Tag Archives: San Antonio

High speed rail II proposed in the Lege

For obvious reasons, I don’t expect this to go anywhere. As plans for a Dallas to Houston bullet train move forward, one state legislator is hoping to kick-start another high speed rail line from North Texas to San Antonio. State Rep. John … Continue reading

Posted in Bidness, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Six Houston restaurants get Michelin stars

And the crowd goes wild. After months of speculation, the Michelin Guide announced its inaugural Texas selection of restaurants at a private awards ceremony in Houston on Monday night. The respected guide from the French tire manufacturer doled out 15 one-star reviews … Continue reading

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Six Houston restaurants get Michelin stars

Cool pavement

Very interesting. More than 20 people died in Dallas and Tarrant counties from heat-related illnesses in 2023 as Texas saw record heat waves and triple-digit temperatures, according to the counties’ medical examiners. Heat-related emergency visits to hospitals also spiked. Cities … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Water, water, everywhere

All due to leaks. Texas’ most populous cities lost roughly 88 billion gallons of water last year because of aging water infrastructure and extreme heat, costing them millions of dollars and straining the state’s water supply, according to self-reported water … Continue reading

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

The cost of the Michelin stars

Seems like a reasonable investment to me, to be honest. In July 2024, the Michelin Guide, the international dining guide run by the French tire company Michelin, announced that it had finally made its Lone Star State debut. Many speculated … Continue reading

Posted in Food, glorious food, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The cost of the Michelin stars

A high level overview of passenger rail in Texas

There’s stuff happening, mostly talk for now but maybe there will be more. A robust passenger rail system has long been seen as a pipe dream in car-dependent Texas. But a glut of federal dollars for rail projects and a … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A high level overview of passenger rail in Texas

MLB to Austin?

It could happen. [W]ith expansion teams on the horizon, the MLB believes that Austin is one of a few cities that has the potential to host a team. Exactly when the league may expand is a question that hasn’t been … Continue reading

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Behold the US High Speed Rail map

May I live long enough to see this happen. The U.S. High Speed Rail Association (USHSR) published a map outlining its proposal for a new 17,000-mile national high-speed rail network across the United States, which it claims will “cut our … Continue reading

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

Five Texas cities to get into the 2024 Michelin Guide

All of the state’s food media goes crazy. Buckle up, Texas, we are (finally!) getting a Michelin Guide. The French tire company and prestigious food authority confirmed via press release on Tuesday that Texas will be the newest location featured … Continue reading

Posted in Food, glorious food, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

San Antonio gets BRT (*) funds

At least someone is moving forward with a big transit project. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, whose 28th district stretches from Laredo to South and East San Antonio, has secured $110 million in federal funding for VIA’s first rapid transit route. … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on San Antonio gets BRT (*) funds

Uplift Harris remains on hold

Doesn’t look good for them. The Supreme Court of Texas ruled against Harris County’s guaranteed income program Friday, continuing to block the county from sending checks to participants. In an opinion written by Justice James D. Blacklock, the court said … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mayor Whitmire wants to get rid of ShotSpotter

Fine by me. Mayor John Whitmire revealed plans to scrap the city’s $3.5 million ShotSpotter program, positioning Houston as the latest city government to abandon the controversial gunshot detection technology after a brief experiment. “I think it is a gimmick,” … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Lone Star Rail revival

Maybe now is finally the time. Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai and Travis County Judge Andy Brown have jointly launched a committee of political heavyweights to explore the decades-old idea of connecting Austin and San Antonio via passenger rail. The … Continue reading

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

Harris County gets “Solar for All” grant

Nice. Harris County will receive part of a $7 billion federal grant toward installing solar panels and battery systems in low-income and disadvantaged communities across Texas, part of President Joe Biden’s plan to expand access to solar energy nationwide. The … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Harris County gets “Solar for All” grant

Supreme Court puts temporary pause on Uplift Harris

Welp. The Supreme Court of Texas has temporarily blocked Harris County’s new guaranteed income program, Uplift Harris, after two lower courts denied Attorney General Ken Paxton’s requests to stop the payments. Paxton sued Harris County earlier this month, alleging its … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Appeals court rejects Paxton appeal on Uplift Harris

Good. A state appeals court on Monday ruled Harris County’s guaranteed income program may move forward, paving the way for checks to be sent out to low-income residents as soon as Wednesday. An appeal by Attorney General Ken Paxton to … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Uplift Harris can proceed

So says a judge. A district judge on Thursday ruled Harris County’s new guaranteed income program can proceed, denying the Texas Attorney General’s office request for a temporary injunction. The state sued Harris County earlier this month, arguing the initiative … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

County leaders defend Uplift Harris

I appreciate the passion and intensity in this response, but overall it does not leave me feeling optimistic about the outcome. Harris County leaders are defending their new guaranteed income program after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office sued to … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Paxton sues over Uplift Harris

Whatever. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against Harris County over Uplift Harris, its new guaranteed income pilot program, calling the effort to administer $500 monthly payments to low-income residents the “Harris Handout.” Though participants … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

San Antonio responds to “Reproductive Justice Fund” lawsuit

Good luck. A lawsuit over the City of San Antonio’s controversial but still undefined Reproductive Justice Fund made its way to a courtroom Thursday. While the city’s legal team tries to get the case thrown out of court, the city … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on San Antonio responds to “Reproductive Justice Fund” lawsuit

Hope we have enough water this summer

Not looking great for some parts of the state right now. Two consecutive summers of brutal heat and drought have left some parts of Texas with notably low water supplies going into 2024. A wet year or a well-placed hurricane … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Hope we have enough water this summer

Could San Antonio support an MLB team?

As you may have heard, Major League Baseball is starting to talk about expansion, potentially adding two more teams in the next few years. San Antonio is on the list of possible destinations for MLB, sometimes paired with Austin, which … Continue reading

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Could San Antonio support an MLB team?

Is this the end of the DeLorean dream?

Maybe? Bexar County Commissioner’s Court pulled the plug Tuesday on an incentives package for DeLorean Motors Reimagined, an electric-vehicle startup that pledged to create 450 jobs if it got tax breaks to locate its headquarters in San Antonio. The commissioners … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Is this the end of the DeLorean dream?

HISD’s continued enrollment decline

It’s not great. Houston ISD saw its steepest enrollment decline this year since the first full school year of the pandemic, losing roughly 6,000 students, according to preliminary data obtained by the Houston Landing. Some 183,884 students now attend HISD … Continue reading

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

“Solar For All” grant

From the inbox: Earlier this year, the Biden Administration announced a $7 billion national “Solar For All” grant competition via the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help expand solar energy production across the country. Harris County leaders enlisted a coalition … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on “Solar For All” grant

Lawsuit filed against San Antonio over “reproductive justice fund”

I’m a little concerned about this. The city of San Antonio is facing a lawsuit after budgeting $500,000 to support reproductive health services, including, potentially, transportation and lodging for people seeking abortions outside Texas. A group of anti-abortion organizations filed … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Lawsuit filed against San Antonio over “reproductive justice fund”

Intellectual property lawsuit against DeLorean dismissed after settlement reached

Whew. A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit accusing the heads of San Antonio-based DeLorean Motors ReImagined of stealing intellectual property from a previous employer, according to an Express-News report. Last August, electric-vehicle maker Karma Automotive sued DeLorean CEO Joost … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Intellectual property lawsuit against DeLorean dismissed after settlement reached

Judge blocks “Death Star” law

I assume this has been appealed and thus the ruling is stayed for now, but in the meantime this is nice. via Gfycat A Travis County state district judge on Wednesday struck down Texas’ “death star” law preempting local regulations … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Who votes in Houston elections?

The short answer is old people. When Houston residents head to the ballot box this November to elect a new mayor and city government, fewer people may actually show up than in Seattle, a city with a third of our … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

More cities’ responses to the Death Star law

Some good reporting from El Paso Matters. In 2015, El Paso became the second city in the country to safeguard its workers by passing a historic wage theft ordinance. Now, as a sweeping new state law aimed at handicapping Texas’ … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More cities’ responses to the Death Star law

Will Dallas join the Death Star litigation?

It remains to be seen. Council members Chad West and Adam Bazaldua told The Dallas Morning News that they know of no plans as of Thursday for Dallas to get involved in the legal challenge of HB 2127, but both … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

San Antonio joins Houston’s “Death Star” lawsuit

Welcome aboard, there’s plenty of room for more. After weeks of complaints from council members who say the law’s vagueness is preventing them from doing their jobs, San Antonio leaders said Monday that the city has joined a lawsuit filed by the … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Lone Star Rail idea never truly dies

I mean, it is a good idea, even if the obstacles seem to be impossible. San Antonio and Austin, two of the fastest-growing U.S. cities, sit just 80 miles apart. That’s too close for regular flights and just far enough … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

San Antonio likely to sue over “Death Star” law

We welcome your participation. San Antonio likely will sue the Texas over the so-called “Death Star bill,” recently passed state legislation limiting municipalities’ ability to exercise their right to home rule, City Attorney Andy Segovia told the Express-News. Segovia told the daily … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment