Monthly Archives: October 2006

Chevron leases original Enron building

Posted on October 9, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Chevron continues its push to occupy all available downtown offie space. After remaining a dark spot on the Houston skyline for the past few years, the former Enron headquarters will be coming to life again next year. Chevron plans to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Comments Off on Chevron leases original Enron building

Endorsement watch: Cohen and four incumbents

Posted on October 8, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The first batch of Chron State Rep endorsements goes as I expected, with four incumbents plus Ellen Cohen snagging recommendations. House Dist. 134, Ellen Cohen – Cohen is the Democratic challenger to incumbent Martha Wong in this race. The outpouring … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

Stockman strikes out in court again

Posted on October 8, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

A federal lawsuit by Steve Stockman to force his way onto the general election ballot for CD22 has been rejected. U.S. District Court Judge Sam Sparks issued an order on Monday denying Stockman’s motion to recall absentee ballots in the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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RIP, Buck O’Neil

Posted on October 8, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Buck O’Neil, one of the best ambassadors the game of baseball has ever had, passed away on Friday at the age of 94. A star in the Negro Leagues who barnstormed with Satchel Paige, O’Neil later signed Hall-of-Famers Lou Brock … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Debate reactions

Posted on October 7, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I managed to not see the debate last night. Bad political blogger, no biscuit. I’ll try to make it up to you by linking to a boatload of other people’s reactions to it. Based on what I’m reading, the winners … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 3 Comments

Shelley says no to Hastert

Posted on October 7, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Previously, Tom DeLay claimed that House Speaker Dennis Hastert would be coming to town for a fundraiser for Shelley Sekula Gibbs. Apparently, they can read poll numbers in the Gibbs camp, because Hastert has now been cordially uninvited to visit. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Shelley says no to Hastert

Lance Armstrong and the Polluted Pool

Posted on October 7, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Can I just say that this “Lance Armstrong polluted our community swimming hole!” story is a little weird? It’s also really long for what strikes me as more of a celebrity piece than anything else. On the other hand, when … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 1 Comment

Wong’s misplaced endorsement

Posted on October 7, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

One sign of a campaign that’s not doing as well as it might like is the Phantom Endorsement. That’s when some generically nice things said about the candidate by a person of influence is touted in campaign literature as a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Wong’s misplaced endorsement

ParentPAC endorses Phillip Shinoda

Posted on October 7, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I had the pleasure of meeting Carolyn Boyle and Dinah Miller of Texas Parent PAC yesterday, as they were in town to publicize their endorsement of Sherrie Matula. They gave me a list of their endorsed non-incumbent candidates for the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Houston: Soft on smoking?

Posted on October 6, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Apparently, the new proposals to strengthen Houston’s anti-smoking ordinance do not go far enough for some people. The draft ordinance released late Wednesday would extend the smoking ban to stand-alone bars and other public, enclosed workplaces but would allow smoking … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | 3 Comments

Seaman complains about truthful ad

Posted on October 6, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Poor Gene Seaman. He can’t get the local TV stations to stop running an ad that says nothing at all false about him. Three local television stations have refused state Rep. Gene Seaman’s request that they stop broadcasting a political … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Seaman complains about truthful ad

It’s okay if you’re a Highland Park Republican

Posted on October 6, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve blogged about AG Greg Abbott’s highly partisan crusade against voting fraud, for which he’s being sued, here and here. Now the Lone Star Project, which has done some exhaustive work on Abbott’s questionable methodology, has done it again by … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Comments Off on It’s okay if you’re a Highland Park Republican

Two for one

Posted on October 6, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Apparently, there was an odd double play in Wednesday’s Mets-Dodgers game. The Los Angeles Dodgers are accustomed to gridlock. They just never expected traffic congestion to doom them at Shea Stadium. With a chance to take an early lead against … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | 2 Comments

Press release for ParentPAC endorsement of Matula

Posted on October 6, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I had reported on the Texas Parent PAC endorsement of Sherrie Matula before the official press release came out. Here it is (Word doc), and here’s the gist of it: “Sherrie Matula will have an immediate impact in the Texas … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Press release for ParentPAC endorsement of Matula

Headline of the week

Posted on October 6, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

County Rents Judge’s House For $56K A Year, Agrees To Water Cattle. Sometimes, you just know you’re in Texas. The story is an interesting little behind-the-scenes look at how county government works, in this case in Fort Bend. All I … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Comments Off on Headline of the week

Downtown’s big blackout

Posted on October 5, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Sometimes as I approach the I-45 South exit from I-10 during my morning commute, I run into a traffic jam that’s caused by a long backup in the exit lane. Depending on where I am on I-10 and how bad … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Comments Off on Downtown’s big blackout

New smoking ban getting set to go

Posted on October 5, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The proposed new anti-smoking regulations for Houston are getting closer to reality. One thing to note is that several previously-expressed concerns appear to be addressed in the new ordinance. Houston’s existing ordinance prohibits smoking in restaurants, but allows it in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | 2 Comments

New DMN poll

Posted on October 5, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The Dallas Morning News has an old-fashioned telephone poll of the Governor’s race (for which you can see some not-terribly-informative crosstabs here in PDF form), and the results are quite similar to those newfangled robocall polls. With just over a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 3 Comments

Big Time for Shelley

Posted on October 5, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

As promised, Shelley Sekula Gibbs was the beneficiary of a Big Time Dick Cheney fundraiser. Cheney spoke at the Hyatt Houston Downtown to about 200 Sekula-Gibbs supporters who paid $500 or more each for a sandwich, chips and a 15-minute … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 3 Comments

Making money the Joe Crabb way

Posted on October 5, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

In case you missed Rick Casey’s column from yesterday. State Rep. Joe Crabb, like most of his GOP colleagues, has voted for legislation to limit lawsuit abuse. But when it came to his own law practice, it took the state … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

Turn that thing off!

Posted on October 5, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I agree 100% with Dwight. Websites that play music or other sounds when you start them whether you want them to or not are crimes against nature, and my instant reaction is to kill whatever it is that’s making the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Websurfing | 2 Comments

Reforming probation

Posted on October 5, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Grits got the ball rolling on a discussion about real criminal justice reform. A blog called The Wretched of the Earth, written by a public defender, picked it up and ran with it with these two posts about probation reform. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 1 Comment

At long last, it’s “Lost”

Posted on October 4, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The season premier of Lost is tonight. I will not be answering the phone for the duration. And let us all once again give thanks for the bounty that is TiVo. If you want to get an idea of what … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | 11 Comments

Fence? What fence?

Posted on October 4, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Remember that 700-mile border fence that Congress just approved? Well, don’t hold your breath waiting for it to get built. Sen. John Cornyn, R-San Antonio and a key liaison to the White House on immigration, said Tuesday that 700 miles … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 3 Comments

Fired Four plead not guilty

Posted on October 4, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The four former employees of the Mayor Pro Tem office have pleaded not guilty to charges related to their improper bonuses. State District Judge Michael McSpadden read the charges to Rosita Hernandez, Florence Watkins, Christopher Mays and Theresa Orta, who … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | 1 Comment

I haven’t nagged you to register to vote yet

Posted on October 4, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Julia very kindly rounds up the various state deadlines for registering to vote. Note that the Texas deadline is Tuesday, October 10, which is four weeks before Election Day. If you have not yet registered to vote, or you know … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 2 Comments

Henley party Sunday

Posted on October 4, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Jim Henley is hosting a volunteer rally this Sunday afternoon. River Oaks Highrise in the Claremont Room, 3435 Westheimer Road. Houston, TX 77027 Jim will reveal how we will defeat John Culberson! There will be music, food and entertainment. Bring … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 3 Comments

Don’t mess with Texas advertising

Posted on October 4, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The iconic Don’t Mess With Texas anti-littering campaign (which recently turned 20 years old) won itself a nice award last week. “Don’t Mess With Texas,” the 20-year-old public service campaign slogan created by Austin advertising firm GSD&M for the Texas … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 1 Comment

Burnt Orange Report’s electoral predictions

Posted on October 4, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

During the summer, I actually toyed with the idea of writing up a report on every State House race, sorting them all into “likely this”, “lean that”, and “toss-up”. I abandoned it when I realized just how much more time … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Reynolds and Shelley

Posted on October 3, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s talk about Rep. Tom Reynolds for a minute. He’s the chair of the NRCC. He’s known about the Mark Foley’s predelictions towards pages at least as far back as 2005 when staffers for Rep. Rodney Alexander, for whom one … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 2 Comments

Culberson’s debate

Posted on October 3, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

John Culberson had his debate yesterday with someone who, while very knowledgeable on the subject at hand (more so than Culberson, I daresay), is not on the ballot against him. “The immigration debate has to be defined in terms of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Comments Off on Culberson’s debate

Hurricane season: Over

Posted on October 3, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

This is either the best news you’ll read today or a sure sign that we’re all doomed. You decide. Hurricane expert William Gray downgraded his forecast for the 2006 Atlantic storm season again today, predicting one more hurricane, two more … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | 1 Comment

ParentPAC’s bipartisanship

Posted on October 3, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

In the comments to my earlier post on the Texas ParentPAC endorsement of Sherrie Matula, the following question was asked: I was excited to see their endorsements and applaud them for the way they wrote the endorsements but if they … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

Interview with Chad Khan

Posted on October 3, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I’m down to my last two interviews for State House candidates in Harris County. Today’s subject is Chad Khan, who’s running for HD126, which was left open by Peggy Hamric’s unsuccessful bid for the SD07 GOP nomination. It’s one of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Interview with Chad Khan