Tag Archives: Houston

FTA writes another check for light rail construction

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Keep ’em coming. The expansion of Houston Metro got another boost from the federal government with the allocation of $188 million in additional construction funding for the North and Southeast light rail lines. Congressman Gene Green, the Houston Democrat who … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on FTA writes another check for light rail construction

Once again with sales price discolsure

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Loren Steffy returns to a familiar topic. By some estimates, Williams Tower could sell for as much as $475 million. When it comes to paying the taxes, though, the 64-story tower will be worth less than half that much. That’s … Continue reading →

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

Deal struck on the GMP

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Well, this is interesting. The Metro board on Aug. 3 approved a ballot proposal that would have shifted tens of millions of dollars more in mobility payments to Houston at the expense of the county and small cities by basing … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Ashby set to rise

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not, here it comes. Construction on the 21-story luxury apartment building at 1717 Bissonnet is scheduled to begin by the fourth quarter of this year and is expected to take 18 to 24 months to complete. Kevin Kirton … Continue reading →

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

Pothole app

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County now has an app for reporting potholes and other problems. Users must download the app and set up a profile. After that, one can take a photo of the problem, point to its spot on the map or … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

HCC board approves its bond package

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

More bonds for your consideration this fall. Houston Community College trustees voted Thursday to placea $425 million bond referendum on the November ballot. If approved by voters on Nov. 6, the bond would help update classroom technology, build a new … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

HISD board approves its bond package

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

In the end, it wasn’t a close vote. The school board voted 8-1 to seek a $1.9 billion bond issue that would rebuild or renovate most of the district’s aging high schools, remodel several elementary and middle schools, and upgrade … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on HISD board approves its bond package

The Radack way

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You have to admire the single-minded focus, I’ll say that much for the man. Allen Watson may have figured his role as a member of Metro’s board of directors occasionally would dent his political capital, but a vote he cast … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Janitors win new contract

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’m very glad for them. Janitors who clean some of the largest office buildings in Houston have reached a tentative agreement with six of the city’s largest cleaning companies, a union representative said late Wednesday. The deal is expected to … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Janitors win new contract

Galveston passenger rail back on track

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry about the pun, they can be hard to avoid when writing these titles. Anyway, the on-again, off-again Houston to Galveston rail line is apparently on again. A Houston-to-Galveston passenger rail line postponed indefinitely after the economy hit bottom in … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

No Dome vote this year?

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There may not be an Astrodome-related bond referendum on the ballot this year. The last day Commissioners Court can place a referendum on the November ballot is Aug. 20, according to county attorneys. The court’s Tuesday meeting was its last … Continue reading →

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

Here comes I-69

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Best have your tinfoil hat at the ready. The first Houston-area piece of a trade corridor — debated for more than a decade and envisioned as one day linking Mexico to Canada — has been officially designated. Motorists will soon … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Here comes I-69

The door will stay open

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good decision. A proposal to give Houston City Council the ability to meet behind closed doors is dead. What a mayor’s spokeswoman called a “lack of consensus” was manifest in a committee meeting last week during which several council members … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The door will stay open

Funding to rebuild Yale Street Bridge acquired

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Calling the Yale Street bridge “functionally obsolete” after a recent engineering study, the Texas Department of Transportation has secured “out of cycle funding” to replace the bridge, Councilwoman Ellen Cohen announced late Monday. Cohen said that means the … Continue reading →

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

Could you get to work if you didn’t have a car?

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of people in the Houston area could not easily get to work if their car were not available to them. According to a new report from the Brookings Institution, only 57.8 percent of the jobs in the entire Houston … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

NOH8 comes to Houston

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Very cool. The NOH8 “photographic silent protest” comes to town Oct. 18 at the University of Houston. The shoot is hosted by the UH Council of Ethnic Organizations, from 4-7 p.m. in the University Center. NOH8 was created by celebrity photographer … Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on NOH8 comes to Houston

Houston Bike Share set to expand

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Cool The plan has always been to expand the program, and Laura Spanjian, Mayor Annise Parker’s sustainability director, first alluded to a search for new locations in early June. “We’re going to have about 20 new kiosks and about 205 new bikes,” Spanjian now tells … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

HISD tweaks its bond proposal

Posted on August 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

HISD Superintendent Terry Grier presents Bond Referendum 2.0 for your approval. Grier’s amended proposal adds five high schools to a list of 20 that would get new buildings or partial replacements. The additions, originally slated for smaller renovations, are Davis, … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on HISD tweaks its bond proposal

Yale Street Bridge to get makeover

Posted on August 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You may recall that last November the load limit on the Yale Street Bridge was reduced by TxDOT to 8,000 lbs per single axle and 10,000 lbs per tandem axle, which has resulted in truck traffic being forbidden on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Up or down, more or less

Posted on August 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Metro has chosen its referendum. A sharply divided Metro board approved a plan Friday that would give the city of Houston tens of millions of dollars more for road projects under a ballot referendum to be put before voters in … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The discussion is closed

Posted on August 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know about this. The mayor and city attorney are floating the idea of shutting the public out of some City Council discussions. Houston is unusual, perhaps even unique, among Texas cities in requiring that its council always meet … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The discussion is closed

Metro and UH make nice

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Construction of a light-rail line that would cross University of Houston property can continue now that UH and Metro officials settled differences that threatened to delay the project. UH announced in a statement Tuesday that university officials have agreed … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Do July showers bring August hurricanes?

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

So we had a nice, wet, not too hot July that among other things help erase the drought in Harris County. What could possibly be bad about that? Increased risk of hurricanes, that’s what. [Impact Weather forecaster Chris] Hebert studied … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

One more thing about the Buffalo Bayou transformation

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You saw Trudi Smith’s guest post about the transformation of Buffalo Bayou, which was recently kicked into high gear. There’s a point that needs to be addressed about the project and the lovely park that’s being built up, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on One more thing about the Buffalo Bayou transformation

How cool are we?

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Way cool, apparently. Houston is known for many things: Oil, NASA, urban sprawl and business-friendly policies. But the Texas city deserves to be known for something else: coolness. The Bayou City may not be the first place you associate with … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The murder rate is the same as it was last year

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There’s no evidence to suggest otherwise at this time. Though Houston is not in any danger of reclaiming the unenviable title of “murder capital of the United States,” murders in the city jumped 17 percent during the first six months … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The murder rate is the same as it was last year

Keep Moving Houston Forward PAC poll on Metro and GMP

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday I wrote about a poll commissioned by Houstonians for Responsible Growth on Metro and the General Mobility Program. That poll suggested that any changes to the GMP would be difficult for Metro to get, especially in the face of … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Keep Moving Houston Forward PAC poll on Metro and GMP

HRG poll data on Metro and the GMP

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I mentioned on Friday that there had been a poll commissioned to measure voter attitudes towards Metro and the General Mobility Program. That poll was commissioned by Houstonians for Responsible Growth, and Joshua Sanders was kind enough to send me … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Spending a little to save a lot

Posted on July 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Remember HPD’s Chronic Consumer Stabilization Program, in which the police department attempted to deal with some of the people who interact with them the most often in a better, more humane, and more cost-effective way? Well, it’s been working. Since … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Southwest prepares for expansion

Posted on July 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Coming soon. Southwest Airlines will begin construction next year on Hobby Airport international flight facilities, which the city approved in May over vehement opposition from United Airlines. “I’m extremely pleased and thrilled that the Houston City Council cleared the way … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Southwest prepares for expansion

As Helena Brown turns

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The soap opera continues. Houston City Councilwoman Helena Brown tried to coerce a staffer to go on medical leave because of her pregnancy, according to a memo the employee filed with the council’s administrative office. Sandra Kim, Brown’s constituent liaison, … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Trudi Smith: What’s going on with Buffalo Bayou

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I have been presenting over the past few weeks. Transformation of Buffalo Bayou Park, one of Houston’s most iconic green spaces, is well underway. With an historic $30 million catalyst … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Here come the GMP proposals

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

At Metro’s board meeting yesterday, trustees presented their proposed ballot referenda for the General Mobility Program. “I’m anxious to see the outcome just like everybody else,” said Chairman Gilbert Garcia, before anyone offered their specifics. As it turned out, city-appointee … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

How do you say “J’accuse!” in Korean?

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again with the Korea kerfuffle. City Councilwoman Helena Brown on Tuesday accused Mayor Annise Parker of sabotaging her recent taxpayer-funded trip to Asia to promote direct air service between Seoul and Houston. Brown joined Houston Airport Director … Continue reading →

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