Monthly Archives: February 2019

Superintendent search will continue

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

For the time being, at least. Houston ISD’s pursuit of a permanent superintendent will continue after trustees rejected a motion Thursday to suspend the search amid a recently launched state investigation into potential violations of open meetings laws. Trustees voted … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Elisa Cardnell

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Meet your first official candidate for CD02. A naval battle just might be on the horizon in one of Houston’s most competitive Congressional districts. On Thursday Navy veteran and science teacher Elisa Cardnell, a Democrat, filed papers with the Federal … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Back to court for Prop B

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. Lawyers for Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner filed a motion Friday afternoon seeking to declare Proposition B invalid, contending the voter-approved referendum supporting pay parity for firefighters violates Texas law. The move is the latest in an … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Weekend link dump for February 17

Posted on February 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t want a Lost reboot, but a new story set in the same universe could be cool. “How Russia infiltrated the world of American religious-right filmmaking”. “A few notes on [Jeff] Bezos’ security apparatus.” “Despite what the judge in … Continue reading →

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More looking forward to 2020

Posted on February 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna have some more of that sweet Congressional election action. Smelling blood after picking up two Texas congressional seats in November – along with Beto O’Rourke’s narrow loss in the U.S. Senate race – House Democrats [recently] announced six new … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

A lawsuit against bail reform

Posted on February 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

That would be a No from me. A Harris County judge has sided with lawyers for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and a slate of new Democratic judges vying to loosen misdemeanor bail rules this weekend, rather than grant a … Continue reading →

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

“How Baylor Happened”

Posted on February 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From Deadspin: There’s not much to recommend spending four years in Waco. Driving into town up Interstate 35 from the south, the endless stretch of Texas nothing fills out slowly. It’s flat in the way you think Texas is flat. … Continue reading →

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

Beto may yet be a Senate candidate in 2020

Posted on February 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

He’s at least talking about the possibility. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer met with former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke last week to discuss a possible 2020 Senate campaign against GOP Sen. John Cornyn, according to a source familiar with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Texas Central gets an adverse court ruling

Posted on February 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to say how much effect this will have. The planned high-speed rail project from Houston to Dallas hit a big obstacle last week in rural Leon County when a judge there declared the project’s backers did not have authority … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Here’s one solution to the SOS problem

Posted on February 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Works for me. A San Antonio state rep wants to repeal the law that let Texas Secretary of State David Whitley refer a poorly vetted list of 95,000 people’s names to the attorney general for investigation for voter fraud. Rep. … Continue reading →

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Whitley’s “apology”

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

He can do a lot better than this. He should do a lot better than this if he wants to get confirmed. Facing an uncertain path to confirmation after ordering a deeply flawed voter citizenship review that seemingly focused on … Continue reading →

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

A beer truce is declared

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Well, glory be. Beer brewers and distributors and have been battling for years over what can be bought and sold at breweries across Texas. This week, two key groups in the fight finally signed a truce. The Texas Craft Brewers … Continue reading →

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

I still have no idea what’s going on at HCDE

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever it is, it’s not normal. After fiery exchanges and confusion dominated a special meeting Monday by the Harris County Department of Education’s board trustees voted to update the composition of an ancillary board charged with issuing bonds and overseeing … Continue reading →

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

MJ Hegar considers a Senate run

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Now we’re getting somewhere. Military veteran MJ Hegar, a former U.S. House candidate, is seriously considering a run for the Democratic nomination to take on U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in 2020. Hegar, who served in the Air Force in Afghanistan, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Vote centers advance

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The other big story from Tuesday’s Commissioners Court meeting. Harris County Clerk Diane Trautman’s plan to shift to countywide voting centers inched forward this week when Commissioners Court unanimously agreed to file an application with the secretary of state asking … Continue reading →

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Paxton double-talks on that SOS advisory

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Ken Paxton really can’t be trusted. Not exactly earth-shattering, I know, but always good to remember. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton assured lawmakers on Friday that his office hadn’t launched criminal investigations into nearly 100,000 voters flagged by the secretary … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of February 11

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance only spends forty percent of its day in Executive Time, which is just enough to put together this week’s roundup.

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On to the runoff in HD125

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We could still have a recount, given how close the race for second place was. A Republican and a Democrat are moving on to a runoff in the race to replace ex-state Rep. Justin Rodriguez, D-San Antonio, in a traditionally … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Commissioners Court rejects Ogg’s request for more prosecutors

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I fully expected that Commissioners Court going from 4-1 Republican to 3-2 Democratic after the last election would signal big changes in how business was done in Harris County, but I didn’t expect this to be the first milestone on … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

HD145 runoff set for March 5

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We have a date. The special election runoff for House District 145 will take place March 5, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday. The contest will determine the successor to former state Rep. Carol Alvarado, who won a state Senate special … Continue reading →

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January 2019 finance reports: HISD

Posted on February 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Odd-numbered years mean three types of elections in Houston – city, HISD, and HCC. We’ve looked at the finance reports for city candidates, now let’s have a look at the reports for HISD trustees, which I’ve separated into those up … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Southern Baptist Convention’s sexual abuse problems

Posted on February 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Some excellent longform reporting from the Chron, with more to come. Thirty-five years later, Debbie Vasquez’s voice trembled as she described her trauma to a group of Southern Baptist leaders. She was 14, she said, when she was first molested … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

RIP, Cassandra Hollemon

Posted on February 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Sad news. Cassandra Hollemon took the bench in a sweep of Black Girl Magic, becoming part of the historic moment when 19 African-American women in Harris County won spots overseeing some of the busiest courtrooms in Texas. In the weeks … Continue reading →

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Equality Texas poll on non-discrimination laws

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: New data released by national polling organization Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) shows majority support from every major demographic group for laws to protect LGBTQ Texans from discrimination. “This poll shows that Texas has turned the corner, … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Time again to talk judicial elections

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again, like it or not. In the wake of a midterm election that swept some 20 Republican appellate judges out of office, Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht called on the Texas Legislature to reform a … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

From the “Elections have consequences”, Metro referendum edition

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Sometimes, consequences are good things. METRO will get more federal support for public transportation projects if Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher has anything to say about it. The freshman lawmaker wants to use her new seat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for February 10

Posted on February 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

“With Trump, on the other hand, close to 50 percent of Americans have already said they definitely wouldn’t vote for him even though we’re still more than 600 days away from the election.” “But in many local markets, the arrival … Continue reading →

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How many prosecutors do we need?

Posted on February 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Opinions differ, but it’s a big question in Harris County right now. Hanover is one of many prosecutors Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said are overburdened — the reason she has asked Commissioners Court for a budget that would … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Early voting ends in HD125

Posted on February 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I have to admit, I’d totally forgotten about this special election. The special election for Texas House District 125 has been on a characteristically slow roll as early voting closed Friday in the contest to fill former State Rep. Justin … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Let’s check in on the HCDE

Posted on February 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

How are things with the new Board? Within an hour and 37 minutes of his first meeting as a trustee on the Harris County Department of Education’s board of trustees, Josh Flynn had a new role: President. The former Harris … Continue reading →

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

We’ll know soon enough if Beto is running for President

Posted on February 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Thanks, Oprah. Beto O’Rourke said Tuesday he will decide whether to run for president by the end of the month, signaling his closely watched deliberations over a 2020 run are entering their final stages. The former Democratic congressman from El … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Paxton manages to restrain himself from prosecuting anyone on the SOS list – yet

Posted on February 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Mighty decent of you there, Kenny boy. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told lawmakers Friday that his office has yet to take action on a deeply flawed list of nearly 100,000 Texas voters flagged last month for citizenship review. Paxton … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Buc-ee’s comes to Alabama

Posted on February 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Tomorrow, the world. Texas road stop institution Buc-ee’s has opened a store in Alabama, its first location outside the Lone Star State. Despite chilly weather, more than 100 people were lined up outside the Baldwin County store when it opened … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Whitley hearing

Posted on February 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Not a great day at the office for our Secretary of State and his advisory-ing ways. Almost two weeks after calling into question the citizenship status of almost 100,000 registered voters, Texas’ new chief elections officer, David Whitley, defended his … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments