Tag Archives: alcohol

Alcohol to go passes both chambers

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Off to get a signature. The Texas Senate on Wednesday passed a measure to permanently allow Texans to purchase alcohol to-go from restaurants, advancing a shared goal of Gov. Greg Abbott and restaurateurs. House Bill 1024, which cleared the lower chamber last … Continue reading →

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Booze to go set to go

Posted on March 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Texas House has passed legislation that would allow restaurants to sell alcohol to go beyond the coronavirus pandemic. The chamber signed off on House Bill 1024 to permanently allow beer, wine and mixed drinks to be included in … Continue reading →

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Drinks to go on the legislative menu

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Looks likely to succeed. As the 87th legislature kicks into high gear in Austin tomorrow, a new bill introduced in both the Texas House and Senate is aiming to make to-go alcohol from restaurants and bars permanent. Venues in Texas … Continue reading →

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Our increasingly non-dry state

Posted on January 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There are now only five counties in Texas where you can’t buy alcohol. On Election Day in Stanton, just north of Midland, Ron Black was skeptical that a particular measure on the ballot would pass. “Well, I think at first … Continue reading →

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You may finally be able to buy booze at Walmart and Costco now

Posted on March 24, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I agree with this. A protectionist Texas law that has kept Walmart, Costco and other giant retailers from selling hard liquor was found unconstitutional by a federal judge this week, prompting cheers from free-market advocates — and vows of a … Continue reading →

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2017 results: City bonds

Posted on November 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Pension obligation bonds pass easily. Houston voters passed a $1 billion pension bond referendum by a wide margin late Tuesday, securing Mayor Sylvester Turner’s landmark reform package and, the mayor hopes, marking the beginning of the end of a 16-year … Continue reading →

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Another contemplation of turnout

Posted on October 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s see where this one takes us. Last time, I made some guesses about turnout in the HISD races based on overall turnout in the city of Houston. Now I’m going to turn that around and take a shot at … Continue reading →

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Petitions have been submitted for Heights alcohol vote 2.0

Posted on July 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

That was quick. Voters in the Heights will likely have the opportunity to further loosen alcohol restrictions in the neighborhood this November now that activists have secured more than the 1,500 signatures required to get a measure on the ballot. … Continue reading →

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More on Heights alcohol vote 2.0

Posted on June 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the Heights Examiner (now a section of the Wednesday Chron), the reasons why restauranteurs want in on the action. But the possible reversal of the century-old prohibition on restaurants would mean more than just no longer having to sign … Continue reading →

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We could have another Heights alcohol vote

Posted on June 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Sure, why not? Heights voters last fall lifted a 105-year-old ban on the sale of beer and wine at grocery stores, but customers still must join a private club if they want to drink alcohol at area restaurants or bars. … Continue reading →

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HEB confirms interest in Heights location

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

As rumored. Residents have seen and heard speculation and rumors for months, wondering what the fate would be regarding H-E-B’s potential Heights move. Well wait no more. After the rumor mill ran wild following the No-Dry Vote petition spearheaded by … Continue reading →

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Heights alcohol rule change petitions verified

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The item will be on the ballot, pending Council approval. City Secretary Anna Russell confirmed that the Houston Heights Beverage Coalition gathered 1,759 valid signatures for its petition submitted last month, 248 more than required by law. The Houston City … Continue reading →

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An update on the effort to make the Heights less dry

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

In which we learn there is indeed some opposition to this effort. A petition favored by grocery giant H-E-B to partially lift a 104-year-old ban on beer and wine sales in a dry part of the Heights could be headed … Continue reading →

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A brief summary of the effort to make the Heights less dry

Posted on June 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Heights Life provides a fact sheet: The petition is backed by HEB, who hired a law firm to handle the drive. Some of the canvassers, who are paid and may or may not be your neighbors or Heights residents, … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For making the Heights less dry

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron is rooting for that petition effort to change the alcohol rules in the historic Heights. Today, sitting down in some of the restaurants in the Heights is like slipping through a wormhole into a bygone era when respectable … Continue reading →

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More on the effort to make the Heights less dry

Posted on May 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the Chron: With the intention of building a new store in the Heights, H-E-B said Wednesday that it has been working with a political consulting firm in Austin to help change a law precluding beer and wine sales in … Continue reading →

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Making the Heights a little less dry

Posted on May 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From Swamplot: A GROUP CALLED the Houston Heights Beverage Coalition PAC is hoping to bring about a vote on allowing beer and wine sales in the technically dry section of the Houston Heights. The group published a notice on May 5th announcing an application to the city to … Continue reading →

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Initial day-after-election thoughts

Posted on November 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

– We now have two cycles’ worth of data to suggest that having more good candidates in a Council race does not necessarily lead to better outcomes. Following in the footsteps of At Large #3 in 2013, a handful of … Continue reading →

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Making Pearland wet

Posted on June 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It always amazes me that there are still cities that don’t allow alcohol sales in this day and age. Absher is one of about 1,000 Pearland residents who have signed a petition to remove all restrictions on the city’s alcohol … Continue reading →

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Costco joins in on liquor sales

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not just Wal-Mart any more. Wholesale giant Costco has joined Wal-Mart and other retailers in the fight to let public corporations sell liquor in Texas. Texans for Consumer Freedom, a group formed last month to lobby Texas lawmakers to loosen … Continue reading →

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Beer vending machines

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Sure, why not? Patrons of bars and businesses with proper alcohol licenses would be able to grab a cocktail or beer from an automatic dispensing machine — much like a soft drink — if the legislature passes legislation offered by … Continue reading →

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Why only Wal-Mart?

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Wal-Mart stands to benefit from legislation that would change how retail liquor licenses are granted, but some potential competitors would not. While two state lawmakers recently filed legislation that would allow retail giant Wal-Mart and other public corporations to sell … Continue reading →

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Wal-Mart booze update

Posted on February 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Lege gets involved. One week after Wal-Mart sued the state for the right to sell hard liquor, two Texas lawmakers and a new coalition of businesses are taking the same fight to the Capitol. Wal-Mart, Kroger and the Texas … Continue reading →

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Wal-Mart sues Texas

Posted on February 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s about booze. Wal-Mart filed a lawsuit in an Austin federal court on Thursday challenging a Texas law that forbids the company from owning and operating liquor stores in the state. The lawsuit says the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission code … Continue reading →

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A chance to help the sobering center

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a good cause. When the Houston Recovery Center turns to the public in coming months for the first time and asks for help, the request will likely seem small and perhaps odd: The city-backed sobering unit wants to raise … Continue reading →

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First impressions of the 2014 results

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

My initial thoughts, for what they are worth. – Let me begin by saying that for all the criticism I had of the UT/Texas Trib’s polling and the skepticism of Internet-sample methodology, they were fairly accurate in the end. In … Continue reading →

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The battle over booze sales comes to Tomball

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I always enjoy a good story about when a county or town votes on whether or not to repeal Prohibition-era restrictions on local alcohol sales. Eight decades ago, the oil started flowing in Tomball and the whiskey soon followed. The … Continue reading →

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On pot and prosecutions

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure you’ve heard about President Obama’s remarks that marijuana isn’t really more harmful than alcohol. There’s plenty of evidence to back that assertion, but Harris County DA Devon Anderson strongly disagreed with him anyway. President Barack Obama’s recently published … Continue reading →

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Council OKs ordinance to help bring grocery stores to food deserts

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Supermarkets now can sell beer and wine next to schools and churches, an exemption to city regulations Houston City Council granted unanimously Wednesday, hoping to encourage grocers to locate in neighborhoods that lack access to fresh, healthy food. These … Continue reading →

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The dry Heights

Posted on December 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

What’s a guy got to do to get a drink around here? Eighty years after the repeal of Prohibition – the anniversary of which came and went with hardly a toast last week – there is a sliver of Houston … Continue reading →

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Drinking al fresco

Posted on December 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the Things You Might Not Have Realized department. “It is a commonly-held belief that it’s illegal to walk down the street drinking a beer in Texas. However, that is not always the case.” Those words, which we recently happened … Continue reading →

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Food deserts and booze bans

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s complicated. A city ordinance intended to keep alcohol sales at a distance from schools and churches could be relaxed for grocery stores in an effort to alleviate some of the so-called “food deserts” that plague poorer neighborhoods across Houston. … Continue reading →

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Second attempt at Sunday liquor sales

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

If at first you don’t succeed. Democratic Rep. Senfronia Thompson filed a bill last week that proposed liquor stores be allowed to operate seven days a week. Under the current law, liquor stores may operate from Monday through Saturday from … Continue reading →

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One can ban backer will face recall

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The can ban battle in New Braunfels is not over yet. New Braunfels city councilman Bryan Miranda, who supported a hotly debated container ban on the Comal and Guadalupe rivers, will face a recall election in May after voters signed … Continue reading →

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