Tag Archives: Houston

Time for the annual “Are we ready for a big storm?” story

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The answer, of course, is no, not really. After Tropical Storm Allison’s devastating floods, the Houston area widened its bayous and hardened its infra­structure. After Hurricane Rita’s deadly gridlock, the state revamped storm communications and evacuation plans. Yet since Hurricane … Continue reading →

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Who gets prioritized?

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Bexar County is beginning to experience what Harris County has gone through for decades: Dealing with lots of growth in unincorporated areas. In Bexar County, the population swelled by 320,000 in the past decade. Providing government services to the now … Continue reading →

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The Mayor and the firefighters

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Despite the tone of this, I wouldn’t make too much of it. While looking for tens of millions of dollars through a combination of cuts, deferrals, savings and fee hikes, Mayor Annise Parker repeatedly has identified the Houston Fire Department … Continue reading →

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Another microbrewer comes to town

Posted on May 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The beer scene in Houston keeps getting better. Eric Warner was at the well-regarded Flying Dog Brewery in Colorado for a decade, as brewmaster and then as chief executive. While there, the brewery came out with such beers as Snake … Continue reading →

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HCC redistricting

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Turns out that the HCC Trustees have done some work on redistricting for themselves. Their meeting agenda for May 19 lists “Resolution Accepting Draft Plans for Redistricting of HCCS Board of Trustees Districts and Confirming Public Hearings” as the fourth … Continue reading →

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If fixing the streets is easy, then tell us how to do it

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Gray writes about a guy who thinks Houston’s streets could be much more user friendly if only we tried a little harder to make them be. “Houston’s streets behave like alleys,” Nathan Norris shouted to the 20 or so … Continue reading →

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

More on that Rebuild Houston push poll

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Remember that push poll on Rebuild Houston? The results are out and they’re pretty much what you’d expect. A state district judge could decide this week whether to hold a trial on the validity of November’s election in which voters … Continue reading →

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Possible challenger in At Large #5

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

CM Jolanda Jones gets her first announced opponent for At Large #5, but it comes with an asterisk. Physician Joe Edmonds announced today his candidacy for City Council At-Large Position 5, currently occupied by Councilwoman Jolanda Jones. “I feel there … Continue reading →

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Grand Parkway protest

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Misplaced priorities: $4.8 billion to advance SH-99 while US-290 commuters sit in traffic Coalition to protest Grand Parkway as poster child of all that’s wrong with Texas transportation policy (Houston, TX) – As TxDOT hosts the final … Continue reading →

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Where we stand on redistricting

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

With final passage of SB31 and HB150, the Senate and House redistricting bills, the Lege has done three of its four redistricting-related tasks. There’s still a pretty big one not yet done, however, and it’s not looking like they’ll get … Continue reading →

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Time for the annual “We’re in for a busy hurricane season” forecast

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And indeed, forecasters say we are in for another active year, as was the case last year. Here’s SciGuy with some discussion. [S]easonal forecasters did a pretty good job of calling last year’s extraordinarily active season. So while there’s no … Continue reading →

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HISD does its redistricting

Posted on May 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Doesn’t get much easier than this. Houston ISD trustees today approved a preliminary plan to redistrict their positions in response to changing demographics. The plan, now available for public comment, generated no controversy among the Houston Independent School District board … Continue reading →

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The city’s 2012 budget

Posted on May 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Cuts, deferred payments, and more cuts. Mayor Annise Parker, facing what she described as the toughest fiscal environment in more than 20 years, on Thursday proposed a $1.8 billion budget that calls for laying off 747 employees, closing pools and … Continue reading →

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Freetail to come to Houston

Posted on May 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Cool! After months of professional evaluation and fan speculation, Freetail Brewing Co. is happy to announce it has chosen downtown Houston as the site of its second location. On November 2, 2010, Freetail Founder & CEO Scott Metzger announced the … Continue reading →

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More on the new Council districts

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

For just about everything you could want to know about the new Council districts, go read Greg. Population and registered voter data, 2009 election returns, a look at how the districts have changed and may change in the future, it’s … Continue reading →

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Council officially approves new redistricting map

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Let the filings begin! The Houston City Council approved a new political map for the city on Wednesday that expands the council by two seats and gives Houston’s burgeoning Latino population what community leaders see as its best opportunity to … Continue reading →

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Firefighters avoid layoffs

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The city and the firefighters’ union reach an agreement on the deadline for sending layoff notices to cut HFD’s budget by $17.7 million but not require any layoffs. The agreement’s components include program cuts and fees for services that are … Continue reading →

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Astros sold

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

With everything else that’s been going on I’ve only been peripherally aware of the ongoing sale of the Astros to a new owner, which is now official. Jim Crane stood behind the microphone Monday afternoon at Minute Maid Park, in … Continue reading →

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TxDOT gets more high speed rail money

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Still not much, but every little bit counts. The Texas Department of Transportation will receive $15 million to begin engineering and environmental work on a high-speed rail link between Houston and Dallas, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced [last week]. … Continue reading →

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Two more for At Large #2

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Open Council seats always draw a crowd, and when there’s only one of them for the At Large positions, it’s usually a big crowd. There were already several entrants in the At Large #2 sweepstakes, and as of today there … Continue reading →

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More city layoffs

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

How high will it get? More than 600 city employees have received layoff notices this month as the city sheds payroll in a budget crisis. The count is mounting daily as city leaders orchestrate a department-by-department approach to telling their … Continue reading →

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Check your Metro Q card

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Your Metro Q card may be set to expire at the end of the month. Here’s some information about that, via press release: Is your METRO Q® Fare Card expiring?  Flip it over to the back and check the serial … Continue reading →

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

HISD approves tougher teacher evaluation plan

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I have some concerns about this. Teachers in the Houston Independent School District next year will face tougher job evaluations that grade them on their students’ test scores under a nationally watched plan that trustees approved Thursday. The 7-2 vote … Continue reading →

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Accidents down overall in Houston

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I know I said I was done litigating the red light camera question, and I am, I swear it, but I can’t let this pass without comment. Automobile accidents on Houston streets have declined 13 percent in the last five … Continue reading →

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The abandoned buildings of downtown

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I thought this Chron story about the vacant buildings downtown and the nuisances they cause was useful, but it left me with one question: What, if anything, can the city do to force the issue? The city has the occasional … Continue reading →

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Our first campaign drama of 2011

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m pretty sure we’d have had some sort of kerfuffle like this by now if we hadn’t had to redraw Council lines, which has pushed the timeline back a bit. Lone Star Strategies has dropped City Council candidate Jenifer Rene … Continue reading →

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KUHA debuts Monday

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

KTRU is now off the air, but 91.7 on your dial won’t be dead air for much longer. KUHA, the spawn of the KUHF takeover of 91.7, begins broadcasting Monday. KUHA Classical programs will include The Front Row, Exploring Music, … Continue reading →

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Accidents down at former red light camera intersections

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I guess some arguments are never going to go away. In the five months after Houston voters forced city officials to turn off a camera surveillance system that fined motorists for running red lights, traffic accidents at those 50 intersections … Continue reading →

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San Antonio’s budget situation

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Just for comparison. “Our 2011 numbers still are not where they were in 2008,” [San Antonio] City Manager Sheryl Sculley told the council during a briefing session Wednesday. The projected shortfall in the general fund in the next budget has … Continue reading →

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Apparently we do have an opponent for the Mayor

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Deputy Fire Chief Fernando Herrera, who had previously said he was 95% sure he wasn’t running for Mayor, has now decided that he will in fact run for Mayor. Houston Fire Department Deputy Chief Fernando Herrera plans to formally announce … Continue reading →

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Mayor presents revised Council map

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the release. There was a press conference today at 10 to roll it out. Mayor Annise Parker today revealed a second version of the staff redistricting map that incorporates recommendations from members of various Houston communities. The new plan … Continue reading →

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Lockout or no, it makes no difference to them

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Must be nice for them. An extended NFL lockout and the loss of a season for the Texans actually would result in a small financial gain for the governmental body that manages the Reliant Stadium complex, officials said Thursday. The … Continue reading →

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More on the city’s convention center spinoff proposal

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This press release from the Mayor’s office about the proposed spinoff of the city’s convention business hit my inbox this afternoon: Mayor Annise Parker today recommended consolidation of the city’s Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department (CEFD) into the Houston Convention … Continue reading →

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Spinning off the convention business

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The city is looking to get out of the convention and entertainment business and maybe make a few bucks in the process. The city’s Convention and Entertainment Facilities department currently runs the George R. Brown Convention Center and other city-owned … Continue reading →

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