Tag Archives: Houston

City Council to return to in-person meetings

Posted on April 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I feel like I should always append a “For now” onto commentary about things like this. You know, for all the obvious reasons. Mayor Sylvester Turner said Wednesday he wants all City Council members to return to the chamber next … Continue reading →

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Maybe not so fast on the HISD budget stuff

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’m OK with this. The Houston Independent School District may reconsider proposed budget changes that would have centralized the funding of certain positions and programs, a top district official told principals Monday. “Our cabinet team is revisiting the budget and … Continue reading →

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State wants feds to un-pause I-45

Posted on April 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We all want things. State highway officials held fast to their plans for rebuilding Interstate 45 in Houston on Thursday, offering a litany of benefits the project will bring and pressing federal officials to lift a 12-month-and-counting pause on development. … Continue reading →

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More on the HISD budget plan

Posted on April 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Trustees make first contact with the Superintendent’s plans. More than a month after Houston ISD Superintendent Millard House II unveiled a strategic plan aimed at making the district more equitable, trustees still have unanswered questions about how to pay for it and concerns about whether … Continue reading →

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The I-45 project gets a wee bit more expensive

Posted on April 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Eh, what’s another $750 million? Typically, $750 million is the total cost for a major highway project, one that would take years to spend that kind of money. In the case of TxDOT’s plans for a mammoth rebuild of Interstate … Continue reading →

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Paid parental leave for city employees

Posted on April 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is a thing that should have happened a long time ago. City of Houston employees soon could be eligible for up to three months of paid parental leave under a policy change expected to reach City Council next week. … Continue reading →

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Here comes BA.2 in Houston

Posted on April 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

But don’t panic, it’s just a change in the virus composition, not an increase in viral load. Houston is seeing an uptick in the number of BA.2 cases, with genome sequencing and wastewater testing picking up higher levels this week compared to … Continue reading →

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January 2022 campaign finance reports: HCC

Posted on April 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Previously: City of Houston, HISD If HISD campaign finance reports are less sexy than city of Houston finance reports, then HCC finance reports are like HISD finance reports wearing thermal underwear. Nevertheless, we persist. Monica Flores Richart – Dist 1 … Continue reading →

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Chron story on City Council redistricting

Posted on April 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Lots more info now. As Houston begins to redraw its City Council map for the 2023 elections, two districts representing western portions of the city, including Montrose, the Heights, River Oaks, and Uptown, among other neighborhoods, have out-sized populations that … Continue reading →

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Who wants to have their dinner delivered by a robot?

Posted on April 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your chance. Heads up, Houston: the robots are coming. Coco, the Los Angeles-based business that offers a remotely piloted delivery service, has hit the streets of Houston with its food-delivery bots as part of its expansion to targeted markets. … Continue reading →

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Council adopts vape extension to smoking ban

Posted on March 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The city outlawed vaping in public spaces Wednesday, amending Houston’s smoking ordinance to include electronic cigarettes. City Council voted 16-0 to approve the amendment, proposed last year by the Houston Health Department in response to growing scientific consensus on … Continue reading →

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More eating outdoors downtown

Posted on March 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is a good idea, and I’m glad it’s being continued. DINING IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON CAN be a hassle, what with the limited parking and COVD-19 restrictions affecting seating space at so many eateries. Fortunately, the city of Houston is … Continue reading →

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City Council to consider adding vapes to smoking ordinance

Posted on March 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds reasonable. I’ll be interested to hear what the opponents have to say. City Council on Wednesday will consider a proposal to bar the use of e-cigarettes and any kind of vaping in public spaces under Houston’s smoking ordinance. The … Continue reading →

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January 2022 campaign finance reports: HISD

Posted on March 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Previously: City of Houston HISD campaign finance reports are almost always less sexy than city of Houston reports, but we just had some expensive races last year, so let’s see where all the current Trustees are with their finances. Elizabeth … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS unanimously rejects Dave Wilson

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Poor baby. The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against former Houston Community College trustee Dave Wilson, finding that he didn’t have an actionable First Amendment claim after suing his colleagues for verbally censuring him in 2018. In a 9-0 … Continue reading →

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City Council redistricting is on the dock

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a schedule of events related to redistricting for Houston City Council. Some of this has already happened. Last week, unless it got tagged in which case it will come up again at the next Council meeting, Council should have … Continue reading →

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Metro approves I-10 Inner Katy BRT route

Posted on March 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Big step forward. Metro officials Thursday settled on the route for a busway along Interstate 10 that they predict will improve transit for urban and suburban travelers, whether they hop on board or not. The elevated busway planned along the … Continue reading →

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Houston to get federal freeze recovery funds

Posted on March 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston is slated to get about $30 million in disaster recovery money to help address lasting needs from the February 2021 winter storm — the largest such grant in Texas, federal officials announced Tuesday. Marcia L. Fudge, secretary of … Continue reading →

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Amanda Edwards to run for Mayor

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The field is now at three. Amanda Edwards, a former at-large member of Houston City Council and candidate for U.S. Senate, announced Wednesday she is running for mayor of Houston in 2023. Edwards’ return to politics comes two years after … Continue reading →

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Iconic Heights church for sale

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some neighborhood news that has us all a little worried. Heights Christian Church, a community gathering place for more than a century, is selling its historic property and merging with another congregation. Rev. Amber Mattingly, the pastor at the church … Continue reading →

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“Due diligence”

Posted on March 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’m just gonna leave this right here. The Browns said they did due diligence before agreeing to give Deshaun Watson a $230 million contract and complete a trade with the Texans. Watson is facing 22 civil suits for sexual harassment … Continue reading →

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HUD approves updated GLO proposal for Harris County

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting, but there are still a lot of moving pieces out there. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Friday said it would accept the Texas General Land Office’s proposal to give Harris County $750 million in federal … Continue reading →

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From “Be Someone” to “Vote or Die” to “No War Know Peace”

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The latest version of Houston’s most widely seen public art/public forum. Chandrika Metivier considers themselves fearless. Two weeks ago, Metivier was taking a personal safety risk on a bridge above I-45, painting the words ‘No War Know Peace’ in protest … Continue reading →

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First round of Deshaun Watson depositions

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He hasn’t had much to say so far. Four days after a Harris County grand jury chose not to indict Deshaun Watson, the Texans quarterback answered questions for the first time while under oath in connection to 22 civil lawsuits accusing him … Continue reading →

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Deshaun Watson traded to Cleveland

Posted on March 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He’s someone else’s problem now. The Texans have traded Deshaun Watson to the Browns. The quarterback waived his no-trade clause for Cleveland after initially eliminating the franchise, a person with knowledge of the negotiation said, but Watson reversed his decision … Continue reading →

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HISD’s budget plan

Posted on March 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From the op-ed pages, a few words from Superintendent Millard House. During a listening session at Chavez High School last September, a mother told me in tears that her child had to travel an hour each way to reach a … Continue reading →

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More on the 11th Street project

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron editorial board mostly approves of the city’s plans for 11th Street in the Heights. Ever since Mayor Sylvester Turner unveiled his Vision Zero Action Plan — an ambitious program to end traffic fatalities by 2030 — the city … Continue reading →

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How low can COVID go?

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I feel like this is more a function of time and evolution than anything else, but we’ll see. New coronavirus cases across the greater Houston area dropped to their lowest level in four months, new data showed Monday, just days … Continue reading →

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Turns out it’s not great debuting a transit service in a pandemic

Posted on March 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What are you gonna do? The future of Houston transportation is not moving many people, even as traffic rebounds to pre-pandemic levels and ridership returns to many Metropolitan Transit Authority lines. The Silver Line, billed as a viable alternative to … Continue reading →

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No charges against Deshaun Watson

Posted on March 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good for him, I guess. A Harris County grand jury on Friday declined to indict Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, choosing not to criminally charge him in nine alleged instances of sexual assault or harassment during various private massage appointments, according … Continue reading →

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Four file for the HCC special election

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Monday was the filing deadline. On Saturday, May 7, 2022, Houston Community College System (“HCC”) will hold a special election to fill a vacancy for the HCC Board of Trustees position in geographic district II for the unexpired term through … Continue reading →

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Metro electric bus update

Posted on March 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some new details here. Within the next year or so, you’ll see electric-powered buses buzzing around Bayou City. The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) recently awarded a $22 million contract to Saint-Eustache, Canada-based Nova Bus for the production … Continue reading →

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January 2022 campaign finance reports: City of Houston

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

January finance reports are always worth a look, if only as a ritual to start the new year. We’re a year out from election season truly beginning for Houston, but as we now have two brand name contenders for Mayor … Continue reading →

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The White Oak bike trail extension is officially under construction

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Actual photo of the construction activity, from this past Thursday: See here for the background. I first noticed some construction equipment in place maybe two weeks before that, and actual activity the following week, which is to say the last … Continue reading →

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