Tag Archives: Austin

San Antonio and Dallas to fight the rainbow crosswalk ban

Posted on November 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them! San Antonio has formally asked the Texas Department of Transportation to approve an exemption allowing the city to keep its rainbow-colored crosswalks at North Main Avenue and East Evergreen Street, arguing that the intersection has become safer … Continue reading →

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November 2025 election results: Local and state

Posted on November 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Quick hits here, as I was up past my bedtime… All 17 constitutional amendments were on the path to passing. Most of them merited a No vote, but once these things get on the ballot they usually pass. Some Democratic … Continue reading →

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Where the rainbow crosswalk ends

Posted on November 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is deeply stupid and deadly serious at the same time. At the intersection of North Main Avenue and West Evergreen Street just north of downtown San Antonio, semi-faded rainbows connect each street corner in place of standard, white crosswalks. … Continue reading →

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Elon Musk once again makes a full self-driving promise

Posted on October 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Death, taxes, etc. During the Tesla Q3 earnings call, CEO Elon Musk revealed that, within the next few months, the company’s robotaxi service could begin operating without the safety monitors that currently ride in the front seat of all the … Continue reading →

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Michelin 2.0

Posted on October 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They’re back, with more stars. The Michelin Guide announced its picks for top Texas restaurants at the Wortham Theater Center Tuesday night. Last year, 15 Texas restaurants earned a Michelin star, including six in the Houston area. Michelin recognized 117 restaurants in total last year. Stars … Continue reading →

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A different approach to Austin-San Antonio commuter rail

Posted on October 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. Deeply flawed, as far as I can tell, but interesting. Travis County leaders are exploring new ways to connect Austin to San Antonio. On Tuesday morning, county commissioners approved a $124,953 study from HNTB, an engineering company, to … Continue reading →

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Metro makes its excuses

Posted on October 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Weak. Metro board chair Elizabeth Brock on Thursday stood by the agency’s decision to remove the Montrose rainbow crosswalk this week after a Houston resident asked why it was erased so quickly. “My primary concern is how quickly y’all allowed … Continue reading →

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Austin seeks waiver for its rainbow crosswalk

Posted on October 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

All the cool kids are doing it. The city of Austin is exploring a waiver that would allow its current street art to stay in place. In a message board post on Monday, Mayor Kirk Watson said the city plans … Continue reading →

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Harris County sues over Solar For All funds

Posted on October 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee filed a lawsuit Monday contesting the Trump administration’s cancellation of more than $400 million in solar energy grants earmarked for Texas-based organizations. The federal funding, part of a $7 billion Biden-era program known as Solar for All, was meant … Continue reading →

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Zoox seeks broader regulatory approval

Posted on October 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Another step towards offering their robotaxi service. Zoox has asked federal regulators for an exemption that would allow the Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle company to commercially deploy its custom-built robotaxis, which lack traditional controls like pedals and a steering wheel. The … Continue reading →

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Waymo comes to Nashville, driverless trucks come to I-10

Posted on September 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Two for the price of one today. Story #1: Robotaxi leader Waymo on Wednesday announced that its driverless vehicles will begin transporting passengers in Nashville, Tennessee, next year while heading in a new direction by teaming up with Lyft instead … Continue reading →

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Zoox to begin its robotaxi service

Posted on September 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Today Las Vegas, sometime later Austin and other cities. Five years after its splashy $1.3 billion acquisition of Zoox, Amazon has officially entered the U.S. robotaxi race, which to date has been dominated by Alphabet’s Waymo. Zoox’s first public launch … Continue reading →

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Another look at Waymo’s robotaxi approach versus Tesla’s

Posted on September 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good long analysis here. A month after Tesla launched a trial robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, in June for select fans, CEO Elon Musk told investors that the company’s driverless taxis would likely be available to “half the population of … Continue reading →

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On expansion and realignment

Posted on August 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Some big changes could be coming to MLB in the next couple of years. In an interview during ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcast from the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pa. on Sunday night, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred reiterated his … Continue reading →

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Waymo to come to Dallas

Posted on August 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Arriving next year. Why it matters: North Texas has been an early proving ground for autonomous technology. Autonomous trucking companies are testing their fleets on the region’s highways and Lyft plans to offer self-driving taxis in Dallas next year. The intrigue: Waymo said the high traffic fatality rate in … Continue reading →

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Tesla expands its Austin robotaxi service area

Posted on August 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Returning to one of my pet obsessions. Tesla’s robotaxi service began in Austin back in late June, and now the brand has undergone its second expansion that has seen it quadruple its initial service area. This new expansion is almost double … Continue reading →

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Would you let Elon monetize your car?

Posted on July 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I wouldn’t, but I’m not in scope for this, so that’s an easy call. Tesla owners may soon be able to earn money by letting their vehicles operate as self-driving robotaxis, CEO Elon Musk announced this week. During Tesla’s second-quarter … Continue reading →

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From the “Our service area is bigger than yours” department

Posted on July 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Actual headline: Waymo responds to Tesla’s dick joke with a bigger Austin robotaxi map. We live in truly stupid times. Earlier this week, Elon Musk posted an image of Tesla’s robotaxi service area in Austin, Texas, that was in the shape of … Continue reading →

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Appeals court upholds “Death Star” law

Posted on July 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Bad, though not yet actually damaging. Two years after a district court declared that a new state law diluting the policy-making power of blue urban areas was unconstitutional, an appeals court on Friday overruled that decision. Texas lawmakers in 2023 … Continue reading →

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WNBA to expand to 18 teams

Posted on July 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

None of which will be in Houston. The WNBA is expanding to 18 teams over the next five years, with Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia all set to join the league by 2030. Cleveland will begin play in 2028, Detroit in … Continue reading →

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Flock responds

Posted on June 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Reporting gets results. Or at least a response. The CEO for Flock cameras has pushed back on recent reporting, including a Chronicle investigation, about the surveillance technology used by Houston police, saying it’s up to local law enforcement to decide … Continue reading →

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A look at the Tesla robotaxi rollout

Posted on June 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Because I have an unhealthy obsession with this cursed topic, here’s a brief roundup of news stories about how the first day of Tesla’s long-expected robotaxi rollout in Austin went. First, you should know that only pro-Tesla influencers were invited … Continue reading →

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Tesla launches its robotaxi service in Austin

Posted on June 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Not quite as they wanted, but it is going. After driverless Tesla Model Ys were spotted traversing Austin, Texas streets on Sunday morning, CEO Elon Musk posted on his social platform X that Tesla’s “robotaxi launch” would start this afternoon … Continue reading →

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Beware of Flock

Posted on June 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It started with this. Flock, the automatic license plate reader (ALPR) company whose cameras are installed in more than 5,000 communities in the U.S., is building a product that will use people lookup tools, data brokers, and data breaches to “jump from … Continue reading →

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No Kings

Posted on June 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good stuff. Thousands of demonstrators crowded into streets, parks and plazas across the U.S. on Saturday to protest President Donald Trump, marching through downtowns and blaring anti-authoritarian chants mixed with support for protecting democracy and immigrant rights. Governors across the U.S. … Continue reading →

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A closer look at Waymo and Tesla

Posted on June 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Slate’s Henry Grabar takes a closer look at how the two main robotaxi ventures differ in approach and likely effect. Waymo is now clocking more than 250,000 paid rides a week, on track to double last year’s total. It currently … Continue reading →

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The stakes of the Tesla robotaxi debut in Austin sure are higher now

Posted on June 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck, Elmo. You’re gonna need it. Tesla’s long-awaited entry into the robotaxi market — expected later this month — is coming to Austin, Texas, which has emerged as a key battleground for self-driving technology. CEO Elon Musk wrote in … Continue reading →

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The death of bad bills is always worth celebrating

Posted on May 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good, good, good. A handful of bills that would have stopped local governments from enacting their transportation priorities and hamstrung local transit efforts are likely dead. The measures failed to pass before key deadlines as the legislative session draws to … Continue reading →

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Waymo “road trip” coming

Posted on May 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Company’s coming. Houstonians have the opportunity to see driverless vehicles in action. Google’s autonomous-driver sister company, Waymo, announced Tuesday that it’s initiating road trips this summer for testing and exploration in Houston, Orlando and San Antonio. The road trip consists … Continue reading →

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More on Austin’s MLB ambitions

Posted on May 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Veteran Longhorn sports-knower Kirk Bohls, formerly of the Statesman and now of the Chron, has a long look at the team working to bring an MLB franchise to Austin. Matt Mackowiak has a plan. The long-time Austin political strategist and … Continue reading →

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Tesla robotaxis to arrive in Austin in June

Posted on May 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t use them, I say. Make Elon cry. Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the company will have robotaxis on the streets of Austin, Texas, by the end of June. In an interview with CNBC’s David Faber on Tuesday at … Continue reading →

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We really should be composting more

Posted on May 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not too late to start. Alex Cantoran parks his truck at the final house on the block, jumps out and grabs the five-gallon white bucket sitting near the edge of the property. He unscrews the lid quickly. Inside are … Continue reading →

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Measles update: Maybe we really are slowing to an end

Posted on May 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t get much slower than that. Texas health officials reported only one new case of measles on Friday, the smallest increase since the outbreak began four months ago. The latest update from the Texas Department of State Health Services shows … Continue reading →

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Measles update: The wastewater still has something to tell us

Posted on May 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Very cool. An outbreak detection program found the presence of the measles virus in samples of Houston wastewater in early January 2025, before cases were reported, new findings show. The findings were possible because almost three years earlier, a team … Continue reading →

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