Monthly Archives: May 2015

It’s hard out here on a recycler, part 2

Posted on May 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As if they didn’t have enough to deal with. As low commodity prices have left recyclers short on cash to invest in technological upgrades, product manufacturers are coming out with new types of packaging that make business even tougher. These … Continue reading →

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Good news for Texas lakes

Posted on May 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

All that rain has had a positive effect. Statewide, estimates from the National Weather Service indicate the first four months of this year have been the fifth wettest since 1895 and the wettest since 1997. So far this year, estimates … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Parenthetically speaking, part 15

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

At long last, we bring this series to a close. 1. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman – Carole King 2. You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night) – Meat Loaf 3. Young … Continue reading →

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House passes stricter judicial bypass bill

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Unfortunate but expected. After about four hours of debate and a barrage of failed amendments by Democrats, the House passed House Bill 3994 by Republican state Rep. Geanie Morrison of Victoria on a 98-47 vote. The measure would enact several … Continue reading →

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One more shot at killing the high speed rail line

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Never forget that the tricksiest maneuvers in the legislative handbook come in the budget. Texas’ prospects of having the first high-speed train line in the nation hinge on two sentences in a proposed state budget that lawmakers in the House … Continue reading →

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School finance bill dies

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Alas. A months-long effort to reform the state’s problem-plagued school finance system before the Texas Supreme Court weighs in came to an end on Thursday. Facing a slew of amendments and attempts to kill his bill on procedural grounds, House … Continue reading →

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Statewide Uber bill appears dead

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Close, but no cigar. A bill to establish statewide rules for “transportation network companies” like Uber and Lyft has apparently run out of road. Rep. Chris Paddie, who authored the measure, said on Tuesday that looming legislative deadlines had rendered … Continue reading →

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Mayor Parker’s last budget

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here it is. Despite sounding the alarm for months that a multimillion dollar deficit could force service cuts, new fees and employee layoffs, Mayor Annise Parker rolled out a $5.1 billion city budget on Tuesday that largely preserves spending levels … Continue reading →

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Point/counterpoint on online voter registration

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Point. Texans can use www.Texas.gov for nearly 1,000 services, such as applying for concealed handgun licenses and driver records, and renewing driver licenses, vehicle registrations and many state-required professional licenses. It is time to allow Texans to use this proven, … Continue reading →

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Montgomery County rejects its road bonds

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

One more election result of interest. In a hard-fought election, Montgomery County voters went to the polls in record numbers to cast ballots that ultimately defeated the $350 million in proposed road bonds. Nearly 58 percent of the more than … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of May 11

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is busy designing its own TexMoji as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Sheriff Hickman

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your new Sheriff, Harris County. Commissioners Court named Precinct 4 Constable Ron Hickman the new sheriff of Harris County to replace Adrian Garcia who resigned last week to run for mayor of Houston. The county leaders took a formal … Continue reading →

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Moving on to the runoff for the SA Mayor’s race

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This Express News story on the beginning of the Mayoral runoff in San Antonio between Leticia Van de Putte and Ivy Taylor gets to the question of what if anything the two runnersup and their supporters will do. But all … Continue reading →

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Grand jury reform bill in trouble

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not good. Six weeks after sailing through the Texas Senate, efforts to reform the state’s controversial grand jury selection system have stalled in the House. A closely watched bill to end the “pick-a-pal” system suffered an unexpected setback late Monday … Continue reading →

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Who you calling lame duck?

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

“Not me”, says Mayor Parker. City Council has voted down or delayed several items put forward by Mayor Annise Parker in recent weeks, events that some City Hall observers interpret as a sign of the term-limited mayor being afflicted with … Continue reading →

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Here comes that anti-gay marriage bill

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not. “Texas is pioneering a legislative effort to subvert a potential Supreme Court ruling on marriage and lock in discrimination against gay and transgender people and their families,” Kathy Miller, president of the left-leaning Texas Freedom Network, told … Continue reading →

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Separating the Sheriff and the jail

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As Commissioners Court prepares to name a replacement Sheriff, they have some bigger plans to discuss as well. A revolutionary idea is being pitched that would reshape the law enforcement agency by removing the troubled jail from the sheriff’s responsibilities. … Continue reading →

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Senate belatedly addresses one voter ID concern

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Better really late and at least mildly coerced than never, I guess. The Texas Senate, with scant attention during an early morning vote, gave its unanimous answer to a lingering question the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals posed about … Continue reading →

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Downtown post office set to close

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The end of an era approaches. Thousands gathered at 401 Franklin Street in downtown Houston to celebrate the opening of a new facility trumpeted as an “ultra-modern” marvel, the hub for the mail that would flow in and out of … Continue reading →

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Anti-gay marriage bill set for House vote on Tuesday

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here it comes. House Bill 4105 would prohibit state or local tax money from being spent to “issue, enforce or recognize” a same-sex marriage. It also would ban any government employee in Texas from issuing a same-sex marriage license or … Continue reading →

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Turner prepares his exit from the Lege

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like we’ll have at least one more legislative special election this year. In 2003, state Rep. Sylvester Turner of Houston made the most definitive decision of his political career. Turner had arrived in the Texas House 14 years earlier, … Continue reading →

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One hundred days till the new bus network

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

And counting down. Metro on Friday began the 100-day countdown to sweeping changes in local bus service, conceding that months of work ultimately will be judged by the level of confusion – small or large – that happens Aug. 16, … Continue reading →

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It’s hard out here on a recycler

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Whole lot of not so good in there. When Waste Management bought the plant in 2010 and converted it to handle single-bin recycling, commodity prices were high, the city was on board and Houstonians were eager to recycle. As the … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for May 10

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t buy me any peanuts or Cracker Jack, I’m allergic to them. “This is important, because even if you’re a hard-ass law-and-order type, you should understand that we no longer need urban police departments to act like occupying armies. The … Continue reading →

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Van de Putte and Taylor in SA Mayor runoff

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Former state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte is set to face San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor in a runoff for the city’s top job. With 95 percent of all precincts reporting late Saturday, Van de Putte led … Continue reading →

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Texans oppose LGBT discrimination

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Wins: Nearly two-thirds of likely voters in Texas support protecting gay and transgender Texans from discrimination, according to a new poll released today. The statewide survey also found that a strong majority of voters believe that discrimination against … Continue reading →

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Will the high speed rail opponents get a bill passed?

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Seems unlikely at this point, but I wouldn’t count them out. “The vast majority of the folks between Dallas and Houston are against it,” said Kyle Workman, president of the recently formed Texans Against High-Speed Rail. “They don’t want their … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: God Only Knows

Posted on May 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

An all-time classic from an iconic band: Remember when James Watt, Ronald Reagan’s idiot Secretary of the Interior, denied the Beach Boys a permit to play a Fourth of July concert on the Washington Mall? He’d never even heard of … Continue reading →

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Rangers to investigate Stickland

Posted on May 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s starting to get real. The Texas Rangers will investigate allegations that witnesses were improperly registered to testify last week on a bill banning red light cameras at a House Transportation Committee hearing. The House General Investigating and Ethics Committee … Continue reading →

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Senate passes Metro board expansion bill

Posted on May 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) today applauded the unanimous approval of transit legislation by the Texas State Senate, that is designed to enhance Board stability, provide for an orderly transition of Board members and … Continue reading →

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Texas plans to sue over EPA’s latest clean air plan

Posted on May 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

So what else is new? Attorney General Ken Paxton said Tuesday that he plans to sue the Obama administration over the proposed “Clean Power Plan,” its plan to combat climate change by slashing carbon emissions from power plants. “Texas has … Continue reading →

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The Euro-Dome

Posted on May 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

What can the Germans teach us about saving the Astrodome? For years, Ed Emmett has been trying to figure out what to do with the Astrodome, one of the world’s grandest and wackiest-looking civic arenas. This week, he is on … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Parenthetically speaking, part 14

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

On our penultimate list or parentheticals. 1. When I’m Up (I Can’t Get Down) – Great Big Sea 2. Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home) – Paul Young 3. Why Do I Need You (When I’ve Got My … Continue reading →

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Fletcher will run for Sheriff in 2016

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not unexpected. The day after Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia announced he is running for mayor of Houston, Republican state Rep. Allen Fletcher of Cypress said he would abandon his House seat for a bid to replace Garcia. “I will … Continue reading →

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