Monthly Archives: July 2008

Pete’s strip club buddies

Posted on July 31, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

The DCCC has some fun with Pete Sessions’ strip club fundraiser. A March 2007 evening at a Las Vegas strip club is creating a great deal of controversy throughout the country, including in Minnesota. The event raised money for the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | Comments Off on Pete’s strip club buddies

Landfill power

Posted on July 31, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Anheuser-Busch, the top U.S. beer seller, said today it will begin using landfill gas to help power its massive Houston brewery in a move designed to lower its soaring energy costs and keep beer prices from climbing higher. The … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | 1 Comment

How many eligible voters are there?

Posted on July 31, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

On Tuesday, I asked the question how many eligible voters there were in Harris County, so we could put the number of registered voters into some perspective. Yesterday, I got an answer to that question. The folks at Houston Votes … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | 1 Comment

It sucks to be a school district

Posted on July 31, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

And it’s not going to get better any time soon. School districts across Texas are likely to face extreme fiscal hardships over the next two years as transportation costs spiral out of control, enrollments continue to grow and the transition … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 1 Comment

Pai pays up

Posted on July 31, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Been awhile since there was an Enron-related story that interested me. A former top Enron executive who sold nearly $300 million in Enron stock before the company cratered has agreed to pay regulators $31.5 million to settle civil allegations of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Enronarama | 1 Comment

Bye-bye, trees

Posted on July 31, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

And away they go… Some of the live oak trees that lined Kirby Drive were removed [Monday] night as part of a controversial reconstruction project between Westheimer and Richmond. The oaks, as well as crape myrtles, were taken down on … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 1 Comment

It’s not stripping, it’s burlesque

Posted on July 30, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

It’s stuff like this that reminds me why I love the campaign season. We had never heard of a member of Congress holding a fundraiser at a Las Vegas burlesque nightclub… until now. And the culprit is card-carrying conservative Rep. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | Comments Off on It’s not stripping, it’s burlesque

Houston gets dinged for non-recycling

Posted on July 30, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

I guess that recent run of positive press for Houston couldn’t last forever. The city’s shimmering skyline may wear the label of the world’s energy capital, but deep in Houston’s Dumpsters lies a less glamorous superlative: It is the worst … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 4 Comments

Interview with Diana Maldonado

Posted on July 30, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

One of the things I had intended to do while at Netroots Nation this year was interviews with candidates and other folks. Unfortunately, in the rush to pack and leave, I managed to leave my digital voice recorder at home. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | 1 Comment

Hillary Clinton to campaign for Obama

Posted on July 30, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. At a press event held by Hillary Clinton about FEMA trailers out on Long Island today, I asked her about the campaigning she planned to do for Barack Obama between now and Election Day. She said, “During … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 1 Comment

The judges and the HGLBT Political Caucus

Posted on July 30, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Houtopia has an interesting report about a local campaign development. We have been particularly interested to learn in recent days that at least a few Harris County incumbent Republican judges have been actively seeking the endorsement of the Houston Gay, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | 2 Comments

Potty problems

Posted on July 30, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

You know, I was just thinking that it had been way too long since we had a story about the availability of public toilets in downtown Houston. Thankfully, our wait is over. Unlike some other U.S. cities, Houston does not … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 2 Comments

More on McCaul, and more

Posted on July 29, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Harold Cook gets into an argument with one of Rep. Mike McCaul’s flacks over McCaul’s phony madrassa story, in the enviable position of having the facts on his side. Mean Rachel joins in. Michael Skelly has a second ad out, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | Comments Off on More on McCaul, and more

Judge rules Texas’ bilingual education is inadequate

Posted on July 29, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know what the practical effects of this are going to be, but it sure sounds like a big deal. A federal judge’s ruling that Texas is not living up to its obligation to properly educate students who struggle … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | 1 Comment

Metro East End meeting

Posted on July 29, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Just passing this along. The Metropolitan Transit Authority will host a neighborhood meeting Wednesday to update residents on construction of the East End light rail line. The route runs mostly on Harrisburg, and plans call for two items that have … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Comments Off on Metro East End meeting

School board campaign finance reports

Posted on July 29, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

I guess it hadn’t occurred to me that there were any class of public offices left for which campaign finance reports were not available online, but apparently there are. Taxpayers can find out with the click of a mouse who … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | 3 Comments

Registering voters

Posted on July 29, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

We should have over two million registered voters for the election this fall, which would be a record high for Harris County. The question is whether that figure should be even higher. For starters, 2 million citizens older than 17, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | 1 Comment

Waiting for KBH, the continuing story

Posted on July 29, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Paul Burka goes to Washington and confirms – as much as one can, anyway – that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison really really really will resign the Senate and run for Governor in 2010. No, I didn’t hear it directly from … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged | 5 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of July 28

Posted on July 29, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

The All-Star Break is over, the Olympics are on the horizon, NFL training camp has begun, and through it all the Texas Progressive Alliance blog roundups keep on going. Click on for this week’s highlights. Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Comments Off on Texas blog roundup for the week of July 28

Bell, Skelly, and McCaul

Posted on July 28, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Chris Bell, noting that there’s now 99 days left till Election Day, has sent out a fundraising email hoping to raise $10K in 10 days on ActBlue. The link is here if you want to pitch in. I’ve been harping … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | 2 Comments

No Ashby highrise ordinance coming

Posted on July 28, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

If there’s going to be any action taken by City Council on a new ordinance to deal with the Ahsby highrise and its ilk, it won’t happen any time soon, probably not until after Mayor White’s successor has been sworn … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 1 Comment

Charitable political contributions

Posted on July 28, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron looks at a gray area of political contributions. For the contractors and lobbyists whose public business rides on the trust and goodwill of politicians, it is no secret that campaign giving is a high-stakes game. At Harris County … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | 3 Comments

Green College Station

Posted on July 28, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose the remarkable thing about this story is that it’s newsworthy at all. COLLEGE STATION — This rural college town is more boots than Birkenstocks, more gravy than granola. It’s a place where conservative values and traditions run deep, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Comments Off on Green College Station

The Steffy Plan

Posted on July 28, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Credit where it’s due: After his solution-free criticism of the Pickens Plan, Chron columnist Loren Steffy has come up with a plan of his own for energy. My plan begins with the idea that energy is really about economics. The … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | 1 Comment

“Turd Blossom” coming to town

Posted on July 28, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

The title to this post makes me think I should start out singing – “You better watch out, you better not cry”…you get the idea. In any event, Vince reports that Karl Rove is coming to Houston for a big-dollar … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | 1 Comment

More on Obama and the downballot races

Posted on July 27, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s another story about the campaign Barack Obama will be running in Texas, which is more about getting downballot Democratic candidates elected than it is about Obama carrying the state. It doesn’t break any new ground, but it does give … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | 1 Comment

A look ahead to the Council of the future

Posted on July 27, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Carolyn Feibel consults her crystal ball to see what City Council might look like after the 2009 election. The mayor’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Terence Fontaine, has expressed interest in the At-Large 4 seat. That’s the seat occupied by Ron … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009, Election 2010 | Tagged , | Comments Off on A look ahead to the Council of the future

An alternate suggestion for Kirby

Posted on July 27, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

neoHouston wades into the debate over Kirby Drive and its doomed trees and suggests a different approach to improving mobility in the affected area. The problem with Kirby Drive is that it is the only North/South connector through what has … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 3 Comments

Run, don’t walk

Posted on July 27, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Race officials with the 2009 Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon have officially uninvited walkers from participating next year. For years, they have more or less looked the other way when hundreds of walkers — most of them … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Comments Off on Run, don’t walk

Weekend link dump for July 26

Posted on July 26, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

The links, they keep coming… Report from BlogHer, part one. Yes, I find the whole “purity ball” thing to be unbelievably creepy. What I expect of my daughters is that they will make responsible, informed decisions about their sex lives … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | 1 Comment

Obama still doing well among Latino voters

Posted on July 26, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Yet another national poll shows Barack Obama doing very well among Latino voters compared to John McCain. The poll of 2,015 Latino voters conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center found that Democrat Barack Obama, who lost the Hispanic vote to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | Comments Off on Obama still doing well among Latino voters

Bob’s your uncle

Posted on July 26, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

So there’s an interesting feature of Pat Lykos’ campaign finance report (PDF), which the HCDP has pointed out in a press release. She has just under $32,000 on hand, after raising $114,000, but a total of $50,000 of the cames … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | Comments Off on Bob’s your uncle

Nights in white linen

Posted on July 26, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Next Saturday, August 2, will be the third annual White Linen Night in the Heights. It’s basically an outdoor art-and-music festival, spread over several areas in the Heights – you can read more about it here. The event is an … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Comments Off on Nights in white linen

Deputies to back Garcia

Posted on July 25, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Harris County’s sheriff’s deputy unions are expected today to endorse a challenger in the sheriff’s race — an unprecedented move that union leaders say reflects a long-standing dissatisfaction with incumbent Tommy Thomas. The three unions, which together represent the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | Comments Off on Deputies to back Garcia