Tag Archives: Houston

ReBuild re-vote

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Sort of. It’s complicated. Eight years after voters narrowly backed the idea, the controversial street and drainage program known as ReBuild Houston is expected to appear again on the November ballot in the form of an amendment to the city … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

First look at Metro’s long range plan

Posted on August 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s big, with smaller components that could be done as lower-cost alternatives. After a bus system overhaul that garnered the attention of other cities looking to do the same, Houston’s transit agency is in the midst of creating its long-range plan, MetroNEXT, to take the … Continue reading →

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

Firefighters file suit over handling of pay parity proposal

Posted on August 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I figured we’d have to wait till after the eventual vote on the firefighters’ pay parity proposal for there to be litigation over it, but no. The union representing Houston firefighters sued Mayor Sylvester Turner and a City Council member … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Carranza’s parting shot

Posted on July 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been sitting with this for a couple of days, and ultimately decided it was not worth much more than a shrug. Former Houston ISD superintendent Richard Carranza did not mince words in an interview published this week about his … Continue reading →

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

Houston to get 5G service

Posted on July 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Verizon will soon launch 5G technology in Houston, though its initial focus won’t be on improving the performance of mobile devices. Rather, the wireless provider is positioning itself to compete with Comcast and AT&T for streaming television, playing video … Continue reading →

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Council discusses firefighter pay parity proposal

Posted on July 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It will cost some money if it passes. Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña said Thursday that his firefighters deserve raises, but he would be hard-pressed to maintain his department budget without reducing his ranks if voters approve a measure granting … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Final Four returns to Houston

Posted on July 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Mark your calendars. The NCAA announced Monday that Houston and NRG Stadium will host the 2023 men’s Final Four. College basketball’s marquee event will be held April 1 and 3. It will mark the fourth time the event will be … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

No quorum for very special Council meeting

Posted on July 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Close, but no cigar. A handful of city council members who organized a rare special meeting to push for a Houston firefighters petition seeking pay “parity” with police to appear on the November ballot fell short of a quorum Friday … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

HISD is optimistic about not being taken over (yet)

Posted on July 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I hope it’s warranted. Several of Houston ISD’s longest-struggling elementary and middle schools posted significant gains on state standardized tests in 2018, including all three campuses that must meet Texas academic standards this year to avoid triggering major sanctions, according … Continue reading →

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Another homeless feeding lawsuit dismissed

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Not the end of the story, though. A state district judge this week dismissed a lawsuit a local activist filed last year against Houston’s ordinance regulating the charitable feeding of the city’s homeless, but the case is proceeding on with … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Darian Ward indicted on charge of violating public information laws

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Mayor Sylvester Turner’s former press secretary, Darian Ward, was indicted by a grand jury this week for failing to turn over public records in response to a reporter’s request late last year. The indictment, handed up Tuesday but released … Continue reading →

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

A very special Council meeting

Posted on July 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Who knew there was such a thing? In a rare maneuver that sidesteps Mayor Sylvester Turner’s authority, five city council members have called a special meeting this week, hoping to force the issue of Houston firefighters’ push for a referendum … Continue reading →

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

The World Cup and its possible infrastructure effects

Posted on July 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Assuming Houston does get to be a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, that could spur some major projects, for transportation and recreation and who knows what else. Houston will not receive final word on the bid until … Continue reading →

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Dallas hyperlooping

Posted on July 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

North Texas takes the lead for this super sexy but possibly vaporware transportation technology. The Regional Transportation Council announced Wednesday that it will consider the feasibility of a hyperloop as a way to connect Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington. The … Continue reading →

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

Beer delivered to your home

Posted on July 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Who needs groceries, am I right? Favor, founded in Austin in 2013, prides itself in delivering almost anything in under an hour. But until now, beer and wine — long the No. 1 request from customers — was among the … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Minute Maid 2.0

Posted on July 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Astros are staying in their home stadium for the long term. Now that the Astros are in Minute Maid Park for the long haul, “Minute Maid Park 2.0” is in the works. The Harris County Houston Sports Authority on … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , | 24 Comments

Houston Flood Museum

Posted on July 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds like a good idea. [Lacy] Johnson, a published author and Rice assistant professor, started writing to process the post-disaster “dissonance” she observed. The resulting essays published on Facebook quickly garnered hundreds of reactions and shares. It wasn’t long before the Houston Endowment approached her about … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

More on flood tunnels

Posted on July 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

They’re a thing, I swear. While it’s far from clear whether it will ever happen, the concept almost immediately generated widespread response when it was announced earlier this spring. Local officials told the Houston Chronicle it’s outside-the-box thinking with benefits that could outweigh … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I got those “too many traffic lights between Houston and Austin” blues

Posted on July 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

But maybe not for long. Depending on which route you drive. [T]he Texas Department of Transportation is in the final stages of a decadeslong effort to at least make that 170-mile trip from Austin to Houston free of traffic lights. … Continue reading →

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

More on the latest Harvey funds

Posted on July 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the full Chron story regarding that allocation of federal Harvey recovery money from Thursday. It wasn’t clear from the Trib story I quoted from, but that levee system is, at least in part, the Ike Dike. Jim Blackburn of … Continue reading →

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Mayor makes Metro appointments

Posted on July 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Only one change, but it’s a big one. Mayor Sylvester Turner has nominated Teresa “Terry” R. Morales to serve in Position 5 of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) board of directors, for a term that expires April … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Pension bond lawsuit dismissed

Posted on July 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This hit my inbox late in the day on July 3. The City of Houston is pleased that a court challenge to the 2017 election on the City’s pension bonds has been decided in its favor. Today, State District Judge … Continue reading →

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

Feds approve $5 billion in Harvey aid

Posted on July 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Almost a year after Hurricane Harvey dumped historic rains on Texas, the state will receive more than $5 billion for a range of flood control projects, repairs and studies, the Trump administration announced Thursday. […] [About $1 billion] will … Continue reading →

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Paying to park at Memorial Park

Posted on July 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Let the pearl-clutching begin! A quarter of the parking spaces at Memorial Park will be metered starting later this year, as the city and the park’s nonprofit operators scrape together dollars for maintenance amid an ambitious renovation. Visitors who park … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

“Families Belong Together”

Posted on July 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Make some noise, then make sure everyone you know gets out and votes. As the temperature inched to the triple digits and sweating crowds swarmed the south lawn of the Texas State Capitol, speakers declared with grief, hope, indignation and … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Lawrence decision, 15 years later

Posted on June 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Time flies, but society moves slowly. Theirs was an unlikely case. John Lawrence and Tyron Garner weren’t in love, they weren’t a committed couple and it’s not clear that they were even having sex one September 1998 evening in Lawrence’s … Continue reading →

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

Where the anti-vaxxers are

Posted on June 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

A lot of them are right here. Four Texas cities, including Houston, rank among the 15 metropolitan “hotspots” of vaccine exemptions, more than any other state, according to a new study. The study found Austin, Fort Worth and Plano also … Continue reading →

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Council approves initial Harvey housing aid

Posted on June 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. Houston City Council has approved a plan to direct how the first long-term federal housing aid headed this way after Hurricane Harvey will be spent, targeting $600 million to repair or build single-family homes and $375 million … Continue reading →

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

Your Houston PAC

Posted on June 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a new player on the local scene. Bill Baldwin, a longtime real estate broker, volunteer and member of Houston’s planning commission, has launched a political action committee aimed at improving the city’s neighborhoods, schools and local governments. The tenets … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Texans cheerleader lawsuit update

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Couple points of interest here. A former Texans cheerleader who says cheer director Alto Gary derided her as “skinny fat” and applied duct tape to her stomach before a 2017 game added her name Friday to one of two lawsuits … Continue reading →

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HISD approves its budget

Posted on June 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

In the end, they took what they initially rejected. Houston ISD trustees unanimously passed a $2 billion budget Monday that is nearly identical to the one they narrowly rejected two weeks ago, signing off on significant cuts and agreeing to … Continue reading →

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Achieve 180 schools show encouraging gains

Posted on June 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news we could all use. One year into Achieve 180, early results show marked improvement at many of the district’s chronically underperforming schools. After years of falling behind academically, the 42 schools covered under HISD’s targeted improvement plan … Continue reading →

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“As the Board turns”

Posted on June 23, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

deep sigh Houston ISD Trustee Jolanda Jones publicly aired personal attacks and allegations against fellow school board members in online posts this week, chipping away at the board’s efforts to present a more collegial front in the face of administrative … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Houston on the short list for the 2020 DNC

Posted on June 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

One in three shot at it. Democratic Party officials have culled the list of potential host cities for the 2020 Democratic National Convention from eight to four, and Houston is still in the mix, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Wednesday. The … Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments