Monthly Archives: September 2022

Interview with Amy Hinojosa

Posted on September 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We wrap up with my second Harris County Department of Education trustee interview. HCDE races are at the bottom of the ballot, the office and its trustees are usually not in the public limelight, and many people don’t know much … Continue reading →

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

CCA tells Paxton again that he’s not the supreme prosecutor

Posted on September 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good, but this isn’t over. It just means that the fight will have shifted. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s last-ditch attempt to regain the power of his office to unilaterally prosecute election cases was rejected by the state’s highest criminal … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on CCA tells Paxton again that he’s not the supreme prosecutor

Uvalde parents file lawsuit against multiple defendants

Posted on September 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Keep an eye on this one. The first major lawsuit has been filed over the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde by the families of three surviving students. “The horrors of May 24, 2022, were only possible because … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Uvalde parents file lawsuit against multiple defendants

Judicial Q&A: Judge Gloria Lopez

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. This year it’s mostly incumbents running for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Judicial Q&A: Judge Gloria Lopez

The hearing that Paxton was trying to flee from

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s about whether the First Amendment rights of abortion funds have been abridged by threats of prosecution from people like Ken Paxton. You know, no big deal. Leaders of Texas’ most prominent abortion funds on Tuesday implored a federal judge … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The hearing that Paxton was trying to flee from

Republican Commissioners abscond again

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Cowards. Republicans Tom Ramsey of Precinct 3 and Jack Cagle of Precinct 4 skipped Tuesday’s Commissioners Court meeting as part of an ongoing battle of political wills that could extend until the deadline for approving a tax rate passes at … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of September 26

Posted on September 29, 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 , | Comments Off on Texas blog roundup for the week of September 26

The SPURS bills

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I admit that I tipped my cap to this one. What if it took an act of Congress to keep the Spurs in San Antonio? With the team playing two games in Austin this season and Austin billionaire Michael Dell … Continue reading →

Posted in National news, Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The SPURS bills

Interview with Andrea Duhon

Posted on September 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

There are two incumbent trustees on the Harris County Board of Education on the ballot this November. Both were appointed to their current positions, and one is running for a different position than the one she currently holds. Andrea Duhon … Continue reading →

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

Judicial Q&A: Judge Genesis Draper

Posted on September 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. This year it’s mostly incumbents running for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Judicial Q&A: Judge Genesis Draper

Hispanic Policy Foundation: Abbott 51, Beto 44

Posted on September 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

One more poll to look at. There’s an old adage that says the more things change, the more they stay the same. And according to our new poll, that applies to politics in Texas as well, as support for Republicans … Continue reading →

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

Run, Kenny, run!

Posted on September 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Peak Ken Paxton. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton fled his home in a truck driven by his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, to avoid being served a subpoena Monday, according to an affidavit filed in federal court. Ernesto Martin Herrera, a … Continue reading →

Posted in General snarkiness, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Judicial Q&A: Je’Rell Rogers

Posted on September 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. This year it’s mostly incumbents running for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Judicial Q&A: Je’Rell Rogers

Voting has already started for 2022

Posted on September 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Military voters are getting their ballots now. Voting in the Texas governor’s race is officially underway. While in-person early voting is still four weeks away, Texans on military bases around the U.S. and overseas are getting their ballots as part … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Voting has already started for 2022

Endorsement watch: Stogner for Warford

Posted on September 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Sarah Stogner, the former Republican candidate for railroad commissioner who forced incumbent Wayne Christian to a runoff and made waves for riding a pumpjack almost naked in a memorable campaign ad, is backing the Democratic nominee for the seat. … Continue reading →

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

The limitations of Plan B

Posted on September 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A helpful and timely explainer from the Associated Press. WHAT ARE EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTIVES? Emergency contraceptives are used to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex or if a method of birth control fails. Two types of medications, sometimes referred to as “morning … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Interview with Teneshia Hudspeth

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We are moving the focus back to local offices this week, with three interviews of incumbents running for re-election. Teneshia Hudspeth is seeking her first full term as Harris County Clerk. A longtime employee of the Clerk’s office before winning … Continue reading →

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

Judicial Q&A: Judge Michelle Moore

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. This year it’s mostly incumbents running for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Judicial Q&A: Judge Michelle Moore

There are many variables affecting what might happen with abortion law in Texas

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Another way to put this: What can Beto do as Governor with a Republican legislature to make abortion laws less bad in Texas? Toward the end of a virtual campaign event last month, one of Beto O’Rourke’s supporters asked how … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on There are many variables affecting what might happen with abortion law in Texas

Is this enough lipstick for the I-45 project?

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

You decide. A downtown economic development group hopes proposed “green” and multimodal amenities will make the controversial I-45 expansion plan more palatable for the project’s critics. The multi-billion-dollar plan by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to widen and reroute … Continue reading →

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

Weekend link dump for September 25

Posted on September 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

“Leavitt’s experience is one of a spate of recent examples in which individuals have been targeted with accusations of Satanism or so-called ritualistic abuse, marking what some see as a modern day version of the moral panic of the 1980s, … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 2 Comments

Voter registration update

Posted on September 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

However you look at it, we have a lot of registered voters now. With three weeks before the Oct. 11 deadline for the November elections, nearly 80% of the state’s voting age population is registered to vote, putting the number … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Voter registration update

Of course people are harassing the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office now

Posted on September 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is the world we live in. Hate mail and calls are rushing into the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office after Sheriff Javier Salazar announced an investigation into how 48 South American migrants were “lured” onto a flight to Martha’s Vineyard. … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Of course people are harassing the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office now

Houston’s first unionized Starbucks

Posted on September 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Well done. A Starbucks in Houston’s Upper Kirby neighborhood has become the first in the city to form a union, and the 10th in Texas, after an organizing drive that began in July. The results of store’s union election were … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

More on the DeLorean reboot company and its interesting legal history

Posted on September 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Another prestige podcast in the making, I suspect. Six months after DeLorean Motors Reimagined, the startup seeking to produce a new incarnation of the 1980s sports car, said it would put is headquarters in Texas, a lawsuit filed against the … Continue reading →

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

I wish I knew how to turn the heat down

Posted on September 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

But I do know that I’m not the responsible party for this crap. About a dozen activists demanding responses to conspiracy theories about election integrity this week disrupted what is typically an uneventful public testing of voting machines ahead of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on I wish I knew how to turn the heat down

The imminent Latino plurality

Posted on September 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It may already be here, but it’s not quite officially official just yet. A closely watched estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau released Thursday indicates that Texas may have passed a long-awaited milestone: the point where Hispanic residents make up … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The imminent Latino plurality

Another hoax shooting situation

Posted on September 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

And this one shows another challenge for school districts and law enforcement to reckon with. After a lockdown at Jefferson High School sent worried parents to the school, the San Antonio Independent School District says it will enhance communications with … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Another hoax shooting situation

Enough with the “pregnant lady in the HOV lane” schtick

Posted on September 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing good comes of this. Please stop. When a pregnant North Texas woman was pulled over for driving alone in a high-occupancy vehicle lane, she protested. “I just felt that there were two of us in [the car] and I … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Enough with the “pregnant lady in the HOV lane” schtick

Interview with Cam Campbell

Posted on September 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I have spoken to many candidates for office over the years, from all walks of life. I don’t believe I had spoken to one who is called “Coach” before, but that ends today with Cameron “Coach Cam” Campbell, the Democratic … Continue reading →

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

Spectrum News/Siena College: Abbott 50, Beto 43

Posted on September 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A new pollster enters the chat. Less than two months from Election Day, Republican Governor Greg Abbott has a seven-point, 50-43%, lead over Democratic challenger, former Congressman, Beto O’Rourke. In the race for Lieutenant Governor, incumbent Republican Dan Patrick is … Continue reading →

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

The Biden student loan forgiveness plan will help a lot of Texans

Posted on September 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Hope they’re all voters, because it’s very clear who is on their side and who is against them. More Texans would benefit from President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive student loan debt than residents of nearly any other state — … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Biden student loan forgiveness plan will help a lot of Texans

Judicial Q&A: Judge LaShawn Williams

Posted on September 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. This year it’s mostly incumbents running for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Judicial Q&A: Judge LaShawn Williams

The new county COVID risk assessment system

Posted on September 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how it works. Harris County has revamped its method for assessing the public’s risk for contracting COVID-19, replacing the threat level system that has been in place since early in the pandemic with a community level system that … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The new county COVID risk assessment system