Monthly Archives: April 2020

Stockman seeks a pardon

Posted on April 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, my God, this may be the most 2020 story ever. Former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman, who is serving a 10-year federal prison stint for a complex campaign corruption scheme, is seeking a presidential pardon amid the growing coronavirus pandemic. … Continue reading →

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

Do I need to tell you that the Fifth Circuit did it again?

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to tell you anyway, because it’s what happened. In the latest turn of a whiplash-inducing federal court battle over Texas GOP officials’ near-total ban on abortion during the novel coronavirus outbreak, a federal appeals court on Friday once … Continue reading →

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

Ridiculous Hotze lawsuit now in district court

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We are all dumber by the mere existence of this. The Texas Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Harris County’s stay-at-home order, though the legal fight is set to continue in state district court. The Wednesday … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Coronavirus and driving

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There are a lot fewer cars on the road now, though the decrease may not be quite as much as you’d think. Traffic around the country has plummeted since governments began enacting stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus outbreak, but data … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

RIP, XFL

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Tough break. The XFL suspended operations Friday morning and laid off nearly all of its staff, multiple sources told ESPN. While a handful of executives remain employed, the league currently has no plans to return in 2021. The league canceled … Continue reading →

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Dutton’s colleagues ask for investigation of Natasha Ruiz

Posted on April 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, look, it’s actual election news! Nearly the entire Harris County Democratic legislative delegation has asked the county attorney and district attorney to open a criminal investigation into the candidacy of a Texas House candidate whose existence was called into … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Abortion ban partially lifted

Posted on April 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. In a second rebuke to Texas GOP officials who have said a ban on nearly all abortions is essential as the state battles the novel coronavirus, a federal judge in Austin ruled Thursday that some abortions … Continue reading →

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

The gun safety fight is coming

Posted on April 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Bring it on. As the coronavirus outbreak ravages fundraising efforts by political campaigns across Texas, the political affiliate of one of the country’s oldest gun violence prevention groups is bringing reinforcements to the state, where it sees Democrats’ efforts to … Continue reading →

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

The Fifth Circuit sticks the shiv the rest of the way in

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The worst court in the country does its thing again. A New Orleans-based federal appeals court will, for now, allow Texas to enforce a ban on almost all abortions as the state battles the coronavirus pandemic. Overturning the decision of … Continue reading →

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

Another lawsuit filed over Abbott’s stay-in-jail order

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There’s no slowdown in the litigation business, that’s for sure. Gov. Greg Abbott’s order restricting the release of some jail inmates during the new coronavirus pandemic is facing a second court challenge arguing his order violates the constitutional separation of … Continue reading →

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

Coronavirus and beer

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Houston’s craft breweries are adjusting to life with closed taprooms and beer-to-go sales. The team at Saint Arnold Brewing sat down to taste some test beers one Wednesday morning, as its members do when they work on new releases. But … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of April 6

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance remains committed to flattening the curve as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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The NBA tries to look forward

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Hope + uncertainty = where we are right now. While expressing a hope that bordered on determination that the NBA would be able to salvage its season in some form, commissioner Adam Silver also said the unknowns in the COVID-19 … Continue reading →

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TDP files federal lawsuit over expanded vote by mail

Posted on April 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Double your venues, (hopefully) double your chances of success. With primary election runoffs scheduled for July and the November general election on the horizon, the Texas Democratic Party has expanded its ongoing fight for more widespread mail-in balloting to federal … Continue reading →

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

MLB begins to contemplate its return

Posted on April 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Well, this is interesting. Major League Baseball and its players are increasingly focused on a plan that could allow them to start the season as early as May and has the support of high-ranking federal public health officials who believe … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Metro will get some stimulus money

Posted on April 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Transit agencies in southeastern Texas are set to receive more than $300 million to stem revenue losses linked to COVID-19, federal officials announced Thursday, most of it coming to Houston. As part of the first round of Congress-approved stimulus … Continue reading →

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Is CBD oil “essential health care”?

Posted on April 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

These are the questions of our times. The police went into Fatty’s Smoke Shop in Beverly Hills, a small city surrounded by Waco, last Wednesday about 10 a.m., owner Jesse Singh recalled. His business, they informed him, is not considered … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The digital divide

Posted on April 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Online learning is great, if you can get online. The lack of access to technology among students — commonly referred to as the “digital divide” — has come into sharper focus in recent weeks as school districts across Houston transition … Continue reading →

Posted in School days, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Coronavirus is taking its toll on the Census

Posted on April 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The timing of this pandemic really sucks. The nonprofit Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston had more than 15 tabling events planned over the next several weeks where volunteers were going to post up at festivals, fairs and other community gatherings … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

DraftKings lawsuit tossed

Posted on April 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Score one for the Astros. A federal judge in New York mixed technical points of law with humor and theatrical flourishes in delivering a rousing defeat Friday to a group of baseball daily fantasy players who sued the Astros, Red … Continue reading →

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

We don’t really know how many COVID-19 patients there are in Texas hospitals

Posted on April 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

For a variety of reasons, the data is hard to get a handle on. Texas is bracing for a pandemic that is projected to kill tens of thousands of people across the U.S., but health officials and state leaders are … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

No school accountability ratings this year

Posted on April 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. Texas public school districts and campuses will not receive accountability ratings in 2020 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, state education officials said late Thursday. The announcement is a mere formality after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last month … Continue reading →

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RIP, Ronnie Earle

Posted on April 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The iconic former Travis County District Attorney has passed away. Ronnie Earle, who served as Travis County district attorney for more than 30 years and was best known for prosecuting some of Texas’ top politicians and for championing the community … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for April 5

Posted on April 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

“Aspects of America’s identity may need rethinking after COVID-19. Many of the country’s values have seemed to work against it during the pandemic. Its individualism, exceptionalism, and tendency to equate doing whatever you want with an act of resistance meant … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 3 Comments

Another obstacle to releasing inmates

Posted on April 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

One step forward, one step back. As fear and COVID-19 crept though the Harris County Jail, felony judges halted the release of low-risk inmates on Friday, blocking the county chief executive’s order to free them to await trial. Sheriff Ed … Continue reading →

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

Is it finally going to be Infrastructure Week?

Posted on April 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this: Lawmakers have been talking about striking a deal to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure for years. It might take a pandemic to finally get them to do it, and Texas officials are already … Continue reading →

Posted in National news, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Congratulations, Rudy T!

Posted on April 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Long overdue. 2-Time NBA Champion First place medal Gold Medalist Medium star 5-Time NBA All Star A HALL OF FAMER! — Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) 11:37 AM – 04 April 2020 At last, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame no longer … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

SOS moves towards increasing vote by mail

Posted on April 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

How about that? Texas is opening the door to an expansion of mail-in voting during the coronavirus outbreak, though the state is unlikely to heed calls to have every voter cast ballots by mail to avoid exposure to COVID-19 at … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The May elections will not happen

Posted on April 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Not in May, anyway. Citing the state’s stay-at-home order, the Texas secretary of state is instructing municipalities to delay their May 2 elections. In an email to local election officials sent Thursday afternoon, the state’s director of elections, Keith Ingram, … Continue reading →

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

Won’t you join our lawsuit?

Posted on April 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is going to keep giving me content for years. After filing two sign stealing-related lawsuits against the Astros on behalf of Houston season-ticket holders, a Corpus Christi law firm is asking Dodgers and Yankees fans who attended 2017 postseason … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

That was a statewide stay-at-home order

Posted on April 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

And we’re under it now, even if you don’t want to call it that. Gov. Greg Abbott released a new video Wednesday clarifying that his executive order issued on Tuesday “requires all Texans to stay at home” except for essential … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Intervening in the mail ballot expansion lawsuit

Posted on April 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The ACLU of Texas, American Civil Liberties Union, and Texas Civil Rights Project on Wednesday joined a case seeking to declare that under Texas law all registered voters qualify to request a mail-in ballot as a result … Continue reading →

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

Three cheers for grocery store workers

Posted on April 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They deserve them, and more. They are the friendly cashiers, the helpful baggers, the essential stockers and warehouse workers. The receivers who unload the delivery trucks, the personal shoppers who fulfill online orders and the teenagers who haul back all … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Another lawsuit the Astros want tossed

Posted on April 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It was the first one filed against them relating to the banging scheme. The Astros have asked a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed against the team, owner Jim Crane and baseball operations employee Derek Vigoa … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment