Monthly Archives: September 2005

Martin Frost says: Run Everywhere!

Posted on September 14, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Please welcome to the Run Everywhere Club former Congressman Martin Frost. From an open letter he sent to Howard Dean, Chuck Schumer, and Rahm Emanuel: It’s time to throw out the traditional playbook and be bold as you plan for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 3 Comments

Reviving recycling

Posted on September 14, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

This is a bummer. Though the number of homes afforded curbside pickup has increased steadily since 1990 to more than 160,000 — half of the residences in the city — too few take advantage, officials say. And Houston isn’t alone. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 10 Comments

More TRMPAC indictments

Posted on September 14, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

More indictments for TRMPACers Jim Ellis and John Colyandro. Jim Ellis, who heads Americans for a Republican Majority, and John Colyandro, former executive director of Texans for a Republican Majority, already are facing charges of money laundering in the case. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 2 Comments

Andrew Raseij

Posted on September 13, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a Democratic primary in New York today. I didn’t know there was such a thing as a Public Advocate in New York City until I started hearing about Andrew Raseij, but now that I do, he’d get my vote … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2005 | 3 Comments

Rick Noriega: Man on a mission

Posted on September 13, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Noriega. The man is amazing. Noriega, who returned to Texas from Afghanistan Aug. 2, had been trying to make dinner plans with Mayor Bill White when he got a call from the mayor’s office on Aug. 31. “I’m thinking … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | 5 Comments

RIP, AstroWorld

Posted on September 13, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The venerable amusement park AstroWorld will close for good at the end of this season. [A]fter 37 years, the landmark Six Flags AstroWorld theme park will close at the end of this season, the victim of rising land values that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 7 Comments

More volunteer experiences

Posted on September 13, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Just a roundup of recent experiences of bloggers who’ve volunteered at evacuee shelters: Perry sees a dichotomy. Hope feels overwhelmed, while her coblogger Eileen reports some happy news. Ray came down with a cold; he also has some happy news, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | 4 Comments

And then there were three in CD17

Posted on September 13, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Via Nate, there are now three Republican contenders for the right to challenge Rep. Chet Edwards in CD17, down from five earlier on. Former Capitol Hill assistant and attorney Tucker Anderson, Harvard graduate and Iraq war platoon leader Van Taylor … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

Brief outage

Posted on September 12, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

In case you’re wondering why this site was unavailable earlier, it’s because my webhost was affected by this. A power failure in Los Angeles, the second-largest U.S. city, darkened downtown and several nearby cities, trapping people in elevators, disrupting refineries … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Administrivia | Comments Off on Brief outage

Get ready: That school finance lawsuit ruling is coming

Posted on September 12, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Are you feeling adrift and without purpose now that Special SessionPalooza has come to an end? Well, if so, then here’s some good news for you. Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson said Friday night the court will rule … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on Get ready: That school finance lawsuit ruling is coming

Where will they go from here?

Posted on September 12, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not seeing nearly as many alerts for volunteers and/or donations to Katrina victims these days. That’s good, in the sense that much of the immediate crisis of ensuring everybody is alive, fed, and healthy has been dealt with, but … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | 5 Comments

Lucio and Meyer

Posted on September 12, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Catching up on some more State House news…Via Tejano Insider, Eddie Lucio III, son of State Sen. Eddie Lucio, will seek the HD38 seat being vacated by the retiring Rep. Jim Solis. Solis ran unopposed in 2004 after winning by … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 2 Comments

Paul, Barton, Smith

Posted on September 12, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

More on the Texas Congressmen who voted against the aid package for Katrina victims: Here’s Shane Sklar giving it to Rep. Ron Paul in the Baytown Sun. Sklar says Paul’s ideology alienates him from the rest of Congress, which hurts … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | 5 Comments

The Banana Connection

Posted on September 11, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The following is another report from the George R. Brown Convention Center by Melissa Noriega, sent to me on Saturday morning. Here’s the first report, which I highly recommend if you haven’t seen it already. Last week went by in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | 2 Comments

Katrina Speaks Vietnamese, Too

Posted on September 10, 2005 by admin

Well, for better or worse, Kuff has left the keys to the massive “Off the Kuff” mansion while he’s otherwise preoccupied. So in the spirit of the blog, I’ll add a few tidbits that fall within the blog’s niche. First … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Comments Off on Katrina Speaks Vietnamese, Too

We now pause for station identification

Posted on September 9, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll be away from the computer for the next 48 hours or so due to various obligations. One or more of the fine folks who guest-posted for me in July may make an appearance if their schedules allow them; regardless, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in See, I do have a life! | Comments Off on We now pause for station identification

Motion to dismiss charges against Kenny Boy

Posted on September 9, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Missed this earlier in the week, but as always Tom was on top of it: The defense team for Jeff Skilling, Rick Causey, and Kenny Boy Lay have filed a motion to dismiss all charges on grounds of prosecutorial intimidation … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Enronarama | Comments Off on Motion to dismiss charges against Kenny Boy

The full slate

Posted on September 9, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Here are your 2005 candidates for City of Houston offices (PDF). Greg has a pretty full analysis. Like him, I’m a little surprised that no one bothered to challenge either City Controller Annise Parker or At Large Council Member Ron … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2005 | 4 Comments

Envision Houston Region

Posted on September 9, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The following is an email from Robin Holzer of the Citizens Transportation Coalition. In September, please consider participating in Envision Houston Region 2030, at one of five free workshops designed to involve the public in creating a regional vision for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 1 Comment

Studewood and the viaduct

Posted on September 9, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Two roadwork-related stories with an impact on me and my neighborhood. First is a report on the alternative ideas for the viaduct that would connect the Hardy Toll Road to its downtown extension. The 50-year-old viaduct is a four-lane, elevated … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 1 Comment

Scams and (lack of) sensibility

Posted on September 8, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Possibly the least surprising news yet in the Hurricane Katrina story. The Missouri attorney general, Jay Nixon, filed a lawsuit this afternoon against InternetDonations.org, the hub for a constellation of Web sites erected over the last several days purporting to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | 4 Comments

Filing deadline for city elections today

Posted on September 8, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Campaigns elsewhere are getting off the ground today, but for obvious reasons Houston’s Mayor Bill White cancelled his campaign launch today. As the Chron notes, he probably won’t need to do much politicking anyway. As expected, White drew no well-funded … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2005 | 5 Comments

Shane Sklar kicks off his campaign

Posted on September 8, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

More Congressional action: Shane Sklar, the Democratic candidate running in CD14, formally kicked off his campaign in Victoria. Victoria-born Shane Sklar kicked off his campaign for the Congressional seat now held by Ron Paul by calling for a review of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 6 Comments

Richard Raymond announces for CD28

Posted on September 8, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

This was in yesterday’s news but I didn’t have a chance to get to it: State Rep. Richard Raymond has officially announced that he’s running for Rep. Henry Cuellar’s CD28 seat. “Being a Republican is catching up to Henry Cuellar,” … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

Grand jury indicts TAB and TRMPAC

Posted on September 8, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I’d heard a rumor that this was coming down, though to be honest I thought they’d be indicting people instead of the organizations. The Texas Association of Business and Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee have been indicted … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 1 Comment

Almost snuck those poll numbers past me

Posted on September 8, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Though I expect he’ll get a bounce from his activities relating to Katrina evacuees, Governor Perry’s poll numbers stink. If the 2006 primary were held today, 46 percent of Republican voters would support Mr. Perry, compared with 28 percent for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 3 Comments

In crisis there is opportunity

Posted on September 8, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

After the nice things I said about Governor Perry earlier, it kind of restores my faith to see a story like this. Gov. Rick Perry, in hurricane relief tours around the state, in news releases and on his official state … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | 2 Comments

From the Galveston hurricane to today

Posted on September 8, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the 105th anniversary of the Galveston hurricane, which killed 8000 people in 1900. To commemorate the occasion, Galveston’s Judge Susan Criss has written the following open letter to the Katrina evacuees here: Dear Visitors from Louisiana, Mississippi & … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | 1 Comment

How the “CEO politician” model is supposed to work

Posted on September 7, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Kevin Drum cites another example to bolster his thesis of George Bush as a bad CEO. As Rick Casey tells us, Houston Mayor Bill White is the gold standard for CEOs-turned-politician. It’s the unsung quality in political leadership, a pedestrian … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | 1 Comment

Help the FWPD help the NOPD

Posted on September 7, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The following came via email from Michelle Harris, David Harris’ wife, on behalf of the Fort Worth Police Department: Officer Tom Wiederhold, one of our FWPD L.E.E.A.N coordinators, has spoken with Lt Carol Aldridge, Commander of Dist 2, New Orleans … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | 3 Comments

A brief political update

Posted on September 7, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure I’ll get back to regular political and electoral blogging sooner or later, but for now I’ll just pass along some tidbits I’ve seen elsewhere. BOR has several items of interest: here, here, here, and here. And In the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 4 Comments

An introduction to South Louisianans

Posted on September 7, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Ray in Austin continues to be a great resource for Katrina information. Here’s an introduction to the people of South Louisiana, and here’s a vow that Mardi Gras will go on. Hope and Eileen spent some time at the Austin … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | 1 Comment

RIP, Bob Denver

Posted on September 6, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Goodbye, Gilligan. Bob Denver, whose portrayal of goofy castaway Gilligan on the 1960s TV show Gilligan’s Island made him an iconic figure to generations of TV viewers, has died. He was 70. He died Friday at Wake Forest University Baptist … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | 1 Comment

Let them keep their phone numbers

Posted on September 6, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Via Dwight, a simple and elegant way to help evacuees and their loved ones find each other: Let them keep their old phone numbers. Is it too much to ask Bell South to: Let displaced account holders log in and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Comments Off on Let them keep their phone numbers