Monthly Archives: July 2022

Houston vies for 2028 RNC

Posted on July 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll be sure to be out of town if we get it. Houston wants the GOP to come to the Bayou City for its national convention in 2028. City Council on Wednesday voted 14-2 to pass a resolution in support … Continue reading →

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UH/Hobby Center: Abbott 49, Beto 44

Posted on July 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This one is post-Dobbs. In the race for governor, Republican Greg Abbott leads Democrat Beto O’Rourke by 5% among likely voters, 49% to 44%, with 5% undecided and 2% intending to vote for Libertarian Mark Tippetts. More than nine out … Continue reading →

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COVID hospitalizations up in Houston

Posted on July 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. COVID-19 hospitalizations have nearly doubled in the Houston area over the last month, according to re-published Texas Medical Center data, which paints a clearer picture of the risk associated with newer, increasingly transmissible versions of the virus. The medical … Continue reading →

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Losing Clear Creek ISD candidate sues to overturn her loss

Posted on July 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is probably going to amount to nothing, but we still have to get through it. A conservative candidate who ran for a seat on the Clear Creek ISD school board to fight “indoctrination” in May, has filed a lawsuit … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of July 11

Posted on July 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance mourns the victims of yet another mass shooting as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Houston get a medical marijuana pick-up location

Posted on July 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

For those who will need it. Houston’s first permanent pick-up location for medical marijuana opened Tuesday, giving patients another option for obtaining their prescription cannabis. Texas Original, the state’s largest medical marijuana provider, opened a 1,776-square-foot facility on Houston Avenue … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Uvalde video to be released

Posted on July 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is the right thing to do. The Texas House committee investigating the Uvalde school shooting plans to release video footage of the incident on Sunday, Rep. Dustin Burrows said. Burrows, a Lubbock Republican and the committee’s chairman, said Tuesday … Continue reading →

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Time to meet the University Line BRT plans

Posted on July 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A big step forward, but there are many miles yet to go. The biggest of Metro’s big bus offerings is about to turn from lines on a map to a full-fledged discussion for Houston residents, as transit officials prepare for … Continue reading →

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

Who gets to judge Volkswagen?

Posted on July 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating little legal cul-de-sac here. German car manufacturers Volkswagen and Audi — facing a lawsuit from Texas that could cost the companies millions stemming from the emissions cheating scheme uncovered in 2015 — argue that Gov. Greg Abbott could unfairly … Continue reading →

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Get your kids vaccinated (I’m saying it again)

Posted on July 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We have a long way to go. In the two weeks since the federal government allowed emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines for children younger than 5, nearly 32,000 Texas kids in that age group have been vaccinated. That accounts for … Continue reading →

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Here come the threats to businesses

Posted on July 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The forced birth fanatics are just getting started. And it’s already ugly. A group of Texas state House lawmakers called the Texas Freedom Caucus sent a letter to a law firm in Dallas last week threatening “consequences” over the firm’s … Continue reading →

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Are we going to get law enforcement video from Uvalde or not?

Posted on July 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Still waiting. A bureaucratic spat over whether to release video from inside Robb Elementary School during the May 24 mass shooting grew increasingly complex on Monday after a key Texas state legislator suggested that there was now finally an agreement … Continue reading →

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A seafaring abortion clinic?

Posted on July 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It could happen. A California doctor has a plan to launch a floating reproductive health clinic in the Gulf of Mexico, where care will be regulated by federal — not state — law. The plan — currently in the fundraising … Continue reading →

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Sniffing out COVID

Posted on July 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. Dogs are as reliable as laboratory tests for detecting COVID-19 cases, and may be even better than PCR tests for identifying infected people who don’t have symptoms. A bonus: The canines are cuter and less invasive than a … Continue reading →

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Chron story on the proposed new City Council map

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Remember, you heard it here first. Houston’s proposed City Council maps for 2023 elections make only minor changes to district boundaries near Rice University, Freedmen’s Town and parts of downtown. Overall, less than 3% of Houston’s 2.3 million residents will … Continue reading →

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Border and immigration news roundup

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Same deal, too much news, yadda yadda yadda… As Abbott orders state police to return migrants to border, critics on the right say it’s not enough. Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday authorized state law enforcement to return migrants suspected of … Continue reading →

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We’re number one in the worst way

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Bad and getting worse. When a disturbed teenager in Uvalde sought a high-powered rifle that could fire numerous rounds, he didn’t have far to go. Texas has more licensed gun dealers and manufacturers than any other state, according to a … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for July 10

Posted on July 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

“It’s Hard to Overstate the Danger of the Voting Case the Supreme Court Just Agreed to Hear”. “The fall of Roe could also be disastrous for IVF: Since the process often produces extra embryos, which for the anti-choice movement still … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 8 Comments

Another injunction issued to halt DFPS investigations of trans kids’ families

Posted on July 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

New case, different families. A Travis County judge on Friday granted a narrow injunction against the state of Texas that will continue to block investigations of child abuse for two families who allowed their children to receive gender-affirming care. The … Continue reading →

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

Brief abortion news roundup

Posted on July 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Too much news, etc etc etc. You know the drill. Houston crisis pregnancy centers, labeled ‘deceptive’ by experts, find new spotlight after Roe ruling. Since 2011, pregnant Houstonians seeking abortions at the Planned Parenthood clinic off the Gulf Freeway have … Continue reading →

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Uvalde mayor disputes report that police missed opportunity to shoot gunman

Posted on July 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’re still arguing over the basic facts of this tragedy. Uvalde’s mayor on Friday denied a recent report that said a city police officer had an opportunity to shoot the 18-year-old gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers inside … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

More on finding Baby Holly

Posted on July 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Everything about this story continues to fascinate me. How did investigators find Holly Marie Clouse? It all came down to a question about spelling — and a birth certificate. In January, genealogists identified the bodies of Harold Dean Clouse and Tina … Continue reading →

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A few words about the state of the Governor’s race

Posted on July 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

There are many factors. A school shooting in Uvalde that left 19 children and two teachers dead. The end of a nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to an abortion. A history-making spring in Texas is laying the groundwork for a contentious … Continue reading →

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City Council redistricting on the agenda

Posted on July 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready for some public hearings. The City Council of the City of Houston, Texas, will hold the following public hearings in the City Council Chamber, City Hall, 2nd Floor, 901 Bagby, Houston, Texas 77002. The purpose of the hearings is … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

GLO threatens to take away more Harvey relief funds from Houston

Posted on July 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, hell no. The state General Land Office says it may have to take over more of the city’s Hurricane Harvey housing relief programs, citing what it says is consistently sluggish progress on a slew of the initiatives. The land office said in a … Continue reading →

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Whole Woman’s Health moving to New Mexico

Posted on July 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sad, but inevitable. One of the nation’s largest independent abortion provider said Wednesday that it is pulling out of Texas and opening a clinic in New Mexico to support Texans and others facing limited abortion access after the Supreme Court … Continue reading →

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UT/Texas Politics Project poll: Abbott 45, Beto 39

Posted on July 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

One more pre-Dobbs result to consider. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s lead over Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke narrowed to 6 points last month, according to a poll conducted by the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin. That’s … Continue reading →

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Some ideas for improving elections in Harris County

Posted on July 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Put it on the new guy’s to do list. When Harris County’s new elections administrator starts the job next month, he will have less than three months to get ready before polls open on Oct. 24 for early voting in … Continue reading →

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Paxton responds to State Bar lawsuit against him

Posted on July 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Blah blah blah, you can’t sue me, blah blah blah. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is seeking to dismiss a professional misconduct lawsuit filed by the state bar against him related to his legal challenge of the 2020 presidential election, … Continue reading →

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CBS/YouGov: Abbott 49, Beto 41

Posted on July 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Kinda meh, but with some caveats. As the race for governor tightens, a new CBS News poll shows Gov. Greg Abbott regaining support against Democratic candidate and former congressman Beto O’Rourke. The matchup between Abbott and O’Rourke is the marquee … Continue reading →

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

Uvalde updates

Posted on July 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Too much news, so time for a news dump. Uvalde shooting victims aren’t getting compensated from state fund as intended, officials say. State Sen. Roland Gutierrez and Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said Monday that families of the Uvalde shooting victims … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court takes some action on access to contraception

Posted on July 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From last week: Harris County leaders on Tuesday passed a trio of items in support of women’s access to abortion and contraception in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. The most significant of the three … Continue reading →

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The four remaining lawsuits against Deshaun Watson

Posted on July 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever happens with the disciplinary hearing, the courts will still have a say in what happens to Deshaun Watson. Four lawsuits alleging sexual assault by former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson during massage sessions continue in the courts after lawyers garnered settlements for 20 of … Continue reading →

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We have a new Election Administrator

Posted on July 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Harris County’s election commission today named Clifford D. Tatum the county’s next Elections Administrator. He is scheduled to take over from interim EA, Beth Stevens. Mr. Tatum is the chief information security officer for the DC Board … Continue reading →

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