Monthly Archives: March 2021

Is there really a primary threat to Abbott?

Posted on March 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe, but it’s not a serious one. As Gov. Greg Abbott races to reopen all businesses and end mask mandates this week, it hasn’t been fast enough to defuse escalating political pressure from fellow Republicans who see Texas lagging behind … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues Austin and Travis County over its mask mandate

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Completely expected. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Travis County and Austin officials in an effort to force them to rescind their local mask orders, he announced Thursday. “I told Travis County & The City of Austin to comply … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Dutton files bill to enable HISD takeover

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever else you may say, this is true to his beliefs. Texas House Public Education Chairman Harold Dutton Jr. filed a bill Tuesday that, if it passes and withstands any legal challenge, would virtually guarantee the ouster of Houston ISD’s … Continue reading →

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Vaccine progress

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Texas will surpass more than 7 million COVID-19 vaccination doses administered today, top public health officials told the Texas Senate as Gov. Greg Abbott lifted all capacity limits for businesses and ended government-imposed mask mandates in the state. … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Are you ready for some I-10 construction?

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Well, ready or not… State highways officials set out in 2004 to develop a plan to remake Interstate 45 and add managed lanes, only to face increasingly stiff opposition in the past three years from elected officials and community activists … Continue reading →

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January 2021 campaign finance reports: Congress

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Should have done this a long time ago, just to close the books on the 2020 election cycle, but for a variety of reasons I didn’t. With the forthcoming special election in CD06, I now have a reason to care … Continue reading →

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Bills to allow casinos filed

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t bet on them, that’s my advice. Two Texas lawmakers on Tuesday filed legislation backed by the gaming empire Las Vegas Sands that would legalize casino gambling in Texas. The legislation was filed by Rep. John Kuempel, R-Seguin, in the … Continue reading →

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Beto’s “We can win” message

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Beto O’Rourke offers a blueprint for how Democrats can win in Texas. In 2020, Joe Biden lost by less than Hillary Clinton did in 2016; eleven of the twelve State House seats we won in 2018 were successfully defended, and … Continue reading →

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

Texas blog roundup for the week of March 8

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance celebrates the passage of the big COVID relief bill as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Starbase, Texas

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

If you read that title and you thought that Elon Musk must somehow be involved, you would be correct. Elon Musk is attempting to create a city in south Texas. He wants to incorporate Boca Chica Village, where his company … Continue reading →

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More storm polling

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure things are as negative as this story makes it sound. Two out of three Texans lost electricity, water or both in last month’s devastating winter storm, though it’s unclear their harrowing experiences will have lasting political consequences, according … Continue reading →

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Twitter sues Paxton

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

How the tables have turned. Twitter filed a lawsuit against Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a California federal court Monday and asked a judge to halt the state’s top lawyer from investigating the company. The social media giant’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Court is now in session

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Another aspect of the maskless mandate. The Texas Supreme Court on Friday lifted most restrictions on in-person state court proceedings after Gov. Greg Abbott this week reopened Texas. Almost all in-person court proceedings had been banned since the local onset … Continue reading →

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What to expect when you’re fully vaccinated

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The CDC has released some guidance that will help people understand what is safe to do and what precautions they will still need to take once they are fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated Americans can gather with other vaccinated people indoors … Continue reading →

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The opening bid on power outage response

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not bad, but there’s a long way to go and not a lot of detail just yet. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan on Monday announced seven priority bills responding to the winter weather crisis last month that left millions of … Continue reading →

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Memorial Hermann CEO begs for Abbott to reconsider maskless mandate

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He won’t listen, but maybe some of the people who would have stopped wearing their masks will. On March 2, Gov. Greg Abbott announced the issuance of a new executive order, which “re-opens” Texas. The new order, which takes effect … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

LGBT certification for Houston city contractors

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From last week. Houston on Thursday became the first city in Texas to add a certification for LGBT-owned businesses in city contracting. Mayor Sylvester Turner signed an executive order adding the certification during an event with the National LGBT Chamber … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

HISD Superintendent Lathan leaving

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I wish her well. Houston ISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan plans to leave the district at the end of the 2020-21 school year, ending an unusually long three-year run in the position that was marked by fallout from the pandemic, … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Brazoria County

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Introduction Congressional districts State Rep districts Commissioners Court/JP precincts Comparing 2012 and 2016 Statewide judicial Other jurisdictions Appellate courts, Part 1 Appellate courts, Part 2 Judicial averages Other cities District Attorney County Attorney Sheriff Tax Assessor County Clerk HCDE Fort … Continue reading →

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Republicans want to ban voting at night

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Give me a break. Texas Republicans have made it clear that voter suppression is a legislative priority, and one of their biggest targets involves Harris County. State Rep. Jared Patterson filed a bill last week that would restrict voting hours at … Continue reading →

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Please don’t pay any attention to Ted Cruz’s approval ratings

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I know, I know, I’m part of the problem. But seriously, this is utterly meaningless. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s approval rating took a hit after his family trip to Cancún during the Texas freeze, according to polling by Morning Consult, … Continue reading →

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

Weekend link dump for March 7

Posted on March 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

“The truth and power of fundamentalist Christianity derived from and depended on its unanimity and total lack of ambiguity. In church, in other words, we all were taught — as all fundamentalists must be taught — that there can be … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 2 Comments

What can we expect from the maskless mandate?

Posted on March 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More COVID, obviously. The Centers for Disease Control is increasing pressure on Republican leaders in states like Texas that have eased COVID restrictions, publishing a study on Friday showing evidence that the measures — such as the mask requirement that … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Again with defining the Governor’s powers in an emergency

Posted on March 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The legislative process has begun, and I feel like we’ve already lost the plot. For roughly the past year, Republicans and Democrats have picked apart the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic — and particularly how Gov. Greg Abbott has … Continue reading →

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Congress has questions for Abbott

Posted on March 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Will he answer them? That’s the bigger question. Democrats on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, including Reps. Marc Veasey of Dallas and Lizzie Fletcher of Houston, are conducting a probe into Gov. Greg Abbott and why Texas’ electrical … Continue reading →

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More maskless mandate stuff

Posted on March 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A bit of a roundup, because there’s so much out there. Three of Gov. Greg Abbott’s four coronavirus medical advisers say they weren’t directly consulted prior to lifting mask mandate In April 2020, an optimistic Gov. Greg Abbott announced at … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 41 Comments

ERCOT’s overcharges

Posted on March 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas made a $16 billion error in pricing during the week of the winter storm that caused power outages across the state, according to a filing by its market monitor. Potomac Economics, the independent … Continue reading →

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The freeze was hard on the bats

Posted on March 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Dammit. The bat colony under the bridge at Waugh Drive in Buffalo Bayou Park, a beloved staple of the city, was severely impacted by last week’s winter storm. While the full extent of the damage is still unknown, many of … Continue reading →

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

President Biden disagrees with the maskless mandate

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, duh. President Joe Biden said Wednesday that Texas made a “big mistake” by removing its statewide mask mandate and suggested the decision reflected “Neanderthal thinking.” The comments by the Democratic president came a day after Republican Gov. Greg … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Vaccination hesitation blues

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is the next thing we will have to really focus on. Most Texas voters believe vaccines are safe and effective, but 28% do not plan to get a COVID-19 vaccine when it’s available to them, according to the latest … Continue reading →

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

Come one, come all to the CD06 special election

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Now that is what I call a field. A crowd of 23 candidates — including 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats — has filed for the May 1 special election to fill the seat of the late U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, … Continue reading →

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Reactions to the maskless mandate

Posted on March 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start with the doctors, since clearly they weren’t consulted. Houston-area doctors and medical professionals reacted with dismay to Gov. Greg Abbott’s Tuesday decision to roll back the state’s mask mandate and other precautions against COVID-19. “I had a pretty … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Teachers can get the COVID vaccine now

Posted on March 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

About time. Texas teachers are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, health officials announced Wednesday. Effective immediately, all Texas vaccine providers should include all school staff, Head Start program staff, and child care staff in their vaccine administration programs, according to … Continue reading →

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We’ve got all kinds

Posted on March 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not the kind of distinction you want. Houston is the nation’s first city to record every major variant of the novel coronavirus — many of which are more contagious than the original strain. “The numbers of the major variants we … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment