Tag Archives: Houston

HISD will begin classes on September 11

Posted on September 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Another week off for students. As Houston ISD continues to sort out which of its schools were damaged in Tropical Storm Harvey, school officials are postponing the start of the school year until Sept. 11, two weeks after school was … Continue reading →

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

Enforcement of SB4 halted

Posted on August 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent! U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia granted a preliminary injunction of Senate Bill 4, one of Gov. Greg Abbott’s key legislative priorities that seeks to outlaw “sanctuary” entities, the common term for governments that don’t enforce federal immigration laws. The … Continue reading →

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Remember the Katy Prairie

Posted on August 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the four things we could have done differently to maybe mitigate some of the worst effects of Harvey: Preserve and restore as much prairie land as possible Much of northwest Houston used to be covered in prairie land, where … Continue reading →

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

A smattering of Harvey news

Posted on August 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

If you are among the lucky ones whose house or apartment remained dry and you want to help those in need, here’s a handy guide to where and how to volunteer. If you want to go to the George R. … Continue reading →

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The Rangers and the Astros

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, come on. The historic flooding in Houston caused by Tropical Storm Harvey will displace the Astros for at least three games and most likely the entire six-game homestand they had scheduled for this week. For at least their three-game … Continue reading →

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Please don’t complain about the lack of an evacuation

Posted on August 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

There are good reasons why there was not an evacuation order for the greater Houston area in advance of Harvey. Ultimately, mayors and county judges are charged with making such decisions. Leaders in Houston and Harris County told residents to … Continue reading →

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

More ways to help

Posted on August 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I posted a couple of links with ways to help with Harvey relief below, but there are some more good suggestions in this Chron story as well. The American Red Cross is encouraging people to donate money on its website or to text … Continue reading →

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HISD cancels classes for a week

Posted on August 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Another effect of Harvey. Houston Independent School District schools and offices will be closed all week, from Monday, Aug. 28 through Friday, Sept. 1, due to widespread damage from Tropical Storm Harvey. HISD officials have been closely monitoring the forecast … Continue reading →

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

Harvey, category 4

Posted on August 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Holy moly. As of 7:45 PM Friday, Hurricane Harvey has been officially upgraded by the National Hurricane Center to a category four storm with 130 mph maximum sustained winds. Port Aransas just gusted to 105 mph as the eyewall approaches. … Continue reading →

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Yes, cities need lobbyists

Posted on August 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Every few years, this argument heats up. In the run-up to this year’s Texas legislative session, Mayor Sylvester Turner decided to switch Capitol lobbying firms. In was Hillco Partners, considered by many the most powerful player in Austin lobbying. Out … Continue reading →

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The ReBuild Houston footnote to the November ballot

Posted on August 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The following paragraph is buried deep in the full story about what will and will not be on the November ballot in Houston. Voters also will not face a reconsideration of the 2010 vote that established ReBuild Houston, the program … Continue reading →

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HISD cancels classes on Monday

Posted on August 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Hello, Harvey. All HISD campuses and administrative offices will be closed on Monday, Aug. 28 and all campus and district activities canceled due to the threat of inclement weather. Classes are scheduled to resume on Tuesday, Aug. 29. However, the … Continue reading →

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Federal court bars enforcement if city’s ban on homeless encampments

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Score one for the law’s opponents. A federal court on Tuesday temporarily blocked Houston from enforcing its fledgling ban on public encampments, dealing a blow to city efforts to manage escalating tensions between homeless people and the neighborhoods their camps … Continue reading →

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

No charter amendments on the fall ballot

Posted on August 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Just bonds, school board and HCC races, and the mostly boring constitutional amendments. Oh, and Heights Alcohol 2.0, if you live there. Houston voters will face $1.5 billion in city bonds and nine community college or school board races this … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Houston part of bid for 2026 FIFA World Cup

Posted on August 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Houston and NRG Stadium are on an official list for cities and venues that may be considered to host a FIFA World Cup match if the event comes to North America in 2026. The United Bid Committee of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Confederate monuments in the Capitol

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Get rid of them, too. A state lawmaker wants all Confederate symbols removed from the Texas Capitol grounds, including a plaque that is 40 steps away from his office that rejects the idea that the South seceded from the Union … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Houston signs memorandum of understanding with Texas Central

Posted on August 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This makes a lot of sense. At City Hall, Houston and Texas Central Partners announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding, which commits both sides to share environmental surveys, utility analysis and engineering related to the project and surrounding … Continue reading →

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HISD gets some improvements, needs some more

Posted on August 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Mostly good news. State school ratings released Tuesday showed academic gains across Houston ISD this year, but enthusiasm over the results was tempered by 10 struggling campuses again falling short of state standards, leaving the district under threat of state … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bond issue set for November

Posted on August 18, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Should be pretty straightforward, though I suppose you never know. November’s ballot will feature $495 million in public improvement bonds after City Council agreed Wednesday to send the package to Houston voters. The general bonds, which would not require a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mayor Turner requests study of Confederate statues

Posted on August 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox. Mayor Sylvester Turner has asked top staff members to study whether statues related to the Confederacy should be removed from city property. The mayor commented about the statues Tuesday at a City Council meeting after members of … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 36 Comments

HISD board fills Manuel Rodriguez’s seat

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The HISD Board of Trustees is back to full strength. The Houston ISD Board of Education voted to appoint José Leal to fill the seat left vacant after the death of longtime District III Trustee Manuel Rodríguez Jr last month. … Continue reading →

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

HISD and the TEA

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Still catching up on things. Texas education officials are warning that Houston ISD could be placed under the jurisdiction of state-appointed managers as early as next year if 13 district schools don’t show improvement. The warning was issued during a … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Houston city employees file their own lawsuit (again) on spousal benefits

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A shame it’s had to come to this, but this is where we are. On Thursday, three married couples from Houston filed a lawsuit in federal court aimed at forcing the city to preserve health coverage and other benefits for … Continue reading →

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July 2017 campaign finance reports – HCC

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Welcome to the last and least interesting of these campaign finance report posts. This one is about the HCC Trustees, and there’s not much to see. Take a look at what there is – you can find all available reports … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

July 2017 campaign finance reports – HISD

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We still don’t know what’s happening with city of Houston elections this fall, but there’s plenty of action with HISD Trustee races. You can see all of the candidates who have filed so far and their July finance reports here. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

OutSmart talks to Kim Ogg

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Another good read about our new DA, one that goes into her personal background in some depth. John Wright: Your father, Jack Ogg, was a longtime Texas state legislator, and your late mother was well-known for her charity work. What … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Paxton’s preemptive “sanctuary cities” lawsuit dismissed

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks on Wednesday dismissed the state of Texas’ lawsuit against Travis County and other defendants over the state’s new immigration enforcement law. Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a pre-emptive lawsuit shortly after the bill was … Continue reading →

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EcoHub sues over OneBin failure

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

All right. Continuing the saga that has unfolded at City Hall — in which City Council members have said a deal with one company “smelled,” and in which another company, EcoHub, claims Mayor Sylvester Turner snubbed him out of the … Continue reading →

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Firefighters complain about petition counting process

Posted on August 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, good Lord. Houston firefighters are accusing Mayor Sylvester Turner of standing between them and a voter-approved pay raise by failing to ensure a petition they submitted last month is certified in time to appear on the November ballot. Turner … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Can we share these lanes?

Posted on August 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Metro is rethinking how the light rail lines run in parts of downtown. Traffic woes and collisions along the newest light-rail lines in downtown have Metro leaders toying with the idea of backpedaling on their promise not to close parts … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Dear business community: Dan Patrick is not your ally

Posted on August 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the full Chron story about the latest group of business leaders to call for a stop to the bathroom bill. I want to focus on one key aspect of this: A week after police chiefs from Houston, San Antonio … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Still more big businesses against the bathroom bill

Posted on August 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s like there’s a strong, overwhelming consensus or something. Top executives of big oil companies and other major Houston firms and organizations on Monday weighed into the political dogfight over the controversial bathroom bill, calling on Gov. Greg Abbott to … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

July 2017 campaign finance reports – City of Houston

Posted on July 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s continue our survey of campaign finance reports with reports from the city of Houston. Name Raised Spent Loans On Hand ================================================ Turner 520,430 138,068 0 1,643,519 Stardig 59,470 36,402 0 102,289 Davis 5,500 13,231 0 147,050 Cohen 5,000 8,382 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017, Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Public Works Director Sreerama is out

Posted on July 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, a Friday afternoon special: Statement by Mayor Sylvester Turner on city Public Works and Engineering director “Karun Sreerama has accomplished much in Houston as a businessman and involved citizen. I am sure he will continue to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics, Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment