Tag Archives: Dallas

San Antonio smoking ban protests

Posted on July 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The proposal to strengthen the smoking ban in San Antonio has drawn protest from a previously silent constituency. LULAC, the San Antonio Mixed Beverage Association, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the San Antonio Restaurant Association … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

On we go with the red light camera debate

Posted on July 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The DMN has a story about the ongoing red light camera debate around the state. There’s a lot of familiar stuff in there, but this bit caught my eye: While camera critics dispute the safety data, the money generated has … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Another setback for DART

Posted on June 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

More bad news from Dallas. Dallas Area Rapid Transit can’t afford to build light-rail service to D/FW International Airport by 2013 as it has long said it would, the agency’s chief financial officer said Tuesday. The news comes as a … Continue reading →

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

Carless in Dallas

Posted on June 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Patrick Kennedy, the best-known non-driving person in Dallas. Kennedy moved to Dallas in 2002, after growing up in Pennsylvania and earning a landscape architecture degree at Penn State University. After living in parts of East Dallas and Uptown, he … Continue reading →

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

Statesman slaps Harper-Brown

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I guess they weren’t terribly impressed by her video defense against the hand in the cookie jar accusations. It’s going to be tough to top Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, and her YouTube response to a Dallas Morning News/WFAA-TV report about … Continue reading →

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

Harper-Brown’s hand in the cookie jar

Posted on June 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. State Rep. Linda Harper-Brown (R-Irving) and her husband are driving cars owned by a highway contractor doing millions of dollars of business with the state. All the while, Harper-Brown sits on the influential House Transportation Committee. Her husband claims … Continue reading →

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

“How much was that game worth?”, Dallas edition

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The question of how much a big sporting event affects a city’s economy is one I’ve pondered numerous times over the years. With the Super Bowl coming to Dallas Arlington, following on the heels of the NBA All-Star game, it’s … Continue reading →

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Dallas has it worse than we do

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Houston has its budget proposal for this year, and while it’s no thing of beauty, it’s not got any layoffs, furloughs, or truly drastic cuts in it. The city of Dallas is still working on their budget, and they’re in … Continue reading →

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

DART may take a big step back

Posted on April 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Dallas Area Rapid Transit, which has built out a much more extensive rail network than Metro and which has plans for a lot more, may instead scrap most of those plans due to serious financial issues. Final decisions are months … Continue reading →

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The Texas Stadium geological survey

Posted on April 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

When Texas Stadium went boom, in addition to providing space for transit-oriented development, the explosion itself provided the opportunity to do a seismological study of the area. Dr. Jay Pulliam is a professor of geophysics at Baylor University and one … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Bye-bye, Texas Stadium

Posted on April 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It went boom on Sunday morning. More than 38 years of football and entertainment memories came crashing down Sunday morning when 11-year-old Casey Rogers pushed the button that set off 2,715 pounds of dynamite, leveling Texas Stadium in less than … Continue reading →

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

Where the population is moving to

Posted on March 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Call it the Sunbelt Slowdown. Census estimates released Tuesday capture the impact of the housing downturn and economic recession, including the critical period after the financial meltdown in late 2008, on the nation’s counties and metropolitan areas. The population figures … Continue reading →

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You’re next, Dallas

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Super Bowl XLIV is over (congrats, New Orleans!), and the prep work for Super Bowl XLV is underway. North Texas officials in town last week were generally impressed with South Florida, but except for beaches, they said they didn’t see … Continue reading →

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

Why was EZ Tag airport parking so expensive to operate?

Posted on February 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the program that allows people with EZ Tags in their cars to use them to pay for parking at the airports is going to be shut down because it was losing money. This Chron article that examines … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Expanding Metro

Posted on January 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Soon-to-be-former Metro Chair David Wolff riffs off of a Chron editorial that lamented the lack of connectivity between Metro and some new bus routes in Harris County and makes the case for expanding Metro’s service area. The first steps toward … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Houston versus Dallas

Posted on January 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This video touting the charms of the city of Dallas made the rounds this week. I actually find all of the dorky dancing to be somewhat charming. You can’t do that sort of thing and take yourself too seriously. Having … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Pants are overrated

Posted on January 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

If you saw a bunch of pantsless people on the DART train on Sunday, you weren’t seeing things. In all, about 70 people – mostly in their 20s but plenty older and younger than that, too – rode DART sans … Continue reading →

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Federal court rules for TDP in voting machine case

Posted on December 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’m a little surprised by this. A three-judge panel has ruled that Dallas County election officials violated federal law when they did not inform the Department of Justice about changes in the way straight-party votes are counted on electronic voting … Continue reading →

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Commuter rail and transit-oriented development

Posted on November 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a peek of things that may be to come, courtesy of Dallas. The A-train commuter railway is more than a year away from rolling into Lewisville, but plans are already in the works for the city’s first transit-oriented development. … Continue reading →

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

You can’t get gay married in Texas, but you can get gay divorced

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

At least, according to a Dallas judge’s ruling, you can. Although the case is far from settled, and the state’s constitutional ban on gay marriage is a long way from being thrown out, Dallas state District Judge Tena Callahan’s ruling … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

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

Election tidbits for 9/29

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Dallas DA Craig Watkins’ Republican opponent. I thought he came across better than the commenters did, but I feel pretty good about Watkins’ chances nonetheless. Via Grits. Some love for Bill White, including the Bill Whites for Bill White … Continue reading →

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New light rail line begins service in Dallas

Posted on September 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I so look forward to the day when this story can be written for Houston. When the trains begin running today on the opening segment of DART’s new Green Line, the transit agency will unveil the longest expansion of light … Continue reading →

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

EPA to tighten air quality standards

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Federal regulators signaled Wednesday that they would abandon Bush-era limits on smog pollution that scientists said didn’t go far enough to protect public health. Amid concerns that the current rules don’t adhere to the federal Clean Air Act, the … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

More on Glaeser and high speed rail

Posted on September 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I mentioned before some analysis done by the New York Times’ Ed Glaeser on the economics of high speed rail between Houston and Dallas. His series has come under a lot of criticism – see that post, along with these … Continue reading →

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Irving proposes district council lines

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Greg shows a map of the proposed new district City Council lines in Irving, which as this DMN story notes would likely unseat two current Council members and might have an effect on HD105 next year. I keep following this … Continue reading →

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

Comparing trains to planes

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In case you missed it earlier, economist Edward Glaeser did an analysis of a theoretical high-speed rail link between Dallas and Houston to see if HSR made economic sense in general. His conclusion that they didn’t has been sharply criticized, … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

Streetcars in San Antonio

Posted on August 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

San Antonio is looking to Portland for inspiration as it contemplates a streetcar system. In the 1990s, driven by a plan to infuse the inner city with new residents, transit advocates drew up plans to link several districts by streetcar … Continue reading →

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Cities lose out in transportation stimulus funding

Posted on July 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is not a surprise, but it is a missed opportunity. Two-thirds of the country lives in large metropolitan areas, home to the nation’s worst traffic jams and some of its oldest roads and bridges. But cities and their surrounding … Continue reading →

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Use your cell phone, pay a fine

Posted on July 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Attention, school kids: Using your cellphone during school hours can cost you. Cell phones are generating some serious cash for Texas school districts. It’s all because of students being fined for texting or chatting in the classroom. The Texas education … Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Chicken farming in the suburbs

Posted on July 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You can file this under “Things That Happen In Hard Times That Might Continue When Things Get Better”. A pastime once limited to the occasional overachieving gardener, backyard chicken farming has caught fire among suburbanites craving a slice of the … Continue reading →

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

Terri Hodge draws a challenger

Posted on June 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Terri Hodge, a fixture in HD100 since 1996, has drawn a challenger for next year. Dallas lawyer Eric Johnson announced [Friday] that he is running for the District 100 seat in the Texas House. That’s the seat currently … Continue reading →

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Annie’s List kicks off the 2010 elections

Posted on June 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Even for me, it’s a little early to be thinking about most of the 2010 races, especially for the State House. But I’m glad it’s not too early for some folks, such as Annie’s List. Here’s an email they’ve sent … Continue reading →

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

Clay Jenkins

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Clay Jenkins is a candidate for County Judge in Dallas. He’s running in the Democratic primary against the incumbent, Jim Foster, who knocked off the Republican incumbent in the 2006 countywide sweep, in a race nobody expected him to win. … Continue reading →

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