Monthly Archives: December 2017

The Harvey effect on the state budget

Posted on December 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

You know what the solution to this is, right? Senate leaders warned Tuesday that Hurricane Harvey could put a billion-dollar hole in Texas’ budget, an ever-growing number that could affect how much money is available for other state programs. Only … Continue reading →

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Cricket in Houston

Posted on December 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

If cricket ever becomes a big deal in the US, the Houston region will play a key role in that. Houston has had adult [cricket] leagues since the 1970s. Most players, then and now, are from Commonwealth countries – nations … Continue reading →

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Filing news: Jerry’s back

Posted on December 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Former Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson would like his office back, please. Patterson, who was first elected as the state’s land commissioner in 2003, wants to head the agency that manages state-owned lands and the Alamo. He gave up the job to … Continue reading →

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Filing news: Two for County Judge

Posted on December 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Yet another contested primary. At this point it’s easier to identify the uncontested races than the contested ones. There will be a contested March Democratic primary election for Harris County’s top administrative position as the race for county judge now … Continue reading →

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Farenthold draws a crowd of opponents

Posted on December 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Bring ’em on. Bech Bruun, chairman of the Texas Water Development Board, resigned Thursday from that position ahead of an anticipated bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi. “Serving as the Chairman of the Texas Water Development Board … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Break it up

Posted on December 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

You can shake it, but please don’t break it. 1. Break It To Me Gently – Brenda Lee 2. Break My Heart – La Sera 3. Break Your Heart – Natalie Merchant 4. Breakin’ Me – Jonny Lang 5. Breaking … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | 2 Comments

That sexual harassment day of reckoning in Texas politics has begun

Posted on December 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Daily Beast follows up its initial reporting about the secret sexual predators of Texas politics with a story that names names. Two names, in particular. Rather than excerpt at length, allow me to quote the Texas Monthly Daily Post … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Andrew White is in

Posted on December 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

And now there are eight. Andrew White, the son of late Gov. Mark White, made it official Thursday morning: He is running for governor, joining the crowded Democratic primary with four days to go before the filing deadline. White, 45, … Continue reading →

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Runoff Day for HISD and HCC is tomorrow

Posted on December 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Saturday, December 9, is Election Day for voters in Houston Community College District IX and HISD Trustee Districts I and III. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters must vote at their designated … Continue reading →

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Filing news: Lupe Valdez is in for Governor

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here she comes. Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez announced Wednesday morning that she is running for governor, giving Texas Democrats a serious candidate for the top job with five days until the candidate filing deadline for the 2018 primaries. “Like … Continue reading →

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Harvey’s lingering health effects

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s going to be a long time before we can really say we have put Hurricane Harvey behind us. Three months after Hurricane Harvey, local health officials now are beginning to see the storm after the storm. In Harris County … Continue reading →

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County approves floodplain regulation change

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Five hundred is the new one hundred. The Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously on Tuesday to make significant changes to the way the county regulates new development, including a slew of new restrictions in Hurricane Harvey’s wake that officials … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, Local politics | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of December 4

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance wishes everyone Treason’s Greetings as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Voter ID back before the Fifth Circuit

Posted on December 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

And the worst judge on the Fifth Circuit does her thing. In Texas’ bid to keep its voter identification law intact, it was its legal foes — lawyers representing voting and civil rights groups and individual voters of color — … Continue reading →

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

Filing news: Adrian Garcia is in for County Commissioner

Posted on December 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Former Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia announced his candidacy for Harris County Commissioner, Precinct Two, citing his experience in bringing people together around smart government, transparency, and delivering results for taxpayers. “We all know that sometimes government … Continue reading →

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Thunderstorms are going to get worse

Posted on December 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Just FYI. Summer thunderstorms in North America will likely be larger, wetter and more frequent in a warmer world, dumping 80 percent more rain in some areas and worsening flooding, a new study says. Future storms will also be wilder, … Continue reading →

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Filing news: Jeffrey Payne and a whole lot of Congressional candidates

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

And then there were six Democratic candidates for Governor. Signing paperwork and presenting a $3,500 check, [Dallas businessman Jeffrey] Payne became the sixth Democrat to file for the state’s top office. In addition to Payne, the list currently includes Houston … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS declines to hear Houston’s appeal of same-sex marriage lawsuit

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Disappointing, but nowhere close to the end of the line. Denying the city of Houston’s request, the U.S. Supreme Court will not review a June decision by the Texas Supreme Court, which ruled that the landmark decision legalizing same-sex marriage … Continue reading →

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

Lege updates sexual harassment policy

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good, and about time. Members of the Texas House approved a new sexual harassment policy Friday with significant changes, including language strengthening protections against retaliation and specific steps for reporting inappropriate behavior. The revised policy, which was adopted during a … Continue reading →

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Filing news: The “not much to add but I’ll add it anyway” edition

Posted on December 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

One more week to go till the filing deadline. There’s already been a lot of activity, but there should be plenty more to come. A few highlights as we head into the last week for filing: – An old familiar … Continue reading →

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Hey, remember that harassment lawsuit against Rep. Blake Farenthold?

Posted on December 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I’m just gonna leave this right here. Rep. Blake Farenthold used taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment claim brought by his former spokesman — the only known sitting member of Congress to have used a little-known congressional account to … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Cleaning up Buffalo Bayou

Posted on December 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is a big job, and it’s going to take a long time. Three months after flood torrents from Hurricane Harvey submerged Buffalo Bayou Park under almost 39 feet of water, scars left by the storm are still evident. Mounds … Continue reading →

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Rally against the GOP tax scam

Posted on December 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Are you upset about the terrible tax giveaway passed by the Senate last week? (If you aren’t, you should be.) Here’s one action you can take to channel those feelings. Rally Against Robbery! The People Fight the Tax Scam. Hosted … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Weekend link dump for December 3

Posted on December 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Is this the end of the line for Microsoft Excel? “It should not be possible for anyone observing James Dobson in 2017 to be disappointed, because it should not be possible, in 2017, to have still retained any illusions about … Continue reading →

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Just a reminder, CHIP is still running out

Posted on December 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. Nearly 400,000 Texas children could lose healthcare coverage in late January unless Congress renews funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, a decades-old federal program that provides health care to millions of children across the … Continue reading →

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Appeals court upholds Reynolds barratry conviction

Posted on December 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Not good. A Texas appeals court has upheld the conviction of state Rep. Ron Reynolds, who was found guilty in 2015 of engaging in a scheme to illegally solicit potential clients for his law firm. The three-judge appellate panel ruled … Continue reading →

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Golf courses against flooding

Posted on December 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Washington Post looks at how Clear Lake made it through Harvey. Like many parts of Houston, Clear Lake City has a history of flooding. The area got an unexpected break when Hurricane Harvey dumped record rainfall, thanks to its decision years ago to … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Saturday video break: Solsbury Hill

Posted on December 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

An all time classic from Peter Gabriel: No, I have no idea what the lettuce this is about. Apparently, the video was done much later, so who knows. Now here’s Jiggernaut: There’s a live version here but the audio quality … Continue reading →

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State has not appealed the voting rights case on language interpreters

Posted on December 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Texas has spent years defending its voting laws in court, regularly appealing rulings that found state lawmakers violated the rights of their voters. So when a federal appellate court in August ruled against the state’s restrictions on language interpreters at the ballot … Continue reading →

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Sid Miller gets a primary opponent

Posted on December 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

But what will our village do without its idiot if ol’ Sid loses? Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is getting a primary challenge from Trey Blocker, the longtime lobbyist, ethics adviser and attorney from Austin. “I’m running because we need to … Continue reading →

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Organizing the guys with boats

Posted on December 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Remember all those volunteer rescuers who got in their boats to get flood victims during Harvey? Harris County remembers, and they would like to formalize that a bit for the next time. With emergency responders across the Houston area overwhelmed … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Born to be wild

Posted on December 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Where it all begins for everyone. 1. Born At The Right Time – Paul Simon 2. Born Blonde – Wild Moccasins 3. Born In The U.S.A. – Bruce Springsteen 4. Born In Time – Bob Dylan 5. Born This Way … Continue reading →

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Filing news: The “What’s up with Lupe Valdez?” edition

Posted on December 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

On Wednesday, we were told that Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez had resigned her post in preparation for an announcement that she would be filing to run for Governor. Later that day, the story changed – she had not resigned, … Continue reading →

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Smokey Joe will not run for re-election

Posted on December 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Another one bites the dust. Embattled U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Ennis, announced his retirement from Congress on Thursday. “I am very proud of my public record and the many accomplishments of my office. It has been a tremendous honor to … Continue reading →

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