Author Archives: Charles Kuffner

Clemson sues ACC over exit fees

Posted on March 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Conference realignment is always in season. Clemson on Tuesday became the second ACC member to take legal action against the conference in hopes of potentially getting out of the league. The university filed a lawsuit in Pickens County, S.C., arguing … Continue reading →

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Texas Medical Board issues some guidance on abortion exceptions

Posted on March 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Sort of. The Texas Medical Board proposed a broad definition for what constitutes an emergency medical exception under the state’s otherwise strict abortion ban at its meeting Friday, disappointing some abortion rights advocates who were seeking a specific list of … Continue reading →

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Miles backtracks on firing principals

Posted on March 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good. In a major reversal, Houston ISD’s state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles said early Friday that the district’s principal proficiency screener ratings will not be used “in any adverse employment decisions” for campus administrators for the current academic year. As part … Continue reading →

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Paxton could be getting a plea deal

Posted on March 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know what to say. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is nearing a resolution to the 9-year-old securities fraud charges that have dogged his tenure as the state’s top attorney through a special agreement with prosecutors, the American-Statesman has … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Rep. Oliverson files for Speaker

Posted on March 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Something like this was inevitable. State Rep. Tom Oliverson on Thursday announced a surprise challenge to Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, condemning his fellow Republican’s “dysfunctional” leadership as he fights for political survival in a May runoff. Oliverson, an anesthesiologist … Continue reading →

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We return to the question of “how will we pay for the firefighter agreement” question

Posted on March 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna keep asking it until we get a full answer. Mayor John Whitmire’s administration is weighing all options, including hiking the city’s property tax rate and charging residents a garbage collection fee, to help pay for its landmark settlement with … Continue reading →

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

Dispatches from Dallas, March 22 edition

Posted on March 22, 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, some more election news, Johnson and Broadnax and various police and environmental stories along with the usual … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit has its SB4 hearing

Posted on March 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

More whiplashing. The chief judge on an appeals panel weighing whether to block Texas’ new migrant deportation law appeared skeptical that it does not run afoul of longstanding precedent leaving immigration enforcement solely to the federal government. Questioning the state’s … Continue reading →

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

Gillespie County hand count riddled with errors

Posted on March 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Oopsie. An hour after Gillespie County Republican Party Chairman Bruce Campbell declared the hand-counted primary election results completely accurate and certified them as final, he found another discrepancy. “It’s my mistake for not catching that,” he said, sitting in front … Continue reading →

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The Hardy Toll Road Connector is back

Posted on March 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This has been in the works for a long time. The plan for the Hardy-Downtown Connector began in earnest in 2003, but the project stalled for many years due to budget concerns. The basic plan is a four-lane highway that … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas blog roundup for the week of March 18

Posted on March 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance would like for just one of the cases against the Former Guy to get a firm court date and stick with it as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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And just like that, SCOTUS flipflops on SB4

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

UPDATE: It’s blocked again! A federal appeals court late Tuesday night stopped a state law allowing Texas police to arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the Texas-Mexico border — hours after the U.S. Supreme Court had allowed it to go … Continue reading →

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

We’ll see what City Council makes of the firefighter pay agreement

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a bit of pushback happening. Mayor John Whitmire’s administration and officials from the Houston firefighters union are hoping to get final approval in May or June on a massive settlement deal to end their nearly decade-long contract stalemate. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

More on Miles and the principals

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I never know what to make of what this guy says. Houston ISD’s appointed Superintendent Mike Miles defended the results of his controversial principal screenings on Monday after nearly half of the district’s principals were notified that they had not … Continue reading →

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

SCOTUS pauses SB4 again

Posted on March 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This time indefinitely. The Supreme Court on Monday extended a temporary block on a new Texas immigration law that is being challenged by the Biden administration. In an order issued by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, the court again imposed a … Continue reading →

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Sure, Pornhub could verify identities and ages if they wanted to

Posted on March 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

But that’s not the point. House Bill 1181, which was passed in June and went into effect in September, says that any entity publishing pornographic material must require a visitor to provide digital identification or use a commercial age verification … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

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 →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Does Ted Cruz think he might lose?

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Who knows what he thinks? U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s campaign is warning donors this week that he’s already tied with Colin Allred and bracing for a tougher 2024 reelection campaign than GOP voters might expect. The push comes less than … Continue reading →

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Another Republican done dirty by Abbott speaks

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Welcome to the table, Rep. Clardy. When state representative Travis Clardy, of Nacogdoches, first heard rumblings of a potential Republican primary challenger early last summer, he was surprised. The woman who was considering challenging him, Joanne Shofner, was someone who … Continue reading →

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Texas colleges and AI

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting story. When Taylor Eighmy talks to people about the growth of artificial intelligence in society, he doesn’t just see an opportunity — he feels a jolt of responsibility. The president of The University of Texas at San Antonio said … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for March 17

Posted on March 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

“The Dune movies routinely establish that biology doesn’t play by Earth rules, even for humans, on the sand planet Arrakis. But physics—namely, gravity—does. Even the hefty tyrant Baron Harkonnen needs a rig to get around. Could the worms really move … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Now the state sues the Colony Ridge developers

Posted on March 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Following in the footsteps of the feds. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Houston-area developers of Colony Ridge on Thursday, accusing them of deceptive sales, marketing and lending practices that allowed their sprawling housing development to flourish. Residents of … Continue reading →

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

Here’s your committee to investigate the HPD dropped cases situation

Posted on March 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I wish them luck. Mayor John Whitmire on Wednesday named the five people who will run an independent investigation into the Houston Police Department’s handling of over 264,000 suspended incident reports. The committee will be led by a former state … Continue reading →

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Pornhub blocks access from Texas

Posted on March 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure you’ve already noticed, but just in case… One of the most-visited pornography websites, Pornhub, disabled its site in Texas on Thursday over objections to a state law that requires age verification to prevent access to minors. People who … Continue reading →

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

Price tag for firefighter back pay revealed

Posted on March 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mayor John Whitmire and the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association announced today a historic deal to end an eight-year impasse. The $650 million settlement to finally resolve the city’s looming liability addresses longstanding pay issues dating back … Continue reading →

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

Nate Paul to finally serve that jail time for contempt

Posted on March 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Sometimes you forget how slowly the wheels of justice can turn. And sometimes you’re reminded. A real estate investor accused of bribing the Texas attorney general is facing jail time after the Texas Supreme Court denied his appeal of an … Continue reading →

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January 2024 campaign finance reports – City of Houston

Posted on March 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: State offices Harris County offices Senate Congress I did a lot of posting before now on the city finance reports, so it’s probably best to summarize: 8 Day reports for Mayoral candidates 30 Day reports – that post was … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit mostly upholds that wingnut anti-birth control ruling

Posted on March 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

A tale as old as time, the Fifth Circuit doing terrible things. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Texas law requiring parental consent to obtain contraception for minors. The decision from a three-judge panel of the federal appeals … Continue reading →

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Texas Medical Board may issue guidance on abortion exceptions

Posted on March 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I trust you will forgive my skepticism about this. The Texas Medical Board will consider language to clarify what qualifies as a medical exception to the state’s abortion laws at an upcoming March 22 board meeting. The meeting agenda was … Continue reading →

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More on HISD’s enrollment decline

Posted on March 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Still worrisome. HISD reported an enrollment of about 183,900 in late October, a drop of more than 6,000 students since the 2022-23 school year and more than 30,000 students since the 2016-17 school year, when the district hit a 10-year … Continue reading →

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There may finally be some resistance to judge-shopping in federal courts

Posted on March 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. The Judicial Conference, the policymaking body for federal courts, announced Tuesday that it would take action against the judge-shopping that has let right-wing litigants funnel cases to friendly, often Donald Trump-appointed judges. “The policy addresses all civil actions … Continue reading →

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Could San Antonio support an MLB team?

Posted on March 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As you may have heard, Major League Baseball is starting to talk about expansion, potentially adding two more teams in the next few years. San Antonio is on the list of possible destinations for MLB, sometimes paired with Austin, which … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of March 11

Posted on March 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Spherical Armadillos is the name of the Texas Progressive Alliance’s next band, and this is the Texas Progressive Alliance’s next weekly roundup.

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Nikki Haley’s best counties

Posted on March 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Both Stace and I have noted the handful of counties in which President Biden underperformed in the primary election. That led me to wonder what the analogous situation was like on the Republican side. Where did Nikki Haley overperform her … Continue reading →

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