Monthly Archives: February 2020

Interview with Audia Jones

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We come to the end of the DA interviews, and also interview season for the primaries. It’s possible I’ll revisit some other races in the runoffs, but there’s not that many to pick from at this point. You never know, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Audia Jones

Judicial Q&A: Judge Julia Maldonado

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Judicial Q&A: Judge Julia Maldonado

We should get full delegate results on Primary Day

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Texas counties have started seeing updates to the state’s election reporting system that will allow them to break out the vote totals needed to determine how many delegates are won by presidential contenders on Super Tuesday. The refinements to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on We should get full delegate results on Primary Day

Former MLB pitcher sues Astros

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. A pitcher who has not appeared in a major league game since getting shelled by the 2017 Houston Astros filed a civil lawsuit against the ballclub on Monday, according to USA Today. In the filing made … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Interview with Carvana Cloud

Posted on February 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Incumbent District Attorney Kim Ogg has three opponents in the Democratic primary this year. Two of the three are running serious campaigns, and I have interviews to present to you with each of them. Today’s candidate is Carvana Cloud. Cloud … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Carvana Cloud

Judicial Q&A: Judge Randy Roll

Posted on February 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

There’s still (a little) time to affect the I-45 design

Posted on February 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There’s stuff happening this week. After that, it gets harder. City officials and consultants will spend the coming weeks finalizing a few ways to turn the region’s largest and most controversial freeway rebuild of recent years into an Interstate 45 … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on There’s still (a little) time to affect the I-45 design

Interview with District Attorney Kim Ogg

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to believe, but we are one week out from early voting for the 2020 primaries in Texas. It’s been a busy interview season for me, as I’m sure you can imagine. This week we will wrap things up with … Continue reading →

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

Judicial Q&A: Jane Robinson

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Judicial Q&A: Jane Robinson

Still waiting to see which cities will get to host World Cup games

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Houston’s right in the mix, and after that we’ll see. This time last year, former Houston Dynamo president Chris Canetti began to find his stride after leaving the team in late 2018 to lead the Houston 2026 World Cup Bid … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Endorsement watch: Ed again

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is an easy call. [Sheriff Ed] Gonzalez, 50, a soft-spoken Houston native, former councilman and 18-year veteran of the Houston Police Department, ran as a reformer and he hasn’t disappointed in his first term. From taking a bold stance … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: Ed again

Weekend link dump for February 9

Posted on February 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

“So because Republicans have now become the party of intransigence, that is the new norm and gets a pass when it comes to accountability. The burden is placed on Democrats to conjure up some magic trick to stop Republicans from … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | Comments Off on Weekend link dump for February 9

A look at the other SBOE races of interest

Posted on February 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There are three races in the State Board of Education that Democrats have a shot to flip based on recent election results. We are pretty familiar with SBOE6, so let’s take a look at districts 5 and 10. The Statesman … Continue reading →

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

What can Houston do about hazardous buildings?

Posted on February 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a good question, but there’s another question that has to be considered alongside it. For the first time, Houston City Council members publicly floated proposals Wednesday for how the city can better protect its residents from explosions like the … Continue reading →

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

“You guys Codebreaking?”

Posted on February 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You thought the Astros sign stealing saga was over? It’s not over. Roughly four weeks ago, Major League Baseball disciplined the Houston Astros for what commissioner Rob Manfred called the “banging scheme.” The Astros were busted illegally stealing signs in 2017 and 2018. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Cite and release

Posted on February 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This has been a long time coming. Harris County law enforcement officials on Tuesday will begin a “cite and release” program that treats some misdemeanor charges like court citations for speeding tickets, just days after the district attorney’s office said … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

January 2020 campaign finance reports: City of Houston

Posted on February 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We’re done with the 2019 Houston election cycle, but there are still things we can learn from the January 2020 campaign finance reports that city of Houston candidates and officeholders have to file. Other finance report posts: My two-part look … Continue reading →

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

Chron overview of Commissioners Court Precinct 1

Posted on February 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

As with endorsement editorials, they’re going to need to write a lot of these in the next couple of weeks. Few Harris County politicians — of any party — are eager to challenge Rodney Ellis, the widely known, well-funded, well-connected … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The jury duty problem

Posted on February 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Some good ideas here, they just need to be implemented. One morning in January, about 270 people crammed into the basement of the Harris County administration building for jury duty. Another 1,130 people who were summoned didn’t show. That day’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Lawsuit filed over sign stealing effect on fantasy baseball

Posted on February 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Major League Baseball (MLB) teams secretly distorted player statistics and deprived fans of an “honest fantasy baseball competition,” a lawsuit filed by a fan alleges in the fallout to a sign-stealing scandal involving the Houston … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Lawsuit filed over sign stealing effect on fantasy baseball

January 2020 campaign finance reports: Congress

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The big ones for this cycle the Q4 2019 Congressional finance reports. For the last time, we have new candidates joining the list, and a couple of folks dropping out. Let’s do the thing and see where we are going … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Jerry Davis situation

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Someday, this is going to be taught in political science classes. And possibly law schools. The ongoing election dispute in District B has put Jerry Davis in a peculiar position, seemingly caught between two provisions of the Texas Constitution as … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019, Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Jerry Davis situation

Endorsement watch: Let’s get this party started

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron kicks off Primary Endorsement Season by recommending Michelle Palmer in SBOE6. Three well-qualified Democratic candidates are vying to replace Chair Donna Bahorich,R-Houston, who is not seeking re-election. They are Debra Kerner, a speech and language pathologist; Kimberly McLeod, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: Let’s get this party started

Interview with Kristi Thibaut

Posted on February 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We come to the end of our candidate journey in Harris County Precinct 3. I’ve run out of facts to give about Steve Radack and the Republican history of the Court, so here’s a Houston Public Media story about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Kristi Thibaut

Judicial Q&A: Cheryl Elliott Thornton

Posted on February 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Will we get full Presidential primary results from Texas on primary night?

Posted on February 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. As their counterparts in Iowa reel from a disastrously slow election returns process, Texas Democrats raised the prospect Wednesday that a change in the way Texas reports election results could delay the final tally of delegates won by presidential … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of Feburary 3

Posted on February 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance admits that it has done everything to bring you this week’s roundup, but doesn’t see anything wrong with it.

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , | Comments Off on Texas blog roundup for the week of Feburary 3

Interview with Morris Overstreet

Posted on February 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We continue in Commissioner Court Precinct 3. Steve Radack has done a lot of things in his 32 years on the Court, many of which I don’t care for. One thing I will give him for was his plan to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Morris Overstreet

Judicial Q&A: Lennon Wright

Posted on February 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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

Bailey stays on District B runoff ballot

Posted on February 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Hopefully, this is the end of the line. In a long-awaited decision, a visiting judge ruled Tuesday that a Houston city council candidate who has a felony conviction should remain on the ballot for the District B runoff, declining a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019, Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Documenting the bangs

Posted on February 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You have to admire the dedication to craft. Like so many in Houston, Tony Adams and his family had to flee their inner-Loop home when Hurricane Harvey pushed Houston’s bayous out of their banks in August 2017. Weeks later, Adams … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Interview with Michael Moore

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We continue in Harris County Commissioners Court, Precinct 3. If Democrats win this race, they will have a 4-1 advantage on the Court, just two years after taking the majority for the first time since, I don’t know, the Seventies? … Continue reading →

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

Judicial Q&A: Wally Kronzer

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Judicial Q&A: Wally Kronzer

A better way to do I-45

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From Michael Skelley on Facebook: Here’s a new vision for I-45. -saves money -no displacement in low income areas -no destruction of White Oak Bayou -prevents TxDOT vandalization of EaDo -downtown amenities if we want to fund those ourselves This … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments