Monthly Archives: June 2017

Friday random ten – All in, part 2

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

All there is is more songs that start with “All”. 1. All God’s Children Got Rhythm – Stan Getz 2. All I Ask – Adele 3. All I Ever – GEMS 4. All I Wanna Do – The Chesterfield Kings … Continue reading →

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Hearing for that other SB4 lawsuit

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The SB4 lawsuit that Ken Paxton filed, to get the law pre-emptively declared to be constitutional, had its hearing in Austin on Thursday. A federal judge on Thursday criticized the politics surrounding Texas’ new immigration-enforcement law and hinted that he’d … Continue reading →

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

Firefighters sue city over contract negotiations

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

These are busy days for the HPFFA. Houston’s fire union sued the city Wednesday alleging Mayor Sylvester Turner’s administration failed to act in good faith during contract negotiations, exacerbating tensions between firefighters and City Hall. The lawsuit filed in state … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

City of El Paso joins in on SB4

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Add one more to the list. The city of El Paso voted on Tuesday to join the growing list of local governments that have filed a legal challenge in hopes of stopping Texas’ new immigration enforcement law from going into … Continue reading →

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Mike Lunceford announces he is not running for re-election

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Two-term HISD Trustee in District V Mike Lunceford posted the following on Facebook yesterday: Sometimes when you are passionate about something it is very hard to walk away from it. After 8 years on the Houston ISD School Board and … Continue reading →

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WaPo looks at a couple of our Congressional primaries

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is supposed to be a story about how there’s a lot of people running for Congress as Democrats but (surprise!) they have different opinions about what to emphasize and how to win and stuff like that. Weird, right? Anyway, … Continue reading →

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Bonds on the ballot

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Turner has one more item to deal with this November. Mayor Sylvester Turner is poised ask voters to approve bonds this fall to fund improvements to city parks, community centers, fire stations and health clinics, adding hundreds of millions … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2017 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

State to help defend county bail policies

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Of course it will. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the top lawyers in five other states are backing Harris County in its protracted battle over money bail for poor low-level defendants, as the tally of those released on no-cash … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of June 26

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance thinks lack of compassion should be treated as a pre-existing condition as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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End Citizens United to back O’Rourke

Posted on June 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The 2018 Senate election in Texas remains more than 16 months away, but Rep. Beto O’Rourke picked up his first major organizational endorsement Monday in his long-shot bid to challenge Sen. Ted Cruz. End Citizens United PAC, a progressive … Continue reading →

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Ellis seeks Harris County entry into SB4 litigation

Posted on June 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, an email from Commissioner Ellis: Despite strong opposition from law enforcement officials, faith leaders, local governments, civil rights organizations, constituents, and advocacy groups, Senate Bill 4 (SB4), the “show-me-your-papers” legislation, has been signed into law. The new … Continue reading →

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Another look at redistricting in Texas

Posted on June 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We’re in the spotlight right now. The odd shapes tell the story. A huge Republican majority in the Houston-area 2nd congressional district represented by Ted Poe curls around the region from Lake Houston, northeast of the city, makes a meandering, … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

RideAustin tries to hang on

Posted on June 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I wish them luck. The return of Uber and Lyft to Austin has put the city’s only ride-hailing nonprofit in a fight for survival. RideAustin, one of several small companies that started operations in Austin after the ride-hailing giants left … Continue reading →

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

SB4’s day in court

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Sparks were flying. Opponents of Texas’ state-based immigration law told a federal judge Monday that allowing the controversial measure to stand would pave the way for a nationwide police state where local officers could subvert the established immigration-enforcement powers of … Continue reading →

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House still opposes vouchers

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Keep on keeping on, y’all. The top House education leader said Sunday that “private school choice” is still dead in the lower chamber. “We only voted six times against it in the House,” House Public Education Committee Chairman Dan Huberty … Continue reading →

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Ellis shakes things up

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. It’s what he should be doing. When former state Sen. Rodney Ellis launched his campaign to succeed the late El Franco Lee as Precinct 1 commissioner last year, he said he would shake up Harris County government. He’s kept … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Smarter streets

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

They’re coming soon to Houston. Houston City Council on Wednesday will consider a $33.6 million contract – partially funded by a $10 million federal grant – to add hundreds of traffic-tracking devices across the city so officials can receive better … Continue reading →

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Next round of voter ID briefs ordered

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Moving right along: With the next election season looming, a federal judge has set a fast-paced schedule for determining whether Texas should be penalized for a voter ID law found to have been written by Republicans to intentionally discriminate against minority … Continue reading →

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

The anti-vaxxers had another good legislative session

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Sure would be nice if we could put a stop to this. It was mid-April, more than halfway through the legislative session, and Texans for Vaccine Choice was finally getting the fight it had been spoiling for. On April 11, … Continue reading →

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Texas Central survives the session

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It looked bad for awhile there. but in the end no significant bill that would have obstructed the high speed rail line was passed. In the recent Legislature, over 20 bills were filed that took aim at a high-speed rail … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for June 25

Posted on June 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

“The AHCA would raise employment and economic activity at first, but lower them in the long run. It initially raises the federal deficit when taxes are repealed, leading to 864,000 more jobs in 2018. In later years, reductions in support … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 3 Comments

Next round of bathroom bills getting prepped

Posted on June 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Meet the new bills, same as the old bills. Rep. Ron Simmons, R-Carrollton, is expected to introduce two bills in the upcoming special session of the Texas Legislature that would regulate which public bathrooms transgender Texans, including schoolchildren, can use. … Continue reading →

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Getting underway in Dallas

Posted on June 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Candidate recruitment season is on. For Texas Democrats, the road out of the political wilderness winds through Dallas County. It’s here, in the Republican strongholds of the north, west and east, that Democrats hope to unseat up to seven GOP … Continue reading →

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More on Heights alcohol vote 2.0

Posted on June 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the Heights Examiner (now a section of the Wednesday Chron), the reasons why restauranteurs want in on the action. But the possible reversal of the century-old prohibition on restaurants would mean more than just no longer having to sign … Continue reading →

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

The Round Rock Bigfoot footprint

Posted on June 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

You know, it’s been too long since we had a good Bigfoot story to talk about. [Last] Saturday, the Round Rock Parks and Recreation Department released photos of foot prints found on various trails and parks in the Austin suburb. … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Saturday Night

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, it’s Saturday! And here’s a song all about Saturday Night! It’s perfect! That was the Bay City Rollers, and the entire 1970s boiled down into a three-minute video. And for a slightly different view of the 70’s, here are … Continue reading →

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What about Fort Worth?

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Now that Houston has voted to join the litigation against SB4, there remains one big city on the sidelines. Holding signs that said, “No hate in my Texas” and “Diversity not division,” protesters on Tuesday urged city leaders to join … Continue reading →

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Doctors against bathroom bills

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. [Last] week, the American Medical Association (AMA), the country’s largest medical organization, took several actions to solidify their defense of transgender people. This included a resolution opposing any policy or legislation — like “bathroom bills” put forth in North Carolina and … Continue reading →

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No partisan gerrymandering claims (yet) in Texas

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Redistricting: The three-judge panel in the Texas redistricting case has issued an order striking the expert report offered by the Texas Democratic Party in connection with its partisan gerrymandering claim. However, the court said that it would allow … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten – All in, part 1

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I have a lot of songs that begin with the word “All”, so settle in and get comfortable. 1. All About Soul – Billy Joel 2. All Along The Watchtower – U2 3. All Around My Hat – The Mollys … Continue reading →

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Feds join the state in defense of SB4

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this was to be expected. About a month ago, the city of El Cenizo filed a lawsuit against the state, calling the bill unconstitutional. On Monday, the Trump administration got involved. The defendants in the lawsuit are the … Continue reading →

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One Republican judge doesn’t want that high-priced attorney for the bail lawsuit appeal

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Credit where credit is due. One of 15 Harris County judges challenging a federal order altering how bail works for indigent defendants has dropped out of the group that hired a pricey D.C. law firm to appeal the lawsuit. Court … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , | 17 Comments

Even the SBOE opposes vouchers and the bathroom bill

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A rare bout of sanity. The Texas State Board of Education is known for its conservative ideals, but a majority of its Republican members said Tuesday they oppose GOP Gov. Greg Abbott’s demand that lawmakers pass a school voucher program … Continue reading →

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Houston officially gets in the SB4 litigation business

Posted on June 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Well done. Houston City Council voted Wednesday to sue the state over its new “sanctuary cities” law, joining Texas’ three other largest cities in challenging the controversial measure. Council voted 10-6 to join San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, El Paso County … Continue reading →

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