Tag Archives: Houston First

Houston “wins” 2028 RNC

Posted on August 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Yippie. Houston will host the 2028 Republican National Convention, landing the high-profile event for the first time in more than 30 years. GOP officials announced the selection Friday during their summer meeting, giving Houston the nod over finalists Nashville and … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Houston is a finalist for the 2028 RNC

Posted on August 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Whoopie. Houston is a finalist to host the 2028 Republican National Convention and a decision is expected to be made later this month, officials with Houston First Corp. said Thursday. The local government corporation, which markets and operates the city’s … Continue reading →

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Some dough for downtown

Posted on May 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It would be nice. With just days left in this year’s regular session of the Texas Legislature, Houston-area lawmakers are fighting for a measure that would likely provide several billion dollars to expand the George R. Brown Convention Center and … Continue reading →

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On vying for the 2028 RNC

Posted on April 21, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I get competing for this, but that doesn’t make me enthusiastic about it. As part of Houston’s push to win the Republican National Convention in 2028, the George R. Brown Convention Center could be expanding. State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, … Continue reading →

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

A more nuanced look at the finances of hosting the Final Four

Posted on March 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve made fun of articles in the past that breathlessly and credulously repeated claims that various big sporting events like a Super Bowl or a Final Four would yield untold millions in sales and hotel tax revenue for the state … Continue reading →

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Houston vies for 2028 RNC

Posted on July 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll be sure to be out of town if we get it. Houston wants the GOP to come to the Bayou City for its national convention in 2028. City Council on Wednesday voted 14-2 to pass a resolution in support … Continue reading →

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GHP finally says something about voter suppression

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Weak. After days of external pressure from Harris County politicians and internal calls from board members to speak out against voting bills in the Texas Legislature, the Greater Houston Partnership on Thursday evening issued a broad condemnation of efforts to … Continue reading →

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Turner and Hidalgo rebuke GHP over voting rights failure

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo no longer plan to hold their annual state of the city and county addresses with the Greater Houston Partnership because of the chamber group’s silence on bills in the … Continue reading →

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“COVID-killing machines”

Posted on November 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I like the sound of that. The George R. Brown Convention Center was built to hold Houston’s biggest crowds, but during the pandemic its halls have grown quieter. In reviving the center, Houston First squared off with a problem facing … Continue reading →

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You’ll be able to vote at Toyota Center this fall

Posted on August 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Toyota Center will serve as a voting center for the upcoming 2020 Presidential Election, the Rockets and the Harris County Clerk office announced on Thursday. Toyota Center will be open to any registered voter in Harris County from Oct. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Federal judge rules GOP can have its in person convention

Posted on July 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Unbelievable. A federal judge on Friday ruled that Mayor Sylvester Turner and Houston First Corp. must allow the Texas Republican Party to proceed with an in-person convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center, though the party now only intends … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

State Supreme Court denies GOP effort to force convention to happen

Posted on July 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Denied. The Texas Supreme Court on Monday rejected the state Republican Party’s appeal of a lower court’s decision regarding its in-person Houston convention, all but ensuring that Mayor Sylvester Turner’s move to cancel the event will stand. In an unsigned … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

AG sides with Mayor Turner in GOP convention litigation

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

But only in a limited and technical way, so cool your jets. The Texas Attorney General’s Office on Saturday sided with Mayor Sylvester Turner in a legal dispute over the state Republican Party’s in-person convention, arguing that the Texas Supreme … Continue reading →

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

Dems ask some Supreme Court justices to recuse themselves from convention appeal

Posted on July 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Stay with me here, this will all make sense. The Texas Democratic Party on Friday called for four of the state’s nine Supreme Court justices to recuse themselves from a case involving the Texas Republican Party’s in-person convention, claiming each … Continue reading →

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GOP sues over cancelled convention

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

As the night follows the day. The Texas Republican Party on Thursday sued Mayor Sylvester Turner and Houston First Corp. for canceling the party’s in-person convention that was scheduled for next week in downtown Houston. The lawsuit, filed in Harris … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

City cancels Republican convention

Posted on July 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. Mayor Sylvester Turner announced on Wednesday that the city has canceled the Texas Republican Party’s in-person state convention in downtown Houston next week. Houston First, the public nonprofit that serves as the city’s convention arm, sent a letter … Continue reading →

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GOP declines Turner’s invitation to cancel their convention

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The ball is back in your court, Mr. Mayor. The Texas Republican Party is proceeding with an in-person convention next week in downtown Houston, a rejection of Mayor Sylvester Turner’s formal request Monday to move the event online amid a … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Mayor Turner asks GOP to not hold its convention

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. The city of Houston will deploy health inspectors to enforce COVID-19 restrictions at the Texas Republican Convention, and potentially shut down the event if guidelines aren’t followed, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Monday. In a letter to … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

State GOP will have its convention

Posted on July 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I hope they don’t kill any convention or hotel workers as a result. Beyond that, I don’t know what to say. The Texas GOP’s executive committee voted Thursday night to proceed with plans to hold the party’s in-person convention in … Continue reading →

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Is this convention really necessary?

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Seriously. I know they don’t care about anyone else, but maybe the state GOP might think about the health and well-being of their own people? As the coronavirus pandemic engulfs Texas’ metropolitan areas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has left the … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Thus endeth this year’s Rodeo

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Surely not a surprise. Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Wednesday the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will close due to concerns about coronavirus after a Montgomery County man with no recent travel history tested positive for COVID-19. The case is the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Houston on the short list for the 2020 DNC

Posted on June 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

One in three shot at it. Democratic Party officials have culled the list of potential host cities for the 2020 Democratic National Convention from eight to four, and Houston is still in the mix, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Wednesday. The … Continue reading →

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Houston submits its DNC 2020 bid

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Houston, recognized for its record of successfully hosting mega-events, today submitted an official bid to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention. The bid document of about 600 pages shows how Houston’s convention infrastructure and its people put … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Reinventing Jones Plaza

Posted on April 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Big changes coming to downtown. Jones Plaza, the often-empty, 1.5-acre public space at the heart of Houston’s Theater District, may finally become a true people magnet courtesy of the second face-lift in its 51-year history. This time, Houston First Corporation, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

County approves Astrodome plan

Posted on February 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Like it or not, here it comes. Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward with the final design and construction of a $105 million project to transform the cherished piece of Houston’s sporting history into what officials … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Super Bowl economic impact was about what we expected

Posted on June 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Not too bad. The receipts are in, and February’s Super Bowl LI appears to have been a substantial boon for Houston — albeit with slightly less spending than expected. Gross spending during the nine days of Super Bowl programming, minus … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

AirBnB tax collection deal

Posted on April 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Seems reasonable. [AirBnB] announced Wednesday it will begin collecting and remitting the 6 percent state hotel occupancy tax May 1. The decision followed more than a year of talks, said Laura Spanjian, Airbnb’s Texas public policy manager. Airbnb has similar … Continue reading →

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The Super Bowl economic impact calculators have figured out it’s all a game

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

They’ve adjusted their methods in anticipation of your criticisms. With less than a month to go before the big day, let no one say that Super Bowl LI — as an economic event, not a football game — has been inadequately forecast. … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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“Space City” fight escalates

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting real. The Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau is asking a federal judge to stop a rival comic convention from using the phrase “Space City” for its three-day festival scheduled for NRG Center over Memorial Day weekend. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

We Heart Houston…someplace else

Posted on April 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

A popular piece of public art is looking for a new location. It’s difficult not to smile while driving east on I-10 when passing the “We Heart Houston” sculpture near the Patterson St. exit in the Heights. Since 2013, the … Continue reading →

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“Space City” trademark lawsuit

Posted on March 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating. Houston’s convention bureau is suing the operators of a popular local convention over the use of “Space City” in its name, claiming it infringes on a 12-year-old trademark. The convention in question, Space City Comic Con, also happens to … Continue reading →

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

Another look at AirBnB

Posted on February 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. The hotel industry is starting to object. On Wednesday, a report funded by a national trade group claimed some Airbnb hosts function illegally and operate essentially as full-time hotels without the same health and safety oversight. It also says … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment