Monthly Archives: January 2015

Meet your Harrisburg overpass

Posted on January 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Looks nice enough. Going to be painful getting to the finished product, though. Metropolitan Transit Authority board members are set to approve a $30.66 million construction contract on the half-mile overpass next week. The overpass is needed to complete the … Continue reading →

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Judge Richardson will stay on the Perry case

Posted on January 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good to know. The way is cleared for Judge Bert Richardson of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to continue presiding over former Gov. Rick Perry’s criminal case, under an order by the judicial region’s presiding judge. The order was … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: My year in music, part 3

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s Part One, and here’s Part Two. I hadn’t originally intended for there to be a Part 3, but there was enough music in that post-Christmas splurge to make it worthwhile, so here we go. 1. Diga Diga Doo – … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports – San Antonio

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, while we wait for the Mayoral field to shape up here in Houston, there’s already a hot open-seat race going on in San Antonio, featuring now-former State Rep. Mike Villarreal, State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte (who … Continue reading →

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Garcia appears to be in for Mayor

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not official yet, but stories like this don’t get run without justification. Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia is sending every possible message that he intends to run for mayor this year, aggressively increasing his political operations and signaling to some … Continue reading →

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USAA to offer “rideshare” insurance

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for future reference. USAA has launched a pilot program in Colorado that gives rideshare drivers the opportunity to sign up for a policy that extends their existing USAA coverage and deductibles and provides enhanced coverage the moment rideshare application … Continue reading →

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Settlement talks in Waller County landfill suit

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an update on where things stand with the litigation in Waller County over the proposed landfill outside Hempstead. A jury in December ruled that Waller County Commissioners Court violated Texas’ open meetings laws in deciding to allow the project … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports – PACs

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Mayoral reports Controller reports Council reports There are a lot of PACs that play in Houston’s elections. It’s hard to keep up with all of them, and I say this as someone who reads far more campaign finance reports than … Continue reading →

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HERO petition repeal trial starts

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It could actually be over before it really starts, though I would not expect that. For the next three to four weeks, the Harris County Civil Courthouse will be the stage for the trial over Houston’s controversial equal rights ordinance. … Continue reading →

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RIP, two-thirds rule

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise. With a new lieutenant governor installed for the first time in over a decade Wednesday — and over the cries of Democrats — the Texas Senate voted to break from an almost 70-year tradition intended to encourage … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of January 19

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes the Supreme Court finishes the job on marriage equality as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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January campaign finance reports – Council

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Mayoral reports Controller reports Four Council members are term limited this year. Two, CMs Stephen Costello and Oliver Pennington, are running for Mayor. The other two, CMs CO Bradford and Ed Gonzales, do not have any announced plans at this … Continue reading →

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Plano equality opponents turn in their petitions

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday was the deadline for the opponents of Plano’s equal rights ordinance to turn in petitions to force a repeal referendum, and the haters of Plano duly did so. Opponents of Plano’s Equal Rights Ordinance say they’ve met the deadline … Continue reading →

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What will happen with pre-K this session?

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

They say it’s a priority, though I would advise tempering one’s expectations. Currently, Texas funds a half day of preschool for 4-year-olds whose first language is not English, whose families have low incomes, whose parents are active duty military or … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports – Controller wannabes

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Like the Mayoral race, the 2015 race for City Controller is wide open, as incumbent Ronald Green is term-limited. There are three candidates of which I am aware so far – HCC Trustee and former At Large city Council member … Continue reading →

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Hyperloops

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a hyperloop! Entrepreneur Elon Musk announced Thursday that he wants to build a “test track” for his idea for a futuristic high-speed transportation system called the Hyperloop, adding … Continue reading →

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Tuition re-regulation on the menu

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

There are different ways it could go. Tuition at Texas universities has more than doubled in the 12 years since state lawmakers authorized colleges to set their own rates. Now legislators are pushing to take back that control. It’s not … Continue reading →

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Flying to Cuba

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

You can get there from Houston, or at least you will be able to soon. United Airlines made it clear Thursday it intends to offer regular commercial flights between the U.S. and Cuba, saying it would look to offer service … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports – Mayoral wannabes

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I wrote yesterday about the start of the 2015 campaign season in Houston, and how it’s started a bit early thanks to the ruling in the lawsuit filed by Trebor Gordon that invalidated the blackout period. This week also marked … Continue reading →

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Expect to hear more about Perry vetos and no-bid contracts

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Bring it on. Democratic lawmakers and government watchdog groups on Saturday called for the reopening of an investigation into no-bid state contracts that ended in 2013 after Gov. Rick Perry vetoed funding for the team conducting it. The critics decried … Continue reading →

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How the appraisal game is rigged

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer tells the tale of how we got to where we are with the appraisal process and how easy it is for the big boys to get their taxes drastically reduced. At the heart of Valero’s lawsuits in Moore … Continue reading →

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Texas Obamacare enrollments top 850K

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

And counting. Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services Wednesday announced nearly 860,000 Texans so far have enrolled in health insurance marketplace coverage with a month left still left to go until the 2015 open enrollment period ends. … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for January 18

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

John Travolta will star as Robert Shapiro in the FX anthology American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson. This is a thing that will happen. “If we ever build a Moon base, I think we should absolutely build a … Continue reading →

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The veto that keeps on giving

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t closely followed the burgeoning scandal at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which involves no-bid contracts, up front tuition reimbursements for top level staffers, and rampant cronyism. It’s already cost three people their jobs and will likely … Continue reading →

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First hearing in Abbott’s immigration lawsuit

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

No clue what will happen with this. Saying South Texas is where the “rubber meets the road” on immigration issues, a federal judge used a folksy reference Thursday to note his court is the right place to decide whether to … Continue reading →

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Feldman’s parting memo

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Outgoing City Attorney David Feldman shares his thoughts on the state of the city’s campaign finance rules as he makes his exit. City Hall began its attempt to use a federal court ruling declaring its own election rule unconstitutional to … Continue reading →

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It’s skunk vaccination time

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Again. Fresh from victories over rabies strains in the coyote and gray fox, Texas [launched] its annual aerial assault on one of the state’s top remaining carriers: skunks. The state health department Wednesday [began] dropping 1.4 million doses of edible … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Everybody Hurts

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

An REM classic, as done by the Meat Puppets: And by Amanda Palmer and Cormac Bride: I have some more versions of this, all in a similar style. They’re from a tribute to REM called “Drive XV”, which is still … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS will take up same sex marriage

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This is it. The Supreme Court announced on Friday that it will take up four cases challenging state bans on same-sex couples’ marriages — a long anticipated move that could lead to nationwide marriage equality. The cases ask the justices … Continue reading →

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And they’re off

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Gentlemen, start your fundraising engines. The Twitter handles have been rechristened, the first attacks have been fired and the “DONATE!” buttons have gone live. The yearlong slugfest for mayor of Houston has begun. In what is expected to be Houston’s … Continue reading →

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Saving money by throwing away less

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good strategy all around. As a committee mulls an ambitious and controversial “one bin” project that could overhaul recycling and waste collection in Houston, the city’s traditional mode of getting rid of trash just got cheaper. A renegotiated contract with … Continue reading →

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Andy Fastow’s second act

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know what to make of this. “I’m always surprised when people ask me to speak about business ethics; it’s like getting Kim Kardashian to speak about chastity.” These words, from the lips of Andrew Fastow, elicit generous laughs … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: My year in music, part 2

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s Part One. These are some of the songs we got between July and December. 1. Problem – Ariana Grande feat. Iggy Azalea 2. The Princess Who Saved Herself – Jonathan Coulton 3. Alienation’s For The Rich – They Might … Continue reading →

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The bigger threat than the Plano petitions

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This could be a big problem. Four Republican lawmakers from the Plano area plan to introduce legislation that would bar cities and counties from adopting ordinances prohibiting discrimination against LGBT people, the Observer has learned. The proposed legislation also threatens … Continue reading →

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