Tag Archives: Houston

Poll shows strong support for red light cameras

Posted on April 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The following hit my inbox early Friday morning: A citywide survey of 500 likely voters in Houston’s 2010 general election conducted by a nationally respected polling firm last month finds strong support for the City of Houston’s intersection safety camera … Continue reading →

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Apartment dwellers push back on water rate hike

Posted on April 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From Prime Property: The Houston Apartment Association is urging its members to resist the city’s proposed water and sewer rate hikes that, in their current form, would hit apartment tenants much harder than single-family homeowners. In a blog entry on … Continue reading →

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Renew Houston

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The fact that Houston is currently in the throes of a severe revenue shortage doesn’t change the fact that there’s a great need to renovate and repair large portions of the city’s infrastructure. Naturally, that will cost a lot of … Continue reading →

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Recycling pilot project update

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, Monday was the day that the new compostable bag ordinance went into effect. It was also the day that the city’s automated recycling program was to be extended to many more houses. From a story in the … Continue reading →

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

Giant Presidential heads coming home

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We in Houston welcome them with open arms, for however long we get to have them back. Less than a month after foreclosure proceedings put the brakes on Pearland’s WaterLights District and Presidential Park & Gardens, the homeless presidents are … Continue reading →

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The state of the city 2010

Posted on April 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Parker gave her first State of the City address today before the Greater Houston Partnership. Here are a few highlights from her address, which you can read as written here. We don’t know everything that lies ahead. The pressures … Continue reading →

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Mayor talks Metro and money

Posted on April 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The new Metro board was confirmed by City Council last week, they were sworn in yesterday, and while we don’t yet know exactly what direction they’re going to take, we know what their marching orders are. Mayor Annise Parker says … Continue reading →

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Everybody’s talking about Terry

Posted on April 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

HISD Superintendent Terry Grier, that is. A few things I’ve noticed lately: From Rick Casey: For all his controversies in previous districts, Grier earned a reputation for improving the performance of all children, but especially of low-income and minority children. … Continue reading →

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Staples confirms it is not looking at the Alabama Theater

Posted on April 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Swamplot noted this last week when one of its readers sent an email to Staples, and now the company has written a letter to the Chron to confirm that they are not seeking to redevelop the Alabama Theater. Staples was … Continue reading →

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Council approves Dynamo Stadium deal

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Two down, one to go. The Houston City Council unanimously approved an agreement this morning that is expected to pave the way for a new professional sports stadium for the Houston Dynamo and the Texas Southern University football team. Although … Continue reading →

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Water rate hike coming

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We knew this was coming, and now here it is. Mayor Annise Parker’s administration is proposing drastic water and sewer rate increases to shore up Houston’s Combined Utility System, which has operated with multimillion-dollar budget deficits for several years. The … Continue reading →

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More of the case against eliminating fares

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Keep Houston Houston gives a wide-ranging argument against Metro eliminating fares as some folks have advocated. His last reason resonates with me: People don’t value what they don’t pay for It’s a pretty simple concept, really. Removing fares shifts the … Continue reading →

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Whose job is it anyway?

Posted on April 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This Chron editorial reviews the Weingarten/Alabama BookStop situation, and raises a pertinent issue: Most cities aggressively protect the handful of places that make them special. Houston doesn’t. We offer incentives to make stadium deals work for sports teams. Why not … Continue reading →

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Parking review coming

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. The Department of Planning and Development has scheduled three community meetings in April to hear ideas about possible changes in the city’s parking ordinance, which has been modified only slightly since it was adopted in … Continue reading →

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Parker extends city rights policy to transgendered

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston Mayor Annise Parker has updated a 12-year-old Houston non-discrimination policy to include transgendered individuals, a step that has won praise from supporters in the gay community but prompted criticism as well. The two executive orders she signed last … Continue reading →

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How about a plastic bag tax?

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

A number of cities have adopted or considered adding a small tax to plastic bags as a means to raise a little money and cut down on landfill waste. Kevin Drum notes the experience of the Washington, DC nickel-per-bag tax, … Continue reading →

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Still looking for a fire chief

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve got a new police chief, but Mayor Parker is still looking for a new fire chief. Parker on Wednesday named Charles A McClelland Jr., a veteran Houston police administrator, the city’s new police chief. She concentrated that search on … Continue reading →

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Property tax values drop

Posted on April 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This budget news is really really bad. Thirty percent of Harris County homes declined in market value this year, as the area’s overall tax base dropped for the first time in at least two decades, officials announced Thursday. The reduced … Continue reading →

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Two trustees speak about CEP

Posted on April 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This week, Carl Whitmarsh forwarded to his list a pair of articles written by HISD trustees on the subject of CEP and the changes that have been proposed by Superintendent Terry Grier. Since that has been such a contentious topic, … Continue reading →

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No Staples for the Alabama Theater

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Some news from Swamplot, from a commenter there named Andrea: “After writing to Staples PR this is their canned response: ‘While there has been speculation about Staples in connection with the historic Alabama Theater, we do not have a lease … Continue reading →

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Dynamo Stadium deal tagged

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

While City Council was able to complete the Lakewood Church sale, they were not able to vote on the other major real estate deal on their agenda this week, as Council Member Jarvis Johnson put a tag on the Dynamo … Continue reading →

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Council approves Lakewood sale

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This had generated a lot of discussion, but in the end it went through. The Houston City Council on Wednesday approved the sale of the former Compaq Center to Lakewood Church for $7.5 million. The vote was 13-to-2, with Councilmen … Continue reading →

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Interview with HISD Superintendent Terry Grier

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

On Monday I published an interview with HFT President Gayle Fallon in which we covered a number of topics relating to HISD, many of which are a source of contention between the HFT and HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. Yesterday, I … Continue reading →

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West U and Bellaire on the Google Fiber bandwagon

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The deadline for submitting an application for a city to be a part of Google’s experimental fiber network was last Friday, the 26th. The cities of West University Place and Bellaire got theirs in before the deadline. Cindy Siegel and … Continue reading →

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Keep hope alive for the Alabama Drafthouse

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Crossing my fingers. More than six months ago, the owners of the Houston-area Alamo Drafthouse locations talked to Weingarten Realty about leasing the historic Alabama Theater. The negotiations fell apart when the groups couldn’t come to an agreement. Now, with … Continue reading →

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Parker taps McClelland as HPD Chief

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. Mayor Annise Parker officially named veteran police administrator Charles A. McClelland Houston’s new police chief today, citing his long service and leadership skills. McClelland, 55, has served as acting chief of the Houston Police Department since the retirement … Continue reading →

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Census update

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This is not exactly a surprise. Households in older, single-family Houston neighborhoods are returning 2010 census forms at the highest levels in the city so far, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data. Neighborhoods with concentrations of apartments or … Continue reading →

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More on K12RadioHouston

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron writes about HISD’s plan for an Internet radio station. While the station will be professionally run, students will have a role in producing content. Music will dominate the waves, but school performances, athletic events and news announcements will … Continue reading →

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Parker to name new HPD Chief tomorrow

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mayor Parker to Name Her Choice for Police Chief Who: Mayor Annise Parker What: Announcement of Mayor Parker’s nomination for Houston Police Chief When: Wednesday, March 31, immediately following City Council meeting Where: Proclamation Room, 3rd Floor, … Continue reading →

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Alabama Drafthouse Theater idea gains momentum

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

With the revelation that Weingarten has plans to demolish the interior of the former Alabama BookStop so that it may get turned into a Staples or something like it, more people are expressing the wish that something be done instead … Continue reading →

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Interview with Gayle Fallon

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I’ve been following the news in HISD lately, in particular the political struggle going on between new HISD Superintendent Terry Grier and the Houston Federation of Teachers, over things like the proposal to dump CEP as the … Continue reading →

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David Wolff’s farewell message

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Outgoing Metro chair David Wolff takes to the op-ed pages to present a more positive view of his agency and his tenure. While much had been accomplished by previous hard working boards, we inherited an aging bus fleet, a very … Continue reading →

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Joe Agris

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I read with great interest this feature story on Houston plastic surgeon Joe Agris, who was a longtime collaborator with the late Marvin Zindler in getting medical help to indigent children. I did so partly because Agris is a fascinating … Continue reading →

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If there’s a big sporting event in town…

Posted on March 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Then it must be time for a story about the economic impact of that big sporting event. For a city that has hosted the Super Bowl, the World Series and NBA and MLB All-Star games in the past decade, the … Continue reading →

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