Monthly Archives: July 2006

Making noise about I-10 service roads

Posted on July 23, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

TxDOT’s plan to connect the existing service roads along I-10 between downtown and the West Loop are generating complaints from the neighborhoods they’d run through. TxDOT has plans to build the elevated frontage lanes as part of its $40 million … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 1 Comment

RIP, River Oaks Theater?

Posted on July 22, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

To put it bluntly, this would suck. Three Houston landmarks, including the Landmark River Oaks Theatre and the Bookstop in the former Alabama Theater, have been declared endangered by the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance. The alliance has learned, spokesman David … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 5 Comments

Comments on redistricting maps filed

Posted on July 22, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Friday was the deadline for parties in the redistricting lawsuit to files their comments on everyone else’s plans, and the state-drawn Eviscerate Lloyd Doggett plan was heavily criticized by expected and unexpected sources. “The state plan changes two or three … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Killer D's | 1 Comment

Trautman and Nelson-Turnier

Posted on July 22, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

For those of you up in the northern part of Harris County who are looking for some Democratic campaign activity in their area, Stace has a couple of announcements for you. You can attend some town hall meetings with Dot … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Trautman and Nelson-Turnier

On the border with the Guard

Posted on July 22, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Just wanted to note this Chron story from yesterday about the so-far-successful deployment of National Guard troops to the US/Mexico border, where they are supplementing Border Patrol personnel. Guard and patrol officials said the month-old deployment of troops to the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Comments Off on On the border with the Guard

Chron slaps Woodfill and Abbott

Posted on July 21, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has a strongly worded editorial about the recent attempts by Harris County GOP Chair Jared Woodfill and Attorney General Greg Abbott to influence the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in the DeLay ballot replacement lawsuit. Unfortunately, some politicians … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 5 Comments

Harrisburg selected for East End line route

Posted on July 21, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The very uncontentious process for selecting a route on which the East End BRT will run has come to a conclusion, with Harrisburg being the winner. Scheduled to begin construction next July and open in December 2010, the line would … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Comments Off on Harrisburg selected for East End line route

Houston Press talks to Bell

Posted on July 21, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

HouStoned, the new Houston Press blog, has a chat with Chris Bell today. It’s mostly about environmental issues, so it’s got good timing. Check it out. Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 3 Comments

Carter goes on the attack against Harrell

Posted on July 21, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The conventional wisdom is that a candidate who feels comfortable about his or her odds of being elected, especially against a lesser-funded opponent, should avoid mentioning that opponent in public. If that’s the case, then Rep. John Carter is getting … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Carter goes on the attack against Harrell

McDavid outpacing Bohac in contributions

Posted on July 21, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I noted before that HD138 incumbent Dwayne Bohac reported zero cash on hand as of June 30. I’m still not sure what that’s about, but whatever it is, it’s also the case that he’s been out-fundraised through the midyear point … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on McDavid outpacing Bohac in contributions

Another step forward for the Dome hotel

Posted on July 21, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The Dome Hotel gets one step closer to reality. Entrepreneurs seeking to turn the Reliant Astrodome into an upscale convention hotel hope to secure financing in six months and begin work on gutting and remaking the legendary Houston venue next … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Comments Off on Another step forward for the Dome hotel

RichmondRail.org makes its case today

Posted on July 20, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I’m a little late in getting to this, but this is what petitions are for. From my inbox: Richmond residents WANT RAIL on Richmond! RichmondRail.org demands equal airtime for Richmond rail supporters: Get the full story at METRO board meeting … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 7 Comments

“One of Largest Fines in FEC History”

Posted on July 20, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

CREW strikes again. Last night, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) released a conciliation agreement reached with Americans for a Republican Majority political action committee (ARMPAC) stemming from a complaint Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed against the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Comments Off on “One of Largest Fines in FEC History”

Abbott files amicus brief for DeLay

Posted on July 20, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

All things considered, I suppose this isn’t too surprising. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott plans to ask the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a federal judge’s ruling that Republicans cannot replace former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay on the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Abbott files amicus brief for DeLay

ProtectHouston.com

Posted on July 20, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Via Marc Campos, a response from Council Member Carol Alvarado to this dumb idea. In response to those that wish to make our Houston Police Department an I.C.E. arm (Homeland Security’s Immigration Customs Enforcement), Houston City Council Member Carol Alvarado … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | 15 Comments

One last chance to vote in PAC for Change

Posted on July 20, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Tomorrow at midnight PDT is the deadline to vote in the Barbara Boxer PAC for Change competition. If you haven’t registered and cast a ballot for Barbara Radnofsky yet, you’ve got two days to do it. Every dollar coming into … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on One last chance to vote in PAC for Change

Not straying, campaigning

Posted on July 20, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The headline for this article is more than a bit misleading. Texas Democrats put on a show of party unity at their state convention last month, but at least two of their statewide nominees have been cozying up to independent … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Not straying, campaigning

Report from Metro’s meeting on the Universities line

Posted on July 19, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The first of the three Metro open house meetings on the route for the Universities rail line was last night. Here’s the story, about which I’ll have more in a minute. Tory discusses some of the highlights, and I hope … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 3 Comments

Bell’s environmental tour

Posted on July 19, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I missed the press conference today (Vince has the highlights), but the Chris Bell campaign is rolling out its environmental platform this week. Have we ever had a serious discussion of environmental issues in a statewide campaign? Off the top … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

Profile of David Harris

Posted on July 19, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Now this is a candidate profile. He doesn’t have anywhere near the political experience, name recognition or financial backing his opponent, a 20-year veteran of congress has, but according to David Harris, D-Arlington, he may just be the change the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Profile of David Harris

Kneel before the might of our petitions!

Posted on July 19, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t think I can come up with an intro that could live up to this, so I’m just going to come right out and tell you that the Harris County GOP is pushing an online petition to “send a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 12 Comments

ActBlue officially active in Texas

Posted on July 19, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Awhile back, I along with a number of my fellow Texas progressive bloggers, asked you for some help getting ActBlue activated for Texas state races. You did that, and now I’m pleased to say that ActBlue is now available for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on ActBlue officially active in Texas

The money race – State Reps

Posted on July 18, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Now that most of the finance reports have been filed and posted for state candidates, let’s take a look at some of the State Rep races in Harris County: Dist Candidate Contrib Expense Tot Cash ============================================== 126 C Khan 9,146 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

The Astrodome Hotel exit ramp

Posted on July 18, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Another step in the Astrodome Hotel saga, as the developers are asking for a new exit ramp from Loop 610 to their location, in order to avoid Reliant/rodeo traffic. Astrodome Redevelopment Corp., a consortium proposing the development, favors building a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 3 Comments

We’re stuck with Accenture

Posted on July 18, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The top lawyer for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission says that yeah, things do suck with Accenture, but they don’t quite suck enough to fire them. “Termination is always a pretty severe remedy, and it’s the one that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 3 Comments

A look at HD133

Posted on July 18, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

If you’re tired of campaign finance reports, then head over to Kuff’s World, where I’ve finally delivered on my long-promised analysis of HD133. Lots more numbers, of course, but at least they don’t have dollar signs in front of them. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on A look at HD133

Interview with Jim Henley

Posted on July 18, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, I had the opportunity to sit down with Jim Henley, the Democratic candidate for Congress in CD07. Here it is, for your listening pleasure: Link for the MP3 file is here. At this point, I’ve interviewed just about … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 2 Comments

More campaign finance report news

Posted on July 18, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve taken the results of the FEC Summary Search Reports query for Texas candidates and put it into a spreadsheet for convenience and future reference. It’s mostly up to date as I draft this, though the Senatorials are all still … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on More campaign finance report news

Park Dietz still testifying

Posted on July 17, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Dr. Park Dietz is on the stand again today for a third day of testimony and cross-examination in the Andrea Yates retrial. On Friday, he gave his reasons why he thinks Yates does not meet the statutory requirements for legal … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Comments Off on Park Dietz still testifying

The petitions of Harris County

Posted on July 17, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

From yesterday, a look at the petition signing efforts for independent gubernatorial candidates Carole Keeton Strayhorn and Kinky Friedman in Harris County. Overall in Harris County, Strayhorn outdid Friedman by collecting 37,739 signatures to Friedman’s 19,117, according to data provided … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

Burncasting

Posted on July 17, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve already established that I’m a musical Luddite, still wedded to the ancient and dying CD format for my tunes. So, I’m highly encouraged (and a bit surprised, given the trash talk) to read that someone has put out a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Music | 5 Comments

Analysis of all current redistricting plans

Posted on July 17, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Local political consultant Mustafa Tameez has gone over all of the redistricting map proposals that have been submitted to the three-judge panel, plus their briefs where available, and put together a concise analysis of them all, complete with illustrations. I … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Killer D's | 1 Comment

Preliminary report on DeLay

Posted on July 16, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Finally…I still don’t know why I can’t find it through a summary report search, but here’s DeLay’s report for the second quarter: This Period Cycle-To-Date 6. Net Contributions (other than loans) (a) Total Contributions (other than loans) 11981.00 3711330.03 (b) … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 5 Comments

Mail is flowing again

Posted on July 16, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like my mail problem has been resolved. I still can’t say for certain that stuff is arriving in a timely manner, but it all does appear to be arriving. So, please go back to using the offthekuff.com address as … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Administrivia | Comments Off on Mail is flowing again