestion as Dallas-Fort Worth’s population grows: elevated autonomous cable cars that riders can hail on demand. Five North Texas cities — Dallas, Arlington, … Continue reading

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

Multiple cities sue streaming services over franchise fees

This has been coming for awhile, it seems. A lawsuit filed Thursday by 25 Texas cities claims that Disney, Hulu and Netflix have for years stiffed the cities out of dollars the streaming giants are required to pay under state … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Why North Texas?

The Trib reprints a WaPo story about a cluster of Capitol insurrectionists in the Dallas suburbs, and it’s something. Hope for Trump’s return is fervent in Frisco and across the northern Dallas suburbs, an area of rapid growth and rapidly increasing diversity. … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2020, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Whistling past the ICU

Clap louder! Gov. Greg Abbott and top Texas health officials on Tuesday responded to growing alarm over hospitals now swelling with coronavirus patients, assuring there is still plenty of space available even as some facilities have neared or surpassed capacity. … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Where the anti-vaxxers are

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

Mayors to Abbott: Don’t mess with our cities

Good luck getting through. Less than 24 hours after Gov. Greg Abbott blasted local government restrictions like tree ordinances as a threat to the “Texas brand,” city government leaders statewide are seeking a meeting with the Republican leader. “We would … Continue reading

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

How the Legislature is raising your property taxes

RG Ratcliffe explains it all to you: Just how much money does the increased appraisal on property in your school district and elsewhere save the state budget writers? The projection is $1.5 billion for the next two-year budget. And where … Continue reading

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on How the Legislature is raising your property taxes

Plano for high speed rail

More support for Texas Central. The Plano City Council has lent it support to a 240-mile high-speed rail project that would run from Dallas to Houston. The council voted 7-1 Monday night to adopt a resolution supporting the project, with … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

How many crimes does your police department solve?

Fewer than you think, unfortunately. Violent crime in America has been falling for two decades. That’s the good news. The bad news is, when crimes occur, they mostly go unpunished. In fact, for most major crimes, police don’t even make … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Plano ERO repeal petitions ruled invalid

Wow. The City of Plano has determined that a recently circulated Equal Rights petition is invalid and will not move forward. Plano’s City Secretary was unable to certify the petition because it failed to meet State and local requirements for … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Plano ERO repeal petitions ruled invalid

The situation in Plano is complicated

I had not realized this. The nation’s largest LGBT political advocacy group indicated this week it is unlikely to help defend a nondiscrimination ordinance in Plano due to exemptions affecting the transgender community. The announcement from the Washington, D.C.-based Human … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2015 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The situation in Plano is complicated

HERO petition repeal trial starts

It could actually be over before it really starts, though I would not expect that. For the next three to four weeks, the Harris County Civil Courthouse will be the stage for the trial over Houston’s controversial equal rights ordinance. … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on HERO petition repeal trial starts

Plano equality opponents turn in their petitions

Yesterday was the deadline for the opponents of Plano’s equal rights ordinance to turn in petitions to force a repeal referendum, and the haters of Plano duly did so. Opponents of Plano’s Equal Rights Ordinance say they’ve met the deadline … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2015 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Plano equality opponents turn in their petitions

The bigger threat than the Plano petitions

This could be a big problem. Four Republican lawmakers from the Plano area plan to introduce legislation that would bar cities and counties from adopting ordinances prohibiting discrimination against LGBT people, the Observer has learned. The proposed legislation also threatens … Continue reading

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The bigger threat than the Plano petitions

The haters are gathering petitions in Plano

God help us all. Opponents of Plano’s new ordinance banning discrimination against gays and transgendered people have drawn support from Pastor Rafael Cruz, father of Sen. Ted Cruz. “This is an attack on Judeo-Christian beliefs in America,” Cruz told a … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2015 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

On playing small ball

Campos reacts to Mayor Parker’s future statewide plans. And here again is my small ball take from a few weeks ago: It is time for small ball instead of the big inning. In baseball, small ball is a strategy where … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Working for progress on LGBT issues

I’m always a little wary when I see a phrase like “chipping away” in a story about LGBT issues, but in this case it refers to obstacles, not hard-won victories, so it’s OK. The rights and interests of homosexual Texans … Continue reading

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Working for progress on LGBT issues

Republicans will push pro-discrimination bills

I have three things to say about this. Two days after the Plano City Council approved an ordinance prohibiting discrimination against LGBT people, a Texas legislator filed a proposed constitutional amendment that would limit the ability of cities to enforce … Continue reading

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

Houston pastors to fight against the Plano equal rights ordinance

Of course they will. When Houston passed its Equal Rights Ordinance earlier this year, the Texas Pastor Council came out strongly in opposition of the law. Now the Houston-based group is challenging the nondiscrimination ordinance for lesbian, gay, bisexual and … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Houston pastors to fight against the Plano equal rights ordinance

Plano passes equal rights ordinance

How about that? In a split vote Monday, the Plano City Council passed the controversial Equal Rights Policy over the objections of many residents in the standing-room-only crowd. The amendment to the city’s 1989 anti-discrimination policy extends protections from housing, … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Plano passes equal rights ordinance

Once again, where are the jobs Rick Perry was trying to poach?

Politico revisits a familiar subject. Since as early as February of last year and as recently as April of this one, Perry has made eight trips to six different states, all of which have one very particular thing in common: … Continue reading

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Once again, where are the jobs Rick Perry was trying to poach?

Video-enabled radar guns

I’m just curious what people think of this: Plano could soon become one of the nation’s first cities to equip police with laser speed guns that also capture video. Police say the handheld equipment would provide courts with indisputable evidence … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

This ain’t your daddy’s Plano any more

Demographic change comes to Texas’ iconic suburb. Recent controversy over whether and where to build a large homeless housing complex is the latest evidence of Plano’s two faces. The nonprofit Samaritan Inn of McKinney last week withdrew a zoning request … Continue reading

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