Monthly Archives: January 2014

Judicial Q&A: Allecia Pottinger

Posted on January 16, 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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TRO against Wilson lifted

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

He gets to take his seat. After that, I don’t know what happens. A judge Wednesday declined to prohibit small businessman and anti-gay activist Dave Wilson from taking his seat at the first meeting of the board of the Houston … Continue reading →

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ACA enrollments in Texas

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As was the case with the rest of the country, there was a big surge in December. Texas enrollments in the online insurance marketplace created under the Affordable Care Act rose nearly eightfold in December, according to 2013 figures that … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas blog roundup for the week of January 13

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance has no knowledge of any bridge lane closures as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Interview with Steve Brown

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

There are three contested Democratic primaries for statewide office. One of them involves Wendy Davis, which no one expects to be competitive, and one involves Kinky Friedman, which likely will be about how people feel about Kinky Friedman more than … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Where are the women’s health providers?

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Republican jihad against Planned Parenthood continues to have real consequences. In 2011, under pressure from Republican leaders, state health officials began enforcing a provision lawmakers wrote to exclude Planned Parenthood and any clinics with organizational ties to abortion providers … Continue reading →

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Davis outraises Abbott

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Democrat Wendy Davis pulled $8.7 million into her gubernatorial campaign coffers in the last half of 2013, and another group committed to her election as governor raised $3.5 million over the same period, the Davis campaign announced Tuesday. Minutes … Continue reading →

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Oklahoma!

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Where the same sex marriages come whistling down the plains. U.S. Senior District Judge Terence Kern ruled Tuesday that Oklahoma’s ban on marriage equality is unconstitutional. The ruling is stayed pending appeal, meaning marriages will not occur immediately in Oklahoma. … Continue reading →

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Wilson gets to take his seat

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The legal battles continue, but HCC will swear in Dave Wilson today regardless. Houston Community College has cleared Dave Wilson to take his seat at this week’s board meeting despite legal uncertainty raised by Harris County officials about the trustee-elect’s … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Bruce Steffler

Posted on January 14, 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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Wilson’s status is still up in the air

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The suspense is killing me. The restraining order prohibiting newly elected Houston Community College trustee Dave Wilson from taking the oath of office until questions about his residency can be resolved will remain in effect for another two weeks, a … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Davis for Alameel

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This was unexpected, at least by me. Texas Democrats may be working on drafting a 2014 dream team. State Sen. Wendy Davis announced today that she’s backing David Alameel in his bid for the U.S. Senate nomination. The wealthy Dallas … Continue reading →

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More from the Pratt files

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This is just bizarre. Since being cleared last month by a grand jury for backdating records, a family court judge has quietly dismissed hundreds of cases, effectively nullifying a bevy of child support obligations and custody arrangements she previously made … Continue reading →

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Interview with Kim Ogg

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s talk about the Harris County District Attorney’s race for a minute, shall we? We all remember what happened in 2012, when perennial candidate/yahoo Lloyd Oliver won the Democratic primary for DA because he had some name ID for having … Continue reading →

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New accountability standards, more schools on the failing list

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Not a good headline. The number of officially faltering public schools in Texas almost doubled last year, in part because of higher accountability standards imposed by state education policy. The Texas Education Agency released Thursday a list of 892 schools … Continue reading →

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Sexual assault in the Harris County jail

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This sounds very bad, but there are some questions about how the numbers were determined. Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, defending his staff against a federal study that found startling levels of sexual abuse at one of his jails, testified … Continue reading →

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Utah will not recognize same sex marriages

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Not until they are forced to. Utah Gov. Gary Herbertannounced Wednesday that the state will not recognize the 1,000-plus same-sex marriages performed in the state since Dec. 20, when a U.S. district judge ruled that the state’s ban on gay … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for January 12

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

First world problems are still problems worth solving. When Captain America wears a turban, it’s pretty cool. As The Slacktivist often says, they are coming for your birth control. Don’t be surprised by it. “As a result, Netflix can’t, any … Continue reading →

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You can’t stop Dave Wilson

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

You can only hope to restrain him. The battle over whether Dave Wilson is actually a Houston Community College trustee could come to a head on Thursday when the 67-year-old tries to take the seat behind the District II placard … Continue reading →

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Chron overviews of the other candidates for Governor

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

On the Republican side, everybody wants to be the next coming of Ted Cruz. As Attorney General Greg Abbott sweeps toward the GOP nomination for governor, other Republicans are reminding voters that he’s not alone in the party primary. Waging … Continue reading →

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Is this the end for the dollar coin?

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Fine by me if it is. The dollar wars have raged for years, with various sides battling over what a dollar should look like: Should it be a green piece of paper (cotton, actually) that you can slide in your … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: All the world’s problems explained

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Austin Lounge Lizards sum up our political discourse in one song: I mean seriously, is there anything they missed in that recitation?

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Davis beats Abbott in court again

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

That’s probably the simplest way to understand this story. A San Antonio federal court has ordered Texas to pay more than $260,000 in attorney fees to the legal team that helped state Sen. Wendy Davis beat back Republican attempts to … Continue reading →

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Federal studies for the Houston-Dallas high speed rail line

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a step forward. The federal government, Texas and a private company are collectively working on two studies to assess the impact of a high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx confirmed Tuesday. … Continue reading →

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

Who shot Bigfoot?

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The correct answer is “no one”, since Bigfoot doesn’t exist and all that, but this guy claims to have done it. Nearly a year ago a self-described professional Bigfoot hunter claimed to have shot and killed one of the creatures … Continue reading →

Posted in Skepticism | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Friday random ten: I’ve got this bridge to sell you

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

In honor of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, ten songs about bridges. 1. The Bridge – Eddie From Ohio 2. Bridge of Sighs – Robin Trower 3. Bridge Over Troubled Water – Aretha Franklin 4. Bridge Over Troubled Water – … Continue reading →

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Runoff precinct analysis: At Large races

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I finally got a draft canvass report from the Harris County Clerk for the December runoff elections. Let’s take a look at the two At Large runoffs and see what we can learn about them. Here’s At Large #2: Dist … Continue reading →

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Council OKs ordinance to help bring grocery stores to food deserts

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Supermarkets now can sell beer and wine next to schools and churches, an exemption to city regulations Houston City Council granted unanimously Wednesday, hoping to encourage grocers to locate in neighborhoods that lack access to fresh, healthy food. These … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

I got those “can’t get my rail cars built on time” blues

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Actually, I don’t, but Metro does. The company building 39 new Metro railcars has yet to deliver an acceptable vehicle almost six months after the original due date, potentially delaying full service for rail lines scheduled to open later this … Continue reading →

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Craft beer: Still good for your economy

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Yet another study says so. Texas ranks second only to California in the economic impact derived from craft brewing, a report from the Brewers Association says. This burgeoning class of smaller, independently owned craft breweries, along with their distributors, retailers … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Jim Evans

Posted on January 9, 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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Falkenberg on Dave Wilson’s residency

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Falkenberg has another chat with Dave Wilson to try and solve the mystery of where he really lives. No bathtub. No refrigerator. No TV. If 67-year-old small businessman Dave Wilson really lives in a warehouse apartment on West 34th … Continue reading →

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No BGO for HOF

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Missed it by one vote. One of the most majestic induction classes in the history of the National Baseball Hall of Fame was set on Wednesday with the announcement that Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas were elected by … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of January 6

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is off to a roaring start to 2014 as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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