Tag Archives: Houston

Campaigning for the Metro bond

Posted on September 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Our campaign finance laws can be a bit weird. Transit officials spent the past 18 months developing a plan to add $7.5 billion in new bus lines, rebuilt transit centers and rail expansion. They have nine weeks to sell it … Continue reading →

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Good luck avoiding mosquitoes

Posted on September 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

You can’t stop them, you can only hope to contain them. Living in an area with so many mosquitoes means local officials can’t just ignore them, right? Harris County tries to lower the number of bugs both by spraying and … Continue reading →

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The TEA delivers its terms to HISD

Posted on September 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. The Texas Education Commissioner has put the state’s largest school district on official notice that it could lose its locally-elected school board because of failing grades at one Houston high school. The commissioner, Mike Morath, notified Houston’s interim … Continue reading →

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

“No confidence”

Posted on September 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The latest from the firefighters. Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña will face a “no confidence” vote by members of the city’s fire union over what nearly 100 district chiefs say has been a lack of leadership and a failure to … Continue reading →

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Checking in on the Mayor’s race

Posted on September 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the Mayor’s race? Yeah, that. “The candidates have been running for months but were focused on fundraising and defining their message,” said Nancy Sims, a Houston political analyst. “Labor Day is when people tune into the election.” The stretch-run … Continue reading →

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Beer to go is here

Posted on September 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hooray! The highly anticipated beer-to-go legislation officially [went] into effect Sunday, and local breweries [celebrated] the occasion by offering up cans, growlers and crowlers of beer for visitors to bring home — a simple act that has been illegal in … Continue reading →

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Cricket in Fort Bend

Posted on September 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The sport keeps spreading. When Malay Vyas played cricket as a child, there were no fields near his home in western India. So he and his friends took to playing in the streets. He remembers getting grounded after hitting a … Continue reading →

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The children will count us

Posted on August 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Great idea for something that shouldn’t have to be the case. Teresa Flores knows the costs of a census undercount as well as anyone. As the executive director of the Hidalgo County Head Start Program, one of the area’s most … Continue reading →

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

The harder question

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This story just upsets me so much. After a man posing as a FedEx deliveryman forced his way into her family’s house and fatally shot her parents and four siblings, 15-year-old Cassidy Stay played dead until the killer fled the … Continue reading →

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

Interview with Nelvin Adriatico

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

One more time in District J, where the changing of the guard has me a bit nostalgic for the time when the new 11-district map was first presented for our perusal. Nelvin Adriatico is the president and founder of brokerage … Continue reading →

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Dave Wilson’s residency shuffle

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There he goes again. Dave Wilson, a controversial Houston Community College board member, has resigned from his position as a trustee for HCC’s District 2 and has announced that he will run for a District 1 position on HCC’s board. … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sandra Rodriguez

Posted on August 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We move now to District J, one of the two new Council districts drawn in 2011, part of the settlement agreement to add two districts when the city’s population hit 2.1 million. Mike Laster has been the only Council member … Continue reading →

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The 2019 ballot order

Posted on August 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Time once again for this risible ceremony. The order of the November Houston ballot was set Friday morning in a random drawing at City Hall, laying out how the candidates for mayor, controller and city council will appear when voters … Continue reading →

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The Houston Roughnecks

Posted on August 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Meet your new XFL team. When the XFL kicks off in February, the Houston team will be known as the Houston Roughnecks. The XFL unveiled team names and logos for all eight teams in the league Wednesday. The Houston Roughnecks … Continue reading →

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Is there anything Houston can do about gun violence?

Posted on August 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Not much, unfortunately. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday said he wants state lawmakers to give cities and counties more flexibility to address gun violence in response to mass shootings this month that killed 31 people, including 22 in El Paso. … Continue reading →

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Party Boy bye-bye

Posted on August 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Sad. This October may be the last year the view south of I-10 across from the Heights is a giant orange pumpkin. The property housing Party Boy at 1515 Studemont, where an inflatable pumpkin is displayed atop the building each … Continue reading →

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Interview with Anthony Nelson

Posted on August 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

One more interview in District F, which as noted will have its fourth member of Council after this election since 2013. Today’s interview is with Anthony Nelson, one of the many younger candidates running for office this year, as reported … Continue reading →

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Bonus commentary on 2019 lineup

Posted on August 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There was a lot of last minute activity at Monday’s filing deadline, as there usually is. Probably more so this year, as approximately ten percent of Houston adults are running for office this November. The point here is that the … Continue reading →

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The 2019 lineups are set

Posted on August 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Barring any late disqualifications or other unexpected events, we have the candidates we’re getting on our 2019 ballot. More than 125 candidates turned in paperwork to run for city office by Monday’s filing deadline, setting up a packed November ballot … Continue reading →

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HISD has a lawsuit against the TEA over that ethics investigation

Posted on August 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I missed the first act of this story, but that’s okay because this is where it gets interesting. Lawyers for Houston ISD’s school board are seeking to stop the Texas Education Agency from replacing the district’s elected trustees following a … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Interview with Tiffany Thomas

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We move now to District F, a district that will have its fourth Council member since 2013 with the departure of controversial first-term member Steve Le. Six people are lined up to compete for this open seat, many of whom … Continue reading →

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We await HISD’s fate

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, I think we know what it’s going to be, but there are still some questions. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath came to and left the Greater Houston area Thursday without addressing one of the biggest issues on his agenda: the … Continue reading →

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

City moves forward on Vision Zero

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Tuesday adopted a plan that aims to end traffic fatalities and serious traffic injuries in Houston by 2030. The “Vision Zero Houston” plan is considered a significant step in the city’s mobility strategy and will … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

On to the next big financial issue for the city

Posted on August 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s always something. Four years ago, the main source of Houston’s deteriorating financial health — billions of dollars in unfunded pension obligations — loomed over the race for mayor, promising a massive test for the winner. Now, Mayor Sylvester Turner, … Continue reading →

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A call to embrace scooters

Posted on August 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Chron business writer Chris Tomlinson is a fan of scooters. After years of riding bicycles in traffic, I’m comfortable riding a scooter on the street where they belong. I find them a convenient and environmentally-friendly alternative to automobile congestion. But … Continue reading →

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

HISD misses on accountability ratings

Posted on August 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There’s now a second reason for the TEA to step in and take over HISD. Houston ISD moved a major step closer to temporarily losing local control over its school board Thursday, as long-awaited state academic accountability ratings showed one … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

July 2019 campaign finance reports: HISD and HCC

Posted on August 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

One last look at July finance reports. I’m lumping together reports for HISD and HCC, in part because there’s some crossover, and in part because there’s not all that much to these. As always, refer to the Erik Manning candidate … Continue reading →

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Metro referendum is set

Posted on August 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Metropolitan Transit Authority board members voted Tuesday to ask voters in November for permission to borrow up to $3.5 billion, without raising taxes. The money would cover the first phase of what local leaders expect to be … Continue reading →

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Interview with Cynthia Reyes-Revilla

Posted on August 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We continue today with another interview in District H, where first-term incumbent Karla Cisneros has drawn two challengers so far (the filing deadline is Sunday, so we’ll see if there are others). Cynthia Reyes-Revilla was the first candidate to enter … Continue reading →

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So what’s the goal of a TEA takeover of HISD?

Posted on August 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The history of TEA takeovers of school districts is mixed, so we ought to be clear about what the forthcoming takeover of HISD is supposed to do. In recent years, districts subject to state-appointed boards successfully have balanced budgets and … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Revisiting City Council redistricting

Posted on August 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This would be interesting. At Wednesday’s council meeting, District E Councilmember Dave Martin said the city should consider redrawing city council district boundaries, particularly in his own district. District E includes two far-flung suburbs, Kingwood and Clear Lake. Martin said … Continue reading →

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Interview with Isabel Longoria

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

As I’ve said before, I’m going to be doing a limited set of interviews this fall, with some more likely to follow for the runoffs. (Which will then blend right into the 2020 primaries, but that’s a whole ‘nother thing.) … Continue reading →

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

Astros to extend netting

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Glad to hear it. The Astros are joining the growing list of Major League baseball teams that are extending protective netting around ballparks amid growing concern over fan safety. The team’s decision to extend netting beyond each dugout at Minute … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Some flood mitigation funds are coming

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded Houston its first grant aimed at mitigating flooding since Hurricane Harvey hit nearly two years ago, laying the groundwork for new gates on the Lake Houston dam and detention basins in Inwood … Continue reading →

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