Tag Archives: Houston

Alexan Heights on Yale

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

If you live in my neck of the woods you’re probably interested in the news (via Swamplot) of the new apartment complex being planned for the empty lot on Yale between 6th and 7th. The RUDH January newsletter has details. … Continue reading →

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

Hall is in

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s on. Former Houston City Attorney Benjamin L. Hall III announced his candidacy for mayor Wednesday, choosing a slogan of “Hall for All!” and emphasizing his ability to unite people. Hall said he filed a form designating a campaign treasurer … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

City pension funds make their case

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This deserves more visibility than it’s gotten. Representatives of Houston’s three employee pension boards told a Houston City Council committee Monday that the sky is not falling and pleaded with council members to be patient in examining the city’s pension … Continue reading →

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Austin to get bike sharing

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

About time, y’all. City Council will vote Thursday on a five-year contract with a newly formed nonprofit organization, Bike Share of Austin, to operate the system. The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization awarded Austin a $1.5 million grant last summer … Continue reading →

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Aereo

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From Dwight: Aereo, which already has disrupted the television landscape in New York City, is coming soon to Houston and 21 other U.S. markets – but only if it survives legal attempts to kill it. On Tuesday, Aereo CEO Chet … Continue reading →

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Interview with Todd Clark and Chris Gonzales of the firefighters’ pension fund

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have written numerous times about the ongoing battle between Mayor Parker and the Houston Firefighter’s Relief and Retirement Fund, which is to say the firefighters’ pension fund. After I noted a legal victory by the city in its attempt … Continue reading →

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More on metal recycling

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has a followup story on metal recycling and hexavalent chromium. Houston air experts plan to deepen their investigation into the air outside metal recycling companies after their measurements showed – apparently for the first time – that the … Continue reading →

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Here comes that B-Cycle expansion

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent. Houston’s bike-sharing program downtown is getting a boost from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, city officials announced Wednesday. The insurance company will contribute $750,000 to expand the B-Cycle system from three stations and 18 bikes to 24 … Continue reading →

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A first look at the 2013 elections

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It is 2013, right? So while we have the SD06 special election and the new legislative session to worry about, it’s not too early to start talking about the 2013 elections. Let’s start with a peek at the campaign finance … Continue reading →

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Curbside composting

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Way to go, Austin. City officials are asking Austinites in 7,900 households in five parts of the city to separate their banana peels, egg shells, meat, chicken bones, milk cartons, leaves and any other organic material from their household trash … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Recycling pollution

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is unfortunate. The calls to the city of Houston’s 311 help line came in the early morning and the middle of the night – complaints of red smoke, yellow smoke, explosions, fire, a child having trouble breathing. Reports like … Continue reading →

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Murder by numbers continued

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

There are two ways to look at this. Houston averaged slightly more than four murders a week during 2012, unofficial figures indicate, inching up from 2011 when the total dropped to the lowest point since 1966. In unincorporated Harris County, … Continue reading →

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Your other one-minute real estate update

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Basically, real estate good in Houston. Inventory of homes for sale has fallen to a level not seen in more than a decade. Builders are trying to keep up with a growing demand from buyers relocating here for jobs. Realtors … Continue reading →

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Now you can drink for charity

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The OKRA Charity Bar is now open for business. Charity Bar — like Warren’s Inn, its neighbor around the block — will be open until 2 a.m. seven days a week. “I think bars have a responsibility to people in … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Compost that Christmas tree

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Let your Christmas tree do some good after you get rid of it. When that Christmas tree comes down this year, take a moment to imagine its next incarnation: Chipped up and mixed into soil, it might soon secure new … Continue reading →

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Your one-minute real estate update

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I just have one mostly tangential thing to say about this. Houston will see a modest and steady growth in retail activity in 2013, according to Ed Wulfe’s annual retail forecast. And the following year should be much better, said … Continue reading →

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It’s a dog eat donut world

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

What interested me the most in this story about the locally-based Shipley’s Do-Nuts is what wasn’t said. The changes are coming at a time when competition in the breakfast industry is stronger than ever. Coffee chains are offering more breakfast … Continue reading →

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Metro moving forward with advertising

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This has been in the works for a long time. Depending on what Metropolitan Transit Authority officials decide regarding a new revenue plan, your light rail trip could end at the Taco Bell Station, or some similarly named stop. Officials … Continue reading →

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Soot

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We have it. What are we going to do about it? Harris County, long known for smog, will need to clamp down on another harmful type of air pollution for the first time under new rules imposed by federal regulators … Continue reading →

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The Houston Food Bank could use your help

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Times are tough, y’all. Despite a growing demand, food banks, charities and pantries face a dwindling supply of products to distribute to Houston’s hungry this holiday season. Food banks in Houston and across the country have less to give away … Continue reading →

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Keep Houston hip

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Y’all ready for this? 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the GHCVB and the fifth anniversary of the MyHouston campaign, which according to vice president of marketing Holly Clapham, is “the most successful image campaign in Houston’s history.” As part … Continue reading →

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City wins access to firefighter pension information

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox, late Friday afternoon. Mayor Annise Parker today announced Judge William Burke of the 189th District Court of Harris County has mandated the Houston Firefighters’ Relief and Retirement Fund (HFRRF) Board to provide and disclose information requested by … Continue reading →

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Three things in life are certain

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Death, taxes, and Bruce Hotze filing a lawsuit every time he loses an election. A local anti-tax activist filed a lawsuit Thursday to block the city of Houston from borrowing $410 million to add, expand and repair parks, libraries, police … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Reliant gets its new scoreboard

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As expected, and in time for the next push to get a Super Bowl in Houston. The state-of-the-art digital scoreboards will be manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric’s Diamond Vision Systems Division and installed for the 2013 season in place of the … Continue reading →

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Greanias officially resigns, interim Metro CEO named

Posted on December 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

George Greanias may have stepped down as CEO of Metro, but he’ll still be around for awhile, as Metro searches for his successor. Metropolitan Transit Authority board members on Thursday accepted Greanias’ resignation, named an interim replacement and approved a … Continue reading →

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One year of Helena

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer‘s Emily dePrang takes a look at CM Helena Brown, one year after her upset win in District A. When she took office, Brown made waves for her nearly satirical level of budget hawkery. She made simplistic government-bad, free-market-good … Continue reading →

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Former HPD lab supervisor files sues Lykos, county

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a nice little going away present for District Attorney Pat Lykos. Two former Houston Police Department crime lab supervisors have filed a federal lawsuit against Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos, saying the county’s top prosecutor retaliated against them … Continue reading →

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City-county cooperation

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a beautiful thing, isn’t it? At 9:27 p.m. on Election Day, when it was clear a Metro referendum crucial to both of their road-building budgets had passed, Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack’s phone buzzed with a text message from … Continue reading →

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Chapter 42 is back

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This is going to be fun. Sprawling, boomtown Houston may be in for another battle over land use and development, this time driven by the most significant changes proposed to the city’s building rules in 13 years. The rewrite would … Continue reading →

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

Rodeo buys part of old Astroworld site

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Unclear what this means. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is acquiring half of the old Six Flags AstroWorld property for $42.8 million. The organization’s board of directors on Thursday authorized show officials to acquire 48 acres of the former … Continue reading →

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

Early extension for Grier

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This was a surprise. The Houston school board gave Superintendent Terry Grier a big but not unanimous vote of confidence Thursday, extending his contract through 2016 and awarding him $115,000 in bonuses for the last year. The board voted 6-2 … Continue reading →

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The Controller’s travels

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This is me shaking my head. Houston controller Ron Green, the city’s top elected financial watchdog, has flown first class and frequented high-end hotels in New York and Chicago at taxpayer expense for more than two dozen publicly funded excursions, … Continue reading →

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The Municipal Equality Index

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: A new report on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equality in America’s cities by the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT civil rights organization, in partnership with the Equality Federation Institute and the Gay and Lesbian Victory Institute,  rated … Continue reading →

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Greanias to step down from Metro

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Bummer. George Greanias, appointed to lead the Metropolitan Transit Authority in September 2010 after political squabbling and inefficiencies led to widespread criticism of the bus and train system, is resigning, a Metro spokeswoman confirmed Friday. Greanias has stated his intent … Continue reading →

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