Monthly Archives: March 2012

Still more dedicated funds not being dedicated

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I keep wondering when we’re going to discover the last dedicated fund that is not being used for its original purpose but for general revenue. All I know is that we keep finding more of them, in this case fees … Continue reading →

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

Texas blog roundup for the week of March 5

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance would never have made the mistake of advertising on the Rush Limbaugh show in the first place as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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It’s time to go on the offensive for women’s health

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I believe that just as Democrats must make the 2012 elections in Texas about public education, they must also make them about health care, in particular access to health care for women. There’s some polling data to suggest this will … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Stephen Klineberg, superstar

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I want to see this. David Thompson and his colleagues at ttweak are best-known for their work on the quirky “Houston – It’s Worth It” campaign, paying homage to the yawning potholes, soul-sapping humidity and all the other things that … Continue reading →

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

Less drought, more mosquitos

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Tough choice, isn’t it? This story is about the prospects in Central Texas for rain and the buzzing vermin we all hate, but it could just as easily be written for Houston or any other part of the state. This … Continue reading →

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Two wild cards are one too many

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t care for this. Major League Baseball expanded its playoff format to 10 teams Friday, adding a second wild card in each league. The decision establishes a new one-game, wild-card round in each league between the teams with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Riggle continues his crusade

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Pastor Steve Riggle continues to be obsessed with gays and lesbians. Taking advantage of his mega-church pulpit on Sunday morning, Pastor Steve Riggle of Houston’s Grace Community Church advanced his crusade against Mayor Annise Parker’s public support for same-sex marriage … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Good news and bad news

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Big news today: Bastrop County Judge Ronnie McDonald is stepping down from his position. At a press conference today, he announced today that he will either run for the 17th Legislative District, anchored in Bastrop and currently held … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Endorsement watch: For the love of God, stop this thing already!

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This may be the earliest Chron endorsement ever. We say: Stop the shooting. We share the view of many that the Republican Party’s most constructive course going forward is to waste little time and unite behind the candidate most likely … Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Colbert > Romney

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Naturally. How popular is comedian Stephen Colbert’s semi-serious Super PAC, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow? In Texas, it’s more popular that Mitt Romney’s leading Super PAC. Federal Election Commission records examined by the Houston Chronicle indicate more Texans have … Continue reading →

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Interview with HCDP Chair Lane Lewis

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Next week I will begin running interviews for legislative races. As you might imagine, the long-running saga of when the primary would be, coupled with the uncertainty of what the districts would be as well as the re-filing period now … Continue reading →

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

Take the HISD start time survey

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, HISD is contemplating uniform start times for its campuses for next year. They have said they want public feedback on their proposals. Here’s your chance to give it. Implementing uniform schedules across the Houston Independent School District’s … Continue reading →

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

Austin bans bags

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

They go farther than other cities have gone. At 2 a.m. [Friday], the Austin City Council passed one of the broadest bag laws in the nation, agreeing to ban disposable paper and plastic bags at all retail checkout counters starting … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Pluto stamp petition

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the least we can do. Two decades ago, the Postal Service issued a series of stamps depicting Earth, its moon, and the spacecraft sent to explore each of the other planets in the solar system. The 10th stamp, featuring … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for March 4

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s madness, I tell you. Here’s the best argument I’ve ever seen for wearing tight, revealing clothes. Pinterest may need to emulate YouTube to ward off copyright issues. You would think that the Mets would have bigger things to worry … Continue reading →

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Beren

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Though they fell short at the end, the boys of Beren Academy had a remarkable and unforgettable basketball season, and I congratulate them. They rested. They reflected. And once the sun set on the Jewish Sabbath, the Beren Academy Stars … Continue reading →

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

City to settle Ashby lawsuit

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Another saga draws to a close. Mayor Annise Parker has sent a letter to residents of the Southampton area saying the city has no legal basis to stop developers from building the controversial Ashby high-rise as outlined in their 2009 … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Millions more Texans will have health insurance under the Affordable Care Act

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t happen soon enough. The percentage of Texans with health insurance will increase to 91 percent – up from 74 percent today – after the national health care law takes effect in 2014, the state’s Medicaid director told lawmakers Monday. … Continue reading →

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The five female ADs of local school districts

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Nice story, with a bit of a lesson in it. The Houston, Katy, Klein, New Caney and Spring Branch districts all for the first time employ women as athletic directors, reflecting a new model, if not necessarily a new path, … Continue reading →

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

Saturday video break: Working My Way Back To You

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Song #79 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “Working My Way Back To You”, originally by the Four Seasons, and covered by The Drifters. Here’s the original: And here’s the Drifters version: I don’t think I’d realized before … Continue reading →

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Bonds, school bonds

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Another thing that may be on your ballot this year. Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier said Thursday it was time to start discussing a possible bond referendum to update the district’s aging campuses. In his annual state of the schools … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mighty pricey Main Street you’ve got there

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

My Irony-O-Meter goes to eleven. A Houston-based super PAC is targeting a dozen Democratic and Republican incumbents to reshape the political landscape in five states, including Texas where critics say an election law loophole is being used by a wealthy … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Jose Luis Zelaya

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Jose Luis Zelaya is running for student body president at Texas A&M. He’s also an “illegal immigrant”. Here’s his story. Zelaya first started working in the streets in Honduras at age 7, washing car windows and begging on buses. His … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Friday random ten: The best little random ten list in Texas

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

A moment of silence, please, for Edna Milton Chadwell, the last madam of the Chicken Ranch brothel in La Grange, Texas, who passed away this week at the age of 84. In her memory, I bring you this list: 1. … Continue reading →

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A place to start

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

At least one elected Republican is feeling a bit angsty about the Republican war on women’s health. For some GOP lawmakers, the issue gets deeply personal, and the line between party loyalty, allegiance to anti-abortion politics and public health is … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Even the Mayor is allowed to have her own opinion

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Despite what some people might think. The pastor of one of Houston’s megachurches is asking Mayor Annise Parker to resign if she will not cease promoting the legalization of same-sex marriage. “Respectfully, if you cannot uphold the Texas constitution, then … Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Tag this

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Live by the pointless parliamentary maneuver, die by the pointless parliamentary maneuver. City Councilwoman Helena Brown’s colleagues, after weeks of frustration over her delays of what they consider vital city business, reached the limit of their patience Wednesday and twice … Continue reading →

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More frontiers in school bus advertising

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This had not occurred to me. The rooftop of a suburban high school is not a location that companies usually consider prime advertising real estate. But in Humble Independent School District, it may be. The district’s high school is directly … Continue reading →

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May 29 election date and re-filing period officially set

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the court order, and here’s the revised election calendar. The main things you need to know are that candidates who had filed for office in the prior period are automatically in unless they withdraw. The new filing period runs … Continue reading →

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Maybe we need more tickets

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Grits reads a story about the decline of traffic tickets in Dallas and does some figuring. What’s remarkable is not just this year’s drop but the overall 39% decline since ’06-’07. Wondering if the same trend is occurring statewide, Grits … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The other elephant in the room

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Patti Kilday Hart writes about the Supreme Court taking up the issue once again of UT’s admissions policies. The Supreme Court’s willingness to consider the case signals that it may once again weigh in on how university admissions officers do … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Sober up

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This seems like a sensible idea. City officials plan to open a “sobering center” at the Star of Hope Mission downtown later this year. It would be an 84-bed facility that would allow people whose only offense is being drunk … Continue reading →

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

Texas blog roundup for the week of February 27

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is rolling out the red carpet with this week’s blog roundup.

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