Monthly Archives: January 2022

Interview with Duncan Klussmann

Posted on January 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This week we will have interviews with two of the Democratic candidates in the new CD38, as well as a couple of interviews with legislative candidates, about which I’ll say a bit more tomorrow. Today’s candidate for CD38 is Duncan … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Erika Ramirez

Posted on January 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

You don’t want to go to the ICU right now

Posted on January 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

And even if for some reason you did want to go to the intensive care unit, there probably wouldn’t be room for you. The number of Texas intensive care unit beds available for adult patients is at an all-time low … Continue reading →

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Trib overview of the Democratic candidates for Lt Governor

Posted on January 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a good field, I’ll be happy to support any of them, but boy do I wish they’d all raise more money. Three Democrats are facing off in the lieutenant governor primary for the chance to challenge a veritable Goliath … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for January 30

Posted on January 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

“After educating the kids on the risks of [drugs and alcohol, premarital sex and gangs], they’d invite them and their parents to evening shows, where they’d break fiery bricks with their arms and run through blocks of ice in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 2 Comments

This is what voter suppression looks like

Posted on January 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. A Harris County man fears new voting laws may prevent him from voting by absentee ballot for the first time in his lifetime. Kenneth Thompson, 95, has been checking his mail daily … Continue reading →

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The Rodeo will (probably) happen

Posted on January 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Assuming it all doesn’t go south from here. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Tuesday the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo should proceed as planned, citing a decline in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. “It’s difficult to predict what things are … Continue reading →

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

The Killeen Luby’s mass shooting, 30 years later

Posted on January 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Dallas Observer takes a trip down memory lane. The man and his weapons were both from out of town. That’s one of the first things many Killeen residents, both past and present, will remind you: He wasn’t one of … Continue reading →

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Interviews and judicial Q&As through January 28

Posted on January 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Updating from last week. This is to put all of the interviews and judicial Q&As in a single post for your convenience, in case you missed something. This past week was Senate District 15. This coming week will be CD38 … Continue reading →

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Three very early primary thoughts

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

1. After the exceedingly small number of mail ballots requested and cast in the District G special election, the primaries will be our next test of the SB1 effect on voting by mail. I will be interested to see if … Continue reading →

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HCC will have an election to fill its vacancy

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

So much for an appointment. Re: HCC Board of Trustees District II Position Residents of District II and the Community At-Large: The Houston Community College (HCC) Board of Trustees remains committed to serving the best interest of the entire community. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

We’ll probably never know who Ken Paxton’s big campaign donors are

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He has no interest in telling us, and there’s basically no mechanism to make him. Attorney General Ken Paxton recently announced a hefty $2.8 million campaign haul, showing the competition he can still raise big bucks while under FBI scrutiny. … Continue reading →

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I repeat: We need to get more kids vaccinated

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Come on, Houston. In spite of the spread of the omicron variant, national COVID-19 vaccination rates for children ages 5-11 remain low. The same is true for children in Harris County, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis of CDC data. Of Harris … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Alycia Harvey

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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The SD10 redistricting lawsuit gets off to a rousing start

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I did not see this coming. In a sworn declaration submitted as part of an ongoing federal court challenge, a senior Republican state senator with redistricting experience said he believes his party violated federal voting laws when it drew new … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Can the CCA withstand political pressure?

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sure hope so. Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judges’ phone lines and email inboxes have been flooded for more than a week by callers angry about a ruling last month that stripped Attorney General Ken Paxton of the authority to … Continue reading →

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Spare a thought for the nurses

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

And do everything you can to avoid getting COVID. [Kristen McLaury, a nurse and unit manager at Methodist Hospital The Woodlands] treated one of the hospital’s first COVID patients and hasn’t stopped since. She now runs the respiratory unit, where … Continue reading →

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

Judicial Q&A: Ashleigh Roberson

Posted on January 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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Vote No and take the dough

Posted on January 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s as Republican as insurrection and hydroxychloroquine. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, last year left little doubt why she was voting against a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure measure, calling it nothing more than a “socialist plan full of crushing taxes and … Continue reading →

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Huffman wins District G election

Posted on January 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

No runoff needed. Mary Nan Huffman, an attorney for the Houston Police Officers’ Union, has won a special election to become the next District G representative on City Council, according to the unofficial returns. With all voting centers reporting Tuesday … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of January 24

Posted on January 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance still feels the urgent need for federal voting rights legislation as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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David Ortiz elected to MLB Hall of Fame

Posted on January 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations, Big Papi. With the process still tainted by the steroid era, David Ortiz was the lone player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame this year, while others like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were shut out. “Big Papi” … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Judge Chuck Silverman

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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The story of the paper shortage and the voter registration forms, in two tweets

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

One: . New: League of Women Voters of Texas has sent a letter to the Texas SOS threatening to sue the state unless they are provided with more copies of new voter registration forms. They say SOS is in violation … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Is it time to ditch At Large seats on Houston City Council?

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s one argument for it. The lack of Latinos on the City Council undermines the legitimacy of Houston’s government, experts say, and is something that a prominent Hispanic organization is pushing to change with a lawsuit and ballot proposition. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Have we reached peak omicron?

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I sure hope so (fingers crossed). Omicron’s swift and sudden surge may have peaked, experts said Monday, but hospitals are likely to remain full in the coming weeks, with the highly contagious COVID-19 strain not expected to recede until March. … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Interview with Molly Cook

Posted on January 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sen. John Whitmire hasn’t had a lot of serious challengers in recent years, but he has one this year and her name is Molly Cook. Cook is an emergency room nurse, which would give her more experience in health care … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Angela Lancelin

Posted on January 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

SD10 lawsuit gets its hearing

Posted on January 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The last possible obstacle to a March primary, and the first redistricting lawsuit to get a merits hearing. A federal district judge in El Paso on Tuesday will preside over one of several challenges against the state of Texas and … Continue reading →

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Don’t expect the absentee ballot fiasco to improve

Posted on January 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Things are working as planned. Signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in September, the voting law known as Senate Bill 1 contained an array of new restrictions on the state’s voting process and narrowed local control of elections. Among … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sen. John Whitmire

Posted on January 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’re going to spend some time in SD15 this week, where we have one of the challenges against a legislative incumbent. You know that incumbent well, he’s Sen. John Whitmire, he’s been in the Lege since 1973 and in the … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Dianne Curvey

Posted on January 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Supreme Court to hear whether state redistricting lawsuit can proceed

Posted on January 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the update I’ve been waiting for. Not what I was hoping for, but it is what it is. The state’s bid to toss a legal challenge arguing last year’s GOP-led redistricting effort violated the Texas Constitution is headed to … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

They’re the Space Cowboys

Posted on January 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Bet you weren’t ready for that. You can call them the Space Cowboys. That’s the name the Astros have picked in their rebranding of the Sugar Land Skeeters, the team’s Class AAA affiliate. The official announcement will come on Jan. 29 … Continue reading →

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