Tag Archives: Houston

Cruise comes to Houston

Posted on May 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’m genuinely curious to see how this goes. Cruise, a General Motors autonomous vehicle subsidiary, is bringing its self-driving cars to Houston with the goal of offering driverless rides. The cars will begin testing next week, said Megan Prichard, Cruise’s … Continue reading →

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We ask again if the HISD Board should bother doing anything right now

Posted on May 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I think the answer is still mostly No, but there’s some nuance to that. The Houston Independent School District board met Thursday to discuss potential cuts to the district’s $2.2 billion budget as it faces a growing a growing deficit and a … Continue reading →

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A ride down the West 11th bike trail

Posted on May 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been riding the West 11th bike trail since it opened, mostly to go to some of my favorite lunch places. It’s been great, modulo the occasional hazards like trash/recycling bins out for collection and delivery trucks or construction vehicles … Continue reading →

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The I-45 project will be old enough to vote before it is finished

Posted on May 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Isn’t that nice? Often called a once-in-a-generation project, the planned $9.7 billion-plus rebuild of I-45 from downtown Houston north to Beltway 8, including a total reconstruction of the downtown freeway system, is expected to take a generation to build. A … Continue reading →

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More HISD departures

Posted on May 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna be a very different district when we get it back. Three more senior staff members at Houston ISD are departing their high-ranking posts at the district as the Texas Education Agency prepares to appoint new leaders to govern the … Continue reading →

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Spring Branch ISD versus “James and the Giant Peach”

Posted on May 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Note: The following is a guest post, written by my friend Diana Martinez Alexander. I occasionally run guest posts, some of which I solicit and some of which are sent to me. Southlake. Garland. Frisco. Now Spring Branch is pushing … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023, School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

First round of cuts for Board of Managers wannabes

Posted on May 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

And then there were two hundred and twenty-five. Fewer than half of the people who applied for the Houston ISD board of managers completed a weekend governance training required to move forward in the application process, according to the Texas … Continue reading →

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Don’t hold out hope for hockey in Houston

Posted on May 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

In case you had been doing so. There is what seems to be perpetual interest in bringing an NHL team to Houston. The interest, however, isn’t mutual at this time for hockey’s premier league to grow beyond its current 32 … Continue reading →

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How much downtown parking do we need?

Posted on April 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know the answer to that, but this is how much we have. Downtown Houston dedicates more than a quarter of its land to parking spaces, surpassing the percentages in most major U.S. cities, a new report shows. A photo from … Continue reading →

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Even more Board of Managers applicants

Posted on April 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe now they have enough. When the Texas Education Agency in June appoints a new superintendent and nine managers to govern the Houston Independent School District, longtime educator and mother Anita Wadhwa hopes there will be someone like her sitting … Continue reading →

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So yeah, climate change is bad for Houston

Posted on April 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Some science for you. As Houston continues to grapple with extreme weather conditions, scientists find record-breaking sea level rises in the U.S. Gulf Coast, which could leave cities such as Houston more vulnerable to severe storms and flooding in the coming decades than previously … Continue reading →

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There are a lot of people running for office in Houston already

Posted on April 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

If you regularly check the houstonchronicle.com page, you may have noticed this article continuing to appear, even though it was originally published last November. The reason for this is that they are tracking who has officially filed for office, and … Continue reading →

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Ashby 2.0 cleared for groundbreaking

Posted on April 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s actually happening. Along-embattled residential high-rise project in Boulevard Oaks is set to move forward, with one Houston City Council member calling the news “terrible.” The Langley , a new luxury rental community jointly developed by El Paso-based Hunt Companies, … Continue reading →

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How was there still an active lawsuit over the 2004 revenue cap referendum?

Posted on April 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I am gobsmacked. The Texas Supreme Court on Friday struck down part of Houston’s revenue cap, creating the possibility that the city may have to comply with an even more stringent cap in the future. Elected officials in Houston long have blamed … Continue reading →

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HCC approves its redistricting map

Posted on April 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

In the end, what was expected. The Houston Community College Board of Trustees approved on Wednesday a redrawn voter map that made small changes to all nine single-member districts but failed to reunify a previously split Third Ward. The trustees … Continue reading →

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On vying for the 2028 RNC

Posted on April 21, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I get competing for this, but that doesn’t make me enthusiastic about it. As part of Houston’s push to win the Republican National Convention in 2028, the George R. Brown Convention Center could be expanding. State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, … Continue reading →

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I’ll help you pack, dude

Posted on April 21, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This story about the furniture guy’s latest temper tantrum about Harris County took me a couple of hours to work up the mental energy to click on. Now that I have, my reaction is simply this: Just fucking move to … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

B-Cycle hits the brakes

Posted on April 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Unfortunate. Hopes for a much-needed infusion of cash from a new partnership with Metro have yet to be fulfilled, leading Houston Bike Share to warn users that prices will increase and the number of available stations will shrink, starting May 1. The nonprofit … Continue reading →

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Rep. Jackson Lee makes her Mayoral candidacy official

Posted on April 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Here she comes. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee kicked off her campaign for mayor Friday night with a rally on the rooftop of Post Houston, promising to “unlock City Hall” for all residents and embrace their diversity while outlining a municipal agenda to tackle … Continue reading →

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Our first look at the Board of Managers wannabes

Posted on April 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

An eclectic group, to say the least. The Chronicle on Friday obtained through a public records request a list of people who applied to the position through the end of March. In total, 374 people applied through the deadline last … Continue reading →

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The benefits of going fine-free

Posted on April 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I love this story. Two months ago, a Houston resident walked into the city’s public library and returned three long-overdue books from the 1990s. The trio of the returned books included “Tenth Dimension” by Jeremy Bernstein on elementary particle physics, … Continue reading →

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TEA takeover approved by trustees

Posted on April 15, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

That was a formality and will be noted later in the post, but first there was this. Members of the Houston ISD board of trustees peppered a Texas Education Agency representative with questions about the upcoming takeover at a public … Continue reading →

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Houston rescinds its anti-busking ordinance

Posted on April 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good call. Houston formally abandoned an ordinance Wednesday that banned buskers throughout most of the city, four months after it was struck down by a federal judge. For decades, Houston made busking — musicians and other artists performing on streets … Continue reading →

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Should the HISD Board bother doing anything right now?

Posted on April 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a good case for No, and if that’s their thinking then they’re already on the way. Houston ISD board members expressed concern Thursday about making budget cuts to campuses right before the district is taken over by the Texas … Continue reading →

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

Rerun candidate running again

Posted on April 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Oh good grief. Orlando Sanchez, the former Harris County treasurer, City Council member and mayoral candidate, is running for city controller, his second consecutive run for the office. Sanchez received 47.8 percent of the vote in 2019, losing to incumbent Chris Brown, who … Continue reading →

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So many Board of Managers applicants

Posted on April 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I sure wonder what the process to sort through all of these will be. More than 370 people applied for nine spots on the board that will govern Houston ISD, wrapping up the first step in the Texas Education Agency’s … Continue reading →

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Well, the moon could use the oxygen

Posted on April 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

If you write a story about a Houston firm proposing to build an oxygen pipeline on the moon, I will read it. A Houston company might build an oxygen pipeline on the moon, enabling NASA to transport a key ingredient … Continue reading →

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Metro approves University BRT route

Posted on April 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Still a lot of work to be done before any actual construction can begin. Metro officials on Wednesday approved a path for the 25.3 mile University Corridor in a rare split vote that keeps the region’s largest bus rapid transit project on track … Continue reading →

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On recycling cooking oil

Posted on April 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’m always intrigued by stories like this. NRG Stadium is no stranger to fried food — like the booths upon booths of deep-fried desserts that line NRG Park during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, or the churros and corn … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

HISD students walk out in protest of TEA takeover

Posted on April 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. Five minutes into her second-period class, Elizabeth Rodriguez and her classmates at Northside High School stood up and walked out to protest the Texas Education Agency’s planned intervention in Houston’s sprawling, diverse public school district. The 18-year-old … Continue reading →

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Meet your new astronauts

Posted on April 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Very cool. NASA and the Canadian Space Agency announced the four astronauts who will be onboard the Artemis II mission around the moon yesterday at an event at Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The 10-day mission … Continue reading →

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Hollins moves to the Controller’s race

Posted on April 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I have some thoughts. Chris Hollins, the former Harris County clerk, said Thursday he is dropping his campaign for mayor and will seek the controller’s office instead, roughly one week after Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee announced she would enter the … Continue reading →

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No one asked you, Tony

Posted on April 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Oh good Lord. Tony Buzbee, the millionaire businessman and trial attorney who unsuccessfully challenged Mayor Sylvester Turner in 2019, is considering another run for City Hall’s top job. Buzbee on Wednesday said supporters are urging him to run again, and he believes he is … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

“One Clean Houston”

Posted on April 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Hope this works. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday unveiled a $17.8 million illegal dumping initiative aimed at expediting cleanups, increasing surveillance and enforcement, and prioritizing areas hardest hit by Houston’s roadside trash problem. Standing beside an illegal dumpsite strewn with … Continue reading →

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