Tag Archives: Austin

SNCF proposes high-speed rail route for Texas

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not the Texas T-Bone, but it’s a start. Last December, Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters and Representative John Mica (R-FL) announced that the Federal Railroad Administration would begin accepting Expressions of Interest for the development of high-speed lines in … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The best idea you’ll hear for what to do with the Alabama Theater

Posted on September 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

How about turning it back into a movie theater? And not just any theater, either, but an Alamo Drafthouse theater. I wholeheartedly endorse the concept that ‘stina enunciates in her letter to the Alamo Drafthouse corporate office. I don’t know … Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

West U to consider a texting-while-driving ban

Posted on September 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Last year, the city of West University Place banned using cellphones while in school zones. Now they’re looking to add a texting ban to their roster of no-nos. West U. City Council has asked city staff members to draft an … Continue reading →

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Katz announces for Lite Guv

Posted on September 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Well, at least we have a candidate. Marc Katz can’t help it. He’s gotta tell you. He’s planning to run for lieutenant governor. Katz, 62, Austin’s self-proclaimed deli king, said he plans to file paperwork to enter the race as … Continue reading →

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Brown’s energy plan

Posted on August 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Completing our trifecta of Mayoral policy examinations, we come now to Peter Brown’s energy plan. As with other policy matters, Brown goes into more detail than the others – David Ortez recently wrote that Brown is “winning the policy campaign”, … Continue reading →

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Austin to ban texting while driving

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

After considering it for a long time, the city of Austin is set to ban texting while driving. Council members Mike Martinez and Chris Riley and Mayor Lee Leffingwell are proposing to prohibit writing, sending or reading text messages, instant … Continue reading →

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More money for SUPERTRAINS

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. [Thursday], the U.S. House passed its housing and transportation bill, which will provide funds for fiscal year 2010. Approved mostly by members of the majority Democratic party, the bill would allocate $4 billion to high-speed rail programs — if … Continue reading →

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RIP, Nerd Bird

Posted on June 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The economic slowdown claims another victim. When the Statesman’s business desk got a tip from a reader that American Airlines was grounding the Nerd Bird, I was more than a little dubious. The twice-a-day nonstop flight between Austin and San … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS upholds Voting Rights Act

Posted on June 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

For now, anyway. The Supreme Court ruled narrowly today in a challenge to the landmark Voting Rights Act, siding with a small Texas governing authority but sidestepping the larger constitutional issue. The court, with only one justice in dissent, avoided … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Obama head on the move

Posted on June 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Hello, Austin! President Barack Obama’s concrete head rested peacefully on an open-bed trailer outside Vino Vino wine bar on Guadalupe Street on Sunday evening. The 20-foot-tall sculpture of the president had just been hauled from Houston. Its creator, 82-year-old artist … Continue reading →

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Streetcars and buses

Posted on June 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a little discussion starter for all you transit geeks: Infrastructurist’s list of 36 reasons why streetcars are better than buses. I’d boil a lot of it down to a smaller list: The ride is generally more pleasant, as it … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Ed and Maverick in District H

Posted on May 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

All the votes are in, and it’s Ed Gonzalez and Maverick Welsh in the runoff for District H. With all 13 precincts reporting and nearly 4,200 ballots cast in a district of more than 93,000 registered voters, Gonzalez had 31.4 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Vote today

Posted on May 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Today is Election Day for many places in Texas. They’re electing new Mayors in Austin and San Antonio, along with the regularly scheduled municipal elections in those cities and others. Here in Houston, it’s showtime for the District H special … Continue reading →

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We keep on growing

Posted on March 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t know how much longer we can or will keep this up, but the Houston metropolitan area just keeps growing like gangbusters. The Houston metropolitan area added more than 130,000 residents between July 1, 2007 and July 1, 2008, the … Continue reading →

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OneSpot

Posted on February 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s always good when you see a story like this about a friend. Venture capital investing has taken a nosedive, but deals are still getting done: Two Austin Internet startups will announce deals today totaling $7.5 million. OneSpot, which has … Continue reading →

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A SUPERTRAIN for Texas?

Posted on January 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It could happen. The idea of high-speed rail is being pushed again in a big way in Texas, and backers hope to have $12 billion to $18 billion high-speed trains running by 2020. This time, they say they have taken … Continue reading →

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