Monthly Archives: January 2009

One more step for Dynamo Stadium

Posted on January 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The journey towards the construction of Dynamo Stadium, which took a big step forward last month, is another step closer to its destination. Houston Mayor Bill White asked the county in July to contribute $10 million to the project by … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 1 Comment

Special election date for District H not set yet

Posted on January 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Now that Adrian Garcia’s City Council seat in District H is officially empty, the special election to replace him can be set for the next uniform election date, which is May 9. That was on the agenda for Council yesterday, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Waiting for KBH, the saga continues

Posted on January 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Could someone please inform Brownsox that while it is certainly possible that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison may resign this year and thus set up a special election for her seat in May of 2010, it’s rather an overbid to say … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

S-CHIP passes the House again

Posted on January 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good news from Washington. The House of Representatives [yesterday] approved a major expansion of federally funded health coverage for children, kicking off what Democrats hope will be a historic legislative campaign this year to overhaul the nation’s healthcare system. The … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 1 Comment

DPS sued over new drivers license rules

Posted on January 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t say I’m surprised by this. Civil rights advocates sued the Texas Department of Public Safety today, contending that new driver’s license requirements for immigrants discriminate against people legally in the United States. The suit, filed in state district court … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Comments Off on DPS sued over new drivers license rules

Voter ID is the single most important issue facing Texas today

Posted on January 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As far as the Republicans are concerned, at least. That’s the only conclusion one can draw from the actions in the Senate, where there’s a big Republican-led fight going on to suspend the two-thirds rule for voter ID bills only. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 2 Comments

Hey, there’s an idea!

Posted on January 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

There are many possible ways that the Rainy Day Fund could be used to help offset some of the bad budget news we got this week. Some of them will be better than others. Nearly all of them will be … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on Hey, there’s an idea!

Birthday party for Rick Noriega

Posted on January 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a slightly belated 51st birthday party being thrown for Rick Noriega tomorrow at Marbella’s Banquet Hall, 6632 Harrisburg Boulevard, just off of I-45 and Wayside – here’s a Google map for you, and you can look at the invitation … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in See, I do have a life! | Comments Off on Birthday party for Rick Noriega

Streetcars and the next step for Houston transit

Posted on January 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Christof completed a three-part look at streetcars in Houston (see parts one and two for background) by discussing possible places that streetcars in Houston might make sense. Not surprisingly, they tend to mirror the places where streetcars had been built … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 4 Comments

The silliness shifts to the Senate

Posted on January 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So one phrase I do not expect to type this year is “All hell has just broken loose in the House”. It would seem that I should not expect the same from the Senate, based on the shenanigans of the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 1 Comment

Don’t forget Frew

Posted on January 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

While we all continue to ponder what the state’s budget situation will mean, we must remember that certain allocations are mandatory. One example of such is Medicaid funding, for which the state of Texas settled a lawsuit in 2007 that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on Don’t forget Frew

Grand jury investigating Clemens

Posted on January 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

May be nothing, may be something. A federal grand jury is investigating whether Roger Clemens lied to Congress last year, two people briefed on the matter told The Associated Press on Monday. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because grand … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | 1 Comment

Straus swears in and the Lege stands down

Posted on January 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Boy, if you’d told me a month ago that today’s opening ceremonies for the 81st Lege would be all about pomp and comity and no drama, I’d have requested a sample of whatever you were ingesting. Funny how things turn … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Comments Off on Straus swears in and the Lege stands down

Does it look like it’s raining to you?

Posted on January 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We have the bad budget news. We also have nine billion dollars in the rainy day fund. What are we going to do about it? [Comptroller Susan] Combs’ forecast was grimmer than anticipated by some leaders, noted House Appropriations Committee … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 1 Comment

We’ll have the Treasurer to kick around awhile longer

Posted on January 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Alas. Harris County Treasurer Orlando Sanchez can breathe easy for at least two more years. After county leaders made abolishing his office a top priority going into the last legislative session, it’s not even on the county’s platform this time. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | 3 Comments

National ban on phoning while driving urged

Posted on January 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this was just a matter of time. A national safety group is advocating a total ban on cell phone use while driving, saying the practice is clearly dangerous and leads to fatalities. States should ban drivers from using … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 3 Comments

Supreme Court declines to hear TDP’s appeal in voting machine suit

Posted on January 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to revive the Texas Democratic Party’s lawsuit complaining that eSlate voting machines widely used in the state don’t properly record straight-party votes. The court declined without comment to hear the case. Democrats … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008, Legal matters | Comments Off on Supreme Court declines to hear TDP’s appeal in voting machine suit

Texas blog roundup for the week of January 12

Posted on January 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s 10 o’clock. Do you know where your Legislature is? If you do, you probably also know that the Texas Progressive Alliance does a weekly roundup of its blog highlights at about this time. Click on for more. Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Comments Off on Texas blog roundup for the week of January 12

Strayhorn makes it official

Posted on January 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

She wants one of her old jobs back. A no-holds-barred campaigner, Strayhorn will spice up an already lively mayor’s race. Austin City Council Member Brewster McCracken, a high-energy and ambitious figure, began his mayoral campaign in December. Former Texas Monthly … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged | 2 Comments

Rickey and Rice

Posted on January 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So the Hall of Fame Class of 2009 is Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice. No Bert Blyleven, no Alan Trammel, no Tim Raines, no Mark McGwire. Twenty-six members who bothered to put at least one name on a ballot (two … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | 7 Comments

That sound you hear is state revenues falling

Posted on January 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Look out below! Comptroller Susan Combs today estimated that Texas has about $9 billion less to spend – $77 billion – than it did two years ago. Combs called her revenue estimate, which caps how much lawmakers can spend in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on That sound you hear is state revenues falling

Weingarten, neighbors settle

Posted on January 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The battle between Weingarten and its neighbors over the changes to the new River Oaks Shopping Center has been resolved. Weingarten’s plans for a two-story Italian restaurant and wine bar, to be operated by Jeff and Tony Vallone, required encroachment … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Comments Off on Weingarten, neighbors settle

The Chron on the Straus effect

Posted on January 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron takes a look at what life in the House might be like under new Speaker-to-be Joe Straus. For Texans, that means a new team of House lawmakers will lead critical committees involving everything from future college costs to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 1 Comment

Open Letter to Artisans and Authors Regarding CPSIA

Posted on January 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

My cousin Jill, who has been working on making changes to the Consumer Protection and Safety Act (CPSIA) that will be less onerous to small businesses that make toys and children’s products, points me to this open letter to artisans … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Comments Off on Open Letter to Artisans and Authors Regarding CPSIA

Bye-bye, DRM

Posted on January 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Like just about everyone, I’m glad to hear that Apple will be selling DRM-free music via iTunes. But I think I’m even more excited by this: In return, Apple agreed to a long-standing demand of the music labels and said … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Weekend link dump for January 11

Posted on January 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Blah blah blah linkposts… 48% of Americans spend at least an hour a day on the internet. The remaining 52% lie about how much time they spend on it. Via Racy Mind. Please, in the name of all that is … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Comments Off on Weekend link dump for January 11

No drivers license for you!

Posted on January 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this story concerning the difficulties that legal immigrants go through in Texas to get drivers license renewals thanks to a new policy put in place by the Department of Public Safety. Three months … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 5 Comments

The bad times are coming

Posted on January 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

While most of the country has been experiencing the full brunt of the economic downturn for months, Houston has been fairly well insulated from the worst of it. That won’t be so this year. After spending most of 2008 as … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Comments Off on The bad times are coming

Gambling and Speaker Straus

Posted on January 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t think the election of Rep. Joe Straus as Speaker of the House really changes the equation for the gambling industry and its hopes for an expansion of their business in Texas, but I can understand why they’re feeling … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 2 Comments

The sales tax slowdown

Posted on January 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I note this in anticipation of Monday’s revenue report from Comptroller Susan Combs. The state collected $1.86 billion in sales taxes last month, a 2 percent increase from December 2007. The collections represent sales that took place in November. While … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on The sales tax slowdown

The wind farms are running

Posted on January 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The wind farms of South Texas are now operational. After three years of studies, development, lawsuits and environmental problem solving, the Gulf Wind project, a $740 million wind farm on 7,851 acres of the Kenedy Ranch, is all but complete. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Comments Off on The wind farms are running

Prison reform

Posted on January 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is what leadership looks like. This spring, [Sen. Jim] Webb (D-Va.) plans to introduce legislation on a long-standing passion of his: reforming the U.S. prison system. Jails teem with young black men who later struggle to rejoin society, he … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 4 Comments

Friday random ten: New year, new music

Posted on January 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

There’s nothing like an iPod loaded with new-to-you music, which is what I’ve been enjoying this week. My sources are the iTunes store, Cactus Records for a few CDs, and Stereogum.com for a load of free MP3s (with thanks to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The state of Texas is about to execute an innocent man

Posted on January 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Even as DNA evidence has freed numerous wrongly convicted men, mostly from Dallas but some from Houston, the official party line in Texas, from former Governor Bush to current Governor Perry, has always been that the state has never executed … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 1 Comment