Tag Archives: Houston

Senate presents disaster relief bills

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Better late than never, though why they’re late remains a subject of interest. More than a year and a half after Hurricane Harvey ravaged the state, Texas Senate leaders announced a $1.8 billion trio of disaster relief bills on Wednesday that they … Continue reading →

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Metro working on sidewalks

Posted on March 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I heartily approve of this. Metropolitan Transit Authority is taking the lead on leveling sidewalks and bus stops to give riders an easier path to transit — or, in some cases, actual access to it. “This is a model of … Continue reading →

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What can you legally wear when you go to vote?

Posted on March 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the subject of a lawsuit involving voters from Houston and Dallas. A Houston woman who was forced to turn a firefighters T-shirt inside out at the polls and a Dallas-area man who tried to vote in his Trump MAGA … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Same sex employee benefits lawsuit tossed again

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is great, but as always that’s not the end of it. The lawsuit dates back to 2013, when pastor Jack Pidgeon and accountant Larry Hicks sued the city to end the policy. In 2015, after the U.S. Supreme Court … Continue reading →

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Skilling officially sprung

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There he goes. Jeffrey K. Skilling, the former Enron CEO who spent the past 12 years in prison for his role in masterminding one of most notorious corporate fraud cases in history, was released from federal custody on Thursday, the … Continue reading →

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City proposes partial pay raise to firefighters

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Progress, of a sort. Houston officials have offered to raise firefighters’ base salaries, but not sufficiently to establish pay parity with police officers as approved by voters, city and firefighter union officials said Wednesday. “In my mind, the proposal makes … Continue reading →

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Flood tunnel study funds

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Could be cool. The Harris County Flood Control District is set to receive a $320,000 federal grant to study the feasibility of constructing deep underground tunnels to move stormwater to the Houston Ship Channel without overburdening the area’s bayous. The … Continue reading →

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January 2019 campaign finance reports: HCC

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s our last group of finance reports for people on the ballot in 2019, HCC Trustees. You can find the full list of finance reports here, which includes PACs and past candidates/Trustees. They’re listed alphabetically by first name and the … Continue reading →

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2020 DNC update

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Houston remains in the running, but who knows how this will go. Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez is choosing among Houston, Miami and Milwaukee. In recent weeks, some Democrats have privately suggested Milwaukee would get the nod, and a … Continue reading →

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There is no longer a ban on federal funds for rail on Richmond

Posted on February 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is about as bittersweet as it gets. There are no plans to build light rail on Richmond, but for the first time in a long time there is nothing stopping Metro from asking for federal funds to help pay … Continue reading →

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Once again with Booker T

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

On the one hand, I admire what he’s trying to do. On the other hand, I completely disagree with how he’s going about it. Pro wrestler Booker T. Huffman is in a real fight to actualize his run for mayor … Continue reading →

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Superintendent search will continue

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

For the time being, at least. Houston ISD’s pursuit of a permanent superintendent will continue after trustees rejected a motion Thursday to suspend the search amid a recently launched state investigation into potential violations of open meetings laws. Trustees voted … Continue reading →

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Back to court for Prop B

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. Lawyers for Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner filed a motion Friday afternoon seeking to declare Proposition B invalid, contending the voter-approved referendum supporting pay parity for firefighters violates Texas law. The move is the latest in an … Continue reading →

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January 2019 finance reports: HISD

Posted on February 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Odd-numbered years mean three types of elections in Houston – city, HISD, and HCC. We’ve looked at the finance reports for city candidates, now let’s have a look at the reports for HISD trustees, which I’ve separated into those up … Continue reading →

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The Southern Baptist Convention’s sexual abuse problems

Posted on February 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Some excellent longform reporting from the Chron, with more to come. Thirty-five years later, Debbie Vasquez’s voice trembled as she described her trauma to a group of Southern Baptist leaders. She was 14, she said, when she was first molested … Continue reading →

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Another AstroWorld auction

Posted on February 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Warm up your credit cards. If your wallet is as deep as your love for Houston’s AstroWorld, you’re in luck. An online auction is selling off a little more than 300 items from the theme park that closed its gates … Continue reading →

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Architect hired for Ismaili Center construction on Robinson Warehouse site

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is the most exciting bit of local news I’ve seen in years. The worldwide Ismaili Muslim community announced Wednesday it is moving forward with plans to make Houston the site of its first U.S. cultural center and to create … Continue reading →

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Measles comes back to Houston

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We all vaccinated our kids, right? Five cases of measles have been confirmed in the greater Houston area, a regional cluster that makes Texas the eleventh state this year to report the highly contagious disease until recently thought virtually eliminated … Continue reading →

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Joint processing center opens

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This was a long time coming, but it should be worth the wait. More than a decade after city voters approved a bond measure to fund it, Houston and Harris County opened a joint inmate processing center Thursday that officials … Continue reading →

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

Does the Astrodome redevelopment need air conditioning?

Posted on January 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I hadn’t thought about this, to be honest. As work continues on the initial stages of preparing the Astrodome for its new life as a parking and events venue, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo raised questions last week about the … Continue reading →

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Take a Tesla to Austin

Posted on January 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Because sure, why not? Want to ride in a Tesla? For $250, you can be chauffeured on a one-way trip between Houston and Austin. Dallas is just $400 away. Austin-based ElecTrip is billed as an energy-efficient alternative to private flights … Continue reading →

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More road safety, please

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like a good idea. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez [last] Tuesday called on local law enforcement agencies to devote more resources to improving road safety and to create a new region-wide task force dedicated to reducing the Houston area’s … Continue reading →

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Early voting ends in HD145

Posted on January 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Turnout ticked up considerably on Friday, which is an alternate headline for the one given to the Chron story. Early voting to fill state Sen. Carol Alvarado’s former seat in the Texas House ended Friday with just 1,528 ballots recorded, … Continue reading →

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Is the craft brewing business in a slowdown?

Posted on January 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Item one. Alluring as those wide-open skies and rugged vistas may be, the hardscrabble life in West Texas can be unforgiving. And so it was last year for the region’s popular and award-winning craft brewer, Big Bend Brewing Co., despite … Continue reading →

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We’re already on the next generation of scooters

Posted on January 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

And of course, they’re coming to Austin. Already home to thousands of electric scooters, many of them crowding downtown sidewalks, the Central Texas city will be the first to experience a new generation of shareable electric scooters from an Oxnard, … Continue reading →

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HISD back under scrutiny

Posted on January 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s hope this turns out to be no big deal. The Texas Education Agency is investigating possible open meetings violations by some Houston ISD trustees last year when they engaged in private discussions that led to the abrupt ouster of … Continue reading →

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January 2019 finance reports: City of Houston

Posted on January 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s January, and you know what happens in January: Campaign finance reports get posted. This is a city of Houston election year, so first order of business is to look at the city of Houston finance reports. I’ve put all … Continue reading →

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HPD and Ring

Posted on January 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We don’t have a Ring doorbell so this doesn’t affect me, but I do find it quite interesting. The Houston Police Department announced Monday that it is joining Ring’s mobile app, Neighbors, in a move officials hope will reduce crime … Continue reading →

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Hitch-ing a ride

Posted on January 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’m kind of fascinated by this story about another ridesharing app/service. High-tech hitchhiking has arrived in Texas. Austin startup Hitch offers a ride-sharing service connecting people driving between Houston and Austin with people needing rides. “Over 10,000 cars make trips … Continue reading →

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More details on the Metro referendum

Posted on January 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Still a work in progress. A planned 110 miles of two-way HOV along major freeways with eight new park and ride stations is expected to cost $1.37 billion, with another $383 million in improvements to operate 25 percent more bus … Continue reading →

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HISD’s last stand

Posted on January 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

They have their work cut out for them. Houston ISD’s four Hispanic trustees took hold of the school board’s top officer positions Thursday, led by Trustee Diana Dávila winning election as president of the much-maligned governance team. Dávila, who has … Continue reading →

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Firefighters go back to court

Posted on January 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I dunno, man. The Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association sought a court order Tuesday aiming to force the city to pay firefighters the same as police officers of corresponding rank and seniority, one day before Mayor Sylvester Turner and the … Continue reading →

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Trying to make “pay for play” an issue

Posted on January 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck. With more than nine months to go until Houston’s municipal elections, Mayor Sylvester Turner’s first two opponents turned their attention this week to limiting political donors’ influence at City Hall. Both challengers, millionaire lawyer and Texas A&M University … Continue reading →

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The 2019 elections

Posted on January 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We haven’t forgotten that there are some big elections on tap for us this year, have we? Let’s go a quick rundown. May elections Election campaigns are already in progress in the cities that have May elections, which includes big … Continue reading →

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