Tag Archives: Houston

Interview with Anne Sung

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Challenging Harvin Moore in HISD district VII is Anne Sung. Sung would be somewhat of a rarity among trustees in that she has actual classroom teaching experience – seven years in the Rio Grande Valley with Teach For America, as … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Southwest breaks ground at Hobby

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready to dodge construction at Hobby Airport. The 280,000-square-foot expansion is scheduled for completion before the end of 2015, with short-hop international flights to cities in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America to begin by 2016. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Southwest breaks ground at Hobby

Ashby lawsuit to proceed

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll be darned. A judge has declined to dismiss a key piece of a lawsuit against the developers of 1717 Bissonnet, a proposed 21-story residential building widely referred to as the Ashby high-rise. The developers were denied a request that … Continue reading →

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

Kim Ogg to run for DA

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That didn’t take long. Kim Ogg, a former prosecutor, anti-gang investigator and crime prevention leader, told supporters Saturday that she will run for Harris County district attorney. In an email, Ogg said she would announce Monday that she would run … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Inmate processing center polls favorably

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The other issue on the county ballot appears to be in good shape. Results from a recent KUHF-KHOU 11 News poll suggest strong voter support for a $70 million November bond issue for a city-county inmate processing center. The poll, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Inmate processing center polls favorably

Keep runoffs on Saturday

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Put me on record as opposing this. A Houston City Council committee [Tuesday] recommended keeping the city’s run-off election day on a Saturday. But committee members remained open for the possibility of changing it to a Tuesday in the future. … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Keep runoffs on Saturday

Other interviews

Posted on September 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

You may have noticed on my 2013 Elections page some new links in the Interview column for various candidates. That’s because three other local blogs have done interviews with candidates, both recorded and written, which is something we haven’t seen … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Interview with Leticia Ablaza

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

For my last City Council interview for the 2013 cycle, I return to District I for a conversation with Leticia Ablaza. Ablaza turned her activism against the historic preservation ordinance into a filing-deadline candidacy for I in 2011, eventually getting … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , | 17 Comments

Dome poll

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to their poll of the Mayor’s race, KHOU and KUHF also polled about the Astrodome referendum. These results are a bit harder to read. The fate of the Astrodome rests with voters who’ll decide whether Harris County should … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dome poll

Interview with James Horwitz

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

My last planned interview for City Council At Large races is with James Horwitz, who filed a few days before the deadline in At Large #5 against CM Jack Christie. Horwitz is an attorney, the owner of his own firm, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with James Horwitz

KHOU polls the Mayor’s race

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The first poll of the season is always exciting news. Annise Parker seems headed for a runoff in her campaign to keep her job, but she commands more than twice as many supporters as her leading challenger in a newly … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Endorsement watch: SEIU and HAR

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This came in on Thursday: SEIU (Service Employees International Union) Texas, including janitors who clean office buildings, housekeeping workers at GRB and food service workers, have endorsed Mayor Annise Parker for re-election. Houston members have also launched an effort to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Interview with Issa Dadoush

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Filing to run just before the deadline against CM Bradford in At Large #4 is Issa Dadoush. Dadoush spent a number of years in city government, serving as the Director of General Services Department for six years under Mayor Bill … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A deeper look at the city’s pension funds

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate this just-the-facts analysis of the city’s pension funds. It’s delightfully free of fearmongering and doomsaying, which tend to cloud most stories on the funds. I don’t have anything specific to say about the article, but I do want … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Going after the dumpers

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Glad to see this. City Council District B will be the site of a pilot program in which five surveillance video cameras have been placed in undisclosed locations, [Mayor Annise] Parker announced. The cameras will be monitored in real time … Continue reading →

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

Interview with CM Bradford

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This week we venture back to the At Large Council races, as there were a couple of late filers that brought opponents to previously unchallenged incumbents. One of those incumbents is Council Member C. O. “Brad” Bradford, now in his … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Maybe the Ashby Highrise isn’t as evil as we thought

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Home prices don’t lie, I guess. So far, the controversial high-rise under development near Rice University hasn’t hurt the housing market in the neighborhoods around it. The average home price in the nearby Boulevard Oaks area was $1.36 million in the … Continue reading →

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

Chron overview of District A

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It must be getting close to the start of Election Season, because the first of the Chronicle’s local race overviews has been published. Since winning a seat on the Houston City Council two years ago, Helena Brown has become known … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Improving bike-to-transit

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I wish them luck. A group of Rice University students is working with various community groups and Metropolitan Transit Authority officials to better integrate cycling and public transit, as the city’s bike-sharing system prepares for another expansion. Make no mistake: … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Improving bike-to-transit

The feral hogs of Kingwood

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

They’re everywhere. Kingwood communities that are battling feral hogs could be in it for the long haul, experts say. The huge, fearless cousins of domestic pigs have been roaming through the affluent northern suburb for at least a month, said … Continue reading →

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

Leila Feldman resigns as HCC Trustee

Posted on September 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Leila Feldman was appointed by the HCC Board of Trustees in February to fill the seat that had been vacated by the resignation of Richard Schechter the month before. Feldman subsequently decided not to run for a full term this … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Anyone remember the Comets?

Posted on September 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Not much to remember them by. Five years ago Sunday, the Comets played their final game. There were no balloons, no confetti, no celebration. There weren’t even fans. The final game the WNBA team played was at Strahan Coliseum in … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Anyone remember the Comets?

Bishop Gene Robinson coming to Houston

Posted on September 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: For Immediate Release September 20, 2013 Contact: Houston Americans United Toni Medellin 832.868.4586 FIRST OPENLY GAY EPISCOPAL BISHOP TO ADDRESS HOUSTON CHAPTER OF AMERICANS UNITED  Bishop Gene Robinson Will Weigh In On Religious Liberty, Tolerance At Meeting … Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Bishop Gene Robinson coming to Houston

Interview with Ben Mendez

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

My third and at least for now final interview in District I is with Ben Mendez. I’ve sent two emails to Leticia Ablaza and left two voice mail messages to arrange an interview, but as of this writing we have … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Interview with Robert Gallegos

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Next up in District I is Robert Gallegos. Gallegos works for the Harris County Sheriff’s Department, having previously been a Community Liaison for then-County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia. Before his stint in government service, he spent 25 years in Logistics Sales … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

So what is the capacity of the Katy Freeway these days?

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This story was about the increase in the toll on the managed lanes of the Katy Freeway, but there was a tidbit at the end that caught my eye. When officials started widening the freeway in 2003, at an eventual … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Interview with Graci Garces

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The final open District Council seat is in District I, where CM James Rodriguez is termed out. Four candidates vie to succeed him, including one from 2011. The first candidate for review here is Graci Garces. Garces is the Chief … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

HISD candidate sues to get back on the ballot

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I missed this when it first happened. Anthony Madry, a former administrator in the Houston Independent School District, filed a petition with the 14th Court of Appeals this week after HISD rejected his application to run for the school board. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

We must destroy the pensions in order to save them

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

There’s so much wrong with this I almost don’t know where to begin. Houston is the Titanic – it certainly looks impressive, but icebergs lie ahead. That’s the image that mayoral candidate Ben Hall drew when he talked to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

No notary needed

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Seems reasonable. Many Houston business owners are celebrating a new ordinance that drops the need for a notary when applying for hundreds of permits and allows the city to offer more applications online. The Houston City Council lauded the change … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Interview with Georgia Provost

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I’m wrapping up the week of District D candidate interviews today. There are a lot more candidates than the five I will have visited with, but there are only so many hours in the day, and I do the best … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Georgia Provost

Time for a real NDO in Houston

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Bring it on. Last week, San Antonio passed an ordinance protecting gay and transgendered residents and veterans from discrimination. Houston Mayor Annise Parker says that vote “upped the ante” and that Houston should follow suit. “It is absolutely something we … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

HPD disciplinary matters

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Having recently talked about mayoral plans for crimefighting in Houston, let me recommend that you read Emily DePrang’s excellent two-part story about the discipline process at the Houston Police Department – here’s part one, Crimes Unpunished, and part two, The … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Interview with Assata Richards

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing on in District D we have a conversation with Assata Richards. A single mother at the age of 17, Richards graduated high school and with the help of the Houston Urban League’s Education Department and the Young Mothers Residential … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Assata Richards