Monthly Archives: June 2010

Auto salvage yards

Posted on June 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This recent Chron story about the county cracking down on auto salvage yards raised a couple of interesting points. The county long has been able to come after the yards for spills and drainage problems. This year Commissioners Court gave … Continue reading →

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Friday random twelve: The end of the alphabet

Posted on June 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

At long last, the end of my “Songs that start with a certain letter” theme. I don’t have ten songs that start with the letter Z, but I do have twelve songs that contain a word that starts with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

A Montrose/Studemont walkability update

Posted on June 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Back in 2008, I put together a photo essay on density and walkability in Montrose, in particular on Montrose/Studemont between West Gray and Washington. It included this photo, taken in front of what was then the old Ed Sacks Waste … Continue reading →

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Bye-bye, Big XII

Posted on June 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good-bye, Colorado. The Pac-10 announced Thursday that the University of Colorado has agreed to leave the Big 12 to join its conference. “This is an historic moment for the conference, as the Pac-10 is poised for tremendous growth,” commissioner Larry … Continue reading →

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Is the county’s public defender proposal good enough?

Posted on June 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This op-ed by Charlie Baird, judge of the 299th District Court in Travis County, and William Sessions, former chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, suggest that the start-up public defender’s office that Commissioners … Continue reading →

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Settlement reached in Bell lawsuit against Perry

Posted on June 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Watchdog: A 2007 lawsuit alleging Texas Gov. Rick Perry unlawfully hid $1 million in illegal campaign contributions has been settled in a confidential agreement, a lawyer connected to the case said Friday. The case was filed by Chris Bell, … Continue reading →

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Greens temporarily make the ballot

Posted on June 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Secretary of State has certified the petition signatures to allow the Green Party on the ballot this fall. On Wednesday, the secretary of state’s office announced that the party had presented sufficient signatures to field candidates in the … Continue reading →

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Three options for the Dome

Posted on June 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve been talking for a long time now about what is to become of the Astrodome. Harris County officials have some possible scenarios to discuss next week as part of a master plan for Reliant Park. Like it or not, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

We can’t just cut our way out of the budget deficit, take 2

Posted on June 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Some cuts cost a lot more than they purport to save. Public colleges and universities in Texas are absorbing a 5 percent cut in state funding by laying off employees, deferring repairs, scaling back travel and finding other savings. But … Continue reading →

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Vote for me for something

Posted on June 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve now seen four of these signs near where I live, one on I-10 westbound just before the Taylor exit, two on 20th Street between Studewood and Heights, and this one on Durham just south of Washington. I have three … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of June 7

Posted on June 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is sitting in the shade with a cool drink as it brings you this week’s blog roundup.

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Council passes demolition moratorium for historic properties

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Houston City Council has taken a step forward to providing stronger protection for historic properties. City Council passed a temporary law today that puts a moratorium on demolitions in Houston’s 15 historic districts. The city’s 15-year-old preservation ordinance has allowed … Continue reading →

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

Were the Green signatures obtained illegally?

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Wayne Slater follows up his previous reporting on the petition signatures that were gathered by an outside organization for the Green Party with the question about the legality of it. It’s unclear who paid for the petition drive, but funding … Continue reading →

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Emmett speaks about his county elections administrator proposal

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

County Judge Ed Emmett has a brief op-ed in the Chron to respond to some concerns about his proposal to study the possibility of an appointed elections administrator. There have been several false statements made that an elections administrator would … Continue reading →

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Midtown development

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Sunday Chron had a look at some new development coming to Main Street near the Ensemble/HCC station. In it was this observation about what had previously been built in the area: When the Main Street light rail line opened … Continue reading →

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TCEQ versus EPA

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This fight between the TCEQ and the EPA, or more broadly between polluters and people who like to breathe, has been coming for a long time. Environmentalists are excited by the EPA’s new aggressive posture and hope it prompts an … Continue reading →

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

Who helped the Greens get on the ballot?

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

According to Wayne Slater, it was “an out-of-state Republican consultant with a history of helping conservative causes and GOP candidates.” Green Party officials said an outside group gathered the 92,000 signatures and gave them as “a gift” to the party, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Baylor-PAC 10 emails

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s impossible to keep up with all of the Big 12/PAC 10/Big 10 stuff, and the many possible permutations of what could happen, but I was amused by the emails from a Baylor regent trying to whip up support for … Continue reading →

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Followup on Renew Houston

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

So I attended that blogger briefing I wrote about last week to learn more about Renew Houston. It was very informative, and I want to thank CM Costello and his staff for taking the time to talk to us. They … Continue reading →

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Astroworld empty lot update

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, we got word that the old Astroworld site, which has been empty since the last of the old rides were auctioned off in January of 2006, has a new owner – it had previously changed hands back in … Continue reading →

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“How much was that game worth?”, Dallas edition

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The question of how much a big sporting event affects a city’s economy is one I’ve pondered numerous times over the years. With the Super Bowl coming to Dallas Arlington, following on the heels of the NBA All-Star game, it’s … Continue reading →

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The alternate Congressional universe

Posted on June 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Since I brought up redistricting yesterday, here’s an interesting thought experiment for you: What might the state’s Congressional delegation look like today if the 2003 DeLay-orchestrated re-redistricting had never happened? I’ll leave it to you to peruse the maps and … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Baylor versus Colorado

Posted on June 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Like Justin, I find this a little hard to believe. Political forces in the state of Texas are preparing to demand that Baylor — not Colorado — should be one of the schools in the mix should the Pac-10 extend … Continue reading →

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KBH in 2012

Posted on June 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I keep telling you, it’s going to happen. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison hasn’t decided whether to retire at the end of 2012, and the possibility that she’ll run again leaves a major question mark over the already competitive field of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Booster seats

Posted on June 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The nine-month grace period for complying with the new booster seat law is officially over. While the law took effect in September, a nine-month grace period has given families time to prepare. Authorities have been issuing warnings, but now citations … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for June 6

Posted on June 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Happy birthday, Olivia!!! Now that’s what I call hugging it out. How to tell if you’re really dealing with a mad scientist. I say if they don’t have a degree in mad science, they don’t qualify. Sex and Money, Part … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Perry scoffs at budget shortfall number

Posted on June 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

What color is the sky on Rick Perry’s planet? Gov. Rick Perry says that where some see an $18 billion budget gap ahead for Texas, he sees a figure plucked from the sky. “I think it’s a number that somebody … Continue reading →

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An early look at redistricting

Posted on June 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The House Redistricting Committee is holding some hearings around the state in advance of the 2011 Census reports, and if there’s one thing we know already, it’s that West Texas will be losing influence next year. The state population increased … Continue reading →

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Eri Yoshida’s American debut

Posted on June 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve blogged before about Eri Yoshida, the 18-year-old female knuckleball pitcher from Japan. Last week, she made her Meet American debut as a professional baseball player. With the spotlight of the media from both sides of the Pacific, Yoshida made … Continue reading →

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Some budget cuts can be a force for good

Posted on June 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

If there’s one place where something good can come out of the current budget mess, it’s with the criminal justice system, where recent trends, economic realities, and the hard-won lessons of 2003 are contributing to an environment where good policies … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Re-Micks

Posted on June 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

So we spend a fair amount of our TV-watching time on stuff the TiVo has recorded off the Disney Channel. They don’t run commercials, so to fill the out their time slots they do a lot of promos of other … Continue reading →

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Dunnam to Perry: Give me some names

Posted on June 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

So as you know, there was a story last month about Rick Perry’s swanky and expensive rental mansion, which he and his wife have been using while the Governor’s Mansion is undergoing repairs. Turns out that the rather lavish lifestyle … Continue reading →

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

The PAC-16?

Posted on June 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

You know, nothing quite says “Pacific Coast” to me like Lubbock, Texas, and Stillwater, Oklahoma. Two reports surfaced Thursday, in the midst of the annual Big 12 meetings, that indicated the Pacific 10 is mulling offering six Big 12 schools … Continue reading →

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Why we can’t just cut our way out of the budget deficit

Posted on June 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

For one thing, there’s very little fat, and not much discretionary spending in the biggest budget items like health and human services. Of the $23 billion in state dollars appropriated in the current budget for health and human services programs, … Continue reading →

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