Tag Archives: Houston

RIP, Tal’s Hill

Posted on June 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

One of the more distinctive features of Minute Maid Park is going away. In the relatively short, rapidly changing history of Major League Baseball in Houston, nothing in recent years has represented the Astros’ brand of baseball more distinctively than … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Time to stock up on mosquito repellent

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I feel itchy already. It is on, mosquitoes. This sopping spring guarantees Houstonians will have to be more vigilant against the pests than ever. The mosquito kills about 1 million humans a year, chiefly from malaria, making it by far … Continue reading →

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

What now for Terry Grier?

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The HISD Superintendent is in the last year of his contract, and it’s not clear whether it will get extended or not. Kashmere has made limited strides as one of the schools in Superintendent Terry Grier’s signature reform effort, called … Continue reading →

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You can still ask Metro to make changes to their new bus routes

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Chris Andrews highlights a little Metro-related activism going on in my neighborhood. Residents in the Woodland Heights neighborhood of Houston have initiated a petition to modify the proposed 30 bus route. Currently, the neighborhood is serviced by the 40 Pecore … Continue reading →

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Three legislators announce their departure

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The first to say goodbye is Rep. Sylvester Turner. Representative Sylvester Turner fought back tears today as the House gave him a bipartisan farewell as he concluded a 26-year legislative career to run for Houston mayor. “My time is up. … Continue reading →

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Election 2015 page is up

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

If you look at the top of my homepage, you will see a tab up in the top right for my Election 2015 tracker. It’s a listing of all the candidates that were known to me at the time I … Continue reading →

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Moving equality forward in San Antonio

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Rivard Report: Members of San Antonio’s lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community want the city’s next mayor to follow the lead of Dallas and Houston and expand the 2013 non-discrimination ordinance (NDO) to include private companies. … Continue reading →

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Hillary Clinton in town

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

You have a chance to see her if you act quickly: You can register here if you are interested. About the award: THE BARBARA JORDAN INAUGURAL GOLD MEDALLION will be presented in 2015 at Texas Southern University’s Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland … Continue reading →

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Mayoral candidate forum season gets underway

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Gentlemen, start your oratorical engines for these upcoming Mayoral candidate forums. The events, which will focus on arts and culture, economic development, and labor and community concerns, kick off a months-long cycle in which the candidates will appear before various … Continue reading →

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From the “Who not to vote for” files, part 1

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The embedded image is a scan of a mailer we got about two weeks ago. Abel Davila is a former HCC Trustee; his wife Diana, whom I had originally heard was interested in running for District H, is a former … Continue reading →

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I-45 Coalition gives its feedback to TxDOT

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Jim Weston of the I-45 Coalition sent the following feedback to TxDOT regarding their plans for remaking I-45 in and around downtown. Through-out all Segments: 1.1 – All existing sound barrier walls must be replaced. Past agreements to install sound … Continue reading →

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How the East End got its rail line

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

A great overview of how we got here with the Harrisburg and Southeast lines, the genesis of which go back a lot farther than the 2003 Metro Solutions referendum. The working- and middle-class Mexican-American residents of the East End lacked … Continue reading →

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The Chron on how Metro and Culberson came to an accord

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Read all about it. Houston’s buses don’t run at 2 a.m., but that’s when Metro and U.S. Rep. John Culberson began to see real movement toward a deal to improve area transit service. “We got really intense one night and … Continue reading →

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Early returns on body cameras are positive

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

So far so good. The majority of 100 Houston Police Department officers who have field tested body cameras over a recent two-month period called it a positive experience, though many expressed concern that the technology could endanger officer safety or … Continue reading →

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Still debating where to put the Houston high speed rail terminal

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

While people in the rural counties are trying to kill the proposed high speed rail line between Houston and Dallas, some other people here in Houston are thinking about where a station should be. [Lynn] Hardwin was among a few … Continue reading →

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New rail lines officially open

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

At long last. Two new light rail lines might have been the ones debuting Saturday, but for many riders it was the East End, Third Ward and MacGregor Park neighborhoods themselves that were on display. After years of construction and … Continue reading →

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Bike plan meetings

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From CM Ed Gonzalez: Our city has made great strides in improving people’s ability to bike to more destinations. New trails are being built along our bayous, new protected bikeways have been installed, and more people are riding all over … Continue reading →

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Save Uptown from what?

Posted on May 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From Swamplot: The Uptown Property and Business Owners Coalition is out today with a new website (portrayed here) meant to drum up opposition to the Uptown District and Metro’s plans to install dedicated bus lanes down Post Oak Blvd. The … Continue reading →

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What next for Metro now that peace with Culberson has broken out?

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve all had a chance to read over and digest the agreement Metro struck with Rep. John Culberson now. It looked good to me up front (though not to everyone – more on that in a bit), but as always … Continue reading →

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Metro and Culberson announce the terms of their agreement

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Gotta say, this all sounds pretty good. First, Congressman Culberson supports METRO’s proposed legislation pending in the State Legislature that expands the size of the METRO Board, increases the eligible length of Board member service and allows the existing board … Continue reading →

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No expedited appeal for HERO opponents

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From HOUEquality, on May 13: Today the 14th Court of Appeals denied HERO opponents’ request to force a trial in less than 30 days. The trial will proceed, but at a regular pace. This is another setback for opponents, but … Continue reading →

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New rail lines set to officially open

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I’m so ready. The Metropolitan Transit Authority, after numerous delays, will christen the Green and Purple lines Saturday with free rides and community celebrations, just in time for Memorial Day. The openings signify the end of a long, sometimes painful … Continue reading →

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The Mayoral candidates and public transportation

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. When it comes to traffic, Houstonians and their mayoral candidates agree: The city is gridlocked and only getting worse. Judging by the candidates’ fledgling campaign platforms, many of which mention traffic as a top concern, road improvements … Continue reading →

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HISD mostly declines to rezone its schools

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of noise, not nearly as much action. A divided Houston school board on Thursday rejected most of the rezoning proposals designed to reduce class sizes after dozens of parents expressed concerns about families having to send their children to … Continue reading →

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Fighting illegal dumping

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Illegal dumping of trash is a huge problem in some Houston neighborhoods. Enforcement is especially tricky because unless you catch someone in the act, there’s little to no evidence to go on. One way to help catch dumpers in the … Continue reading →

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Bikes now allowed on light rail all day

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news from the inbox: METRORail is opening its doors to bikes during all regular service hours just in time for Houston’s Bike to Work Day observance, Friday, May 15, 2015. The new hours are made possible with the … Continue reading →

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Metro reaches detente with Culberson

Posted on May 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Holy cow! Metro and U.S. Rep. John Culberson have called a truce in their war over a planned light rail line on Richmond Avenue, suggesting an end to an impasse that has stymied local transit development. Culberson, a Republican from … Continue reading →

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It’s hard out here on a recycler, part 2

Posted on May 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As if they didn’t have enough to deal with. As low commodity prices have left recyclers short on cash to invest in technological upgrades, product manufacturers are coming out with new types of packaging that make business even tougher. These … Continue reading →

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Statewide Uber bill appears dead

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Close, but no cigar. A bill to establish statewide rules for “transportation network companies” like Uber and Lyft has apparently run out of road. Rep. Chris Paddie, who authored the measure, said on Tuesday that looming legislative deadlines had rendered … Continue reading →

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Mayor Parker’s last budget

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here it is. Despite sounding the alarm for months that a multimillion dollar deficit could force service cuts, new fees and employee layoffs, Mayor Annise Parker rolled out a $5.1 billion city budget on Tuesday that largely preserves spending levels … Continue reading →

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Who you calling lame duck?

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

“Not me”, says Mayor Parker. City Council has voted down or delayed several items put forward by Mayor Annise Parker in recent weeks, events that some City Hall observers interpret as a sign of the term-limited mayor being afflicted with … Continue reading →

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Downtown post office set to close

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The end of an era approaches. Thousands gathered at 401 Franklin Street in downtown Houston to celebrate the opening of a new facility trumpeted as an “ultra-modern” marvel, the hub for the mail that would flow in and out of … Continue reading →

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Turner prepares his exit from the Lege

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like we’ll have at least one more legislative special election this year. In 2003, state Rep. Sylvester Turner of Houston made the most definitive decision of his political career. Turner had arrived in the Texas House 14 years earlier, … Continue reading →

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One hundred days till the new bus network

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

And counting down. Metro on Friday began the 100-day countdown to sweeping changes in local bus service, conceding that months of work ultimately will be judged by the level of confusion – small or large – that happens Aug. 16, … Continue reading →

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