Monthly Archives: November 2006

Appraisal caps again

Posted on November 16, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like yesterday’s hearing on appraisal caps contained the usual amount of rhetoric and posturing. This is an issue that has been around for awhile, and won’t go away any time soon, especially now that chief pitchfork wielder Dan Patrick … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 4 Comments

HD127 numbers

Posted on November 16, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Stace has a preview of the precinct data from HD127, where Diane Trautman gained over ten points on the base Democratic vote from 2004. The full numbers are still not available online, and my expectation is that they won’t be … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on HD127 numbers

The Capitol gets on the RSS bandwagon

Posted on November 16, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Grits brings the news that the Texas Capitol website now has numerous RSS feeds for tracking committee meetings, calendars, bill information, and more. They’ve even got a PDA/cellphone lookup feature. Outstanding! I join him in saluting the folks in Austin … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 1 Comment

More gambling bills filed

Posted on November 16, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Vince keeps up with the pre-filing, this time giving us a look at State Sen. Rodney Ellis’ SJR8, which would do the following: First and foremost, the bureaucratic part. SJR 8 will abolish the Texas Racing Commission and the Texas … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Comments Off on More gambling bills filed

The HD29 runoff

Posted on November 16, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

CD23 won’t be the only electoral action in Texas next month. The death of Republican State Rep. Glenda Dawson has left a vacancy in HD29 that needs to be filled. According to the Bay City Tribune, candidate jockeying has already … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on The HD29 runoff

Houston fundraiser for Ciro Rodriguez

Posted on November 16, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Barbara Radnofsky is putting together a fundraiser in Houston on Monday, November 20, to help Ciro Rodriguez in the runoff election for CD23. PDiddie has the details. Other folks such as David Van Os and John Courage are also pitching … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 4 Comments

When the third way is the right way

Posted on November 16, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Allow me to endorse the conclusion reached here by Matthew Yglesias regarding who the Democrats should appoint to be the chair of the House Intelligence Committee: [P]ass over both [Rep. Alcee] Hastings and [Rep. Jane] Harman and reach down to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | 1 Comment

Farmers Branch

Posted on November 16, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I presume you’ve heard of the fun and games up in the Dallas suburb of Farmer’s Branch, where apartment managers have been forcibly deputized into an arm of la Migra. Not too surprisingly, they’re not happy about this development, which … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 2 Comments

Perry asks for review of lobbying deal

Posted on November 15, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Well, that’s progress. With Democrats poised to take control of Capitol Hill, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is ordering an evaluation of the state’s contracts with two lobbying firms with close ties to congressional Republicans, his spokeswoman said Tuesday. The contracts … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on Perry asks for review of lobbying deal

Shelley in Washington

Posted on November 15, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

“What I Did On My Christmas Vacation”, by Congressperson Shelley Sekula Gibbs. “I’m working hard to accomplish the things I’m working for,” she said yesterday. “For tax cuts. For immigration reform. To make sure we have a good solution for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

What are the non-Richmond options for the Universities line?

Posted on November 15, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I’m hearing that the status of the Universities rail line and its eventual location are about to be back in the news. To get an idea of where we are, and what the options are for putting this thing somewhere … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 5 Comments

Hang up and fly!

Posted on November 15, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Cell phones on airplanes: Threat or menace? Larry Kellner, chairman and chief executive of Houston-based Continental, said he would back only the limited use of cell phones on planes. He likened widespread cell phone use to smoking, which was allowed … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 5 Comments

Downtown housing demand

Posted on November 15, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Nice to know that downtown Houston continues to be a success story as far as housing goes. Apartment occupancy in downtown is 89 percent, according to data gathered in the spring by Central Houston, a group that promotes downtown revitalization. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 1 Comment

How HISD gets its tech support

Posted on November 15, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

You’ve probably heard about HISD’s software problems. How should the fix this? Well, they could try calling Technology Bytes for help. Fighting Jay Lee (none more surly than he) has an imagined conversation between the Geek Radio folks and Dr. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in General snarkiness | 2 Comments

A matter of mistaken identity

Posted on November 15, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve already established that Olivia likes to know the names of all of the characters in her books, including those whom the author does not identify. The subject came up again on Monday night as we read Down on the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Books | 1 Comment

The first place to save money in the next state budget

Posted on November 14, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the Office of State and Federal Relations and the partisan DeLay-connected lobbyists that were hired by Governor Perry to supplant them? (Sure you do – see here and here for background.) Well, the Statesman remembers them, and they call … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 1 Comment

Pre-filing news

Posted on November 14, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t know if it’s 1400 bills or not, but there has been a lot of pre-filing activity for the 80th Lege. Legislators proposed measures that would crack down on child sex predators, restore health benefits to children in low-income families … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 3 Comments

Leininger’s wasted millions

Posted on November 14, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I confess, I’ve been enjoying a few moments of schadenfreude over the recent electoral results. Not very grownup of me, I know, but let’s just say there was a little pent-up emotion that needed someplace to go. And what’s the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Leininger’s wasted millions

How much are those endorsements worth?

Posted on November 14, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

One often hears that newspaper endorsements are not worth much in elections these days. But how much is “not much”? I think we can at least get a data point from this year’s campaign. There’s a clear bifurcation in the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 5 Comments

Williamson weirdness

Posted on November 14, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I realize that there are still votes being counted and whatnot, but I find this to be strange. Compare the Secretary of State numbers for Williamson County to the Williamson County Clerk numbers. There’s about a 6000 vote difference in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

More red light cameras

Posted on November 14, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Via Houstonist, here’s ten more intersections to watch out for. So far, the department’s first 10 cameras have captured more than 3,000 traffic violators since their installation Sept. 1. Officials are planning to install a total of 50 cameras by … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 6 Comments

CPPP Report on Outsourcing Enrollment for HHS

Posted on November 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The folks at the Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) have just released a paper on Updating and Outsourcing Enrollment Public Benefits: The Texas Experience. It’s a 60-page PDF file, just the thing for a little light reading before bedtime. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on CPPP Report on Outsourcing Enrollment for HHS

Thank you, Chris Bell

Posted on November 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I just want to add my voice to the chorus here. I actually think all of the statewide candidates, who ran their races in the face of incredible adversity and indifference, deserve thanks, though I’d thank some of them more … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Thank you, Chris Bell

We’re (tied for) #33!

Posted on November 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Ladies and gentlemen, the Rice Owls football team – winner of four straight (three on the road) and five of six – are tied for thirty-third in the Harris Interactive College Football poll. This is the same Rice Owls about … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 2 Comments

Dynamo win MLS championship

Posted on November 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations to the Houston Dynamo for winning the MLS championship in their inaugural year. I confess, I went back to my normal level of interest in soccer about five minutes after the whole team name flap ended, so I wasn’t … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 2 Comments

Blog 9 from Outer Space

Posted on November 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Now hear this: If you are not a fan of A Perfectly Cromulent Blog, then you surely will not like Blog 9 From Outer Space, in which Pete proves beyond any remaining doubt that he really does know more about … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | Comments Off on Blog 9 from Outer Space

Hammered

Posted on November 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I think the only complaint I have about this Chron story that postmortems the decline and fall of Tom DeLay is that it didn’t quote anyone who is truly enjoying it. I mean, c’mon, if there was ever a time … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 3 Comments

Condos in Sunset Heights

Posted on November 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

This story tells you all you need to know about why “historic preservation” is basically an oxymoron in Houston. After years of disappointments, Houston preservationists were elated four years ago when the City Council adopted laws that gave homeowners new … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Comments Off on Condos in Sunset Heights

Another story about bars, homeowners, and noise

Posted on November 12, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the story about the noise complaint at the bar Walter’s on Washington that turned into a national YouTube cause celebre when the police got a little overenthusiastic? Sure you do – the background is here and here if you … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 6 Comments

“I want my three dollars!”

Posted on November 12, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Good news! You just won the lottery. Well, not the big prize, but the little one, $3 worth for correctly picking three out of the six numbers. You go to your local Kwik-E-Mart to claim your winnings, and…Well, check out … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Jackpot! | Comments Off on “I want my three dollars!”

Another election winner: Public transportation

Posted on November 12, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Via Jeb comes the good news that many public transportation projects that were up for a vote in 2006 succeeded. Not everything passed, but more did than didn’t, including some ambitious ones. Check it out. Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Comments Off on Another election winner: Public transportation

Get ready, the 80th Lege is coming

Posted on November 11, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

And just as a hangover follows a beer binge, so does the convening of the Texas Legislature follow a fall election. According to Grits, the members have already been busy pre-filing bills. Most of them will never see the light … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 1 Comment

Farrar and Craddick

Posted on November 11, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron picks up on the story that Vince broke on Thursday about State Rep. Jessica Farrar’s letter to the Texas Ethics Commission regarding lobbyists and the Speaker’s race. To recap: Farrar, a Craddick opponent, said members and members-elect, whom … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 1 Comment

HD134 and the Houston GLBT Political Caucus

Posted on November 11, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Ryan Goodland gives a behind the scenes look at how the Houston GLBT Political Caucus (HGLBTPC) mobilized voters in Montrose to help propel Ellen Cohen to her victory over Martha Wong this week. I can’t wait to see the precinct … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 2 Comments