Monthly Archives: January 2014

Endorsement watch: EQTx for Davis

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Sarah Davis, that is. A gay rights group Tuesday backed its first Texas Republican in a primary election, for better or worse. State Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, will find out in March if the endorsement, from Equality Texas, … Continue reading →

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Trial date set for Wilson residency lawsuit

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Mark your calendars. County officials have dropped their request to temporarily keep Houston Community College trustee Dave Wilson from his office in favor of an expedited trial date that will allow jurors to decide if he lives in District 2. … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Julia Maldonado

Posted on January 23, 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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Somewhat less onerous navigator rules published

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

They could have been worse, but they could still be better. The Texas Department of Insurance on Tuesday issued state regulations for health care “navigators,” the workers who assist people seeking health insurance in the federal marketplace created by the … Continue reading →

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City sues HFRRF again

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: In the face of growing concern about its ability to meet long-term retiree pension obligations, the City of Houston filed a lawsuit today against the Houston Firefighters’ Relief and Retirement Fund (HFRRF), one of three pension systems … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of January 20

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance thinks that if same sex marriage is OK for Utah and Oklahoma it’s OK for our state too as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Abbott inserts himself in Houston same sex benefits lawsuit

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has filed briefs arguing that a state court should be given an opportunity to declare Houston’s new policy of granting benefits to some same-sex partners of employees unlawful under Texas’ marriage laws. … Continue reading →

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Interview with Azuwuike Okorafor

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As previously noted, there are two contested Democratic primaries for State House seats in Harris County. Challenging Rep. Alma Allen in HD131 is Azuwuike Okorafor. Okorafor is a Houston native and graduate of HISD schools who received a BS from … Continue reading →

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January finance reports for Democratic statewide candidates

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

With the exception of a stray missing report here and there, all of the January campaign finance reports for state office holders and seekers are up on the Texas Ethics Commission webpage. Here’s a brief look at the reports filed … Continue reading →

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On pot and prosecutions

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure you’ve heard about President Obama’s remarks that marijuana isn’t really more harmful than alcohol. There’s plenty of evidence to back that assertion, but Harris County DA Devon Anderson strongly disagreed with him anyway. President Barack Obama’s recently published … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

School finance retrial, Day One

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

And they’re off, again. Back in the courtroom after a 2013 legislative session in which lawmakers added money back to the state public education budget, lawyers representing nearly two-thirds of Texas school districts argued on Tuesday that the funding boost … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Steven Kirkland

Posted on January 21, 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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Why not three?

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Greg suggests a couple of tweaks to term limits. » Fix the JoJo exclusion. The statute, as written, is amazingly short and simple: Section 6a. – Limitation of terms. No person, who has already served two full terms, shall be … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick is lying about immigration and crime

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

That’s what the headline to Peggy Fikac’s column should be, but she took the easy way out. At a forum where statewide candidates strutted their stuff for leading business groups, Sen. Dan Patrick could have focused on pretty much any … Continue reading →

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School finance retrial starts today

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Back in the saddle again. A fight over the state’s controversial school funding system is headed back to court Tuesday before the same judge who declared it unconstitutional nearly a year ago, with state lawyers hoping they can persuade him … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rep. Alma Allen

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to the contested primary in SD15, there are two contested Democratic legislative primaries this cycles. The first is in HD131, where Rep. Alma Allen faces a challenger for the second cycle in a row. Rep. Allen was first … Continue reading →

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Teaching creationism in Texas

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Zack Kopplin reports on some unconstitutional behavior by a national charter school operator that has several campuses in Texas. When public-school students enrolled in Texas’ largest charter program open their biology workbooks, they will read that the fossil record is … Continue reading →

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

Funding after school programs

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This should be a no-brainer. To combat youth crime, a former Houston police chief says the city must first solve another problem: unstable and inadequate funding for after-school programs. City Councilman C.O. Bradford said it is more urgent than ever … Continue reading →

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Livin’ small

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Kids today and their crazy ideas about how to live. The modern apartment is increasingly likely to look like this: a 380-square-foot space with a separate bedroom; a kitchen with fewer cabinets and more shelves; and a place in the … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for January 19

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As The Slacktivist keeps saying, they are coming for your birth control. This is not about faith, it’s about politics. Now that we have a little distance from the Hall of Fame vote, let’s talk about ways to improve the … Continue reading →

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Annise Parker’s journey

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron reviews how Mayor Parker went from activist for the LGBT community to Mayor on the occasion of her wedding. The country’s first openly gay mayor became the country’s first openly gay married mayor this week. A wedding wouldn’t … Continue reading →

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HISD gives final approval to revised mascot/nickname policy

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

That’s that. Four HISD campuses will have to adopt new mascots after the school board gave final approval Thursday to a policy banning certain nicknames, such as the Redskins. The proposal from Superintendent Terry Grier drew some debate among students, … Continue reading →

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Riding that crowded train

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Metro ponders its options for dealing with potential delays in the delivery of new railcars. Metro officials said Wednesday that the best solution to an expected shortage of railcars might be to limit trains on the main light rail line … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Who’s spamming you?

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Probably someone from Dallas. Figures, right? When it comes to those annoying and unsolicited text messages you get imploring you to reply for weight loss tips, “free” money, and adult-oriented services, Houston and Dallas are smartphone spam lords of Texas, … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Hey, little minivan

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I know I posted an Austin Lounge Lizards video last week, but this was the official theme song of our now-broken minivan, so how could I not? One way or another, we will be a minivan family again. It is … Continue reading →

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Another complaint filed against Judge Pratt

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty much needed to be one. Embattled family court Judge Denise Pratt is the subject of another criminal complaint by Webster family lawyer Greg Enos, accusing her of breaking the law by signing orders saying she had given prior notice … Continue reading →

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MLB adopts expanded instant replay

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent. Baseball’s replay age has finally dawned, thanks to Thursday’s unanimous approval by owners of what commissioner Bud Selig called a “historic” expansion of replay to correct missed calls. The new system, which will go into effect this season, will … Continue reading →

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Still seeking Sriracha for Texas

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Jason Villalba has a dream. Rep. Jason Villalba wants to move production of his favorite spicy condiment to the North Texas area. A plant in Dallas, Richardson, Plano, or another Texas community could help bring jobs to the … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Baby, you can drive my car

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Or you could, if it hadn’t been clobbered by a pickup truck coming the other direction and drifting into my lane while I was waiting at a stoplight last weekend. So in memory of my old minivan, whose fate is … Continue reading →

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If you want to be treated for mental illness, go to jail

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

You’ve heard it said that the Harris County Jail is the largest mental health facility in Texas. Here’s a great story in the Observer by Emily DePrang that illustrates what that really means. Of the 9,000 or so inmates here, … Continue reading →

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Rolling out the laptops

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I look forward to seeing how this goes. Tens of thousands of local students will receive taxpayer-funded laptops or tablets this month as the Houston and Clear Creek school districts join the national movement toward digital education. School leaders say … Continue reading →

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

VRA 2.0

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: [Thursday] morning, Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI), Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) introduced proposed amendments to the Voting Rights Act that would rework the section 5 coverage formula invalidated by the Supreme Court in Shelby … Continue reading →

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Big Brew

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I like the sound of this. For three days in October, the [George R. Brown] convention center will host Big Brew, a major new festival that aims to tap into the region’s burgeoning craft-beer scene by putting 1,000 beers out … Continue reading →

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Mayor Parker gets married

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Awesome. Houston Mayor Annise Parker and longtime partner Kathy Hubbard are now married – at least in the eyes of 18 states, including California, where the couple formally exchanged vows Thursday in a sunset ceremony in Palm Springs. “This is … Continue reading →

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