Monthly Archives: June 2010

Texas blog roundup for the week of June 21

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance welcomes the official start of summer with a cold beverage and the highlights from the week in blogging.

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Averitt will step down

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

After flirting with the idea of remaining on the ballot in SD22, former State Sen. Kip Averitt has announced he will stay retired, thus creating a new race for SD22 this November. Averitt retired and dropped his reelection bid earlier … Continue reading →

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Eversole and Radack get jail overcrowding religion

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Actually, what County Commissioners Jerry Eversole and Steve Radack have is a case of criticize-the-Sheriff-itis. Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole implied at meeting earlier today that the county’s sheriff, Adrian Garcia, acted improperly and wasted tax payer money when he … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Radnofsky urges Abbott to sue Wall Street

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Texas should file a sweeping lawsuit against Wall Street firms similar to the ones that led to the multibillion-dollar tobacco settlements of the 1990s, Democratic attorney general candidate Barbara Ann Radnofsky argued Monday. Shortly after she launched her appeal, … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Keep yapping, Leo

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Blah blah blah. State Rep. Leo Berman said House Speaker Joe Straus’ ascent to the position was a “sham” based on promises to House Democrats and vowed he would offer the opposing party no leeway if elected Speaker next session. … Continue reading →

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UH’s academic argument for the Big XII

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting strategy. The head of the Big 12 insists there are no plans to add Texas teams to the conference, but Renu Khator, chancellor and president of the University of Houston, apparently didn’t get the message. She’s still pushing for … Continue reading →

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Some good job news

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. At least, I hope it’s a start. A surge in temporary federal Census Bureau jobs coupled with new leisure and hospitality positions helped local employers create 20,200 new jobs during May. The data, released Friday by the … Continue reading →

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Will Averitt not withdraw from the ballot?

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The story so far: Republican State Sen. Kip Averitt dropped his re-election bid in January, citing health concerns. As it happens, his announcement came after the deadline to withdraw from the ballot, and since the other guy wasn’t well-liked among … Continue reading →

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PPP poll: Perry 43, White 43

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This will likely shake things up a bit. One of the biggest questions about the 2010 election cycle, which we still don’t really know the answer to, is whether it will be solely an anti-Democratic year or more broadly an … Continue reading →

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Rhetoric is the easy part

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

There are two things that I wonder about as I read this story about poverty and the Texas schools and the alarming trends we’re seeing in things like the dropout rate. First and foremost, will anyone ever listen to former … Continue reading →

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Berman to challenge Straus

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t say I’ve been thrilled with Joe Straus as Speaker of the House. He’s worlds better than Tom Craddick was, which still isn’t saying that much, but he hasn’t been all that friendly to his largely Democratic group of … Continue reading →

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The downside to unelected officials

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I happened to come across this story and thought it would be a useful data point given the recent discussion about maybe having an appointed elections administrator for Harris County. Medina County Elections Administrator Brodie Koch was a no-show at … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

More on the proposed booking center

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

On the Houston Politics blog, Chris Moran follows up on his reporting about the new “booking center” proposal with information about how it may play out in Commissioners Court. The city of Houston has designated $31 million to help fund … Continue reading →

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Harris County CIP will ignore Hempstead managed lanes

Posted on June 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Earlier this month, I blogged about the status of the US 290 expansion, for which TxDOT’s plan rested on the assumption that the Harris County Toll Road Authority would go forth with the construction of managed lanes along Hempstead Highway. … Continue reading →

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Rick Perry and the Latino vote, part 3

Posted on June 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Having looked at the 2002 election last week, I turn my attention now to 2006. This presents a number of challenges, thanks to the bizarre four-way contest that was the Governor’s race. In all my previous work on the 2006 … Continue reading →

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Bilingual budget amendment controversy

Posted on June 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Given the budget situation we’re in, there’s been a surprising lack of overt controversy about how to deal with it. Council members submitted their budget amendments last week, and one of them has generated a stir. KUHF reported on the … Continue reading →

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Republicans for White

Posted on June 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve said before that Rick Perry can win, or at least he believes he can win, on Republican voters alone. Bill White needs to draw crossover support. With 49 percent of Republican primary voters choosing someone other than Perry, that … Continue reading →

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Woodlands regional crime lab

Posted on June 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m glad to see that there’s a new regional crime lab being opened up in Montgomery County to assist numerous law enforcement agencies in the area. But I’m especially pleased to see this tidbit in the story about it: Local … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for June 20

Posted on June 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Hug somebody’s dad today. Pity the poor teabaggers. Doing it for the lolz. Getting the best of both FinReg bills. What If Yesterday’s Teen Movie Characters Had Today’s Technology? The iVuvuzela. You know you want it. The dark secrets of … Continue reading →

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The Keller hearings

Posted on June 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The current phase of the Sharon Keller saga may end soon. Sharon Keller, fighting to keep her job as the state’s top criminal court judge, should know her fate soon. After a five-hour hearing Friday, members of the State Commission … Continue reading →

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More on the legislators’ push for UH to the Big XII

Posted on June 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story on that letter a bunch of area legislators sent to Big XII Commissioner Dan Beebe and the presidents of Texas universities in that conference in support of adding UH. Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe is on … Continue reading →

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The bears come back to East Texas

Posted on June 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Bears are slowly returning to the woods of East Texas thanks to thriving bear populations in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, wildlife officials say. As a result, sightings in East Texas have been on the rise, up from just five … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Never trust a cartoon that comes to life

Posted on June 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Because we’re all about the 80s here, I give you the literal video version of A-ha’s “Take On Me”: The gold standard for the Literal Videos is still Total Eclipse of the Heart, but this one’s pretty good, too. And … Continue reading →

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Harper-Brown’s hand in the cookie jar

Posted on June 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. State Rep. Linda Harper-Brown (R-Irving) and her husband are driving cars owned by a highway contractor doing millions of dollars of business with the state. All the while, Harper-Brown sits on the influential House Transportation Committee. Her husband claims … Continue reading →

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New “booking center” proposed

Posted on June 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, Sheriff Garcia has been trying to rework the jail bond referendum that failed in 2007 into something that can be passed. On Tuesday, Commissioners Court will have a look at the new proposal, which calls for a … Continue reading →

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

Claude Jones

Posted on June 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Claude Jones was a Texas inmate who was executed ten years ago. He protested his innocence of the crime for which he was put to death till the end. Now we may get to see if he was telling the … Continue reading →

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Green burials

Posted on June 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

If you don’t like the idea of being embalmed and buried in an expensive casket, perhaps a “green burial” is for you. [‘Green burials” are] part of a growing movement to eliminate toxic chemicals or nonbiodegradable materials from end-of-life rituals … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Who’s your daddy?

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In honor of Father’s Day, ten paternal songs: 1. Be My Daddy – Trish & Darin 2. Big Daddy Of Them All – John Mellencamp 3. Daddy And The Thief – team9 vs. Stereogum 4. Daddy Could Swear I Declare … Continue reading →

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Keller hearing today

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the day for the State Commission on Judicial Conduct to have its hearing on the Sharon Keller case and to decide what to do with the findings of the Special Master. Today, prosecutors plan to argue that [Special … Continue reading →

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Greens hire Andy Taylor

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Dear Green Party: If you need to hire Andy Taylor to achieve your political goals, then you’re doing it wrong. I just thought you’d like to know that.

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EPA goes after more permits

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. The Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday it was taking over the issuance of operating permits for two more Texas facilities — Chevron Phillips Cedar Bayou and Garland Power and Light — further escalating the federal-state fight over … Continue reading →

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Metro working on its critics

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Now that it has much of its litigation-related unpleasantness behind it, Metro is working on improving its image, both with the public as a whole and with its more persistent critics. The need to re-brand Metro as an institution worthy … Continue reading →

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

Get well soon, Gordon!

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I was not aware of this. Gordon Quan, the Democratic candidate for county judge, had multiple-bypass heart surgery in late May and said today that he expects to be back to campaigning and working after Independence Day. “My cardiologist says … Continue reading →

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Let your cellphone be your guide

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Have you ever found yourself walking around downtown Houston and wondering about the history of the place? If you have a cellphone with you, you can take a self-guided tour. Launched in March, Downtown Mobile Info begins at Wortham Center, … Continue reading →

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