Tag Archives: Houston

Interview with David Wolff

Posted on March 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

David Wolff has been the Chair of the Metro Board since 2004. He will be stepping down as soon as Mayor Parker names a replacement for him. With all that’s been going on regarding Metro in the news lately, I … Continue reading →

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Interview with John Breeding

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, I noted that several business owners along Post Oak had gotten together with one of the local anti-Metro agitators to complain about what was going on with the Uptown Line and make claims about working to stop it … Continue reading →

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All your empty lots are belong to HEB

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The empty lot that once housed the Wilshire Village apartments will be bought by HEB. Cyndy Garza-Roberts, director of public affairs for H-E-B, said the company is studying the feasibility of the acquisition and didn’t have an estimated closing date. … Continue reading →

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CIP meeting for District H

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: City of Houston Capital Improvement Plan meeting in your neighborhood (District H) District H Council Member Ed Gonzalez City of Houston officials Wednesday, March 10, 2010 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Jefferson Davis High School 1101 Quitman … Continue reading →

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The Census and redisticting

Posted on March 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Mustafa Tameez has an op-ed in today’s Chron about the importance of the Census from a political perspective. Remember redistricting? Redistricting is the process by which the boundaries of elective districts are periodically redrawn to maintain equal representation on the … Continue reading →

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Petition to bring back WestFest

Posted on March 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Those of you who remember the old Westheimer Street Festival may be interested to know there’s a petition to start it up again. For twenty years, the Westheimer Art Festival / Westheimer Street Festival served as an essential shared community experience … Continue reading →

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Sugar Land wants Google Fiber for Communities

Posted on March 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Sugar Land joins Austin in making a concerted pitch to bring Google Fiber For Communities to their town. “This project is suited to Sugar Land. Our population is highly educated. We have high standards,” said Sharlett Chowning, director of information … Continue reading →

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Olympic Marathon trials coming to Houston

Posted on March 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We get multiple marathons in 2012. Houston outbid the prestigious Boston and New York marathons and will host the men’s and women’s 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, the first time a city has staged both races. USA Track and Field … Continue reading →

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It’s magic

Posted on March 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve always been a fan of magic acts – I still remember seeing Doug Henning’s “The Magic Show” on Broadway with my dad when I was a kid – so I’m really excited about Magic!, the new exhibit at HMNS. … Continue reading →

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Here comes the Sports Authority

Posted on March 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not, here they are to ride to the rescue. The Harris County-Houston Sports Authority agreed Monday to talk to city and county officials about its possible involvement in a soccer stadium for the Houston Dynamo. The authority will … Continue reading →

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“Don’t ask, don’t smell”

Posted on March 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron takes the TCEQ to task for it’s screw-the-public decision regarding the Lyondell permit. “They’re proposing to put thousands of tons of a cancer-causing chemical into our air,” says former Mayor Bill White. “They say they’ll reduce the amount … Continue reading →

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Uptown agitation

Posted on March 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: A bunch of business owners along a proposed light rail corridor are upset with Metro. Business owners along Post Oak Boulevard met for about two hours Thursday in an effort learn about … Continue reading →

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Food banks to help with food stamps interviews

Posted on March 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This sounds like a good idea. Houston’s food bank will begin helping qualify eligible Texans for food stamps on Monday under special authority from federal officials designed to shorten long wait times. The waiver will allow food banks in Houston, … Continue reading →

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Skilling’s appeal goes to SCOTUS

Posted on March 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Jeff Skilling, the former CEO of Enron now serving jail time after being convicted on multiple charges stemming from that debacle, gets his day in the Supreme Court. Skilling now asks the court to grapple with two issues about the … Continue reading →

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Sports Authority to the rescue?

Posted on February 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

After many months in limbo, there may finally be a way forward for Dynamo Stadium, though it’s a somewhat convoluted path. The Harris County-Houston Sports Authority board is scheduled on Monday to discuss becoming the landlord for a professional soccer … Continue reading →

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Council meeting on flooding and drainage

Posted on February 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: City of Houston Council Committee on Flooding and Drainage Council Member Stephen C. Costello, Chair ________________________________________________________________________ Ed Gonzalez, District H, Vice-Chair Brenda Stardig, District A James G. Rodriguez, District I Anne Clutterbuck, District C Melissa Noriega, Position … Continue reading →

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Do we want Google Fiber For Communities in Houston?

Posted on February 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Perhaps you’ve heard about Google’s latest project. We’re planning to build and test ultra high-speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the United States. We’ll deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Why TCEQ is broken

Posted on February 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Back in 2008, Mayor White and the city of Houston made a request of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to hold a hearing before a judge on the latest permit application for Lyondell Chemical Co.’s refinery along the … Continue reading →

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Fixing flooding

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m glad to see that the city is taking the issue of flooding and drainage seriously, as this is an increasingly urgent problem. It’s really one of infrastructure, which like everything else in this world eventually wears out and needs … Continue reading →

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Another term limits commission meeting

Posted on February 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The City of Houston Term Limits Review Commission invites you to an open session for public input concerning term limits for Houston’s Mayor, City Controller and City Council    Saturday, February 27, 2010 10:30 a.m. Judson Robinson, Jr. Community … Continue reading →

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McGuff interviews the Mayor

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Annise Parker discusses her social media strategy with Mike McGuff: Interesting stuff. Among other things, the Mayor mentions that a new and improved City of Houston website is on its way. I can’t wait to see it.

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Longer school year for some?

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe, for some schools whose students lag behind, as a way to catch up. [HISD] is designing a pilot program to allow a handful of struggling schools to adopt an extended-year calendar starting this fall. The reform effort — estimated … Continue reading →

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Red light camera referendum may be coming

Posted on February 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been expecting this to happen for awhile now. Two lawyers who are suing the city over Houston’s red-light camera program and their supporters said Friday they need 20,000 signatures for a citywide referendum to end what they called a … Continue reading →

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Mayor and Metro spar over fares

Posted on February 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Soon-to-be-former Metro Chair David Wolff has sent a letter to Mayor Parker in response to her recent comments about possibly reducing fares as a way of increasing ridership. Eliminating fares on Metro buses and trains, as Mayor Annise Parker recently … Continue reading →

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What Katrina crime wave?

Posted on February 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

So remember how there was this big increase in crime in Houston in the months after Katrina evacuees arrived here? Well, it turns out that the crime data indicates otherwise. Five criminologists who reviewed crime statistics published a study in … Continue reading →

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RIP, Sister Damian Kuhn

Posted on February 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This is the sweetest story you’ll read all week. One spring season when the Astros were in a particularly bad slump, Sister Damian Kuhn made her way to owner Drayton McLane’s office, dressed in her traditional blue habit and veil. … Continue reading →

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Bellaire officially opposes Dynamo Westpark Stadium

Posted on February 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Bellaire City Council unanimously passed a resolution Monday night that opposes the construction of a Dynamo Stadium on Westpark. “To ignore it and not speak up for our residents would be the wrong thing to do,” said Mayor Cindy Siegel, … Continue reading →

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IH-10/White Oak detention facilities public hearing

Posted on February 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Via email from the CTC: TxDOT is working toward adding frontage roads to IH-10 inside the loop and separating the depressed section of IH-10 from White Oak Bayou. TxDOT is required to provide new flood mitigation facilities to offset impacts … Continue reading →

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Stand up and be counted

Posted on February 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Please participate in the Census. Nothing good happens when you don’t. When the new, condensed census form arrives in the mail during the second week in March, each recipient’s decision about whether to toss it in the trash or fill … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sean Roberts

Posted on February 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

For what will most likely be my final interview of the 2010 primary cycle, I bring you a conversation with Sean Roberts, who was the first candidate to mount a challenge to Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in CD18. Roberts is … Continue reading →

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Sales tax collections keep going down

Posted on February 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

That sound you hear is the budget writers gnashing their teeth. In more grim news for Texas’ budget, state Comptroller Susan Combs said Friday that monthly sales tax collections are down again, the eighth straight month of double-digit declines. Collections … Continue reading →

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Flooding survey

Posted on February 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: COUNCIL MEMBERS COSTELLO AND GONZALEZ ASKING FOR PUBLIC FLOODING AND DRAINAGE FEEDBACK THROUGH SURVEY Survey to guide Flooding and Drainage Committee in identifying flooding issues and concerns February 12, 2010 – Houston, TX. Houston residents are being … Continue reading →

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More FTA funds for North and Southeast lines

Posted on February 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From Houston Tomorrow: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) released its recommendations for the President’s FY2011 Budget, which include $75 million each for Houston’s North (pdf) andSoutheast Light Rail Lines (pdf), continuing the funding that began in the previous year. The Metropolitan Transit … Continue reading →

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More on the Ashby Highrise lawsuit

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a longer version of the Chron story about the Ashby Highrise lawsuit. The key point: Although the petition filed in a Harris County civil court-at-law does not specify damages, [developers Kevin] Kirton and [Matthew] Morgan said they are seeking … Continue reading →

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