Tag Archives: Houston

Friday random ten: All hail the Astros

Posted on November 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I break the pattern once again in honor of the Astros’ World Series win. 1. Born To Win – Hurray For The Riff Raff 2. Playing To Win – Shalamar 3. The Winner Takes It All – ABBA 4. You … Continue reading →

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Is this development really necessary?

Posted on November 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Boy, the optics of this sure are lousy. The Houston City Council has indefinitely postponed a proposal to build hundreds of homes in a west Houston floodplain amid questions about whether city leaders’ actions would match their rhetoric about mitigating … Continue reading →

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A big ask for hurricane recovery

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. I mean that mostly sincerely. Texas needs an additional $61 billion in federal disaster recovery money for infrastructure alone after Hurricane Harvey’s devastation, according to a report from the Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas that was … Continue reading →

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2017 EV daily report: Day 10, and the first sign of an uptick

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the numbers through Wednesday. I know I said yesterday that I don’t usually report the latest results in Week 2 because they come in late, but like everyone else I was up late watching Game 7, so here … Continue reading →

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Astros win the World Series

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I think you can find some stories about this particular news item on your own. On behalf of every sleep-deprived Houstonian, congratulations to the Astros! A great achievement, and a huge burden relieved. Now go get ready for a parade.

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2017 EV daily report: Day 8, and one more look at a way to guess turnout

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the numbers through Monday. Now that we are in the second week of early voting, when the hours each day are 7 to 7, these reports arrive in my inbox later in the evening. Here are the daily … Continue reading →

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Texans take a knee

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. On Sunday afternoon, before the Houston Texans faced off against the Seattle Seahawks in Washington, all but approximately 10 Texans took a knee during the national anthem. This was a direct response to Texans owner Bob McNair … Continue reading →

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2017 EV daily report: Day 6

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the numbers through Saturday. Sunday’s numbers didn’t come in last night, but it’s the shortest EV day so its numbers are always the smallest. Here are the daily totals from previous years: 2015 2013 2011 2009 2007 And … Continue reading →

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JJ Watt announces his plan for Harvey relief funds

Posted on October 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This had been much anticipated. Hurricane Harvey victims, nonprofits and Texans fans alike have been on the edge of their seats to hear what J.J. Watt planned to do with the $37 million he raised for storm relief. As of … Continue reading →

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Should we remove the concrete from White Oak Bayou?

Posted on October 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

That’s an interesting question, one worth considering, if there’s a way to pay for it. A feasibility study conducted for the Harris County Flood Control District and released Friday offers three options to do just that. What it does not … Continue reading →

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Poker clubs

Posted on October 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I wish them luck. Michael Eakman, a poker aficionado from a very young age, has hosted poker tournaments from around the country, but Texas gambling laws have long shut him out of his own state and his hometown of Houston. … Continue reading →

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City buys out some flooded homes

Posted on October 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Expect to see more of this. Houston City Council on Wednesday approved funding nearly 60 home buyouts across three flood-prone neighborhoods, the first such step from City Hall in recent memory. The city typically leaves buyouts to the Harris County … Continue reading →

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Curbside recycling will resume November 13

Posted on October 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Hooray! Houstonians stockpiling cardboard and aluminum cans, rejoice: the city will resume curbside recycling service next month. Recycling service has been suspended since Aug. 30, when city waste crews dropped all efforts other than weekly trash pickup to focus on … Continue reading →

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2017 EV daily report: Just remember, the reports we get are all of Harris County

Posted on October 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here are today’s numbers, and here are the daily totals from previous years: 2015 2013 2011 2009 2007 And here’s a select comparison: Year Early Mail Total Mailed ======================================= 2017 11,953 7,513 19,466 19,581 2015 36,322 19,789 56,111 42,520 2011 … Continue reading →

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What about those constitutional amendments?

Posted on October 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Would you like someone to explain to you what those seven Constitutional amendments are about, in painstaking detail, with a recommendation for how to vote on each? Daniel Williams is here for you. It’s that time of the biennium again! … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of the HISD races

Posted on October 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not much, but it is what it is. As Houston ISD faces a possible state takeover, a $106 million budget shortfall and millions of dollars in needed repairs from Hurricane Harvey, six of its board’s nine seats are up … Continue reading →

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What Houston is showing to Amazon

Posted on October 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Meet the Innovation Corridor. Houston leaders hope to entice Amazon with a spot somewhere within the four-mile stretch of the Metro rail line that runs from downtown to the Texas Medical Center, an area they’re calling the Innovation Corridor – … Continue reading →

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2017 EV daily report: Day One

Posted on October 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Happy first day of early voting! If you’re expecting me to have today’s EV totals from Harris County, as well as EV totals from past elections, you’re right. Here are today’s numbers, and here are the daily totals from previous … Continue reading →

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Early voting for November 2017 begins today

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: “The best option to vote in the upcoming Nov. 7 election is during the early voting period,” advised Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart. Early Voting for the November 7, 2017 General and Special Elections begins Monday, October … Continue reading →

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People who oppose the Uptown Line continue to oppose the Uptown Line

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Film at 11. A plan for faster bus service along Post Oak, the centerpiece of a larger project to remake Uptown’s Main Street, continues to divide its supporters and transit skeptics, even as work accelerates and commuters brace for limited … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Don’t forget the city bonds

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron circles back to where they started this endorsement season. The spotlight of public attention has focused on the billion dollar pension bond referendum, Proposition A, whose passage is absolutely critical to Houston’s financial future. But if you’re a … Continue reading →

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30 day campaign finance reports – HCC

Posted on October 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

One more time with the 30 day reports. July reports are here. Carolyn Evans-Shabazz Robert Glaser Pretta VanDible Stallworth David Jaroszewski Dist Name Raised Spent Loans On Hand ========================================================= 4 Evans-Shabazz 1,148 527 0 3,079 5 Glaser 0 200 5,000 … Continue reading →

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30 day campaign finance reports – HISD

Posted on October 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The next round of finance reports for the November elections are available now, so let’s take a look at them, beginning with HISD. Here are the July reports for comparison. Gretchen Himsl Monica Flores Richart Elizabeth Santos Carlos Perrett Jesse … Continue reading →

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Another contemplation of turnout

Posted on October 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s see where this one takes us. Last time, I made some guesses about turnout in the HISD races based on overall turnout in the city of Houston. Now I’m going to turn that around and take a shot at … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: HCC

Posted on October 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron wraps up their endorsements for November. HCCS, Trustee, District IV: Carolyn Evans-Shabazz The ideal candidate for this seat would be someone with a bold vision for HCC who is capable of collaborating with existing board members. It would … Continue reading →

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Interview with Robert Glaser

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

One more time with HCC – it’s possible I may have more of these, but this is what I have at this time. Robert Glaser, like Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, is running for his first full term in office, after having won … Continue reading →

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Council passes dumb forced tax cut

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is where we are. City Council rejected Mayor Sylvester Turner’s proposal to leave Houston’s tax rate unchanged from last year Wednesday, instead approving a tiny rate cut to comply with the voter-imposed cap on property tax revenues. Turner had … Continue reading →

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Interview with Jasmine Jenkins of Houstonians for Great Public Schools

Posted on October 18, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

For obvious reasons, there’s going to be a lot of focus on HISD, both in the next year as the district recovers from Harvey and tries to fend off a takeover by the Texas Education Agency, and going forward, as … Continue reading →

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Another property tax rate dustup

Posted on October 18, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this: Mayor Sylvester Turner plans to ask city council on Wednesday to sidestep the voter-imposed revenue cap by approving the same property tax rate as last year. According to City Controller Chris Brown, … Continue reading →

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Interview with Carolyn Evans-Shabazz

Posted on October 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

HCC Trustee races never get the attention they deserve. That’s on me too, as I could spend more time with them, but it’s a systemic problem as much as anything. What I can do about it right now is bring … Continue reading →

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Amazon and Houston

Posted on October 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Does our city have a shot at landing Amazon’s HQ2? Eh, maybe. Bringing Amazon to Houston almost certainly will be a heavy lift. The pursuit of the company that revolutionized the retail industry has highlighted both the potential and shortcomings … Continue reading →

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More on HISD IX, and a little on HISD VII Alief ISD

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

As noted before, I did not do interviews in HISD Trustee races in districts VII and IX. In VII, I did interview now-incumbent Anne Sung and challenger John Luman last year when they were running in the special election to … Continue reading →

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Still some fretting about the bonds

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Generalized anxiety, nothing specific. Fire engines bursting into flames at a scene. Roof leaks damaging walls at city health clinics. Bike trails eroding into the bayou. Those are among the reasons Mayor Sylvester Turner is asking voters to approve $495 … Continue reading →

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The Acre

Posted on October 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Meet downtown’s newest park. As park spaces go, Houston’s newest urban oasis is a mere postage stamp, occupying just over an acre of privately held land, developed with private money. But in post-Harvey Houston, the value of every inch of … Continue reading →

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