Monthly Archives: October 2021

El Paso mask mandate blocked

Posted on October 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is a city mask mandate. It does not affect the El Paso ISD mask mandate. El Paso’s mandate requiring masks in indoor spaces, including schools, was ended on Thursday by the 8th Court of Appeals. The ruling does not … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of October 4

Posted on October 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance has added just a touch of pumpkin spice to this week’s roundup.

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The Delta surge is killing younger people

Posted on October 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

So many avoidable deaths. About two weeks later, sometime in August, the [woman in the San Antonio intensive care bed] died. She was in her mid-40s. She is among more than 9,000 Texans who have died from COVID-19 in August … Continue reading →

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Interview with Myrna Guidry

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

There’s one incumbent on the HISD Board of Trustees that you may be less familiar with, and that’s District IX incumbent Myrna Guidry, who was appointed to the Board in December of 2020 to replace Wanda Adams, who had been … Continue reading →

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House committee advances revised map

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More changes sure to come. A Texas House committee on Tuesday voted out a revised draft to redraw the lower chamber’s districts, which will give Republicans stronger positioning in the House of the Legislature for the next decade. The committee … Continue reading →

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Senate approves its map

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They wasted no time, which is another way of saying that they didn’t bother giving anyone else much time to provide input or feedback. The Texas Senate has approved a new political map for its own members that would entrench … Continue reading →

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The Senate returns to its usual crap

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

What an absolute disaster our state’s upper chamber is. The Texas Senate began work Monday on two Republican voting bills that have uncertain futures — one raising criminal penalties for illegal voting and another that got a recent boost from … Continue reading →

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SCOTx denies Planned Parenthood emergency request

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise, I suppose. The Texas Supreme Court denied a request Monday from Planned Parenthood to resume its lawsuit, filed in a state district court, that challenges the state’s near-total abortion ban. Planned Parenthood asked the all-Republican court last … Continue reading →

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Justice Department gets involved in federal lawsuit over mask mandate ban

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Missed this over the weekend. The Justice Department signaled its support on Wednesday for the families of children with disabilities in Texas who are suing to overturn Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates in the state’s schools. The department filed a … Continue reading →

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Collier announces

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s officially official, we have a contested primary for Lite Guv. Mike Collier has been itching for a rematch with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick for nearly three years, after coming within 4.9 points of unseating the Republican in 2018. “I … Continue reading →

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Don’t forget your flu shot

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The flu is going to be back this year. Don’t fall for it. After a historically light flu season in 2020, experts warn an influenza resurgence is looming this fall and winter. “I would expect a more intense influenza season, … Continue reading →

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Interview with Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I will be finishing off interviews with HISD trustees this week, and then moving into the HCC races next week. We have two incumbents and one challenger to meet, and we begin with Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca, the incumbent in … Continue reading →

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One more lawsuit against Texas’ voter suppression law

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From Mi Familia Vota: Non-profit civic engagement organization Mi Familia Vota, along with individual voters, filed suit today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas in San Antonio seeking to block a new voter suppression … Continue reading →

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Medicaid and the “heartbeat” law

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Texas’ new abortion ban makes no exceptions for pregnancies that result from rape or incest. Nearly a month after it was enacted, state health officials still won’t say whether that includes Texans on Medicaid, a small but critical … Continue reading →

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The Women’s March, the next generation

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I look forward to a day when these aren’t necessary, but in the meantime I am grateful to all who cared enough to participate or were there in spirit. A crowd of more than 10,000 turned out Saturday in downtown … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for October 3

Posted on October 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

“But in the meantime, the simple story that unemployment insurance was the gravitational force pinning down the labor market and preventing a boom doesn’t seem to have panned out. And as for the states that decided to cut off aid … Continue reading →

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Planned Parenthood files emergency request to SCOTx

Posted on October 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: On Wednesday, Planned Parenthood affiliates in Texas filed an emergency request asking the Texas Supreme Court to intervene in an ongoing case against Texas Right to Life (TRTL), challenging Senate Bill 8, the state’s six-week abortion ban. … Continue reading →

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GLO still screwing Houston on Harvey aid

Posted on October 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This shit has got to stop. Harris County and the city of Houston this week blasted the Texas General Land Office’s revised plan for distributing billions in federal Hurricane Harvey aid, saying that while it is an improvement over the … Continue reading →

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Runoff coming in HD118

Posted on October 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

You’ll be hearing more about this soon enough. Republican John Lujan and Democrat Frank Ramirez are advancing to a special election runoff to fill the seat of former state Rep. Leo Pacheco, D-San Antonio, a seat the GOP is eager … Continue reading →

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More on the San Antonio ISD vaccination mandate litigation

Posted on October 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m a little confused at this point, but I’ll cope. Judge Mary Lou Alvarez of the 45th District Court denied the state of Texas’ request for a temporary injunction Friday, allowing the San Antonio Independent School District to continue requiring … Continue reading →

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The “abortion bans are good for interstate commerce, actually” defense

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I can never tell when Ken Paxton is trolling or sincere. In briefs filed Wednesday in the Justice Department’s challenge to Texas’ abortion ban, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton touted the trips Texas women are making out of state to … Continue reading →

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More redistricting stuff

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just a roundup of some redistricting stories. We’ll start with the DMN. The new map, part of a process of redrawing legislative boundaries every 10 years, makes significant changes in North Texas, where Democrats likely will gain a seat held … Continue reading →

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COVID continues to run amuck at the schools

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is our reality. Students in Texas public schools are facing another year upturned by COVID-19 as the highly contagious delta variant spreads, mask mandates are inconsistent and children under 12 cannot yet be vaccinated against the virus. Less than … Continue reading →

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Our latest wake-up call about our power grid

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Same song, next verse. Federal energy officials vowed to ensure that Texas improves its electricity grid and natural gas system after widespread blackouts during the February freeze led to more than 200 deaths and billions of dollars in property damage. … Continue reading →

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Interview with Mac Walker

Posted on October 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

One more interview this week, still in District VII, with Mac Walker. Walker is a native Houstonian and graduate of Sharpstown High School as the first member of his family to reach that milestone. He went on to get an … Continue reading →

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The proposed State House map is out

Posted on October 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The last of the bunch. Texas House members on Thursday released the first proposal for a new map redrawing the chamber’s 150-member districts. The initial draft would both increase Republicans’ strength across the state and the number of districts in … Continue reading →

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Beto and McConaughey

Posted on October 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Our guy has a few thoughts about that other guy. Beto O’Rourke says he is still “very seriously” thinking about running for governor — and that he is not surprised Matthew McConaughey, another potential candidate, is polling so well against … Continue reading →

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Yes, mask mandates work

Posted on October 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise, but data is always nice. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new studies Friday that show enforcing masks in schools helps reduce the spread of COVID-19. One study looked at data from schools in Arizona’s … Continue reading →

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