Author Archives: Charles Kuffner

If we’d listened to OB-GYNs in the first place we wouldn’t be having these problems now

Posted on November 10, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I very much appreciate what they’re saying, but let’s be honest, their words will have no effect. The newly reported deaths of two pregnant Texans sparked a renewed plea from Texas OB/GYNs, including dozens in the Houston-area, for lawmakers to … Continue reading →

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

The Women’s Pro Baseball League

Posted on November 10, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Very cool. A professional women’s baseball league aims to begin competition in the U.S. in 2026, according to a news release issued Tuesday. The Women’s Pro Baseball League will feature six teams, based in the northeastern United States, and will … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Women’s Pro Baseball League

TDP Chair Hinojosa resigns

Posted on November 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Obviously. Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa announced his resignation Friday on the heels of another election cycle in which his party suffered blowout losses atop the ticket and vastly underperformed expectations. In a statement acknowledging Democrats’ “devastating defeats up … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Whitmire’s Montrose Boulevard plan passes on second try

Posted on November 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Dammit. A controversial Montrose Boulevard redesign plan is set to move forward with key revisions introduced by the Whitmire administration after board members of the area’s Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone voted to accept the changes Friday morning. The Nov. 1 meeting … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mike Miles is disappointed in us

Posted on November 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

So sorry. Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles called voters’ rejection of the district’s proposed $4.4 billion school bond — the largest school bond in Texas history — “unfortunate and wrong” in a statement Tuesday. Miles conceded the bond election after … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Dispatches from Dallas, November 8 edition

Posted on November 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week, in news from Dallas-Fort Worth, election results, and only election results, because we’re all dealing with our grief right now. Next week … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff, Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Just a couple of thoughts because I’m not ready for more yet

Posted on November 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

There’s an older gentleman who rides his bike around the neighborhood. I see him pretty regularly when I’m out walking the dog. We always wave hello as we pass by. On Sunday he pulled his bike over to the curb … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of November 4

Posted on November 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is doing its best to make it through as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , | Comments Off on Texas blog roundup for the week of November 4

Well, that sucked

Posted on November 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It’s about 10:30 PM as I write this, and I don’t care to stay up any longer. The national situation looks dicey, but it’s not yet clear what will happen. I’ll put that off for now. It was bad here … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Today is Election Day

Posted on November 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox. Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth announced that more than 1,170,000 voters cast their ballots in person during the 12-day early voting period for the November 5, 2024 Special and General Election. Including the 57,000 received mail ballots, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Today is Election Day

A brief list of things I’ll be watching for today

Posted on November 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

In no particular order… 1. I don’t expect Democrats to win statewide in Texas. It would be great, it would do a world of good, but I’d be setting myself up for disappointment if I start there. What I want … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The billboards of Fayette County

Posted on November 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Members of the local Democratic party in rural, bright red Fayette County were thrilled this month when they learned their hours of phone banking and fundraising would finally pay off. The party’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

No observers allowed here

Posted on November 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Tribune: Texas tells U.S. Justice Department that federal election monitors aren’t allowed in polling places. Texas’ top elections official told the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday its election monitors aren’t permitted in the state’s polling places after the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Loving County defunds its police

Posted on November 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

How is it that a place with so few people can generate so much news? When activists demanded cuts to police budgets in the wake of George Floyd’s 2020 death at the hands of Minneapolis police, Texas lawmakers reacted swiftly, passing a … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Loving County defunds its police

On cryptomining and power plants

Posted on November 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I say again, there’s a political opportunity here, and it involves being on the right side of an issue. About 150 angry residents gathered in a conference center here on Monday for a public meeting hosted by the state environmental … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on On cryptomining and power plants

Weekend link dump for November 3

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Have you voted yet? I didn’t think we needed a “Brady Bunch” reunion series, and after reading this I’m glad we didn’t get it. Drinking coffee may or may not be good or bad for you. Hope that helps. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Final November 2024 early voting: Definitely short

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Early voting is done, and I have to say, we didn’t get to where I expected we would: 2024 2020 2016 2008 and 2012 The numbers after eight days of early voting are Mail = 57,059 In Person = 1,175,901 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Houston re-ups its membership in H-GAC

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It’s hard not to get really effing discouraged sometimes. Houston City Council voted 9-4 to renew its membership in the Houston-Galveston Area Council Wednesday after fiery discussions over whether the city’s continued involvement violated the city charter. Council Members Tarsha Jackson, Abbie Kamin, Edward … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

John Devine continues to be an ethical quagmire

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This guy, I swear. In January 2022, Elvie Kingston’s dementia took a turn for the worse. The 76-year-old millionaire and longtime conservative activist was declared by a doctor to be partially incapacitated, after which she signed legal documents that removed … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Nevaeh Crain

Posted on November 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

ProPublica said it had two stories of women who died after being unable to get an abortion during a miscarriage. This is the second one. Candace Fails screamed for someone in the Texas hospital to help her pregnant daughter. “Do … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Paxton takes his fight against the State Fair gun ban back to district court

Posted on November 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As threatened and expected. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton intends to continue challenging the State Fair of Texas’ gun ban, despite the fair ending last week, according to new court filings. Paxton filed a motion Monday to dismiss his appeal … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Paxton takes his fight against the State Fair gun ban back to district court

Compost those pumpkins

Posted on November 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

News you can use. The day after Halloween, the city of Houston will roll out its annual effort to keep pumpkins out of landfills where they would contribute to the production of harmful greenhouse gases. The city’s Solid Waste Management … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Compost those pumpkins

November 2024 early voting Day Eleven: One more day

Posted on November 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to believe, it seems like this election has been going on since the late 90s, but we have one day of early voting to go. Your early voting results through Thursday, Day Eleven: 2024 2020 2016 2008 and 2012 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Is this the year Tarrant County finally goes blue?

Posted on November 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. “Tarrant County is the 15th-largest county in the country, so it should get a lot of attention. And it’s the third-largest county in Texas, so it makes sense that there would be a lot of focus there,” said Mark … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Dispatches from Dallas, November 1 edition

Posted on November 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week, in news from Dallas-Fort Worth: more on the Roberson case; election updates and the HERO amendments; the latest on Crystal Mason; the … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Dispatches from Dallas, November 1 edition

November 2024 early voting Day Ten: Slower so far than I expected

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve got two days of EV remaining. Your early voting results through Wednesday, Day Ten: 2024 2020 2016 2008 and 2012 The numbers after eight days of early voting are Mail = 51,477 In Person = 961,273 Total = 1,012,750 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on November 2024 early voting Day Ten: Slower so far than I expected

Josseli Barnica

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Remember her name. Josseli Barnica grieved the news as she lay in a Houston hospital bed on Sept. 3, 2021: The sibling she’d dreamt of giving her daughter would not survive this pregnancy. The fetus was on the verge of … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Jolt Initiative gets a reprieve from Paxton harassment

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good news for now. A nonprofit focused on increasing Latinos’ civic participation can continue its work without fear of being shut down by the state after a federal judge granted a stay on Oct. 24 in a lawsuit the group … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Jolt Initiative gets a reprieve from Paxton harassment

Texas blog roundup for the week of October 28

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is here to ask you again if you have voted as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , | Comments Off on Texas blog roundup for the week of October 28

“Scandal of epic proportions” in the bankruptcy courts

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This story is bonkers. Usually confident to the point of coming across self-righteous, Houston Bankruptcy Judge David Jones’ voice quivered as he stated repeatedly, “I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know what is going to happen next. I … Continue reading →

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

Once more, with feeling: There was no fraud in the 2022 election

Posted on October 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron provides a coda to that accursed election and all of the bullshit that followed. When Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced in August that she had found no evidence of election rigging during the 2022 midterm elections, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Once more, with feeling: There was no fraud in the 2022 election

Teacher certification cheating ring busted

Posted on October 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Yikes. Three Houston ISD employees are among the five people charged in connection with a scheme to help hundreds of people cheat on state teacher certification tests, Harris County prosecutors said Monday. Prosecutors said longtime Booker T. Washington High School … Continue reading →

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

It’s crawl-out-from-under-a-rock season

Posted on October 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As predictable as the end of Daylight Saving Time around here. Three Houston-area Republicans have filed a lawsuit alleging that “tens of thousands” of people should be purged from the Harris County voter roll amid a national push to cast … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

November 2024 early voting Day Eight: Second Monday

Posted on October 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’re in the second and final week of early voting. There are now four days of EV remaining. Your early voting results through Monday, Day Eight: 2024 2020 2016 2008 and 2012 The numbers after eight days of early voting … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment