Author Archives: Charles Kuffner

More felony charges against Hotze

Posted on September 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Throw the damn book at him. Conservative activist Steven Hotze ha s been charged with two more felonies in connection to a bizarre 2020 confrontation that left an air conditioning repairman facing the barrel of a gun held by a … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The less-than-expected hurricane season (so far)

Posted on September 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Sure hope this doesn’t jinx anything. Although the historical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is around Sept. 10, based on data since the 1850s, storm experts are giving the next two weeks of tropical development a 60% chance of … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

And then there were three Speaker challengers

Posted on September 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I know nothing about this guy. Mansfield Republican David Cook said Tuesday he intends to run for Texas House Speaker, becoming the third person to challenge the chamber’s current leader, Beaumont Republican Dade Phelan. Cook, who has served two terms … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Endorsement watch: Mayor Turner for CD18

Posted on September 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron is getting an early start on endorsements this year. Dabbing at his eyes, former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner recalled the final conversation he had with the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee in an interview with KHOU11’s Len Cannon. … Continue reading →

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Dispatches from Dallas, September 6 edition

Posted on September 6, 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, a DFW representative jumps into the House Speaker’s race; Tarrant County keeps making it less easy for … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues Bexar County over voter registration drive

Posted on September 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As promised/threatened. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday followed through on his threat to sue Bexar County over a new program that will mail out voter registration forms to unregistered voters. Bexar County commissioners approved the proposal on Tuesday … Continue reading →

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

Texas SCOPE Act partially blocked

Posted on September 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

One of the many Internet/social media-related laws passed in the last legislative session(s) has been partially put on hold by a federal judge. A handful of new laws went into effect Sunday, including the Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment … Continue reading →

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Amanda Zurawski on the trail

Posted on September 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m very glad that she’s doing this, and even more upset that she is in the position where she has to. Amanda Zurawski didn’t want to go into politics. She wanted a baby girl. Her name would have been Willow. … Continue reading →

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Now trans Texans can’t get their birth certificates updated

Posted on September 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is getting uglier. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) made an unannounced policy change Friday, modifying its requirements for Texans seeking to change the sex marker on their birth certificates. The DSHS website previously said the agency … Continue reading →

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

Paxton versus the State Fair

Posted on September 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

First there was this. The state and its third biggest city are set to square off in court over a ban on guns at Texas’ most celebrated tribute to itself — the State Fair. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced … Continue reading →

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Paxton versus Bexar County

Posted on September 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sorry to make Ken Paxton the main character today, but he kind of is. Bexar County is moving forward with plans to hire an outside company to find and register potential voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election — … Continue reading →

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

Judge Hidalgo advocates for the Flood Control tax hike

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve got my eye on this. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo in her State of the County address on Thursday made her first public push for a proposed tax hike that would create more funds for infrastructure maintenance. Hidalgo said … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Can we get some help with these water repairs?

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t hurt to ask. Houston officials are seeking assistance from state lawmakers to help pay for some of the $4.93 billion in water utility improvements needed to prevent people from suffering widespread boil water notices and mass water loss, should … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of September 2

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes everyone had a good Labor Day as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Water, water, everywhere

Posted on September 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

All due to leaks. Texas’ most populous cities lost roughly 88 billion gallons of water last year because of aging water infrastructure and extreme heat, costing them millions of dollars and straining the state’s water supply, according to self-reported water … Continue reading →

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

Weekend link dump for September 1

Posted on September 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

“The Must-Carry Solution for the Media’s Google Problem”. “The funniest component of the Trump campaign’s media strategy so far is its commitment to dipshit outreach.” You do have to wonder what Cheryl Hines is thinking these days. “Maybe that’s because … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 3 Comments

Senate Dem Caucus requests feds to investigate voter suppression matters

Posted on September 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

There’s plenty of material to work with. A group of Democratic state lawmakers on Friday asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate potential violations of federal law and civil and voting rights related to Texas state leaders’ recent voter roll … Continue reading →

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

Shawn Thierry confirms our suspicions

Posted on September 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t let the door hit you, etc etc etc. State Rep. Shawn Thierry, a Houston Democrat who was defeated in her primary earlier this year, announced Friday she is switching to the Republican Party. Thierry was ousted by primary challenger … Continue reading →

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Can we un-stack the Lottery odds?

Posted on September 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. Not sure this goes far enough. After assisting investors who stacked the odds to guarantee winning a $95 million Lotto Texas jackpot last year, Texas Lottery Commission officials said they have changed their procedures to prevent another such occurrence … Continue reading →

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Another Paxton bullying attempt gets knocked down

Posted on August 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Oh for four. I like that. A Travis County judge on Thursday denied an effort from Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office to question the leader of a Brownsville organization that provides migrants with humanitarian aid, delivering the state’s top civil … Continue reading →

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

Trib overview of HD112

Posted on August 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

A top pickup opportunity for Dems, which could slam the brakes on vouchers for at least this session. Also an interesting race in its own right. Rep. Angie Chen Button, 70, is living the American Dream. After immigrating from Taiwan … Continue reading →

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Dispatches from Dallas, August 31 edition

Posted on August 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week, in recent news from Dallas-Fort Worth, we have election news, including the state of the Dallas charter amendments; voter registration news, including … Continue reading →

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The current state of voter purging

Posted on August 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll start here, and there’s a lot to unpack. Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday announced that the state has removed over 1 million names from the Texas voter rolls, mainly people who moved out of state or died but including … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Lawsuit filed over Texas anti-ESG law

Posted on August 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. A coalition of progressive business organizations is suing Texas over a 2021 law that blocks the state from investing in and contracting with companies that boycott the fossil fuel industry. The suit, filed in federal court in Austin … Continue reading →

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Metro to kill Inner Katy line

Posted on August 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is such bullshit. The Metropolitan Transit Authority will further reduce its previously planned bus rapid transit efforts while boosting police presence on its routes and increasing its investment in so-called microtransit under its proposed fiscal 2025 budget. The draft … Continue reading →

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Different HISD bond referendum poll, different result

Posted on August 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Not a big surprise, but that doesn’t mean one is right and the other is wrong. Just days apart, two polls related to Houston ISD’s proposed $4.4 billion school bond forecast clashing results, with a new survey released Tuesday suggesting … Continue reading →

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

Katy ISD keeps doing Katy ISD things to library books

Posted on August 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose it’s useful to be reminded, as we slog our way through another Year Of Mike Miles, that the suburban school districts around us have their own unique set of dysfunctions. The Katy ISD board of trustees passed a … Continue reading →

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New COVID vaccine available

Posted on August 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

In case you missed it. The Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday it has greenlighted updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna for the 2024 fall season. The decision clears the way for distribution to begin for the latest version … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas blog roundup for the week of August 26

Posted on August 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is not going back as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Election monitors coming

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

::rolls eyes:: The Secretary of State’s Office will again assign state inspectors to observe the handling and counting of ballots and monitor election records in Harris County, the state agency said while releasing a new audit outlining problems with the … Continue reading →

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FBISD’s restrictive new library book policy

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As dumb and misguided as this is, the good news is that there’s a straightforward solution to it. The Fort Bend ISD board voted to approve a library book policy on Monday that critics have called the “most restrictive in … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Watch out for Waymo

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve talked a lot about Cruise’s so far ill-fated attempt to do robotaxi service, mostly because it was briefly available in Houston (and may be again soon), but the most successful purveyor of such services out there has been Waymo. … Continue reading →

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More on Paxton’s “election fraud” raids

Posted on August 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It’s just wild stuff. A Democratic candidate for the Texas House on Monday dismissed as “nonsense” a state investigation into a vote harvesting scheme that led authorities to confiscate her phone and search the homes of a legislative aide and … Continue reading →

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

What’s in a (community college) name?

Posted on August 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

So what should we call you, HCC? Houston Community College may consider changing its name as the institution expands its offerings to include bachelor’s degree programs, administrators said at a Wednesday board meeting. The possibility is already a hotly debated … Continue reading →

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