Monthly Archives: June 2015

Lawsuit for same sex benefits for state employees filed

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s all about being proactive. Sensing that state officials will be reluctant to comply with a potential U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriage, an LGBT civil rights group filed a federal lawsuit Thursday seeking to force Texas … Continue reading →

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DPS, investigate thyself

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

What could possibly go wrong? Set to take over statewide corruption investigations, the Texas Department of Public Safety must decide whether it will investigate itself. In April, DPS Director Steve McCraw demanded that the Travis County District Attorney’s Public Integrity … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for June 14

Posted on June 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

She’s a grand old flag, she’s a high-flying flag, and forever in peace may she wave… “Dog lovers in Japan have taken grooming to a whole new level of strange by styling their dogs into perfectly trimmed and symmetrical cubes.” … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court deals a blow to ReBuild Houston

Posted on June 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Houston’s divisive, multibillion-dollar effort to fund two decades of street and drainage improvements faces an uncertain future after the Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that the ballot measure voters narrowly approved in 2010 obscured the nature and cost of … Continue reading →

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Taylor wins SA Mayor runoff

Posted on June 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

And it’s over. Interim San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor claimed victory Saturday night, defeating Leticia Van de Putte for a full term in the mayor’s job and dealing the former state senator a tough loss in a city central to … Continue reading →

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Ethics complaint filed against Sen. Huffman

Posted on June 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Lone Star Project: The Lone Star Project has learned that a complaint was filed Wednesday with the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) alleging that Republican State Senator Joan Huffman (SD17 – Houston) is in violation of section § 572.023 … Continue reading →

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We still face water shortages

Posted on June 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, we’ve had a lot of rain lately. No, that hasn’t solved all our water problems. The recent rainfall that drenched much of Houston and the state was thought to put the drought and the state’s water supply concerns at … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Gotta Serve Somebody

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

One of the gospel songs of Bob Dylan: Couldn’t find a decent live version of that, sorry. Anyway, because this is a Dylan song there are covers aplenty. The one I have is by blues diva Etta James: I’m convinced. … Continue reading →

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Runoff day in SA

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I’m glad the San Antonio Mayoral runoff is almost over. We hope, anyway. After weeks of bruising attacks — and at least one hand left unshaken — the … Continue reading →

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Sebesta disbarred

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

A fitting end to this story. The former prosecutor who won a wrongful conviction of Anthony Graves for capital murder, sending him to Texas death row where he was nearly executed twice, has been disbarred. In a ruling released Thursday, … Continue reading →

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How would you get from Houston to Galveston without a car?

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s both easier and harder than you might think. Raj Mankad tells the story. I reached the sea without getting in a car. Over the course of my journey, which began at Rice University and ended at Stewart Beach, I … Continue reading →

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Take the mosquito threat seriously

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

If mosquitoes weren’t one of the Biblical plagues visited on Egypt, they should have been. You’ve probably heard of the potentially deadly West Nile virus, but this summer, people in the Houston area could begin to be at more risk … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Gone too soon, part 4

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

May 31 is the anniversary of my grandfather’s death. Charles Kuffner, Sr (I’m Charles III) was only 55 when he died, three months after I was born, and next year is the 50th anniversary of his passing. My father wrote … Continue reading →

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No more LGBT liaison at the Sheriff’s office

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

So according to the Houston Press, it would seem our new Sheriff is not exactly comfortable with gay people. First, he told to his surprise at a Republican club meeting that the HCSO website has a small rainbow flag tucked … Continue reading →

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Paxton is all “Whatevs” on the probe against him expanding

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

What, him worry?. A week after news became public that a Collin County judge had broadened the investigation into Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s alleged securities violations, Paxton downplayed the change, saying he already had addressed the matter. “Same thing … Continue reading →

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Keg dispute

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Your beer choices at certain fancy restaurants in Houston have been curtailed. A dispute over deposit fees for kegged beers could slow the flow of several craft brands, including a few that are made locally, at some of Houston’s best-known … Continue reading →

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Possibly positive sign from the Fifth Circuit on immigration lawsuit appeal

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From ThinkProgress: A string of bad luck for immigrants — and for the Obama Administration — might be coming to an end. On Thursday, a federal appeals court indicated that it is not bound by a previous decision that would … Continue reading →

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What happens if SCOTUS does not uphold marriage equality?

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing good, that’s for sure. Gay and lesbian couples could face legal chaos if the Supreme Court rules against same-sex marriage in the next few weeks. Same-sex weddings could come to a halt in many states, depending on a confusing … Continue reading →

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Flooding as election issue

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this was inevitable. As thousands of Houstonians recover from the recent storms, the flooding is emerging as a political issue. Mayoral candidates are criticizing the city’s drainage infrastructure, attacking an unfinished project along Brays Bayou – around which … Continue reading →

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No special session on same sex marriage

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry, wingnuts. Gov. Greg Abbott apparently really meant it when he said last week he will not call a special session of the Legislature. In an interview with San Antonio’s WOAI-AM on Monday, Abbott said calls for a session on … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of June 8

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is happy there’s no hint of any special sessions to come as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Fifth Circuit does it again on HB2

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Awful. In a blow to the state’s abortion providers, federal appeals judges on Tuesday upheld a state law requiring nearly all Texas facilities that perform the procedure to meet hospital-like standards. A three-judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court … Continue reading →

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Don’t expect the Harris County Clerk to be ready for the SCOTUS same sex marriage ruling

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Press follows up on a question that we have examined before. [Harris County Clerk Stan] Stanart isn’t planning on staying open later or doing anything to prepare to handle an influx of same-sex couples should the Supremes decide in … Continue reading →

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Campus student body presidents call for veto of campus carry bill

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Rice Thresher: In a letter signed by 12 other Texas university presidents, Student Association President Jazz Silva called for Texas Governor Greg Abbott to not sign Senate Bill 11, which would allow licensed Texans to carry concealed handguns … Continue reading →

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System reimagining is going to be hard

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Because change is hard. It always is. Transit officials might have reimaginged bus service in the Houston area, but the riders who rely on it for daily trips are asking them to rethink it again. Since the redesigned bus system … Continue reading →

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The Trib on the big Mayor’s races

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Those being the Houston and San Antonio Mayors races, with a look at how candidates of color are faring. If former state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte wins the runoff for San Antonio mayor next weekend, she’ll become the Alamo … Continue reading →

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One Ratliff wants to come back

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Rubber match in HD115. Bennett Ratliff will run for the Dallas-area House seat he lost to state Rep. Matt Rinaldi by just 92 votes in the 2014 GOP primary, the Coppell Republican announced Monday. “What the district has noticed is … Continue reading →

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On regulating city lobbyists

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Still a work in progress, it would seem. Four years after Mayor Annise Parker’s administration tightened Houston’s lobbying rules and pledged to enforce them, not a single person or firm has been cited despite records showing that many lobbyists have … Continue reading →

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The other stuff that got discussed at the third forum

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The third Mayoral candidate forum on Saturday was supposedly about “labor and workers’ rights”, but of course the story is all about the great and powerful pension question, because there’s been so little coverage of it and where the candidates … Continue reading →

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On the environmental challenges to the Houston region

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I turn the mic over to Jim Blackburn, in a reprint of an article he wrote for Offcite in 2014. The future of the City of Houston might be more affected by extreme weather events than by any other factor. … Continue reading →

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Further lessons in throwing money at dishonest people

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s so sad seeing such savvy businessmen being so badly fleeced, isn’t it? A second major donor to the conservative group that secretly recorded elected officials and lobbyists says he stopped providing financial support after growing dissatisfied with how his … Continue reading →

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HISD’s test scores

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not so good. Needs to be better. Houston ISD high school students continue to struggle with reading and writing, passing state exams at significantly lower rates than the state average, new results show. The district’s scores in algebra, biology and … Continue reading →

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More on the proposed I-45 changes

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Offcite reads the documents and provides some bullet points. 1. I-45 Would Rival I-10 in Width The plan would dramatically widen I-45 to more than 30 lanes in certain sections. North of 610, I-45 would rival the Katy Freeway in … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for June 7

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

“Duggary” is your new “santorum”. Women’s national soccer teams are in the game at long last. “For today, however, let’s just consider the one answer that really matters for us, the existential one that is very, very freaky indeed: The … Continue reading →

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