Tag Archives: Austin

Curbside composting

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Way to go, Austin. City officials are asking Austinites in 7,900 households in five parts of the city to separate their banana peels, egg shells, meat, chicken bones, milk cartons, leaves and any other organic material from their household trash … Continue reading →

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First pass at analyzing the 2012 results

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This is kind of a brain dump, based on the information available now. I’ll have plenty more to say once precinct data has been released. – The current tally in the Presidential race on the Secretary of State webpage, with … Continue reading →

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New passenger rail study

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see if this goes anywhere. The Texas Department of Transportation is launching a two-year, $14 million study of passenger rail service between South Texas and Oklahoma City. That could mean bringing high-speed rail or, at the least, finding ways … Continue reading →

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Austin’s choices for Council districts

Posted on October 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman has a look at the choices Austin voters have for how to redesign their City Council from an all-At Large system to one with Council districts. In the debate over whether to change the City Council from citywide … Continue reading →

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It was nice knowing you, Lockhart

Posted on October 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There’s so much that’s wrong with this. Community leaders believe the four lanes of Texas 130 will spur growth — despite what is expected to be a charge of about 15 cents a mile to drive on it. The tollway, … Continue reading →

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Houston-Austin rail update

Posted on September 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Houston Tomorrow: The Texas Department of Transportation is planning to fund environmental and financial feasibility studies for a passenger rail line connecting Houston to Austin, according to the Texas Tribune and KUT Austin. The planned line would be a 110mph … Continue reading →

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85 MPH speed limit officially approved

Posted on September 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. The Texas Department of Transportation has approved an 85 mph speed limit for an upcoming 40-mile stretch of Texas 130 from Austin to Seguin. Currently, no road in the country has a posted speed … Continue reading →

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Electric cars and the power grid

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating. It doesn’t take too long for visitors of Mueller, a 700-acre master-planned community in Austin, to realize that the neighborhood is peculiar. The planned community, built on the site of the former Mueller airport, boasts almost too-perfect rows of homes with cheery … Continue reading →

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Yes, some cities still have red light cameras

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t claim to have any strong feelings one way or another about Austin’s attempts to collect red light camera fines, I was just struck by one aspect of this story. Beginning sometime this summer, the city will work with … Continue reading →

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You say “Manchaca”, I say “Menchaca”

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start a Facebook page to settle it once and for all. Austin’s long-held knack for mangling street pronunciations is so rich it could be its own game show category. As in: “This well-known University of Texas-area street’s name suggests … Continue reading →

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Recycling campaign signs

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Great idea. [Mike Martinez] has been running Food is Free since founding it in late January, and now he’s asking for old campaign signs to line the edges of garden boxes. They can be dropped off in front of his … Continue reading →

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I can drive 85

Posted on June 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

And so can you, on the right road. State transportation officials are testing a new 41-mile segment of an Austin area toll road to see whether it would be safe to post the state’s first 85 mph maximum speed limit. … Continue reading →

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“Zero waste” grocery store set to open

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Coming soon to Austin. The idea for a package-free organic grocery store started years ago when brothers Christian and Joseph Lane were discussing a simple business idea: refilling beer and wine bottles. From there, they decided to include other basic … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

“Crazy” ants come to Austin

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

They’re on the move. There’s a new ant in town, and wherever it goes, fire ants start disappearing. It also doesn’t sting or bite. But don’t get excited yet. The Rasberry crazy ant which showed up in Travis County and … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: South By Southwest

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You may have heard something about South By Southwest, the big music/arts/techie shindig they have in Austin every year. I’ve never been and honestly probably never will, but I have grabbed some of the free tunes they make available after … Continue reading →

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Homeless Hotspots

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You’ve probably heard about this by now. If you’re looking for WiFi at the South by Southwest tech conference this week, instead of heading to a cafe or bumming off of a neighbor, you might just ask a homeless person. … Continue reading →

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It’s Super-Commuter!

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You think you have a long drive to work? Ben Wear writes about a study of people who take it to the extreme. The researchers define a supercommuter as someone who works in the central county of a metropolitan area … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Austin may accelerate its bag ban schedule

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

They’re considering their options. The City of Austin might ban the thin plastic and paper bags offered at checkout counters beginning in March 2013 a year earlier than expected and scrap plans to require retailers to charge a fee for … Continue reading →

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On free speech and reproductive rights

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I must say, I was a bit flummoxed by this story. The City of Austin might repeal a 2-year-old ordinance requiring some facilities that counsel women with unplanned pregnancies to post signs saying they don’t offer abortions or contraceptive services. … Continue reading →

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It’s hard to get beyond coal

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The city of Austin is trying, but there are many obstacles along the way. In Austin politics, it’s almost an article of faith that the city must aggressively curb its contribution to global climate change, regardless of what transpires across … Continue reading →

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Another Lone Star Rail update

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the Statesman: Commuter rail between San Antonio and Georgetown, at least as a legislatively sanctioned policy goal, will have its 15th birthday this spring. The tiny government agency created later to make it a reality is almost 9 years … Continue reading →

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Houston-Austin rail study

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From Houston Tomorrow: The Texas Department of Transportation presented results from a study on the potential for new 110 mph passenger rail service between Houston and Austin, potentially connecting College Station, according to Guidry News and documented in the minutes of the December … Continue reading →

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Austin rethinking its May election

Posted on December 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, maybe that wasn’t the best decision. Austin City Council members are again discussing whether to move the May council election back six months a politically fraught question that led city officials to trade thinly veiled insults earlier this year. … Continue reading →

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Austin mulls far-reaching bag ban

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This will be worth watching. The City of Austin might enact one of the broadest bag bans in the nation and prohibit disposable paper and plastic bags at all checkout counters starting in January 2016. In the meantime, starting in … Continue reading →

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Austin will get its vote on district Council seats

Posted on November 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You Austin folks won’t get to vote for Council members next November, but you will get to vote for what kind of Council members you have. The council approved Thursday a resolution that calls for a district proposal to go … Continue reading →

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There’s an app for reporting handicapped parking space violators

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In Austin, anyway. Ever see someone parked illegally and wanted to do something about it? Your chance might be coming. A new smartphone app could allow people in Austin to report illegal parking in spots reserved for people with disabilities. … Continue reading →

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Austin ISD moves its election to November

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As the song goes, two out of three ain’t bad. The Austin school board voted unanimously on Monday to move trustee elections from May to November. The school district will share November election costs with the county and the Austin … Continue reading →

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Austin officially keeps May elections

Posted on October 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

That’s all she wrote. The Austin City Council decided Friday to hold the 2012 council elections in May instead of November, ending a weeks-long debate marked by accusations of voter suppression and political expediency. A new state law aimed at … Continue reading →

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Austin will keep May elections for now

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the city of Austin holds its municipal elections in May. They have three year terms for City Council, so half of their elections are held in even-numbered years. As we also know, a bill that was passed … Continue reading →

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High school firefighting classes

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is interesting. Seeking to tighten spending, the Austin Fire Department last year decided to ax a program at LBJ High School that allowed students to become certified to be firefighters upon graduation. But the Austin school district has decided … Continue reading →

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No grass, no problems

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Texas is in the midst of one its worst droughts ever, yet one of the more arid cities in the state is seeing no noticeable drop in its reservoirs. How is that possible? Simple: They got rid of lawns years … Continue reading →

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More angst over May elections

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Star Telegram adds to the litany of woe surrounding the upcoming changes to the state’s elections calendar. Over three months, some voters would face a primary, followed by city and school elections, followed by primary runoffs, followed by city … Continue reading →

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There’s more than one way to do it

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Really interesting story about the different approaches being taken by Austin and San Antonio to draw clean energy jobs to their towns. While Austin has taken the traditional route of offering various types of incentives to help create a market … Continue reading →

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