Monthly Archives: August 2016

Independent candidate lawsuit update

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

There’s already been a lawsuit filed by a wannabe independent candidate for President seeking to get on the ballot in Texas, but not by that guy you might have heard of. It’s still up in the air whether Evan McMullin, … Continue reading →

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What do we want of a Fire Department study?

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever it is, this wasn’t it. A much-anticipated analysis of fire department operations essentially was dead on arrival Friday after it failed to identify cost savings and called for a multitude of investments, including three new fire stations. Mayor Sylvester … Continue reading →

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

Rideshare companies in Austin are complying with its fingerprint requirements

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Well, what do you know? All eight of the ride-hailing companies operating in Austin met a city requirement to have at least half of the rides they provided in July come from drivers who passed fingerprint-based background checks, according to … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Stay the course

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County Democrats have one incumbent up for re-election: County Attorney Vince Ryan. The Chron gives their approval for another term. [Ryan] said that he actively pursues pollution enforcement lawsuits against big companies – such as Volkswagen after it lied … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: HISD Trustee district VII in a Presidential year

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, we have a special election for HISD Trustee in district VII on the ballot this November. There’s one Democratic candidate in that race and three Republicans. These races are normally held in odd-numbered years, in which turnout … Continue reading →

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

What’s that definition of insanity again?

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

How many times are we going to find ourselves in this same situation before we finally accept that we need to do something different? The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has cut funding for law enforcement operations to cover exploding overtime … Continue reading →

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

HPD wants control of crime scene forensics for officer-involved shootings

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

No. Houston’s acting Police Chief Martha Montalvo, with the support of the powerful Houston Police Officers Union, has made a behind-closed-doors bid to take back control over the troubled Crime Scene Unit from the city’s independent forensic science lab. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Field set for HISD special election

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Four candidates have filed, so no one else got in since my last post. Four candidates have applied to run in a special election to be a trustee for the Houston Independent School District. The filing deadline was Aug. 25. … Continue reading →

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

Paxton encourages schools to discriminate against transgender students

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the ACLU of Texas: [Friday], the ACLU of Texas issued a letter to Texas school districts outlining their ongoing legal responsibility to provide transgender students access to educational opportunities and school facilities on the same basis as all other … Continue reading →

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Black women face much higher risk of pregnancy-related death in Texas

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Any time you’re being compared to a third world country, it’s not a good thing. Black women bear the greatest risk for pregnancy-related death in Texas by far, according to a much-awaited new report, commissioned because the state rate resembles … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Next B-Cycle expansion announced

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Houston’s bike share system, Houston B-cycle, will more than triple in size over the next two years, adding 71 stations with 568 bikes. The expansion will be paid for with federal grant dollars. “The expansion of the … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for August 28

Posted on August 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here are those pictures of cats sitting on glass tables that you didn’t know you needed. The Iron Nun. We are not worthy. “[F]alse confessions happen. They happen all the time. Brendan [Dassey] is not an anomaly.” Behold Rossia pacifica, … Continue reading →

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How is the state going to do its voter ID education outreach?

Posted on August 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

You don’t need to know. Texas will spend $2.5 million to spread the word about changes to the state’s voter ID law before the November election, but will not release details of how that money will be spent. More than … Continue reading →

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Paxton says he will meet with transgender child’s family

Posted on August 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start, I guess. Attorney General Ken Paxton has pledged to meet with the Denton family of a transgender boy, even as his office continues its legal fight against federal school bathroom guidelines that the family supports. Paxton was … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

We won’t have Robert Morrow to kick around any longer

Posted on August 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Valar morghulis, y’all. The brief, zany tenure of Travis County GOP Chairman Robert Morrow came to an end Friday, as party officials made clear the conspiracy theorist abandoned his post by running for president and he accepted their conclusion without … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Civil court incumbents

Posted on August 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Keeping up with the weekly endorsement schedule, we have round one of Civil Court endorsements, as there are many Civil Court races this year. 11th Civil District Court: Kevin Fulton The candidates in this race to replace outgoing Judge Mike … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Saturday video break: Mah Na Mah Na

Posted on August 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

There are many ways to spell that, but we all know the words. Sing along with the Asylum Street Spankers: Very sad there’s no live video recording of that, it was always a blast to watch them perform it. With … Continue reading →

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Microbreweries win their distribution rights lawsuit

Posted on August 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent news. A Texas law that prohibits brewers from selling territorial rights to distribute their beer is unconstitutional, a judge ruled Thursday, serving up a major victory to beer companies seeking to expand their presence in stores, bars and restaurants … Continue reading →

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Pasadena voting rights case moves forward

Posted on August 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. A federal judge has denied Pasadena’s request to throw out a lawsuit challenging its controversial city council redistricting plan, which a group of Hispanic and Latino residents alleges dilutes the voting rights of the suburb’s growing minority population. … Continue reading →

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Getting the (wind and solar) power to the people

Posted on August 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s all about the transmission lines. The Lone Star state is by far the largest state for wind power, with nearly 18,000 megawatts of wind generation capacity already built and another 5,500 megawatts—nearly equal to California’s total installed capacity—planned. The … Continue reading →

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No injunction against HISD school name changes

Posted on August 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The changes can remain, at least for now. A civil court judge has declined to stop the Houston school district from changing the names of eight campuses that were named after Confederate loyalists. Judge John Wooldridge this week denied a … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Ladies’ night, part 10

Posted on August 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Several iconic acts, plus some great covers. 1. I Can’t Stand The Rain – The Commitments (Angeline Ball, Maria Doyle, Bronagh Gallagher) 2. Everybody Knows – Concrete Blonde (Johnette Napolitano) 3. Like A Star – Corinne Bailey Rae 4. Too … Continue reading →

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Voter fraud: Still a myth

Posted on August 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder, in case you needed one. Politicians and voting rights advocates continue to clash over whether photo ID and other voting requirements are needed to prevent voter fraud, but a News21 analysis and recent court rulings show little … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Schedule set for voter ID discrimination arguments

Posted on August 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The next phase of the voter ID litigation will begin shortly after Election Day. A federal judge has scheduled oral arguments for Jan. 24 to determine if the Texas Legislature approved a voter ID law in 2011 with the intent … Continue reading →

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Superintendent Carranza on bathroom access

Posted on August 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This is what I like to see and hear. The new HISD superintendent, Richard Carranza, did not discuss specifics but certainly signaled an open-minded approach to the issue of which restrooms students should be allowed to use. “I think, you … Continue reading →

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

Driverless taxis debut in Singapore

Posted on August 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Not fast enough, Uber. The world’s first self-driving taxis will be picking up passengers in Singapore starting Thursday. Select members of the public will be able to hail a free ride through their smartphones in taxis operated by nuTonomy, an … Continue reading →

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When is Texas going to file that voter ID appeal?

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Lone Star Project would like to know. Last week, Texas AG Ken Paxton made a big show in the press by announcing that he would file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court challenging the ruling of the 5th … Continue reading →

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

Another Voting Rights Act violation alleged

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From Friday: Today, a coalition of 10 groups sent a letter to Carlos Casco, Secretary of State of Texas, requesting that his office take immediate steps to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act of 1985 (VRA) and the Texas … Continue reading →

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Driverless Ubers

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not, here they come. The option to hail a ride in a self-driving car, which was science fiction just a few years ago, will soon be available to Uber users in Pittsburgh, the first time the technology has … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of August 22

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance keeps the flame burning as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Paxton continues his war on transgender people

Posted on August 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This is just ugly. Ramping up its fight over the rights of transgender people, Texas filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the federal government over a regulation prohibiting discrimination against transgender individuals in some health programs. Texas, on behalf of Franciscan … Continue reading →

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

Three more candidates announce campaigns for open HISD Trustee seat

Posted on August 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, candidate number 1: Victoria Bryant, an entrepreneur and businesswoman, announced her candidacy today, August 15, for Houston ISD Trustee in District VII. The position is up for election this November with the resignation of Harvin Moore, one … Continue reading →

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STAAR test lawsuit survives motion to dismiss

Posted on August 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

On to trial. After a group of parents sued the Texas Education Agency over the 2016 administration of STAAR exams, state lawyers argued this summer that the parents had no standing and asked the courts to drop the case. This … Continue reading →

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What can we do to increase the odds of a downballot Democratic victory?

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday, I raised the possibility of downballot Democrats winning statewide races if 1) polling in the Trump/Clinton matchup remained at or below the six point spread in the recent PPP poll and 2) Democrats did a better job voting all … Continue reading →

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