Tag Archives: Texas Public Information Act

Do I really need to worry about West 11th Street?

Posted on March 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I dunno, man. Houston Mayor John Whitmire is reevaluating several street infrastructure projects for effectiveness, including the completed 11th Street redesign despite the controversy surrounding the recent removal of pedestrian and cyclist upgrades on Houston Avenue. Whitmire, who took office … Continue reading →

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DPS ordered again to release Uvalde public records

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good, though I’m a bit confused about the timing. A Travis County state district judge has ordered the Department of Public safety to release law enforcement records related to the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, more than a year after … Continue reading →

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Ken Paxton’s sleaze goes beyond his (alleged) crimes and misdemeanors

Posted on September 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder, in case you needed it. When Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton held a news conference in May decrying state lawmakers’ anticipated vote to impeach him, he framed the decision as not only a threat to his political … Continue reading →

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Judge orders DPS to release Uvalde public records

Posted on July 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Very good. A state district judge on Thursday ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to begin the process of releasing public records related to law enforcement’s response to the Uvalde school shooting, granting a request by The Texas … Continue reading →

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Uvalde families ask to be added to the public information lawsuit against DPS

Posted on March 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

A direct response to the Uvalde County DA and her questionable claims. Some Uvalde families of victims who were killed or injured during the massacre at Robb Elementary School last year have asked a judge to add them as plaintiffs … Continue reading →

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Uvalde DA joins DPS in resisting release of shooting info

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’re still waiting. Uvalde’s district attorney has joined the Texas Department of Public Safety in fighting the release of public records related to last year’s mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, arguing that all of the families who lost children … Continue reading →

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Tell me you have no evidence of voter suppression without telling me you have no evidence of voter suppression

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Hilarious. Houston furniture magnate Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale has launched a website in hopes of gathering evidence of voter disenfranchisement in Harris County’s November 2022 election. The initiative follows the Gallery Furniture owner’s lawsuit filed last week accusing the Harris County Elections Administrator’s Office of refusing … Continue reading →

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

The furniture guy files a lawsuit

Posted on February 15, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Spare me. Houston furniture magnate Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale has filed a lawsuit against the Harris County Elections Administrator’s office accusing it of refusing to turn over public records related to the November 2022 election, adding to an array of GOP litigation aimed … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Will we finally close the “dead suspect” loophole?

Posted on December 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The short answer is no we won’t, but it will be worth the effort anyway. In November, state Representative Joe Moody, an El Paso Democrat who served on a committee that investigated the Uvalde killings, filed House Bill 30, a … Continue reading →

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Another lawsuit over Uvalde public information

Posted on September 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This all really is ridiculous. The Texas Tribune, along with a group of other news organizations, filed a lawsuit Monday against the city of Uvalde, the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office and the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District asking a judge … Continue reading →

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News orgs sue DPS over Uvalde info

Posted on August 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Same annoying story, part whatever. Getting public records about this tragedy shouldn’t be this hard to do. More than a dozen news organizations filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Public Safety on Monday, accusing the agency of unlawfully … Continue reading →

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Border and immigration news roundup

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Same deal, too much news, yadda yadda yadda… As Abbott orders state police to return migrants to border, critics on the right say it’s not enough. Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday authorized state law enforcement to return migrants suspected of … Continue reading →

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Paxton escapes open records lawsuit

Posted on July 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sheesh. The Travis County district attorney’s office will not proceed with a lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for refusing to release his communications around the time of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Despite determining that the attorney general … Continue reading →

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Congressional Dems ask Paxton to release Uvalde info

Posted on June 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He won’t, because he sucks, but you gotta ask. Nine Democratic members of the U.S. House from Texas on Tuesday called on Attorney General Ken Paxton to order the release of government records related to the May 24 school shooting … Continue reading →

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There’s a lot of resistance to releasing information about Uvalde

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. The City of Uvalde and its police department are working with a private law firm to prevent the release of nearly any record related to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in which 19 children and two teachers … Continue reading →

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C’mon, we should get to see the city’s after-action report on the freeze

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is silly. Houston will not release its retrospective report on the 2021 winter freeze, citing a post-9/11 law shielding information that could be exposed by terrorists or criminals. The city drafted a report, called “After-Action Report/Improvement Plans for the 2021 Winter … Continue reading →

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

Paxton thumbs his nose at open records demand

Posted on January 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Water is wet. The sun rises in the east. Ken Paxton DGAF about government, ethics, accountability or any of that other namby-pamby stuff. Attorney General Ken Paxton said the Travis County district attorney’s determination that Paxton violated open records laws … Continue reading →

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Paxton accused of violating open records law

Posted on January 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Put it on his tab. The Travis County district attorney has determined that Attorney General Ken Paxton violated the state’s open records law by not turning over his communications from last January, when he appeared at the pro-Trump rally that … Continue reading →

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Paxton still holding on to bogus voter purge data

Posted on June 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s all about secrecy. He doesn’t want you to know what he’s up to. More than a month after a legal settlement was reached to scrap the review, Paxton’s office has indicated it is keeping open the criminal investigation file … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues San Antonio over Chick-fil-A records

Posted on June 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We really do live in strange times. It’s a red-meat issue, but it feeds on chicken. San Antonio’s decision to exclude Chick-fil-A from its airport continues to resound in political circles. Legislators passed a religious freedom bill that gained steam … Continue reading →

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Darian Ward indicted on charge of violating public information laws

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Mayor Sylvester Turner’s former press secretary, Darian Ward, was indicted by a grand jury this week for failing to turn over public records in response to a reporter’s request late last year. The indictment, handed up Tuesday but released … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

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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More troubles for CM Jones

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There have not been many dull moments this year for CM Jolanda Jones. That seems unlikely to change in the near future. [O]n Wednesday, revelations surfaced that one of her staffers photographed a citizen picking up public records from her … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

City to release documents related to red light camera study

Posted on October 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

They’re being ordered to do so by a judge, but it doesn’t look like they’re particularly bothered by it. Paul Kubosh and Randall Kallinen filed a lawsuit challenging the city’s refusal to release 208 documents they requested under the Texas … Continue reading →

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