Monthly Archives: October 2010

Keller takes a victory lap

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

She’s still blaming others and lying about the facts. Texas’ top criminal judge said Tuesday that she feels vindicated that a special court dismissed a public reprimand of her for closing her court and preventing lawyers from filing a last-minute … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for October 24

Posted on October 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Are we in the Halloween spirit yet? RIP, Barbara Billingsley. Here’s hoping they speak jive in Heaven. Is it time to forgive George Lucas? Gay-bashing isn’t something that needs to be balanced, it’s something that needs to be banished. Maybe … Continue reading →

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Billboard battle finally resolved

Posted on October 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. A protracted wrangle over 59 billboards illegally erected in Houston’s 5-mile-wide extraterritorial jurisdiction ringing the city ended Thursday when U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt ordered bankrupt RTM Media to dismantle the outdoor advertising within 12 months. The judge’s order … Continue reading →

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

Sugar Land contemplates its transportation options

Posted on October 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Via Houston Tomorrow, here’s an interesting story about how Sugar Land is thinking about the effect of the planned baseball stadium and Imperial Sugar Mill redevelopment on traffic. Both projects mean this older part of Sugar Land is likely to … Continue reading →

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

Endorsement watch: What took them so long?

Posted on October 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Nearly a full week into early voting, the last of the five major dailies, the Star Telegram, endorses Bill White. The hard economic reality of 2010 is that Texans deserve a governor who can work effectively on a national level. … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Early voting theme song

Posted on October 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Have you voted yet? If not, here’s a little ditty to hum as you enter the polling place. Pretty catchy for an unapologetic political screed, if you ask me. Thanks to Juanita for the catch.

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Metro to try mediation with CAF

Posted on October 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever works. The Metropolitan Transit Authority plans to negotiate the cancellation of a $331 million contract with a Spanish rail car manufacturer through mediation, local transit bosses said Wednesday. That is why, despite the agency’s announced intention to cancel the … Continue reading →

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“Lunch Line”

Posted on October 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Want to understand the history of the school lunch program and what’s going on with it today? Then you’ll want to see the documentary “Lunch Line”, for which The Lunch Tray is, fittingly enough, a sponsor: Here’s a trailer of … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Endorsement watch: Congress

Posted on October 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing to see here. Six contested Congressional races in Harris County – the 7th CD, in which there is a write-in candidate but no Democrat on the ballot, is not included – six recommendations for the incumbents. Had there been … Continue reading →

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The Mayor’s email to Council regarding drainage and street repair

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This email from Mayor Parker to City Council members about the estimated costs of street and drainage repairs found its way into my Inbox, and I’m sharing it with you because it’s something you should know about, too. Any long-term … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The World Serious

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The World Series begins next week, so here are ten World songs to commemorate it: 1. All Around The World Or The Myth Of Fingerprints – Paul Simon 2. Another World – Joe Jackson 3. Credit In The Straight World … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Janiece Horn

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. These Q&As are primarily intended for candidates who were … Continue reading →

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Hey, big secret spender

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I know you’re as shocked as I am to learn that there are unknown entities spending large quantities of money in this election. Campaign finance watchdogs say the tactic conceals important information about who is backing a political cause, but … Continue reading →

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Overview of the HISD Trustee race

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron overview of the HISD Trustee special election in District 8. There are five candidates actually running, though there is a sixth on the ballot: Roberto Centeno, 61, lives in Museum District Judith Cruz, 35, lives in Eastwood … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of October 18

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is fired up and ready to vote as it brings you this week’s blog roundup.

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Endorsement watch: Ellis and Whitmire

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron finally turns to legislative races by endorsing two Senate Democratic incumbents in a pair of lightly contested races. [Sen. Rodney] Ellis, the longtime Democratic incumbent in Texas Senate District 13, has made his mark in many legislative areas, … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Dennis Slate

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. These Q&As are primarily intended for candidates who were … Continue reading →

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The DeLay trial finally gears up

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

OMG, I’m almost as excited about this as I am about the World Series. Lawyers in the Tom DeLay conspiracy trial have subpoenaed a who’s who of witnesses, from associates of disgraced Washington, D.C., lobbyist Jack Abramoff to former Texas … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

County Judge race overview

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron overview of the race for Harris County Judge. Incumbent Ed Emmett, a Republican, talks of double-tracking bridges for freight, attracting foreign investment to build toll roads, and planning commuter rail in such a way that it can … Continue reading →

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More on SHRP’s investment partner

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I mentioned before that Sam Houston Race Park is getting an investor that will help them with the push to expand gambling in Texas. Here’s some more about the investor and the push. The Philadelphia-area company [Penn National] is, at … Continue reading →

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

DOJ gets a call on voter intimidation allegations

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Day Two of early voting saw far fewer allegations of voter intimidation and the possible arrival of the Justice Department to keep an eye on things. Responding to complaints that poll watchers were intimidating voters in predominantly minority polling locations, … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Michael Gomez

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. These Q&As are primarily intended for candidates who were … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Beware the really bad candidates

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Gloria Padilla in the Express News has some good advice. Voting is not as easy as it used to be when communities were smaller and everyone knew the candidates. Smart voters need to do their homework and research their candidates. … Continue reading →

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

Overview of the Railroad Commission race

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron overview of the race for Railroad Commissioner between the highly qualified and universally endorsed Democrat Jeff Weems and the “I have an R by my name” Republican David Porter. Weems is a Houston oil and gas lawyer … Continue reading →

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Texas gator population bouncing back

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. The storm surge from Hurricane Ike in 2008 severely damaged alligator habitat in coastal marshes along the upper Texas coast, resulting in the outright death of a considerable number of gators. It also delayed the mortality of others … Continue reading →

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Early voting, Day One

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

One day of early voting is in the can, and when all was said and done 26,051 in person votes were cast. In 2006, 8,545 in person early votes were cast. You can see a spreadsheet of 2006 daily EV … Continue reading →

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

Judicial Q&A: Ursula Hall

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. These Q&As are primarily intended for candidates who were … Continue reading →

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The Mayor editorializes for Prop 1

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Parker lays out the case for Prop 1, the ballot referendum to establish a dedicated revenue source for street and drainage improvements. Is it necessary? Absolutely! Approximately 65 percent of our streets and drainage systems are beyond their useful … Continue reading →

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Appeals court suspends Willingham court inquiry

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This happened late last week. An Austin appeals court has ordered Judge Charlie Baird to halt his inquiry into whether Cameron Todd Willingham was wrongfully executed in 2004 and whether there is probable cause that state officials committed a crime … Continue reading →

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

OutSmart story on the Fort Bend LGBT Political Caucus

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Nice story in OutSmart about the fledgling Fort Bend LGBT Political Caucus, which was formed a couple of months ago. This is one of those websites that’s basically a fancy scan of the print magazine, so you can’t quote from … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: The HISD Trustee race

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Judith Cruz in the HISD Trustee special election. Cruz firmly supports the Waiting for Superman brand of school reform: She believes that urban schools can do a much better job of educating our kids than they do … Continue reading →

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TPJ files complaint against King Street Patriots

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: TPJ today filed a formal complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission alleging that the King Street Patriots and KSP/True the Vote have violated the state’s prohibition on corporate contributions to political parties and candidates. The complaint says … Continue reading →

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Interview with Bill White

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

And so we come to the end of the 2010 candidate interview cycle with the candidate whose entry into his race changed the narrative and the perceptions of what was possible for the Democratic ticket. That candidate is Bill White, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Endorsement watch: All for Bill White

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We don’t have another sweep yet, as the Star-Telegram hasn’t weighed in quite yet, but all the endorsements so far have gone Bill White‘s way as expected. A sample: The DMN is particularly pointed. Perry, 60, has done relatively little … Continue reading →

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