Tag Archives: Fort Worth

San Antonio City Council passes vehicles for hire revision

Unlike Dallas, it’s the cab companies that are happy about it. After nearly three hours of debate Thursday, the San Antonio City Council voted 7-2 to approve new rules for ride-share companies Uber and Lyft that provide service in the … Continue reading

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Connecting the high-speed rail line to Fort Worth

This is encouraging. State transportation officials this week are unveiling early plans for a high-speed train line from Dallas to Fort Worth. Like Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s plans to expand transit service in downtown, the project is an attempt to … Continue reading

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The Mayors opine for high speed rail

They pen an editorial in its favor. We are proud to be mayors of three of the largest and fastest-growing cities in America. Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston have weathered the recent economic downturn and are now the engines powering … Continue reading

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The Mayors love high speed rail

As well they should. The mayors of Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth announced Thursday their unified support for the construction of a privately funded bullet train between the two metropolitan regions. “If successful, Houstonians will have a reliable, private alternative … Continue reading

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Fort Worth and Tarrant County

Between Wendy Davis’ campaign for Governor, and the campaign to succeed Wendy Davis in SD10, there’s going to be a lot of attention focused on Forth Worth in the next twelve months. The two scenes capture the split political personality … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The race is also on in SD10

Now that Sen. Wendy Davis will abandon her re-election in SD10 to run for Governor, Democrats need to find a candidate that might be able to hold her seat. The Republican field is already crowded with four candidates in the … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hello, Motorola

Welcome to Texas. Cellphone pioneer Motorola announced Wednesday that it’s opening a Texas manufacturing facility that will create 2,000 jobs and produce its new flagship device, Moto X, the first smartphone ever assembled in the U.S. The company has already … Continue reading

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

Cities generally ignore Abbott’s domestic partnership opinion

Good for them. Attorney General Greg Abbott’s opinion [last] week, while not binding, is the latest of several challenges to same-sex benefits across the country that so far have had mixed results in the courts and prompted changes after officials … Continue reading

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

Bike sharing to come to Fort Worth

Good for them. The Fort Worth Transportation Authority said Monday it’s raised more than $1 million, and plans to launch a central city bike-sharing program by next Spring that will include 30 stations and 300 bikes. The program will start … Continue reading

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It’s Williams on Williams time again

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

More angst over May elections

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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More redistricting plaintiffs

Here’s an update to the scorecard, for those of you hoping to keep track of the players. The Texas Democratic Party officially entered the court fight over Republican-dominated redistricting maps Wednesday. The new claims by the state Democratic Party came … Continue reading

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“America’s largest city with no pro sports teams”

This Houston Press lamentation about the city of Austin contained the following tidbit that caught my eye: Austin is America’s largest city with no pro sports teams (though some would debate the amateur status of the Texas Longhorns). Well, that … Continue reading

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

Senate map is out, controversy precedes it

Before we had a State Senate map, we had a brawl brewing over one proposed district on it. Accusing the state Senate’s Republican leaders of a “shameful partisan attack,” Sen. Wendy Davis said Tuesday that a new redistricting map for … Continue reading

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Dan Barrett for Fort Worth

I’m delighted to see this. Democrat Dan Barrett, a lawyer and former state representative, is planning to file as a candidate for Mayor of Fort Worth. “I think its time for a new direction,” Barrett said. “The other candidates in … Continue reading

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We’ll take it if you don’t want it

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

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Fort Worth quits its pursuit of streetcars

I’m surprised by this. The city’s discussion and study of the viability of a modern streetcar system for the central city is over for now. The City Council voted 5-3 [last] Tuesday to pull the plug on a feasibility study … Continue reading

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

Comparing stadium experiences

The Sugar Land Sun has an interesting three-part series comparing the minor league baseball experiences in Fort Worth and New Orleans to what we might expect in Sugar Land with its forthcoming stadium. Here’s the introduction: Both cities provide key … Continue reading

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fort Worth gets streetcar funds

Good for them, though they’re not quite ready to jump on it yet. A downtown streetcar loop could be in Fort Worth’s near future, but the City Council has some serious issues to consider first. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced … Continue reading

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San Antonio smoking ban protests

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

More on streetcars in Fort Worth

The TCU Daily Skiff writes about Fort Worth’s plans for streetcars. The city of Fort Worth plans to move forward with bringing in a nationally recognized consultant to finalize aspects of a modern streetcar system that would consist of an … Continue reading

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

Cities lose out in transportation stimulus funding

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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Potential challenger for Burnam

Via Campos, I see that State Rep. Lon Burnam of Fort Worth may get a primary challenger next year. City Councilman Sal Espino has heard a lot of frustration from constituents about what state lawmakers did not accomplish in the … Continue reading

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

Fort Worth’s red light camera experience

They like them so far. The city Transportation Department pronounces itself pleased with progress made by red-light cameras. The number of accidents has decreased at the targeted intersections. The cameras have resulted in about $1.2 million in fines — $765,000 … Continue reading

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Streetcars and buses

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

Houston extends red light camera contract

We’ll have red light cameras to kick around for at least a few more years. The City Council extended the contract of the company that administers its red-light camera program for three more years Wednesday, aiming to thwart legislation pending … Continue reading

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Skinning a cat: Alternate methods

As you know, the TxDOT sunset bill HB300 included among its many House amendments a couple that were aimed at killing off red light cameras in Texas’ cities, by putting them under the authority of DPS and by forbidding the … Continue reading Continue reading

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We keep on growing

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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