Monthly Archives: December 2006

Caruso’s benefit

Posted on December 17, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Various members of Houston’s theater scene will perform in a benefit concert for the employees of The Great Caruso, who were put out of work by the fire last weekend. The concert is at 7 p.m. Monday at Zilkha Hall, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Saint Arnold’s in the news

Posted on December 17, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

And here’s the first of what I hope are many stories about the Saint Arnold legislative project. “It would be so great at the end of a brewery tour to sell them a six-pack,” said St. Arnold Brewing Co. founder … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 1 Comment

One more to go: HD29

Posted on December 17, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The last election of 2006 (but not necessarily the last election of this cycle) will take place on Tuesday. It’s the special election for HD29 to fill the seat left vacant by the death of State Rep. Glenda Dawson. There … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 2 Comments

Robinson Warehouse – Going, going…

Posted on December 16, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

And the Robinson Warehouse beat goes on… Much more progress since Monday. I’ve got more pix than usual this time, so click on for more. Continue reading →

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Bagwell makes it official

Posted on December 16, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I think we all knew it was the end of the line for Jeff Bagwell. Now he has made it official. “It’s been a long journey, but it’s been a great ride,” Bagwell said. “It really has.” Bagwell’s retirement has … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Comments Off on Bagwell makes it official

Williamson County election update

Posted on December 16, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Eye on Williamson brings the latest news about the major voting problems they had in that county this year. Williamson County officials took a major step Thursday to restore residents’ trust in the voting system after numerous problems in the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Still more on tolls and gas taxes

Posted on December 15, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Today’s Chron story on the Texas Transportation Institute study and the pushback it’s gotten adds a few new points to the discussion. Chairman Michael Stevens, a Houston developer, said the gasoline tax would pay for all the highway-construction needs in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 1 Comment

Red light cameras in El Paso

Posted on December 15, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I still haven’t seen any data regarding collision and injury rates in Houston at the intersections where red light cameras have been installed. Via PinkDome, however, I now have some information about El Paso. The number of citations for red-light … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 2 Comments

TxDOT gripes about toll road report

Posted on December 15, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

You may recall the Texas Transportation Institute study that said Texas could fund its roadbuilding needs without tolling everything in sight. TxDOT has finally reacted to it, and it’s about what you’d expect. State transportation officials rebutted that analysis Wednesday, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 1 Comment

The legend of the Rice truck

Posted on December 15, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

This is the best story I’ve ever read on a sports fan message board. I’ve got a big stupid grin on my face right now from having read it. Go read it for yourself and see if the same thing … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 1 Comment

Vote for Stephanie

Posted on December 15, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

My Chron blog colleague (and Trinity classmate) Stephanie Stradley, a/k/a the Texans Chick is in the running to be the Texans’ Ultimate Fan. If she wins, she gets a trip to the Super Bowl. Her sister Debutant makes the case … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 1 Comment

No Kleenex at Rice

Posted on December 14, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

This is interesting. If you’re looking for a Kleenex on the Rice University campus in the near future, you’ll be out of luck. Students at the highly rated university in Houston have convinced campus officials to quit buying Kleenex products … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 5 Comments

Psst – Wanna go to the Liberty Bowl?

Posted on December 14, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I had a message on my answering machine yesterday from UH football coach Art Briles. It was a robocall, in which he implored all supporters of Cougar athletics to buy some tickets to the Liberty Bowl on December 29. I’ve … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 3 Comments

Robinson Warehouse – The view from Dallas

Posted on December 14, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I drove past the Robinson Warehouse on Tuesday to see if the debris from the front facade demolition had been cleaned up. It had, mostly, but I couldn’t find any parking nearby – the little service road for Allen Parkway … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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What Saint Arnold’s wants to do

Posted on December 14, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Some of us bloggers had a little conference call with Brock Wagner of the Saint Arnold brewery last night to talk about just what it is he and his cohorts want to the Lege to do for them. I’ve summarized … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 1 Comment

DeLay’s net gain

Posted on December 14, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Long as I’m in a quibbling mood, I need to point out an error in this Hotline post about CD23. [Congressional guru Rich] Cohen also makes one other point. This is now the second seat in TX this cycle that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

A short, pedantic rant about “Jingle Bells”

Posted on December 14, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

KACC, like most radio stations, has started in on the Christmas music. Which is fine – as with everything they do, it’s a good mix of classics, lesser known works, and local artists. One song that’s gotten some play is … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Music | 5 Comments

Northcross Wal-Mart on hold, sort of

Posted on December 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Shortly after I posted this about the proposed Wal-Mart at the Northcross Mall in Austin, I received this link in my email. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is suspending action on a proposed store at Northcross Mall for 60 days. Embroiled in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | 6 Comments

Wal-Mart brouhaha in Austin

Posted on December 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I usually limit my neighborhood stuff to Houston, but my buddy (and occasional guest blogger) Matt asked me to post something about this story concerning a Wal-Mart planned for Northcross Mall, so here it is. And it’s a pretty interesting … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | 1 Comment

Nothing quite says “Happy Holidays!” like this

Posted on December 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Oh. My. God. That’s all I can say. I have never loved the Internet more than I do right now. Continue reading →

Posted in General snarkiness | 5 Comments

“Same forty songs on the radio…”

Posted on December 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Call (call…call…call…) the music police! Radio consolidation is shrinking playlists and creating a homogenized musical landscape, several singers and songwriters told the Federal Communication Commission Monday. “Big radio is bad radio,” said Rick Carnes, president of the Songwriters Guild of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Music | 3 Comments

Looking ahead to 2008 already

Posted on December 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, I know. I can’t help myself, OK? Stace tells us there’s a potential Democratic contender in place for CD02 already for 2008. His name is Conrad Allen, and you can find his basic bio plus the list of his … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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On libel and Vicki Truitt

Posted on December 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The Star Telegram has a mostly condescending editorial about the bloggers versus State Rep. Vicki Truitt dustup. I’ll leave the response to that part of it to Eileen and her legions of mind-controlled commenters, but in the meantime, there was … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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How much are those new jails going to cost us?

Posted on December 13, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

A lot, apparently. Harris County currently spends nearly 16 percent – about $174 million – of its annual operating expenses on the current jail system. Adding the two proposed jails, where construction cost is at least $267 million, would increase … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 2 Comments

Ciro wins!

Posted on December 12, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla conceded defeat to former congressman Ciro Rodriguez in a stunning upset that completed the Democratic takeover of Congress. The Republican incumbent lost Bexar County for the first time in his political career Tuesday night, and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 4 Comments

Hurricane Vince

Posted on December 12, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Look, I don’t want to make fun of anyone’s pain, but in reading stuff like this and this, I’m thinking maybe a few deep breaths are in order here. I’m not a Texans fan (nor am I a Longhorn fan, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 4 Comments

Mourning The Great Caruso

Posted on December 12, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Folks who once performed at The Great Caruso mourn its loss. Although the building in the 10000 block of Westheimer is now little more than twisted metal and fire-blackened concrete, some members of the city’s theater community said the Great … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 2 Comments

Skilling gets prison postponement

Posted on December 12, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Score one for Skilling. Jeff Skilling won’t be calling this southern Minnesota town home just yet. Late Monday, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order postponing the ex-Enron CEO’s Tuesday report date to a low-security federal prison … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Enronarama | 1 Comment

Tea for two

Posted on December 12, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Olivia received a Disney Princess Tea Set on Saturday as a Christmas present from a family friend. As you can see from the picture, the gift was a big hit. We all spent the better part of Sunday drinking enough … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in See, I do have a life! | 3 Comments

Gearing up for Koufax 2006

Posted on December 12, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

It’s December, and that means the annual Koufax Awards are not far behind. The fine folks at Wampum, who do a ton of work to present the awards each year, could use a little help with their server hardware in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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FOX26 interviews Rep. Rick Noriega

Posted on December 12, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

You have to sit through a 15-second commercial to see this, but here’s the video of a nice interview on FOX26 with Rep. Rick Noriega about his time in Afghanistan and Laredo. Check it out. Continue reading →

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Moving towards the middle ground?

Posted on December 12, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Via South Texas Chisme, the Statesman talks to some legislators who think this session is going to be a lot less partisan and rancorous than previous ones. The influx of Democrats will moderate the majority and lead to a more … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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A shift in thinking on toll roads?

Posted on December 12, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Well, well. It seems that the Texas Transportation Institute study that Burka blogged about last week has had an impact on the powers that be. For more than a year now, state officials have scared the dickens out of motorists … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 1 Comment

Fire at the Great Caruso

Posted on December 11, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Like Houstonist, I’ve never been to The Great Caruso dinner theater. It’s right next to the hotel formerly known as the Adam’s Mark, at which I’ve played bridge many times, so even though I’d never patronized the place, it felt … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 1 Comment