Tag Archives: Montgomery County

Early voting starts today

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart announced today that 46 locations will be open Monday, October 24 to Friday, November 4 where voters in the third largest County in the nation may cast ballots during the early voting … Continue reading →

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Stuck in the MUD

Posted on September 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Tricky things, these municipal utility districts. MUD 187 came to be when a Houston developer arranged for two people to move their trailer onto a 519-acre site on the edge of Richmond in Fort Bend County, which at the time … Continue reading →

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Have we reached a tipping point on flood mitigation?

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

That’s a question that is alluded to but not directly addressed in this story. “This is how the land is supposed to act,” said Mary Anne Piacentini, executive director of the Katy Prairie Conservancy, a nonprofit land trust. “It’s supposed … Continue reading →

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Montgomery County Judge suspended for road bond allegations

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This just keeps getting better. A state commission has suspended Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal without pay after a grand jury charged him with violating Texas’ open meetings law while developing a bond package for new and improved roads. The … Continue reading →

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Montgomery County officials indicted over road bond shenanigans

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I know I’m a bad person, but this continues to amuse me greatly. A grand jury has indicted Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal and two commissioners, charging them with violating Texas’ open meetings law last year while developing a bond … Continue reading →

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Reynolds loses another request in court

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

More bad news. State Rep. Ron Reynolds has lost his bid to resume practicing law while he appeals his conviction for illegally soliciting clients. Montgomery County County Court-at-Law Judge Mary Ann Turner on Thursday denied the request by Reynolds, who … Continue reading →

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Reynolds receives jail sentence in barratry case

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

He got the max for the misdemeanor charge on which he was convicted. State Rep. Ron Reynolds could spend up to a year in jail after he was sentenced Monday to the maximum penalty following his conviction on charges arising … Continue reading →

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Rep. Ron Reynolds convicted of misdemeanor barratry charge

Posted on November 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The word “tawdry” applies to this. State Rep. Ron Reynolds was convicted Friday of illegally soliciting clients in an “ambulance chasing for profit” scheme, a verdict that carries the threat of jail time and deals a blow to his political … Continue reading →

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The struggle is real in The Woodlands

Posted on November 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

One last opportunity – for this year, at least – to mock the flailing efforts at self-governance in Montgomery County. [Bruce] Tough believes the tea partiers are after “control’ and, in so doing, could stamp out independent thought. “I don’t … Continue reading →

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Bondings

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations, Montgomery County! After rejecting two bond measures for new and improved roadways in four years, including one last spring, traffic-weary voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly backed a $280 million plan to unplug bottlenecks in rapidly growing Montgomery County. With all … Continue reading →

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More on MUDs

Posted on November 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron covers this topic. A few months ago, a cabinet maker and his wife were recruited to move into a manufactured home parked on a dirt road that was plowed into the woods on the west side of Conroe … Continue reading →

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When low turnout is the goal

Posted on November 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

You really have to admire the sheer brazenness of this. Montgomery County Municipal Utility District No. 142 is yet another special-purpose district this election cycle using what appears to be a service that hires voters to pass MUD elections in … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of the Montgomery County bond referendum

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The voters there are engaged in this issue, that much is for sure. Life is on hold in the parking lot that is Rayford Road, 4 miles of too many cars squeezing into too few lanes. Even when it isn’t … Continue reading →

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Day 5 EV 2015 totals: Early voting is up (almost) everywhere

Posted on October 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here are your Day Five totals: Year Early Mail Total Mailed ====================================== 2015 48,027 21,141 69,168 42,938 2013 28,303 14,342 42,645 30,544 The running 2015 totals are here, the full 2013 totals are here, and for completeness the full 2009 … Continue reading →

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The Woodlands versus its neighbors

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. The Woodlands prides itself on being the best-planned community around, with tree-studded neighborhoods, miles of trails, sprawling parks and a town center with a distinctly urban feel. Across Montgomery County, however, some … Continue reading →

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No way to run a road bond election

Posted on September 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Am I a bad person for being unreasonably amused by this? A special prosecutor has been assigned to determine whether behind-the-scenes negotiations could void a last-minute deal struck by Montgomery County commissioners to get a scaled-back $270 million road bond … Continue reading →

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Who needs wetlands?

Posted on September 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Development is all that matters, right? More than 38,000 acres of wetlands vanished in greater Houston over the past two decades despite a federal policy that “no net loss” can be caused by encroaching development. That’s an area about the … Continue reading →

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More on voting centers

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll be interested to see how this goes in Galveston. Just in time for the November election, Galveston County has launched the first mobile app of its kind in the state, called “Galveston Votes.” It uses GPS to direct people … Continue reading →

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Rep. Ron Reynolds to be tried again on barratry charges

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Just a misdemeanor this time, for what it’s worth. Reynolds was originally charged in 2013 with felony barratry for an alleged “ambulance chasing for profit scheme,” but was convicted by a jury of six counts of a lesser misdemeanor charge … Continue reading →

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Texas Central Railway gets some initial funding

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

They’ll need more than this, but it’s a start. Texas Central Partners, which aims to build a bullet train between Texas’ two biggest cities, announced Wednesday they had raised $75 million in private investments in the company’s first round of … Continue reading →

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The conservative case for more rail transit

Posted on July 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. As conservatives, we find it odd that many people expect us to oppose public transportation, especially rail. In fact, high-quality transit, which usually means rail, benefits conservatives in a number of important ways. It spurs development, … Continue reading →

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Montgomery County hasn’t given up the fight against the high-speed rail line

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Keep hope alive, I guess. A newly formed regional planning commission will enable Montgomery County and the city of Magnolia to monitor and work against any high speed rail projects that may cut through western Montgomery County, said County Judge … Continue reading →

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Montgomery County “voter fraud” case update

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Glad to hear this. The whole case is ridiculous. A self-described “egghead,” Jim Jenkins accomplished his dream by founding his own microsystems company. He also takes satisfaction in being a Christian conservative who is unabashedly proud of his 11 grandchildren. … Continue reading →

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More counties issuing same sex marriage licenses

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Montgomery County: Montgomery County Clerk Mark Turnbull said he turned one same-sex couple away on Friday who requested a marriage license, but wound up issuing the license after regular hours on Saturday. He initially refused because he was waiting for … Continue reading →

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A setback for transparency

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t care for this. The Texas Supreme Court on Friday limited the public’s right to know about private groups that get government funds. In a 6-3 opinion, the court sided with the Greater Houston Partnership, agreeing that GHP doesn’t … Continue reading →

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Harris County road bond

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County voters may be asked to vote on a bond issue this fall. Rapid population expansion and development in unincorporated areas of Harris County have strained roads, facilities and infrastructure so much that for the first time in eight … Continue reading →

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Houston’s transit deserts

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Kinder Institute’s Urban Edge blog: A new study suggests that despite METRO’s launch of several highly-touted and publicized improvements, the agency is still struggling to address the needs of some communities that depend heavily on transit. With operations … Continue reading →

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Encroaching on Sam Houston National Forest

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The march of development continues apace. All over the Texas Piney Woods, along farm-to-market roads and state highways, multicolored signs hawk real estate – small plots of paradise among the tall trees. The billboards offer “gated acreage” and “room to … Continue reading →

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Montgomery County tries to figure out what it wants

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Can they ever pass a road bond? Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal says he will hold community meetings to assess what direction the county should go to improve mobility after a $350 million road bond package was defeated by county … Continue reading →

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Montgomery and Fort Bend

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Houston Area Survey covered a bigger area than usual this year. One is mostly white and mostly Republican. It hasn’t backed a Democratic presidential candidate since native Texan Lyndon Johnson a half-century ago. The other is as racially and … Continue reading →

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Montgomery County rejects its road bonds

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

One more election result of interest. In a hard-fought election, Montgomery County voters went to the polls in record numbers to cast ballots that ultimately defeated the $350 million in proposed road bonds. Nearly 58 percent of the more than … Continue reading →

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Bill filed to kill high speed rail line

Posted on February 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Given all that’s been going on lately, I suppose this was inevitable. A lawmaker whose district sits near the proposed route for a planned bullet train connecting Houston and Dallas filed a bill Wednesday that could stop the project in … Continue reading →

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Texas Central chooses a corridor

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We have a single preferred route for the Houston to Dallas high speed rail line. Texas Central High-Speed Railway (TCR) today informed the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) that it recommends narrowing the consideration of potential high-speed rail corridors between Houston … Continue reading →

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Opposition to the high speed rail line gets organized

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

You had to figure something like this was coming. I was recently informed of NoTexasCentral.com, and I’ll let them introduce themselves: Texas Central Railway (TCR), a Japanese funded Texas-based private railroad company, is set to build and operate a high … Continue reading →

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