Monthly Archives: May 2010

They get letters

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Many people have told the SBOE what they can do with their proposed textbook standards for social studies. The State Board of Education had received more than 20,000 public comments as of last week on the proposed revision of social … Continue reading →

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

You tell ’em, Chuck

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Charles Barkley, speaking to ESPN’s Dan Patrick, talks sense about the Arizona “Show me your papers” law: DP: You’re a resident of Arizona, I’m curious if you think baseball should get involved with the immigration law. Do you like that … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of May 10

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes everyone had a lovely Mother’s Day as it reviews the highlights from the blogs.

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Central City Co-Op Fundraiser

Posted on May 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Central City Co-Op, Houston’s original organic co-op, is doing its annual fundraiser at this time. The following is from Tiffany Tyler, the chair of the Central City Co-Op Board, and also my wife: Central City Co-op is partnering with Bubbles … Continue reading →

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How about filling all of the court vacancies?

Posted on May 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t really have an opinion about the newest Supreme Court nominee, Elena Kagan. There are people I respect who think she’s a good choice, and people I respect who wanted someone else, generally Diane Wood, to be the nominee … Continue reading →

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Get ready for larger class sizes

Posted on May 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Back in 1984, one of the school reforms that resulted from the Perot Commission was a mandate that elementary school classes could have no more than 22 students in them. Many things have changed since then, but that standard has … Continue reading →

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

O’Neill to resign from Supreme Court

Posted on May 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

State Supreme Court Justice Harriet O’Neill, who announced last year that she would not run for re-election, has now announced that she will step down from the Court in June. She told Gov. Rick Perry and the other members of … Continue reading →

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

Don’t hold your breath for high speed rail

Posted on May 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s still years away from being anything more than a wish list item. Bill Glavin, appointed late last year as the Texas Department of Transportation’s first rail director, told the Tarrant Regional Mobility Coalition on Wednesday that years of careful … Continue reading →

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

Interview with Linda Chavez-Thompson

Posted on May 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

No, I haven’t started my slate of 2010 candidate interviews yet. It’s too early for that. But I did have the opportunity to ask Linda Chavez-Thompson, the Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor, a few questions about immigration reform and the … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Three more election tidbits

Posted on May 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Tidbit #1: The city of Irving had its first election with its court-ordered single member Council districts. Voters ousted one sitting council member and sent another into a runoff election. They also put two minorities on what has been an … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

UH-Downtown renaming update

Posted on May 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, UH-Downtown has been looking to change its name since 2008. After an unsuccessful first attempt to get consensus, it’s trying again and seems to have settled on City University or Houston City University as its preferred replacement … Continue reading →

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

About that BP safety record, Governor…

Posted on May 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to his silly statement that the BP oil leak in the Gulf was an act of God, Governor Perry also made the curious claim that BP has “historically had a very good safety record from my perspective.” From … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for May 9

Posted on May 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

M is for the many links she gave me… Disneyland after dark. It’s hard work, looking out for all that state-sanctioned immodesty. Even the best case scenario for the Gulf coast oil spill is mighty terrible. No wonder BP is … Continue reading →

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Election results

Posted on May 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations to Galveston Mayor-Elect Joe Jaworski, who won a majority of the vote in a five-candidate race. “I think our message was one of energy and it was one of progress in Galveston,” Jaworski said. “I think people are tired … Continue reading →

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

No tech vendor contributions to HISD trustees

Posted on May 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This seems straightforward enough. Houston school board members can no longer accept unlimited contributions from technology vendors after federal regulators alleged HISD violated competitive bidding and gift-giving rules. The new policy, which board members discussed Thursday, relates to the federal … Continue reading →

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TxDOT’s shell game

Posted on May 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

State Sens. Jeff Wentworth and Wendy Davis, and State Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon show in this op-ed how TxDOT is trying to move money that the Lege specifically designated for rail to roads. Transportation advocates won a hard-fought victory during … Continue reading →

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Meet the Statewides: Moody and Weems

Posted on May 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Two more candidate videos from the TDP’s “Meet the Statewides” series. First up, Supreme Court candidate Bill Moody: Moody, a District Court justice in El Paso, was the top performer among Democratic candidates in 2006, getting 45% of the vote … Continue reading →

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Elections today

Posted on May 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder that for some of you, there are elections today, including a special election to replace State Sen. Kip Averitt in Waco, school board elections in Austin and Dallas, and of course elections for Mayor and City Council … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Saturday video break: Art car parade!

Posted on May 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the famous Art Car Parade here in Houston. It’s one of the most fun events in town all year, and one of the things that truly makes Houston what it is. For those of you who’ve never had … Continue reading →

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

Wilson resigns

Posted on May 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

He’s out. Frank J. Wilson relinquished the leadership of the Metropolitan Transit Authority on Friday, leaving Metro’s reconstituted board and an acting chief executive with the task of completing the light rail system Wilson was hired to build six years … Continue reading →

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If you thought gay marriage was contentious

Posted on May 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Attorney General is being asked for an opinion on transgender marriage. The El Paso County attorney wants the state’s top lawyer to tell her whether she can issue a marriage certificate to a woman and a biological male who … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

AAUP criticizes UTMB for post-Ike layoffs

Posted on May 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston and the University of Texas System (UTS) violated established and widely accepted guidelines on academic freedom and tenure when it laid off more than 2,400 faculty and staff in the … Continue reading →

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UTSA’s growing pains

Posted on May 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This story about UTSA and the issues it faces as it tries to accommodate its mostly non-residential student population as it grows is so reminiscent of Houston I had to keep reminding myself as I read it that it wasn’t … Continue reading →

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

Friday random ten: Hi, Mom!

Posted on May 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In honor of Mother’s Day, ten maternal songs: 1. Mother And Child Reunion – Paul Simon 2. My Old Mother – The Mollys 3. Sylvia’s Mother – Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show 4. I’ll Tell Me Ma – Flying … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Was it worth it for two prototypes?

Posted on May 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m really at a loss to understand how the previous Metro board could have put $900 million at risk to make it easier for their manufacturer to build two prototype light rail cars. Eight days after federal officials rejected the … Continue reading →

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

Gallegos versus Grier

Posted on May 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

State Sen. Mario Gallegos is not a fan of HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. He has made this clear through two letters he has released. This one, from April 8, raises questions about Grier’s past record in other school districts, while … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Analyzing the Republican judicial primaries

Posted on May 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Last month, I printed an analysis of the Democratic judicial primaries by University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus, who along with grad student Chris Nicholson built a mathematical model to predict the number of votes a candidate would … Continue reading →

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

Keller may yet face criminal charges

Posted on May 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Grits read through the TEC ruling against Sharon Keller, who was hit with a record $100K fine for various failures to disclose financial information, and notes that the system isn’t done with Keller yet, as there is still the matter … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Amending the CPSIA

Posted on May 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve written before about the Handmade Toy Alliance, of which my cousin Jill Chuckas is the secretary. The HTA was formed after the passage of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008 because it was interpreted by the … Continue reading →

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HGLBT Political Caucus issues resolution in favor of immigration reform

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: GLBT CAUCUS COMES OUT FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM The membership of the Houston GLBT Political Caucus voted overwhelmingly Wednesday for a resolution (attached) making a strong statement in favor of comprehensive immigration reform. “We, as a civil rights … Continue reading →

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Dunnam wants Lege to study gambling now

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Jim Dunnam, the Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, noting that Speaker Joe Straus has maintained his pledge to stay out of processes that involve gambling-related legislation because of possible conflicts on interest, sent a letter to three … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

More on Wilson’s departure

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

More evidence that Metro CEO Frank Wilson is about to be history: The Metro board has a replacement in mind. The board is expected to name George Greanias, a former city councilman and controller who co-chaired Mayor Annise Parker’s Metro … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Dynamo Stadium design

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Wondering what the new Dynamo Stadium will be like? The Chron has some early information. “We hope to be on site with a shovel in the ground by the end of this year,” said Dynamo general manager Oliver Luck, who … Continue reading →

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

Latinos and the GOP

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, no big surprise here. Adam Bustos, a third-generation Mexican-American, has voted Republican since Ronald Reagan ran for president. But he has been reconsidering his party affiliation since Arizona State Gov. Jan Brewer signed the nation’s toughest immigration law last … Continue reading →

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