Monthly Archives: February 2011

Harris County pleads its case to the state

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Grits ran into some Harris County officials in Austin the other day and got some information from them about their lobbying efforts with the Lege. Not too surprisingly, it’s mostly focused on mental health services. Harris Couty is primarily worried … Continue reading →

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Bye-bye, intermodal center

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In the process of writing off some bad assets in what one hopes is the last ritual cleansing of the Frank Wilson era, Metro says good-bye to something we hadn’t heard of in awhile. Metro has given up on what … Continue reading →

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Why aren’t we investing more in non-road transportation?

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Houston Tomorrow has some disturbing news. A proposal to limit bike, pedestrian, and livability funding in the 2011 Transportation Improvement Program will come before the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Transportation Policy Council (TPC) this Friday, February 25, at a public meeting in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The opening bars of the redistricting overture

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Now that we have Census data, you know what comes next. Here’s an Express News story that discusses how redistricting will be different this time around. Democrats still are smarting from the redistricting plan engineered in 2003 by then-U.S. House … Continue reading →

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From the “Tell us something we didn’t already know” department

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Texans like the idea of budget cuts but hate the specifics, proving that we’re just like everybody else. By a margin of more than 2 to 1, Texas voters believe that lawmakers should solve the state’s massive shortfall by cutting … Continue reading →

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The state of HISD

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

HISD SUperintendent Terry Grier gave his state of the school district speech this week. Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier announced plans Thursday to toughen the district’s curriculum and to expand access to college-caliber courses despite tight financial times. Grier, in … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Keeping track of innocence-related bills

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From Grits: The House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee has posted an agenda which includes three important pieces of innocence legislation carried by Chairman Pete Gallego: HB 215 Relating to photograph and live lineup identification procedures in criminal cases. HB 219 Relating … Continue reading →

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Two more things you can do for public schools

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to the three things I mentioned on Sunday and the live HISD TV show tonight at 6:30 about the budget, here are two more things to put on your agenda for the public schools. First, via the HISD … Continue reading →

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Interview with Chris Barbic

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Most of what we’ve talked about regarding the budget and the cuts that would result from it has to do with the public schools. But in the background of all this is charter schools, which will also be affected by … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

House repeals Doggett Amendment

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This may be a partial answer to my earlier question about the status of the $830 million in federal education funds that await Texas if Governor Perry will attest that they will be actually spent on education. In the latest … Continue reading →

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Here comes Harris County’s budget

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s as bad as you’d expect. A budget on its way to Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday would cut $138 million from current spending on roads, inoculating against disease, promoting economic development, constables’ patrols and performing other services. The … Continue reading →

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

Is it time for a statewide property tax?

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. State Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, on Tuesday breathed some new life into a proposal to enact a statewide school property tax to address Texas’ persistent education funding woes. “We’ve never made a change in the school finance system without … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for February 20

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

If it weren’t for President’s Day, when would furniture stores have their sales? Maybe next Valentine’s Day you could send a Darwin card. I’d love to buy an old Staten Island Ferry boat, if only I had someplace to keep … Continue reading →

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Three things you can do to help save Texas public schools

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

1. First and foremost, make sure you understand the scope of the issue and how it will affect you. Here’s an email that was sent out by the Spring Branch ISD to its parents: Why should you care about the … Continue reading →

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Houston bidding for another NBA All Star Game

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I wish them good luck with that. Rockets CEO Tad Brown has often said that the Rockets have pursued another All-Star weekend since the 2006 event in Houston ended, but he said Tuesday that he was more confident than ever … Continue reading →

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The Trib on the brewpubs’ efforts

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve written before about the efforts by brewpubs to pass a bill that would allow them to distribute their product outside their own doors. That effort is being led by Scott Metzger of San Antonio’s Freetail Brewing Company, who has … Continue reading →

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The Sunday liquor sales debate

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, one of the Legislative Budget Board recommendations for generating revenue is for the state to allow liquor sales on Sunday. The Statesman takes a look at the debate this proposal has generated. Legislation to allow Sunday liquor … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Dancing on the ferry

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In four years plus two summers of commuting on the Staten Island Ferry, I never saw anyone do this: Girl Walk // All Day from jacob krupnick on Vimeo. There were the occasional buskers, but mostly of the guitar-playing variety. … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

By the way, our social studies standards still suck

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

So says a conservative think tank. In a report [released Wednesday], the Thomas B. Fordham Institute gives the Texas social studies curriculum standards a “D” while accusing “the conservative majority” of using the curriculum “to promote its political priorities, molding … Continue reading →

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

Beautifying the bayous

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Very cool. A local nonprofit hopes its $55 million plan to overhaul 158 acres of parkland along Buffalo Bayou west of downtown will transform the area into an iconic green space for Houston. The Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s plan calls for … Continue reading →

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More on the Lone Star Rail District

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The following comment was left on my earlier post about the Lone Star Rail District and its efforts to build a rail line between Austin and San Antonio, and I thought it was worth highlighting: LSTAR is actually much further … Continue reading →

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Castro running for re-election

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Not that this was a surprise, but now it’s official. Under picture-perfect skies and surrounded by his family and young people he called the future of San Antonio, Mayor Julián Castro formally launched his re-election bid Sunday. He chose Café … Continue reading →

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Get your HISD budget questions answered

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: HISD to Host Live Television Show to Focus on State Budget and its Effects on HISD Viewers can call in, email, and tweet their comments and questions about the district’s budget review and planning process What: “HISD … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Friday random ten: The top 500, part 13

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And we return to the songs in my collection from the Rolling Stone Top 500 list. 1. Little Wing – Stevie Ray Vaughan (#357, orig. Jimi Hendrix) 2. Nowhere To Run – Martha and The Vandellas (#358) 3. Got My … Continue reading →

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City to get tough on debt collections

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is a no-brainer. The city is getting tough on users of its services who have racked up nearly $1 billion in unpaid fines and fees, unveiling an aggressive collection program that is expected to make frequent use of litigation. … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Just call it “DewhurstCare”

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not sure what to make of this yet. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Grapevine, introduced two bills Wednesday they believe could save the state a significant amount of money and produce “healthy patient outcomes.” The duo … Continue reading →

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Here come the “sanctuary city” bills

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Lege gets set to tackle another “emergency”. Top state lawmakers filed the latest legislation Wednesday to prohibit so-called sanctuary city policies, saying local governmental bodies would risk losing state grant money if they prohibit enforcement of state or federal … Continue reading →

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Cottage foods trying again

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

During the 2009 legislative session, I wrote about a group called Texas Cottage Food Law that seeks to legalize selling food that was made in a residential kitchen. From their website: In Texas it is currently illegal (click to see … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas blog roundup for the week of February 14

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance has mostly thawed out as it brings you this week’s blog roundup.

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Census data is out

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Start firing up the mapmaking units. U.S. Census data released today shows the Hispanic population in Texas increased by 42 percent since 2000, and the group now makes up 38 percent of the population. Texas’ population is now 25,145,561. That’s … Continue reading →

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A little Texas in Wisconsin

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Way to go! The weather in Wisconsin is cold this time of year — but the budget fight is only getting hotter. Following a walkout by the state Senate Democrats, depriving Republicans of the three-fifths majority needed to pass the … Continue reading →

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More on Combs v. Perry over Amazon

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has a good story that explains the background of the Perry-Combs smackdown over Amazon. There’s another player in this fight, and they’re on the Comptroller’s side: Retailers who charge sales taxes employ thousands of Texans, and some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Rural school districts prepare for the worst

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I have very mixed emotions reading a story like this. For the residents of [the] tiny West Texas farming community [of Miles], the school district is central to their identity, history and way of life. “There’s a wonderful feel about … Continue reading →

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Higher tuition coming

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Well, what did you expect? The 63,000 students of the University of Houston System could be paying higher tuition as early as the fall semester, Chancellor Renu Khator told a Senate committee Monday. Testifying before the Senate Finance Committee, Khator … Continue reading →

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