Monthly Archives: February 2011

Bradley gets committee approval

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t say I’m surprised. The Senate Nominations Committee voted 4-2 today to recommend approving state forensic board chairman John Bradley’s appointment. Sens. Jose Rodriguez, D-El Paso, and Kirk Watson, D-Austin, voted against Bradley’s nomination. Four Republicans voted in favor; other, … Continue reading →

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Deadline to RSVP for March 14 Lobby Day event

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder about this. Monday, March 14th, 7 am – 7 pm: Legislative Day at the Texas Capitol in Austin, organized by Houston Federation of Teachers. HFT has invited parents to join them in meeting with as many state … Continue reading →

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Hochberg’s plan for less testing

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A new bill filed by State Rep. Scott Hochberg that would exempt students who easily passed standardized tests one year from taking them the next, makes all kinds of sense. The bill, co-authored by Hochberg and freshman Rep. Dan Huberty, … Continue reading →

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Council’s code of conduct

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not sure what to make of this. City Council is considering imposing a code of conduct on itself that would give it the power to reprimand or censure members. It already has the ultimate enforcement tool – impeachment – … Continue reading →

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HISD’s opening thoughts on dealing with budget cuts

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not going to be pretty, no matter how you slice it. Fewer police officers would patrol school hallways, property taxes would rise, several campuses would close and about 300 central office jobs would be cut next year under HISD … Continue reading →

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Leppert says he’s officially in for Senate

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. In the final hours of his incomplete term, Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert told News 8 Friday morning he is a candidate for the Republican nomination for United States Senate. Leppert announced his intentions during a Friday morning taping … Continue reading →

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Time for the Senate to go after John Bradley

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Grits: Governor Rick Perry’s appointees to the Texas Forensic Science Commission are up in the Senate Nominations Committee [today]. Senators should use the forum to force Commission Chairman John Bradley to answer all the questions he’s dodged in the past … Continue reading →

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Just a reminder: Save Texas Schools

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder: Save Texas Schools – Fund Public Education Now! Our Schools, Our Kids, Our Future Texas students are tough, but they’ve never faced a crisis like this. In every school district across the Lone Star State, the same … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for February 27

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Is that a lion about to come in? Keep Twitter short! Change is hard. But keeping things short doesn’t have to be. See, this is why I wasn’t a liberal arts major. How could outsourcing your core competency possibly have … Continue reading →

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Harris County minus one?

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Despite essentially keeping up with the state growth rate, Harris County may lose a legislative seat in the next round of redistricting. As Texas lawmakers turn their attention to the complex and contentious task of redrawing their own districts, that … Continue reading →

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Sugar Land seeks someone to develop prison land

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I hope they get their wish. Sugar Land city officials hope to convert a 330-acre state prison property into a light industrial business park and are looking for private partners for the development. The tract, which sits adjacent to the … Continue reading →

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San Antonio moves past Dallas

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

They’re #2! Not that it really matters. [San Antonio’s] 1.3 million residents put it at the No. 2 spot for Texas’ largest cities and had the office of Mayor Julián Castro declaring San Antonio’s “rising prominence as one of America’s … Continue reading →

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But it’s football! Football’s different!

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Times are tough in Texas, especially for public schools and universities. Everyone is being asked to make do with less. Well, almost everyone. Several professors at a [Texas Tech] faculty senate meeting Wednesday questioned the university’s January announcement it will … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: When the cover is better known than the original

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You know the song “Tainted Love”, right? A classic from the 80s. And a cover of a 60s Motown song. Quite different, no? The folks at Popdose wrote about some well-known tunes that they knew better as covers. I’d say … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Metro settles with Higgins

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And the last bit of “old Metro” business gets put to rest. The Metropolitan Transit Authority’s board [Thursday] agreed to settle a lawsuit by the agency’s former chief counsel in which she accused Metro of firing her for trying to … Continue reading →

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Murdock on the cuts to public education

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Not too surprisingly, former state demographer Steve Murdock thinks that the looming cuts to public education are a long-term disaster for the state. He singled out pre-K and TEXAS grants as the top two items of concern. “I am very … Continue reading →

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Another story analyzing gambling’s odds in the Lege

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this story. [W]ith a budget crisis looming — and funding to public education, health care and other state services on the chopping block — gambling opponents aren’t taking any chances. Both sides have … Continue reading →

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Brewery bills get referred to committee

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a first step. State Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, has introduced House Bill 602, which would allow breweries to distribute up to 48 12-ounce beers at the conclusion of tours of the respective facilities. Brewers would cover the cost of … Continue reading →

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Way to go, Caltech!

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Woot! The Caltech men’s basketball team ended a 26-year conference losing streak Tuesday night after posting a 46-45 victory over Occidental in the team’s regular-season finale on senior night. It was the first victory for the Division III Beavers since … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The top 500, part 14

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Getting close to the end of the songs in my collection from the Rolling Stone Top 500 list. 1. Roxanne – The Police (#388) 2. Band of Gold – Freda Payne (#391) 3. Summer In The City – Black Casino … Continue reading →

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Consolidating school districts

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron’s Texas Politics blog has been running a feature called “Chopping Block”, in which it solicits suggestions from the audience about possible ways the stats could save a few bucks, then explores what the effect would be. As you … Continue reading →

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How about a temporary sales tax hike?

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I am deeply conflicted about this. State Rep. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, has filed a bill to temporarily increase the state sales tax by 2 cents on the dollar for two years. He estimates it would raise $6 billion, which … Continue reading →

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From the “Stuff I’d like to see happen but won’t” files

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You may recall that one of the LBB recommendations for helping to close the budget gap was to impose a $100 surcharge on the purchase of fuel-inefficient vehicles. I said at the time that I loved the idea but thought … Continue reading →

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More charter school stuff

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Now that you’ve listened to my interview with Chris Barbic, here are a couple more charter school-related articles of interest. First, from the Trib, a story about charter schools getting help for facilities from the Permanent School Fund. Fledgling charter … Continue reading →

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Dan Barrett for Fort Worth

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m delighted to see this. Democrat Dan Barrett, a lawyer and former state representative, is planning to file as a candidate for Mayor of Fort Worth. “I think its time for a new direction,” Barrett said. “The other candidates in … Continue reading →

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City to ask Census for a do-over

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. The city of Houston will ask the U.S. Census Bureau to change its official count, raising questions about whether some apartment complexes or even entire neighborhoods were missed. Houston’s population is 2,099,451, according to Census data released last … Continue reading →

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Where’s the money for new textbooks coming from?

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Nobody knows just yet. Neither legislative chamber’s base budget appropriates funds for any new textbooks. The primary concern in the short term is funding for science materials that reflect the 2009 curriculum changes made by the State Board of Education. … Continue reading →

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HISD may raise tax rate

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Texas may not be considering any revenue enhancements to deal with its budget shortage, but that doesn’t mean that other taxing entities, such as school districts, won’t consider them. Melinda Garrett, HISD’s chief financial officer, said the … Continue reading →

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More on Metro’s rail to Fort Bend plan

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a story from the first of the public meetings Metro is holding on the proposed US90A rail line to Fort Bend. Planners of a proposed project to extend light rail service from Houston to Missouri City are hopeful about … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of February 21

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance stands in solidarity with the people of Wisconsin as they bring you this week’s blog roundup.

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More on H-GAC and the TIP

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I received some feedback from Judge Ed Emmett’s office regarding this post about H-GAC’s Friday Transportation Policy Council (TPC) meeting, at which funding in the 2011-2014 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) will be discussed and voted on. There’s some context missing … Continue reading →

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How does college tuition in Texas compare to other states?

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In a previous post, John left the following comment: Out of curiosity how much does a year at UT/A&M cost? How does that compare to Ohio St/Michigan/Cal/UVA/Washington etc. I would think this is a good time to do the revenue … Continue reading →

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The Census and Central Texas

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

While much of the focus post-Census will be on redistricting, the data it contains is fascinating and illuminating in its own right, absent any political context. This story about explosive growth in former small towns around Austin that now serve … Continue reading →

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The Trib interviews Garnet Coleman

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has a too-brief conversation with State Rep. Garnet Coleman on health care and Medicaid. This is the crucial bit: TT: What do you want out of this meeting with [the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services]? Coleman: Two … Continue reading →

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