Monthly Archives: March 2010

Keep hope alive for the Alabama Drafthouse

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Crossing my fingers. More than six months ago, the owners of the Houston-area Alamo Drafthouse locations talked to Weingarten Realty about leasing the historic Alabama Theater. The negotiations fell apart when the groups couldn’t come to an agreement. Now, with … Continue reading →

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

Parker taps McClelland as HPD Chief

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. Mayor Annise Parker officially named veteran police administrator Charles A. McClelland Houston’s new police chief today, citing his long service and leadership skills. McClelland, 55, has served as acting chief of the Houston Police Department since the retirement … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

KBH to make her decision today

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know about you, but my breath is bated. U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has called a press conference for 10 a.m. Wednesday in San Antonio and is expected to announce whether she will stay in the Senate for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Census update

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This is not exactly a surprise. Households in older, single-family Houston neighborhoods are returning 2010 census forms at the highest levels in the city so far, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data. Neighborhoods with concentrations of apartments or … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

More on K12RadioHouston

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron writes about HISD’s plan for an Internet radio station. While the station will be professionally run, students will have a role in producing content. Music will dominate the waves, but school performances, athletic events and news announcements will … Continue reading →

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More renewable energy coming?

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

If the PUC says so. The Public Utility Commission is mulling a shot in the arm to the renewables industry, as it is to energy efficiency. Sometime after a March 31 public workshop, the commission is expected to put forward … Continue reading →

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Parker to name new HPD Chief tomorrow

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mayor Parker to Name Her Choice for Police Chief Who: Mayor Annise Parker What: Announcement of Mayor Parker’s nomination for Houston Police Chief When: Wednesday, March 31, immediately following City Council meeting Where: Proclamation Room, 3rd Floor, … Continue reading →

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Alabama Drafthouse Theater idea gains momentum

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

With the revelation that Weingarten has plans to demolish the interior of the former Alabama BookStop so that it may get turned into a Staples or something like it, more people are expressing the wish that something be done instead … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Population and voting trends: 2004 and 2008 Presidential election

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Taking a look at the voting trends in the fastest growing counties made me want to know more about this, so I broke out the spreadsheets and took a look. I’ll present the results in a three-part series, starting today … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

More on Grier’s alternative to CEP

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has a story about HISD Superintendent Terry Grier’s recent proposal to replace Community Education Partners (CEP) with a school swap program for some students with discipline issues. The transfer program, meant to give students a second chance in … Continue reading →

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Runoff endorsement watch: HCD

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Harris County Democrats, which is a club and not to be confused with the HCDP, has issued its endorsements for the Democratic primary runoffs: Dem – District Judge, 234th Judicial District Tanner Garth Dem – District Judge, 270th Judicial … Continue reading →

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Hunting sacred cows

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

If there’s one item on the budget fix to-do list for which there is fairly broad agreement, at least in principle, it’s the idea that the existing tax code ought to be examined to see what things are being exempted … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of March 29

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Why not enjoy these posts from the Texas Political Alliance along with the beautiful spring weather?

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What’s in a diploma?

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

My alma mater doesn’t make the news very often, so when it does, I take notice. A group of students at Trinity University is lobbying trustees to drop a reference to “Our Lord” on their diplomas, arguing it does not … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

You know what they say about free advice

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Back when Bill White first got into the Texas Governor’s race, the Texas Tribune asked me to engage in an email debate with David Benzion about his tenure as Mayor. At the time, I said I would not presume to … Continue reading →

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Interview with Gayle Fallon

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I’ve been following the news in HISD lately, in particular the political struggle going on between new HISD Superintendent Terry Grier and the Houston Federation of Teachers, over things like the proposal to dump CEP as the … Continue reading →

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

David Wolff’s farewell message

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Outgoing Metro chair David Wolff takes to the op-ed pages to present a more positive view of his agency and his tenure. While much had been accomplished by previous hard working boards, we inherited an aging bus fleet, a very … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Joe Agris

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I read with great interest this feature story on Houston plastic surgeon Joe Agris, who was a longtime collaborator with the late Marvin Zindler in getting medical help to indigent children. I did so partly because Agris is a fascinating … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Turns out we’re not actually destroying the world one textbook at a time

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good to know. Though Texas has been painted in scores of media reports as the big dog that wags the textbook industry tail, that’s simply no longer true — and will become even less true in the future, as technological … Continue reading →

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

Farmers Branch loses in court yet again

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Yet another loss in court for the city of Farmers Branch and its efforts to make apartment owners check potential renters’ immigration status. The City of Farmers Branch enacted ordinance 2952 in 2008 but today’s decision in the U.S. District … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

If there’s a big sporting event in town…

Posted on March 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Then it must be time for a story about the economic impact of that big sporting event. For a city that has hosted the Super Bowl, the World Series and NBA and MLB All-Star games in the past decade, the … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for March 28

Posted on March 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Judicial activism, Oklahoma-style. The next round of Democratic primaries, this year and in 2012, will be something to see. In case you somehow missed David Frum’s Waterloo article. All hail Nancy Pelosi. And let’s not forget the debt we owe … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 4 Comments

Are they finally building something on the Robinson Warehouse site?

Posted on March 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the Robinson Warehouse? It’s been more than three years now since the old building at Montrose and Allen Parkway was demolished, and the site has been fallow ever since. But in the last week or so, some signs of … Continue reading →

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

Perelman wins but won’t accept Clay Mathematics Prize

Posted on March 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Grigory Perelman, the reclusive Russian mathematician who solved the Poincare Conjecture in 2003 has officially been awarded the one million dollar Clay Mathematics Prize for doing so. The prize was announced [March 18] by James Carlson, president of the institute. … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court hears strip club appeal

Posted on March 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The state Supreme Court has heard arguments in the appeal of the strip club fee lawsuit. Lower courts have sided with the strip clubs, ruling that the fee that has collected more than $13.6 million since 2008 is an unconstitutional … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Saturday video break: Waterloo

Posted on March 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Like yesterday’s video, this one’s been making its way around the intertubes lately. Here’s the context, in case you’re wondering. I posted this mostly as an excuse to note that thanks to my father-in-law’s affection for the movie “Mamma Mia!”, … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Sports Authority to become Dynamo Stadium landlord

Posted on March 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

One of the items on the to-do list after the city and county struck a deal on Dynamo Stadium was for the team to negotiate a lease for the stadium. The Harris County-Houston Sports Authority was proposed as the landlord, … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The hole keeps getting deeper

Posted on March 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve said multiple times that even if we survive the 2011 legislative session, the budget problems we’ll be dealing with next year aren’t going away. The reason for that is because we have a structural deficit, as the giant unaffordable … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

They’re brewing up in Conroe

Posted on March 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m glad to hear that there’s another microbrewery in the area, and I’ll be keeping my eyes open for Southern Star beer the next time I’m someplace that might have a broad enough selection to include it. One item to … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Friday random ten: She’s all that

Posted on March 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

That’s what she’s saying: 1. She’s A Rebel – Green Day 2. She’s Alright – Muddy Waters 3. She’s Electric – Oasis 4. She’s Got Her Ticket – Tracy Chapman 5. She’s Got You – Patsy Cline 6. She’s My … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Special Friday video break: Hell, no, you can’t!

Posted on March 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Finally got a chance to see this: As they say in sports: Scoreboard, dude.

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Kirk Watson’s “Monopoly Busters”

Posted on March 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I hadn’t written about State Sen. Kirk Watson’s Monopoly Busters drive before now – see here for his announcement of it last week. The primary goal is to decide which House incumbents will receive campaign contributions from Sen. Watson, but … Continue reading →

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Where the votes are going

Posted on March 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Matt Stiles looks at Census data and notes a political point. Seven Texas counties — Rockwall, Williamson, Collin, Hays, Fort Bend, Montgomery and Denton — are listed among the nation’s 30 fastest-growing areas, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Weingarten update

Posted on March 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Swamplot keeps digging to find out more about what’s going on with the Alabama Theater. Basically, though Weingarten is being weaselly about it (I know, I’m shocked too), it seems clear they are planning to demolish the interior of the … Continue reading →

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