Monthly Archives: October 2010

Interview with Hector Uribe

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Next up is Hector Uribe, who is the Democratic candidate for Land Commissioner. Uribe is a former State Rep and State Senator from the Rio Grande Valley and a movie actor as well as my favorite candidate from this cycle. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Judicial Q&A: Cheryl Harris Diggs

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. These Q&As are primarily intended for candidates who were … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Dallas Democratic legislative candidates

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the Dallas Morning News dumped Double-Dip Joe Driver from its list of endorsed candidates. Here’s what they said about some other legislative races of interest to Democrats: Editorial: We recommend Haldenwang in HD105 Republican Linda Harper-Brown has … Continue reading →

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Feds reject CAF’s review request

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I smell a lawsuit coming. Federal officials on Friday rejected a Metro contractor’s bid to preserve its $330 million deal to supply rail cars, setting the stage for possible litigation over the soon-to-be-canceled contract. Dorval R. Carter Jr., the chief … Continue reading →

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Ten years of Central City Co-Op

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Happy tenth birthday to Central City Co-op, the best source in town for organic and locally grown fruits and vegetables. Celebrating its 10th anniversary year, the Central City Co-Op is also almost unrecognizable — but also much stronger and wiser. … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

30 days out gubernatorial fundraising numbers are in

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of money out there. A handful of mega-wealthy donors helped Gov. Rick Perry raise almost twice as much money as Democrat Bill White between July and September, according to campaign releases Monday. The $8.2 million that poured into Perry’s … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Tammy Manning

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. These Q&As are primarily intended for candidates who were … Continue reading →

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The social network campaign

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Governor Perry won’t show up at a debate, but he is a presence on the Internet. The list of things that Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Bill White, his Democratic opponent in November, disagree upon is long. But on the … Continue reading →

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A bill for Asher

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Representatives Garnet Coleman and Jessica Farrar announced [Friday] that they would again file and work to pass the Dignity For All Students Act to prohibit discrimination or harassment against students and employees of Texas public schools. Recent … Continue reading →

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Look in the mirror, John

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It is of course a terrible thing that the actions of a single Republican will keep the Houston/Galveston area from keeping $40 million in federal disaster funds, but the reaction to it from certain quarters is more than a little … Continue reading →

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The Perryless debate

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The debate went on as planned. In the fall campaign season’s first debate open to all candidates for governor, Democrat Bill White waited until his closing statement to attack the candidate who wasn’t there, incumbent Rick Perry, regarding allegations that … Continue reading →

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Interview with Jeff Weems

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we head into the last two weeks before the start of early voting, it’s time to turn attention to the statewide candidates. First up is Jeff Weems, the Democratic candidate for Railroad Commissioner. Weems is a Houston-based attorney whose … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Chron for Prop 1

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise here. The city’s capital improvement program, which issues debt-incurring bonds to fund construction, is far behind the curve in dealing with the situation. According to at-large City Council member and engineer Stephen Costello, 65 percent of the city’s … Continue reading →

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It’s cronies all the way down

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Is there anything Rick Perry does that isn’t for the benefit of himself and his cronies? When Gov. Rick Perry announces that a company will get money from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, he often describes it as an important … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Chron overview of the County Clerk race

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron overview story of the County Clerk race between Democrat Ann Harris Bennett and Republican Stan Stanart to replace the retiring Beverly Kaufman. This is the bit that interested me: Where Bennett and Stanart diverge is their approach … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for October 3

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We need an official October song. If you don’t get in the game, you can’t win. Advice for freshmen. What’s with the fear and loathing of artificial sweeteners? Ever notice how Google will make suggestions as you are typing in … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Statesman for White

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Two for two. If you’re driven by campaign-trail zingers, [Bill] White might not be your candidate. But a longer listen produces the inescapable conclusion that White is a thoughtful, experienced, unifying leader — just what Texas needs now. That’s why … Continue reading →

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Willingham gets another day in court

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. State District Judge Charlie Baird said Monday that he would hold a hearing in his Travis County courtroom next week to determine whether Texas wrongly executed Cameron Todd Willingham, convicted of murdering his three young children by setting fire … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Metro takes a step forward on advertising

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

For its 2011 fiscal year budget, Metro is taking a tentative step forward on allowing ads to be placed on its buses. Metro is considering placing ads on buses to generate revenue (page 37). George Greanias, president and chief executive … Continue reading →

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

Matt Angle’s mission

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good story in Mother Jones about Matt Angle and the Texas Trust, which was founded in the aftermath of the Tom DeLay-generated re-redistricting of 2003, after which Angle – chief of staff for then-Rep. Martin Frost – found himself out … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: How my college experience could have been improved

Posted on October 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

On the one hand, it’s probably a good thing that I attended college in the (dark, prehistoric) days before cable TV and the Internets. With fewer shiny objects to distract me, it was easier for me to get most of … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged | 2 Comments

It’s good to be the king

Posted on October 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From TPJ: Governor Rick Perry has received $17 million in campaign contributions from his political appointees and their spouses, according to a new report by Texans for Public Justice. One out of every $5 raised by Governor Perry since 2001 … Continue reading →

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The HPD crime lab backlog

Posted on October 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I just have one question about this: Lengthy waits for Houston police to test evidence for DNA is an increasingly common problem in the Harris County judicial system, prosecutors say. The understaffed HPD crime lab currently has a backlog of … Continue reading →

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SHRP gets an investor

Posted on October 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

File this under “general gambling news”. Sam Houston Race Park will announce today it has entered into an ownership and operations agreement with racetrack and gaming giant Penn National Gaming Inc. as Texas track owners prepare to push for expanded … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Friday random ten: Fall back

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve finally had our first taste of fall weather this week, which around here means high temperatures under 90. In honor of that, some fall songs (and one autumn song). 1. Autumn In New York – Harry Connick 2. Another … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Monday is the deadline to register for this election

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar Leo Vasquez reminds citizens who have not yet registered to vote that Monday, October 4 is the registration cutoff for this year’s Nov. 2 election. “Although this not a presidential … Continue reading →

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Interview with Stephen Brown

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve focused entirely on Harris County so far in this interview series. That’s because there are a lot of interesting races here, both at a district and countywide level, and also because that’s where I live. But there’s a lot … Continue reading →

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The anti-Prop 1 factions gear up

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The usual suspects have gotten the band back together to ensure that no action is taken to mitigate flooding in Houston. Former Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt has teamed up with anti-tax advocate Bruce Hotze and conservative activist Norman … Continue reading →

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Bay City coal plant gets TCEQ approval

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Great. Texas’ environmental agency granted air pollution permits for a proposed coal- and petroleum coke-fired power plant in Matagorda County over the objections of local officials and residents Wednesday. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality voted 3-0 in support of … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of September 27

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is still looking for that first nip of fall in the air as it brings you this week’s blog roundup.

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