Monthly Archives: June 2018

Mayor Turner says “No!” to the child detention warehouse

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Damn right. Mayor Sylvester Turner called on the owner of a building east of downtown Houston and the nonprofit hoping to operate the former warehouse as a detention center for immigrant children separated from their families at the nation’s southern … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 45 Comments

More details on the flood bond referendum

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is the longer version of the original story. Through at least two-dozen public meetings across the county’s watersheds, County Judge Ed Emmett said residents have a crucial role to play as they provide feedback for the projects they think … Continue reading →

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Paxton wants magistrates’ lawsuit tossed

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We all want things, Kenny. The state attorney general Monday asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit by three Harris County hearing officers who are fighting sanctions by Texas’ judicial ethics commission earlier this year over unfair bail practices. Texas … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS punts on non-Texas redistricting cases

Posted on June 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Magic 8 ballSCOTUS says Reply hazy, try again later in the two partisan gerrymandering cases before it. On Monday, the court punted two major political redistricting cases: Gill v. Whitford, a challenge to Wisconsin’s Republican gerrymander, and Benisek v. Lamone, a … Continue reading →

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

Carlos Uresti resigns

Posted on June 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

About fscking time. Finally heeding calls from his colleagues on both sides of the aisle, state Sen. Carlos Uresti announced his resignation Monday, four months after he was found guilty of 11 felonies. The news comes just over a week … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Election 2018, Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Health care needs to be a twofer

Posted on June 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Lt. Governor candidate Mike Collier is on the right track here, but he needs to keep going. Lieutenant governor hopeful Mike Collier announced his health care reform plan Tuesday, which aims to reduce costs and increase access to health care … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

SD10 poll: Powell 46, Burton 42

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib’s email newsletter: State Sen. Konni Burton’s Democratic challenger, Beverly Powell, has a 4-point lead over the Colleyville Republican, according to a new poll from Powell’s campaign. The survey of 600 likely voters found Powell, a former Burleson … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Once more with the bail order for Harris County

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Getting close to the end. The federal judge presiding over the landmark bail lawsuit against Harris County said she planned to issue revised instructions within two weeks for how pretrial release should operate for thousands of poor people arrested on … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Houston submits its DNC 2020 bid

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Houston, recognized for its record of successfully hosting mega-events, today submitted an official bid to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention. The bid document of about 600 pages shows how Houston’s convention infrastructure and its people put … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Weekend link dump for June 17

Posted on June 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

How to create an AI psychopath seems like the sort of thing we might be better off never learning how to do. “A band of brigands eventually collapses in on itself, to paraphrase St Augustine. So the Irish referendum cannot … Continue reading →

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Say “No!” to warehousing “tender age” children

Posted on June 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We cannot allow this. The large vacant warehouse in downtown Houston has housed women and families who were once homeless and adults displaced by Hurricane Harvey. Until now, however, it has never sheltered small children who are on their own … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , | 93 Comments

We may have reached peak independent candidate

Posted on June 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Jonathan Jenkins, who would apparently like to be on your ballot for the Senate this fall. It’s got a high-tech evangelist for a founder, $6 million in private equity investments, even its own crypto-currency. No, it’s not a driverless … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

No set-aside for Stockman

Posted on June 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry, Stevie. A Texas federal judge has declined to set aside a jury’s conviction of former U.S. Rep. Stephen Stockman, R-Texas, who was found guilty in April of funneling what were solicited as charitable contributions into accounts that funded political … Continue reading →

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

GQR: Cruz 49, O’Rourke 43

Posted on June 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Would you like another Senate poll result?

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

HISD Board will need a budget do-over

Posted on June 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s never boring over there. Houston ISD trustees narrowly rejected the district’s proposed $2 billion budget, did not move forward with making Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan the district’s permanent leader and voted to end the employment of acclaimed Furr High … Continue reading →

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What the Texas State Aquarium is up to after Harvey

Posted on June 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

They’re doing what they need to do, which they should be doing. During Harvey, aquarium officials took in other birds and marine animals from the University of Texas-Austin Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas and the Aquarium at Rockport Harbor … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The June elections

Posted on June 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

You may not realize this, but there are multiple elections going on right now around Texas. I’m aware of three: 1. The Klein ISD Tax Ratification Election: Our shared vision in Klein ISD is that every student enters with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Omnibus lawsuit against anti-abortion laws

Posted on June 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Talk about going big. Two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned major provisions of Texas’ omnibus House Bill 2, abortion rights groups want to use that decision to take down years’ worth of anti-abortion legislation, before the court makeup changes. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Who watches the anonymous tipsters?

Posted on June 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Am I the only one who sees the potential for problems with this? Want a safe way to anonymously report suspicious activity at your neighborhood school to prevent a potential school shooting? There’s an app for that. In light of … Continue reading →

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County officially puts flood bond referendum on the ballot

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday unanimously agreed to place a $2.5 billion flood infrastructure bond before voters on Aug. 25, the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey. If passed, the bond would be the largest local investment … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019, Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Where CD02 and CD07 stand

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The race in CD02 gets a little attention from the Chron. The demographic elements that make the 7th Congressional District in Houston one of the hottest midterm elections in the nation also run through a neighboring area that has some … Continue reading →

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Here comes the FIFA World Cup

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Three cheers for the three nations. In a long-anticipated vote on Wednesday, the joint bid of the U.S., Mexico and Canada defeated Morocco, its only challenger, as 200 national soccer federations cast their ballots to cap FIFA’s annual Congress. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of June 11

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance thinks we should give trade peace a chance as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Senate considers mostly symbolic ideas on school safety

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Once again, see if you can tell what’s missing from this discussion. Nearly three weeks after a shooter killed 10 people at a high school southeast of Houston, lawmakers gathered at the Texas Capitol on Monday to discuss new school … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Too many people don’t get sick leave

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the CPPP: All Texans should be able to care for themselves or a loved one if they get sick, regardless of what kind of job they do or how much they earn. Approximately 4.3 million Texas workers – or … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Ohio voter purge case

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I refer to the Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute case that was decided by SCOTUS on Monday. Here’s a long reading list if you want to get up to speed on it: SCOTUSBlog Pema Levy Mark Joseph Stern Kira … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Looking back at 2010 and 2014

Posted on June 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve talked a lot about polls in the past week, so I thought I’d take a minute and look back at the polling data that we had as of this time in the 2010 and 2014 elections, to see if … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Chavez/Huerta Day

Posted on June 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see about this. Houston ISD trustees are expected to vote Thursday on whether to establish a district holiday in honor of César Chávez and Dolores Huerta, two iconic labor activists who helped win greater rights for farm workers across … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Final county report on Harvey

Posted on June 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It was what we thought it was. In the weeks and months after Hurricane Harvey, the evidence of its historic scope and intensity trickled out bit by bit: Record rainfall totals. Record reservoir levels. Record destruction. Now, nine months after … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

From the “Only negative results apply” department

Posted on June 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

There’s one paragraph in this story about Beto O’Rourke finishing a quest to visit all 254 counties in Texas that really makes me grind my teeth. When he’s not behind the wheel, O’Rourke has proven to be a formidable fundraiser, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

State Rep. Larry Gonzales steps down

Posted on June 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

One more legislative special election coming. State Rep. Larry Gonzales, R-Round Rock, is resigning early, saying “it’s time to get on with the next phase of my life.” Gonzales, a member since 2011 and a Capitol staffer before that, had … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Once, twice, three times a lawsuit

Posted on June 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

There’s actually now five lawsuits and counting over the Census citizenship question, but “three” fit my headline better. The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Trump administration on Wednesday over its decision to add a controversial question about US citizenship … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for June 10

Posted on June 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Our aging prison population. Cracking down on immigration is a great way to reduce the number of doctors practicing in the US. “Some of the biggest work issues strippers face are not so different from those of other gig economy … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Justice Department won’t defend DACA, either

Posted on June 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Even less of a surprise. Agreeing with a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas against the Trump administration to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the U.S. Justice Department told the courts late Friday the program should … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments