Category Archives: Elsewhere in Houston

Resilient Houston

Posted on February 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s good to have a plan. No traffic deaths on Houston streets, 4.6 million new trees, and no more homes in the floodway. All by 2030. Those are some of the lofty goals set in the master resiliency plan, “Resilient … Continue reading →

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How many explosions is too many explosions?

Posted on January 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Unfortunately, we’re on track to find out. It’s a scene that’s all too familiar to Houston residents. Explosions, flames reaching into the sky, plumes of black smoke, calls to shelter in place, evacuations, injuries and deaths. The explosion early Friday … Continue reading →

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Oh God, I have to mention Tony Buzbee again

Posted on January 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There goes one New Year’s resolution. There is a plate of crawfish on the table in front of Tony Buzbee, who has substituted his jeans-and-jacket campaign garb for a baby blue sweatshirt and Texas A&M baseball cap. The setting: Crawfish … Continue reading →

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Christmas tree recycling 2019

Posted on January 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

For your last act of Christmas 2019, here’s how to dispose of your tree. Twenty-five recycling centers in the Houston area will take your Christmas trees. All city recycling facilities will take trees through Jan. 25. All you have to … Continue reading →

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Who wants to host the 2030 World’s Expo?

Posted on November 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The city of Houston, that’s who. Congress is moving to free up funding for the U.S. to post a pavilion at the 2020 World’s Expo in Dubai — a move lawmakers say will put Houston “in play” to host the … Continue reading →

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What’s going on with the Astrodome?

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s on the back burner for now. A $105 million county-approved plan to renovate and build parking at Houston’s most famous relic has been put on pause since the plan’s most prominent advocate, Republican Ed Emmett, lost his seat last … Continue reading →

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Good luck avoiding mosquitoes

Posted on September 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

You can’t stop them, you can only hope to contain them. Living in an area with so many mosquitoes means local officials can’t just ignore them, right? Harris County tries to lower the number of bugs both by spraying and … Continue reading →

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Party Boy bye-bye

Posted on August 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Sad. This October may be the last year the view south of I-10 across from the Heights is a giant orange pumpkin. The property housing Party Boy at 1515 Studemont, where an inflatable pumpkin is displayed atop the building each … Continue reading →

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The city bird of Houston

Posted on July 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s tackle a serious question, shall we? The Houston Audubon Society seeks your nomination for the Bird of Houston, a bird you believe symbolizes the spirit of our Bayou City. Asking you to nominate the city’s emblematic bird is part … Continue reading →

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Astrodome song

Posted on July 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A little bit of nostalgia for you today. Like many of us, Bruce Robison has driven by the Astrodome and gotten emotional. He is of that age — born in 1966, one year after the Dome opened — that gives … Continue reading →

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We’re still #4

Posted on July 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll probably be that for awhile. According to the new report from the Greater Houston Partnership, the domestic population growth for the Houston region has slowed down over the last eight years. The report, which is based on population estimates … Continue reading →

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Biking and breweries

Posted on July 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Actually, this makes perfect sense. This started off in the gray area between a good idea and a bad one. Two years ago, Jason Buhlman and Brian Kondrach got about 30 of their friends together for an afternoon of two-wheel … Continue reading →

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Downtown post office redevelopment update

Posted on July 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the big post office at the north end of downtown? It was sold a few years ago and slated for redevelopment, and after a few years that project is getting ready to get started. Lovett Commercial, the Houston-based company … Continue reading →

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Happy (bike) trails to you

Posted on June 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Trails connecting to trails. It’s a beautiful thing. With roughly four miles of new trail in the neighborhood along Sims Bayou and a electric transmission route, officials in southern Houston’s Five Corners District as well as park advocates said they … Continue reading →

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Anadarko anxiety

Posted on June 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We know how you feel, The Woodlands. Occidental last month agreed to buy Anadarko for $38 billion, outbidding the much bigger oil company Chevron. The looming question is whether Oxy will maintain a presence in The Woodlands or move out … Continue reading →

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New fronts in the war on mosquitoes

Posted on June 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Science marches on. In the center of Anita Schiller’s dragonfly-ring-clad hand, a dragonfly nymph is scooting around. The dedicated naturalist and entomologist is explaining how the insect (which is a water-dwelling dragonfly with gills before it grows wings) expels water … Continue reading →

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Saint Arnold’s silver anniversary

Posted on May 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A very happy anniversary to them. There is nothing particularly unique about the start-up story behind Saint Arnold. [Founder Brock] Wagner, 54, had been working as an investment banker when he decided to chuck the suit and tie and try … Continue reading →

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Houston’s up-and-down population growth

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It was up and now it’s down. San Antonio gained 24,208 residents between July 1, 2016, and July 1, 2017, annual population estimates just released by the federal agency show. That amounts to an average of 66 people per day, … Continue reading →

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Kinder Houston Area Survey 2019

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s one of the best things about Houston, year after year. As Houston recovered from last week’s punishing rains, Rice University researchers reported Monday that public concern about flooding has diminished, while residents are ambivalent about certain policies aimed at … Continue reading →

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Missing In Harris County Day

Posted on April 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I had no idea this was a thing. Last year, 40,175 children were reported missing in Texas (over 9,600 of these from the Greater Houston area). And while many of these cases ended up solved, as of December 31, 8,360 … Continue reading →

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Curbside glass recycling is back

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hooray! Houston residents can resume putting glass in their curbside recycling bins, city officials said Thursday at the opening of a recycling facility in northeast Houston. The new plant, outfitted with advanced technology including a glass cleanup system, is operated … Continue reading →

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Explode, rinse, repeat

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. A massive explosion at a chemical plant in northeast Harris County on Tuesday killed one person and sent two others to the hospital in critical condition, sparking a blaze that sent yet another plume of dark … Continue reading →

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Another AstroWorld auction

Posted on February 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Warm up your credit cards. If your wallet is as deep as your love for Houston’s AstroWorld, you’re in luck. An online auction is selling off a little more than 300 items from the theme park that closed its gates … Continue reading →

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Architect hired for Ismaili Center construction on Robinson Warehouse site

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is the most exciting bit of local news I’ve seen in years. The worldwide Ismaili Muslim community announced Wednesday it is moving forward with plans to make Houston the site of its first U.S. cultural center and to create … Continue reading →

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Does the Astrodome redevelopment need air conditioning?

Posted on January 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I hadn’t thought about this, to be honest. As work continues on the initial stages of preparing the Astrodome for its new life as a parking and events venue, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo raised questions last week about the … Continue reading →

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Will we address the unincorporated problem?

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron proposes an agenda item for the Lege. Unincorporated Harris County The challenges of unincorporated Harris County are nothing new. For decades neighborhoods have sprouted up in the vast prairie west of Houston without any formal municipal governmental structure. … Continue reading →

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Better sidewalks needs to be everyone’s job

Posted on December 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the only way we’re going to make progress. Houstonians annoyed by cracked, missing or buckled sidewalks along their streets may be surprised to learn that city rules make residents responsible for fixing them. At the urging of council members … Continue reading →

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It’s tree-recycling time

Posted on December 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s what you need to know. You have nearly three weeks to do this. Don’t miss out.

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RIP, Ray Hill

Posted on November 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We have lost an icon. Ray Hill was in the cross hairs, and if the Louisiana hitmen actually showed up in Houston to rub him out, he wanted the media to be wise to what had happened. Hill breathlessly related … Continue reading →

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The timeline for the Astrodome

Posted on October 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Work will get started after the Rodeo. According to Ryan Walsh, executive director of the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation and NRG Park, the final phase of asbestos abatement is scheduled to get underway at the Dome next week … Continue reading →

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Robot sex brothel update

Posted on October 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s all about the permits. The City of Houston ordered a Canadian company called KinkySDollS to stop the construction of a so-called robot brothel for not having the appropriate permit. The city, which told the Chronicle this week that they … Continue reading →

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We need to talk about the robot sex brothel

Posted on September 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t avoid it any longer. In a surprise reveal last week, a Toronto businessman announced that he would be opening the nation’s first robot sex brothel in Houston. The business, set to open its doors later this month or … Continue reading →

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Deterring dumping

Posted on August 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Tough problem, good use of technology. [Radny] Scales, a Harris County Environmental Crimes Unit lieutenant, and his team of nine investigators depend heavily on video cameras to crack down on illegal dumping, a crime that disproportionally affects the city’s poorest … Continue reading →

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Checking in on Pasadena

Posted on July 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

How’s it going over there? A year into his four-year term, [Pasadena Mayor Jeff] Wagner says he is focused on unifying a city whose ethnic and socioeconomic inequities were displayed before a national audience during the 2016 trial over a … Continue reading →

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