Monthly Archives: September 2009

Election tidbits for 9/30

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

While it’s an interesting story, I don’t quite see what the fuss is about Rick Perry using monetary rewards for volunteers who get people to sign up with his campaign. As the story notes, rewards of some kind, usually campaign … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Perry attempts to gut Forensic Science Commission

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is an outrage. Gov. Rick Perry today replaced the chairman of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, which is conducting a politically sensitive investigation into whether the state executed a man based on a fatally flawed arson investigation. The commission’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Interview with Council Member Jarvis Johnson

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Wrapping up my series of incumbent district Council member is Jarvis Johnson, who is finishing his second term in District B. Council Member Johnson has been one of the leading advocates for bringing wireless Internet access to various parts of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Commissioners Court approves public defenders plan

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The “hybrid” public defenders office that Commissioners Court had been considering was approved Tuesday by a 5-0 vote, though the details still need to be worked out in time for the February 2010 budget meeting. “It’s going to take however … Continue reading →

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SNCF proposes high-speed rail route for Texas

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not the Texas T-Bone, but it’s a start. Last December, Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters and Representative John Mica (R-FL) announced that the Federal Railroad Administration would begin accepting Expressions of Interest for the development of high-speed lines in … Continue reading →

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You can try, but you can’t out-embarrass the SBOE

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Court of Criminal Appeals has had a good run lately as the public institution that has caused the most embarrassment to Texas, thanks in no small part to the ongoing Keller saga and the recent hot judge-on-prosecutor ruling. But … Continue reading →

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

It’s hard to get a conviction when there’s no evidence of a crime

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The main bit of news in this AP story about the Todd Willingham case review is that the Texas Forensic Science Commission will be reviewing the Beyler report about the shoddy investigation of the fire on Friday. I hope, though … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Help Equality Texas

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Equality Texas, which lobbies on behalf of equal rights for all Texans, had the misfortune of its office being vandalized over the weekend. The offices of Equality Texas were vandalized over the weekend sometime  Saturday night or on Sunday.  The … Continue reading →

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New TV ads from Parker and Brown

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Annise Parker has released her second TV ad. Before I embed the video, here’s some of the press release about the ad: The Annise Parker Campaign released its second TV ad today, on the theme of leadership. The ad will … Continue reading →

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Election tidbits for 9/29

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Dallas DA Craig Watkins’ Republican opponent. I thought he came across better than the commenters did, but I feel pretty good about Watkins’ chances nonetheless. Via Grits. Some love for Bill White, including the Bill Whites for Bill White … Continue reading →

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Interview with Council Member James Rodriguez

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Next we have Council Member James Rodriguez, who is serving his first term in District I. He’s been busy on a number of fronts, including the construction of the Harrisburg light rail line and the pending Dynamo Stadium deal, as … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Chron overview of the Controller’s race

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Must be getting close to Early Voting, as the Chron has started writing about elections other than the Mayor’s race. Here’s their overview of the Controller’s race. The city controller position traditionally has been a big draw in municipal races. … Continue reading →

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Holm drops some mail

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We have our first indication of campaign expenditures outside the Mayor’s race as Council Member and Controller candidate Pam Holm puts out a mailer. Musings has a look, courtesy of @xtinagorczynski on Twitter. It’s a basic intro piece that establishes … Continue reading →

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More on scent lineups

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron had a good story yesterday about “scent lineups” and the problems they’ve caused in criminal cases. Since one of the main arguments raised by the defenders of the Todd Willingham verdict seems to be that the experts involved … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of September 28

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As early voting for the November elections looms on the horizon, the Texas Progressive Alliance says good-bye to September and hello to another weekly blog roundup. Click on for the highlights.

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Election tidbits for 9/28

Posted on September 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Two weeks till Early Voting begins. Psst! Hey, Peggy! Rep. Kristi Thibaut represents HD133 here in Houston, not Galveston. Just FYI. As for the news that the GOP will be targeting State Rep. Abel Herrero, given the 2008 partisan index … Continue reading →

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Interview with Council Member Mike Sullivan

Posted on September 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We begin Round 2 of the incumbent district Council members with Mike Sullivan, who is serving his first term in District E. As with his colleagues, there’s been a lot of action in his district these past two years, and … Continue reading →

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Wolff speaks about Metro

Posted on September 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s Metro board chair David Wolff giving a state of the system address in the op-ed pages. I suppose it’s a counter, if not a response to Bill King’s piece from two weeks ago; it offers a defense of the … Continue reading →

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Food stamps fail

Posted on September 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

News item: Budget board denies request for more food stamps workers. The Legislative Budget Board has denied a request from the Health and Human Services Commission to hire about 650 state workers to relieve the state’s food stamp enrollment system, … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Lucio says he wants to run for Congress

Posted on September 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

State Sen. Eddie Lucio is looking ahead to 2011 and the possibility that there’s a seat in Congress for him. State Sen. Eddie Lucio says he will seriously consider running for Congress after the next round of redistricting, which takes … Continue reading →

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With more gambling comes more problem gambling

Posted on September 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The never asleep gambling industry in Texas likes to point out how much business the casinos in Oklahoma and Louisiana get, which includes a hefty amount from Texans. But as gambling becomes more prevalent, so do gambling addictions. Tribal casinos … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for September 27

Posted on September 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

What do you do when your kid is the bully? Turns out conservatives have no ideas about how to reform health care. Yo, John. Either you did or you didn’t. Admit or get off the pot already. Just how far … Continue reading →

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The county’s proposal for a public defender’s office

Posted on September 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Next week, a proposal for a “hybrid” public defender’s office will be presented to Harris County Commissioners Court. It is considered a hybrid because it would allow courts to use both public defenders and private attorneys. For example, two of … Continue reading →

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City of Houston social media

Posted on September 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The City of Houston is doing it in the Facebook with the Twittering, plus some bonus YouTube action as well. Follow BARC, various Community Affairs offices, the George R. Brown Convention Center, and more, some of which update more often … Continue reading →

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School bus billboards

Posted on September 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

A cash-strapped school district’s gotta do what a cash-strapped school district’s gotta do. Faced with a projected $9 million to $12 million budget deficit this year, Superintendent Greg Smith told the Board of Trustees last night that it’s time to … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Lubbock gets officially wet

Posted on September 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You may recall that the city of Lubbock voted to overturn its prohibition on alcohol this May, ending its long history of being America’s largest dry city (the vote was for the whole county, but still). Well, the citizens of … Continue reading →

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

Saturday video break: National Punctuation Day

Posted on September 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

What, you didn’t know that it was National Punctuation Day this past Thursday? Here, let Victor Borge explain to you what it’s all about: I remember him doing a version of this on “The Electric Company” when I was a … Continue reading →

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Solar power for Houston

Posted on September 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The city of Houston will go solar for some of its energy needs. Under a 25-year proposed agreement being announced today, the city of Houston will buy power for its buildings from the plant, which will be the largest solar … Continue reading →

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Keep talking, Tom

Posted on September 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll leave the commentary on Tom DeLay’s dancing prowess to the experts and simply note that he has succeeded in getting himself back in the news. Which means people are asking him for his opinions on things, which in turn … Continue reading →

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Kirby storm drain construction update

Posted on September 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Times are tough all over for retailers. They’re especially tough when the street you’re on is all torn up. The four-phase project to install new storm drainage along Kirby Drive started in 2004. The latest round peeled back the asphalt … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Every which way

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Herewith is (almost) every song I have that starts with “Every”. 1. Every Little Kiss – Bruce Hornsby and The Range 2. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic – The Police 3. Every Man For Himself – The Foremen … Continue reading →

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So long, Savoy, soon (we hope)

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Swamplot brings an update about the impending, can’t-happen-soon-enough demolition of one of downtown’s great eyesores, the Savoy Hotel, as well as a doubly-puntastic headline. As that Hair Balls post notes, the Savoy has some historic significance, so under most circumstances … Continue reading →

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

One step closer to expanded gambling in Texas?

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe, though I’m not sure how much closer this really gets us. [The] Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma is poised to take possession of an existing horse racing track in Grand Prairie. The tribe runs one of the biggest Indian casinos … Continue reading →

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If that’s your best, your best won’t do

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We may never actually comply with federal clean air regulations. Texas’ new plan to improve the Houston area’s famously dirty air may not meet federal limits for smog. The pollution-fighting plan that state regulators are rolling out today predicts marked … Continue reading →

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