Category Archives: Elsewhere in Houston

Bike lanes coming to Shepherd/Durham corridor

Posted on July 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Houston officials with some regional help have nearly solved funding a $100 million rebuild of Shepherd and Durham that adds bike lanes, wider sidewalks, improved drainage and new concrete to one of the most car-centric corridors within Loop 610. … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Is it time to step back?

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not a question of whether we want to do this, it’s whether we need to. Houston leaders are calling for another two-week shutdown as dozens of Army personnel are set to arrive Monday to help fight a virus that … Continue reading →

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The hidden toll

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Another reason why the reported death count from COVID-19 is too low: People who didn’t know they were infected and die at home may never be tested or counted. As coronavirus cases surge, inundating hospitals and leading to testing shortages, … Continue reading →

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How it’s going at the hospitals

Posted on July 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

In a word, it’s bad. At Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital on Sunday, the medical staff ran out of both space for new coronavirus patients and a key drug needed to treat them. With no open beds at the public hospital, … Continue reading →

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Can we make it past July?

Posted on June 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

That’s when it looks like we’ll hit the peak of the pandemic here. And it could be ugly. A surge in COVID-19 cases since Memorial Day could set the Houston area on track for a peak of 2,000 daily hospitalizations … Continue reading →

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How bad is it going to get in Houston?

Posted on June 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m worried, y’all. The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Texas continued to reach record highs over the weekend while new cases also climbed in the Houston area. The new figures come as County Judge Lina Hidalgo and leaders in other … Continue reading →

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Confederate monuments to be removed

Posted on June 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Today, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced the City of Houston plans to relocate the Dowling and Spirit of Confederacy statues, which are currently both located in two City of Houston parks. The statues will be removed by Friday, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

The local view of COVID hospitalizations

Posted on June 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

More numbers. Three weeks after it stood out as the urban exception to the state’s spiking COVID-19 crisis, the Houston region has begun seeing a significant increase in cases and hospitalizations. The upturn, which began two weeks ago and accelerated … Continue reading →

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The George Floyd March

Posted on June 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Impressive. Sixty thousand people joined the family of George Floyd as well as elected officials and religious leaders today in a peaceful Houston march from Discovery Green to City Hall organized by rappers and civic activists Trae tha Truth, Bun … Continue reading →

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How about some antibody tests?

Posted on May 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

That would be good. After months of emphasis on diagnostic screening, contact tracing and research into possible treatments, Houston is about to deploy a new tool in the effort to contain COVID-19: antibody testing. Baylor College of Medicine researchers last … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Nothing but gray skies ahead

Posted on May 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You want a small sign that things are returning to “normal”, here you go. Houston’s air pollution is returning to normal levels, following a period of cleaner skies during the stay-at-home orders put in place to slow the spread the … Continue reading →

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Are we headed towards a coronavirus spike?

Posted on May 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

One set of researchers thinks we may be. Houston is one of several cities in the South that could see spikes in COVID-19 cases over the next four weeks as restrictions are eased, according to new research that uses cellphone … Continue reading →

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The 2020 Kinder Houston Area Survey

Posted on May 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We were a pretty optimistic bunch earlier this year, in the Before Times. Houstonians are expressing a deeper sense of mutual trust, compassion, and solidarity than ever before, with many also calling for policies that will reduce inequalities and improve … Continue reading →

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Still not enough tests

Posted on May 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We know, we know. Don’t ask what we’re gonna do about it. The vast majority of even those Houston-area residents experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 are not getting tested, according to initial results of a Rice University survey, the latest … Continue reading →

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Still trying to avoid total budget disaster

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

That federal money sure would help. As the prospect of mass furloughs and severe spending cuts looms over the city’s next budget, Houston officials are sitting on a pile of coronavirus stimulus money that amounts to more than double the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

From the “Shit happens” department

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I apologize, I couldn’t help myself. City health officials and Rice University scientists have begun testing Houston wastewater samples for COVID-19, a process they hope will reveal the true spread of the new coronavirus as clinical testing continues to lag. … Continue reading →

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Houston’s Climate Action Plan

Posted on May 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We have one, with goals for 2050. Houston’s first Climate Action Plan calls on the city’s 4,600 energy companies to lead the transition to renewable sources, while residents are asked to swap car rides for mass transit and work to … Continue reading →

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Well, they do serve food

Posted on May 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Presented (mostly) without comment: A strip club in Houston has won a temporary order from federal court Friday night allowing it to resume business after a confrontation with police over the governor’s order to allow certain types of businesses to … Continue reading →

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The fight over sick leave has to be at the state level

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I get this, but it’s not going to work. The coronavirus outbreak is sparking a debate over paid sick leave in Houston, the largest U.S. city without a law requiring businesses to provide paid time off for workers who fall … Continue reading →

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Turner to ask feds for some relief

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t hurt to ask. Mayor Sylvester Turner is asking the federal government to let Houston use an estimated $400 million in aid to help close its ballooning budget gap and reduce the number of expected furloughs in the fiscal year … Continue reading →

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Did we mention that the next city budget is gonna suck?

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Because it is, in case we hadn’t mentioned it before. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said Monday that the coronavirus crisis will impact “every facet of city governance” and require furloughs of city workers, though he declined to say how many … Continue reading →

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Are we near the peak yet?

Posted on April 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We sure hope so, but it’s still a little soon to tell. After weeks of grim, ever-worsening statistics, Houston medical and public health leaders say the area has begun to flatten the COVID-19 curve, the rate at which the disease … Continue reading →

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Coronavirus and beer

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Houston’s craft breweries are adjusting to life with closed taprooms and beer-to-go sales. The team at Saint Arnold Brewing sat down to taste some test beers one Wednesday morning, as its members do when they work on new releases. But … Continue reading →

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Younger people get coronavirus, too

Posted on April 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Because that’s how viruses work. More Houstonians younger than 60 are testing positive for the novel coronavirus than those who are most at risk of developing serious complications from the illness. Of that number, middle-aged adults — those in their … Continue reading →

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Harris County stay-at-home order extended

Posted on April 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Tuesday extended her stay-at-home order through April 30, as cases of novel coronavirus infections in the Houston area continue to rise, three county officials with knowledge of the plan said. Hidalgo … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Steven Hotze’s death wish

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. A hardline conservative power broker and three area pastors filed a petition with the Texas Supreme Court Monday arguing that Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s stay-at-home order violates the Constitution by ordering … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

The difference a week makes

Posted on March 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Imposing a stay-at-home order sooner rather than later ha a profound effect on how many people come down with coronavirus. The person-to-person spread of the coronavirus in the Houston region would peak in two weeks and burn out by mid-May … Continue reading →

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The Houston/Harris County stay-at-home order

Posted on March 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s hoping we won’t have to do this for too much longer. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued a stay-at-home order Tuesday morning closing most businesses and directing residents to stay put except for groceries and errands in the latest … Continue reading →

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Does Houston have enough hospital capacity?

Posted on March 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We sure hope so. Houston-area hospitals would not have enough resources to respond to a widespread outbreak of the coronavirus unless they take strong action to significantly increase capacity, according to new calculations released by Harvard University. Even in the … Continue reading →

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Art Car Parade has been canceled

Posted on March 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Some inevitable sadness from the inbox: Dear Friends, As one of the city’s largest and most iconic annual events, the Houston Art Car Parade has celebrated the artist in everyone for each of the past 33 years, showcasing hundreds of mobile masterpieces … Continue reading →

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Bars and clubs to be closed

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Man, the effect of the coronavirus pandemic is going to be huge even if everything goes well. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Monday ordered all bars and clubs countywide to close for 15 days, … Continue reading →

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The Houston healthcare community is preparing for COVID-19

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I sure hope it’s enough. With last week’s new certainty that the novel coronavirus is loose and being transmitted in Houston, the region’s medical providers are bracing for the current handful of known cases to blaze into an outbreak like nothing in … Continue reading →

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Thus endeth this year’s Rodeo

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Surely not a surprise. Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Wednesday the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will close due to concerns about coronavirus after a Montgomery County man with no recent travel history tested positive for COVID-19. The case is the … Continue reading →

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Coronavirus comes to town

Posted on March 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It was just a matter of time. After months of fear, preparations and cancellations, the new coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has officially come to the Houston area. One day after a Fort Bend man in his 70s was “presumptively … Continue reading →

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