Monthly Archives: March 2021

Republicans take aim at bail reform

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of bad ideas in here. Members of the Texas Senate Committee on Jurisprudence held their first hearing this week over Senate Bill 21, a controversial bail reform bill backed by Republicans. The purpose of the bill according to its … Continue reading →

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The vaccination rate keeps inching up

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Making progress. A quarter of Texas residents 16 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Wednesday afternoon, state data shows. A Chronicle analysis found that the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for March 21

Posted on March 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

“THREAD: Lots of us learned classical music from watching old cartoons, so I’m going to identify the pieces that frequently popped up.” “Huey Lewis-Inspired Anthology Series in the Works at Fox”. I’m sorry, but if the title doesn’t contain a … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 8 Comments

The next frontiers in anti-abortion law

Posted on March 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Why not attack the legal system while you’re at it? Texas lawmakers — pushing to drastically restrict abortion access — have included language in a priority bill meant to make it harder to block the law from taking effect and … Continue reading →

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HISD Board wins again in court

Posted on March 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They’re still a thing, and Mike Morath can’t do anything about it right now. The Houston ISD school board earned another win Friday in its effort to stave off Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath’s plan to replace it with an … Continue reading →

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

Do better, NCAA

Posted on March 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

C’mon. This is ridiculous. The teams had barely landed in Texas when complaints of inequity between the women’s and men’s tournaments roared over social media posts noting the women’s weight training facilities in San Antonio were severely lacking compared to … Continue reading →

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We have a poll that says people oppose more voting restrictions

Posted on March 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A good sign, just remember our mantra about polls. As state Republicans push to restrict voting, a new poll shows a majority of Texans want more time to vote early and do not approve of threatening voters or those who … Continue reading →

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SCoTX punts on ERCOT lawsuit question

Posted on March 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Wimpy. The Texas Supreme Court punted Friday on a question dogging millions of Texans affected by last month’s catastrophic power failure: Can ERCOT, the state’s grid manager, be sued? The state’s highest court ruled 5-4 that it won’t decide — … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The accusations against Deshaun Watson keep piling up

Posted on March 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Damn. Four more women have accused Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault. The new lawsuits, all filed Thursday and made publicly available Friday morning, mean seven women total have alleged Watson assaulted or harassed them. All of them are … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Houston’s scooter problem

Posted on March 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Wait, when did we get scooters? A plan in Houston to prohibit vendors from renting motorized scooters on city sidewalks has suppliers of the two-wheel contraptions revved up, and city officials holding the line to have scooters clear the way. … Continue reading →

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Our rinky-dink critical infrastructure

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good Lord. On Valentine’s Day, the major utility that supplies electricity to West Texas readied for a severe winter storm. Hired contractors prepared to fix power lines, managers started up the storm emergency center, and operators reviewed the list of … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Do not give Ken Paxton any more power

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Seriously, WTF? A new bill would give Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton greater prosecutorial authority over abuse-of-office charges — the very crime for which the FBI is reportedly investigating the state’s top attorney. The bill, proposed by state Sen. Paul … Continue reading →

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Mayor Turner selects the new HPD Chief

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations, Chief Finner. Houston’s next police chief will be Troy Finner, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Thursday afternoon. Finner is one of outgoing Chief Art Acevedo’s two top assistant chiefs. Turner’s decision comes just days after Acevedo abruptly announced that he … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Griddy files for bankruptcy

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Live by market disruption… Griddy Energy, a California-based retail power company, filed for bankruptcy on Monday citing financial woes brought on by the power crisis in February. Griddy’s business model exposes consumers to the wholesale market, which in normal times … Continue reading →

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The state of the Public Utility Commission

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

News item #1: While many Texans last week were worried about sky-high electric bills from February’s winter storms, the state’s sole utility commissioner was privately reassuring out-of-state investors who profited from the crisis that he was working to keep their … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Paxton responds to Twitter lawsuit

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He said something about it, anyway. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Wednesday that a lawsuit by Twitter won’t deter his office from investigating the content moderation practices of the social media giant and four other major technology companies. Twitter … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Lawsuit filed against Deshaun Watson

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is super ugly. A licensed massage therapist has accused Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault. Prominent lawyer Tony Buzbee, a former Houston mayoral candidate, filed the lawsuit late Tuesday. He first shared brief information in a post on … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of March 15

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance gave up bewaring the Ides of March for Lent as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Winter storm death count at 57

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is likely to rise as we get better data. At least 57 people died in Texas as a result of last month’s winter storm, according to preliminary data the state health department released Monday. The largest number of deaths … Continue reading →

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Republicans roll out their big voter suppression bill

Posted on March 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They can’t do anything about blackouts or floods or COVID vaccinations, but they sure can do this. Joining a nationwide movement by Republicans to enact new restrictions on voting, Gov. Greg Abbott indicated Monday he will back legislation to outlaw … Continue reading →

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Flood funding shortfall

Posted on March 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Still trying to understand this. Harris County on Tuesday revealed a $1.4 billion shortfall in funding for flood control projects under the bond program voters approved in 2018, a massive miscalculation that threatens to cause construction delays and cost taxpayers … Continue reading →

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Who might succeed Acevedo?

Posted on March 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Names are floating about. With Police Chief Art Acevedo announcing his departure from Houston, law enforcement insiders say they believe Mayor Sylvester Turner is likely to select one of Acevedo’s two top assistants — Executive Assistant Chiefs Troy Finner and … Continue reading →

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

Abbott vs Patrick on power outage blame game

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. The blame game over the state’s faulty electrical grid is creating a rare public rift between the two top Republicans in state government that could have a major financial impact on some utility companies and … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

HPD Chief Art Acevedo leaving

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Headed to Miami. Police Chief Art Acevedo is leaving Houston to take over the Miami Police Department, the chief told his officers in an email obtained by the Chronicle. Acevedo informed HPD troops in an email dated Monday, March 15, … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

RIP, River Oaks Theater

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It was nice while it lasted, but we don’t get to enjoy things like that for very long in Houston. After an 82-year run, Houston’s historic River Oaks Theatre is preparing to close. The lease between Los Angeles-based Landmark Theatres, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Paxton whistleblower lawsuit can proceed

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

First step in a long road. The 3rd Court of Appeals on Friday denied a petition from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office to stop a trial court hearing in a suit filed by whistleblowers who claim they were wrongfully … Continue reading →

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

The Republican attack on Harris County voting

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s straight up retaliation for Harris County getting positive national attention for going out of its way to make it easier to vote in 2020. Harris County made a big push to expand mail-in and early voting during the 2020 … Continue reading →

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The freeze was hard on the trees

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Palm trees in particular. Galveston’s majestic palm trees could be another casualty of Texas’s four-day freeze last month. The cold snap that left millions of Texans without power and caused burst pipes across the state has also had a pronounced … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Weekend link dump for March 14

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

“You’re wrong as the deuce And you shouldn’t rejoice If you’re calling him Seuss. He pronounces it Soice.” “What to expect when you’re inoculating (i.e. what you can—and can’t—do after being vaccinated)”. “In the areas where Amazon operates, though, low-wage … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 3 Comments

Matthew McConaughey redux

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Again? sigh All right… Two weeks ago, in these very same digital pages, I claimed that Matthew McConaughey had shown more leadership during Texas’s devastating winter storms than Senator Ted Cruz, simply by clearing the low bar of not scuttling off to … Continue reading →

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Austin mask mandate enforcement still in place for now

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

No ruling, just a delay for a fuller hearing. Austin and Travis County officials can continue enforcing their mask mandates after a district judge delayed action on the Texas attorney general’s request to immediately stop the mandates. That means city … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Take me out to the ballgame?

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready for this. The Texas Rangers plan to open Globe Life Field to a full-capacity crowd of 40,518 for their final two exhibition games and their regular-season home opener on April 5. … Continue reading →

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What the American Rescue Plan means to Houston

Posted on March 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

First and foremost, no layoffs. Houston and Harris County are expected to receive more than $1.5 billion through the stimulus bill approved by Congress Wednesday, providing a massive cash injection that city officials say will help close a budget shortfall … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Harris County sues TxDOT over I-45

Posted on March 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Plans to rebuild Interstate 45 in Houston, which state officials say need to move forward as they work through concerns expressed by critics, took what could be a lengthy detour into federal court Thursday. In … Continue reading →

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