Monthly Archives: August 2021

Another ruling to allow whistleblower lawsuit against Paxton to proceed

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

So much for all the lawyers to do. A state judge has rejected a bid to dismiss a whistleblower lawsuit filed by four former executives at Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office who said they were fired in retaliation after accusing … Continue reading →

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

The data for the “fourth wave” looks so, so bad

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Yikes. Fueled by the delta variant, a surge in Houston COVID-19 hospitalizations is growing as fast as at any time during the pandemic so far, and is projected to pass previous records by mid-August — even though roughly half of … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Judge halts Abbott’s “pull over migrants” executive order

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

For now, anyway. A federal judge on Tuesday blocked Gov. Greg Abbott and the state of Texas from ordering state troopers to pull over drivers transporting migrants “who pose a risk of carrying COVID-19.” U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone granted … Continue reading →

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“I’ve lost track of what day it is” quorum-busting post: What next?

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, guess what: The current special session will be over soon, like this Saturday. What happens next? Uncertainty is running rampant among Texas Democrats and Republicans as the final days of the special legislative session dwindle away. The session officially … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of August 2

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance marvels at Greg Abbott’s willingness to be COVID’s best friend as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Our eroding reputation as a good place to do business

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

If we don’t have that, what do we have? Veteran Waco economist Ray Perryman is used to seeing an annual parade of best for business rankings that put Texas at the top. Those rankings shape perceptions about the state’s business … Continue reading →

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

July 2021 campaign finance reports: HISD

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Congress, Harris County, Houston Elizabeth Santos – Dist I Kathy Bluefod-Daniels – Dist II Dani Hernandez – Dist III Patricia Allen – Dist IV Sue Deigaard – Dist V Holly Flynn Vilaseca – Dist VI Anne Sung – Dist … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2021 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mayor Turner tells city employees to mask up

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how it goes. Mayor Sylvester Turner told city employees Monday that they again must wear masks when they are at work and unable to socially distance, a requirement that could run afoul of Gov. Greg Abbott’s latest executive … Continue reading →

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

Final settlement in Motor Voter 2.0 lawsuit

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From Democracy Docket: Last Friday, individual Texan voters, the Texas Democratic Party, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) settled a five-year long lawsuit with Texas over its noncompliance with the National Voter Registration … Continue reading →

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

The Austin Bills?

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. Maybe they’re negotiating. But in any negotiation, the negotiators need to be willing to act in order to have any credibility. As to the negotiation between the Bills and Buffalo that has begun with the Bills wanting … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Greg Abbott is a threat to students and teachers

Posted on August 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Lindsey Contreras feels backed in a corner. The first day of school is just a couple of weeks away. The mother of two, whose older child attends school in Allen, has been … Continue reading →

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More on the Memorial Hermann and Baylor vaccination mandates

Posted on August 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Memorial Hermann: Get your shots or get out. Memorial Hermann on Monday said it will require all employees to be vaccinated by Oct. 9, becoming the third Houston healthcare institution to do so. The hospital system follows Baylor College of … Continue reading →

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Big XII visits the Lege

Posted on August 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s something to do, anyway. As the University of Texas prepares for a jump from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference, state lawmakers are working to determine how the move will affect the rest of the state — and … Continue reading →

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

Metro seeks electric buses

Posted on August 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Proof of concept for now and contingent on a competitive federal grant, but hopefully the start of something bigger. Transit officials in the self-proclaimed energy capital of the world are recharging their attempts to wean Metro off fossil fuels. Metropolitan … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

July 2021 campaign finance reports: City of Houston

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Congress, Harris County As we know, this is not an election year for city of Houston offices. That usually makes for a pretty dull summary of finance reports, since it’s just incumbents and about half of them are term-limited … Continue reading →

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The march for voting rights

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good work, but it can’t be the end. Saturday marked the third time in as many months that former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke has headlined a voting rights rally at the Texas Capitol, as Democrats hope to keep momentum with … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

More hospital systems to require vaccines

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

About time. Memorial Hermann officials are finalizing details on its mandatory vaccine policy for employees. During a radio interview Wednesday, Dr. David L. Callender, president and CEO, said the system will soon announce the timeline for its employees to become … Continue reading →

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

Weekend link dump for August 1

Posted on August 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

“Federal Courts Keep Shooting Down Anti-Trans Laws. Will That Hold at SCOTUS?” “Your location data is for sale, and it can be used against you.” Australian cockatoos can open garbage can lids, and what’s more, they can learn how to … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 4 Comments

We’re #2!

Posted on August 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More people have died of COVID in Texas than any other state except California, as Texas surpasses New York’s total. Texas has passed New York to become the state with the second-most COVID-19 deaths, a feat experts say was driven … Continue reading →

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

A response to Paxton’s response

Posted on August 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As you may recall, back in June we learned about a State Bar of Texas complaint against Ken Paxton for his ridiculous and seditious lawsuit that attempted to overturn the 2020 Presidential election. That complaint was filed by four people: … Continue reading →

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

Will TxDOT pull funding from the I-45 project?

Posted on August 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It could happen. Supporters of state plans to rebuild Interstate 45 from downtown Houston northward trekked to Austin on Thursday to keep the imperiled project on pace, fearing the region could be stuck with an aging freeway and no sign … Continue reading →

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