Monthly Archives: January 2014

Friday random fourteen: Let’s talk about sex, baby

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Paste had a list awhile back of the “Fifty Sexiest Songs Of All Time”. Here’s how they described it: “Our picks span a variety of eras, genres and styles—and while some are more overtly sexual than others, they all make … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports for Harris County legislative candidates

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This could take awhile, and that’s with me limiting myself to contested races. First, the Senate. SD04 Brandon Creighton Steven Toth SD07 Paul Bettencourt James Wilson Jim Davis SD15 John Whitmire Damian LaCroix Ron Hale SD17 Joan Huffman Derek Anthony … Continue reading →

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Audit letters

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a thing called audit letters that I hadn’t known existed. We’ve got them for Houston, but we had not been making them public even though other cities do as a matter of course. Houston officials have blocked the release … Continue reading →

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Alameel wants a refund

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. Just like his first run for office in 2012, David Alameel’s second bid for public office is drawing questions about his past campaign donations. Alameel, the owner of a multimillion-dollar chain of dental clinics that caters … Continue reading →

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New Braunfels can ban gets canned

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Pack your coolers, y’all. The beer can flow again on the Comal River. Opponents of New Braunfels’ prohibition of large coolers and disposable containers — loosely described as a “can ban” on rivers that can host tens of thousands of … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: George Barnstone

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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Culberson says he’s killed the University Line

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

And maybe he has, though it wasn’t going anywhere at this time anyway. Residents and business owners along Richmond Avenue are breathing a sigh of relief — at least for now — as U.S. Rep. John Culberson has had his … Continue reading →

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How the voter ID law was and was not enforced in Harris County

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Greg does some investigative reporting on how the new voter ID law was actually applied in Harris County in the 2013 election. So what percentage of voters ended up signing an affidavit? … and what does it suggest about how … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of January 27

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is ready to delete the phrase “polar vortex” from its vocabulary as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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You know you’re not supposed to do fundraising activities while in your official capacity, right?

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. [On Wednesday], the Texas Democratic Party called on Rockwall County Clerk, Republican Shelli Miller, to close down the illegal campaign fundraising operation she is running within her official office to benefit a February 1st event featuring keynote speaker, Attorney General Greg … Continue reading →

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Interview with Gayle Mitchell

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As previously noted, the Harris County Clerk’s office has had its share of problems in recent years, from incorrectly reporting the winner of a Democratic primary in 2012 to complaints about slow reporting of results overall on Election Day. This … Continue reading →

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Celia Israel wins HD50 special election runoff

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Congrats, Rep.-elect Celia Israel. In the special runoff election for District 50 in the Texas House, Democrat Celia Israel took the lead after early voting. Israel, a Realtor, earned 58.8 percent of the early vote, and Republican Mike VanDeWalle, a … Continue reading →

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Where BGTX stands today

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not quite where they thought they’d be when things first started up, but that’s in large part because so much has happened since then. Jeremy Bird, Barack Obama’s former national field organizer, told The Texas Tribune that nearly a … Continue reading →

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The preservation ordinance is a work in progress

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the tl;dr version of this. In October 2010, an emotional Sue Lovell, then a city council­woman, lauded the passage of a strengthened historic preservation ordinance for Houston after a long, complex and divisive battle she and Mayor Annise Parker … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Barbara Stalder

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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The counties we aren’t going to win are just as important as the counties we will win

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Collin County is a Republican stronghold. It’s also the kind of place that Democrats need to make gains in order to be competitive. That’s a tough thing to do when there’s little hope for winning the county or taking a … Continue reading →

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Perry and pot

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Haul out your blind squirrels and acorns cliches. Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday that he favors decriminalizing marijuana use and lessening punishment for minor offenders as the nation moves toward a more moderate approach to pot use and two … Continue reading →

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“Go, Texans” OK’ed

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Well, that‘s a relief. County Treasurer Orlando Sanchez’s quest to ban “Go Texans” and other messages from Metro’s digital bus marquees has ended unsuccessfully with a pass from the Federal Transportation Administration and a scathing letter from the Metro board … Continue reading →

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Interview with Ann Harris Bennett

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to District Attorney, there is another contested countywide primary on the ballot for Democrats. That primary is for Harris County Clerk, for the nomination to run against first term incumbent Stan Stanart, who has had his share of … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports for Harris County candidates

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

In our previous episode, we looked at the campaign finance reports for Democratic statewide candidates. Today, let’s have a look at the reports for candidates for countywide office in Harris County. I’m not going to get down to the Constable … Continue reading →

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Clearing the rape kit backlog is producing results

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Very promising results. Private forensic laboratories hired to clear the Houston Police Department’s untested DNA evidence – including a decades-old rape kit backlog – have identified potential offenders in a third of the cases where sufficient DNA samples were found, … Continue reading →

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Abercia gets probation

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good riddance. Former Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Jack Abercia was sentenced Wednesday to three years probation for conducting illegal criminal background checks to raise money, in part, for an elevator in his home. Abercia pleaded guilty in August to … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for January 26

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

You can now use Bitcoins to buy basketball tickets. In Sacramento, anyway. Pot legalization is the gay marriage of 2016. It’s hard out here on an atheist. “Having somebody to watch your kid(s) during the day opens a lot of … Continue reading →

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Charles Sebesta needs to be held accountable

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Amen to this. Former Texas death row inmate Anthony Graves, who spent 18 years behind bars before he was exonerated in the bloody 1992 slaying of a Somerville grandmother, her daughter and four grandchildren, is seeking justice against the man … Continue reading →

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Cutting one’s nose to spite one’s face isn’t a matter of principle

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s just stupid and self-destructive. Lots of conservative lawmakers hate Obamacare. Rep. Louie Gohmert is putting his money where his mouth is. The Tyler Republican gave up his health insurance for 2014, asserting that the president’s signature health care law, … Continue reading →

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Finally doing that front door facelift

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Better late than never. Renovations started this week on the historic Sunset Coffee Building at Allen’s Landing on the north end of downtown. The more than 100-year-old structure, now behind a fence as construction begins, is getting a $5.3 million … Continue reading →

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US-Mexico high speed rail?

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

What goes north can also go south. A high-speed rail line connecting San Antonio and Monterrey, Mexico, could be less than a decade away from welcoming its first passengers, according to federal and Texas officials who met with Mexican officials … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Cups

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Cup-stacking is a thing with the kids these days, and this song from “Pitch Perfect” is the soundtrack for it (music starts about 1:28). David Letterman was quite impressed by Anna Kendrick’s cup percussion ability: As someone who finds it … Continue reading →

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Petition problems

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Every election cycle there are fights over who really did or didn’t qualify for the ballot. This one is shaping up to be a doozy. Three lawsuits over alleged ballot irregularities involving Harris County judicial candidates will be heard by … Continue reading →

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Metro names Lambert its next CEO

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

For the second time in a row, the Metro board will make its interim CEO its permanent CEO. The Metropolitan Transit Authority board on Thursday voted unanimously to open negotiations with Tom Lambert for the permanent president and CEO position. … Continue reading →

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Next stop, Virginia

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

More lawsuits coming on same sex marriage. Almost overnight, Virginia has emerged as a critical state in the nationwide fight to grant gay men and women the right to wed. This purple state was once perceived as unfriendly and even … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Cold enough for you?

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’m pretty sure we’ll all be happy to never hear the words “polar vortex” again. 1. Baby, It’s Cold Outside – The Priestess And The Fool 2. Cold – Annie Lennox 3. Cold Chicago – Humming House 4. Cold Irons … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rep. Carol Alvarado

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to the contested Democratic primary in HD131, there is also one in HD145, where Rep. Carol Alvarado is in her third term. Rep. Alvarado was of course a three-term City Council member in District I prior to her … Continue reading →

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Federal judge denies Abbott motion to consolidate same sex marriage lawsuits

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From Lone Star Q: A key hearing in a federal lawsuit challenging Texas’ same-sex marriage bans will go forward next month in San Antonio. U.S. District Judge Orlando L. Garcia, of the Western District of Texas, on Wednesday rejected Texas … Continue reading →

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