Monthly Archives: April 2010

Whose job is it anyway?

Posted on April 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This Chron editorial reviews the Weingarten/Alabama BookStop situation, and raises a pertinent issue: Most cities aggressively protect the handful of places that make them special. Houston doesn’t. We offer incentives to make stadium deals work for sports teams. Why not … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of April 5

Posted on April 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance welcomes the start of the new baseball season with another highlight reel of the week’s political activity. Click on for more.

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Gay-baiting in the HD76 runoff

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I had not paid much attention to the Democratic primary runoff in El Paso’s HD76, which is the only Democratic legislative runoff on the ballot. I don’t have a strong opinion one way or the other about the incumbent, Rep. … Continue reading →

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

Population and voting trends: 2002 and 2006 judicial elections, Part I

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

For the next entry in this series, we’re going to look at how county returns changed from 2002 to 2006 in statewide judicial races in Texas. Again, I’m using judicial races here because they tend to reflect straight partisan preference … Continue reading →

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Runoff endorsement watch: Reiteration

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes their recommendations for the primary runoffs: Democratic runoff District judge, 234th Judicial District: Tanner Garth District judge, 270th Judicial District: Lee Arellano Family district judge, 308th Judicial District: Bruce Kessler Family district judge, 311th Judicial District: Brad … Continue reading →

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More arguing over health care costs

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

There are many things to say about this. The debate over how much federal health care reform will cost Texas put the state’s health and human services chief on the defensive on Wednesday, as he presented a budget estimate to … Continue reading →

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

Parking review coming

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. The Department of Planning and Development has scheduled three community meetings in April to hear ideas about possible changes in the city’s parking ordinance, which has been modified only slightly since it was adopted in … Continue reading →

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

NCAA 96 on the way

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Let the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the reactionaries begin. The NCAA appears to be on the verge of expanding the men’s basketball tournament to 96 teams. Insisting that nothing has been decided, NCAA vice president Greg Shaheen nonetheless … Continue reading →

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

Weekend link dump for April 4

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Baseball season is underway, and all is right with the universe. How do you explain the difference between nerd, dork, and geek? With a Venn diagram, of course. The Five Worst Google Fiber pitches. None from Texas, thankfully. People still … Continue reading →

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Early voting for runoffs begins Monday

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: Houston, TX, – Early voting by personal appearance for the April 13, 2010 Democratic and Republican Primary Runoff Elections begins Monday, April 5th. The Primary Runoff Elections will decide 15 contests in which a candidate did not … Continue reading →

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Parker extends city rights policy to transgendered

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston Mayor Annise Parker has updated a 12-year-old Houston non-discrimination policy to include transgendered individuals, a step that has won praise from supporters in the gay community but prompted criticism as well. The two executive orders she signed last … Continue reading →

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How about a plastic bag tax?

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

A number of cities have adopted or considered adding a small tax to plastic bags as a means to raise a little money and cut down on landfill waste. Kevin Drum notes the experience of the Washington, DC nickel-per-bag tax, … Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Still looking for a fire chief

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve got a new police chief, but Mayor Parker is still looking for a new fire chief. Parker on Wednesday named Charles A McClelland Jr., a veteran Houston police administrator, the city’s new police chief. She concentrated that search on … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Play ball!

Posted on April 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Tomorrow is Opening Day, the best day of the year. And here is what was once voted the most memorable play ever: Play ball!

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Property tax values drop

Posted on April 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This budget news is really really bad. Thirty percent of Harris County homes declined in market value this year, as the area’s overall tax base dropped for the first time in at least two decades, officials announced Thursday. The reduced … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Just a minute, SBOE

Posted on April 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I almost missed this op-ed by State Rep. Carol Alvarado about everyone’s favorite clown show, the State Board of Education. In it, she hits on a theme we’re seeing more and more of. How can board members claim that our … Continue reading →

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

Two trustees speak about CEP

Posted on April 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This week, Carl Whitmarsh forwarded to his list a pair of articles written by HISD trustees on the subject of CEP and the changes that have been proposed by Superintendent Terry Grier. Since that has been such a contentious topic, … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Get those tubers out of your truck!

Posted on April 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’ll be summer before you know it, and if you’re contemplating a trip to New Braunfels for a ride on the river, be aware of some new changes to the law there regarding tuber transport. Tubers who enjoy an exhilarating … Continue reading →

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No Staples for the Alabama Theater

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Some news from Swamplot, from a commenter there named Andrea: “After writing to Staples PR this is their canned response: ‘While there has been speculation about Staples in connection with the historic Alabama Theater, we do not have a lease … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: More good songs

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s Good Friday, so as I did last year, today I bring you ten good songs: 1. All Good Gifts – from “Godspell” 2. Be Good Johnny – Men At Work 3. Good Enough – Acorn 4. The Good Life … Continue reading →

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A redistricting compromise?

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know how realistic this is, but if an agreement on how to divvy up the new Congressional districts can be worked out before the start of the legislative session, it would at least allow for more attention to … Continue reading →

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First steps in dealing with jail overcrowding

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

They’re baby steps, but they’re in the right direction. The first of 20 county inmates to get their sentences reduced by two-thirds for completing job training will get out of jail Monday. The experiment marks Sheriff Adrian Garcia’s first tentative … Continue reading →

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More legislative pushback against the SBOE

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Texas risks becoming a national laughingstock by diminishing Thomas Jefferson, banning the word “capitalism,” and otherwise distorting history for its public schools, the chairman of the Legislature’s largest caucus said Tuesday, announcing a hearing on the state’s proposed social … Continue reading →

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State auditor issues recommendations for fixing food stamps

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s about what you’d expect. The state agency that oversees Texas’ food stamp program is outdated and staffed by inexperienced workers, leading to long delays and inaccurate processing, said the state auditor in a report released Tuesday. “To improve the … Continue reading →

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Another reason why water conservation matters

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Because, as we learn from this Q&A that Forrest Wilder did with conservationist Andy Sansom, we’re already in a position where demand may exceed supply. 3) For many of our most cherished rivers, the government has appropriated more water than … Continue reading →

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Dynamo Stadium deal tagged

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

While City Council was able to complete the Lakewood Church sale, they were not able to vote on the other major real estate deal on their agenda this week, as Council Member Jarvis Johnson put a tag on the Dynamo … Continue reading →

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Council approves Lakewood sale

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This had generated a lot of discussion, but in the end it went through. The Houston City Council on Wednesday approved the sale of the former Compaq Center to Lakewood Church for $7.5 million. The vote was 13-to-2, with Councilmen … Continue reading →

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Interview with HISD Superintendent Terry Grier

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

On Monday I published an interview with HFT President Gayle Fallon in which we covered a number of topics relating to HISD, many of which are a source of contention between the HFT and HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. Yesterday, I … Continue reading →

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

Population and voting trends: 2004 and 2008 judicial elections

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

So we’ve seen how county returns changed in the Presidential election between 2004 and 2008. Obviously, there are many factors that can affect a Presidential election, even when there’s not really an active campaign going on in the state. How … Continue reading →

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The question to ask

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From State Rep. Mike Villarreal’s blog, explaining the benefit of the Affordable Care Act for Texans: Beyond this next year, many of the six million uninsured Texans will have health insurance, improving their health and financial stability, and saving all … Continue reading →

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West U and Bellaire on the Google Fiber bandwagon

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The deadline for submitting an application for a city to be a part of Google’s experimental fiber network was last Friday, the 26th. The cities of West University Place and Bellaire got theirs in before the deadline. Cindy Siegel and … Continue reading →

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Green University

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Colleges and universities are on the green wagon. “Green is good business,” said Pedro Alvarez, chairman of the civil and environmental engineering department at Rice University. But it’s also about idealism. “It’s not only a prerequisite to get a job … Continue reading →

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