Tag Archives: Houston

Interview with Desmond Spencer

We wrap up our tour of the HCC districts with Desmond Spencer, one of two opponents to incumbent Renee Jefferson Patterson in District II. (The other opponent is Kathy lynch Gunter, who had also run for this seat in a … Continue reading

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Interview with Renee Jefferson Patterson

We continue our visit with the candidates for HCC Trustee. Today we move into District II, where incumbent Renee Jefferson Patterson was appointed to fill the seat earlier this year after Charlene Ward Johnson was elected to HD139. Patterson is … Continue reading

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Interview with Monica Flores Richart

This week we will feature the HCC Trustee races and candidates. Three Trustees are up for a six-year term, though only two of them have opponents; trustee Cynthia Lenton-Gary has no challenger for District VII. The incumbent in District I … Continue reading

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Recall Houston says it will start collecting petition signatures

Okay. Could Houston voters soon decide the fate of Houston Mayor John Whitmire? Experts say it’s an extremely long shot, but a group of Houstonians will start collecting signatures next week to remove the mayor from office. Mayor Whitmire has … Continue reading

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The city screws with the Main Street light rail line

All done in silence, no notice and no transparency. Light rail passengers are facing longer delays while taking Metro’s Red Line route through downtown after the city adjusted the timing of traffic lights. Local officials have not responded to questions … Continue reading

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Interview with Michael McDonough

We finish up our week with HISD candidates with Michael McDonough, who is challenging incumbent Trustee Kendall Baker in District VI. McDonough recently retired after a 30+ year career at HISD, where he was a math teacher, a soccer coach, … Continue reading

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Interview with Maria Benzon

The other open HISD seat is in District V, where two-term incumbent Sue Deigaard declined to run again. There are two candidates running to fill that seat, and today we will hear from Maria Benzon, a veteran educator with over … Continue reading

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Interview with Audrey Nath

Challenging incumbent Bridget Wade in District VII is Audrey Nath, one of many Mike Miles critics on the ballot that I noted in July. Nath is a pediatric neurologist, an MD/PhD from Rice and UT-Houston, and an HISD mom. She’s … Continue reading

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Interview with Bridget Wade

Continuing with our week of HISD Trustee race interviews, the next two days will be in District VII, where the incumbent is Bridget Wade, who defeated Anne Sung in 2021. Wade is the past President and longtime member of the … Continue reading

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Interview with Felicity Pereyra

Welcome to the start of the 2025 interview season! I went into this early on thinking there wouldn’t be much, as there are no city of Houston elections, but with the special elections in CD18 and At Large #4 it … Continue reading

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

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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Erica Lee Carter withdraws from County Judge race

A bit of a surprise, at least to me. Former Congressman Erica Lee Carter announced Wednesday that she will not be running for Harris County Judge after previously signaling interest in the seat. Back in July, Carter had stated over social … Continue reading

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Some uses of police overtime are more sensible than others

I have three things to say about this. As thousands of protesters gathered at Houston City Hall earlier this year during the No Kings protest against President Donald Trump’s multimillion-dollar military parade, Houston police leaders spent more than $102,000 on police overtime … Continue reading

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Less funding for homelessness means more homeless

It’s just math. An annual survey of the homeless population in the Houston area suggested that the region — which has attracted international attention for its ability to reduce homelessness — is at an inflection point. As the emergency funding … Continue reading

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HISD still has a teacher turnover problem

Doesn’t seem to be going away. Across Texas, 1 in 6 teachers didn’t return to teach in 2024-25. In Houston ISD, it was nearly 1 of 3. The state’s largest school district had a turnover rate of 32.2% compared with … Continue reading

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From the “We don’t have to take our clothes off” department

Coming to a street near you. As Houston peels away bike lanes, a group of cyclists plans to peel away its clothes and pedal through the city in protest. World Naked Bike Ride Houston is planned for Sept. 13, both beginning … Continue reading

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The At Large #4 lineup

Wednesday was the filing deadline for both CD18 and Houston City Council At Large #4. There are fourteen filed candidates plus one write-in. I will offer a bit of commentary on each. – Alejandra Salinas, Dwight Boykins, and Al Lloyd … Continue reading

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On being financially prepared for future disasters

Got to be thinking about it. Houston might need to make some policy changes to ensure that the city has enough money on hand to provide disaster relief as storms become more frequent and more expensive to recover from, Controller … Continue reading

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The “Trump Burger” story

I suppose we must make note of this. The thing about Trump Burger is that it was always irresistible, even for those who would rather eat just about anywhere else. The restaurant is what its name suggests: A burger joint devoted to … Continue reading

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Hotze again asks for pause in his civil trial

“Screw this guy” will always be my response. Conservative activist Steven Hotze asked the Texas Supreme Court to pause a lawsuit against him until after the criminal trial of his former private eye, who in 2020 allegedly assaulted an air-conditioning repairman … Continue reading

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The Houston Bike Guide

Very useful. The typical streets that most people use in a car, and are often recommended to bicyclists who try to map their routes via navigation apps, are dangerous and difficult to maneuver on a bike. The city of Houston website’s ‘Bikeway … Continue reading

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The HISD and HCC lineups

The filing deadlines have passed for HISD and HCC, so this seems like as good a time as any to look at who is running for what. Note that the deadline for CD18 and Houston City Council is September 3, … Continue reading

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What the HISD students are asking for

In case the district wants to listen. Chavez High School graduate Ximena Acosta is about to leave Houston to attend Vanderbilt University. That academic achievement happened in spite of, not because of, Houston ISD, Acosta said. She told media at … Continue reading

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Fewer crime reports being made

Interesting. Fewer people called Houston police each year since 2023, a trend that experts say could have multiple causes and is worth keeping an eye on. Slightly more than 1.1 million calls were made to HPD’s patrol divisions in 2023, … Continue reading

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Leave the “Be Someone” artists alone

How is this a good use of HPD’s time? Investigators are searching for the people who repainted Houston’s popular “Be Someone” graffiti mural in June after a video of the act was posted on Instagram. Three people participated in repainting the … Continue reading

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July 2025 campaign finance reports – HCC

PREVOIUSLY: Harris County Senate and Congress City of Houston HISD And we wrap up our look at July campaign finance reports with a check-in on the HCC Board of Trustees, whose reports can be found here. At the time of … Continue reading

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On HPD and overtime

Lots to think about here. Houston senior police officer Matthew Davis’ annual salary was about $90,000 this past fiscal year. He made nearly $170,000 more in overtime. It was not an anomaly. Davis has collected more in overtime than his … Continue reading

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And the At Large #4 race gets underway

Bring it on. Two candidates for Houston City Council for are waging a war over who used AI to create their list of campaign priorities. Alejandra Salinas’ campaign website lists a series of priorities she would champion if elected to fill the council … Continue reading

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Three perspectives on scooters

The Chron editorial board calls for regulation over a ban. We’re feeling a bit of whiplash. For a city that has for decades been desperate to get people out of their cars and into central neighborhoods, our leaders seem all … Continue reading

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The (driverless) trucks at night, are big and bright

I regret nothing. Autonomous vehicle technology company Aurora has expanded its driverless freight operations to include nighttime travel on Texas highways, according to the company’s announcement Wednesday. In late April, the self-driving 18-wheeler service was launched without a safety driver in partnership with Uber … Continue reading

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We get closer to school closures

Words from Mike Miles. Houston ISD’s state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles announced Wednesday the district may borrow $180 million for a new career and technical education center, pending board approval. Miles, addressing hundreds of teachers at an annual teachers’ convocation, said … Continue reading

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Ask questions, get booted

This is why the whole Board of Managers concept sucks. The four ousted members of the Houston ISD Board of Managers sent the majority of the board’s formal requests for information to the district in the two years before the … Continue reading

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HISD says it has no F-rated schools

This is legitimately great. And it means we can officially start the Mike Miles Countdown Clock. Zero Houston ISD schools received an “F” in the Texas Education Agency’s A-F accountability ratings this year, while 18 received a “D,” according to preliminary … Continue reading

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The Afghan women’s soccer players of Houston

Great story. The early evening sun still shone strongly overhead when Sodaba Khinjani adjusted her cleats and squinted out at the soccer field at Bayland Park in southwest Houston. The temperature was hotter than the playing conditions she was used … Continue reading

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