Monthly Archives: December 2007

What’s a bond validation lawsuit?

Posted on December 10, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

I confess, this story from Saturday confuses me. In a little-publicized decision, a judge in Travis County signed off this week on the validity of the Houston Independent School District’s $805 million bond election. The pre-emptive court action means that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2007 | Comments Off on What’s a bond validation lawsuit?

AT&T to ditch the payphone business

Posted on December 10, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

The day in which our nation’s youth will completely fail to grasp the whole Superman/phone booth thing draws ever closer. AT&T Inc. plans to exit the pay-phone business by the end of 2008, company officials said Monday. The largest telephone … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | 1 Comment

Metro says they’ll start construction on time anyway

Posted on December 9, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

The latest Metro Solutions email blast directly addresses their recent kerfuffle with the FTA. Recent news reports about METRO and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) may have left the false impression that two of Houston’s five proposed light rail lines … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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And in other news, Governor Perry’s property tax cut claims are still phony

Posted on December 9, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Much as I like to see Governor Perry and his malarkey about the property tax cuts get smacked down, I rather wish there weren’t so much space given in the story to those who seem to see tax cuts as … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on And in other news, Governor Perry’s property tax cut claims are still phony

Jones, Adams, Sullivan, and Galloway win runoffs

Posted on December 9, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

And the 2007 election season is officially over for Houston. Lawyer and former track star [Democrat] Jolanda Jones coasted to victory over education consultant Joe Treviño in the only citywide contest in Saturday’s runoff election, according to unofficial results. Runoffs … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2007 | Comments Off on Jones, Adams, Sullivan, and Galloway win runoffs

Texas Progressive Alliance Silver Stars

Posted on December 9, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

What with preparations for Lights in the Heights and all, I never had a chance to blog about the 2007 Texan of the Year award, which my blogging colleagues and I with the Texas Progressive Alliance have been working on. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Comments Off on Texas Progressive Alliance Silver Stars

Memo to the netroots on immigration

Posted on December 9, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

The Drum Major Institute calls on the netroots to take a leadership role in the debate over immigration. They offer six ways in which blogs can add value to the discussion, and they include links to research on the subject. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Runoff day is today for Council and HISD

Posted on December 8, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

The 2007 election season comes to an end in Houston (but not in Texas – see more in a minute) today as the City Council and HISD runoffs take place, with polling places open from 7 AM to 7 PM. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2007 | Comments Off on Runoff day is today for Council and HISD

20 years of Lights in the Heights

Posted on December 8, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

It’s Lights in the Heights time again, with today being the 20th anniversary of this most excellent neighborhood festival. I give you Marty Hajovsky for most of what you need to know. The best place to start is the WHCA’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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RIP, Otto’s Bar B Que

Posted on December 8, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Via Swamplot, the original Otto’s Bar B Que restaurant on Memorial near Detering will soon serve its last meal. The storied Otto’s Bar B Que & Hamburgers restaurant, known to be favored by former President George Bush, will be demolished … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | 2 Comments

Filing news: Sherrie Matula

Posted on December 7, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Sherrie Matula, who gave Rep. John Davis a run for his money in HD129 last year, is back for an encore. Here’s her press release: Sherrie Matula, long-time educator and community activist, announces today her candidacy for State Representative District … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Phil King wants to raise your taxes

Posted on December 7, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to say stupid things on the campaign trail. State Rep. Phil King (R-Weatherford) wants a constitutional ban on the use of property taxes to fund public schools in Texas. “I am … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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HPD says hotel was empty when it was imploded

Posted on December 7, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the Crowne Plaza implosion, and how some people thought that a video recording of it showed a person entering the building just before the big boom? Well, HPD says that didn’t happen. The Houston Police Department opened an investigation … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Comments Off on HPD says hotel was empty when it was imploded

Feds set to sue landowners over access for border fence

Posted on December 7, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure this will be well received in South Texas. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is giving Texas landowners opposed to a border fence one last chance to allow access to their land before he takes court action against them, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Strip clubs sue over surcharge

Posted on December 7, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the strip club fee that passed the Lege this last spring? Well, a coalition of strip clubs in the state have now filed a lawsuit to block the law from being implemented. The suit, filed Wednesday in Travis County, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Comments Off on Strip clubs sue over surcharge

The Hardy Toll Road extension

Posted on December 6, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

This is a long time in coming. The Houston City Council on Wednesday paved the way for a long-awaited project to extend the Hardy Toll Road the final four miles to downtown from the North Loop. Without discussion, the panel … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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More on HOPE and the HEC

Posted on December 6, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

You may recall the kerfuffle between the City of Houston and HOPE over the latter’s radio ads concerning high school students answering 911 calls. The city had initially denied the claims made by HOPE and tried to quash the ads. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Comments Off on More on HOPE and the HEC

FTA says Metro screwed up

Posted on December 6, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Responding to the earlier story about its letter demanding more data from Metro before matching funds can be made available for the North and Southeast lines, the Federal Transit Administration says METRO knew this was coming and shouldn’t act so … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 3 Comments

Setting the record straight on stem cells

Posted on December 6, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, the Chron published a characteristic piece of tripe from Charles Krauthammer, in which he claimed that the recent breakthrough by American scientist James A. Thomson and his Japanese colleague Shinya Yamanaka on an embryo-free way to produce genetically … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Comments Off on Setting the record straight on stem cells

“You’re a mean one, Senator Grinch”

Posted on December 6, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas College Democrats have something to say about Sen. John Cornyn: You know, much as I like Ron Kirk, the campaign he ran back in 2002 was more about how similar he’d be to Cornyn, at least in terms … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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CHA files suit over Kenedy wind farms

Posted on December 6, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Well, I can’t say this is a surprise. The Coastal Habitat Alliance has taken its fight against two wind farms to court. The alliance, a group of 11 organizations including the King Ranch and Frontera Audubon Society, filed federal and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 1 Comment

Please present your BlackBerry to the boarding agent as your row is called

Posted on December 6, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

This is cool. A unique new check-in procedure using cell phones or personal digital assistants as boarding passes is being unveiled by Continental Airlines and the Transportation Security Administration at George Bush Intercontinental Airport today. The three-month pilot program involves … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 1 Comment

Trautman for Tax Assessor

Posted on December 5, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Here is the news regarding the candidacy for Tax Assessor that I alluded to earlier. That candidate is Diane Trautman. [A]fter much soul searching over the Thanksgiving holidays and encouragement from my family, friends, and past supporters, I have made … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Filing news: Contested primaries coming

Posted on December 5, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Lots more filing activity going on. Here’s a quick summary. – Numerous District Court candidates in Harris County have made their candidacies official, including Al Bennett (61st District Court (Civil)) and Josefina Muniz Rendon (165th District Court (Civil)), who do … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Houston WiFi, the next stage

Posted on December 5, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

So we know that EarthLink is basically abandoning the municipal WiFi market, and we know that the original deal the city had with EarthLink is more or less kaput, in spirit if not yet in legal terms. Where do we … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | 2 Comments

More on the FTA’s demands to Metro

Posted on December 5, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the fuller version of the story about the FTA telling Metro to resubmit paperwork for federal funding. It was front page above the fold in today’s Chron, and it sounds more alarming than it did yesterday. An unexpected demand … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 2 Comments

The filings I’m waiting for

Posted on December 5, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Now that filing season has begun, here are the races where I’m most anxious to see who (or if) the opposition candidate will be. In some cases, there may be a candidate out there and I’ve just not heard about … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | 2 Comments

Rene versus Ridgway for Justice of the Peace

Posted on December 5, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

We don’t get a whole lot of D-versus-R elections for Justice of the Peace around here – by my count, only three of the fourteen JP races in the past two cycles had both a Dem and a Republican in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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More on the TEA and Chris Comer

Posted on December 5, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Following up on the earlier bloggage about the Texas Education Agency and its curious position on scientific neutrality, Bluedaze and PDiddie round up more reactions and commentary, to which I’ll add Wonkette (never a good sign for a government agency … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 6 Comments

Catastrophic, in a good way

Posted on December 5, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

The theater troupe known as Infernal Bridegroom Productions, which shut its doors several months ago due to financial strife, has been reborn under a new name. You wouldn’t think anything “catastrophic” would prompt an eager welcome. But when theater fans … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Comments Off on Catastrophic, in a good way

Marketing atheism

Posted on December 5, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Looking for a special gift for that devout atheist in your life? It might be harder than you think to find something appropriate. According to Greg Beato, atheists are way behind the entrepreneurial curve. Look for atheist perfume, and you’ll … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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BOR interviews Judge Criss

Posted on December 4, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Here. Worth your time to read – kudos to Matt Glazer and Judge Criss for the effort. Check it out. Continue reading →

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Twelve out of thirteen members of Congress recommend Rick Noriega

Posted on December 4, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

From Team Noriega: In an unprecedented early show of confidence in a candidate for the race for U.S. Senator from Texas, Democratic members of the Texas Delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives today endorsed Texas State Representative Rick Noriega … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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FTA tells Metro to resubmit paperwork for funding

Posted on December 4, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Mere formality, or potential genuine stumbling block? Beats me. Federal transit officials have told the Metropolitan Transit Authority it must re-apply for approval of its preliminary engineering work for planned light rail lines in the north and southeast corridors. The … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 1 Comment