Tag Archives: Houston

Rural counties skeptical of high speed rail plan

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This is a bit concerning. Steve Drake regularly makes the nearly four-hour drive from this city to Houston to visit his fiancée’s family. So he was excited about the news that a private company intended to build a bullet train … Continue reading →

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Dallas gets set to tackle vehicles for hire

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck. Sticking points remain on Dallas’ proposed car-for-hire rules, as the City Council prepares to vote next month on a new ordinance to regulate taxicabs, limos and app-based companies such as Uber and Lyft. Several council members raised questions … Continue reading →

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From the “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life” department

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Every dark cloud has a silver lining, y’all. You just have to know where to look for it. Metro’s four-month delay in opening two rail lines will give the agency time to obtain enough cars to prevent severe crowding when … Continue reading →

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The Woodlands wants to be on the high speed rail route

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t blame ’em. The Woodlands Township is urging federal and state officials to take another look at the potential benefits of adding a high-speed rail corridor along Interstate 45. Last month, the Federal Railway Administration and the Texas Department of … Continue reading →

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Pro-ride sharing but anti-Uber

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Stop what you’re doing and read this. A big debate among the Pando staff for the past two years has been over just how morally bankrupt Uber is. Earlier this evening, a bombshell story by Buzzfeed editor-in-chief Ben Smith proves … Continue reading →

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Bell ordered to pay $300K to RGA

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Ouch. Unsuccessful 2006 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell, once awarded $2 million in his lawsuit against the Republican Governors Association, has instead been ordered to pay the organization $300,000 in legal fees after losing on appeal. The case dates to … Continue reading →

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Vehicles for hire update moves forward in San Antonio

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Back on track after a late summer hiatus. Yet another meeting has been scheduled to discuss controversial new rules that would allow rideshare companies to operate in San Antonio. The City Council’s Public Safety Committee voted Wednesday to take up … Continue reading →

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Connecting the high-speed rail line to Fort Worth

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This is encouraging. State transportation officials this week are unveiling early plans for a high-speed train line from Dallas to Fort Worth. Like Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s plans to expand transit service in downtown, the project is an attempt to … Continue reading →

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Uptown BRT moving forward again

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Tensions are easing over plans to develop dedicated bus lanes in Uptown, where community leaders want to give commuters and shoppers more transportation options and relieve worsening congestion. “We’re there and ready to make this project happen,” said … Continue reading →

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Another data point on Uber and Republicans

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From Josh Barro. Republicans have hailed Uber, the smartphone-based car service, as a symbol of entrepreneurial innovation that could be strangled by misplaced government regulation. In August, the Republican National Committee urged supporters to sign a petition in support of … Continue reading →

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Uber to be available at Houston airports now

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This was part of the original vehicle for hire ordinance overhaul, to be implemented later. “Later” has now arrived. Uber and other app-based ride service companies won coveted access to Houston’s airports Wednesday when the City Council quietly passed new … Continue reading →

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Bringing the high speed rail line downtown

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Building that high speed rail line from Dallas to Houston is one thing. Bringing it to a centrally-located terminal is another. Plans for a high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas are moving relatively quickly beyond a recent initial round … Continue reading →

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Ben Hall 2.0

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, hell no. Ben Hall, the lawyer who lost to Mayor Annise Parker in 2013, will run for mayor again in 2015, he told the Chronicle on Wednesday. Hall will announce his candidacy in a radio advertisement that will begin … Continue reading →

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What will The Dew do now?

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

“Go away” would be my first choice. David Dewhurst is not ready to leave Texas politics. The outgoing lieutenant governor said Monday he is planning to start a “large public policy venture” and may consider a run for political office … Continue reading →

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Legislation to overturn same sex marriage ban filed

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Someone’s gotta do it, and you know it won’t be Republicans. Kriselda Hinojosa recalls how she unintentionally came out to her father in sixth grade. “He actually saw me kissing my girlfriend at the time,” Hinojosa said. “So he caught … Continue reading →

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The rent is too damn high

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Houston area isn’t such a cheap place to live any more. A job boom bringing highly paid energy workers to Houston and a pronounced decline in the percentage of people buying houses have combined to drive up the cost … Continue reading →

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Lyft to leave November 20

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

So long. Lyft plans to suspend its Houston operations on Nov. 20, according to a letter sent to Houston Lyft users. The San Francisco-based ride-sharing service is upset over the new regulations approved by the Houston City Council in August. … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over Houston campaign blackout rules

Posted on November 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Late Tuesday afternoon, Houston City Council candidate Trebor Gordon filed a First Amendment lawsuit challenging a discriminatory Houston ordinance that prevents city candidates from fundraising until February. Gordon is a conservative candidate for Houston City Council at … Continue reading →

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Getting more people to use B-Cycle

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Houston’s B-Cycle program has been a big success overall, but not in all locations. Despite the growth, however, few of the nearly 70,000 checkouts between January and mid-October are coming from three B-Cycle stations specifically placed to expand the system … Continue reading →

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Woodfill gets another injunction

Posted on November 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

WTF? A state district judge on Wednesday ordered the city of Houston to stop offering health and life insurance benefits to the same-sex spouses of married employees, but city attorneys say they plan an immediate appeal that, once filed, could … Continue reading →

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Red light cameras: The final insult

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Awesome. In settling the lawsuit with camera vendor American Traffic Solutions, whose contract was supposed to run through 2014, the city agreed to pay the Arizona-based company $4.8 million. The city had $2.3 million in red-light ticket revenue on hand … Continue reading →

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Jared Woodfill sues again

Posted on November 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Dude is obsessed. Former Harris County GOP Chair Jared Woodfill isn’t giving up on his fight to block the city of Houston from providing benefits to the same-sex spouses of employees. After Mayor Annise Parker extended benefits to same-sex spouses … Continue reading →

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Re-revisiting red light cameras

Posted on November 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This horse is dead. Please stop beating it. Four years after Houston voters rejected red-light cameras, the divisive issue unexpectedly resurfaced Tuesday when police officials presented figures indicating that removing the cameras made 51 busy intersections more dangerous. Auto crashes … Continue reading →

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Lyft leaving?

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry it’s not working out for you. Best of luck in your future endeavors. Less than a week before new city regulations take effect, one of two app-based, paid-ride companies is preparing to end its local business rather than use … Continue reading →

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Another HCC lawsuit

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to keep track of them all. The former top attorney and acting chancellor of Houston Community College filed a lawsuit Monday alleging she was fired because she told the FBI of her suspicions that board members sought to use … Continue reading →

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McClelland wants more money for more cops

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

And I want some answers before we go along with this request. Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland asked city leaders Tuesday for an additional $105 million over five years to hire hundreds of new officers as part of a plan … Continue reading →

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Parker orders withdrawal of pastor subpoenas

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

They got what they wanted. With local pastors standing with her, Mayor Annise Parker has told the City Legal Department to withdraw the subpoenas filed against five local pastors who have identified themselves as the leaders of the petition drive … Continue reading →

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Mayor Parker for pot reform

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The list of people who think it’s time to talk about reforming our drug laws keeps growing. Add Houston Mayor Annise Parker to the growing list of officials calling for a new approach to the nation’s drug laws, especially when … Continue reading →

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Lies are worse than missteps

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

But you know what we’re going to hear more about. Conservative outrage over the Parker administration’s admittedly bungled subpoena of five pastors’ sermons last week marked just the latest episode in a messy political saga surrounding the city’s equal rights … Continue reading →

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It shouldn’t be this hard to get a driver’s license

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

And for most people it isn’t that hard. But for some people, it is. Daniela Parker has two mothers, a circumstance that turned a typically routine matter – scheduling a road test for a Texas driver’s license – into a … Continue reading →

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Location, location, location

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

At the first public meeting about the proposed Dallas-Houston high speed railroad line, the main focus was the endpoints. More than 100 people were in attendance on Tuesday for the first of six public meetings being held jointly by the … Continue reading →

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Council approves meaningless tax cut

Posted on October 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Such awful policy. The Houston City Council unanimously passed a nominal property tax cut Tuesday afternoon, the first rate reduction in five years, as the city for the first time runs into a revenue cap imposed by voters a decade … Continue reading →

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Gary Elkins thumbs his nose at local payday lending ordinances

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Such a fine example he sets. As a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Houston Republican Gary Elkins helps make laws. As a businessman, he is an owner of a chain of payday lending stores accused of breaking them. … Continue reading →

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Downtown dedicated bike lane delayed a bit

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Aiming for the end of the year now. Conversion of a traffic lane on Lamar into Houston’s main bike route through downtown has been delayed as officials finalize plans and wait for in-demand humps known as “armadillos” to arrive. Department … Continue reading →

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