America’s Christmas Tree
The new Enron folks bought another full-page ad in today’s Chron.
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State Rep. Gene Wu will now Chair the Texas House of Representatives Democratic Caucus. Congrats to Rep. Wu.
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The Hegseth fella who wants to lead the Pentagon is blaming the media for his problems. That is the standard MAGA take these days. Never take responsibility. That is the dominant political culture.
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Commentary watched the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting last night on NBC. It started snowing during the musical performances which gave it a nice look. The tree is in the featured photo. It is always the best-looking Christmas tree in America. It is America’s Christmas Tree.
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It isn’t what it used to be. Commentary is talking about National Signing Day where high school football players officially sign with their college football team. It was yesterday and the Chron has a few stories today on how teams fared. I say used to be because after the next season or so, they can go to the transfer portal and sign with a different college team.
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The following is a good move at H-Town City Hall. From the Chron:
The future of a planned lighting project for Montrose’s six bridges over U.S. 59 is starting to dim after Mayor John Whitmire’s administration pulled the plug on the city’s portion of the funds to make it happen.
The project was initially completed before the 2017 Super Bowl as the city prepared to host the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons at NRG Stadium. The lights, though, have long been unreliable and even went offline after the Montrose Management District, which was tasked with installing them, didn’t pay the electric bill in 2018.
Houston First gained control of the project in 2019 after the management district shuttered. Officials with the convention arm said they would repair or replace the lights with $2.6 million from the city and cover the rest of the $4 million cost out of their own pockets after the plan was greenlit by Houston City Council more than a year ago.
The $2.6 million the city gave to Houston First for the project, though, will be given back to the city, Finance Director Melissa Dubowski told council members Tuesday at a Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee meeting. A spokesperson for Houston First said the cash has yet to be transferred.
Mary Benton, Whitmire’s spokesperson, wrote in an email Tuesday that the city does not have money for decorative lights for the bridges. The city’s $2.6 million intended for the project will go toward the mayor’s newly announced initiative to address homelessness instead, Benton wrote.
Here is the entire read: Houston mayor pulls funds for Montrose bridge streetlights.
Why install the lights in the first place if you can’t maintain them. Nice move, Mayor.
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I love the way this Christmas tune starts:
My winter nights are taken up by static
Stress and holiday shopping traffic
But I close my eyes and I’m somewhere else
Just like, magic
And more lyrics:
Under the mistletoe
Watching the fire glow
And telling me, “I love you”
Just being in your arms
Takes me back to that little farm
Where every wish comes true
Oh baby, yeah
And when I’m feeling alone
You remind me of home
Baby, baby, Merry Christmas
And when the world isn’t fair
I pretend that we’re there
Baby, baby, Merry Christmas… to you
Under the mistletoe (To you)
Watching the fire glow
And telling me, “I love you”
The lyrics are from Taylor Swift’s “Christmas Tree Farm” tune. It is a good Christmas tune.
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Nothing to report on the Alex Bregman thing.
