Tag Archives: Houston

Amtrak seeks additional partner for high speed rail line

Posted on March 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Amtrak is seeking an additional business partner as it moves ahead with a proposed high-speed rail route between Dallas and Houston. The passenger railroad company — which took over as the project’s lead agency in 2023 and secured a … Continue reading →

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We better not have a disaster this year

Posted on March 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We will not be able to recover from it as things stand right now. After a series of severe hurricanes hit the Texas Gulf Coast and other U.S. coastlines last summer, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was nearing its limits. The … Continue reading →

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It’s been a rough flu season

Posted on March 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Turning our attention to a different infectious disease. The flu is inflicting more fever-coughing-aching misery across Houston and much of the U.S. than it has in years. While most people will recover, thousands have already died during the 2024-2025 flu … Continue reading →

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Time for a measles update

Posted on March 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

One forty-six. And counting. The number of measles cases associated with an outbreak in western Texas has grown to 146, according to new data released Friday. Almost all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or individuals whose vaccination status … Continue reading →

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Turning office space into coliving space

Posted on March 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Definitely worth considering. Nationwide, commercial vacancies are becoming increasingly noteworthy as the gulf between residential rental rates and stagnant wages widens. Low-income earners, folks making between $20,000 and $30,000 annually (typically minimum wage employees, students and seniors living on Social … Continue reading →

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HISD’s looming school closures

Posted on February 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Boy is this going to be fun. Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles plans in the coming months to propose closing an undisclosed number of schools in the summer of 2026, as the district faces a tight budget and enrollment losses. … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

CenterPoint’s useless generators officially sent to San Antonio

Posted on February 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They will not be useless there. Texas’ main grid operator on Tuesday approved a $54 million plan to replace two aging natural gas-powered plants near San Antonio with the massive mobile generators that CenterPoint Energy came under fire for not … Continue reading →

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MetroNow

Posted on February 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Temu version of MetroNext. The Metropolitan Transit Authority unveiled new details Monday on its MetroNow initiative, the seeming replacement for the voter-approved MetroNext plan. MetroNow first was announced as part of budget discussions for fiscal 2025 when the … Continue reading →

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On HPD and immigration enforcement

Posted on February 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Worth keeping an eye on. Houston Police Department officials pledged to “push for efficiency and effectiveness” in 2025 and further clarified their stance on immigration enforcement as part of a Tuesday presentation to the city’s Public Safety Committee. At the … Continue reading →

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“No easy fixes” for HISD to pass a bond

Posted on February 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. Houston ISD should allow more time for family and community engagement when it holds a school bond election, according to a recent report from a Houston public relations firm on the district’s failed $4.4 billion proposed … Continue reading →

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Harris County joins amicus against NIH cuts

Posted on February 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee announced today that Harris County has joined a national legal fight to protect critical medical research funding. The county is part of a coalition challenging the Trump administration’s recent decision to … Continue reading →

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SCOTx hears appeal of lawsuits over Winter Storm Uri deaths

Posted on February 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The question at issue is whether anyone can be sued, since at this point there are no defendants left. The Texas Supreme Court revisited the deadly mass outages of the 2021 freeze on its fourth anniversary during a Wednesday hearing, which … Continue reading →

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If the Texans want a new stadium, they can build it themselves

Posted on February 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, no. When Texans owner Cal McNair named a new team president last month, the first thing he touted about Mike Tomon’s resume was his “extensive history in stadium development.” Tomon was previously an executive at Legends, a stadium operations … Continue reading →

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No Eid on the HISD calendar

Posted on February 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Some folks would like it back. The Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations — a local Muslim advocacy group — is calling on Houston ISD to add a school holiday back for Eid al-Fitr during the 2025-2026 school year. … Continue reading →

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Muskian rampage could close hundreds of federal buildings in Texas

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Look around, here today and maybe gone tomorrow. Billionaire Elon Musk’s chainsaw diet for the U.S. government could shutter near 450 federal offices across Texas that do anything from assisting ailing veterans to answering questions about retirement and disability benefits, … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

WNBA appears set on Cleveland

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

But Houston could be next in line, and soon. The WNBA is preparing to award Cleveland its 16th franchise, multiple sources have told SBJ, with an approximate bid worth a league record $250M. The sources put Cleveland’s expansion chances as … Continue reading →

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Solar For All grants caught in a trap

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They can’t get out, at least not at this time. More than $400 million in federal funding for Texas-based organizations to implement clean energy programs remains frozen, jeopardizing efforts to expand access to rooftop solar panels and battery storage systems in … Continue reading →

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HISD joins lawsuit against social media companies

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Houston ISD is set to join a nationwide lawsuit that argues several major social media companies fueled an “unprecedented mental health crisis” among young people — and should pay school districts for the fallout. HISD’s state-appointed board unanimously voted … Continue reading →

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Interview with Anthony Rios and Ringo Bosley of the Houston Progressive Caucus

Posted on February 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I reported on the creation of the Houston Progressive Caucus a couple of weeks ago, and as is my habit I had some questions about their mission and strategy beyond what was contained in their press release and on their … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Republicans don’t care at all about the NIH cuts

Posted on February 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Or on their constituents or even themselves. For years Republicans and Democrats alike have touted the medical breakthroughs at Texas medical research institutions like MD Anderson and Baylor College of Medicine. But after President Donald Trump announced a policy change … Continue reading →

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Ismaeli Center update

Posted on February 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

An almost-20-year saga is drawing to a close. I’m excited to see what the end result is. Work has resumed on the massive Ismaili Center near Buffalo Bayou after the death of the Aga Khan IV, the leader of the world’s millions … Continue reading →

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Here’s that Whitmire government efficiency report

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m whelmed. A sweeping study of Houston’s 22 departments, their finances and operations revealed potential misuse of city credit cards and a pressing need to streamline city government to make it more efficient, according to an executive summary obtained by … Continue reading →

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

Mike Miles gets graded

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

“Needs improvement”. State-appointed Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles lost several points in his annual performance evaluation from the board for failing to effectively communicate with community members and for not prioritizing a positive culture, according to recently released district records. … Continue reading →

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The NIH cuts’ effect on Texas

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Just wondering if any of our state leaders have a reaction to this attack on our state’s economy. Texas universities could lose hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds that support biomedical research if a Trump administration policy withstands … Continue reading →

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Beryl was stronger than we thought

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Some lessons for the future here. A new report from the National Hurricane Center found that Hurricane Beryl roared into the upper Texas Gulf Coast with maximum winds of 92 miles per hour, just 3 miles per hour shy of … Continue reading →

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2024 was a bad year for traffic deaths in Houston

Posted on February 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Not really a surprise, unfortunately. Asked amid a flurry of design changes and shifts in street policy whether he was abandoning Houston’s goal of eliminating vehicle deaths by 2030, Mayor John Whitmire in February 2024 said a goal for the future … Continue reading →

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Hollins’ warning about the budget

Posted on February 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is where we are. Houston could face a $330 million deficit in the next fiscal year – up by approximately $100 million after the Texas Supreme Court denied the city’s motion to appeal a years-long court battle over street … Continue reading →

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The Houston animal ambulance service

Posted on February 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating. I had no idea. When a cat was stranded on the roof of a west Houston apartment complex at the height of this week’s winter storm, a 24/7 ambulance for animals responded to the call. The cat, which had … Continue reading →

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More construction chaos on the bike trails

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

What the hell, man? Not one, but two popular trail bridges spanning White Oak Bayou were struck by loose construction materials from ongoing work along Interstate 10, closing both spans as well as a key stretch of trail, isolating portions … Continue reading →

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City to use Metro funds to help pay for that additional drainage stuff

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Sure is convenient havigna transit agency you can raid. Houston officials plan to offset a $100 million hit to the city’s budget in a recent legal ruling by using cash from the Metropolitan Transit Authority to spend more money on … Continue reading →

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A look at that new ramp up from the White Oak Bayou trail

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I managed to get a better view of the new ramp up from the White Oak Bayou trail to Studemont: Even without the MKT Bridge being out of commission again, the trail network is completely disrupted by the I-10 elevation … Continue reading →

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Hotze gets a pause on his civil trial

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Oh for crying out loud. The Texas Supreme Court stayed proceedings in a civil lawsuit filed against Republican activist Steven Hotze, amid his attempt to block claims over the alleged attack of a man targeted in a voter fraud conspiracy … Continue reading →

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Beep Baseball in Houston

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Some cool local history I didn’t know about. Houston’s blind athletes continue to impress our community with expanding participation in numerous sporting events. Long-time Oak Forest resident and native Houstonian Ronnie Bruns reflects on his time as one of the … Continue reading →

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January 2025 campaign finance reports – City of Houston

Posted on February 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Harris County offices Continuing with our January campaign finance report review, let’s check in on the current City of Houston elected officials and other people of interest. Candidate Raised Spent Loan On Hand ======================================================= Whitmire 52,900 61,210 0 2,432,442 … Continue reading →

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