Monthly Archives: January 2010

Eversole opposes Wilson

Posted on January 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In his appeal to stay on the ballot after HCDP Chair removed him for not putting in a valid residential address, Dave Wilson contended that only County Commissioner Jerry Eversole, as his opponent on the ballot, has standing to challenge … Continue reading →

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Dynamo fans rally for the stadium

Posted on January 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

There was a rally by Houston Dynamo fans over the weekend in support of getting the stadium deal done. Hair Balls and the Chron’s Glenn Davis have coverage. From what I can see, it looks to me like the ralliers … Continue reading →

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Boriskie steps down

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Add HFD Chief to the list of things Mayor Parker will need to address. With his department under siege by critics and a new mayor as his boss, Houston Fire Chief Phil Boriskie stepped down as the department’s top commander, … Continue reading →

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Keller gets off

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Fresh from the Trib: Sharon Keller, the presiding judge of the state’s highest criminal court, will not be removed from the bench following a trial and review by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. […] The special master finds that … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Interview with Sue Schechter

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Next up in the primary interview series is Sue Schechter, who is running for Harris County Clerk. Schechter is an attorney and a political veteran who served two terms as a State Representative and was the chair of the Harris … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Joellen Snow

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. There are a lot of judicial races on the ballot in Harris County this election, and so this is intended to help introduce the candidates … Continue reading →

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Is the GOP gubernatorial primary headed for a runoff?

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib and Texas Politics both report on that Rasmussen poll, which in addition to giving us our first relevant general election result also shows Debra Medina climbing into double digits, with both Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison under … Continue reading →

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Still for Kip

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

State Sen. Kip Averitt may not want to run for re-election, but there’s still some folks who want to vote for him anyway. Chris DeCluitt, a Waco lawyer who sits on the State Republican Executive Committee, said a movement was … Continue reading →

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From the “You get what you pay for” department

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I have a hard time wrapping my mind around this story about the struggle of suburban fire departments to provide services for residents who don’t want to pay for them. I just don’t understand the mindset. Montgomery County ESD No. … Continue reading →

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First poll of TX-GOV

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

And we have our first general election gubernatorial poll of Texas that has Bill White in it, courtesy of Rasmussen. Incumbent GOP Governor Rick Perry leads White 50% to 40% among likely Texas voters. Four percent (4%) prefer some other … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Michael Skadden

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. There are a lot of judicial races on the ballot in Harris County this election, and so this is intended to help introduce the candidates … Continue reading →

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The economic impact of dropouts

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Really interesting story from last week. The Alliance for Excellent Education in Washington, D.C., analyzed data from the nation’s 45 largest metropolitan areas to see how high school dropouts influence not only their own lives but also their community’s overall … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Are we recovering yet?

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Economist Ray Perryman thinks so. Texas will be “last in, first out” among states battling the recession, although a recovery that has already started will require patience, a leading economist says. The Lone Star State proved resilient because of advantages … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Department of Transportation makes it easier to do transit projects

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. In a dramatic change from existing policy, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today proposed that new funding guidelines for major transit projects be based on livability issues such as economic development opportunities and environmental benefits, in addition to … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of January 18

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes everyone had a happy MLK Day as it brings you this week’s blog highlights.

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Meet Team Parker

Posted on January 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron peeks behind the curtain at the people who will be working the most closely with Mayor Parker. They fall into roughly three camps: senior aides from her time as controller, City Hall veterans and a lone political operative … Continue reading →

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Interview with Bill White

Posted on January 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Today we begin my interview series for the 2010 Democratic primary, and we begin it with the man who has helped get so many of us excited about the 2010 elections in Texas, former Houston Mayor Bill White, who is … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Damiane Curvey Banieh

Posted on January 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. There are a lot of judicial races on the ballot in Harris County this election, and so this is intended to help introduce the candidates … Continue reading →

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

Galveston bans texting while driving

Posted on January 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Consider yourself warned. Galveston City Council members banned [texting while driving] Thursday, making the city the first in Galveston County to forbid motorists from using cell phones and other hand-held devices to view, send or compose electronic messages while driving. … Continue reading →

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More food stamps fail

Posted on January 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The dimensions of this failure are just staggering. Texas has the worst performing food stamp program in the nation, says the federal director who oversees the project designed to help desperate people get nutritious meals. Texas ranks last among the … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for January 17

Posted on January 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Bicycling in San Antonio. The Bloggess is in your government, Twittering away. It’s never the offseason for talking about paying college athletes. When statheads talk about musicals, it’s a beautifully geeky thing. I’m curious why we don’t hear more about … Continue reading →

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Trying to spend less on the jails

Posted on January 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, Harris County has a budget shortfall, and in recent years has seen spending on the Sheriff’s department, driven largely be the costs of the overcrowded jails, exceed its budgeted amount by millions. For the upcoming fiscal year, … Continue reading →

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Houston Area Table meeting Tuesday

Posted on January 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

If you’re getting tired of reading what I’ve got to say and would rather hear me say it out loud, come to the Houston Area Table meeting this Tuesday, January 19 and see if I sound any better that way. … Continue reading →

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Biodegradable bag requirement postponed

Posted on January 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Implementation of the new city ordinance requiring biodegradable bags for yard waste has been pushed back until April. The new start date is April 5, which is after the last major fall of leaves for the season, said Harry Hayes, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

There ought to be an app for that

Posted on January 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Smartphone app writers of the town, unite! Want to count calories, diagnose car trouble or kill time fighting an imaginary war? There’s a Houston-made app for that. As sales of smart phones continue to grow, local technology advocates hope to … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Saturday video break: Houston versus Dallas

Posted on January 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This video touting the charms of the city of Dallas made the rounds this week. I actually find all of the dorky dancing to be somewhat charming. You can’t do that sort of thing and take yourself too seriously. Having … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Voter registration deadline for the primaries is February 1

Posted on January 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We received our new voter registration cards in the mail this week, as our previous ones expired on December 31. If you haven’t received yours, or if you’re unsure if you’re still registered, better take care of it quickly as … Continue reading →

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Wrapping up the SBOE social studies debate

Posted on January 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Apparently, the debate over the new social studies standards went on so long that the SBOE decided to put the rest of it off till March, meaning the final adoption will be in May. If only they could push it … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

HISD moves ahead with its teacher dismissal plan

Posted on January 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. The school board on Thursday gave initial approval to a policy that allows the district to dismiss teachers whose students consistently perform below expectations on standardized tests. The change represents a move to make personnel decisions based … Continue reading →

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For those of you who are for the other team

Posted on January 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As noted, I am going to concentrate my candidate interview and Q&A efforts for now on the Democratic primaries. For those of you who would like to see something done on the GOP side, Big Jolly has sent out a … Continue reading →

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Pants are overrated

Posted on January 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

If you saw a bunch of pantsless people on the DART train on Sunday, you weren’t seeing things. In all, about 70 people – mostly in their 20s but plenty older and younger than that, too – rode DART sans … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Keep on keeping on

Posted on January 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember when I was doing Friday Random Tens based on ten songs that started with the same word, one for each letter of the alphabet? Good times. Let’s pretend I’ve been doing that all along and keep it going … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | 4 Comments

That was the debate that was

Posted on January 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m generally not the debate-watching type, so I managed to find some other way to spend my Thursday evening that did not involve the Perry/Hutchison/Median tete-a-tete-a-tete. Plenty of other people did, however, some because they were paid to do so … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Steve Herskowitz

Posted on January 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. There are a lot of judicial races on the ballot in Harris County this election, and so this is intended to help introduce the candidates … Continue reading →

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