Monthly Archives: June 2013

Why stop at one veto of an ethics bill?

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Why not veto them all? Allen Blakemore has launched an effort to recruit about 30 fellow Republican political consultants and their clients to push the governor to veto the omnibus ethics bill. Blakemore, who lobbies for the Conservative Republicans of … Continue reading →

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Please try to avoid getting hit by the new light rail trains

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Seriously, watch where you’re driving when you drive along or past the new rail lines. The train is bigger than you and your car, and if you pick a fight with it you will lose. Metro is working to make … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Friday random ten: Movin’, movin’, movin’, though they’re disapprovin’

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

My office is moving downtown today. This is good in a number of ways – it’s closer to home, and I will have a much broader selection at lunchtime – and it’s bad in a number of ways – now … Continue reading →

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Trying to read the Rick Perry tea leaves

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The National Journal takes a crack at it. Conventional wisdom holds that the longest continuously-serving governor in the country is done after almost 15 years on the job. But the CW might be changing: Maybe Perry wants another shot. This … Continue reading →

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Pushing for the Governor to sign HB5

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

While a lot of big ticket items were addressed by the Legislature during the regular session, not all of those bills have been signed into law yet. Among them are the big education reform bills, and proponents of fewer standardized … Continue reading →

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What’s in a neighborhood name?

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Keep Houston Houston has had enough of “fake” neighborhood names. “Lower Westheimer” – This does not actually exist, it’s just Montrose. Or “The Montrose” if you wish to rebel against popular linguistic conventions without going full retard. “Neartown” – This … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Do you want more information about potential hurricanes?

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The National Hurricane Center is giving you what you want. Sometime during this Atlantic hurricane season, which began Saturday, forecasters will start issuing five-day outlooks – that is predicting where storms may form five days in advance. The expanded outlook … Continue reading →

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Who will be on the Ten Best and Ten Worst lists?

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib starts the speculation. Texas Monthly‘s list of the best and worst legislators of the 83rd session doesn’t come out until June 12, but why should Paul Burka and his colleagues have all the fun? Use this interactive to … Continue reading →

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So where does the school finance lawsuit stand?

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Though Judge John Dietz issued a ruling in favor of the plaintiffs in the school finance lawsuit back in February, he still hasn’t written his full decision yet. That’s because he wanted to see what the Legislature did this session, … Continue reading →

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Complaints filed against federal judge Edith Jones

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is a potential blockbuster. A broad coalition of groups — including an agency funded by the Mexican government (the Mexican Capital Legal Assistance Program), various civil rights organizations, legal ethics experts, and law professors — filed the complaint against … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of June 3

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The thoughts and prayers of the Texas Progressive Alliance are with the families and friends of the Houston Fire Department as we bring you this week’s roundup.

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Dan Wallach: Energy Pricing 2013

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Note: The following is a guest post by my friend Dan Wallach For the past two years, I’ve written a guest blog post here about electrical rates. Let’s do it again, shall we? Last year, I switched from a variable … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Redistricting hearings schedule

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Attend one if you can. Senate and House committees tapped to work on redistricting during the special session Tuesday released times, locations and dates for field hearings around the state. The Senate will hold two field hearings, one in Corpus … Continue reading →

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Less is more, local legislative edition

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County and the city of Houston generally play more defense than offense when the Legislature is in session, so as a rule the fewer bills that get passed that affect them, the better. County and city lobbyists said their … Continue reading →

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Alexan Heights gets approved

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Leader News updates us on the latest news regarding the proposed development on Yale at 7th. Houston’s Planning Commission has approved Trammell Crow Residential’s replat application without variance for the site of its 360-unit Alexan Heights mid-rise luxury apartment … Continue reading →

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Midyear 2013 election update

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Back in January, I took an early look at the 2013 elections in Houston. At the request of the folks at the Burnt Orange Report, who also printed my initial overview, here’s an update on the races in the city … Continue reading →

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It’s about use, not just sentiment

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

NYT reporter Jere Longman, who hails from Houston, penned a love letter to the Astrodome after hearing about its possible impending demise. So it was despairing to hear that the vacant Astrodome might be torn down and its site paved … Continue reading →

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Building speculative privatized toll roads is risky business

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Just ask the Texas 130 investors. Moody’s Investor Service has downgraded the credit rating of the private company that built and operates the Texas 130 toll road extension, a rating that could continue to drop unless traffic “aggressively” grows on … Continue reading →

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NEVs

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

NEVs are Neighborhood Electronic Vehicles, and they are now street legal in San Antonio. The City Council voted Thursday to approve the use of supercompact neighborhood electronic vehicles, or NEVs, on city streets with posted speed limits of 35 mph … Continue reading →

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Equality Texas’ best and worst legislators for 2013

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Two good lists to peruse while you wait for the Texas Monthly “Best and Worst” lists. It was a good session for Equality Texas with a record 31 endorsed bills in our Legislative Agenda, including multiple pieces of legislation that … Continue reading →

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Another petition filed against Lehmberg

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The filer is a former colleague as well as a former opponent of Travis County DA Rosemary Lehmberg. Rick Reed, who ran against Lehmberg in 2008 and is now a defense attorney in Austin, filed the petition with the district … Continue reading →

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Transportation funding shouldn’t be intractable

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

As previously noted, Sens. Tommy Williams and Robert Nichols want to take another crack at finding additional funds for transportation. The problem, as always, is political

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There are limits to caffeination after all

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

No caffeinated gum for you. Wrigley’s new caffeinated gum, Alert Energy Gum, only lasted a couple of weeks on the shelves of supermarkets, grocery stores and convenient stores after the FDA became concerned about the amount of caffeine each piece … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for June 2

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Charles Ramsey will have free burgers for life. Well deserved. The dark side of Greek yogurt. If you’ve ever wanted to eat at Krusty Burger, you will soon get your chance. “If Gingrich or Romney in 2005 could be counted … Continue reading →

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The redistricting road show is coming

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The House Redistricting Committee is taking it on the road. Rep. Drew Darby, chairman of the House Select Committee on Redistricting, said at a hearing Saturday that he’s decided to hold informational sessions in three of the state’s largest cities … Continue reading →

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The townhomes are indeed coming

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this Lisa Gray column. “So the bad stuff we’re going to see today,” I asked, “it’ll be a cautionary tale for the suburbs?” I was driving west from downtown on what I thought … Continue reading →

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Making San Antonio more musical

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

San Antonio is a little jealous of Austin, it seems. Tired of San Antonio playing second fiddle to Austin when it comes to a live music scene, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff on Friday laid out ambitious plans to change … Continue reading →

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Don’t be surprised if we have brownouts

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the message I take from this. Temperatures in parts of Texas have started hitting the upper 90s, and they’re likely to stay above normal this summer, according to a forecast by federal climatologists. That means another difficult summer for the … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: I Fought The Law

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Song #17 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “I Fought The Law”, originally by Bobby Fuller Four and covered by The Clash. Here’s the original: I always pair this song in my mind with John Cougar Mellencamp’s “Authority … Continue reading →

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Still no call to expand the call

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Perry may yet expand the call of the special session, but so far he’s sticking to his script about dealing with redistricting first. Gov. Rick Perry is leaving the door open for more items on the agenda of the … Continue reading →

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TEA insists North Forest closure moving ahead

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

TEA Commissioner Michael Williams says don’t listen to the noise, North Forest ISD will be assimilated into HISD as planned on July 1. Williams said the Texas Education Agency, which he oversees, has followed state law and has the necessary … Continue reading →

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Suburban poverty

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Just as the Houston area has seen a population boom in recent years, so has it seen a large increase in poverty, to the point where there are more people in poverty in Houston’s suburbs than in the city. The … Continue reading →

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Welcome to hurricane season

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the start of hurricane season for 2013, and we should expect a bumpy ride for the next few months. NOAA predicts an above normal, and possibly a hyper-active hurricane season: 13-20 named storms 7-11 hurricanes 3-6 major hurricanes … Continue reading →

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