Tag Archives: Houston

Endorsement watch: The HISD Trustee race

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Judith Cruz in the HISD Trustee special election. Cruz firmly supports the Waiting for Superman brand of school reform: She believes that urban schools can do a much better job of educating our kids than they do … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Reviewing magnet schools

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be lively. HISD Superintendent Terry Grier is starting to tread in the most politically delicate territory he’s tackled since coming to Houston: the beloved magnet program. Starting this week, the district is holding town hall meetings to … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

KTRU deal signed

Posted on October 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Just in time for Rice’s homecoming weekend. [Wednesday] afternoon, Friends of KTRU announced they had been informed that Rice and UH have signed an agreement to transfer the station’s ownership, and have retained the law firm of Paul Hastings in … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Council passes revised historic preservation ordinance

Posted on October 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m glad to see that City Council finally passed the long-awaited and much-revised historic preservation ordinance, and even more glad to see that the 90-day waiver for demolitions has been excised, so that what we have now is an actual … Continue reading →

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

Email counts, too

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I have one thing to say about this. City officials involved in negotiating a tax reimbursement deal with the developer of a controversial Walmart-anchored retail project near Washington Avenue made dismissive, and sometimes derisive, references to citizens opposed to the … Continue reading →

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

RIP, Mark Stevens

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Mark Stevens, one half of the Stevens and Pruett radio team, has passed away. Stevens spent 40 years in radio but enjoyed his greatest success in partnership with Pruett, first as Hudson and Harrigan at KILT (610 AM) beginning in … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Dallas-area cities are watching the red light camera referenda

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

What happens next month in Houston and Baytown may have an effect on our neighbors to the north. North Texas city officials are monitoring a public backlash against lucrative red-light cameras that could signal their end. Citizens in three Texas … Continue reading →

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Bumpy roads

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This story is mostly about how Houston ranks against other cities in road conditions. Of interest to me is the reasons why we’re not likely to get any better: At the Houston-Galveston Area Council, the transportation planning body for Harris … Continue reading →

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CM Johnson gets no-billed on evading arrest charge

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news for Council Member Jarvis Johnson. A Harris County grand jury has declined this morning to indict Houston City Councilman Jarvis Johnson on charges stemming from his arrest in June for evading arrest, according to his attorney. Johnson … Continue reading →

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The preservation ordinance fight

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The revised preservation ordinance came before Council last week. It got a lot of feedback in addition to being tagged. Mayor Pro Tem Anne Clutterbuck also opposed the changes to the ordinance, which include a provision that would prevent property … Continue reading →

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

“For the Sake of the Song: The Story of Anderson Fair”

Posted on October 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Gish Creative (www.gishcreative.com) and Southwest Alternate Media Project/SWAMP (www.swamp.org) have come together to celebrate the arts and cultural landmarks with a public screening of “For the Sake of the Song: The Story of Anderson Fair” (www.andersonfairthemovie.com) on … Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Metro’s Airport Direct service

Posted on October 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The good news is that the people who use Metro’s Airport Direct service from downtown to IAH really like it. The bad news is that not nearly enough people use it. The scarcity of passengers on the Airport Direct service … Continue reading →

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

Some Prop 3 action

Posted on October 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Campos observed last week that there hasn’t been any action on Prop 3, which is the red light camera referendum. That’s about to change. The Houston Professional Firefighters Association, a group that represents more than 4,000 firefighters, said it supports … Continue reading →

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Jenifer Pool announces for Council

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We have another contender for the one At Large Council seat that will be open next fall, former Houston GLBT Political Caucus President Jenifer Pool. From her press release, which I received late Wednesday: Jenifer Rene Pool announced her candidacy … Continue reading →

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HISD versus Prop 1

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This would be a tough obstacle to overcome. HISD Board President Greg Meyers on Wednesday raised the specter of teacher layoffs if the school system is forced to pay an estimated $2.5 million to $3.5 million a year in drainage … Continue reading →

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DA investigating CM Johnson

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Houston City Councilman Jarvis Johnson’s office pressured city officials to certify a security firm as a minority-owned business to win a lucrative subcontract for the company, which later gave a 40 percent ownership stake to a close Johnson associate, … Continue reading →

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Feds reject CAF’s review request

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I smell a lawsuit coming. Federal officials on Friday rejected a Metro contractor’s bid to preserve its $330 million deal to supply rail cars, setting the stage for possible litigation over the soon-to-be-canceled contract. Dorval R. Carter Jr., the chief … Continue reading →

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Ten years of Central City Co-Op

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Happy tenth birthday to Central City Co-op, the best source in town for organic and locally grown fruits and vegetables. Celebrating its 10th anniversary year, the Central City Co-Op is also almost unrecognizable — but also much stronger and wiser. … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Look in the mirror, John

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It is of course a terrible thing that the actions of a single Republican will keep the Houston/Galveston area from keeping $40 million in federal disaster funds, but the reaction to it from certain quarters is more than a little … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Chron for Prop 1

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise here. The city’s capital improvement program, which issues debt-incurring bonds to fund construction, is far behind the curve in dealing with the situation. According to at-large City Council member and engineer Stephen Costello, 65 percent of the city’s … Continue reading →

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Metro takes a step forward on advertising

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

For its 2011 fiscal year budget, Metro is taking a tentative step forward on allowing ads to be placed on its buses. Metro is considering placing ads on buses to generate revenue (page 37). George Greanias, president and chief executive … Continue reading →

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The HPD crime lab backlog

Posted on October 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I just have one question about this: Lengthy waits for Houston police to test evidence for DNA is an increasingly common problem in the Harris County judicial system, prosecutors say. The understaffed HPD crime lab currently has a backlog of … Continue reading →

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The anti-Prop 1 factions gear up

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The usual suspects have gotten the band back together to ensure that no action is taken to mitigate flooding in Houston. Former Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt has teamed up with anti-tax advocate Bruce Hotze and conservative activist Norman … Continue reading →

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Interview with Council Member Stephen Costello

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to all of the partisan and special elections on the ballot, there are three referenda for City of Houston residents. One is a fairly non-controversial one to change residency requirements for Houston Council districts for the 2011 election, … Continue reading →

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Interview with Peter Schwethelm

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I have one more HISD Trustee interview to bring you, with Peter Schwethelm. Schwethelm is a former teacher at Milby High School who now owns a small business and operates a non-profit that locates surplus computers for donation. He has … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Interview with Juliet Stipeche

Posted on September 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

My next interview for the open HISD seat is with Juliet Stipeche. Stipeche is an attorney who hails from the East End and is a graduate of the High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice and of Rice University. … Continue reading →

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What if they built it someplace else?

Posted on September 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

For better or worse, the argument against the Washington Heights Wal-Mart mostly boils down to the fact that it’s an inappropriate location for a suburban-style big-box store. There are also concerns about traffic, and about the nature of Wal-Mart, both … Continue reading →

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

Interview with Judith Cruz

Posted on September 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Next week I will begin publishing interviews with statewide candidates. There’s one other race and a couple other items of interest to take care of before then. The race in question is for the open HISD Trustee seat in District … Continue reading →

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Privately funded high speed rail?

Posted on September 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From Houston Tomorrow: A possible Houston to Dallas high-speed rail line was the topic of a Monday morning breakfast meeting featuring Yoshiyuki Kasai, the chairman of Central Japan Railway, Japan’s largest rail company and maker of the famed Japanese “bullet … Continue reading →

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

Interview with County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Finishing off the county interviews, we have County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia, who has served Precinct 2 since she was first elected in 2002. Prior to that, she served three terms as Houston City Controller, and was Director and Presiding Judge … Continue reading →

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Adickes studio sold

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From Swamplot: THE LAUNCHING pad for I-45’s Mount Rush Hour, that presidential muck circle in Pearland, and more outsize sculptureprojects has a buyer. David Adickes — creator of the giant Sam Houston of Huntsville and the disembodied cellist in front of the Lyric Center … Continue reading →

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Council approves the Wal-Mart 380 agreement

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. Over strong neighborhood objections, City Council this morning passed a package of economic development incentives worth more than $6 million for the developer of a future Walmart store near the Heights. City Councilwoman Anne Clutterbuck offered two amendments … Continue reading →

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Nobody likes the Dome options

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the three options for the Astrodome that the Sports and Convention Corporation presented a couple of months ago? That recent KHOU poll included questions about those three options: Harris County is considering three proposals for the Astro Dome. I … Continue reading →

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

Pro-Prop 1 op-ed

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Council Member Stephen Costello, the driving force behind Renew Houston, now known as Proposition 1 on the November ballot, teams up with a pair of co-authors to pen this op-ed in its favor. Proposition 1 is a sensible solution that … Continue reading →

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