Tag Archives: Houston

Runoff Day for HISD special election

Posted on December 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Saturday, Dec. 10, is Election Day for voters in HISD Trustee District VII and City of Baytown Council District 3. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There are 178,717 registered voters in HISD … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Next B-Cycle expansion approved

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Expansion of Houston’s bike sharing system is pretty much in high gear after City Council on Wednesday signed off on a $4.1 million plan to roughly triple the number of bikes and kiosks. With the agreement in place, local … Continue reading →

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

City sued over bail practices

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

One more lawsuit going after the practice of jailing people who can’t afford to post bonf. Two civil rights groups sued the city of Houston late Monday, alleging the city jail has detained people for days at a time without … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on City sued over bail practices

Runoff early voting: Light turnout

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember that there’s a runoff for the special election to fill the HISD Trustee position in District VII? Well, early voting for it ended on Tuesday, and turnout so far is about what you’d expect for such an election. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

More on the cost of a bathroom bill

Posted on December 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever one thinks of the Texas Association of Business, you have to hand it to them for their lobbying focus on the great potty issue. With the legislative session just weeks ahead, the Texas business community is digging in its … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Acevedo and Pena confirmed by Council

Posted on December 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

They’re officially official now. City Council unanimously confirmed Art Acevedo and Samuel Peña as Houston’s new police and fire chiefs Wednesday, clearing the way for the mayoral appointees to take office. Acevedo, Austin’s former police chief, is poised to take … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Acevedo and Pena confirmed by Council

Time once again to discuss Latino political participation

Posted on December 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s jump right in. The long wait continues for Houston and Harris County residents eager for a steep uptick in elected Latino representation. Hispanic residents last year were 42 percent of the county population, up from 23 percent in 1990, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Re-Endorsement watch: Sung in the special

Posted on November 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron reiterates their choice of Anne Sung for the HISD VII special election runoff. Anne Sung will bring a wealth of educational experience to this position, representing a district with boundaries encompassing a broad swath of near-southwest to near-northwest … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Who wants to go to Mars?

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I imagine that sounds like a pretty good option to a lot of people right about now. Wealthy business leaders like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are creating buzz around and making progress toward the exploration of deep space, experts … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Who wants to go to Mars?

HISD special election runoff will be December 10

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t believe I’ve seen a news story about this. The runoff election for the top two candidates to fill the unexpired term of outgoing HISD District VII Trustee Harvin Moore has been set for Dec. 10. Candidates competing in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Uber wants back in Austin

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s how they get back that’s the question. The ride-hailing company Uber may return to the state’s capital despite leaving Austin in May after a bruising fight with the city over regulation of the industry, according to Trevor Theunissen, the … Continue reading →

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

Smoke-free Houston, ten years later

Posted on November 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: It’s been 50 years since the release of the Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health and the harmful consequences from the use of tobacco. 2016 marks the 10th year of the adoption of Ordinance No. 2006-1054 … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Former HISD Trustee Marshall found liable in civil bribery lawsuit

Posted on November 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Ouch. A bribery lawsuit that kept a cloud of suspicion over the Houston school district for six years ended Wednesday with a jury finding that former board president Larry Marshall participated in a kickback scheme that caused millions of dollars … Continue reading →

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

Mayor Turner picks Austin PD Chief for HPD

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: In a sweeping announcement, Mayor Sylvester Turner named four new department directors and a reappointment Thursday. Pending City Council confirmation, Art Acevedo of Austin will assume the position of police chief and El Paso’s Samuel Pena will … Continue reading →

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

No Astrodome laser light show for the Super Bowl

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Alas. Organizers have nixed a proposal to use high-tech lasers to project dazzling images of Houston’s culture and history onto and through the roof of the Astrodome during Super Bowl LI. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said the NFL turned … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on No Astrodome laser light show for the Super Bowl

City reaches deal with Uber

Posted on November 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mayor Sylvester Turner today announced a comprehensive strategy to streamline the City’s vehicle-for-hire licensing process to ensure that Uber remains in Houston and that Houstonians and visitors have as many transportation options as possible during the upcoming … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Does it matter why infrastructure was improved?

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I say no, but maybe that’s just me. In the days leading up to the nation’s biggest sporting event, thousands of visitors will use Broadway to travel from the airport to downtown hotels and other spots. Work on gravel paths, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Does it matter why infrastructure was improved?

HISD: Meyers resigns, Lunceford un-resigns

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Round and round we go. HISD Trustee Greg Meyers, who has served on the school board since 2004, has resigned. Meyers, who represents District VI for HISD and also served as board president in 2010, announced Thursday that he will … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on HISD: Meyers resigns, Lunceford un-resigns

Climate change will not be kind to Houston

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It could be even worse, if that’s any consolation, but it will be bad as things are going now. Houston’s brutally hot summers, persistent humidity, floods and hurricanes never have been much of a selling point. It’s been something to … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Climate change will not be kind to Houston

Dems sweep Harris County

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hillary Clinton had a 100K lead in early voting in Harris County, and increased her lead as the night went on. The only countywide Republican who was leading early on was Mike Sullivan, but later in the evening, at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Time once again to talk about the Super Bowl and its economic impact

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We’re less than 100 days out from Super Bowl LI here in Houston. I don’t know how much people who are not directly involved in the planning and execution of it are thinking about that. The economic benefits of hosting … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Time once again to talk about the Super Bowl and its economic impact

Texas Central releases ridership study

Posted on November 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From their website: A comprehensive ridership study conducted by L.E.K Consulting has confirmed that Texas is ready for a privately developed Bullet Train line serving North Texas, the greater Brazos Valley and The Greater Houston Metro areas. According to this … Continue reading →

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

Muslim voting

Posted on November 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

So it turns out that prolonged demonization of a population is a good way to get said population to turn out and vote against the party that is demonizing them. A record 86 percent of registered Muslim voters are expected … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Anheuser-BuschInBev to buy Karbach

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

If you can’t beat ’em, buy ’em. Fast-growing Karbach Brewing Co. of Houston is the latest U.S. craft brewery to be acquired by a global beer giant, announcing Thursday morning that Anheuser-BuschInBev is buying it for an undisclosed amount. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Chron overview of Heights dry referendum

Posted on November 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

For an issue that directly affects a few thousand people, this sure had gotten a lot of attention. [Bill] Baldwin is part of the “Keep the Heights Dry” movement, a group of individuals urging residents who live in the dry … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The dry debate

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron hosted a mini-debate about the vote to change the Heights dry ordinance on its Monday op-ed pages. Bill Baldwin represented the status quo, for keeping the Heights (the original Heights) dry. With the stark reality of land use … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

BOMA for recapture

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

A group that represents property owners who would be directly affected if the recapture vote goes down and detachment results has endorsed a Yes vote on the recapture referendum. A local trade association for commercial property owners has come out … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Republicans take their desperate shot at limiting same sex marriage

Posted on October 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Pathetic. After coming out on the losing end of a United States Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, Texas Republican leaders are now looking to the Texas Supreme Court to narrow the scope of that landmark ruling. Gov. Greg Abbott, … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Republicans take their desperate shot at limiting same sex marriage

Council ratifies Turner’s pension plan

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: On a 16-1 vote, Houston City Council has endorsed Mayor Sylvester Turner’s historic package of pension reforms. The vote clears the way for the City to move forward in partnership with the pension systems to seek legislative … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Pension deal approved by firefighters

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a big deal, though it’s hardly a done deal yet. For the first time ever, the Houston firefighters’ pension board agreed Monday to accept benefit cuts for current workers and retirees, potentially paving the way for a solution to … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Still talking about recapture

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This Chron story from Monday adds a bit more to the recapture discussion. As one Houston school board member sees it, the district’s November ballot measure regarding the state-mandated forfeiture of local tax dollars offers no good choice for voters. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016, School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Still talking about recapture

Interview with Bill Baldwin of Keep Heights Dry

Posted on October 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, there will be a referendum on the ballot for a very limited electorate this year, to alter the existing ordinance that enforces a dry zone in the historic Houston Heights to allow the sale of beer and … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Interview with John Luman

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

My final interview for the special election in HISD District VII to fill the remainder of outgoing Trustee Harvin Moore’s term is with John Luman. Luman is an intellectual property attorney with engineering degrees from George Washington University and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with John Luman

Hochberg speaks on recapture

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We should listen and at least consider what he’s saying. HISD loses the recapture money, one way or another, even if it doesn’t actually write a check. And the state gets its money one way or another, because the taxes … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment