Tag Archives: Houston

Comcast SportsNet Houston

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This would be cool. The NBC Sports Group is seeking about $2 million in state and local support to bring a major production studio and 135 jobs to downtown Houston. The operation would be for Comcast SportsNet Houston, a new … Continue reading →

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The Tour de Houston 2012

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

If you’re not into long distance running, perhaps you might like to go on a long bike ride around town? If so, you will be glad to hear that the Tour de Houston is coming back after a year’s absence. … Continue reading →

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

We’re #9!

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Number Nine on The Street’s list of “10 Cities Poised For Greatness In 2012”. Which places us one behind Austin, and one ahead of…Rochester, NY? Whatever. Here’s what they say about our fair city. Houston Throughout the economic crisis, Houston … Continue reading →

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

Thinking outside the box on the city’s finances

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve seen the ideas generated by the Long Term Financial Management Task Force, which I thought lacked a certain amount of breadth to its perspective. Here’s a taste of what else might be out there to think about. Good Jobs … Continue reading →

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

Area job growth in 2012

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve seen a prediction for job growth in Texas for this year, now here’s some soothsaying about job growth in the Houston area for the year. The Greater Houston Partnership predicts the Houston area will add 84,600 jobs this year. … Continue reading →

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

State Bar clears Feldman

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I believe this brings to a close the last unresolved issue involving former CM Jolanda Jones. The State Bar of Texas has cleared City Attorney David Feldman of a grievance lodged by former Councilwoman Jolanda Jones that he mishandled an … Continue reading →

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County approves building new forensics lab

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Institute of Forensic Sciences is getting a new home. Commissioners Court on Tuesday gave staff the go-ahead to finalize a land deal with the Texas Medical Center that would give the county 2.79 acres at the northeast corner of … Continue reading →

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

Here come the HOT lanes

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Those of you who commute from the ‘burbs into the central core will have new options for how to get there, if you don’t mind spending a few bucks. Solo drivers willing to pay extra to breeze through heavy traffic … Continue reading →

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Brown v Rodriguez

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been wondering how new Council Member Helena Brown’s style will play at Council meetings. I didn’t have to wait long to find out. Councilwoman Helena Brown and Councilman James Rodriguez squared off publicly Wednesday in the kind of bare-knuckled … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

City budget outlook

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Last year was a lousy budget year for the city of Houston. This year will be better, if only because it really can’t be much worse, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be good. Kelly Dowe, the mayor’s finance … Continue reading →

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Marathon weekend

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure you know that this Sunday is the Chevron Houston Marathon, but did you realize that there’s some hot marathon action happening on Saturday, too? Organizers for Saturday’s U.S. Olympic marathon trials arrived Tuesday to find a city and … Continue reading →

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“When all the ships come sailing into the arbor”

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Want to do something for Houston? Plant a tree. Houston’s battle against the relentless drought, thus far characterized by felling, dismembering and mulching dead trees, entered a new phase Friday as parks officials announced plans for an Arbor Day 2012 … Continue reading →

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Thinking long term about the city’s finances

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

If you didn’t have to worry about practicality or implementation issues, what ideas would you have about improving the city’s long term financial health? That in a nutshell is the mission of the Long-Range Financial Management Task Force that was … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Fewer inmate deaths

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

More good news for the Sheriff’s office. The number of inmates who have died while in Harris County detention has plummeted during the last three years, a decline that Sheriff Adrian Garcia described as “deeply satisfying” but could not explain. … Continue reading →

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CM Costello on fixing water leaks

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

CM Stephen Costello writes a letter in response to the Chron story about leaks in the city’s water pipes. The article “City lost millions to water leaks” (Page A1, Dec. 30) was a timely discussion of our aging water/sewer system. … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Real estate optimism

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’m glad to see that real estate experts are optimistic about the new year, but there are a couple of key questions left unanswered. While uncertainty in the global economy could hinder the nation’s (and Houston’s) recovery, those who work … Continue reading →

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More on the crime lab and the city jail

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here we have some more information about Mayor Parker’s plans for the crime lab, though it’s still not really clear where this is going. Parker wants to make the lab independent of HPD and the city, overseen instead by a … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Murder by numbers

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There were a lot fewer murders committed in Houston last year than in recent years. HPD recorded 195 murders for the year as of Friday, a 27.5 percent decrease from the previous year’s total of 269. The preliminary figure doesn’t … Continue reading →

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Chapter 42

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Other than the updated highrise ordinance, Council has not yet taken up the proposed revisions to the city’s planning code, also known as Chapter 42. That will be on the agenda soon, and the Chron has an overview of where … Continue reading →

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Inauguration Day 2012

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Tuesday was Inauguration Day for Mayor Annise Parker, City Controller Ronald Green, and all 16 members of Houston City Council. Annise D. Parker began her second term as mayor of Houston on Monday with a commitment to bring more jobs … Continue reading →

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Here comes the Convention District

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what this turns into. The newest vision for the eastern edge of downtown includes hotels and residential buildings in place of what are now parking lots. Officials also picture a bustling pedestrian scene where shops and restaurants line … Continue reading →

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Another Lone Star Rail update

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the Statesman: Commuter rail between San Antonio and Georgetown, at least as a legislatively sanctioned policy goal, will have its 15th birthday this spring. The tiny government agency created later to make it a reality is almost 9 years … Continue reading →

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Fix those leaks

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We lost a lot of water this year, which seems like an especially undesirable thing during a record drought. At the peak of this year’s record drought, the city of Houston lost more than 18 billion gallons of water through … Continue reading →

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

Crime lab update

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

One way or another, Mayor Parker says we will have a new crime lab in 2012. After years of scandal, the police department will no longer run Houston’s crime lab, Mayor Annise Parker said Wednesday. The promise is among the … Continue reading →

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More algebra, please

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I applaud HISD for doing this. A handful of campuses in the Houston Independent School District are experimenting with placing their best math students in algebra in seventh grade – two years before most take the class. The earlier they … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Happy birthday, Jacob!

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Meet the newest most popular boy’s name in Texas. For the first time in more than a decade of dueling to become the most popular baby boy name in Texas, if infant Jacobs could talk, they’d have said “No way, … Continue reading →

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Houston-Austin rail study

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From Houston Tomorrow: The Texas Department of Transportation presented results from a study on the potential for new 110 mph passenger rail service between Houston and Austin, potentially connecting College Station, according to Guidry News and documented in the minutes of the December … Continue reading →

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Seeking more water for Houston

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know how I feel about this. After decades of fits and starts, Houston is pushing forward with plans to move Trinity water nearly 30 miles to Lake Houston. The reservoir, located on the smaller San Jacinto River, fills … Continue reading →

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More on Bike Share Houston

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story on the Council vote to get bike sharing in Houston off the ground. The plan for the so-called Bike Share Houston program is to intrigue residents and visitors with the technology, then raise funds to install … Continue reading →

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Recycle your Christmas tree

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And now, a message from the City of Houston Solid Waste Department:   The City of Houston (COH) Solid Waste Management Department will embark on its 21st year of Christmas tree recycling(.pdf) after the holiday by providing recycling drop-off sites throughout Houston. … Continue reading →

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Council approves B-Cycle, and other bike news

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

One other item that Council approved on its last day of business for the year was to clear the way for the city to start up bike sharing with B-cycle. As you know, I’ve been following this along, and am … Continue reading →

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Council passes high rise ordinance

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And with that, Council is done for the year. After four years of planning and discussion, the Houston City Council on Wednesday approved new restrictions on residential high rises. The restrictions, which passed after a failed proposal to delay a … Continue reading →

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Runoff precinct analysis, At Large #5

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the numbers for the At Large #5 runoff between CM-elect Jack Christie and CM Jolanda Jones. As this was a rematch from 2009, I’m putting the 2011 numbers alongside the 2009 numbers, again with the caveat that they’re … Continue reading →

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Another reason to support local food

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Bettina Elias Siegel of The Lunch Tray takes to the op-ed pages to give another reason for supporting local businesses, by changing HISD’s practices for how school lunches are provided. Food service management companies (FSMCs) like Aramark are, above all … Continue reading →

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