Monthly Archives: March 2016

City wins first round of term limits ballot language lawsuit

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s round one, of course, but it’s still a win. The ballot language Houston voters used to change term limits for elected officials was “inartful” but not “invalid,” a state district judge ruled Wednesday, a move that nonetheless left the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas AG files SCOTUS brief against Obama immigration plan

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s what he does. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court Monday arguing against President Barack Obama’s plan to shield from deportation nearly 5 million people here illegally and give them temporary work permits. … Continue reading →

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Find those leaks

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t care how. A pair of state and federal government inspectors spent two weeks traveling around northern Colorado’s oil and gas fields in early 2012, filming with an infrared camera. Air pollution was rising in the region, and attention … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas blog roundup for the week of March 28

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is sad that Rick Perry won’t come out of retirement to run as a third-party alternative to Donald Trump as it brings you this week’s roundup. (Sad for all the missed comedy opportunities, of course.)

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Runoff watch: Leftovers

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Three last races that didn’t fit into any other categories. SBOE District 6 – Democratic Jasmine Jenkins and Dakota Carter, the two candidates that actually campaigned for this office in this three-way race, finished one and two in the voting … Continue reading →

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Black Lives Matter takes an interest in the Harris County DA race

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This will be worth watching. Inspired by voters in Chicago and Cleveland who booted top prosecutors last week with candidates who pledged more accountability in police shootings, Houston-area Black Lives Matter activists have started a #ByeDevon social media campaign to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Gilbert Garcia will be a tough act to follow at Metro

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Let me bid an early and fond farewell to outgoing Metro Board Chair Gilbert Garcia. With only weeks to go as chairman of Metro, Gilbert Garcia bounds down the hallway to his transit agency office greeting workers, talking about how … Continue reading →

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Lubbock to consider rideshare ordinance

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

You know what that means. Uber drivers may soon be required to have background checks and operational permits in the city of Lubbock, a move that in the past has prompted the company to pull out of some Texas cities. … Continue reading →

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Runoff watch: Sheriff

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This one is straightforward. Democrats Ed Gonzalez and Jerome Moore will square off for the right to go against incumbent Sheriff Ron Hickman this November. Gonzalez led the way with 43.5%, while Moore tallied 29.8%. Gonzalez was the consensus establishment … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Lawsuit filed against North Carolina anti-equality law

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

That was fast. It took only one day for North Carolina’s legislature to pass the country’s most sweeping anti-LGBT bill (HB2), and only four days after that for Lambda Legal and the ACLU of North Carolina to file a lawsuit … Continue reading →

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The pros and cons of merging the crime labs

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The calls to merge the city and county crime labs are back, but not everyone likes the idea. Merging Houston’s and Harris County’s crime labs, an idea that was rejected several years ago by the city’s mayor when forensic work … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It’s not easy going green

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

And by “going green” I mean legalizing pot, at least in Texas. Advocacy groups and lawmakers say marijuana policy reform in Texas could be the fiscally responsible thing to do in light of the state’s decreasing oil and gas revenues. … Continue reading →

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

More Congressional seats are likely on the way

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

If current trends continue, that is. Texas could pick up two, perhaps three, new congressional seats following the 2020 decennial Census if current population growth continues through the decade, political and demographic experts said Thursday. With continued growth in Texas’ … Continue reading →

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

The reverse Ashby

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

You have to admit, this is kind of clever. A Houston developer has filed a pre-emptive strike against the owners of a luxury high-rise near the Galleria to head off an “inevitable lawsuit” over its plans to build a tower … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Prison gerrymandering” tossed by federal court

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. The Federal District Court for Florida’s Northern District ruled Monday that the prison gerrymandering in Florida’s Jefferson County unconstitutionally dilutes the voting power of its residents. By packing inmates who can’t vote into a district, but … Continue reading →

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What do you do with a problem like I-10?

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From a conversation that Cite Editor Raj Mankad conducted with Andrew Albers and Ernesto Alfaro, who co-teach a survey of landscape architecture at the Rice School of Architecture. Mankad: Let’s come back to I-10 and the failure of its… Alfaro: … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for March 27

Posted on March 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

“The genetic roots of today’s Irish, in other words, existed in Ireland before the Celts arrived.” That so-called VA “scandal” was a load of bollocks stirred up by the usual suspects. “The GOP is divided between those people — variously … Continue reading →

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Can SCOTUS please intervene in the voter ID case?

Posted on March 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The plaintiffs would like to know. Civil rights groups challenging Texas’ voter identification law are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block the measure from being used during the 2016 general election. […] The civil rights groups filed a motion … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Alma Allen for HISD Superintendent?

Posted on March 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It could happen. State Rep. Alma Allen, a former school principal, has emerged as a high-profile contender for the HISD superintendent’s job during the early stages of the search. The Houston Democrat, who retired from the Houston Independent School District … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Paxton’s hack hire

Posted on March 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

What else do you expect? When Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton named Jeff Mateer as his new first assistant earlier this month, conservatives lauded him for a legal background that’s highlighted by his work on religious-liberty cases. But Mateer’s background … Continue reading →

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Pasadena seeks hockey team

Posted on March 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I wish them luck. Pasadena city officials and a group of developers recently discussed working together on a $357 million sports and entertainment resort development to be built in the convention center area. The focal point of the proposed 200-acre … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Saturday video break: I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry

Posted on March 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Cowboy Junkies take on Hank Williams: I love the ethereal quality of Margo Timmins’ voice. Her singing just floats over the music. Not everyone can make that work, but she does. And for the opposite end of the vocal … Continue reading →

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We’re still growing

Posted on March 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The collapse of the oil boom has not slowed down Texas’ rapid population growth. The Houston area added more people last year than any metropolitan region in the country, continuing its exceptional growth of the last decade and a half, … Continue reading →

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On vacant lots and city/county cooperation

Posted on March 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I just have one question about this. Houston residents living in neighborhoods afflicted with blight could see twice as much money poured into boarding up abandoned houses and mowing overgrown yards under a partnership city and county leaders trumpeted Tuesday. … Continue reading →

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

Paxton’s pal’s firm fined again

Posted on March 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

A bigger penalty this time, though he’s still in business. Mowery Capital Management, a McKinney-based investment firm with ties to indicted Attorney General Ken Paxton, has been fined $90,000 for violating state securities laws by providing false documents to Texas … Continue reading →

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It’ll be 2020 before you know it

Posted on March 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Census is coming to town. The U.S. Census Bureau kicked off a Census test in Harris County on Monday, surveying 225,000 households as part of its preparation for the 2020 review, the first of its kind to rely primarily … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: In the city, part 3

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I love geographical lists. 1. Back To Chico – Clandestine 2. The Barn Yards Of Calgary – SixMileBridge 3. Buffalo Gals – Bruce Springsteen 4. Chattanooga Choo Choo – Glenn Miller 5. Chattanooga Shoeshine Boy – Georgetown Chimes 6. Chicago … Continue reading →

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North Carolina takes a big step backwards on equality

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Shameful. Wednesday was a whirlwind day in North Carolina’s government. The legislature convened a special session, a complicated multi-part bill was introduced, it passed through the House and Senate — both Republican controlled — and Gov. Pat McCrory (R) signed … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Doing more to get tax breaks

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see about this. Companies seeking city tax breaks soon could get a boost if they commit to providing additional community benefits – such as workforce housing, paid internships for low-income students or jobs for those who previously were incarcerated … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Local Planned Parenthood joins lawsuit against the video fraudsters

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A Texas-based Planned Parenthood affiliate on Thursday moved to join a federal lawsuit filed in California against the anti-abortion group behind undercover videos of the organization’s clinics. The lawsuit, filed in a San Francisco-based federal court in January, alleges … Continue reading →

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Collin County grand jury declines to add to Ken Paxton’s problems

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

He’s got that going for him, which is nice. A Collin County grand jury looking into a 2004 land sale tied to a business group involving Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has decided to drop its investigation, a lawyer for … Continue reading →

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Once more with SCOTUS and birth control

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. In another major case concerning Texas women’s reproductive care, the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday will consider if the right to religious freedom is broad enough to completely exempt nonprofits with religious objections to birth control from … Continue reading →

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Recycling officially re-upped

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

That new recycling agreement with Waste Management was on Council’s agenda yesterday. Here’s a reminder of what it was about. Originally, Houston was to ink a four-year deal with Waste Management, paying a $95-per-ton processing fee, a nearly 50 percent … Continue reading →

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Former Trooper Encinia pleads not guilty in Sandra Bland perjury case

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. A former Texas trooper pleaded not guilty to charges he lied about his actions last July while arresting Sandra Bland, whose death in Waller County’s jail three days later sparked a national outcry from civil rights activists. Dressed … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments