Monthly Archives: March 2022

January 2022 campaign finance reports: City of Houston

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

January finance reports are always worth a look, if only as a ritual to start the new year. We’re a year out from election season truly beginning for Houston, but as we now have two brand name contenders for Mayor … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged Abbie Kamin, Amanda Edwards, Amy Peck, campaign finance reports, Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, Chris Brown, Chris Hollins, Dave Martin, David Robinson, Edward Pollard, Election 2019, Election 2021, Election 2022, Election 2023, Greg Travis, Houston, Houston City Council, John Whitmire, Karla Cisneros, Letitia Plummer, Martha Castex-Tatum, Mary Nan Huffman, Mayor, Michael Kubosh, Mike Knox, revenue cap, Robert Gallegos, Sallie Alcorn, Sylvester Turner, Tarsha Jackson, Tiffany Thomas | Comments Off

How about a new Ken Paxton scandal?

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Funny how these things keep cropping up. It’s almost as if it were habitual or something. In late 2018, Conduent Business Services, the giant information company formerly part of Xerox, was on the edge of a financial cliff. For more … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged AIG, Attorney General, Conduent, dentistry, insurance fraud, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, Medicaid, Texas | Comments Off

The Dem runoff for AG is not fully settled

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

First place in the Democratic primary for Attorney General went to Rochelle Garza. Second place is still somewhat of a question. Two days after election day in the March primary, the Democratic race for attorney general is still not settled. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged Attorney General, Carla Brailey, Dan Patrick, Democratic primary, Election 2018, Election 2022, Joe Jaworski, Ken Paxton, Lee Merritt, Lite Gov, Michelle Beckley, Mike Collier, Mike Fields, primaries, Rochelle Garza, runoff, Texas | 7 Comments

The White Oak bike trail extension is officially under construction

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Actual photo of the construction activity, from this past Thursday: See here for the background. I first noticed some construction equipment in place maybe two weeks before that, and actual activity the following week, which is to say the last … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Bayou Greenway Initiative, bicycles, Bike Houston, bike trails, construction, Heights, Houston, Houston Parks Board, MKT Trail, White Oak Bayou | Comments Off

Paxton appeals gender affirming care order

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Of course he did. Attorney General Ken Paxton filed for an appeal Thursday after a state judge blocked Texas’ child protection agency from investigating the parents of a transgender teenager who received gender-affirming medical care. District Judge Amy Clark Meachum … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, Department of Family and Protective Services, Greg Abbott, Joe Biden, Ken Paxton, Lambda Legal, lawsuit, Lou Weaver, Texas, Texas Children's Hospital, The Lege, Third Court of Appeals, transgender rights, US Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra | 4 Comments

More school districts dropping mask mandates

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Unsurprising. Some of Texas’ biggest school districts are lifting mask mandates for students just weeks before spring break. Houston Independent School District, the state’s largest district, and Dallas ISD announced Monday that they would not require students to wear masks. … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged Austin, Austin ISD, Centers for Disease Control, coronavirus, Dallas, Dallas ISD, face masks, Greg Abbott, HISD, Houston, lawsuit, local control, schools, Supreme Court, Texas | Comments Off

We’ve had a lot of COVID

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. More than half of Texans had been infected by COVID-19 as of late January, according to a nationwide blood sample survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The survey was based on samples from 52 commercial … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged Catherine Troisi, Centers for Disease Control, coronavirus, face masks, Texas, vaccinations | Comments Off

More people are choosing the medical abortion option

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not like there are good alternatives right now in Texas. The demand for abortion-inducing medication spiked in the month after Texas significantly limited abortion access and has remained high since, according to new data from a researcher at the … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged abortion, Aid Access, Amy Hagstrom Miller, FDA, lawsuit, mifepristone, misoprostol, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, telemedicine, Texas, The Lege, Whole Woman’s Health Alliance | 1 Comment

Yeah, the mail ballot thing was a huge mess

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We still don’t know how huge. Election day has come and gone, but it remains unclear how many Texans were unable to vote after trying to cast ballots by mail under new Republican laws restricting that voting option. In the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged absentee ballots, Election 2022, Harris County, John Scott, primaries, Secretary of State, Texas, The Lege, voter suppression | 3 Comments

Maybe suing to stop the vote count isn’t the best way to get the vote counted

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Just a thought. The Harris County Elections Division released the final, unofficial primary elections results early Thursday, following a GOP petition to impound the records which stopped vote counts hours earlier. Citing malfunctions and a lack of testing of election … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged absentee ballots, Commissioners Court, Election 2021, Election 2022, electronic voting machines, Harris County, Isabel Longoria, lawsuit, paper ballots, primaries, Republican Party, voter suppression | 1 Comment

The Rodeo is back

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna be interesting to see how different it is, if it’s different at all. And this year, after a one-year hiatus, the rodeo again will be focused on preventing the spread of COVID-19, the virus that abruptly brought the rodeo … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged Centers for Disease Control, coronavirus, face masks, Harris County, hospitals, Houston, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, vaccinations | Comments Off

Oklahoma’s experience with medical marijuana

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A good read. Inside an old metal building off a quiet stretch of U.S. 77, Josh Blevins walked among rows of fragrant marijuana plants basking below carefully calibrated light. Blevins, a former construction engineer from Texas, bought this former scrap … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged budget, Dan Patrick, Greg Abbott, marijuana, medical marijuana, Oklahoma, Texas | Comments Off

Initial post-election wrapup

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few updates and observations to add onto what I posted yesterday morning. Any deeper thoughts, if I have them, will come later. – Cheri Thomas and William Demond won their races for the 14th Court of Appeals. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged 14th Court of Appeals, absentee ballots, Aicha Davis, Bexar County, Cam Campbell, Candis Houston, CD15, CD28, Chase West, Commissioners Court, Congress, County Judge, Democratic primary, Dexter McCoy, early voting, Election 2018, Election 2022, Fort Bend County, Grady Prestage, Harold Dutton, Harris County, HD132, HD142, Henry Cisneros, Henry Cuellar, Isabel Longoria, judicial races, Ken DeMerchant, KP George, Marisa Perez, Miguel Gonzalez, Neeta Sane, paper ballots, primaries, Rebecca Bell-Metereau, runoff, SBOE, SD17, Secretary of State, Senate, Texas, The Lege, Titus Benton, turnout, voter suppression | 11 Comments

A roundup of runoffs

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I was going to just do a basic recap of all the primary races that will require runoffs, and then this happened, and I had to do some redesign. U.S. Rep. Van Taylor, R-Plano, has decided to end his reelection … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged absentee ballots, Alexandra Guio, Alexandra Mealer, Andrea Beall, Angel Vega, Attorney General, Ben Chou, Beverly Armstrong, Bexar County, Cassandra Hernandez, CD01, CD03, CD15, CD21, CD24, CD28, CD30, CD38, Chip Wells, Christian Hayes, Claudia Zapata, Commissioners Court, Comptroller, Congress, Coretta Mallet-Fontenot, Daniel Caldwell, Danielle Bess, David Patronella, Dawn Buckingham, Democratic primary, Derrik Gay, Diana Alexander, Duncan Klussmann, Election 2022, George P. Bush, Greg Glass, Harris County, HD100, HD114, HD147, HD22, HD37, HD70, HD76, Henry Cisneros, Henry Cuellar, James Whitfield, Jan McDowell, Jane Hamilton, Janet Dudding, Jasmine Crockett, Jason Luong, Jay Kleberg, JJ Jefferson, Joe Jaworski, John Bryant, John Rigney, Jolanda Jones, Joseph Trahan, judicial races, Justice of the Peace, Keith Self, Ken Paxton, Kim McTorry, Land Commissioner, Laura Marquez, Lawrence Allen, Lee Merritt, Lesley Briones, Lite Gov, Lorenzo Sanchez, Luis Sifuentes, Luis Villarreal, Manpreet Singh, Melissa Ortega, Michelle Beckley, Michelle Vallejo, Mihaela Plesa, Mike Collier, Morgan LaMantia, Pat Hardy, Pete Garcia, Pete Sessions, primaries, provisional ballots, Railroad Commission, recount, Ricardo Villarreal, Rochelle Garza, Ruben Cortez, Ruben Ramirez, runoff, Sandra Crenshaw, Sandragrace Martinez, Sara Stapleton-Barrera, Sarah Stogner, SBOE, SD27, Senate, Sonia Lopez, Staci Childs, Starr County, Steve Duble, Suleman Lalani, Teresa Waldrop, Texas, The Lege, Tim Westley, Treasea Trevino, Van Taylor, Vanesia Johnson, Venton Jones, Victor Dunn, Victor Morales, Victor Perez, Vidal Martinez, voter suppression, Wayne Christian, Webb County, Zapata County | 12 Comments

AstroWorld lawsuits get underway

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is going to be fascinating, heartbreaking, infuriating, and a lot more. Lawyers packed a Harris County civil courtroom Tuesday morning as the judge overseeing litigation stemming from the deadly Astroworld Festival concert outlined the first steps to organize the hundreds of … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Astroworld, Brent Coon, Daniel Petrocelli, Harris County, Harris County Sports & Convention Corp, Houston, HPD, Jason Itkin, lawsuit, Live Nation, Neal Manne, Reliant Stadium, Tony Buzbee, Travis Scott | 1 Comment

Texas blog roundup for the week of February 28

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance stands with the people of Ukraine as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged blog roundup, TPA | Comments Off

Investigation into trans teen’s family halted

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. A state judge blocked Texas’ child protection agency from investigating the parents of a transgender teenager who received gender-affirming medical care, citing the “irreparable injury” they would likely suffer. District Judge Amy Clark Meachum’s ruling does not … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, Department of Family and Protective Services, Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton, Lambda Legal, lawsuit, Texas, The Lege, transgender rights | 1 Comment

2022 primary results: Harris County

Posted on March 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

There were some issues, as there always are. Honestly, that’s one of the reasons I vote early – less time pressure in case something happens. There was also an issue with reporting the early ballots. The Harris County Elections Administration … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged Adrian Garcia, Alexandra Mealer, Amy Martin, Andrea Beall, Angela Rodriguez, Ben Chou, Carla Wyatt, Chip Wells, Chris Morton, Chris Watson, Commissioners Court, David Patronella, Dedra Davis, Democratic primary, District Clerk, Dolores Lozano, Dylan Osborne, Election 2022, Erica Davis, Frank Aguilar, Greg Glass, Harris County, Harris County Judge, Harris County Treasurer, Hilary Unger, Isabel Longoria, Jack Morman, Jason Luong, Jerry Mouton, Juanita Jackson Barner, judicial races, Justice of the Peace, Leah Shapiro, Lesley Briones, Lina Hidalgo, Lucia Bates, Manpreet Singh, Marilyn Burgess, Melissa Morris, Natalia Oakes, Porscha Brown, primaries, Roderick Rogers, runoff, Scot Dollinger, Secretary of State, Sonia Lopez, Steve Duble, Tamika Craft, Teresa Waldrop, Treasea Trevino, Veronica Nelson, Vidal Martinez | 11 Comments

2022 primary results: Statewide

Posted on March 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

That didn’t take long: . JUST IN: Beto O’Rourke wins Texas Democratic primary for governor, @NBCNews projects. http://nbcnews.to/36VOfa3 — NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) 8:01 PM – 1 March 2022 Literally one minute after polls would have closed in El Paso. You … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged Ag Commissioner, Allen West, Attorney General, Beto O'Rourke, Comptroller, Dan Patrick, Dawn Buckingham, Democratic primary, Don Huffines, Election 2022, Eva Guzman, Evan Young, George P. Bush, Governor, Greg Abbott, Janet Dudding, Jay Kleberg, Joe Jaworski, Ken Paxton, Land Commissioner, Lite Gov, Mike Collier, primaries, Railroad Commission, Rochelle Garza, runoff, Sandragrace Martinez, Scott Walker, Sid Miller, Supreme Court, Susan Hays, Texas, Tim Mahoney, Wayne Christian | 1 Comment

2022 primary results: Legislative races

Posted on March 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

You might start with the Daily Kos rundown of races of interest, which includes all of the Congressional races worth watching. One of those got an early resolution, as former Austin City Council member Greg Casar declared victory before 9 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged Alma Allen, Art Fierro, Bert Keller, Candis Houston, CD02, CD03, CD08, CD15, CD21, CD23, CD28, CD30, CD34, CD35, CD37, CD38, Christian Hayes, Claudia Ordaz-Perez, Claudia Zapata, Congress, Dan Crenshaw, Daniel Lee, Danielle Bess, Democratic primary, Derrik Gay, Diana Alexander, Duncan Klussmann, Election 2022, Erin Gamez, Greg Casar, Greg Travis, Harold Dutton, HD100, HD114, HD124, HD125, HD131, HD133, HD142, HD147, HD22, HD26, HD37, HD38, HD50, HD51, HD70, HD75, HD76, HD79, HD92, Henry Cuellar, James Talarico, Jan McDowell, Jasmine Crockett, Jessica Cisneros, John Lira, John Whitmire, Jolanda Jones, Joseph Trahan, Josey Garcia, Lawrence Allen, Lloyd Doggett, Luis Villarreal, Lulu Flores, Mary Gonzalez, Mayra Flores, Miguel Gonzalez, Molly Cook, Monica de la Cruz-Hernandez, Morgan LaMantia, Morgan Luttrell, primaries, Ray Lopez, Reagan Flowers, Ruben Cortez, Ruben Ramirez, runoff, Salman Bhojani, Sandeep Srivastava, Sandra Crenshaw, Sara Stapleton-Barrera, SD15, SD17, SD27, Senate, Suleman Lalani, Texas, The Lege, Titus Benton, Van Taylor, Vanesia Johnson, Venton Jones, Vicente Gonzalez, Wesley Hunt | Comments Off

Lawsuit filed to block investigation of gender-affirming care for trans teenager

Posted on March 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This was inevitable. I very much hope it is successful. The state of Texas is investigating a family for child abuse after the parents obtained gender-affirming care for their 16-year-old transgender daughter. It’s believed to be among the first of … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, Department of Family and Protective Services, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Ken Paxton, Lambda Legal, lawsuit, Texas, The Lege, transgender rights | 1 Comment

Some thoughts on Primary Day

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Will we learn more about the mail ballot debacle? Mail ballot usage during early voting has dropped precipitously since 2018, with tens of thousands of voters — especially Republicans — ditching the forms after two years of the GOP’s baseless … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged absentee ballots, Beto O'Rourke, early voting, Election 2010, Election 2018, Election 2020, Election 2022, Election Day, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Ken Paxton, primaries, Rick Perry, Texas, turnout, voter suppression | Comments Off

More on Abbott’s involvement in “getting the power back on”

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Also known as more from the Brazos Electric Power Co-op lawsuit against ERCOT, but that didn’t fit well in the title. The former chair of the Texas Public Utility Commission testified in court Thursday that during last year’s winter storm and blackout Governor … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Bill Magness, blackouts, Brazos Electric Power Cooperative, DeAnn Walker, electricity, ERCOT, Erin Nowell, Freeze 2021, Greg Abbott, lawsuit, Panda Power, Public Utility Commission, Supreme Court, Texas, Texas Multidistrict Litigation Panel | Comments Off

HISD lifts its mask mandate

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A bit earlier than expected. The Houston Independent School District will lift its mask mandate Tuesday, no longer requiring the use of face coverings at all facilities and buildings, district officials said Monday. The change in policy at Houston ISD … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged Centers for Disease Control, coronavirus, face masks, Harris County, HISD, Houston, Lina Hidalgo, Millard House, schools, Sylvester Turner, vaccinations | 1 Comment

Today is primary day

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Today’s the day! . ‼️ Tomorrow is Texas Primary Election Day! 👉 Be sure you are #VoterReady by downloading a sample ballot: http://harrisvotes.com/SampleBallot 📍 Pick from one of over 375 Polling locations at http://harrisvotes.com/PollLocations #YourVoteYourVoice #HarrisVotes — Harris County Elections … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged Election 2022, Election Day, electronic voting machines, Harris County, paper ballots, primaries, Texas, turnout | 1 Comment

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