Tag Archives: Houston

Big Bucks Buzbee

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It is, by far, his best asset. Mayoral candidate Tony Buzbee put another $2.5 million into his campaign last month, widening his financial edge over Mayor Sylvester Turner heading into the stretch run of the race for Houston’s top elected … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Endorsement watch: E and F

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses incumbent CM Dave Martin in District E. It’s easy to find out the biggest problem in Houston City Council District E. Ask any of its residents and most likely they will tell you a flooding story. Water … Continue reading →

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In which I agree with Ted Cruz: Shame on the NBA

Posted on October 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

When he’s right, he’s right. Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey has the support of some lawmakers in D.C., even as the Rockets and NBA have apologized for his comments supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. Morey over the weekend tweeted … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Chron’s overview of the Mayor

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a fair picture. Mayor Sylvester Turner hugged his way through three dozen staff and supporters, reached the podium, and smiled. It was May 2017, and Turner’s landmark pension reform bill had just passed the Legislature, validating his decision to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

The clown show is coming for Drag Queen Story Time

Posted on October 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The words, they fail me. The group that opposed and defeated Houston’s equal rights ordinance in 2015 announced Tuesday it is launching a petition drive aimed at prohibiting Drag Queen Storytime, the program shuttered earlier this year by city officials … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Endorsement watch: Let’s get this thing started

Posted on October 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Endorsement Season has begun at the Chronicle, and while the number of elections to cover isn’t really higher than usual, the sheer number of candidates to bring in for interviews is massive and had to have been a logistical nightmare. … Continue reading →

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HISD’s appeal of the Wheatley rating

Posted on October 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Not much there. You can read whatever you want into that. If Houston ISD trustees expected the district’s administration to make an impassioned, detailed appeal to the state for an accountability reprieve at Wheatley High School — a last-ditch effort to avoid … Continue reading →

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

Are we supposed to be scared by this?

Posted on October 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, I wouldn’t be. Houston Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher will be one of the first targets of a new nationwide anti-impeachment effort rolled out by President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign. Trump Victory announced Wednesday it will hold a “Stop The … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Here now comes my favorite lawsuit of the year

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

OMG. Meanwhile in the Houston mayor’s race… Three candidates left off tomorrow’s debate stage — Demetria Smith, Johnny T. Taylor and Derek Broze — have filed a (very capitalized) lawsuit against @abc13houston and several others: — Jasper Scherer (@zjaspscherer) 7:30 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A brief look at the Council incumbents who face contested races

Posted on October 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I think two, and hopefully three, of these races are truly competitive. The others, not so much. Asked how she would operate differently from City Councilwoman Karla Cisneros, the District H incumbent she is trying to unseat in November, Isabel … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Sorry, Willie D

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I think you need better lawyers, dude. William Dennis, the former Geto Boys rapper known as “Willie D,” is planning to a host a campaign fundraiser Friday for his City Council bid, but election officials say voters won’t be able … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ronald Haskell convicted

Posted on September 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Good, but nothing can undo the damage he did. Cassidy Stay, the lone survivor of a 2014 shooting that killed her mother, father and four younger siblings, folded her hands in prayer inside a courtroom while awaiting a verdict. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Someone is opposing the Metro referendum

Posted on September 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose it was too optimistic to hope that the Metro referendum would not get any organized opposition. Opponents of Metro’s $3.5 billion bond referendum have formed a political action committee to lead a grass-roots campaign to curtail what they … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Two HISD candidates fail to qualify for the ballot

Posted on September 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We revisit a periodic issue. Two applicants seeking to replace Houston ISD Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones have failed to qualify for the November ballot, leaving five candidates running for the open seat, according to HISD officials. Michael Maloney, an athletics coach, … Continue reading →

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KHOU/HPM poll: Turner 37, Buzbee 20, King 10

Posted on September 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We must be getting into the serious part of Houston Election Season, because we have our first public poll of the Mayor’s race. Mayor Sylvester Turner leads trial lawyer and businessman Tony Buzbee by 17 points, according to a KHOU/Houston … Continue reading →

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Interview with Matt Barnes

Posted on September 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Like I’ve said, the HISD Trustee elections still matter this year. One could argue, they’ve never mattered more. With two of the four Trustees that are up for election this year deciding to step down, we will get some change … Continue reading →

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Once again, we wait for disaster relief funds

Posted on September 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

At least people know the drill by now. Five deaths are linked to floods from Tropical Storm Imelda, the worst storm in Texas since Hurricane Harvey and one of the wettest tropical cyclones in the nation’s history, according to the … Continue reading →

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Interview with Judith Cruz

Posted on September 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

As we’ve discussed, there are still HISD Trustee elections this year, despite the uncertainty surrounding the TEA takeover. While the Board may not have much authority during the time that the TEA-appointed board of managers is in charge, it still … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Do you believe in magical thinking?

Posted on September 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I did not read this long profile of Tony Buzbee, because life is short and we all have better things to do. I did briefly scan the print version a bit, and in doing so I noticed the following paragraph, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Interview with Monica Flores Richart

Posted on September 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’d say there are three things I want to see happen this November. I want to see Mayor Turner get re-elected, I want to see the Metro referendum pass, and I want to see Monica Flores Richart kick Dave Wilson’s … Continue reading →

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The MOB’s message to Baylor

Posted on September 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been a member of the Rice MOB since 1988, when I arrived in Houston as a grad student in math. I’m especially proud to have been part of the MOB this weekend. Rice University’s Marching Owl Band delivered a … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports, Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

The cumulative effect

Posted on September 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We really need to give a lot more thought, and action, to this. As the flood-weary city of Houston recovers from yet another historic storm in the coming days, rubber-gloved mucking brigades and tow truck armies will swoop in to … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Curfew changes

Posted on September 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A good step, but I agree with the argument that it doesn’t go far enough. City council on Wednesday eliminated Houston’s daytime juvenile curfew, but stopped short of ditching the ordinance altogether despite pleas from advocacy groups who say the … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Risk management is hard

Posted on September 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I have a lot of sympathy for these school officials. At least 20 school districts in Greater Houston opted to stay open as the remnants of Tropical Depression Imelda bore down on the region Thursday, decisions that angered some parents … Continue reading →

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Tropical Storm Imelda

Posted on September 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

That escalated very quickly. Heavy rainfall from now-downgraded Imelda continued to wreak havoc Thursday for much of southeast Texas, where officials were dealing with impassable roadways, downed trees, power outages, hundreds of high-water rescues, fast-rising water and in one small … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Our slowing population growth

Posted on September 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. Texas remains one of the fastest growing states in the U.S., but a report published by the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank showed a significant reduction in the number of people moving to Texas since 2015. That’s … Continue reading →

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

Interview with Janaeya Carmouche

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Houston is a Democratic city, where the Democratic Presidential candidate has drawn 60% or more of the vote in each of the past three races. Yet we stand today with three of the five At Large Council seats being held … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

No, crime is not up in Houston

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Facts are stubborn things. Like the rest of the country, crime in Houston has plummeted over the last 30 years, as has residents’ fear of crime being the city’s most pressing problem. FBI data show that most categories of crime … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Interview with Raj Salhotra

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This week I will have interviews from two of the At Large races that feature challenges to sitting incumbents. First up is At Large #1, where candidate Raj Salhotra is among the four challengers to first-term incumbent Mike Knox. Salhotra … Continue reading →

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Pity the poor lion hunters

Posted on September 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Gag me. Houston was once the nation’s top destination for African lions killed by U.S. trophy hunters, but public backlash and new federal restrictions have all but ended the sport, according to a group of big game hunters that has … Continue reading →

Posted in Around the world | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Why would you run for HISD Board of Trustees this year?

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a good question. As she campaigns door-to-door to become the newest member of Houston ISD’s school board, Reagan Flowers is encountering many confused voters. They ask whether school board elections matter this year, given the growing likelihood that state officials will … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It’s not really a campaign until there are attack ads

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Mayor Sylvester Turner launched a television ad Monday attacking Tony Buzbee for donating to President Donald Trump’s inauguration committee, marking the mayor’s first major attempt to link his political opponent to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

What can we really do about I-45?

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Urban planner Jeff Speck is once again warning us about the negative effects of widening I-45. TxDOT cites three principal motivations for advancing the I-45 project: reducing traffic congestion, improving driver safety, and improving air quality. These laudable goals are … Continue reading →

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

Interview with Carrin Patman

Posted on September 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve talked a lot about the METRO Next referendum on the 2019 ballot. The referendum, the first time METRO has gone to the voters to ask for bonding authority since 2003, is intended to fund a significant expansion of transit … Continue reading →

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