Tag Archives: Dallas

City wants the Lege to deal with payday lending

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That’s what came out of the presentation to Council on payday lending on Tuesday. Houston leaders say they will wait to see whether the Legislature acts during its current session before voting on their proposal. Mayor Annise Parker has said … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mapping oil usage

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the Natural Resources Defense Council America buys 18.8 million barrels of petroleum products every day, accounting for more than 20% of all global usage. This can drain roughly $1 billion on average every day out of the economy. This … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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 →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Riding that (privately funded) train

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Another story on the vaunted high speed rail line for Texas. The leaders of Texas Central High-Speed Railway sound very confident for a company expecting to succeed where scores of state planners, elected officials and private interests have failed. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Financing the Dallas to Houston high speed rail line

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The way things are going, this could get built before the final pieces of the 2012 Metro Solutions plan. If high-speed rail comes to North Texas by 2020, the bullet trains will initially rely on the area’s road system — … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Financing the Dallas to Houston high speed rail line

SJL talks high speed rail

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The dream lives on. Officials in Japan and South Korea told Houston Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee that they are interested in helping Texas build a high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas. The Houston Democrat said the foreign officials described … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

It’s Williams on Williams time again

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I would not call it a good thing to come out of the updated interim maps since there’s a good chance one of these jokers will get elected, but for those of you with a morbid fascination with sideshows, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Bike sharing comes to New York

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You’d have thought – or at least, I’d have thought – that New York City would have been a very early adopter of bike sharing. Turns out they’re just getting started now. At a press conference [last Wednesday] afternoon, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Bike sharing comes to New York

Dallas-Houston high speed rail update

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The people working on this sure do sound optimistic, even if what they’ve got is still basically vaporware. A trip from Houston to Dallas could take travelers 90 minutes if former Harris County Judge Robert Eckels, president of Lone Star … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dallas-Houston high speed rail update

Texas accepts grant for high speed rail study

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Awesome. Texas accepted a $15 million grant from the Federal High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program to fund the preliminary engineering and NEPA studies for the Dallas to Houston corridor. This money was made available by Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Texas accepts grant for high speed rail study

We’re number 16!

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In a list of green cities. The Bayou City placed 16th in the newly released U.S. and Canada Green City Index, a study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit on behalf of Siemens. The study, released at the 2011 Aspen … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

TxDOT gets more high speed rail money

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Still not much, but every little bit counts. The Texas Department of Transportation will receive $15 million to begin engineering and environmental work on a high-speed rail link between Houston and Dallas, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced [last week]. … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on TxDOT gets more high speed rail money

Trader Joe’s coming to Houston

Posted on May 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And there was much rejoicing. Trader Joe’s, the offbeat grocer whose most popular products include frozen chicken tikka masala, pumpkin ice cream and low-cost Charles Shaw wines nicknamed “Two Buck Chuck,” is expanding into Texas with stores planned in Houston … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Census stories: Dallas and its neighbors

Posted on March 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The city of Dallas isn’t growing. Despite a surging state population and double-digit growth rates in Austin, Fort Worth and San Antonio, the city of Dallas grew by a paltry 1 percent in the last decade, according to the new … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Leppert says he’s officially in for Senate

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. In the final hours of his incomplete term, Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert told News 8 Friday morning he is a candidate for the Republican nomination for United States Senate. Leppert announced his intentions during a Friday morning taping … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

San Antonio moves past Dallas

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

They’re #2! Not that it really matters. [San Antonio’s] 1.3 million residents put it at the No. 2 spot for Texas’ largest cities and had the office of Mayor Julián Castro declaring San Antonio’s “rising prominence as one of America’s … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Lawsuits filed over Super Bowl experiences

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A couple of ticket-related issues from Super Bowl XLV will be going to the courthouse. Two ticket holders, Mike Dolabi, who lives in Tarrant County, and Steve Simms, a Pennsylvania resident, filed the lawsuit in federal court late Tuesday night … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Lawsuits filed over Super Bowl experiences

Still estimating the impact

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Despite the awful weather, the sort of people who make projections about the economic impact of hosting a Super Bowl still think it was a pretty good week for Dallas Arlington North Texas. Winter weather delivered a blow, but the … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Still estimating the impact

Lawsuit to overturn Dallas election allowing expanded alcohol sales set for September

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

So last November, voters in the city of Dallas among other places were asked to decide whether or not to loosen restrictions on alcohol sales there. The measure passed, but not without controversy: Lawyer Andy Siegel, who led the opposition … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

About those Super Bowl economic projections…

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You can pretty much throw them out the window. North Texas’ weeklong weather whipping is blunting the economic bonanza from Super Bowl XLV. The White Bluff Resort on Lake Whitney, about 70 miles south of Cowboys Stadium, and a sister … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Time once again to play “Guess the economic impact”

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

So just how much money does Dallas Arlington North Texas hope to rake in from Super Bowl XL? Opinions differ. Yeah, I’m shocked, too. A larger stadium, an improving economy and die-hard fan bases for the Green Bay Packers and … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Hey, spread some of that wealth around, willya?

Posted on January 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Some Metroplex cities are seeing more of an economic benefit from hosting the Super Bowl than others. I know, try to control your shock. Some Frisco hotels located an hour’s drive from Cowboys Stadium, the game site, are packed. Lewisville, … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dallas Mayor Leppert officially not running for re-election

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. Mayor Tom Leppert, a successful business executive who rose from political unknown to become one of Dallas’ most powerful mayors, has confirmed he will not seek re-election in May but will pursue “other ways to add value to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

We’ll take it if you don’t want it

Posted on January 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Dallas would like the FTA to know that they will gladly take any federal streetcar funds that Fort Worth doesn’t want. That’s the message the Regional Transportation Council, with the support of Dallas leaders, is sending to the Federal Transit … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on We’ll take it if you don’t want it

NPR on LRT

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Nice story on NPR about the expansion of light rail around the country. Pretty much everywhere you look in large urban areas, there’s light rail, construction of light rail, or plans for light rail. Couple of points from the story … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

You need more than more miles to get more riders

Posted on December 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The new 28-mile Green Line in Dallas has begun full service, and it is expected to add about 30,000 daily boardings, bringing DART’s total rail ridership to about 90,000 per day. That’s for 72 miles of rail lines, which is … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Opening thoughts on the carnage

Posted on November 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In no particular order… – Republicans gain 22 seats in the State House, for a 99-51 advantage. That’s with Pete Gallego, Hubert Vo, and Donna Howard, all of whom had been trailing early, coming back to win. Howard’s margin of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Dry Dallas update

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of money being spent to remove alcohol sales restrictions in Dallas. The group behind next month’s ballot measures to expand the sale of alcohol in “dry” areas of Dallas has raised nearly $1 million – mainly from grocery stores, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Dallas-area cities are watching the red light camera referenda

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

What happens next month in Houston and Baytown may have an effect on our neighbors to the north. North Texas city officials are monitoring a public backlash against lucrative red-light cameras that could signal their end. Citizens in three Texas … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Privately funded high speed rail?

Posted on September 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From Houston Tomorrow: A possible Houston to Dallas high-speed rail line was the topic of a Monday morning breakfast meeting featuring Yoshiyuki Kasai, the chairman of Central Japan Railway, Japan’s largest rail company and maker of the famed Japanese “bullet … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

DART reverses course, will keep building

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Back in June, Dallas Area Rapid Transit presented a 20-year financial plan that said it could no longer afford to build several new light rail lines that it had intended to do. Now it’s got an updated projection that says … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Towards healthier school lunches

Posted on July 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good for DISD. As part of a nationwide push against childhood obesity, the Dallas Independent School District is overhauling its cafeteria menu by featuring healthier food and tossing aside classic artery cloggers. “The challenge to improve school nutrition is coming … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

How dry is Dallas?

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m fascinated by stories about elections to allow the sale of alcohol in places where it is currently prohibited. I suppose I find it weird that these vestiges of Prohibition are still with us. I especially find it strange to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments