Tag Archives: Houston

So long, Skylane Apartments

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is happening in my neighborhood, and it’s already generated a lot of interest from the locals. The aging Skylane Central apartments, perched near the entrance of the Woodland Heights neighborhood, are headed for demolition as a developer makes plans … Continue reading →

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

If only it were that easy to get our act together

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Outgoing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has some blunt words for Houston about light rail. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood likes Houston’s light rail that’s up and running but warns that regional transit officials have squandered opportunities the past decade by … Continue reading →

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The red light camera debate keeps raging on

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Elsewhere, thankfully. Not here. League City is the latest to put the plug on red light cameras at intersections. Cameras at three League City intersections were to be turned off by midnight Wednesday, after the City Council voted to cut … Continue reading →

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Bike trails bill

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

A bill that will clear the way for bike trails to be built on CenterPoint utility rights of way in Harris County has passed both chambers in the Lege and now awaits Rick Perry’s signature. “We are really, really pleased … Continue reading →

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

The updated TRIP app is here

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This came in last week: If you’ve got a smart phone, we’ve just made riding our buses or trains a lot easier. Today, we officially launched the METRO T.R.I.P. app – a tool that retrieves our schedule information, predicts real-time … Continue reading →

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Ben Hall’s tax problem

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. A campaign video shows Ben Hall, the former city attorney who is now running for mayor, sitting in a classroom amid a group of schoolchildren as his voiceover talks about the importance of education. “Our children are our future,” … Continue reading →

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

Fare enforcement for Metro

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Dodging the fare on the light rail lines could become more difficult to do. Provided a key piece of state legislation comes through, Metro officials said the plan is to have new monitors in place when the new North, East … Continue reading →

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No gay Scouts for Houston

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Despite a proposed change at the national level, if you’re gay the Boy Scouts in Houston still don’t want you. On Monday, Sam Houston Area Council members said they would continue the current national policy of the Irving-based Boy Scouts … Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Houston Hackathon

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the Mayor’s office: Houston Mayor Annise Parker today announced the City of Houston will host a 24-hour “Open Innovation Hackathon” on May 17-18 at the Houston Technology Center and at Start Houston. A hackathon is a day-long event in … Continue reading →

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Have your say on the Uptown/Memorial Park TIRZ

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, and the office of CM Oliver Pennington: To the Residents of District G: As many of you are aware, the May 1, 2013, Council Agenda contained several items related to the Reinvestment Zone Number Sixteen (Uptown Zone), … Continue reading →

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

North Forest still fighting as the deadlines approach

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Never give up, never surrender. North Forest ISD has spent more than $595,000 appealing the state’s order to shut down, newly obtained records show, and the school district is continuing the court fight as its July closure date nears. Despite … Continue reading →

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Questions about the Memorial Park part of the Uptown/Memorial TIRZ

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Falkenberg reports that some people have raised questions about the Memorial Park part of the Uptown/Memorial TIRZ. Reforestation is sorely needed in a park devastated by hurricane damage and drought. This is a great deal, city leaders and supporters … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

UH goes smoke-free

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. The University of Houston, which educates more than 40,000 students each year on its 667-acre campus, will become tobacco-free June 1, school officials announced Thursday. The new policy, approved by UH Chancellor Renu Khator, bans the use … Continue reading →

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Not just Austin, dammit

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

What Flavia Isabel says: The single purpose of this post is to eradicate the phrase “Oh yeah, Austin is a blue dot in a sea of red” from the vocabulary of anybody who cares about turning Texas blue. I am … Continue reading →

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The 2013 Houston Area Survey

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The 2013 Houston Area Survey shows that tolerance is prevalent in our region. The results, according to institute co-director Stephen Klineberg, may reflect the region’s growing ethnic diversity, younger residents’ acceptance of change and the emergence of live-and-let-live “tolerant traditionalists.” … Continue reading →

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HISD to begin laptops for all program

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Starting small, and presumably growing from there. Houston ISD officials announced Thursday that they are prepared to give students at up to 18 high schools their own laptops next school year, becoming among the first big-city districts to launch a … Continue reading →

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Tweet My Jobs Houston

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

On Friday, Mayor Parker delivered the State of the City 2013. Her address was heavy on accomplishments from the past year – there are a lot of them, and there is an election coming up – but there were also … Continue reading →

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Revamped Chapter 42 ordinance finally passes

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Strangely enough, in the end it was not very contentious. Houston City Council on Wednesday voted 14-3 to allow greater single-family home density outside Loop 610, while also strengthening the proposal’s already robust protections for neighborhoods concerned about unwelcome development. … Continue reading →

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MBIA lawsuit against Sports Authority dismissed

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t seen a story about this in the print edition for whatever the reason. A state district court judge on Tuesday ruled that the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority cannot be sued by the company that insures the $1 billion … Continue reading →

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

For the Uptown/Memorial TIRZ

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Ed Wulfe never mentions Mattress Mack or his recent diatribe in the Chron about the proposed Uptown/Memorial Park TIRZ, but his op-ed in the Chron is clearly aimed at countering naysayers like Mattress Mack. Uptown is one of the most … Continue reading →

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On HCAD and rigging the system

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This Houston Press cover story on the Harris County Appraisal District is provocative, to say the least. A months-long investigation by the Houston Press finds that Brookfield isn’t the only mega-dollar company that’s sitting pretty with a momentous tax break. … Continue reading →

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Today is Chapter 42 day

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Actually, today is almost certainly the day that the Chapter 42 revisions get tagged by multiple members of Council, thus pushing it back for a week. Nonetheless, this is the beginning of the end of a long, long journey. Here’s … Continue reading →

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Grier asks for Apollo money

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It is his signature program. Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier on Thursday lobbied the school board for at least $17 million to expand his Apollo school reform effort, noting new research showing its benefits. Grier is facing resistance from some … Continue reading →

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Adios, Aeros

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It was nice knowing you. After 19 years, the Houston Aeros will be no more after this season. The Minnesota Wild, who own the majority of the Aeros AHL franchise, were unable to reach a new lease agreement with the … Continue reading →

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Mattress Mack’s Uptown rant

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a lot missing from Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale’s screed in the Sunday op-ed pages. When you get right down to it, the recent announcement that the Uptown Houston Management District wants to spend $177.5 million to “redesign and widen” … Continue reading →

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A STEM vision for the Astrodome

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Tory Gattis has an idea for what to do with the Astrodome. Where can America’s kids go to be inspired toward careers in our country’s most crucial need: science, technology, engineering and math (aka STEM)? Something far beyond their little … Continue reading →

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Don’t expect B-Cycle in the Heights anytime soon

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I know there are a lot of people in the Heights that would like to see some bike share kiosks here, but as The Leader News reports, it will be awhile before that happens. Although running through arguably the most … Continue reading →

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It’s Chapter 42 week

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

We won’t know for years what the upcoming revisions to Chapter 42, the development and density codes in Houston, will mean to the city and its development and population patterns. There’s certainly a lot of hope that the changes will … Continue reading →

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The Uptown/Memorial TIRZ

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Big projects, big plans, big funding mechanism. Transit and trees – things that make urban areas move quickly and look pretty – are the centerpieces of a $500 million project that would remake the Uptown area and reinvigorate Memorial Park. … Continue reading →

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Fifth Ward revitalization

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I’m very glad to see this renewal project going on it the Fifth Ward. But now the stains of that past are being scrubbed clean by the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation with what it calls the Lyons Avenue Renaissance. … Continue reading →

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Someone will do something sort of soon about the Dome

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t be more specific than that. While Houston’s Super Bowl Host Committee continues its bid to win the vote for Super Bowl LI, the next step in the possible demolition of the Astrodome could be taken next week by … Continue reading →

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How will Chapter 42 affect housing in Houston?

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, we’re still talking about Chapter 42, the local development and density code. One of the goals of revamping Chapter 42 is to make it easier and more attractive to build mid-range housing in the city limits. How do we … Continue reading →

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Another reason why graduate school sucks

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I just shook my head when I read this. English Department teaching fellows at the University of Houston ended their sit-in Monday after UH Chancellor Renu Khator committed $1 million a year to improve their wages – potentially enough money … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Houston considers a “Safe Passing” ordinance

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Glad to hear it. Though it boasts a growing biking culture, Houston is the only major city in Texas without a safe-passing law requiring motorists to share the road with cyclists and others. City leaders now want to change that. … Continue reading →

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