Tag Archives: Houston

Kubosh drops out of Controller’s race

Posted on June 21, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

In other city election news. Michael Kubosh, an outspoken member of Houston City Council since 2014, withdrew his candidacy for the city’s controller position Monday following a “series of health-related issues.” Kubosh, who is 72, in a news release said … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Edwards drops out of Mayor’s race, to run for CD18

Posted on June 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Another shakeup. Former Houston city council member Amanda Edwards announced Monday she would withdraw from the mayoral race to instead vie for the Texas congressional seat currently held by Sheila Jackson Lee, who previously announced her intention to run for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

I got those “violated the spirit of the Open Meetings Act” blues

Posted on June 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sorry, I know this makes me a terrible person, but I laughed at this headline. The majority of the parents, teachers and community members who showed up for the Houston ISD board meeting on Thursday night were banned from entering … Continue reading →

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

Another neighborhood road projects/bike lanes update

Posted on June 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Once again, from the Woodland Heights Civic Association. We would like to provide you with important updates regarding the road projects in our area. Firstly, we are pleased to inform you that the construction of the 11th Street project is … Continue reading →

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

Interview with Janette Garza Lindner

Posted on June 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Like you, I have many questions about the appointed Board of Managers and how they will operate, how they will oversee appointed Superintendent Mike Miles, how they’ll achieve the success they’ve been told to achieve, and more. As it happens, … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The goats are working hard for you

Posted on June 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I love this story. Soon Houston residents may actually celebrate a group of city workers standing around eating lunch or lying down on the job. Houston Public Works is poised to expand its use of goat herds to clear detention … Continue reading →

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

An HISD roundup

Posted on June 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

So much news, sometimes all you can do is link ’em up… The HISD Board of Managers had its second meeting on Thursday. It was mostly calm and quiet in the auditorium as new Houston ISD board members listened to a presentation about … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Endorsement watch: Hidalgo for SJL

Posted on June 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t usually pay much attention to “elected official endorses candidate” news, mostly because most of the time it makes little difference, but in this Mayor’s race I’m more interested than usual, so I will note this for the record. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Coliving

Posted on June 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’m fascinated by this. In one of Montrose’s newest residential projects opening next year, renters will be able to walk into fully furnished spaces stocked with basic supplies, paying rents below market rate in one of Houston’s trendiest neighborhoods. Rent … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Please get an mpox vaccine if you are at risk

Posted on June 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s avoid a summer surge. On the heels of a cluster of new mpox infections in Chicago this month, the CDC is urging at-risk populations to get fully vaccinated. One year ago Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control released its … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

City passes Mayor Turner’s final budget

Posted on June 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready, whoever is up next. Houston city staff will see pay raises, money will go toward sidewalk repairs and residents won’t have to maintain their own drainage ditches anymore. All are part of the $6.2 billion budget that passed through Houston … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

The first Board of Managers meeting

Posted on June 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It was raucous, and that won’t be the last time. New Superintendent Mike Miles’ interim contract was approved Thursday in a lively inaugural meeting of HISD’s new Board of Managers, over the objections of at least 150 students, parents, teachers and civil rights groups … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

We’re starting to hear from the Managers of the Board

Posted on June 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Bits and piece, dribbles and drabs. New Houston ISD board of managers members are pledging to earn families’ trust amid outcry from segments of the community who view board members as little more than rubber stamps for state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles. The public will get … Continue reading →

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

City settles dumping complaint with Justice Department

Posted on June 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston will not face punishment after settling a Justice Department probe into whether the city’s system of responding to illegal dumping calls violated the Civil Rights Act by disregarding Black and Latino neighborhoods. Mayor Sylvester Turner’s administration reached a three-year voluntary resolution with … Continue reading →

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Miles picks a team

Posted on June 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

He keeps moving, I’m trying to keep up. Newly appointed Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles‘ first cabinet selections include a mix of HISD staff members, former employees of his charter school network, administrators from across Texas and educational analysts. Miles’ … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Ashby 2.0 gets sued

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s party like it’s 2007, baby! Just when the 16-year battle over the proposed Ashby high-rise site in Boulevard Oaks appeared to drawing to a close, opponents have filed a lawsuit that again puts the fate of the project into … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Converting empty downtown office space into residences

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Something to think about. Across the country, office-to-housing conversions are being pursued as a potential lifeline for struggling downtown business districts that emptied out during the coronavirus pandemic and may never fully recover. The conversion push is marked by an emphasis on affordability. Multiple … Continue reading →

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

Superintendent Miles hits the ground running

Posted on June 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We should expect a lot of this. Mike Miles wasted little time Thursday before imposing major changes to the Houston Independent School District he now oversees, launching a plan to reconstitute 29 struggling campuses that forces employees to reapply for their jobs but … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mike Miles and the Board of Managers

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s official. Former Dallas ISD superintendent Mike Miles − described as a military-minded leader who pushes reform − is the state’s choice for the new Houston ISD superintendent. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath announced his long-rumored decision Thursday morning, the … Continue reading →

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Cruise cars spotted in the wild

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

There I was at the WalMart on Yale this week, with my parents, and what did I see but this: Yes, it’s a Cruise car, charging up in the parking lot. We knew that at least initially they will have … Continue reading →

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

Superintendent House’s last day

Posted on May 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

He’s out of there. Houston ISD Superintendent Millard House II is marking his last day in the office as the head of Texas’ largest school system on Friday, according to Mayor Sylvester Turner, nearly a week before the Texas Education … Continue reading →

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

A trio of candidate announcements

Posted on May 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Molly Cook, Emergency Room Nurse and Community Organizer, Announces Second Run for Texas Senate District 15 Molly Cook (she/her) is running again for Texas Senate District 15 in the 2024 Elections. Since the primaries in March 2022, … Continue reading →

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The final 227

Posted on May 25, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Somewhere in here are your Board of Managers. With about a week until the Texas Education Agency plans to appoint a new Houston ISD superintendent and board of managers, the state agency says it is still considering more than 200 … Continue reading →

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Another path to hockey in Houston

Posted on May 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

If not expansion, then relocation. The Arizona Coyotes have taken yet another blow in their hopes of finding a long-term home in the Phoenix area. As a result, speculation has renewed about whether the desert’s potential loss could become Houston’s … Continue reading →

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Some dough for downtown

Posted on May 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It would be nice. With just days left in this year’s regular session of the Texas Legislature, Houston-area lawmakers are fighting for a measure that would likely provide several billion dollars to expand the George R. Brown Convention Center and … Continue reading →

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River Oaks Theater renovations set to begin

Posted on May 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

A bit of good news. The next step in River Oaks Theatre’s comeback starts this week. Construction on renovations to the historic movie theater will begin soon with an eye towards reopening by the end of the year. Movie-loving Houstonians … Continue reading →

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Meet Mike Miles

Posted on May 21, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Houston Landing profiles the man who seems poised to be the imposed Superintendent of the taken-over HISD. A hard-charging education leader devoted to shaking up the status quo in struggling school districts appears poised to become the superintendent of Houston … Continue reading →

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The last HISD Board of Trustees meeting

Posted on May 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Next up is takeover time. The Texas Education Agency is still aiming to appoint a new Houston ISD superintendent and a board of managers as planned on or around June 1, according to an agency representative. The new leaders will … Continue reading →

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The 2023 Kinder Houston Area Survey

Posted on May 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

One of the great things about Houston. Housing costs and the economy topped Houstonians’ concerns this year in the 42nd annual Kinder Houston Area Survey, which also showed a coalescing desire to close the income gap as residents reported widening … Continue reading →

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A look at how the TEA trains Board of Managers wannabes

Posted on May 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

From the Observer: Since mid-March this year, when the Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced it would be taking over the Houston Independent School District, the state agency has demurred when asked about the district’s future, saying decisions will be made … Continue reading →

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Mayor Turner’s final budget

Posted on May 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is what he’s handing off. Mayor Sylvester Turner will unveil a $6.2 billion budget proposal this week, the final spending plan of his tenure and one he predicts will have enough savings to cover his successor’s first budget gap. … Continue reading →

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Does the TEA already have a new Superintendent in mind?

Posted on May 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Turner thinks so, and wants the TEA to be more up front about its intentions. Pressure is mounting on the Texas Education Agency to name the superintendent who will soon oversee the Houston Independent School District as the nearing takeover prompts growing … Continue reading →

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Houston’s violent crime rate drops in 2023

Posted on May 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday touted his crime initiative as the reason behind a double-digit year-to-year reduction in violent crime in the first quarter of 2023, but experts say the figures mirror wider national trends and warned … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Houston still doing well sheltering the homeless

Posted on May 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. As she waited for the results of a yearly census of the Houston area’s homeless population, Ana Rausch clicked open an email detailing the soaring number of eviction filings in Harris County. This March, 6,600 households had evictions filed against … Continue reading →

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