Monthly Archives: April 2011

Saturday video break: Take comfort, Texans fans

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You could have been born a Jets fan: May I just say, Mel Kiper’s hair should be registered with his local police department as a weapon. You could put someone’s eye out with that pompadour.

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

City layoffs begin

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

With more to follow later. Expressing faith that the “brighter tomorrow we wait for is just around the corner,” the Parker administration on Thursday began pink-slipping municipal workers in hope of easing an expected $80 million budget shortfall in the … Continue reading →

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

Why can’t a woman be more like a man?

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Legislature would like for you to stay just exactly as you are, thank you very much. Two years after Texas became one of the last states to allow transgendered people to use proof of their sex change to … Continue reading →

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

New development planned for West Gray

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From Prime Property: West Gray may soon get a lot busier. Developers are proposing multi-story apartment complexes on two sites just a short distance apart along the largely retail roadway, which runs from River Oaks to downtown. Both developers are … Continue reading →

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What we need right now

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Is a tax cut on yachts. As some lawmakers look high and low for money to ease cutbacks in education and human services, the House Ways and Means Committee has approved a tax break for big yachts. The committee voted … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Friday random ten: The 2000s

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Did we ever decide on a name for this decade, or did we all sort of agree that it wasn’t worth the bother? I mean, if it weren’t for the birth of my two kids, I’d be willing to forget … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

House passes redistricting map

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib stayed up all night to see how it ended. The Texas House tentatively approved new political districts early this morning on a 92-52 vote after hours of nips and tucks that left the proposal they started with mostly … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Fight over family planning funds coming

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a small piece of the difference between the House and Senate budgets, but it will surely be a big part of the fight over how the two are reconciled. The Senate budget approved by the Finance Committee would spend … Continue reading →

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A night with the Skeeters

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I learned a couple of interesting things from this Richard Justice column about the forthcoming Sugar Land Skeeters minor league baseball team. Among them: You may think you know what a Skeeter is, but you don’t. If you’re wondering what … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

For a bottle deposit

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I didn’t know that there were bills to create a deposit on beverage bottles and cans in the Lege, but I agree with the Chron editorial board that such a thing would be a good idea. The bottle bill would … Continue reading →

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Eversole and Surface to be tried together

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There will be only one more trial relating to the Jerry Eversole case. We think, anyway. Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole and developer Michael Surface, two longtime friends who exchanged more than $100,000 in trips and gifts, will be tried … Continue reading →

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Dewhurst flips, then flops, on using rainy day funds

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

First he says he’s against it. [Lt. Gov. David] Dewhurst sounded supportive of the overall level of spending in the Senate plan, but voiced a preference for using what he calls nontax revenue items instead of the rainy day fund. … Continue reading →

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Bill to help oust Dan Ramos passes out of committee

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing unites people like having a common problem. Legislation that would allow the Texas Democratic Party to intervene in the leadership dispute in the Bexar County Democratic Party was approved Thursday by the Texas House Elections Committee. With the 7-1 … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of April 25

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance thinks it’s never too early to plan your Sine Die Day activities as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Bike to the ballpark

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the CTC email list, this is very cool: Bike to the Ballpark – May 1 Play Green Week at Minute Maid Park runs today through Sunday, May 1st. Throughout the week, the ballclub will be raising awareness of green … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

In Perry’s world

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Perry creates his own reality. You got a problem with that? Gov. Rick Perry, sticking to his guns against further use of the state’s rainy day fund, dismissed a question Tuesday about whether he’s planning for dislocation of tens … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A better idea than suspending the sales tax holiday

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll go along with this. State Sen. Rodney Ellis said Monday he will fight the proposed suspension of the state’s August school supplies sales tax holiday he created in 1999 unless lawmakers also consider ending tax breaks “for those who … Continue reading →

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HISD redistricting on the horizon

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is likely to be a lot less contentious than other map-drawing exercises we’ve seen, but no redistricting exercise is ever completely bloodless. Gene Locke of Andrews Kurth told [HISD] trustees they should have a plan to submit to the … Continue reading →

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Public meeting with updates on Wal-Mart

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From RUDH: PUBLIC MEETING: SEE YOU THERE! Join RUDH and receive updates about the Yale Street bridge, the Bass Street connection and TxDOTs role in ensuring the safety of West End residents, the City’s plan for re-routing 18-wheelers onto Heights … Continue reading →

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From the “When you’re in a hole, go ahead and keep digging” files

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Deficit, schmeficit. Texas lawmakers voted on Thursday to extend a tax break for businesses with revenues of less than $1 million a year at a time the state is facing a massive budget shortfall. The House Ways and Means Committee … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

The mental health catastrophe is coming

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s yet another story about the forthcoming disaster in mental health care that is about to be perpetuated by the Legislature. It starts with one of the best analogies I’ve seen: Dr. Steven B. Schnee, executive director of the Mental … Continue reading →

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Austin wants to get on the bike sharing bandwagon

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. San Antonio became the first city in Texas to install a bike-share system last month, when it opened 14 B-cycle stations within a few miles of downtown. Now Austin is considering spending about $1.8 million, plus operating … Continue reading →

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

HISD contemplates different start and end times for school days

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

If you have kids in HISD schools, you should check this out. That dropoff and pickup schedule you’re used to may be different next fall. Nothing has been voted on yet, so take a look and give your feedback to … Continue reading →

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

Parker and Emmett ask for redistricting reconsideration

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Annise Parker and County Judge Ed Emmett have written a letter to House Speaker Joe Straus asking for reconsideration of the Solomons map that reduces Harris County’s delegation to 25 members. You can see the letter on Rep. Garnet … Continue reading →

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Three things about Sanchez

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

If you judge the announcement of a possible candidacy by the amount of attention it receives, then the story of the recruitment of Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez has been a smash success. Here are a few things being written that … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mayor Parker officially kicks off her re-election campaign

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We were out of town over the weekend, so I missed this. An Easter weekend campaign event replete with rousing speeches, dogs of both the hot and four-legged variety and a kids’ Easter egg “scramble” kicked off Mayor Annise Parker’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2011 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Federal education funds officially on their way

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

That’s $830 million that the Senate was counting on for education funds that it will now officially have. Just two weeks after a bipartisan federal budget deal ended an eight-month impasse over $830 million in federal education funding, the U.S. … Continue reading →

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KTRU’s last day will be Thursday

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

29-95: Last week the FCC approved a license transfer from Rice University to the University of Houston which was the end of the road for Rice’s student-run KTRU/91.7 radio station. [Wednesday] came news of the shut off date. KTRU will … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Weekend link dump for April 24

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, I could write a sonnet/About your Easter bonnet… Hooray for Delaware! The tax prep scam on the poor. Your household and your government are not the same. Among other things, Joe Arpaio wastes a lot of tax dollars. So … Continue reading →

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Bettencourt and Hotze lose in court again

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

If there’s a lawsuit against the city over a matter of how money is raised or spent, you can be sure that Bruce Hotze and Paul Bettencourt are involved. Thankfully, they have a lousy record of getting what they want … Continue reading →

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More Sports Authority woes

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Harris County-Houston Sports Authority is dealing with more financial issues that may require it to dip way into its cash reserves. Lawyers for the authority and MBIA now are disputing whether Swiss bank UBS gave proper notice of its … Continue reading →

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

ATS says red light violations have gone up

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

CultureMap: Anti-big brother Houstonians rejoiced when a referendum passed last November to take down the city’s network of red light cameras. Nearly six months later, data collected by the camera service provider, Phoenix-based ATS, suggests that citizens’ temporarily cautious attitude towards … Continue reading →

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

Agricultural tax breaks

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There’s been a fair amount of talk this session about examining different types of tax exemptions, all of which combine to cost Texas billions in revenue, but there’s one type of exemption for which I have not seen any discussion: … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Saturday video break: Life goes on

Posted on April 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Making music is supposed to be fun, you know? Like this. Useless trivia: Some years ago I was listening to the local classic rock station while driving around town. (That was 93.7 the Arrow, for those keeping score at home.) … Continue reading →

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