Tag Archives: Houston

HISD cuts 277 jobs

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There will be more of this to follow. The Houston school district will have fewer bus drivers, construction workers, finance employees and other staff next year under budget cuts the board approved on Thursday. Trustees, expecting a severe shortfall in … Continue reading →

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Measles

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Something we haven’t seen around here in awhile. The Houston Area Health Alert Network sent an e-mail on Friday noting that an 11-month-old child, who attended the Cirque du Soleil performance at Sam Houston Race Park on March 20, developed … Continue reading →

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More on the new Council map

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story about the proposed new Council map. Reactions were about what you’d expect for the most part. “There’s two Latino council members and you have, currently, nine districts,” [District I Council Member James Rodriguez] said. “We’re moving … Continue reading →

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Patrick’s blackmail bill goes to the House

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The assault on the will of the voters takes another step forward. The Texas Senate voted 30-1 for Sen. Dan Patrick’s bill to broaden the exemption from Houston’s drainage fee to cover non-profit groups and expansion by churches and schools. … Continue reading →

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Drainage fee passes with exemptions

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Council has passed the drainage fee ordinance required by Renew Rebuild Houston, with exemptions for existing church and school properties. The fee will apply to all future “impervious cover” at church and school buildings, such as roofs and parking lots. … Continue reading →

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Proposed new City Council map is out

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Feast your eyes: Numbers and a sideways view of the map can be seen here. You can also see these docs plus a map of current Council districts at Houston Politics. A few rough observations: – The first thing you … Continue reading →

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Why demolishing the Dome would be so expensive

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This Chron story is primarily about what a bunch of notable people would like to see happen to the Astrodome. That isn’t terribly interesting to me, but it did contain this tidbit, which answers a question I’ve wondered about and … Continue reading →

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HIDS community conversations about possible school closures

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the HISD news page: HISD has scheduled a series of community conversations to discuss the possibility of closing four small elementary schools. The district administration is faced with making some difficult budget decisions to cover an expected $171 million … Continue reading →

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San Antonio bike share

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I love the idea of B-Cycle, San Antonio’s new bike sharing program, I’m just not sure how well it will work. “I think it will encourage faster infrastructure for bike lanes and all the things we need because suddenly it’s … Continue reading →

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

Tough times for libraries

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And there’s no end in sight. Already squeezed by curtailed hours and reduced staff, Houston Public Library officials today will pull the budget belt a notch tighter, telling City Hall how they plan to cope with an expected budget cut … Continue reading →

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Sundance Cinema to replace Angelika

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Downtown is once again safe for arthouse movies. From the Mayor’s office: Mayor Annise Parker and David Cordish, Chairman of the Cordish Companies, have announced that Robert Redford’s Sundance Cinema will open in Bayou Place in the heart of Houston’s … Continue reading →

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Hanover at Rice Village

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Swamplot: In 2007, Houston’s city council sold a block of Bolsover St. in the Rice Village to the developers of Randall Davis’s Sonomaproject so that it could be used as a private drive and restaurant plaza linking two phases of the development. Davis and … Continue reading →

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Locke and Lanier endorse Parker

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

More support for Mayor Parker’s re-election bid. Mayor Annise Parker on Wednesday scored the endorsements of her 2009 opponent Gene Locke and former Mayor Bob Lanier, two of Houston’s most prominent power brokers, as she prepares to ask voters for … Continue reading →

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Costello opposes exempting the churches

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Houston City Council Member Stephen Costello asks the Mayor and Council to exempt only state-mandated property from the drainage fee. Costello, the At Large Position 1 Council Member, offered an amendment Wednesday to the Municipal Drainage Utility … Continue reading →

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Mayor seeks pension fund cuts

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Given the size of the budget shortfall for next year and the amount that the city pays into the various pension funds, Mayor Parker’s proposal to pay less should not be a surprise to anyone. City Attorney David Feldman and … Continue reading →

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Is there an app for doing a golf clap?

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This just about blew my mind. Staying connected at the Shell Houston Open will be easier than ever this year, and golf fans won’t have to sneak their cellphones past the entrance gates to do so. Starting with this year’s … Continue reading →

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“Nobody likes a sore winner”

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Parker’s updated drainage fee proposal, which would allow for exemptions to schools and churches, was introduced to City Council amid a torrent of whining from the pro-exemption forces. Church and school leaders testified at a special council meeting that … Continue reading →

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Schools begin to feel the effect of budget cuts

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

If you’re an HISD principal, the next few weeks will be no fun at all. More public school employees can expect pink slips in coming weeks as state law requires districts to notify teachers by mid-April – technically, 45 days … Continue reading →

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TPC splits the difference

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Bike advocates get a partial victory as the Transportation Policy Council voted to keep the last $12.8 million of unallocated federal funds on alternate mode projects instead of redirecting it towards roads. “Whatever we do in this room is supposed … Continue reading →

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What the vote suppressers are up to

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I just saw a link on the chron.com homepage about a group of folks who are convinced that there’s heaps! reams! scads! piles! of examples of vote fraud going on out there and how they’re here in our fair city … Continue reading →

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Interview with Steve Murdock

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Dr. Steve Murdock is a former State Demographer of Texas and director of the US Census, now the founding Director of the Hobby Center for the Study of Texas at Rice University. He’s the man to go to if you … Continue reading →

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More on the drainage fee exemptions

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story about the Mayor’s change in direction to exempt churches and schools from the new drainage fee. Under previous numbers published by the administration, exempting those institutions would raise the monthly fee on other property owners by … Continue reading →

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St. Joseph’s Hospital on the auction block

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Another ownership change is coming for the venerable hospital. St. Joseph Medical Center, Houston’s oldest hospital, will be put up for auction next month, five years after its then-Catholic owners sold majority shares to a North Carolina-based for-profit company. Hospital … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , | 1 Comment

No more free tows

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Change is coming to SafeClear – it will now cost $50 for a tow on a highway inside the city, instead of it being provided for free. Passing the cost of towing to motorists is expected to save the city … Continue reading →

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I-10 service road update

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From Ultimate Heights: Two of six planned detention ponds are under construction near Interstate 10 east of Patterson Street, along with new feeder roads between Shepherd and Taylor. Work on the project began in October, with the first two detention … Continue reading →

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District H redistricting town hall meeting

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: City of Houston Redistricting 2011 Town Hall Meeting (District H) Mayor Annise D. Parker District H Council Member Edward Gonzalez City of Houston Attorney Dave Feldman Monday, March 28, 2011 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. Jefferson Davis High … Continue reading →

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City caves on drainage fee for churches

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mayor Parker Announces New Rebuild Houston Funding Plan with Exemptions and Assistance for Low Income Mayor Annise Parker today announced that she will ask City Council next week to approve a new Rebuild Houston funding plan that … Continue reading →

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Center Street recycling center for sale?

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Looks to be that way. Back in 2009, the city contemplated selling the site to Admiral Linen next door, and opening a new recycling center on Spring Street in the First Ward. See here, here, and here for background. The … Continue reading →

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Today’s the day for the TIP

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

That postponed Transportation Policy Council meeting to determine how to allocate unprogrammed federal transportation funds happens today. A proposal before the regional Transportation Policy Council last month could have clawed back $12.8 million in funding set aside for bicycle and … Continue reading →

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The “Dan Patrick thinks you’re too stupid to know what you’re voting for” bill

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. A bill that would remove churches and schools from the drainage fee Houston voters narrowly approved last November as part of Proposition 1 is scheduled for a public hearing Wednesday before the Senate Intergovernmental Relations Committee. Dubbed Rebuild Houston, … Continue reading →

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Meet the new historical districts

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Not so different from the old historical districts. After months of petition drives and acrimonious public testimony over the protection of old Houston neighborhoods, the only change to the six historic district maps headed to the City Council on Wednesday … Continue reading →

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HGAC hearing on TIP

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From Houston Tomorrow: The Houston – Galveston Area Council Transportation Policy Council will host a public hearing to discuss citizen priorities for the use of discretionary funds in the 2011-2014 Transportation Improvement Program on March 25, 2011 at 8:45am at … Continue reading →

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Don’t claim endorsements you don’t have

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like that lesson needs to be re-learned every cycle. We already have two examples of it this cycle. Here’s example one: City Council candidate Eric Dick apologized for advertising an upcoming fund-raiser by sending out a mailer featuring a … Continue reading →

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Taco trucks and city regulations

Posted on March 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Gray writes about the food truck craze in Houston, and the obstacles that these foodie entrepreneurs must overcome. Food trucks can be a serious urban amenity, a quick way to bring life to a street, parking lot or underused … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments