Tag Archives: Houston

Firefighters have their signatures

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

On to the next act in this drama. A petition Houston firefighters submitted last summer seeking pay parity with police contains enough valid signatures to trigger a referendum election, City Secretary Anna Russell reported to Mayor Sylvester Turner and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018, Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

The revenue cap and the police

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s something. Not what I want, but something. Mayor Sylvester Turner used his third State of the City speech to call — again — for the city to be able to collect more revenue than allowed by the property tax … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Metro will pilot automated vehicle shuttle at TSU

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

from the inbox: Texas Southern University students may have another transportation option on campus in the fall semester: an autonomous shuttle. Today, METRO’s Board of Directors gave the nod to the autonomous vehicle (AV) project, a first for the agency.  Although the … Continue reading →

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Early voting ends for May 5 elections

Posted on May 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Go vote Saturday if you haven’t voted yet. Voters across southwest Houston will head to the polls Saturday to vote on a replacement for late District K Houston City Councilman Larry Green who died unexpectedly from a drug overdose in … Continue reading →

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What might the TEA do with HISD?

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

They have some options, the best of which is probably to put the decision off for a year. A.J. Crabill knows what it’s like to close schools. In 2010, Crabill, then a 30-year-old member of the Kansas City, Missouri, school … Continue reading →

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It’s hard being pregnant in Harris County

Posted on April 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We need to figure this out. Life-threatening, pregnancy-related complications — the iceberg beneath the surface of the U.S. maternal health crisis — are on the rise in Harris County, according to a new report. The report not only confirmed the … Continue reading →

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Count of firefighters’ pay parity petitions needs to be done by Friday

Posted on April 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Or else. Not sure what follows the “or else”, but maybe we won’t have to find out. City Secretary Anna Russell has one week to finish verifying a petition Houston firefighters submitted last summer seeking pay parity with police or … Continue reading →

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Smart Cities Collaborative

Posted on April 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a thing we are part of. Houston will join 21 other cities in a national partnership aimed at addressing persistent transportation challenges as technology and mobility choices have planners rethinking how streets, sidewalks and private spaces interact. The upcoming … Continue reading →

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

Reinventing Jones Plaza

Posted on April 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Big changes coming to downtown. Jones Plaza, the often-empty, 1.5-acre public space at the heart of Houston’s Theater District, may finally become a true people magnet courtesy of the second face-lift in its 51-year history. This time, Houston First Corporation, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

HISD nixes charter partnership

Posted on April 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

First there was this. Houston ISD board members adjourned late Tuesday without voting on a controversial measure to give up control over 10 low-performing schools after the meeting turned physical and police escorted members of the public — nearly all … Continue reading →

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

Ellis puts up money for city’s bike projects

Posted on April 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I like this plan. Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis on Monday announced a one-year $10 million commitment to bicycling projects in Houston, in the hopes of jump-starting the city’s transformation into a bike-friendly place. “Working together, we can … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

HISD considers charter partnership

Posted on April 24, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

They’ve got to do something to keep the TEA at bay. Energized For STEM Academy Inc., an organization run by NAACP Houston Branch President James Douglas and former Houston ISD trustee Paula Harris, has been selected as the potential partner … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Early voting for the May 5 elections begins today

Posted on April 23, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: EARLY VOTING BEGINS FOR HOUSTON COUNCIL DISTRICT K  Local jurisdictions, including schools, emergency, and utility districts, also holding May 5 Elections Houston, TX –Early Voting for the May 5, 2018 City of Houston Council Member District K Special Election begins Monday, April … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: District K special election

Posted on April 23, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes its choice in the District K special election. Larry Blackmon, 68, has spent decades serving on various boards and advisory committees under the leadership of three Houston mayors. Martha Castex-Tatum, 48, is the director of constituent services … Continue reading →

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

Interview with Aisha Savoy

Posted on April 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I have published a series of interviews with candidates in the special election for Houston City Council District K, to fill the vacancy left by the untimely death of CM Larry Green. As you also know, sometimes … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Houston Youth Walkout

Posted on April 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good work, y’all. Chanting for gun-law reform and reduced firearm violence, an estimated 2,000-plus students marched to City Hall Friday morning as part of nationwide school walkouts. The Houston Youth Walkout, believed to be the largest local out-of-class gathering to … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

No Houston-HISD partnership

Posted on April 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Probably just as well. Mayor Sylvester Turner has ruled out any partnership with Houston ISD to turn around 10 chronically under-performing schools, saying Wednesday he will not be part of the school district’s forthcoming proposal aimed at avoiding a state … Continue reading →

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Happy tenth birthday, Discovery Green

Posted on April 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

What a great addition it has been. Discovery Green opened a decade ago this weekend, drawing 25,000 people to the long-dormant east side of downtown to gawk at parading Clydesdales, dogs in costumes, a puppet show, a magician, musicians and … Continue reading →

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Interview with Pat Frazier

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We wrap up our interview series in District K with Pat Frazier, who is the one person in this race that has run for this seat before, back in 2011. Frazier is an educator and community activist with a long … Continue reading →

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Interview with Elisabeth Johnson

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Elisabeth Johnson has a long background in politics and community activism, having worked on the Bill White for Governor campaign in 2010 as a field organizer in Dallas and with the Texas Organizing Project and Working America to help pass … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

RIP, Barbara Bush

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Former First Lady and mother of President George W. Bush has passed away. Barbara Pierce Bush, matriarch of an American political dynasty that has produced presidents, governors and other high officials, has died in Houston. She was 92. Bush was … Continue reading →

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Interview with Larry Blackmon

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We return now to the interviews for the special election in District K. Most of the nine candidates in this race are first-timers, but two are not. Larry Blackmon is one of those two, having run in the open At … Continue reading →

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

More accusers against Paul Pressler

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

So often the case when there is one accusation of abuse against a powerful person, more victims come forward with their own stories. The list of men accusing a former Texas state judge and leading figure of the Southern Baptist … Continue reading →

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Anti-same sex employee benefits lawsuit moved back to state court

Posted on April 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

On and on we go. Nearly three years after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, the city of Houston continues to battle for the rights of its gay workers. On Tuesday, a judge struck down Houston’s attempts to … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A clean separation

Posted on April 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Well done. Former Houston ISD superintendent Richard Carranza’s resignation from the district involved no financial settlements, and the two sides agreed not to sue each other following the separation, according to documents obtained by the Houston Chronicle. A written agreement … Continue reading →

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Interview with Martha Castex-Tatum

Posted on April 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We continue on with interviews in the District K special election, to succeed the late Council Member Larry Green. Today we have Martha Castex-Tatum, who has served in CM Green’s office as the Director of Constituent Services since 2015. She … Continue reading →

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

Greater Houston Flood Mitigation Consortium report

Posted on April 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: “Strategies for Flood Mitigation in Greater Houston, Edition 1”, a report released today by the Greater Houston Flood Mitigation Consortium, calls for accelerating the paradigm shift underway in how the Houston area plans for and recovers from flooding … Continue reading →

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Interview with Lawrence McGaffie

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We continue with interviews in the special election for District K to succeed the late CM Larry Green. Today I am talking with Lawrence McGaffie, an ordained minister and Army veteran who is the founder of the Inspire the Lead, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Interview with Anthony Freddie

Posted on April 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the special election to succeed the late Council Member Larry Green in District K is on May 5. Early voting for this election begins April 23, which is to say two weeks from now. In those two … Continue reading →

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

It’s not easy being green

Posted on April 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I have mixed feelings about this. The “Blue Trees” artist has stirred up a hive of trouble for Houston’s parks and recreation department, complaining that the city plagiarized an installation he created five years ago by re-painting the same grove … Continue reading →

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Council approves new floodplain regulations

Posted on April 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve been waiting for this. Starting this fall, all new homes built in Houston’s floodplains must be elevated higher off the ground after a contentious debate and narrow vote by City Council on Wednesday to adopt the Bayou City’s first … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

HISD will not change its funding mechanism

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Not this year, at least. Houston ISD officials have abandoned plans to overhaul the way the district funds its schools, opting to keep HISD’s long-standing financing system as they work to fill a $115 million budget deficit. Schools will continue … Continue reading →

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Tina Thompson

Posted on April 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations to original Houston Comet Tina Thompson for her selection to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Tina Thompson was honored for her stellar college, professional and Olympic career when she was named to the 2018 Class of the Naismith Memorial … Continue reading →

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What role might the city have in HISD?

Posted on March 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The possibility that the city could have any role at all with HISD is itself interesting. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said he has been asked to get “very, very, very involved” in Houston ISD as it faces potentially severe state … Continue reading →

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