Monthly Archives: August 2022

DeLorean reboot company hit with intellectual property lawsuit

Posted on August 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a plot twist I didn’t see coming. Mere months after the city and county coughed up nearly $1.1 million in incentives to attract the revamped DeLorean Motor Co., the venture has been hit with a lawsuit alleging its founders … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for August 21

Posted on August 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

“Storytelling has always been a dance between the creators and the audience. Plots turn and twist, steering expectations and swaying emotions. But as filmed entertainment has grown on a near-exponential scale, encompassing interconnected franchises and expanding onto more platforms than … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Commissioners Court approves its bond package

Posted on August 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

But not without some bitching and griping. Harris County Commissioners Court voted Thursday to put a $1.2 billion package on the November ballot this year, with the vast majority aimed at road construction. Tensions flared when Harris County Judge Lina … Continue reading →

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Whither the Log Cabin Republicans

Posted on August 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A whole lot of words about a group of people that make no sense to me. In June 1998, a group of gay and lesbian conservatives, pushing for greater representation at the Texas Republican Party convention in Fort Worth, found … Continue reading →

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The 24th plaintiff

Posted on August 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, 23 of the 24 women who had filed lawsuits against Deshaun Watson for sexual harassment and assault have settled those cases. The one who has not settled now tells us why. Deshaun Watson and the NFL agreed to … Continue reading →

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Texas will get a lot from the Inflation Reduction Act

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Thanks, Biden! Texas’s clean energy sector is expected to be one of the largest beneficiaries of the climate and health care legislation President Joe Biden has signed into law, according to estimates released by the White House Wednesday. Over the next … Continue reading →

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SCOTx advised to leave judicial bypass rules in place

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is a pleasant surprise. An advisory committee to the Texas Supreme Court voted unanimously Friday to keep in place a legal procedure that allows minors to get a judge’s approval to have an abortion without the legally necessary parental … Continue reading →

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We’re going to have a “colder than normal” winter

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What could possibly go wrong? Savor the rest of the sweltering summer because this winter in Texas is going to be “colder than normal,” according to Farmers’ Almanac. The Almanac, which has been predicting the weather outlook for farmers and … Continue reading →

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Hopefully the last time she will appear before a judge

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

For her sake, I hope it is. Years of legal trouble for a former Harris County civil judge have come to an end with three years probation. Alexandra Smoots on Wednesday wept as Judge Chuck Silverman granted her deferred adjudication … Continue reading →

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This is why elections administrators are under attack

Posted on August 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What a lousy thing to do right now. Harris County’s new elections administrator has not taken office yet, but the Harris County GOP is already trying to shape his reputation. On Wednesday, State Senator Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, tweeted an image … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Adoption is not a replacement for abortion

Posted on August 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Anyone who tells you otherwise is at the very least misinformed. More likely, they’re just lying. Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the loss of abortion access in many states, some conservative leaders have suggested abortion is unnecessary … Continue reading →

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Watson’s suspension increased to 11 games

Posted on August 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This was the result of an agreement between the NFL and Deshaun Watson as represented by the NFLPA. Deshaun Watson’s suspension has been increased from six to 11 games, the league announced Thursday. Watson and NFL reached a settlement where … Continue reading →

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Houston will have a bond on the ballot

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

First I’d heard of this, but it should be pretty routine. Houston will ask voters in November to approve a $478 million bond program to buy fire and police vehicles, renovate or replace city facilities and give the city’s animal … Continue reading →

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New bail bond rule survives again

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

On to the appeals. A judge rejected a second attempt by a bail bonding business to put an end to a Harris County rule requiring defendants accused of violent offenses to pay a minimum 10 percent fee to secure their release from jail, officials said … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

If your advocacy includes convincing children to carry their rapist’s baby to term, your advocacy is bad

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Towards the end of this overall infuriating story about “crisis pregnancy centers” in Texas, we come to a quote that stunned me so hard I had to step away from the computer for a few minutes. If they can get … Continue reading →

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Texa blog roundup for the week of August 15

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance weekly roundup is not classified as Top Secret and thus can be safely taken home with you.

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All of Gillespie County’s elections staff resigns

Posted on August 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Who could blame them? Citing threats and even stalking, all three employees at the Gillespie County elections office have resigned from their positions, leaving the office empty with less than three months before the primary election in November. The Fredericksburg … Continue reading →

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Vote No and take the credit anyway

Posted on August 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a tale as old as time. Republicans in Texas are proud to stand and announce local grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The problem is they all voted against it. All of them. For the second time in two … Continue reading →

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Don’t give these fools an inch, New Mexico

Posted on August 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Defeat them at every turn. For New Mexico state Rep. Micaela Lara Cadena, the arrival of a new abortion clinic in Las Cruces, the city she represents, is surreal. Over the years, there hasn’t been consistent access to the procedure … Continue reading →

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A long look at the lack of accountability in Uvalde

Posted on August 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

CNN has a very long piece about how there are many investigations going on about the Uvalde massacre but seemingly little to hold anyone accountable for it. Uvalde residents, especially the parents of Robb Elementary children, are increasingly frustrated with … Continue reading →

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The proposed HISD charter partnership policy change

Posted on August 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t have a lot of time to dig into this, but there are a couple of things I wanted to touch on. Parents, education advocates and a group of Houston elected officials including three Houston ISD trustees on Monday … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

First school ratings since 2019 released

Posted on August 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

All in all, not too bad. But for poorer schools and school districts, it remains a very hard go. The Texas Education Agency on Monday released its first public school ratings in three years and despite pandemic interruptions, the number … Continue reading →

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DMN/UT-Tyler: Abbott 46, Beto 39

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again with the DMN/UT-Tyler poll, which if nothing else always provides something to talk about. The unreadable DMN story is here. The Chron has a story with a semi-ridiculous headline about how Abbott has slightly increased his … Continue reading →

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The book ban requests are coming from inside the house

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Typical “grassroots” campaign. The wave of book reviews and removals that swept across Texas in the last year was driven more by politicians than parents, a Houston Chronicle analysis found, contradicting claims that recent book bans were the result of … Continue reading →

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GOP seeks to knock Libertarians off the ballot

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They tried this in 2020 with no success, but might be better positioned this year. Texas Republicans have filed a petition to knock 23 Libertarian candidates off the November ballot for not paying their filing fees. On August 8, 23 … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for August 14

Posted on August 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

“The Surprising History of the Slur Beyoncé and Lizzo Both Cut From Their New Albums”. “The construction of a world based on lies is a key component of authoritarians’ takeover of democratic societies.” “The fake electors are the entry point … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Supreme Court to review parental consent bypass rules

Posted on August 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing good is likely to come of this. The Texas Supreme Court is reconsidering rules that allow Texans under 18 to obtain abortions without parental consent in light of the state’s soon-to-take-effect abortion ban. Chief Justice Nathan Hecht asked an … Continue reading →

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

Election officials and workers need our help

Posted on August 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve identified the problem. That’s good. Now let’s do something to fix it. Misinformation about elections has led to violent threats against election workers in Texas and other states — including one who was told “we should end your bloodline” … Continue reading →

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Metro gets electric bus money

Posted on August 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Metro’s plan to gradually get rid of gasoline-powered buses took a step forward this week, when federal officials awarded the transit agency nearly $21.6 million to replace 20 diesel buses with electric ones, and the equipment needed to keep … Continue reading →

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

Deshaun Watson “apologizes”

Posted on August 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

As you may infer, I’m not impressed. Deshaun Watson’s best play in his preseason debut with the Cleveland Browns came long before he took the field in Jacksonville. Watson apologized Friday “to all the women I have impacted” after being … Continue reading →

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More on polling about abortion

Posted on August 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not a new poll, but a closer look at the June UT/Texas Politics Project poll, with a longer look back at over a decade’s worth of polling data. Under current Texas law, abortion is prohibited even in cases of rape … Continue reading →

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HISD buys stuff for its police

Posted on August 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Okay, but I hope the plan to deal with an active shooter has more than this in it. Houston ISD trustees Thursday evening approved a measure to buy 200 rifles, ammunition and 200 ballistic shields for the district’s police department, … Continue reading →

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More on your forthcoming phone bill increase

Posted on August 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron gets on the story. Texans who use a phone should expect to pay more for that service, thanks to a startling rate increase adopted by the Public Utility Commission of Texas last month. Commissioners in July voted to … Continue reading →

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At least you’re (probably) not giving birth in West Texas

Posted on August 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is a long story about the lack of prenatal and obstetric care in West Texas. It’s mostly set in Alpine, Presidio, and Big Bend, which are the “big cities” in the area that actually have doctors and medical facilities … Continue reading →

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