Monthly Archives: June 2023

Fairfield developers accuse state of lying about buying the park property

Posted on June 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Getting spicy out there. While state officials are planning to vote Saturday on whether to attempt to use eminent domain to claim Fairfield Lake State Park, the Dallas-based developer who now owns the land wants Texans to know that the … Continue reading →

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

We’re starting to hear from the Managers of the Board

Posted on June 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Bits and piece, dribbles and drabs. New Houston ISD board of managers members are pledging to earn families’ trust amid outcry from segments of the community who view board members as little more than rubber stamps for state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles. The public will get … Continue reading →

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City settles dumping complaint with Justice Department

Posted on June 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston will not face punishment after settling a Justice Department probe into whether the city’s system of responding to illegal dumping calls violated the Civil Rights Act by disregarding Black and Latino neighborhoods. Mayor Sylvester Turner’s administration reached a three-year voluntary resolution with … Continue reading →

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Big XII remains “open” to more expansion

Posted on June 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe they’ll eventually call themselves the Big XVI. The Big 12 is open to further expansion, commissioner Brett Yormark said Friday, as the league prepares to welcome four new members, including the University of Houston, on July 1. Expansion was … Continue reading →

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Dispatches from Dallas, June 9 edition

Posted on June 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week in news from DFW, we have a grab bag. Who’s in and out in the Democratic primary for CD-32; Collin County is … Continue reading →

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Buzbee will do Paxton’s defense

Posted on June 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Sure, why not? Tony Buzbee, a high-profile and boisterously outspoken Houston attorney who defended former Gov. Rick Perry against abuse-of-office charges, will lead suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s legal defense team in his impeachment trial. Buzbee had said on his … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized!, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Federal judge halts Florida’s ban on gender affirming care

Posted on June 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Hopefully, a preview of our future. A federal judge delivered a stinging rebuke to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature over rules and a new state law that banned minors from receiving “puberty blockers” and other types of … Continue reading →

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Miles picks a team

Posted on June 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

He keeps moving, I’m trying to keep up. Newly appointed Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles‘ first cabinet selections include a mix of HISD staff members, former employees of his charter school network, administrators from across Texas and educational analysts. Miles’ … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of June 5

Posted on June 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is stocking up on impeachment GIFs as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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A Paxton threefer

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Law professor Quinn Yeargain points out something I’ve not seen discussed elsewhere. But for both ambitious Texas politicians waiting in the wings and eagle-eyed election observers, one of the most important questions is likely who will succeed Paxton if he’s … Continue reading →

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Fairfield State Park closes again

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

What a rollercoaster. For the second time this year, the state has closed Fairfield Lake State Park after it was unable to negotiate the purchase of the property from a developer. After several attempts to save the 1,820-acre park, Texas … Continue reading →

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Ashby 2.0 gets sued

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s party like it’s 2007, baby! Just when the 16-year battle over the proposed Ashby high-rise site in Boulevard Oaks appeared to drawing to a close, opponents have filed a lawsuit that again puts the fate of the project into … Continue reading →

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

Paxton not feeling the love in Collin County

Posted on June 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Poor baby. When the Texas House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton in the waning days of a regular legislative session, some Texans were shocked that the 121 “yes” votes included every representative from Collin County, … Continue reading →

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Second contender for CD32 announces

Posted on June 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

With more to come, I’m sure.  Justin Moore’s website is here, his Facebook page is here, and you can see that announcement as a Twitter thread here. No news stories that I have seen yet, I got this via … Continue reading →

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Expanding HART

Posted on June 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see. More of Harris County’s 911 calls will be diverted to a mental health crisis team instead of law enforcement officers after a year-long pilot program in a handful of neighborhoods handled thousands of non-violent incidents. Since March … Continue reading →

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Two 2024 polls

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I know, it’s all ridiculously early, but what the heck. Here’s poll #1. The 2024 election is still more than a year out, but a new poll by the University of Texas at Tyler shows Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz … Continue reading →

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Converting empty downtown office space into residences

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Something to think about. Across the country, office-to-housing conversions are being pursued as a potential lifeline for struggling downtown business districts that emptied out during the coronavirus pandemic and may never fully recover. The conversion push is marked by an emphasis on affordability. Multiple … Continue reading →

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

A more general look at ransomware attacks

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This WaPo story, which I found by googling around for more news on the Dallas ransomware attack, has some great general information on this recent plague, which I thought you’d find useful as well. The ransomware attacks that pose a … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for June 4

Posted on June 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

“The Disney Vault Is Back for the Streaming Age and It’s Worse Than Ever”. “It’s no surprise that queer students in Republican-dominated states where these laws have passed are profoundly impacted. But less visible is the dramatic effect the steady … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 4 Comments

Impeachment in the Senate

Posted on June 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Long Trib story about what to expect when the Senate finally takes up the impeachment trial of Ken Paxton. The Senate plans to consider impeachment rules on June 20 and to start the trial by Aug. 28. Yet there are … Continue reading →

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Maybe giving a millionaire his own government wasn’t the best idea

Posted on June 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This story is absolutely bonkers. In 2019, the city of Dripping Springs was finalizing plans for a new pipeline to move wastewater from its busy north end to a regional treatment plant on the south. Half a decade in the … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Hammerhead flatworms

Posted on June 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

What fresh hell is this? They can grow up to 15 inches long, multiply when cut in half and are poisonous when eaten by pets and other animals. People across social media have reported seeing hammerhead flatworms in Texas this year and are … Continue reading →

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Paxton’s defense team

Posted on June 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I feel slightly weird about this. Six top officials and employees at the Texas attorney general’s office have taken a leave of absence to help defend suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton in his impeachment trial this summer. Those employees are … Continue reading →

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Superintendent Miles hits the ground running

Posted on June 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We should expect a lot of this. Mike Miles wasted little time Thursday before imposing major changes to the Houston Independent School District he now oversees, launching a plan to reconstitute 29 struggling campuses that forces employees to reapply for their jobs but … Continue reading →

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Special election for Slaton’s seat set

Posted on June 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that Nov. 7 will be the date of a special election to fill the seat of disgraced former state Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City. The House voted to expel Slaton less than a … Continue reading →

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Mike Miles and the Board of Managers

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s official. Former Dallas ISD superintendent Mike Miles − described as a military-minded leader who pushes reform − is the state’s choice for the new Houston ISD superintendent. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath announced his long-rumored decision Thursday morning, the … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

DeGuerin and Hardin to prosecute Paxton

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Prominent lawyers Dick DeGuerin and Rusty Hardin will serve as lead prosecutors for the Texas House in the Senate impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton. The two Houston-based defense attorneys, introduced at a Capitol news conference Thursday, … Continue reading →

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Dispatches from Dallas, June 2 edition

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. In DFW-area news this week, we’ll be talking about Ken Paxton, who’s local to Collin County, updates on the Dallas ransomware problem, trouble in … Continue reading →

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Abbott names former SOS John Scott as temporary AG

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I honestly wasn’t sure he was going to bother with this. Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday appointed Fort Worth lawyer and former Secretary of State John Scott as interim Texas attorney general, temporarily replacing Ken Paxton, who was suspended as … Continue reading →

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How bad is the “Death Star” bill going to be?

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll soon be finding out. House Bill 2127 has been approved by the state House and Senate, and Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign it any day. Crafted by state Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock), the bill aims to create a statewide, uniform set … Continue reading →

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“Near normal” hurricane season this year

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good news, bad news. Texas and the rest of the Gulf and East coasts are most likely to see a “near-normal” hurricane season this year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Federal forecasters are predicting between 12 and … Continue reading →

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