Author Archives: Charles Kuffner

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 →

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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 →

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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.

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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 →

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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 →

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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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Another Loving County election tossed

Posted on August 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Wow again. The Texas Eighth Court of Appeals overturned results in a third race in the November 2022 general election in Loving County, Texas, the least-populous county in the United States, after a district court overturned two other close races … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

That “poll” of the HISD bond referendum

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sorry, but this doesn’t tell us anything. Houston ISD voters are overwhelmingly willing to support a school bond package to upgrade campuses throughout the district, according to polling released Thursday, though questions remain about whether residents will back a … Continue reading →

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

Paxton’s “election fraud” raids

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

All sorts of warning bells here. The League of United Latin American Citizens plans to request a federal investigation into raids Attorney General Ken Paxton conducted this week as part of what he called an “ongoing election integrity investigation.” Gabriel … Continue reading →

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Miles whines about criticism

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Oh good Lord. State-appointed Houston Independent School District Superintendent Mike Miles responded to recent criticism from several Democratic state lawmakers by sending a letter telling them to “lead, follow, or get out of the way.” The letter calls for lawmakers … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for August 25

Posted on August 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

What would John Scalzi do? He would tell you not to idolize anyone. “All of this shows that Trump hasn’t paid attention to what the anti-abortion movement says or demands. That’s because he doesn’t have to. He assumes—correctly, it seems—that … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 4 Comments

CD18 special election lineup set

Posted on August 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It’s Erica Lee Carter and two people you’ve never heard of. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s daughter, Erica Lee Carter, will be the only Democrat on the ballot seeking to finish the late congresswoman’s term, priming Carter for a few … Continue reading →

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SCOTx declares 15th Court of Appeals to be legal

Posted on August 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Just in time for its grand opening. The Texas Supreme Court defended the state legislature’s creation of a statewide district court of appeals, holding the new court is constitutional. Dallas County and Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown challenged the constitutionality … Continue reading →

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Here’s our World Baseball Classic schedule

Posted on August 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

In case you want to start filling in your 2026 calendar now. When the World Baseball Classic hits Houston’s Minute Maid Park in March 2026, the ballpark will host games featuring the United States, Mexico, Italy and Great Britain. In … Continue reading →

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RFK Jr pulls out

Posted on August 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

What a loser. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Friday that he is suspending his independent campaign for president and endorsed former president Donald Trump. While announcing his suspension of his campaign, Kennedy said that he is choosing to stay … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Lawsuit against FIEL tossed

Posted on August 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A Harris County judge has denied Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s attempt to shut down local immigration nonprofit FIEL Houston. Paxton originally petitioned to shut down FIEL in July for allegedly violating rules that govern the organization’s nonprofit status. … Continue reading →

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The Mayor’s committee’s report on the HPD suspended cases scandal

Posted on August 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Have at it. Several “critical issues” in the Houston Police Department, including mismanagement by agency leaders and understaffing in key divisions, contributed to a scandal involving suspended investigations into criminal cases, an independent committee wrote in a report released Wednesday. … Continue reading →

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The first Harris/Trump poll of Texas

Posted on August 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s talk about this for a minute. Vice President Kamala Harris trails former President Donald Trump by 5 percentage points in Texas, shaving off nearly half the Republican nominee’s one-time advantage over President Joe Biden from earlier this year, according … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

CCA to take up Crystal Mason appeal

Posted on August 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I guess we’re doing this. Texas’ highest criminal court will hear the case of Crystal Mason, a Tarrant County woman whose voter fraud conviction was previously overturned. Mason, 49, has been a focal point in Texas’ tough-on-voter-fraud election laws. She … Continue reading →

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

We have a statewide flood plan

Posted on August 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Now let’s see what we do with it. Texas officials adopted their first-ever statewide flood plan Thursday, recommending $54.5 billion worth of strategies and studies to protect the 1 in 6 Texans who live or work in flood hazard … Continue reading →

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DPS will no longer update gender on drivers licenses

Posted on August 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

What the hell? Transgender Texans will not be able to change the sex listed on their driver’s licenses, according to a policy change rolled out this week. Under the new policy, Texans will not be able to change the sex … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Asking the fox to audit the henhouse

Posted on August 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not sure if that’s the best metaphor, but it’s what I came up with when I read this. Houston Democrats asked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Monday to investigate a charter school network founded by Houston ISD Superintendent Mike … Continue reading →

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

From the “Definition of insanity” department

Posted on August 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’re just gonna keep doing this, aren’t we? Undaunted by legislative defeat more than a year ago, Las Vegas Sands, one of the world’s biggest casino operators, is gearing up for another push to legalize casino gambling in Texas and … Continue reading →

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