Monthly Archives: May 2020

LULAC joins TDP’s federal mail ballot lawsuit

Posted on May 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

More plaintiffs, more fun. A prominent Latino civil rights group is jumping into the fight to expand Texas’ voting-by-mail eligibility, alleging the restriction that limits age eligibility for voting by mail to those 65 and older disproportionately harms Texas Latinos … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Here come the furloughs

Posted on May 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We said this was gonna be bad, right? Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, facing an economy hammered by the coronavirus pandemic and collapsing oil prices, on Tuesday proposed to close an upcoming budget gap by furloughing about 3,000 municipal workers, deferring … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Early voting gets an early start

Posted on May 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is a remarkably sensible thing to do. Ahead of the first statewide election during the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Greg Abbott has doubled the length of the early voting period for the upcoming July primary runoff elections. In a proclamation … Continue reading →

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

Council goes virtual

Posted on May 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

About time. Houston City Council will go virtual beginning next week, Mayor Turner said Tuesday, a day after one of its 16 members tested positive for COVID-19. Turner said the switch to virtual meetings would continue for at least two … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Council goes virtual

Yet another lawsuit over voting by mail

Posted on May 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Turns out there are a lot of obstacles to voting by mail in Texas, and so there are a lot of lawsuits being filed by various plaintiffs to rectify that. A coalition of voters and civil rights groups opened a … Continue reading →

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

Criminal complaint filed against AG Ken Paxton

Posted on May 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I should say “another criminal complaint”, this one over his bullying tactics about vote by mail. Two voting rights advocates have filed a complaint with the Dallas County district attorney, alleging Attorney General Ken Paxton committed voter fraud in each … Continue reading →

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

CM Plummer tests positive for COVID-19

Posted on May 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Get well soon. Houston City Councilmember Letitia Plummer has tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the first elected official in the city to have a confirmed infection of the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Plummer, a first-term council member and … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Here’s the MLB season-starter proposal

Posted on May 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Make of it what you will. Major League Baseball owners gave the go-ahead Monday to making a proposal to the players’ union that could lead to the coronavirus-delayed season starting around the Fourth of July weekend in ballparks without fans, … Continue reading →

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

A poll of poll workers

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

A bit of good news, and a bit of a warning, here. Harris County poll workers seem willing to participate in this fall’s presidential election, even amid the pandemic, but voters are more reluctant, according to results from a recent … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The bad guys will be spending a lot in Texas, too

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t get complacent. The Koch-backed Americans For Prosperity is planning an unprecedented push into Texas in 2020, throwing its support behind a slew of Republican candidates and expecting to spend millions as Democrats also commit more resources to the state … Continue reading →

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

MLB’s restart plan is coming

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready. According to multiple reports, commissioner Rob Manfred will present a blueprint for the season’s resumption during a Monday conference call with league owners. From there, the first formal proposal for a return to play would be given to … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Weekend link dump for May 10

Posted on May 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

A parable, or maybe just an allegory, about secrets, small towns, and people that everyone knows. “I feel like I’m hardly one to talk, since lockdown orders barely affect me at all. Still, these two charts suggest that Americans were … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 3 Comments

Harris County Clerk Diane Trautman to resign

Posted on May 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This was unexpected, to say the least. Harris County Clerk Diane Trautman will resign May 31 due to health concerns, she said Saturday afternoon. Trautman, 70, steps down just 16 months into her first term. She defeated incumbent clerk Stan … Continue reading →

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

Here comes Everytown

Posted on May 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Bring it. Gun safety groups planning to spend millions to turn Texas blue this year are rolling out their first round of ads, which say COVID-19 isn’t the only public health crisis facing the state. Everytown for Gun Safety, the … Continue reading →

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

Maybe all schools will start earlier this year

Posted on May 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

What do you think about this? Texas Education Agency officials on Thursday pitched the benefits of starting the 2020-21 school year in early August, ending it later than normal and building in longer breaks that could serve as make-up days … Continue reading →

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

The Hair Affair

Posted on May 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I have a hard time wrapping my mind around this story, so to save myself a little brain power I’m going to outsource it. Lisa Falkenberg: Let’s be clear about something: Shelley Luther, the Dallas-area salon owner-turned-folk hero, wound up … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 37 Comments

HISD may seek earlier school year start in the future

Posted on May 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

No earlier than the 2021-2022 school year, if they can qualify for it. Students in Houston ISD could start their school year several days earlier beginning in 2021-22, joining peers in other districts who return to class in mid-August, under … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Appeals court rules that Texas Central is in fact a railroad

Posted on May 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Seems obvious, but these things are more complicated than you’d think. Planners of a Houston-to-Dallas bullet train scored a victory in Corpus Christi Thursday when a state appeals court said the company — despite not operating yet — is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

TDP petitions appeals court to get Paxton to knock it off

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Texas Democratic Party has asked a court to order state officials not to interfere with a previous court order that opened up mail-in voting in the state. In their filing Tuesday with the Third Court of Appeals, lawyers … Continue reading →

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

Patrick’s megadonor task force tells him what he wanted to hear

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Knock me over with a bag full of unmarked bills. Local governments could find their emergency powers hemmed in during future emergencies under recommendations proposed by a task force that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick set up. State government needs an … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Still trying to avoid total budget disaster

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

That federal money sure would help. As the prospect of mass furloughs and severe spending cuts looms over the city’s next budget, Houston officials are sitting on a pile of coronavirus stimulus money that amounts to more than double the … Continue reading →

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

Let’s go to the drive-in

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, I’m down with this. Everything old really is new again. In the midst of ongoing concerns and restrictions over the Covid-19 pandemic, Houston is going back to the future with a new drive-in movie theater. The Drive-In at Sawyer … Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What if it were Ed?

Posted on May 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The question to ask yourself in reading this story about Republicans bitching and moaning about Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is “How different would things actually be if Ed Emmett were still County Judge?” By the time Harris County Judge … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Chip Roy would also like you to die for the economy

Posted on May 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Truly, I struggle to understand this kind of thinking. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, a firebrand freshman Republican, on Wednesday called for a return to economic normalcy amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to secure an “overall net positive outcome” for … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

State Supreme Court is skeptical of stay-at-home orders

Posted on May 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They’re not ready to act yet, though. In turning down a case challenging Gov. Greg Abbott’s order allowing certain Texas businesses to reopen, the Texas Supreme Court hinted Tuesday that it is sympathetic to constitutionality concerns raised by coronavirus restrictions. … Continue reading →

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

Texas blog roundup for the week of May 4

Posted on May 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes everyone has a galactically great Star Wars Day as it brings you this epoch’s roundup.

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , | Comments Off on Texas blog roundup for the week of May 4

More reopening

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s going great so far, right? Gov. Greg Abbott will allow hair salons in Texas to reopen Friday and gyms on May 18, moving more quickly than expected to further restart the Texas economy during the coronavirus pandemic. The businesses … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

How about that other coronavirus hot spot?

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You know, prisons? For more than fifty years, Palestine, Texas, has been known as a prison town. Most of the time, that hasn’t been a problem. True, it was a bit controversial in the 1960s when the Texas corrections department … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

No one knows when schools will open

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, if Mike Morath doesn’t know, then no one knows. Texas schools might start bringing students back to classrooms on staggered schedules in the fall. Or they might have some students show up at school while others continue their … Continue reading →

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

Hey look, there’s baseball!

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Welcome to the KBO: Those craving live baseball can soon get a fix. ESPN announced Monday an agreement with Eclat Media Group to televise six live Korean Baseball Organization games per week. KBO Opening Day [was] Tuesday and ESPN [began] … Continue reading →

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UT-Tyler/DMN: Trump 43, Biden 43

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

New day, new poll. Donald Trump and Joe Biden are in a dead heat in the race for Texas, signaling that the Lone Star State is evolving into a presidential battleground. A new Dallas Morning News/University of Texas at Tyler … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Federal response to coronavirus spike in Panhandle

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Variations on the theme. A federal strike force is headed to Amarillo in response to a surge of coronavirus cases tied to meatpacking plants in the area. Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson announced on Saturday that a team of federal officials … Continue reading →

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

First hearing for TDP federal vote by mail lawsuit set for next week

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery has ordered a hearing on expanding vote-by-mail to all Texas voters in advance of the July 14 Democratic Party runoff election. The hearing, set for 9 a.m. May 15, will allow only … Continue reading →

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

One good thing that may come out of all this

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We may get to keep booze to go sales. On Twitter Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott suggested to-go alcohol sales should be made available in Texas past the coronavirus pandemic. Texas restaurants will be allowed to open for dine-in Friday under … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments