Monthly Archives: October 2009

More on the 30 days out report

Posted on October 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story on the 30 days out finance reports. It discusses the disparity in cash on hand totals between Annise Parker, Peter Brown, and Gene Locke. “[Parker’s] got a challenge to compete on the airwaves down the home … Continue reading →

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TPJ files complaint with Ethics Commission against Craddick

Posted on October 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Texans for Public Justice has filed a complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission against former Speaker Tom Craddick, alleging that he obfuscated campaign donations made to several Democratic supporters of his prior to the 2008 primaries. From their press release … Continue reading →

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The Mayorals on mobility

Posted on October 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Carolyn Feibel discusses the Mayoral candidates’ plans for transportation and mobility. Two candidates, City Controller Annise Parker and Councilman Peter Brown, disagree on what Metro’s main focus should be. While supporting light rail, Parker said buses should remain the “heart” … Continue reading →

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More Alamo Drafthouse locations on tap

Posted on October 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Some news of interest from Nancy Sarnoff’s new blog. The two Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas in the Houston area are being sold to an investment team that plans to open at least seven more in Texas. Triple Tap Ventures LLC will … Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

City fundraising reports, 30 days out

Posted on October 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the deadline to file the 30-days-out campaign finance report. You can look up your favorite candidate here, but I can tell you that more than half of them aren’t up as of when I publish this. I’ve updated … Continue reading →

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The Mayoral forum at Discovery Green

Posted on October 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In case you didn’t make it to the Mayoral forum at Discovery Green on Sunday, you’ll have another chance to see what happened later this week. The four candidates vying to become Houston’s next mayor emerged from the first major … Continue reading →

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Interview with Council Member Ronald Green

Posted on October 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We begin the final two weeks of interviews with Council Member Ronald Green, who is the first of the City Controller candidates I spoke to. Like his opponents in the race, Green is term-limited out of Council, where he is … Continue reading →

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So who will the Republicans vote for in this election?

Posted on October 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This article can basically be summarized as “Republican voters in Houston have a choice between three serious candidates who are all Democrats, and Roy Morales, and neither of those choices is particularly appealing to them”. I’ll put aside my sense … Continue reading →

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Scratch EZ Match

Posted on October 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t say this comes as a surprise. EZ Match is a scratch. The Texas Lottery Commission pulled the plug Friday on the proposed game that would have allowed players to become instant winners by handing their money to a … Continue reading →

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League City begins red light camera operations

Posted on October 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Back in April, League City council approved the use of red light cameras at up to five intersections there. On Wednesday, those cameras went into operation. League City installed three red-light cameras at the following three intersections. West FM 518 … Continue reading →

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Seven sidewalk sins

Posted on October 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Sid Burgess presents seven examples of how to be pedestrian-unfriendly. How many of them have you seen in the Houston area? I can say I’ve seen all seven. Thanks to neoHouston for the link.

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Weekend link dump for October 4

Posted on October 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We’re two weeks out from the start of Early Voting in Houston’s elections. Have you decided who you’re voting for yet? Time for a pollster ethics panel. Just call him Bobby No-Show. Dokken versus chicken. And see Greg for a … Continue reading →

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Yes, Your Honor, we do need a public defender’s office

Posted on October 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I really don’t understand the argument against at this point. More than 100 private attorneys were assigned by judges to represent inmates who could not afford a lawyer in felony cases in 2008. Sixty of them received more than $100,000. … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Updated list of all interviews to date

Posted on October 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder that you can click on the 2009 Election tab at the top right of the index page to get a complete up-to-date list of all the interviews I’ve done for the November cycle. There’s a total of … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Prop 4

Posted on October 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron begins its warmups for endorsement season by giving its nod to Prop 4, the easiest call on the ballot. The ballot language is impenetrable, in the way that our constitutional amendments always are. But the plan itself is … Continue reading →

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State to grudgingly hire a few more food stamps workers

Posted on October 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t strain yourselves, fellas. State leaders announced late Friday that more employees will be hired to help process food stamp applications. […] “In these tough economic times, the state of Texas must do everything in its power to ensure Texas … Continue reading →

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College for $99 a month

Posted on October 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Behold the future of higher education. StraighterLine is the brainchild of a man named Burck Smith, an Internet entrepreneur bent on altering the DNA of higher education as we have known it for the better part of 500 years. Rather … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Saturday video break: Seventy-six trombones

Posted on October 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Via Mark Evanier, the 2009 International Barbershop Chorus Champions performing a rendition of “Seventy-Six Trombones”. The group is called the Ambassadors of Harmony, and you can learn more about them and other Barbershop Chorus Champions here.

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

And the rest

Posted on October 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron devotes a fairly long article to the three candidates for Mayor you’ve probably never heard of. It’s fine to give a chance for everyone to be heard, but with the election a month out and the sum total … Continue reading →

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And here’s Locke’s first ad

Posted on October 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We were told that the Gene Locke campaign would begin running an ad on TV next week. It’s on YouTube now, so have a peek: It’s a good effort. The spot is biographical, and Locke has a substantive resume to … Continue reading →

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It’s not too early to reschedule that meeting

Posted on October 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Casey talks to State Sen. John Whitmire about Rick Perry’s choice of Williamson County DA John Bradley as the replacement chair of the Texas Forensic Sciences Commission, and how we can tell if the intent was as sinister as … Continue reading →

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Metro passes civil rights review

Posted on October 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Federal Transit Administration told the Metropolitan Transit Authority in a letter last week that the civil rights review, which began in February, is complete. In July, the FTA informed Metro that it was deficient on two out of … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: F that

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

When I started this “ten songs that start with the same word” theme, I figured I’d only have trouble with some of the higher-scoring letters in the Scrabble game. Turns out one of those troublemakers is the letter F for … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Interview with Ray Reiner

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

And we’ll wrap up the HISD candidate interviews with Ray Reiner, who is also running for the open District V seat. Reiner is retired after a 40-year career in HISD, where he wore many hats, including three stints as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Endorsement watch: Getting in under the wire

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting a little late in the game to be making endorsements, but a number of them have come out in the past week or so. Here’s a roundup of the ones that I’m aware of. First, from the Harris … Continue reading →

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You can’t get gay married in Texas, but you can get gay divorced

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

At least, according to a Dallas judge’s ruling, you can. Although the case is far from settled, and the state’s constitutional ban on gay marriage is a long way from being thrown out, Dallas state District Judge Tena Callahan’s ruling … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Once and again with the Ashby Highrise

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

There was a town hall meeting on Wednesday night on the status of the Ashby Highrise at Poe Elementary School just as there had been back in 2007 when the project first came up. Given that the developers have finally … Continue reading →

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The amendments on the ballot

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to everything else, you will be voting on eleven proposed Constitutional amendments this November. State Rep. Scott Hochberg, as he has done every other year, provides a list of the amendments, some basic information about what they would … Continue reading →

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Meta-campaigning

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I confess, I found it rather amusing to be quoted, along with a number of my blogging colleagues, in a press release sent out by the Peter Brown campaign that talked about how so many of us were talking about … Continue reading →

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Interview with Mike Lunceford

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

One last time into the HISD races with Mike Lunceford, running for the open Trustee seat in District V. Lunceford is a petroleum engineer and longtime HISD volunteer who has served as a member of the HISD Bond Oversight Committee … Continue reading →

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Reschedule the meeting

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve read a bunch of coverage of Governor Perry’s conveniently-timed decision to replace members of the Texas Forensic Science Commission just before they were scheduled to review the Beyler report on the Cameron Todd Willingham arson investigation, and one thing … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

DSCC looks to Texas

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Moe specifically, they’re looking at the Bill White campaign for a competitive race here. Democrats see political opportunity in Texas thanks to a departing Republican senator, a special election to replace her and Houston’s mayor bidding for her seat. Sen. … Continue reading →

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The SBOE is more than just a clown show

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The clown show part we know about, but the State Board of Education is also responsible for managing the state’s $20 billion Permanent School Fund, and as they politicize scholastic issues it seems politics may be playing a role in … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The cost of doing nothing

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder, as the health care reform battle lurches towards the finish line, that doing nothing is not a viable option. A week after a Texas agency reported health care reform legislation would cost the state’s Medicaid program an … Continue reading →

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