Monthly Archives: August 2011

Aggies officially outta here

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Smell ya later, Big XII X IX. Texas A&M is down to a final step in its methodical march to the Southeastern Conference. The Aggies on Wednesday gave the Big 12 official notification that they’re withdrawing from the 10-member league. … Continue reading →

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

Interview with Bryan Smart

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

District B candidate Bryan Smart is, at age 24, the youngest candidate I’ve interviewed since I started doing this regularly in 2006. Smart is a graduate of Howard University, where he was the Executive President of the Howard University Student … Continue reading →

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On targeting public pension plans

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Texas could be gearing up for its own Wisconsin-style grudge match over public employee benefits. A group of high-powered Houston business leaders is starting a statewide campaign to overhaul retirement for future … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Injunction granted against sonogram law

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Very good news. U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks issued a preliminary injunction after finding that portions of the sonogram law, set to take effect Sept. 1, were unconstitutionally vague and violated the First Amendment by improperly requiring doctors and patients … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

More angst over May elections

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Star Telegram adds to the litany of woe surrounding the upcoming changes to the state’s elections calendar. Over three months, some voters would face a primary, followed by city and school elections, followed by primary runoffs, followed by city … Continue reading →

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Interview with Phillip Paul Bryant

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Next up in District B is Philip Paul Bryant, whose bio lists him as a Community Organizer, Television Talk show Host, and Businessman, among other things. Bryant is the son of Bishop Prince Earl Williams Bryant, Sr., who is the … Continue reading →

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Same old story: City wins, Hotze loses

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, they’re still litigating 2004 ballot propositions around here. The Texas Supreme Court has dismissed a six-year-old case against the City of Houston seeking to limit the city government’s annual income. Carroll Robinson, Bruce Hotze and Jeffrey Daily sought to … Continue reading →

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How long will we talk about Latino turnout before someone does something about it?

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Stop me if you’ve heard any of this before. On Saturday, the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project announced its 2012 goal of raising Latino voting in Texas to 2 million from the 1.7 million who voted in the last presidential … Continue reading →

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We do have casino gambling in Texas

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

With all the talk about slot machines at horse racing tracks and legalized casinos, it’s easy to forget that there already is one legal casino in Texas. As the busloads of seniors and other low rollers pulled in from San … Continue reading →

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Interview with Jerry Davis

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

For this week, I have five interviews with candidates from District B, which like District C is open this year. First up is Jerry Davis, founder of the nonprofit organization Making It Better and co-owner along with his brothers of … Continue reading →

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At long last, HCC campaign finance statements

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I had sent an Open Records request to the HCC General Counsel to get copies of July campaign finance reports for all HCC Trustees and candidates. I sent that in on August 10, and the reply I … Continue reading →

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There’s more than one way to do it

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Really interesting story about the different approaches being taken by Austin and San Antonio to draw clean energy jobs to their towns. While Austin has taken the traditional route of offering various types of incentives to help create a market … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Supremes uphold strip club tax

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In a ruling that reverses the 3rd Court of Appeals, the State Supreme Court has unanimously held that the so-called “pole tax” is constitutional. The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that a $5-per-customer fee on strip clubs that serve alcohol … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for August 28

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Homework? Already? Actually, not till next week for us. But it’s out there, waiting… “Groupon’s fundamental problem is that it has not yet discovered a viable business model.” The haters’ guide to the college football Top 25. Not for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 2 Comments

Inevitable school finance lawsuit update

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Duly noted. Superintendents from several low and medium-wealth school districts appear ready to sue the state over its school finance system as early as October. Wayne Pierce, executive director the Equity Center – a group representing 690 districts – said … Continue reading →

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Let’s share that toll road revenue

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Have you ever taken the toll road connector from the Hardy Toll Road to IAH? I have, many times. Being able to bypass the traffic on Beltway 8 and JFK Boulevard makes it worthwhile for me to take the Hardy … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Trader Joe’s to San Antonio, too

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We have a full scale invasion on our hands. An official for Trader Joe’s confirmed [last] Wednesday that the company is looking to expand into San Antonio. Nothing definitive has been inked, and the official, who did not want to … Continue reading →

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Hacking cars

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You can add this to the list of things you didn’t know you needed to worry about. Computer hackers can force some cars to unlock their doors and start their engines without a key by sending specially crafted messages to … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: OK Go + Muppets = awesome

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Some things were just meant to happen: Be sure to watch the “behind the scenes” video as well: Thanks to Popdose for the embeds.

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Harris County property appraisals dip a little

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is what counts as good news these days. The appraised value of property countywide has declined slightly, according to numbers released Thursday, but not nearly on the scale of last year’s 3 percent plunge that translated into tens of … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed to stop Grand Parkway

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how it goes. The Sierra Club has filed a lawsuit to block construction of the Grand Parkway in west Harris County until federal and state officials conduct a new analysis of the flooding consequences. The environmental group says … Continue reading →

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

Access to transit in Houston

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the Chron’s Newswatch blog: Houston ranks third from the bottom among the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas in the number of households with no cars and no access to public transit, according to a new report from the Brookings … Continue reading →

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

States looking at online gambling

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Until the economy returns to the point where states aren’t completely strapped for revenue, I expect them to look at all possible sources of new money. It’s an idea gaining currency around the country: virtual gambling as part of the … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Blowin’ in the wind

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Those of us here on the Gulf Coast are quite familiar with hurricanes and all they can bring with them, so we have much sympathy for those on the East Coast who are in the path of Hurricane Irene. Whether … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Mayor Parker campaign finance data

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, in my analyses of the campaign finance reports for July, I skipped over Mayor Parker’s report because it was just too damn big for me to plow through. Well, Sue Davis of the Mayor’s campaign heard my … Continue reading →

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Drought could last a long time

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is by far the scariest thing I’ve read in awhile. As historically bad as this summer’s drought has been, we may not have seen the worst of it. There’s growing concern among some scientists that Texas’ drought could linger … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Primary news: HD90, HD113, HCDE

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Lon Burnam has an opponent in March. Fort Worth School Board trustee Carlos Vasquez has announced he will challenge state Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, in next year’s Democratic primary. Vasquez, a former elementary school principal, has been … Continue reading →

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Why not start the Aggie Network?

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Kirk Bohls raises an interesting point. It’s hard to blame Texas for having the wherewithal and desire to start its own network and reap $15 million a year off it for the next 20 years. It’s not the Longhorns’ fault … Continue reading →

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A closer look at finance reports: Contributions, donations, and memberships

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

When you give money to a political candidate, you’re not just paying for their overhead and campaign-related expenses. You’re also helping to support the causes and candidates that they support. This last post in my series on campaign finance reports … Continue reading →

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RIP, red light cameras

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There they go. Houston’s red-light cameras are done issuing violations. This time, permanently. City Council dealt the controversial cameras a double death blow Wednesday, first ordering their immediate shutdown and then outlawing the use of cameras to catch red-light runners. … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Hardy Toll Road extension gets final OK

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

After many years of planning, a project to extend the Hardy Toll Road all the way into downtown is finally headed to the drawing board. The Harris County Toll Road Authority is seeking the court’s permission to begin final negotiations … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of August 22

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance believes that all visitors are welcome in Texas as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Interview with Mike Laster

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Our third and final candidate in District J is Mike Laster. Laster is an attorney and neighborhood activist who has also been active in Democratic politics. He ran in 2009 for District F, losing in the runoff to Council Member … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2011 | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

New Braunfels bans disposable containers on the river

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Despite some talk that they might wait awhile to take action, the New Braunfels City Council has voted to ban disposable food and beverage containers – think cans and bottles – on waterways within its city limits. The law covers … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments