Monthly Archives: August 2013

Mind your own business, Dan

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

AG candidate Dan Branch to San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro: Drop the equality ordinance. State Rep. Dan Branch, a Dallas Republican campaigning for attorney general, sent a letter to Mayor Julián Castro on Monday asking that he withdraw the proposed … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Just a coincidence, I swear

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

No theme this week, just the first ten songs that came up on shuffle. You know, old school random ten-ness. 1. Funny Cigarette – Asylum Street Spankers 2. You Can If You Think You Can – Ball, Barton & Strehli … Continue reading →

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DOJ files suit against Texas’ voter ID law and redistricting maps

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent. The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Thursday that it will again seek to dismantle Texas’ voter ID law, this time with a lawsuit alleging the measure violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The department also said on Thursday that … Continue reading →

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What would Ben Hall do for schools?

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Ben Hall made his official filing for Mayor on Wednesday, and had a campaign rally after ward. This story is about that and about a new video his campaign released, and it contains three ways in which Hall says he … Continue reading →

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Special prosecutor appointed in Perry/Lehmberg veto threat case

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Mike McCrum. District Judge Robert Richardson named Mike McCrum to look into a complaint filed by Texans for Public Justice against the governor. The watchdog group alleges that Perry abused his power by threatening to cut funding to the … Continue reading →

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

There will be an app for your auto insurance

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Do you frequently forget to put your proof of insurance in your car and/or your wallet? The Lege has provided a solution for you. Thanks to a law passed during the 83rd legislative session, motorists will be able to pull … Continue reading →

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Interview with Roy Morales

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

As of my last At Large #3 interview, I reported that I had not yet been able to make arrangements with either Michael Kubosh or Roy Morales. I’m pleased to say now that both interviews have been completed; I have … Continue reading →

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Pasadena proceeds with its needless redistricting

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. Except for one agenda item which drew a large crowd, many public speakers, an unusually long time of councilmember’s explanations and a 5-4 vote, Tuesday’s (August 20) Pasadena City Council meeting was “Regular.” Their … Continue reading →

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Finally, the Early To Rise plan

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is what we’ve got after their presentation to the HCDE Board of Trustees on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the Harris County School Readiness Corp. pitched its plan to expand early education at a five-hour gathering with wary trustees for the … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of August 19

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is ready for Wendy as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Interview with CM Stephen Costello

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

At Large #1 incumbent CM Stephen Costello is running for his third term. While most new Council members spend their first term learning the ropes and staying more in the background, CM Costello made an immediate splash by spearheading the … Continue reading →

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Abbott versus Garza on voter ID

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

They’ve battled in court, and now they’re battling in the news. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on Monday called a lawyer for the Mexican American Legislative Caucus unethical for his suggestion that people in the Rio Grande Valley attempt to … Continue reading →

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Feds provide money to help sign people up for the exchanges

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Every little bit helps. With the rollout of many Affordable Care Act provisions fast approaching, the federal government announced Thursday that eight Texas organizations will receive a combined $10.8 million to hire and train “navigators” to help uninsured Texans find … Continue reading →

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Educating people about invasive species

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Worth a shot. Every two months, Christopher Churchill, a U.S. Geological Survey biologist, scuba dives in Ray Roberts Lake, northwest of Dallas, to monitor the growth rates of zebra mussels, which have wreaked havoc on several Texas lakes and rivers. … Continue reading →

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

Interview with David Robinson

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Running against CM Burks in At Large #2 is David Robinson, which makes this a rematch of sorts from 2011, as both men ran in AL2 that year, though Robinson did not make the runoff. I had suggested a long … Continue reading →

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On the matter of money

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This story is about the strong desire among Dems for Sen. Wendy Davis to run for Governor, but it touches on a subject that inevitably comes up whenever the subject is running statewide in Texas. A campaign for governor would … Continue reading →

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Stay classy, Greg Abbott

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From over the weekend. A Twitter poster who called Wendy Davis an “idiot” and “retard Barbie,” and said Greg Abbott would demolish her in the governor’s election, got a thank-you from Abbott’s campaign also via Twitter. The exchange prompted a … Continue reading →

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From Shelby to Pasadena

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

You might have noticed this Chron editorial from last week. After former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s fall from grace, we thought that Texas politicians would know better than pursue mid-decade redistricting. Not so in Pasadena, where Mayor Johnny Isbell … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Interview with CM Andrew Burks

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

There are so far three races in which an incumbent Council member faces at least one credible opponent. The first is in At Large #2, where CM Andrew Burks is in his first term. As you know, CM Burks has … Continue reading →

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John Hagee drops opposition to San Antonio equality ordinance

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Television evangelist and pastor John Hagee on Sunday told congregants — and a national and international audience watching live — that he no longer opposes a proposed ordinance that seeks to protect the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and … Continue reading →

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Meet the new Crime Lab boss

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

He sounds impressive. The fuzzy process of shifting the city of Houston’s crime lab from the Houston Police Department to an independent board got a little clearer Wednesday with the hiring of a president and CEO for the new operation. … Continue reading →

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Election page updates

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

If you take a look at my 2013 Election page, you will see that I have added information about HISD and HCC races. I don’t have information about all candidates, mostly because I don’t think I’ve heard of everyone yet, … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for August 18

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

“The decision to stay within the narrow lanes of your own fantasies is a choice, not biological determinism.” First person to write a diet book for animals wins. The Internet name space is about to get a whole lot bigger. … Continue reading →

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Hoteliers for the Dome plan

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Count the Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Houston among the supporters of the Astrodome renovation plan. Harris County Sports and Convention Corp. Chairman Edgar Colón, with back-up from Deputy Executive Director Kevin Hoffman, presented the agency’s vision for revamping … Continue reading →

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More views of Abbott’s Section 3 brief

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: Claim: It’s Just Partisan Politics Attorney General Abbott’s second claim is in many ways even more fundamental because it gets to the heart of what the Voting Rights Act is supposed to do. That claim asserts that: [R]edistricting … Continue reading →

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No kids allowed

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t have a problem with this. Chef Aquiles Chavez said his decision to ban young children from his restaurant during the evening hours was not easy. And the decision wasn’t shared by his wife. On Monday, La Fisheria, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Saturday video break: Nothing Compares 2 U

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Song #6 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “Nothing Compares 2 U”, originally by The Family and covered by Sinead O’Connor. Here’s the original: Say it with me now: I’ve never heard this version, or of this group, … Continue reading →

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Time for more information about Early To Rise

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

What Lisa Falkenberg says. They’ve turned over more than 150,000 signatures in favor of putting an early education tax on the Harris County ballot in November. Now the folks behind the Early to Rise campaign need to turn over the … Continue reading →

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Special prosecutor to be appointed in Perry/Lehmberg veto case

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Moving forward. A San Antonio senior state district judge confirmed Thursday that he will name a special prosecutor to investigate possible charges of coercion and abuse of official capacity against Gov. Rick Perry. Judge Robert “Bert” Richardson said he expected … Continue reading →

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More on Abbott and his lawsuit settlement

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. When Greg Abbott’s spine was crushed by a falling oak tree in 1984 he had no health insurance, no paycheck and no feeling in his legs. But he had a good lawyer … Continue reading →

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Meet your Constitutional amendments

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib runs down the nine proposed constitutional amendments that will be on the ballot this November. First on the ballot will be HJR 62, by state Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, which would authorize the Legislature to provide a property tax exemption for the … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: For those about to rock

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s about time to rock isn’t it? This made me realize I’d never done a Random Ten list about “rock” songs. No time like the present, I say. 1. It’s Still Rock & Roll To Me – Billy Joel 2. … Continue reading →

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Who would run for SD10 if Wendy runs for Governor?

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The DMN considers the possibilities. Several Democratic contenders have emerged. Topping the list is Fort Worth City Council member Joel Burns, who acknowledged last week that he’s been approached by operatives about a possible campaign to replace Davis. “It’s something … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: GLBT Caucus and HSYD

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

We are entering the part of the election cycle where groups are making their endorsements. One of the first out of the box is the Houston GLBT Political Caucus, which held its endorsement meeting on Saturday night. Here’s their press … Continue reading →

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