Tag Archives: Houston

New jitney rules coming

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

City Council is preparing to make some changes to its ordinances regarding jitneys. The goal of the new rules, some of which also will be established by mid-September in a “green” ordinance that will govern the use of zero-emissions vehicles, … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on New jitney rules coming

Pushback on the historic preservation ordinance

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m seeing a few of these signs in my neighborhood: The first ones I spotted were in front of houses on Heights Blvd; this one and a couple of others were on Studewood on an empty commercial lot. I’ve since … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | 31 Comments

DA clears Metro

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Months after prosecutors took boxes of documents from Metro’s downtown headquarters and experts examined the agency’s computers, the investigation into allegations that Metropolitan Transit Authority administrators illegally destroyed public documents has ended, Metro officials said today. In a letter … Continue reading →

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

Saint Arnold school supply drive

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from the latest Saint Arnold Army newsletter: School Supply Drive for Needy Families on Wednesday, July 28 In conjunction with State Representative Jessica Farrar, we will be hosting a school supply drive at the brewery on Wednesday, … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Saint Arnold school supply drive

Metro finance update

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

What’s going on with Metro these days? Although leaders of the region’s transit agency are confident that they will secure $900 million in federal funding to build more light rail lines in Houston, they have begun discussing fare increases and … Continue reading →

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

Adolfo Santos

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, HISD Trustee Diana Davila resigned her position. It’s not clear yet whether the Board will appoint a replacement or there will be a special election, but Marc Campos is floating the name of a possible successor. UH-Downtown Political … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Adolfo Santos

The Great Texas Clean Up Festival

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Looking for something to do Saturday? The Sierra Club has a suggestion. RAY JOHNSTON BAND LOS PISTOLEROS DE TEXAS ROBERT ELLIS & THE BOYS MRS. GLASS Join us on JULY 24TH, from 4-10pm for a day of music and art. … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The new Historic Preservation ordinance

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From Swamplot: The mayor’s office is out with a “public comment draft” of proposed changes to Houston’s Historic Preservation Ordinance. The biggest (and most expected) change: There’ll be no more 90-day “compliance waivers” issued for historic-district properties. Under the previous … Continue reading →

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

Park ambitions

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Dream big. Two of Houston’s heaviest-hitting business groups — the Greater Houston Partnership and the Quality of Life Coalition — are promoting an ambitious master plan to develop land along 10 of Harris County’s major bayous, creating an enormous system … Continue reading →

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

Metro lets more bikes on the trains

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve mentioned the efforts by BikeHouston and other activists to expand bicycle access to light rail trains. This past week, they scored a victory on that front. Bikes are still barred during peak travel hours in the morning and afternoon, … Continue reading →

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

Opposition to Renew Houston

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Last Tuesday, while I was out of town, Council Member Stephen Costello did a presentation about Renew Houston at HCDP headquarters. (CM Sue Lovell was supposed to be with him but was unable to make it because a committee meeting … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

Still more on the San Antonio smoking ordinance

Posted on July 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an Express News article from last Sunday about the effect that municipal ordinances that have banned smoking in bars and restaurants have had on those establishments. Interestingly, the main place it goes for anecdotal evidence is Houston. Lizzard’s Pub, … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

HPD sends “Pay your red light camera ticket or else” letter

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

With predictable results. Houston police have notified 79,000 motorists that they cannot renew their vehicle registrations until they pay red light camera fines and penalties, even though Harris County officials repeatedly have said they will not prevent people from registering … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Another Wal-Mart-related neighborhood meeting

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

They Are Building A Wal-Mart On My Street continues to be a great resource for details about the proposed “Heights” Wal-Mart development. In this latest update, we learn quite a few things, including: -There is a set ‘warehouse’ type of … Continue reading →

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

Term limits commission makes its recommendation

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Term Limits Commission finished its work on Monday and voted on a proposal that will be considered by Council. Houston’s Term Limits Review Commission voted Monday night to recommend changing the existing limits from three 2-year terms to two … Continue reading →

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

HISD Trustee Diana Davila resigns

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This was unexpected. HISD trustee Diana Dávila said Wednesday she will resign from the school board Thursday, more than a year before her term ends. Dávila, who was first elected to the school board in 2003, said she is stepping … Continue reading →

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

“HEB with a Montrose feel”

Posted on July 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The West U Examiner gives us an update on the plans for an HEB where the Wilshire Village Apartments used to be. Having recently closed its land deal for the property at Dunlavy and Alabama streets, H-E-B will be putting … Continue reading →

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

“Sprayed Away”

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

A couple of months ago, I blogged about a report on water conservation from the National Wildlife Federation and the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. Last week, they came out with a new report, on outdoor water usage … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Report from the West End Civic Club meeting about the “Heights” Wal-Mart

Posted on July 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

A new blog with the descriptive name They Are Building A Wal-Mart On My Street has a report from a meeting last week of the West End Civic Club about the possible “Heights” Wal-Mart. Representatives from the offices of City … Continue reading →

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

Renew Houston submits petitions

Posted on July 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Renew Houston has submitted signatures to get its drainage improvement proposition on the ballot this November. Renew Houston, a group of influential local engineers, has collected more than 30,000 signatures in a push to seek voter approval for an $8 … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Water rate rebate passes Council

Posted on July 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Back in April, Council approved a water rate hike. There were some complaints from apartment owners at the time about the size of the rate increase that would apply to them, and the city agreed to make some changes to … Continue reading →

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

The Chronic Consumer Stabilization Initiative

Posted on July 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In the comments to my previous post about mental illness and the criminal justice system, reader Katherine reminded me of this Houston Press article from last December, about a pilot program between HPD and the Mental Health Mental Retardation Authority … Continue reading →

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

Mayor Parker on the proposed Heights Wal-Mart

Posted on July 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Hair Balls has an update. Walmart spokesman William Wertz told Hair Balls that Walmart is considering the expansion at this time but no plans have been approved. “We can confirm that we are looking at this site, but discussions are … Continue reading →

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

Meria Carstarphen

Posted on July 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, the Chron had a profile of HISD Superintendent Terry Grier that looked at what he had accomplished and what people thought of him after 10 months on the job. This week, the Statesman has a profile of Austin’s … Continue reading →

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

On we go with the red light camera debate

Posted on July 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The DMN has a story about the ongoing red light camera debate around the state. There’s a lot of familiar stuff in there, but this bit caught my eye: While camera critics dispute the safety data, the money generated has … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

DA responds to CM Johnson

Posted on July 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Council Member Jarvis Johnson said his piece last week about his recent arrest for not pulling over on a traffic stop. Yesterday, the Harris County District Attorney had their say about it. Houston City Councilman Jarvis Johnson told police he … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on DA responds to CM Johnson

Ars Lyrica school outreach

Posted on July 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Ars Lyrica is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that produces a yearly series of concerts of early music, primarily Baroque, for general audiences. Part of their mission is a school outreach series. The following is from a press release I got … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

CM Johnson speaks

Posted on July 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Council Member Jarvis Johnson has a few words to say about his arrest for evading police on Wednesday. “I want to be very clear about the night in question,” Johnson said at a brief news conference. “I am not going … Continue reading →

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

Valet parking

Posted on July 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Do you love it or hate it? Whether one makes use of the service or not, valet parking has a spot in the Houston area’s landscape. The podiumlike stands with uniformed attendants sit like landmarks in front of hot night … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Valet parking

Where’s Wal-Mart?

Posted on July 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Wal-Mart has bought a tract of land near the Heights. The store would be part of a larger development just south of Interstate 10 near the northwest intersection of Yale and Center. […] A development site plan obtained by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Council redistricting news

Posted on July 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Campos had an interesting tidbit from the other day. The H-Town City Council [Wednesday] morning started discussing next year’s redistricting process. Instead of creating a city council committee on redistricting, the H-Town Mayor mentioned that she will probably let the … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Council redistricting news

HISD needs math tutors

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

If you’re a numbers person, HISD needs you. From the inbox: The Houston Independent School District is seeking dynamic college graduates to provide in-school math tutoring to middle and high school students as part of the district’s groundbreaking Apollo 20 … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Council Member Johnson arrested

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Houston City Councilman Jarvis Johnson was arrested Wednesday night after he initially refused to stop his vehicle immediately when a police officer tried to pull him over, officials said. Johnson is charged with evading arrest, according to the Harris … Continue reading →

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

Another setback for DART

Posted on June 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

More bad news from Dallas. Dallas Area Rapid Transit can’t afford to build light-rail service to D/FW International Airport by 2013 as it has long said it would, the agency’s chief financial officer said Tuesday. The news comes as a … Continue reading →

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