Monthly Archives: May 2021

Pfizer shot approved for younger kids

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Yes! The Food and Drug Administration cleared the first coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in children as young as 12 on Monday, expanding access to the Pfizer-BioNTech shot to adolescents ahead of the next school year and marking another milestone in … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of May 10

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Unlike certain wayward satellites, the Texas Progressive Alliance weekly roundup is built to last.

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House passes its bill to limit Governor’s emergency powers

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure if this is going to make it through the Senate. The Texas House on Monday gave preliminary approval to a sweeping bill that would reform the governor’s emergency powers during a pandemic and involve the Legislature during such … Continue reading →

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Houston gets to have a boring budget

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Thanks, President Biden and all you voters in Georgia! Mayor Sylvester Turner plans to use an influx of federal cash to give firefighters a “raise the city can afford,” expand the Houston Police Department and replace lost revenue from the … Continue reading →

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The Big Freeze didn’t just screw Texas

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I had no idea. Texas’ deep freeze didn’t just disrupt natural gas supplies throughout Lone Star country—its effects rippled across the country, extending as far north as Minnesota. There, gas utilities had to pay $800 million more than they anticipated … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The I-45 effect on Metro

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

There will be a lot of disruption to mass transit as a result of the I-45 project. Metro’s board on Thursday approved hiring design and engineering firm STV Incorporated for services related to the controversial Interstate 45 project. Though the … Continue reading →

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Here comes Huffines

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The political comeback nobody asked for is officially on. Former state Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, announced Monday that he is challenging Gov. Greg Abbott in the 2022 primary. “Texas deserves actual Republican leadership that will act urgently and decisively—no more … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Magnet school change proposals put off again

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise. Houston ISD’s administration has dropped plans to revamp the district’s prized magnet program before the next school year, a response to multiple concerns raised in recent weeks by school board members, district leaders confirmed [last] week. The … Continue reading →

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

Please get your second shot

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I hope this is mostly a function of incomplete data. Millions of Americans — including tens of thousands of Houstonians — either have delayed or are forgoing their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccination. As of late last month, roughly … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tesla crash update

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Federal investigators on Monday released their preliminary assessment of a deadly crash in Spring involving a Tesla, though many details of the incident remain under scrutiny, including whether anyone was in the driver’s seat at the time of the … Continue reading →

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Beto and Julian rally against voter suppression

Posted on May 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see after a couple of brutal weeks. Democrats Beto O’Rourke and Julián Castro joined forces at the Texas Capitol on Saturday to rally against election reform bills that they called blatant attempts to suppress voters in Black and … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Better cut your police budget now while you still can

Posted on May 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

That’s one possible takeaway from this. The Texas House on Friday passed a bill to financially penalize the state’s largest cities if they cut their police budgets. The measure was sent to the Senate after two days of heated debate … Continue reading →

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HempLicenseGate

Posted on May 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The headline on this Trib story is “Top political aide to Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller arrested in alleged scheme to take money in exchange for hemp licenses”, and I have no idea how to make it any pithier than … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Weekend link dump for May 9

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

“From my vantage point Republicans are giving the left a massive opportunity to wedge them.” After the pandemic… “Remote Places Desperately Need Vaccines. Drones Could Help.” For a deep dive on the Josh Duggar backstory, and the “counseling” he got … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 2 Comments

So we bail out the electricity providers

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I guess I don’t know enough about our weird electricity market to suggest a viable alternative to this, but it sure doesn’t speak well of our system. An approximately $2.5 billion plan to bail out Texas’ distressed electricity market from … Continue reading →

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GHP finally says something about voter suppression

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Weak. After days of external pressure from Harris County politicians and internal calls from board members to speak out against voting bills in the Texas Legislature, the Greater Houston Partnership on Thursday evening issued a broad condemnation of efforts to … Continue reading →

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Firefighters score a win in court

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I confess, I had forgotten about this. A panel of appellate court judges on Thursday rejected the city’s attempt to strike down a key provision of state law that governs how police and firefighters negotiate their wages and benefits, dealing … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

House passes its omnibus voter suppression bill

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

But don’t bother asking what’s in the bill, because it’s going to change and we won’t know what’s in the real bill until it’s time for a final vote in both chambers. As opposition to Texas Republicans’ proposed voting restrictions continues … Continue reading →

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

Anti-transgender sports bill revived

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Screw you, Harold Dutton. Democratic state Rep. Harold Dutton on Friday revived and helped advance a bill that would restrict transgender students from participating in school sports, in what appears to be a retaliatory effort directed at members of his … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Paxton unblocks Twitter users who sued him

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Blink. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has unblocked on Twitter the nine Texans who sued him after they say they were unconstitutionally blocked for criticizing him or his policies on the social media platform. In a lawsuit filed in April, … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend says No to GHP

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Fort Bend County Judge KP George said Thursday the county will not consider becoming a member of the Greater Houston Partnership following the group’s silence on bills in the state Legislature that he called “suppressive pieces of legislation reminiscent … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Turner and Hidalgo rebuke GHP over voting rights failure

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo no longer plan to hold their annual state of the city and county addresses with the Greater Houston Partnership because of the chamber group’s silence on bills in the … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Republican bail reform bill passes House

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Meh. The Texas House on Tuesday passed a bill to alter the way criminal defendants can be released from jail before trial. The priority legislation would, in part, require judicial officers to use a risk assessment tool when making bail … Continue reading →

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Houston’s hospitals are still busy

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. While local hospital leaders aren’t sounding the alarm about capacity concerns, we heard a similar story from leaders at St. Luke’s and Houston Methodist: hospital beds and emergency rooms are regularly filling up as both health systems continue to … Continue reading →

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

Funding weatherization

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m okay with this, with one caveat. A plan to help finance what will likely become mandatory power plant upgrades to withstand more extreme weather in the wake of the February power crisis received preliminary approval in the Texas House … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Trib polling roundup, part 3

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Once more, with approval ratings. Texas Democrats think Joe Biden is doing a good job as president, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Texas Republicans don’t. Overall, the president gets good grades from 44% of Texas voters … Continue reading →

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Permitless carry passes the Senate

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We didn’t really think this was going to fail, did we? The Republican-led effort to allow Texans to carry handguns without any kind of license cleared what is likely its biggest remaining hurdle in the Capitol on Wednesday, when the … Continue reading →

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Massive anti-abortion bill passes the House

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m just resigned to this shit at this point. Texas lawmakers are poised to enact sweeping restrictions on access to abortions, prohibiting the procedure before many women know they are pregnant, and opening the door for a potential flood of … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of May 3

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance weekly roundup was as always included in the Oscar nominees’ swag bag.

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Businesses finally offer some real resistance to voter suppression

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

About time. With less than a month left in the legislative session — and Texas Republicans split on which package of proposals might cross the finish line — Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Unilever, Patagonia and two dozen other companies are urging state … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Trib polling roundup, part 2

Posted on May 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The issues polling is mostly on our side, for what that’s worth. A solid majority of Texas voters don’t think adults should be allowed to carry handguns in public places without permits or licenses, though the idea is popular with … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Anti-trans sports bill fails to advance from House committee

Posted on May 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good news, but hold off on the celebrations for now. A bill that would prevent transgender Texas children from joining school sports teams that match their gender identity failed to advance out of a House committee Tuesday, signaling potential trouble … Continue reading →

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Are you now, or have you ever been, a supporter of Greg Abbott?

Posted on May 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Ken Paxton will get back to you on that. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a New York Times story published Tuesday that he does not support Gov. Greg Abbott, a fellow Republican, as Abbott runs for reelection, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Downtown kiosks

Posted on May 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not sure yet how I feel about this. City Council on Wednesday will consider a plan to install up to 125 interactive digital kiosks around the city, a proposal that has drawn support from city officials who tout the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments