Monthly Archives: January 2015

The Fifth Circuit hears the HB2 arguments

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe it’s not a slam dunk for HB2, though I refuse to get my hopes up. In a long line of tough questioning Wednesday over a new Texas abortion law, federal appeals judges here questioned whether part of a provision … Continue reading →

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More on the three legislative runoffs

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Chron/Express News on the Bexar County races. In the Senate contest, Martinez Fischer and Menéndez, both D-San Antonio, are vying to replace District 26 state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, who’s exiting the Legislature to run for mayor … Continue reading →

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Mayor Parker keeps looking forward

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Always in motion is the future, at least for Mayor Parker. Mayor Annise Parker left open the idea on Sunday that she would endorse one of the dozen candidates positioning to possibly succeed her, though she said she hoped to … Continue reading →

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How does a 25 MPH speed limit for downtown Houston grab you?

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Christopher Andrews makes the case in Gray Matters: Does anyone know the speed limit in downtown Houston? Probably not. Casual observation shows speeds there normally range anywhere from gridlock to Gran Prix. I don’t believe there are any speed-limit signs. … Continue reading →

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How about high speed rail plus light rail?

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Now here‘s an interesting idea. More than 200 people turned out Thursday to voice their concerns over the proposed track of the High-Speed Rail (HSR) train that would take travelers from Houston to Dallas in 90 minutes. “I think that … Continue reading →

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All special elections will go to runoffs

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Bexar County Elections webpage: STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT 26 VOTE FOR 1 Votes Pct (WITH 322 OF 322 PRECINCTS COUNTED) Al Suarez (DEM) . . . . . . . . 644 3.39 Alma Perez Jackson (REP) . . … Continue reading →

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Hall calls for Biggio

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Third time’s the charm. Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio were elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame on Tuesday, the first time since 1955 writers selected four players in one year. Johnson, Martinez and Smoltz earned induction … Continue reading →

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A very brief I-45 update

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Way at the bottom of this overview of transit projects and milestones for 2015 are these three paragraphs: The freeway project likely to attract the most attention in the Houston area – widening Interstate 45 from the Sam Houston Tollway … Continue reading →

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Special Election Day for SD26, HD123, and HD17

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

At long last, we have some endorsements. The Express News recommends TMF for SD26. Martinez Fischer has demonstrated distinctive leadership that makes him the clear-cut choice for the Senate. Early in his career, Martinez Fischer stirred the pot ineffectively. The … Continue reading →

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The next generation of leaders

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The future looks good. A new generation of black activist leadership in Houston has emerged from the protests over the officer-involved deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York. At one point during a town … Continue reading →

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Same sex marriage ads on your TV

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

In case you missed it. The national same-sex marriage advocacy group Freedom to Marry will air a series of television ads in Texas this week, with the aim to personalize the issue ahead of an important federal hearing Friday. The … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of January 5

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is still waiting for someone to invent the hoverboard as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Don’t forget about Pasadena

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

There’s still a lawsuit in the works regarding their 2013 redistricting referendum that switched their Council from an eight-member all-district makeup to six districts and two At large seats, all at the behest of Mayor Johnny Isbell. Pasadena is preparing … Continue reading →

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Louie, Louie

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Great news, everyone. Christmas isn’t over yet. U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, announced Sunday morning that he will challenge House Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio to be the leader of the House Republicans. Gohmert is, for now, likely a … Continue reading →

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Bayou battle

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Another one of our local disputes that has been picked up by national interests. A Harris County Flood Control District proposal, submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers in April, would reconfigure and stabilize about a third of the semi-natural … Continue reading →

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Neighborhood Greenways

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I really like this idea. Complete Streets means that our local governments prioritize the safety and comfort of all a street’s users regardless of age, ability, or mode of transport. Fixing our streets will be a long-term project, but if … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for January 4

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

New year, same old linkdumps. “Microsoft and Google don’t agree on much, but they’ve presented a united front against the hotel industry, which is trying to convince government regulators to give them the option of blocking guests from using personal … Continue reading →

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Special elections roundup

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t seen any newspaper endorsements in the special elections that will conclude on Tuesday. I can tell you that the Texas Parent PAC has endorsed Diego Bernal in HD123 and John Cyrier in HD17. In the absence of further … Continue reading →

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Still tweaking the reimagining

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

An updated version of Metro’s reimagined bus network will be out soon. The so-called reimagining plan, which the Metropolitan Transit Authority began studying more than a year ago, touches every bus route in the sprawling Houston-area system. Changes will take … Continue reading →

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Gilbert Pena

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Let the man have his victory lap, but let’s not read more into his victory than there is. By the time Harris County’s conservative leaders fished for their car keys at their Election Night watch party, there were few candidates … Continue reading →

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Yes, we can cut back on coal

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It won’t be that hard, and it will come with a lot of benefits. Texas burns more coal than any other state in part because of its large and growing population and industrial base. But the carbon-intensive fuel accounted for … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: The Elements

Posted on January 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This is a bit of a rerun from last year, but it fits into this theme even though it’s technically not a cover but more of a remake and an update. Surely you know Tom Lehrer’s song “The Elements”: But … Continue reading →

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We need to understand why our voters didn’t vote

Posted on January 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

So now we know that Battleground Texas wasn’t pursuing a base turnout-increase model for the 2014 election, for reasons that have not yet been adequately explored. I’m mad about that, but I don’t want to get bogged down in that. … Continue reading →

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Bringing health insurance to the customers

Posted on January 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s learning from experience. The federal government and insurers learned from the last year’s inaugural open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act that it takes more than low premiums to persuade the uninsured to buy federally mandated health coverage, … Continue reading →

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On streetcars and BRT

Posted on January 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Offcite considers some alternatives to light rail. Two new light rail lines set to start service early next year will drastically expand Houston’s rail network, but our city will remain dreadfully underserved by the system. Many neighborhoods seeing a greater … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Aren’t the Cubs supposed to win the World Series this year?

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

So it’s the year 2015. You know, when Back To The Future 2 was set. I can’t quite wrap my mind around that, so here are some songs that speak to The Future and the kind of things we were … Continue reading →

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On BGTX, Wendy Davis, and the future

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This has been a pretty busy Christmas break, as far as blog-worthy news has gone, so in order to preserve the small illusion that I’m taking a breather and recharging my batteries, I’m just going to give three quick thoughts … Continue reading →

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Does any of this sound like “Medicaid Expansion” to you?

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

So Wonkblog, TPM, and BOR, all riffing off the same news story in which Greg Abbott had a clandestine meeting with Houston-area legislators and may have said some things that made them think he might be open to “Medicaid expansion”, … Continue reading →

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Laurie Robinson to run in At Large #4

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From Texpatriate: Laurie Robinson, a local businesswoman, will run for the Houston City Council next year. Specifically, as Houston Chronicle reported Theodore Schleifer reported on Twitter, she will seek out At-Large Position #4. The seat is currently held by Councilmember … Continue reading →

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Creating a bike plan for the city

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Moving forward. It would be hard to argue that bicycling in Houston is not on the upswing, with many millions of dollars approved and numerous policies passed in recent years, all aimed at welcoming and protecting riders. City planners and … Continue reading →

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Texas Progressive Alliance taps Denton’s “fracktivists” Texans of the Year

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: In one of the organization’s more closely contested votes, the Texas Progressive Alliance — the state’s consortium of liberal blogs and bloggers — named Frack Free Denton and its diverse group of activists 2014’s Texan of the … Continue reading →

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Three signs of possible trouble ahead

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

#1 – Watch out for falling oil prices. The bedrock supporting Houston’s economy will shift in 2015, and while these tremors will not bring disaster, they will bring changes that some will find painful. The collapse of oil prices in … Continue reading →

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