Monthly Archives: August 2007

HISD asks for bond money

Posted on August 3, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

You know about the $1 billion county bond proposal that will be on this November’s ballot. Now it may be joined by an HISD bond proposal as well. Houston Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra said today that he needs $805 million in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Comments Off on HISD asks for bond money

Amicus brief filed to CCA on behalf of Earle request

Posted on August 3, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

When last we checked, Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle had asked the Court of Criminal Appeals to reconsider its ruling to uphold the dismissal of the conspiracy indictment against Tom DeLay. Yesterday, Earle got an assist from an unexpected … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Comments Off on Amicus brief filed to CCA on behalf of Earle request

Asking questions about the red light cameras

Posted on August 2, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

On Tuesday, Matt Stiles announced he was going to have the opportunity to ask the powers that be about the city’s red light camera program. He’s done his thing, and you can listen to the answers he got here (MP3). … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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New TDP website

Posted on August 2, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

In case you haven’t seen it yet, the just-unveiled updated Texas Democratic Party website is worth a look. It’s more community-oriented, got more up-to-date content, and it just looks nicer. Check it out. Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | 1 Comment

Noriega liveblogging on Daily Kos

Posted on August 2, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Noriega paid a visit to Yearly Kos today and blogged about it here. Lots of positive responses to him there, which is no surprise to anyone who’s met Rick. You sometimes hear about candidates who have Elvis in them, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Old Sixth Ward protections pass City Council

Posted on August 2, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

At long last, City Council has finally approved the much anticipated historic district ordinance for the Old Sixth Ward. Preservationists hailed the 12-1 vote as a new era in Houston’s cultural consciousness. The 33-acre protected district contains the highest concentration … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 1 Comment

Infernal update

Posted on August 2, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Rich Connelly has an update on the sudden shutdown of Infernal Bridegroom Productions, which unfortunately appears to substantiate my speculation about the possibility of malfeasance. “Insurmountable financial difficulties” was the official word, and IBP employees, ex-employees and board members were … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Four day school week on hold for now

Posted on August 2, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

The Lancaster ISD, which had petitioned the Texas Education Agency for a waiver to allow a four day school week, has backed off that request, at least for now. Superintendent Larry Lewis said Tuesday he withdrew the waiver application because … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Comments Off on Four day school week on hold for now

Walton and Johnson move to 950 AM

Posted on August 2, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

I noted before that the unfunny duo of Walton and Johnson was to move from rock station 103.7 KIOL to talk radio station 950 AM KPRC. They make their debut next week. They’ll host the morning talk show 5:30-10 a.m. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Music | 2 Comments

Fifteen geek novels to read before you die

Posted on August 2, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Dwight Silverman has a reading list of novels for geeks that you might like. The criteria for making the list is a bit elastic – from affecting the geek culture and language (the Hitchhiker’s Guide trilogy) to being about a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Books | 1 Comment

SafeClear renewal pending

Posted on August 1, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

More money for another year of SafeClear is on the agenda for City Council today. Council approval would authorize $1,869,474 for the program during the fiscal year that began July 1. The money would be used to reimburse 11 companies … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Hotze lawsuit against city over revenue caps tossed

Posted on August 1, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Okay, so back in 2004 there were two competing revenue cap proposals for the city of Houston on the ballot. One only limited property and sales tax revenues plus water/sewer service fees, while the other affected those plus revenue generated … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | 3 Comments

Noriega for Texas video

Posted on August 1, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. Thanks to McBlogger for the link. More videos will be here if you want to subscribe. And of course, if you like what you see, you know what to do. Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | 2 Comments

Center Serving Persons with Mental Retardation update

Posted on August 1, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

At last report, the Center Serving Persons with Mental Retardation had signed a letter of intent to buy the land they now lease from the city. That agreement was contingent on City Council approval of the deal, which should be … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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By the way, the TYC is still broken

Posted on August 1, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were curious. The probation officer responsible for monitoring how Harris County juveniles are treated at Texas Youth Commission facilities said Monday that some youths have been waiting as long as 18 months to get into a sex … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Comments Off on By the way, the TYC is still broken

Mighty expensive groceries you’ve got there, Mister Speaker

Posted on August 1, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

You might have seen RG Ratcliffe’s report on how various legislators and statewide officeholders have been spending their campaign cash, which is something which my colleagues JohnCoby and Muse have been doing tirelessly for months now. Possibly the most interesting … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Comments Off on Mighty expensive groceries you’ve got there, Mister Speaker