Tag Archives: Houston

RIP, Houston Landing

Posted on April 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Major bummer. The board of Houston Landing has voted to shut down the nonprofit newsroom in the face of financial challenges. Although Houston Landing launched with significant seed funding, it has been unable to build additional revenue streams to support … Continue reading →

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Fully autonomous trucks set to hit the road

Posted on April 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

For realsies. Autonomous freight trucks are slated to hit the Dallas highways this month. The self-driving heavy-duty semi-trucks running on technology formulated by Aurora, a Pittsburgh-based self-driving vehicle tech company, will roll back and forth along the Interstate 45 corridor connecting Dallas … Continue reading →

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Still working on that short-term rental ordinance

Posted on April 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I wish them luck. Two things were evident in an hours-long Quality of Life Committee meeting this week: the Houston City Council wants an ordinance governing short-term rentals that will protect neighborhoods from party houses. But without enforceable zoning codes, … Continue reading →

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Taking from Harris to give to Houston

Posted on April 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This story from Tuesday perplexed me a little at first. Harris County would have to turn over tens of millions in toll road dollars to the city of Houston for use on public safety and emergency services under a bill … Continue reading →

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Taking the package

Posted on April 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The city’s workforce is voluntarily shrinking. More than 700 city of Houston employees are set to retire May 1 after accepting voluntary buyouts, city officials said Thursday. Many of the positions will have to be backfilled, but Whitmire administration officials … Continue reading →

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Who wants a piece of Minute Maid Park?

Posted on April 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Parts of the old signage could be yours if you act soon. The “Minute Maid” signs from the Houston Astros’ formerly-titled Minute Maid Park are being auctioned off online. Shall we start the bidding at $500? Yes, that’s correct: the … Continue reading →

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Measles update: Time for another moment of perspective

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the Friday numbers. The measles outbreak centered in the South Plains region of Texas grew to 541 cases across the state on Friday, according to health officials. The Texas Department of State Health Services reported that 56 have … Continue reading →

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A brief reminder about the possible recall effort

Posted on April 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever you or I may think, Mayor Whitmire is not unpopular. A recent survey from the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs found that while most Houstonians believe both the city and country are going in the wrong … Continue reading →

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Can we make HPD more efficient?

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

You’d think that would be a thing we’d all want. Mayor John Whitmire has made clear he intends to boost salaries and benefits for Houston police officers in their new union contract, but those increases will not be tied to … Continue reading →

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Measles update: Another needless death

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We have to start with some bad news. An 8-year-old girl with measles died Thursday morning, the second known measles-related death in an ongoing outbreak that has infected nearly 500 Texans since January. Her funeral was Sunday at a church … Continue reading →

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Just make up your damn mind about West 11th already

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I swear, I am so sick of this. After Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s administration removed cyclist protections along Heights Boulevard and Austin Street in March, advocates for a contentious safety project on 11th Street in the Heights neighborhood are worried it could be next on … Continue reading →

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

Another name emerges as a possible Houston hockey team owner

Posted on April 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

New player alert. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has said the league has received interest from multiple prospective owners about a Houston hockey franchise. On Thursday, the identity of at least another interested party became public. ESPN reported that Houston billionaire … Continue reading →

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More on Austin Street, Whitmire, and bike lanes

Posted on April 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna do this as a link roundup so I can get this out of my system. See here for the starting point. Whitmire stresses maintaining public safety as fears grow over future of Houston’s bike lanes. Emphasizing his priority toward … Continue reading →

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

Measles update: We’re already making this harder on ourselves

Posted on April 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your weekend update. The measles outbreak centered in the South Plains region soared past a combined 500 cases in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma on Friday, according to health officials. Texas has seen 481 measles cases amid the outbreak … Continue reading →

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Smaller number of federal buildings on the chopping block

Posted on April 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Progress? I dunno. Less than two weeks after posting – and abruptly pulling down – a list of federally owned office buildings to be sold, the U.S. General Services Administration has released a much shorter list that includes one property in Houston. A … Continue reading →

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Measles update: Moving around the state

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And we have some new counties to add to the board, too. The measles outbreak that began in the South Plains region of Texas rose to 422 cases and spread to two new counties on Tuesday, according to health officials. … Continue reading →

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I got those “too much overtime cost” blues

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

More overtime, more problems. The city of Houston is expected to spend twice as much as it budgeted on overtime this year, contributing to next year’s projected $330 million deficit, the city controller’s office said Tuesday. Overtime costs for Houston … Continue reading →

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The Astrodome Conservancy keeps plugging away

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I respect the hustle. It’s time to move forward with Vision: Astrodome, the recently unveiled proposal from the Astrodome Conservancy. It activates the power of this historic monument to serve the public, now and long into the future. Since its … Continue reading →

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Recall Houston

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Color me skeptical. Recall Houston, a group working to recall Houston Mayor John Whitmire, is gaining steam and reading for a push to get the effort on the ballot in 2025. The organization has been working for almost a year, … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Why are we now tearing up bike lanes?

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is bullshit. Without prior announcement, the city of Houston has begun removing the dedicated bike lane on a key street, raising concerns among residents about transparency and the city’s commitment to pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. The potential loss of … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

More efficiency studying

Posted on March 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Sure, why not. Houston Public Works and the city controller’s office will receive deeper analyses of their operations and finances after the city council on Wednesday voted to expand the purview of Mayor John Whitmire’s efficiency study. The study, completed … Continue reading →

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Measles update: Hello, Ohio

Posted on March 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Put another state on the board, Johnny. A measles outbreak in Kansas doubled in less than a week to 23 cases and has “a possible link” to outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico that have sickened more than 370, the … Continue reading →

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Modified Montrose construction to begin on Monday

Posted on March 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not, here it comes. Workers will break ground Monday on the first phase of a hotly debated plan to revamp Montrose Boulevard from Allen Parkway to West Clay Street. The final roadmap retains the original intent to include an expansive … Continue reading →

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Measles update: Hello, Kansas

Posted on March 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Put a new state on the board, Johnny. State health officials report the number of measles cases is growing in Kansas this year as cases climb nationwide. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) reported on March 20 on … Continue reading →

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New teacher evaluation system approved by HISD

Posted on March 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how it goes. Houston ISD’s state-appointed board unanimously approved a new teacher evaluation system Thursday that will go into effect for the next school year. The model, which will be used to evaluate the district’s roughly 11,000 teachers, … Continue reading →

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Some good news for UST

Posted on March 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Situation update. The University of St. Thomas in Houston seems to have turned a corner with its finances in 2024, though its position remains precarious as the school posted a deficit in its operating budget for the seventh consecutive year, … Continue reading →

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Let’s renegotiate that lease

Posted on March 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

How sweet it is, for the Texans. As county leaders and officials with Bob McNair’s nascent football team were closing in on a deal for a new football stadium in the early 2000s, the Texans landed a late concession that … Continue reading →

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Council to vote on short-term rental ordinance

Posted on March 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I confess, I missed that this was in the works. Sebastien Long’s Lodgeur Inc. leases dozens of Houston apartments on a short-term basis, serving business travelers, recovering cancer patients, professional baseball players and people going through divorces or remodeling a … Continue reading →

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El Paso’s wastewater recycling plant

Posted on March 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Dealing with our state’s water needs will require lots of different types of solutions. By 2028, El Pasoans will begin receiving water from a $295 million advanced water purification plant that will convert treated wastewater into drinking water, the first … Continue reading →

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Immersive art lawsuits

Posted on March 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating. Immersive art experiences transform how audiences interact with creativity, and legal experts on Monday discussed how copyright law is protecting these dynamic works of art. At a South by Southwest session, two legal experts explored the complexities of copyright … Continue reading →

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The measles outbreak is going to go national

Posted on March 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the concern, anyway. With its measles outbreak spreading to two additional states, Texas is on track to becoming the cause of a national epidemic if it doesn’t start vaccinating more people, according to public health experts. Measles, a highly … Continue reading →

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Eric Dick arrested on misdemeanor assault charge

Posted on March 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

In the news again. Well-known Houston lawyer and Harris County Department of Education Trustee Eric Dick faces a misdemeanor assault charge, adding to his legal and ethical troubles. The Houston Police Department arrested Dick on March 7 for hitting a … Continue reading →

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Third Houston measles case documented

Posted on March 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Again, we hope that’s all there is. The Houston Health Department has confirmed the city’s third measles case, months after identifying two cases in adults which marked the first measles cases since 2018. The Houston Health Department Sunday reported an … Continue reading →

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It’s always the highrises

Posted on March 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We have such a weird history of them in this town. A proposal to build a mixed-use tower in Montrose has hit a roadblock after the Houston Planning Commission rejected a variance request needed for the project, sending developers back … Continue reading →

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