Tag Archives: San Antonio

SAISD vaccine mandate update

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Still in place for now, but clearly on shaky ground. San Antonio Independent School District can continue requiring its staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19, despite a judge ruling against the district Thursday in a case filed by the Texas … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues again over SAISD’s vaccine mandate

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, vaccine mandate. For teachers and staff. For the second time in a month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued San Antonio Independent School District and Superintendent Pedro Martinez for requiring all staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Martinez issued … Continue reading →

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Bexar mask mandate put on hold again

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

SCOTx has entered the chat, again. The Texas Supreme Court has temporarily blocked San Antonio and Bexar County’s mask mandate, marking the latest update in a flurry of court battles over mask requirements statewide. The decision comes after an appellate … Continue reading →

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Back to SCOTx for the mask mandate ban

Posted on August 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Brace yourselves. Following an unfavorable outcome at an appellate court, Gov. Greg Abbott asked the Texas Supreme Court to block the mask mandate in San Antonio and Bexar County. A Bexar County district judge issued a temporary order on Aug. 16 allowing … Continue reading →

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The approval and the mandates

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, the FDA has given its final approval to the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19. That should mean a lot of good things, but among them it should mean broader vaccine mandates are now in … Continue reading →

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The status of the mask mandate lawsuits

Posted on August 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron does a roundup. Texas courtrooms have become a busy place this August, with Attorney General Ken Paxton battling school districts, cities, counties and nonprofits to defend Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on local mask mandates aimed at preventing the … Continue reading →

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SCOTx demurs

Posted on August 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting: . Important context here > — Jasper Scherer (@jaspscherer) 6:55 PM – 19 August 2021 . The Texas Supreme Court has left in place a Travis County judge’s TRO (that blocked @GovAbbott’s ban on mask mandates in Austin), … Continue reading →

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Bexar County mask mandate back on

Posted on August 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

And in an update to the original mask mandate lawsuit story, the district court that issues the temporary restraining order that was later stayed by the Supreme Court has now issued a temporary injunction, barring the state from forbidding San … Continue reading →

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More lawsuits against Abbott’s ban on mask mandates

Posted on August 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From Dallas County: Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins filed a legal challenge to Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on local mask mandates Monday, the North Texas official said on Twitter. Jenkins said he’s asking for a court to rule that Abbott’s prohibition on … Continue reading →

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The Austin Bills?

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. Maybe they’re negotiating. But in any negotiation, the negotiators need to be willing to act in order to have any credibility. As to the negotiation between the Bills and Buffalo that has begun with the Bills wanting … Continue reading →

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“Universal masking” for school children recommended

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like a sensible idea, especially given that children under the age of 12 can’t get the vaccine yet. The American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday recommended that all children over the age of 2 wear masks when returning to … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Will MLB come to Central Texas?

Posted on June 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Drayton McLane thinks it might. Drayton McLane, who knows a thing or two about the subject, believes Central Texas is closing in on being able to support its own Major League Baseball team. That pronouncement might lead you to wonder … Continue reading →

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The non-high speed rail option

Posted on June 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here comes Amtrak. Amtrak is all aboard the Texas Triangle, but there is a long way to go before more trains roll into Houston, headed for San Antonio and Dallas. The national rail system’s new plan for expanding service, released … Continue reading →

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Here come the young people

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m just sitting here waiting for the Census data. Garima Vyas always wanted to live in a big city. She thought about New York, long the destination for 20-something strivers, but was wary of the cost and complicated subway lines. … Continue reading →

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Other May election results

Posted on May 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Roundup style, mostly. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg easily wins a fourth term. Mayor Ron Nirenberg vanquished the ghost of repeat challenger Greg Brockhouse in Saturday’s City election and secured his third term in office with a win of historic … Continue reading →

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NCAA warns Texas about anti-transgender bills

Posted on April 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not just the voter suppression bills that will do great harm to the state of Texas and its people if the Republicans ram them through. Amid all the talk of boycotts and corporate criticism of election bills going through … Continue reading →

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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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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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Bills to allow casinos filed

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t bet on them, that’s my advice. Two Texas lawmakers on Tuesday filed legislation backed by the gaming empire Las Vegas Sands that would legalize casino gambling in Texas. The legislation was filed by Rep. John Kuempel, R-Seguin, in the … Continue reading →

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More maskless mandate stuff

Posted on March 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A bit of a roundup, because there’s so much out there. Three of Gov. Greg Abbott’s four coronavirus medical advisers say they weren’t directly consulted prior to lifting mask mandate In April 2020, an optimistic Gov. Greg Abbott announced at … Continue reading →

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On informing the public during an emergency

Posted on February 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Another thing the state didn’t do well. As millions of Texans fought to survive brutal winter weather without power and water, Gov. Greg Abbott told residents Wednesday to search for emergency warming shelters on Google and to call 311 for … Continue reading →

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We also have to worry about water

Posted on February 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hopefully not for too much longer. On Friday, as the ice melted and lights flickered back on in homes and businesses across the state, Texans were melting snow into their toilet tanks and mopping up water from busted pipes. The … Continue reading →

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Women’s NCAA tournament to be entirely held in San Antonio

Posted on February 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Similar to what the men are doing, in a warmer location. The full 2021 NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament will be held in San Antonio, the NCAA confirmed Friday, marking the biggest event in the city since the COVID-19 … Continue reading →

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Vax and the cities

Posted on January 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Makes sense. A group of mayors representing some of the United States’ most populous cities — including Austin, San Antonio and Houston — is asking President-elect Joe Biden to give them direct access to coronavirus vaccines. In a Wednesday letter, … Continue reading →

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What happens when there’s no room for the sick people?

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s already happening in some parts of Texas, mostly out west. Presidio and Brewster counties, home to Marfa and Big Bend, along with nearby Culberson County, lead the state in cases per 1,000 residents in the last two weeks, according … Continue reading →

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Even the White House thinks Texas sucks at COVID response

Posted on December 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I mean… The White House Coronavirus Task Force says Texas is in the swing of a “full resurgence” of COVID-19 and the state’s mitigation efforts “must intensify,” while Gov. Greg Abbott and other leaders decline to take some of the … Continue reading →

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More on police oversight boards

Posted on November 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Ours in Houston isn’t very good. Some other cities do it better. We can learn from them. Houston’s police oversight board is the weakest among Texas’ five largest cities and suffers from “a complete lack of transparency and public reporting,” … Continue reading →

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So what’s up with that National Guard story?

Posted on October 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Hell, I don’t know. Governors can deploy troops for numerous reasons, from natural disasters to border security. But observers found it rare to the point of extraordinary when the Texas National Guard revealed that Gov. Greg Abbott has directed troops … Continue reading →

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Dallas ends its scooter experiment

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Over in Dallas, never started in Houston. Tis better to have scootered and stopped than to have never scootered at all. That is the consensus of a handful of Houston proponents of rental scooters as they watched Dallas this week … Continue reading →

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We’re trending in the right direction, but…

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Still a ways to go. The number of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 in the Houston area have improved significantly since July, but the pandemic remains a serious threat here. The Houston region added 1,957 cases on Saturday, … Continue reading →

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We are finally making progress in getting COVID-19 under control

Posted on August 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good news is always welcome, but be aware of the context. Houston-area hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients dropped below 900 Sunday, the lowest amount since the summer surge peaked in mid-July. Some 893 people confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19 were … Continue reading →

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Schools get an in person opening reprieve

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It started with this. Texas will give school districts more flexibility to keep their school buildings closed to in-person instruction this fall as coronavirus cases continue to rise, Gov. Greg Abbott told a Houston television station Tuesday. Public health guidance … Continue reading →

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Whistling past the ICU

Posted on June 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Clap louder! Gov. Greg Abbott and top Texas health officials on Tuesday responded to growing alarm over hospitals now swelling with coronavirus patients, assuring there is still plenty of space available even as some facilities have neared or surpassed capacity. … Continue reading →

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Austin’s sick leave ordinance is officially dead

Posted on June 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Killed by the State Supreme Court, which should come as a surprise to no one. Austin still cannot enforce a mandatory paid sick leave ordinance its city council passed in February 2018 after the Texas Supreme Court on Friday declined to … Continue reading →

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