Tag Archives: Houston

Smart meters

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Ever wanted to check your house’s power usage online? You will, or at least you’ll be able to. CenterPoint Energy, along with other distribution utilities and IBM, is expected to launch an online portal, www.smartmetertexas.com, this month that will allow … Continue reading →

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

At long last, the Ashby Highrise Lawsuit

Posted on February 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Ashby Highrise developers have filed suit against the city. The developers of the Ashby high-rise sued the city of Houston today seeking more than $40 million in compensation after repeated denials of their permit application. “The city must learn … Continue reading →

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

East Enders appeal to El Franco

Posted on February 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the main holdup with the proposed East End location for Dynamo Stadium is that County Commissioner El Franco Lee, in whose precinct the stadium site mostly sits, has not indicated that he intends to put the issue … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Talking with the Mayor

Posted on February 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In case you haven’t seen them, here are brief interviews with Mayor Annise Parker in Hair Balls and the Chron’s neighborhood section. Check ’em out.

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Ambulance costs

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I guess I don’t really think much about ambulance services, but it’s a reasonably significant part of the city’s budget, and the city thinks it may need to charge more for it. The last time the city raised ambulance fees … Continue reading →

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

Bikes on trains action alert

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Via email from Peter Wang: Thursday, February 11, 2:00 pm Support Bikes on Trains at the Houston Transportation Committee Meeting. If you ride in Houston, please attend this important meeting! Houston-area cyclists- This Thursday, February 11, the Houston City Council … Continue reading →

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

The Mayor on Metro

Posted on February 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, one of Mayor Annise Parker’s transition teams is looking at Metro. We won’t get their report till the end of the month, but here’s a peek at some of the things they’re thinking about. Parker has signaled … Continue reading →

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

Hey, Houston! Steal this idea!

Posted on February 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Something like this needs to happen here in Houston. The BigApps competition, in which [New York City] made its data available to developers so they could make apps out of them that would be helpful to citizens, and offered prizes … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Term limits review commission public meeting

Posted on February 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, outgoing Mayor Bill White appointed a commission in December to study the possibility of making changes to Houston’s term limits ordinance. Via Mary Benton, the commission will have an open session for public input on this next … Continue reading →

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Why was EZ Tag airport parking so expensive to operate?

Posted on February 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the program that allows people with EZ Tags in their cars to use them to pay for parking at the airports is going to be shut down because it was losing money. This Chron article that examines … Continue reading →

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

No RNC convention here

Posted on February 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Thank God for small favors. Washington-based Hotline reported Wednesday that the Republican National Committee, holding its winter meeting in Honolulu last week, had narrowed its search for a 2012 convention site to four cities — Houston, Tampa, Fla., Phoenix and … Continue reading →

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“There’s no such thing as a project like this without public money”

Posted on February 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Dynamo President Oliver Luck throws a little cold water on the claims that a Westpark Stadium could be built exclusively with private funding. “We have not been presented a plan by the Midway Companies,” Luck said. “I can’t say whether … Continue reading →

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The EPA hearing on smog

Posted on February 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story on that EPA hearing on smog from Tuesday. The EPA’s plan calls for a smog limit between 60 and 70 molecules of ozone per billion molecules of air, down from 75 parts per billion set in … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Water rate hike on the table

Posted on February 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure there will be a massive freakout over the possibility that water rates could be increased, but that won’t stop me from expressing the naive hope that we can have a rational discussion about it anyway. The increase could … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Interview with Council Member Jarvis Johnson

Posted on February 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Running to unseat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in CD18 is Houston City Council Member Jarvis Johnson, who was recently elected to a third and final term in District B. (My interview with him from that race is here.) As he … Continue reading →

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Breaking ground on Market Square renovation

Posted on February 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Moving along. When [Market Square] reopens this summer, it will feature a dog run, a seven-day-a-week food kiosk operated by a popular Montrose Greek restaurant, an artwalk and a history corner. In September — the park’s second phase — a … Continue reading →

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

More recycling coming

Posted on February 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. The city is poised to expand its automated recycling program to an additional 50,000 households, allowing roughly 1 in 5 Houstonians the opportunity to put paper, plastic, soda cans and glass into one wheeled trash-can-sized bin instead of … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee

Posted on February 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We turn our attention now to CD18, where Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is running for re-election. I’ve lived in the 18th since 1989, and have had Congresswoman Lee as my Representative since she defeated Craig Washington in 1994. I don’t … Continue reading →

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The abandoned shrine

Posted on January 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

What a waste. A multi-million dollar mess has neighbors in an upscale Houston neighborhood looking for answers. They’re tired of seeing a big, empty building with boarded-up windows, broken doors and dead landscaping. “An eyesore, quite ugly,” said Jan O’Brien, … Continue reading →

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

Bellaire versus Westpark Stadium

Posted on January 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Still more on the proposed Westpark location for Dynamo Stadium: The Mayor of Bellaire doesn’t like the idea. [Bellaire Mayor Cindy] Siegel has scheduled an executive session of the Bellaire City Council Monday following the 7 p.m. State of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A tip of the hat

Posted on January 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m much more connected to the political world in this town than I am to the arts, though I do try to keep up with what’s going on. I was therefore delighted to pick up this week’s Houston Press and … Continue reading →

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More on the Dynamo’s Westpark option

Posted on January 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an updated version of the earlier story about the Houston Dynamo and the possibility of their stadium being built on Westpark. “The deal downtown started stalling a little bit. We started wondering if that stadium could make sense at … Continue reading →

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Expanding Metro

Posted on January 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Soon-to-be-former Metro Chair David Wolff riffs off of a Chron editorial that lamented the lack of connectivity between Metro and some new bus routes in Harris County and makes the case for expanding Metro’s service area. The first steps toward … Continue reading →

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The forensics backlog

Posted on January 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I was going to blog about this Chron story regarding a backlog in fingerprint analyses for the HPD Crime Lab, but Grits said most of what I was going to say, so just go read him. The key, I think, … Continue reading →

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Unemployment up in Texas

Posted on January 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Not the kind of story Rick Perry wants to see with an election coming up. The state’s economic recovery hit a snag in December, as employers cut 23,900 jobs after expanding payrolls in October and November. The Texas unemployment rate … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Dynamo contemplate their options

Posted on January 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Is the future of Dynamo Stadium on Westpark? Could be. Dynamo President Oliver Luck is in talks with a developer about building a soccer stadium on private land about a mile south of the Galleria. The Dynamo have not abandoned … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Houston’s hotel occupany tax lawsuit tossed

Posted on January 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Back in 2006, the city of San Antonio filed a lawsuit against online hotel room bookers such as Expedia and Travelocity on the grounds that they were largely avoiding their hotel occupancy tax. The city of Houston did the same … Continue reading →

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University Line FEIS filed

Posted on January 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Again via Swamplot, here’s another Examiner story about the current state of light rail construction, in this case the University line. The light rail alignment for Metro’s University route will require the acquisition of about 23 acres of land, much … Continue reading →

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

January City of Houston campaign finance reports

Posted on January 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to state and federal officeholders/candidates, January 15 was also the deadline for City of Houston folks to file their campaign finance reports as well. As there are no elections coming up any time soon, I will not be … Continue reading →

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The new Planned Parenthood

Posted on January 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

One of the reasons cited for that silly “boycott Houston” campaign is the new Planned Parenthood building on the Gulf Freeway. Having been a clinic escort at the Fannin location many years ago, back when the entrance was right off … Continue reading →

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

Uptown line update

Posted on January 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The River Oaks Examiner takes a look at what Metro is planning to do to prepare for the Uptown line. [A] Metropolitan Transit Authority street reclassification plan, dated March 13, 2009, [shows] total land needed for the project beyond the … Continue reading →

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HISD to do school bus ads

Posted on January 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron’s Ericka Mellon writes: *Advertising could begin showing up on HISD school buses, assuming the board gives the green light, which it will. Only newly elected trustee Anna Eastman raised a slight concern at agenda review. “Our children are … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Boycott us, please!

Posted on January 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Now this is something I can really get behind. If you think the folks in Haiti are having a rough time, just wait until Houstonians feel the economic effects of Pastor David Grisham’s boycott against our city of sin. Launched … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

That cold was good for something after all

Posted on January 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It won’t do anything to control the mosquito population, but that cold front did help with some other nuisances. The worst invasive plants are natives of warm climates — South America, mostly — and have limited tolerance to cold temperatures. … Continue reading →

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