Monthly Archives: April 2015

Who will pay for Super Bowl stadium improvements?

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Gotta say, I’m with Steve Radack on this one. If the NFL has its way, luxury boxes and club seats at NRG Stadium will undergo major upgrades at the expense of Harris County or its tenants before Super Bowl LI … Continue reading →

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Al Bennett confirmed to federal district court

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Great news. After months of delay, a unanimous U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed Alfred Bennett to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, cracking open slightly a national logjam of judicial nominations and a backlog of … Continue reading →

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No HERO ruling quite yet

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

There was a hearing, but still no ruling quite yet. Opponents of the city’s legally embattled equal rights ordinance say they collected about 200 more valid petition signatures than they need to trigger a repeal referendum, a figure a district … Continue reading →

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Call to action: Bypass laws

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

What Nonsequiteuse says: Teenagers have sex, which means some have unintended pregnancies, which means some have abortions. Is your preference that parents be involved when a minor wants to have an abortion to end an unwanted pregnancy? You might be … Continue reading →

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Ted Cruz really dislikes gay people

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. Riding a wave of conservative fervor over gay marriage and “traditional” social values, Texas Republican Ted Cruz has surged upward in national presidential polls and major donor support. But even as he rallied Thursday with … Continue reading →

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La Marque ISD gets a stay

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not so fast. Galveston County’s La Marque ISD received a lifeline Wednesday when state Education Commissioner Michael Williams agreed to put the district’s closure on hold. Williams said he would not shut down the district in July, as he had … Continue reading →

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How many crimes does your police department solve?

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Fewer than you think, unfortunately. Violent crime in America has been falling for two decades. That’s the good news. The bad news is, when crimes occur, they mostly go unpunished. In fact, for most major crimes, police don’t even make … Continue reading →

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

Robinson resigns from HCC Board

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, it’s campaign season. Carroll Robinson, who has served as a Houston Community College trustee since 2012, will leave the college board to focus on his run for city controller, he announced Friday. In a letter announcing his resignation, Robinson … Continue reading →

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Castro-for-VP watch

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

He’s in “training camp”. His allure as a potential veep gives [HUD Secretary Julian] Castro a platform for the issues he cares about, and he is serious about governing and giving a voice to people struggling to get into the … Continue reading →

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Crusading against court fees

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This is important work. Houston attorney Jani Maselli Wood scanned the itemized list of “court costs” that people pay when they get in trouble with Texas law to see how much her indigent client owed even while sitting in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Weekend link dump for April 12

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

There are so many better ways to spend tax dollars than spending them on prisons. “Brand owners are now expected to pay a fee to register the .sucks of their domain, or else face a third-party potentially misusing the domain. … Continue reading →

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Where’s Adrian?

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I suspect a lot of people have been wondering the same thing. Standing on the cusp of what could easily be the most competitive mayoral race in Houston history many wonder what Adrian Garcia is waiting for. Still officially on … Continue reading →

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Injunction against immigration executive order stays in place

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise, I guess. A Brownsville-based federal judge on Tuesday denied the Obama administration’s request to let a controversial immigration program proceed while the issue plays out in the courts. United States District Judge Andrew Hanen ruled that his … Continue reading →

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The scourge of selfie sticks

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Presented (mostly) without comment. The Blanton Museum, in Austin, as well as the Dallas Museum of Art and the Perot Museum of Natural Science, in Dallas, all have bans on tripods and monopods that extend to selfie sticks, leaving visitors to settle for … Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Who’s up for a macrobrewery tour?

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This used to be a thing in Houston, and now it is once again. The local Anheuser-Busch plant was under construction at the same time as the Astrodome, and its ambitions were just as grand. With an annual capacity of … Continue reading →

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Get ready for the HERO ruling

Posted on April 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Should happen on Monday. With a ruling expected next week in the protracted legal battle surrounding Houston’s equal rights ordinance, city attorneys entered a motion for judgment late Friday afternoon that says opponents of the law are 650 signatures shy … Continue reading →

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Senate moves forward on sanctuary cities and DREAM Act repeal bills

Posted on April 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

One. Senate Bill 185 by state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, also called the “sanctuary cities” bill, would cut off state funding for local governments or governmental entities that adopt policies forbidding peace officers from inquiring about the immigration status of … Continue reading →

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HD124 runoff date set

Posted on April 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t blink or you’ll miss it. The runoff in the special election in Texas House District 124 will be April 21 under a proclamation issued Thursday by Gov. Greg Abbott. Pitted in the race to fill the unexpired term of … Continue reading →

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A better year for seaweed

Posted on April 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good news for Galveston beachgoers. In a lucky break for Galveston beachgoers and the Gulf Coast’s tourism industry, the masses of seaweed that plagued the area last summer seem to be turning toward the Caribbean and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Parenthetically speaking, part 10

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Starting to get close to the end. 1. Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) – Billy Joel 2. (Nothing But) Flowers – Talking Heads 3. Papa Come Quick (Jody And Chico) – Bonnie Raitt 4. Pony (It’s OK) – Erin McCarley 5. … Continue reading →

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Uber and background checks

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Uber is back in the news again, and as has often been the case it’s not in a good way. Houston officials discovered crimes ranging from aggravated robbery to driving on a suspended license when they checked the backgrounds of … Continue reading →

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Collin County grand jury interested in Paxton case

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. A Collin County grand jury has asked the Travis County District Attorney’s office for its investigative file on Ken Paxton, indicating the panel wants to look into the attorney general’s admitted violations of state securities law. “Collin County … Continue reading →

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Senate bill to kill high speed rail advances

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Didn’t know there was one of these. The Senate Transportation Committee voted 5-4 to pass out Senate Bill 1601, from state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, which would strip firms developing high-speed rail projects from eminent domain authority. Texas Central High-Speed … Continue reading →

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Perry appeals to appeals court again

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It had been a few weeks since his lawyers filed any paperwork, so I guess they were getting twitchy. As the race for president shapes up, former Gov. Rick Perry is imploring a state appeals court to take quick action … Continue reading →

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Here comes the school finance bill

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a big deal. The House education chairman on Tuesday unveiled a $3 billion proposal he hopes will overhaul the way Texas funds public schools and derail a looming lawsuit in the process. “My objective when I began this was … Continue reading →

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Bill to kneecap Public Integrity Unit gets unstuck

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

And away it goes. Senate Bill 10, filed by Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, passed on second reading along party lines. The integrity unit is currently a state-funded division of the Travis County DA’s office that investigates public corruption, insurance fraud … Continue reading →

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Do we need a statewide solution for Uber and Lyft?

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Bill Hammond of the Texas Association of Business thinks so. Fans of apps like Uber and Lyft may find that the rules governing their operations in one city differ dramatically from those in a community down the street or across … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of April 6

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes that our state can learn the lesson of the Indiana debacle as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Texas Central Railway to hold “informational” meetings

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I hope this effort isn’t too little, too late for them. Backers of a high-speed rail line plan a series of meetings this month in rural areas where the proposed Houston-to-Dallas tracks could cross, setting up discussions with some of … Continue reading →

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Joining together for equality

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see. Standing alongside Democrats, a representative for the state’s powerful business lobby Tuesday denounced two proposed amendments to the state constitution aimed at bolstering protection for people acting on religious beliefs, which detractors say would legalize discrimination against … Continue reading →

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Wilson completes his latest troll job

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

He totally half-assed it, too. Houston Community College trustee and longtime anti-gay activist Dave Wilson has submitted a city charter amendment petition seeking a November vote to bar men “who perceive or express themselves as women” from entering women’s restrooms, … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Marijuana reform advocates get their day

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This will be worth watching closely. Four proposals to relax penalties for possessing pot have been scheduled for a hearing Wednesday in the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, setting up what is sure to be a closely-watched debate in the … Continue reading →

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TPJ refiles complaint against Paxton

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see if they have any better luck this time. Texans for Public Justice on Monday re-filed its criminal complaint against Attorney General Ken Paxton with local prosecutors in Dallas and Collin Counties, arguing the latter should recuse himself because … Continue reading →

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Sanctuary cities bill clears first Senate committee

Posted on April 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. Senate Bill 185 by state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, would cut off state funding for local governments or governmental entities that adopt policies that forbid peace officers from inquiring into the immigration status of a person detained or … Continue reading →

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