Tag Archives: Dallas

Expanding Metro

Posted on January 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Soon-to-be-former Metro Chair David Wolff riffs off of a Chron editorial that lamented the lack of connectivity between Metro and some new bus routes in Harris County and makes the case for expanding Metro’s service area. The first steps toward … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Houston versus Dallas

Posted on January 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This video touting the charms of the city of Dallas made the rounds this week. I actually find all of the dorky dancing to be somewhat charming. You can’t do that sort of thing and take yourself too seriously. Having … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Pants are overrated

Posted on January 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

If you saw a bunch of pantsless people on the DART train on Sunday, you weren’t seeing things. In all, about 70 people – mostly in their 20s but plenty older and younger than that, too – rode DART sans … Continue reading →

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Federal court rules for TDP in voting machine case

Posted on December 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’m a little surprised by this. A three-judge panel has ruled that Dallas County election officials violated federal law when they did not inform the Department of Justice about changes in the way straight-party votes are counted on electronic voting … Continue reading →

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Commuter rail and transit-oriented development

Posted on November 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a peek of things that may be to come, courtesy of Dallas. The A-train commuter railway is more than a year away from rolling into Lewisville, but plans are already in the works for the city’s first transit-oriented development. … Continue reading →

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You can’t get gay married in Texas, but you can get gay divorced

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

At least, according to a Dallas judge’s ruling, you can. Although the case is far from settled, and the state’s constitutional ban on gay marriage is a long way from being thrown out, Dallas state District Judge Tena Callahan’s ruling … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

SNCF proposes high-speed rail route for Texas

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not the Texas T-Bone, but it’s a start. Last December, Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters and Representative John Mica (R-FL) announced that the Federal Railroad Administration would begin accepting Expressions of Interest for the development of high-speed lines in … Continue reading →

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Election tidbits for 9/29

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Dallas DA Craig Watkins’ Republican opponent. I thought he came across better than the commenters did, but I feel pretty good about Watkins’ chances nonetheless. Via Grits. Some love for Bill White, including the Bill Whites for Bill White … Continue reading →

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New light rail line begins service in Dallas

Posted on September 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I so look forward to the day when this story can be written for Houston. When the trains begin running today on the opening segment of DART’s new Green Line, the transit agency will unveil the longest expansion of light … Continue reading →

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EPA to tighten air quality standards

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Federal regulators signaled Wednesday that they would abandon Bush-era limits on smog pollution that scientists said didn’t go far enough to protect public health. Amid concerns that the current rules don’t adhere to the federal Clean Air Act, the … Continue reading →

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More on Glaeser and high speed rail

Posted on September 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I mentioned before some analysis done by the New York Times’ Ed Glaeser on the economics of high speed rail between Houston and Dallas. His series has come under a lot of criticism – see that post, along with these … Continue reading →

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Irving proposes district council lines

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Greg shows a map of the proposed new district City Council lines in Irving, which as this DMN story notes would likely unseat two current Council members and might have an effect on HD105 next year. I keep following this … Continue reading →

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Comparing trains to planes

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In case you missed it earlier, economist Edward Glaeser did an analysis of a theoretical high-speed rail link between Dallas and Houston to see if HSR made economic sense in general. His conclusion that they didn’t has been sharply criticized, … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

Streetcars in San Antonio

Posted on August 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

San Antonio is looking to Portland for inspiration as it contemplates a streetcar system. In the 1990s, driven by a plan to infuse the inner city with new residents, transit advocates drew up plans to link several districts by streetcar … Continue reading →

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Cities lose out in transportation stimulus funding

Posted on July 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is not a surprise, but it is a missed opportunity. Two-thirds of the country lives in large metropolitan areas, home to the nation’s worst traffic jams and some of its oldest roads and bridges. But cities and their surrounding … Continue reading →

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Use your cell phone, pay a fine

Posted on July 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Attention, school kids: Using your cellphone during school hours can cost you. Cell phones are generating some serious cash for Texas school districts. It’s all because of students being fined for texting or chatting in the classroom. The Texas education … Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Chicken farming in the suburbs

Posted on July 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You can file this under “Things That Happen In Hard Times That Might Continue When Things Get Better”. A pastime once limited to the occasional overachieving gardener, backyard chicken farming has caught fire among suburbanites craving a slice of the … Continue reading →

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Terri Hodge draws a challenger

Posted on June 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Terri Hodge, a fixture in HD100 since 1996, has drawn a challenger for next year. Dallas lawyer Eric Johnson announced [Friday] that he is running for the District 100 seat in the Texas House. That’s the seat currently … Continue reading →

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Annie’s List kicks off the 2010 elections

Posted on June 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Even for me, it’s a little early to be thinking about most of the 2010 races, especially for the State House. But I’m glad it’s not too early for some folks, such as Annie’s List. Here’s an email they’ve sent … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Clay Jenkins

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Clay Jenkins is a candidate for County Judge in Dallas. He’s running in the Democratic primary against the incumbent, Jim Foster, who knocked off the Republican incumbent in the 2006 countywide sweep, in a race nobody expected him to win. … Continue reading →

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School finance bill advances

Posted on May 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Has there ever been a legislative session that didn’t deal with school finance? This Lege is dealing with it as well, and the good news is they may have made some actual progress. Texas teachers would get an $800-a-year raise … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Burka on the Census and redistricting

Posted on May 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Paul Burka takes a look at Census figures and projections for 2010 and considers the implication for the 2011 Legislative Redistricting Board redraw of State House and State Senate lines. There is going to be carnage in rural Texas, especially … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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“Quality rock”

Posted on May 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In case you’ve ever wondered what “classic rock” will be called when the format is updated to include stuff recorded after Ronald Reagan left office, here’s your answer: Quality rock. KDBN/93.3 FM, which had aired the classic-rock “Bone” format for … Continue reading →

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Here comes the SUPERTRAIN

Posted on April 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. President Barack Obama on Thursday highlighted his ambition for the development of high-speed passenger rail lines in at least 10 regions, expressing confidence in the future of train travel even as he acknowledged that the American rail network, compared … Continue reading →

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Extending Medicaid

Posted on April 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Texas likes to bill itself as a business-friendly state. But there’s one thing that a lot of businesses want that the Republican leadership has been unwilling to entertain, and that’s to make Medicaid renewals an annual event instead of every … Continue reading →

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Dallas Dems look to 2010

Posted on April 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Never too early to be thinking about these things. “I don’t think it’s a big stretch to say we can do 57 percent [countywide] in 2010,” said Darlene Ewing, chairwoman of the Dallas County Democratic Party. Because of that comfort … Continue reading →

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We keep on growing

Posted on March 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t know how much longer we can or will keep this up, but the Houston metropolitan area just keeps growing like gangbusters. The Houston metropolitan area added more than 130,000 residents between July 1, 2007 and July 1, 2008, the … Continue reading →

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Always government handouts

Posted on March 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Texans for Public Justice have put together a really good report on government subsidies for WalMart here in Texas that I highly recommend. Stories like this constitute another reason why I tend not to get too bent out of shape … Continue reading →

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Form-based codes come to Dallas

Posted on March 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good for Dallas. If they can do this, unanimously, even, then there must be hope for Houston and its proponents here. We might get lucky and avoid an Ashby lawsuit, but it sure would be nice to be better prepared … Continue reading →

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Pete Sessions and the Taliban

Posted on February 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Pete Sessions in CD32 is the chair of the NRCC this cycle. He’s also…well, see for yourself. Frustrated by a lack of bipartisan outreach from House Democratic leaders, Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, … Continue reading →

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A SUPERTRAIN for Texas?

Posted on January 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It could happen. The idea of high-speed rail is being pushed again in a big way in Texas, and backers hope to have $12 billion to $18 billion high-speed trains running by 2020. This time, they say they have taken … Continue reading →

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One more reason to be glad he’s in Dallas and not here

Posted on January 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t need another reason to be glad that former President Bush chose someplace other than Houston to retire to, but if you do, here’s one for you. The tab to provide crowd and traffic control at the new Preston … Continue reading →

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