Monthly Archives: January 2012

2012 Democratic primary overview – Harris County

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

So with the start of the new year, we turn our attention to the primary elections, whenever they may turn out to be. I’ve added a new page to the site, for 2012 contested Democratic primaries in Harris County. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

SCOTUS hears redistricting arguments today

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Today is a big effin’ deal at the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court will attempt on Monday to untangle the political mess in Texas created by a voting rights controversy. The case could have important political consequences, and highlights a … Continue reading →

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Lykos subpoenaed

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

That grand jury keeps stirring things up. A grand jury investigating possible wrongdoing within the DA’s Office has officially subpoenaed DA Pat Lykos. The probe centers around problems with the Houston Police Department’s DWI testing vans. The DA’s Office will … Continue reading →

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Audit says HISD isn’t cost sensitive enough

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

An audit of HISD’s procurement process says the district could be paying too much for some things. The audit, conducted by the nonprofit Council of the Great City Schools, found that the district’s purchasing standards “under-value” a vendor’s proposed price … Continue reading →

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

Weekend link dump for January 8

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Has Harold Camping had a conversation with the Mayans yet? The third party fetish could be especially damaging this year. Sometimes the old ways are the best ways. The etymology of “oops”, which I found via Susie Bright‘s remarks on … Continue reading →

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Inmate outsourcing on the way out

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This is unequivocally good news. Dropping inmate numbers at the Harris County Jail will let the county end its nearly 5-year-old practice of shipping overflow inmates to Louisiana and other Texas counties within days, Sheriff Adrian Garcia said this week. … Continue reading →

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

Your voter registration card is not in the mail just yet

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Another side effect of the Supreme Court stay. Even if you’ve registered to vote in Texas, you won’t be getting a new voter registration certificate until February. Although the latest blue cards expired at the end of the year, counties … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

CSAPR stayed

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There was some bad news at the end of the year. A federal court ordered [last] Friday that the Environmental Protection Agency’s controversial cross-state air pollution rule be stayed — to the delight of Texas officials and the chagrin of … Continue reading →

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Electric school buses

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a lot to like about this. Bus maker Trans Tech Bus this year said it would start making an electric school bus in a partnership with Smith Electric Vehicles. The eTrans bus is one of a new generation of … Continue reading →

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

Saturday video break: All Through The Night

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Song #87 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “All Through The Night”, by Jules Shear, and covered by Cyndi Lauper. If you’re like me, you’re probably thinking “Huh, I didn’t realize this was a cover for Cyndi Lauper”. … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

CM Costello on fixing water leaks

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

CM Stephen Costello writes a letter in response to the Chron story about leaks in the city’s water pipes. The article “City lost millions to water leaks” (Page A1, Dec. 30) was a timely discussion of our aging water/sewer system. … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Real estate optimism

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’m glad to see that real estate experts are optimistic about the new year, but there are a couple of key questions left unanswered. While uncertainty in the global economy could hinder the nation’s (and Houston’s) recovery, those who work … Continue reading →

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A step forward for online gambling

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. The Justice Department has reversed its long-held opposition to many forms of Internet gambling, removing a big legal obstacle for states that want to sanction online gambling to help fix their budget deficits. The legal opinion, issued by the … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: In with the new

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Out with the old year, in with the new songs: 1. New Blood – Robert Cray 2. New Blue Moon – Traveling Wilburys 3. A New Day Yesterday – Jethro Tull 4. New Blues – Joe Satriani 5. New Jazz … Continue reading →

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More on the crime lab and the city jail

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here we have some more information about Mayor Parker’s plans for the crime lab, though it’s still not really clear where this is going. Parker wants to make the lab independent of HPD and the city, overseen instead by a … Continue reading →

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Eversole gets off easy

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

And so it ends. The receiving line of well-wishers and smiling faces that came to life in the usually somber federal courtroom Wednesday was 10 years in the making. Jerry Eversole, who fell from one of the highest perches in … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Murder by numbers

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There were a lot fewer murders committed in Houston last year than in recent years. HPD recorded 195 murders for the year as of Friday, a 27.5 percent decrease from the previous year’s total of 269. The preliminary figure doesn’t … Continue reading →

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Chapter 42

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Other than the updated highrise ordinance, Council has not yet taken up the proposed revisions to the city’s planning code, also known as Chapter 42. That will be on the agenda soon, and the Chron has an overview of where … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Inauguration Day 2012

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Tuesday was Inauguration Day for Mayor Annise Parker, City Controller Ronald Green, and all 16 members of Houston City Council. Annise D. Parker began her second term as mayor of Houston on Monday with a commitment to bring more jobs … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Sonogram lawsuit appeal

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The state’s appeal of the injunction granted against the awful sonogram law was heard in court, but there’s no indication yet when the court will issue a ruling. A three-judge panel from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals didn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Here comes the Convention District

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what this turns into. The newest vision for the eastern edge of downtown includes hotels and residential buildings in place of what are now parking lots. Officials also picture a bustling pedestrian scene where shops and restaurants line … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of January 2

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance wishes everyone a happy and prosperous New Year as it brings you the first roundup of 2012.

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Look out, here comes The Donald

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Make of this what you will. Donald Trump supporters have met an official ballot deadline in Texas, paving the way for the business mogul to become a third-party candidate there, a source close to Trump tells The Blaze. Trump himself … Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Wait, you mean there’s a Democrat running for Senate?

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There’s actually seven of them, but the Chron writes about the one with actual legislative experience. Paul Sadler, a plaintiff’s lawyer who represented an East Texas district from 1991 to 2003 and who developed a reputation during his years in … Continue reading →

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“Beyond DNA”

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Dallas Observer has a good story about the state of the exoneration business now that most of the cases involving DNA have been handled. Since Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins took office in 2007, incidents of wrongfully convicted … Continue reading →

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Another Lone Star Rail update

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the Statesman: Commuter rail between San Antonio and Georgetown, at least as a legislatively sanctioned policy goal, will have its 15th birthday this spring. The tiny government agency created later to make it a reality is almost 9 years … Continue reading →

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

Lykos v Anderson

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I obviously don’t have a dog in the Republican District Attorney primary fight, but I like a good high-profile political battle as much as the next junkie, so stories about it are interesting to me. [DA Pat] Lykos argues she … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Fix those leaks

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We lost a lot of water this year, which seems like an especially undesirable thing during a record drought. At the peak of this year’s record drought, the city of Houston lost more than 18 billion gallons of water through … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Who watches the bounce houses?

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As the father of two young children, I’ve been to many places that had bounce houses, from outfits like Pump It Up to back yards with a rented inflatable. As such, this story about the way such things are regulated … Continue reading →

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

One can ban backer will face recall

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The can ban battle in New Braunfels is not over yet. New Braunfels city councilman Bryan Miranda, who supported a hotly debated container ban on the Comal and Guadalupe rivers, will face a recall election in May after voters signed … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Crime lab update

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

One way or another, Mayor Parker says we will have a new crime lab in 2012. After years of scandal, the police department will no longer run Houston’s crime lab, Mayor Annise Parker said Wednesday. The promise is among the … Continue reading →

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

More algebra, please

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I applaud HISD for doing this. A handful of campuses in the Houston Independent School District are experimenting with placing their best math students in algebra in seventh grade – two years before most take the class. The earlier they … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Happy birthday, Jacob!

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Meet the newest most popular boy’s name in Texas. For the first time in more than a decade of dueling to become the most popular baby boy name in Texas, if infant Jacobs could talk, they’d have said “No way, … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for January 1

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Are things better yet? Who does a celebrity kid have influence over, anyway? Maybe this year scumbags like Jamie Dimon will come to understand why people loathe them. I’m not counting on it, though. “On behalf of all gays and … Continue reading →

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