Monthly Archives: November 2021

McConaughey not running for Governor

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Thank God that’s over. Actor Matthew McConaughey on Sunday removed himself from consideration as a potential candidate for governor after months of toying with a campaign. In a video posted to his Twitter account, McConaughey, who lives in Austin, said … Continue reading →

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We continue to register more voters

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Seventeen million and counting. Texas has surpassed 17 million registered voters for the first time, continuing a pace that is reshaping the state’s electorate so rapidly that even the politicians cannot keep up. Despite a series of new election regulations … Continue reading →

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The Ike Dike is still a work in progress

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll be honest, I thought we were further along than this. Members of Texas’ congressional delegation are gearing up for a “marathon” effort to secure funding for a long-sought barrier to protect the Texas Gulf Coast from catastrophic storm surge. … Continue reading →

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USFL 2.0

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s all 1985 up in here. Houston will be home to another spring football league. A Fox Sports-backed reboot of the United States Football League, which originally existed from 1983-86, was announced Monday with play starting in April 2022. The … Continue reading →

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A brief filing update

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few observations as we head out of the holiday season and into what I expect will be the busier part of the filing period. I’m using the Patrick Svitek spreadsheet, the SOS candidate filing resource, and the candidate … Continue reading →

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Harris County at “moderate” threat level again

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

For now. As with all things, for now. The COVID-19 threat level in Harris County was reduced Friday to moderate from significant as the local number of hospitalized patients and new cases met thresholds that guide the meter while a … Continue reading →

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Yeah, traffic is worse than before

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

You’re not surprised, are you? By most measures, traffic is back to pre-COVID congestion levels — or even more clogged in some cases. What seems to have changed, based on a handful of studies that looked at different facets of … Continue reading →

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Early voting starts today for the 2021 runoffs

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

You know the drill – It’s runoff time for the 2021 elections, and early voting starts today. There are nine early voting locations, which you will find in the various districts that have runoffs – HISD districts I, V, VI, … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for November 28

Posted on November 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

“The endless disappointment is painful to the character of Logan. The fact that the boys and the girls, they can’t see the game. It’s a game, but like all games, even when it’s a matter of life and death, it’s … Continue reading →

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Cracking Asian-American communities

Posted on November 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib explores what the new Congressional maps did to Asian-American communities, mostly but not exclusively in the Houston area. When Texas lawmakers redrew congressional maps following the 2020 census, they split up Asian American populations in both Harris and … Continue reading →

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COVID hospitalizations are (generally) down in (most of) Texas

Posted on November 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

For now. I think you always have to add “for now” to this sort of thing. As Texans head into the holiday season, there is much to celebrate when it comes to addressing the pandemic. But health experts say the … Continue reading →

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We’re still vulnerable to blackouts

Posted on November 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

So says ERCOT. Electricity outages in Texas could occur this winter if the state experiences a cold snap that forces many power plants offline at the same time as demand for power is high, according to an analysis by the … Continue reading →

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Redistricting litigation update

Posted on November 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Reform Austin shows that the state’s legal defense strategy against the various redistricting lawsuits is “You can’t sue us!” Because of the clear racial gerrymandering, multiple groups are launching legal challenges under the Voting Rights Act. The state has now … Continue reading →

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Appeals court upholds Dallas mask mandate

Posted on November 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

There’s still mask mandate litigation going on, and Greg Abbott keeps getting his ass handed to him. Mask mandates will be allowed in the State of Texas. The Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas issued the ruling during the late … Continue reading →

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The Pfizer pill

Posted on November 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This would be a big step forward. Pfizer Inc. said [recently] that its experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 cut rates of hospitalization and death by nearly 90% in high-risk adults, as the drugmaker joined the race for an easy-to-use medication … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit puts school mask order on hold

Posted on November 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This effing court. A federal appeals court has reinstated Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order banning mask mandates as it weighs a federal judge’s ruling that the ban violates the rights of disabled students. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel previously ruled … Continue reading →

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Another AstroWorld lawsuit

Posted on November 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It must have sucked to have been a security guard at that event. Jackson Bush found the Astroworld Festival security gig through social media. He and his uncle, Samuel Bush, applied and the New York-based company, AJ Melino & Associates, … Continue reading →

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Re-endorsement watch: This time it’s Anne

Posted on November 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Time to start thinking about those HISD and HCC runoffs, kids. The Chron has started thinking about them, because they have issued their endorsements for the runoffs. Of the four HISD runoffs, three involve candidates they endorsed the first time … Continue reading →

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Forty years of the Butterball Turkey hotline

Posted on November 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

All of your vexing turkey questions answered. Butterball has thrown a lifeline to home cooks since 1981, rescuing them from the brink of holiday meal disasters through its Turkey Talk-Line. What began 40 years ago with six phone operators has … Continue reading →

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DMN/UT-Tyler: Abbott 45, Beto 39

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The state’s weirdest pollster does it again. Freshly announced gubernatorial hopeful Beto O’Rourke is running six percentage points behind Gov. Greg Abbott in a direct matchup, and Abbott leads both the Democrat O’Rourke and Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey in a … Continue reading →

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Biden tries again on the employer vaccine mandate

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Different appeals court this time. The Biden administration is asking the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals to wipe away an order from another appeals court blocking its Occupational Safety and Health Administration vaccine mandate. Several lawsuits were brought challenging the … Continue reading →

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Galveston adopts all-white Commissioners Court map

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In case you missed it. Dozens of residents crowded into a small county annex building Friday afternoon to urge, beg, lecture and warn commissioners against approving new precinct maps that dissenters called unfair, undemocratic and potentially illegal. The protest, mostly … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of November 22

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance wishes everyone a happy Thanksgiving as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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The Hall of Fame 2022 ballot

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Should be another interesting year. The ballot for the 2022 BBWAA Baseball Hall of Fame class was released Monday. The 30-player ballot is headlined by some huge names in their 10th and final year on the ballot — Curt Schilling, … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: The new Congressional map

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Previously: New State House map We will now take a look at how the districts of interest in the new Congressional map have changed over the past decade. Same basic idea, looking at the closer districts from 2020 to see … Continue reading →

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Still waiting on SCOTUS

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They’re in no rush. More than two weeks have passed since the Supreme Court’s extraordinarily rushed arguments over Texas’ unique abortion law without any word from the justices. They raised expectations of quick action by putting the case on a … Continue reading →

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Louie Gohmert will run for AG

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I got nothing. U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, announced Monday he is running for attorney general, challenging fellow Republican Ken Paxton, in the already crowded primary. “Texas I am officially running to be your next Attorney General and will enforce … Continue reading →

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What if it wasn’t Beto?

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the crosstabs to the recent UT/Trib poll of Texas that gave Greg Abbott a 46-37 lead over Beto O’Rourke. If you scroll down to page 66, you will find question 21B: “If the 2022 election for Governor were … Continue reading →

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Fraudit funding

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s bullshit all the way down. GOP leaders on Friday approved shifting $4 million in emergency funds for the Texas secretary of state’s office to create an “Election Audit Division” at the agency, which will spearhead county election audits as … Continue reading →

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Metro approves electric bus purchase

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We should have them in a few months. Metro is charging ahead with its plan to add electric buses to the local transit fleet. Board members Thursday approved a $22 million contract for 20 new buses and chargers that will … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for November 21

Posted on November 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

“For decades, U.S. cities have been closing or neglecting public restrooms, leaving millions with no place to go. Here’s how a lack of toilets became an American affliction.” “Anyway that is what the University of Austin is. Now I would … Continue reading →

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The growing field for Land Commissioner

Posted on November 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We have some interesting candidates on our side. A member of a South Texas family that owns one of the largest ranches in the country is seeking the Democratic nomination for Texas land commissioner, the statewide office overseeing the Alamo’s … Continue reading →

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Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson to retire

Posted on November 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The end of an era. Longtime U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, announced Saturday she is not running for reelection after serving nearly three decades in Congress. “I have gone back and forth … the whole time because of the … Continue reading →

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Rolling coal

Posted on November 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From last week. A teen who struck six cyclists while allegedly blanketing them in black smoke along a Waller County road faces six felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. “One for each of the people he almost … Continue reading →

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