Monthly Archives: July 2023

Another interim AG appointed

Posted on July 11, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

All hail the latest temporary overlord. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that a longtime aide, Angela Colmenero, will serve as the second interim attorney general following Ken Paxton’s impeachment. After the House voted to impeach Paxton in May, he was … Continue reading →

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Were these courts really necessary?

Posted on July 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Should have added these two bills to the “will be sued over” list. Republican state leaders’ plan to create two new types of statewide courts is facing backlash from critics who say they are unconstitutional and will unfairly benefit large … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The sidewalk situation

Posted on July 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We have a lot of work to do. Growing up in Gulfton, Sandra Rodriguez walked just about everywhere. Her father took the family’s only vehicle to work, so Rodriguez and her four siblings got used to the southwest neighborhood’s patchy … Continue reading →

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Time for another area code

Posted on July 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We don’t know what it will be yet, but it’s coming. The last area code was added for Houston residents just nine years ago, but a new one is already calling in. What does this mean for Houston residents who … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Weekend link dump for July 9

Posted on July 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

“Why Are Gen Xers Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley Running Like Grumpy Old Boomers?” “Americans in former Confederate states more likely to say violent protest against government is justified, 160 years after Gettysburg”. I love this picture I found on … Continue reading →

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Latest ReBuild lawsuit dismissed

Posted on July 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

One less thing for the next Mayor to worry about. I hope. A district court judge has ruled in favor of Houston leaders in a 4-year-old lawsuit, countering allegations that Mayor Sylvester Turner and the City Council illegally shortchanged the … Continue reading →

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DOJ asked to investigate shady migrant flights

Posted on July 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Feels like this should have been done awhile ago, but better late than never. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), California State Attorney General Rob Bonta and Texas Sheriff Javier Salazar sent a letter to the Department of Justice on Thursday … Continue reading →

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The Jovita Idar quarter

Posted on July 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. As part of a series honoring women in history, the U.S. Mint will release a new quarter in mid-August depicting early 1900s South Texas journalist-activist Jovita Idar. Often associated with her early life in Laredo, she lived her last 25 … Continue reading →

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You sure you wanna join the NES now?

Posted on July 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Consider your answer carefully. Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles met with dozens of school principals Thursday to walk them through his plans for “wholesale systemic reforms” and offered those who signed up for his New Education System one last chance … Continue reading →

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How Harris County has spent COVID relief funds

Posted on July 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

A lot of good stuff here. Harris County has received around $1.8 billion in federal aid to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, a staggering sum that provided struggling residents with immediate emergency relief, has kept county services running and is fueling … Continue reading →

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Malaria

Posted on July 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Time for something new to worry about. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning doctors and public health officials about a handful of locally acquired cases of malaria. There hasn’t been a case of malaria caught locally … Continue reading →

Posted in National news, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Harris County files its first lawsuit over an election bill

Posted on July 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Another early start, for a clear reason in this case. Harris County is headed to court to challenge a new state law that abolishes its elections office, County Attorney Christian Menefee announced Thursday. The county’s lawsuit aims to stop Senate Bill 1750 from going into … Continue reading →

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Watson Grinding explosion “could have been prevented”

Posted on July 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know about you, but I favor there being fewer unplanned massive explosions. A deadly explosion that rocked northwest Houston in January 2020 could have been prevented with better planning and safety training, the federal agency responsible for investigating chemical … Continue reading →

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Dispatches from Dallas, July 7 edition

Posted on July 7, 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, a mass shooting in a historically Black neighborhood in Fort Worth, the return of a former statewide candidate … Continue reading →

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Allred gets off to a fast fundraising start

Posted on July 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see, but it’s just the first step. U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, raised nearly $6.2 million in roughly the first two months of his campaign against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. He also transferred an additional $2.4 million … Continue reading →

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Some schools want in on the Miles Plan

Posted on July 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Not too surprising, all things considered. Over 50 Houston ISD schools voluntarily signed up for Superintendent Mike Miles’ sweeping New Education System, joining the 28 campuses required to be part of the reform program Miles launched his first day in … Continue reading →

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

Fair for Houston backers submit their signatures

Posted on July 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see if they get their item on the ballot. With the bulk of the population but a fraction of the power, Houston and Harris County long have complained about getting shortchanged when the influential Houston-Galveston Area Council speaks for … Continue reading →

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Paxton won’t testify at his Senate trial

Posted on July 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

So his defense attorney says. The lead attorney for suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton said his client will not testify in his upcoming impeachment trial in the Texas Senate. Paxton’s defense lawyer, Tony Buzbee, made the announcement in a late … Continue reading →

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Grand jury no-bills Travis Scott

Posted on July 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

No criminal charges will be filed over the deaths at the 2021 AstroWorld concert. A grand jury declined on Thursday to criminally indict rapper Travis Scott and five others in the 2021 Astroworld concert deaths, capping a nearly two-year police … Continue reading →

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Houston sues over “Death Star”bill

Posted on July 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

First out of the gate. I’m sure they will have company. Houston city attorneys on Monday filed a lawsuit against a new state law that blocks an array of local regulations, marking the first legal challenge to the sweeping crackdown on cities and … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of July 3

Posted on July 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is just back from Hambriston and the 123rd Texas Country Jamboree, which inspired this week’s roundup.

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Federal judge rules for third parties in petition access lawsuit

Posted on July 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how much difference this makes. A federal judge in Austin has blocked Texas from enforcing a more than century-old state law that requires third-party candidates to collect petition signatures on paper to qualify for a place on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Lots of broadband funding on the way

Posted on July 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Texas will receive more than $3.3 billion in federal money — the most of any state — to help expand broadband availability statewide, the Biden administration announced Monday. The money will be distributed from the $42.45 billion in the Broadband Equity, … Continue reading →

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On destigmatizing UFOs

Posted on July 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I agree with this. NASA wants to remove the stigma around reporting and researching UFOs. During a public meeting on Wednesday, NASA said its 16-member team of independent experts had been harassed for helping create a strategy to better categorize … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for July 2

Posted on July 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

“But Musk’s constant lying about Twitter’s bot situation should be different. Nobody likes bots, and Musk has spent many months concocting ludicrous claims about them. Everyone should be annoyed. When he tried to get out of buying Twitter, he said … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court upholds Abbott’s mask mandate ban

Posted on July 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. Settling a heated pandemic-era debate between Gov. Greg Abbott and leaders of the state’s major urban areas, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that the governor had the legal authority to forbid local officials from requiring residents to wear … Continue reading →

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Fort Worth data exposure

Posted on July 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This one is a little different. A hacker group has leaked internal data from the City of Fort Worth’s online systems, city officials announced Saturday. The city was notified around 4 p.m. Friday a group called SiegedSec had downloaded data … Continue reading →

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Off to “Mars”

Posted on July 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck, y’all. Nathan Jones wondered if his family could play Uno with an up to 22-minute communications delay — each way. Ross Brockwell convinced a lifelong friend to manage his miscellaneous affairs, and Kelly Haston stockpiled videos of friends … Continue reading →

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Judge orders DPS to release Uvalde public records

Posted on July 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Very good. A state district judge on Thursday ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to begin the process of releasing public records related to law enforcement’s response to the Uvalde school shooting, granting a request by The Texas … Continue reading →

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The politics of the Board of Managers

Posted on July 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Presenting this mostly without comment. A Houston Landing review of the newly appointed board’s political contributions, public statements and work history suggests the nine members likely will govern from the political center, avoiding education culture wars galvanizing the right and … Continue reading →

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Rob Manfred’s regrets

Posted on July 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

He has one in particular that is of interest. In an extensive interview with TIME that was published Wednesday, the baseball commissioner talked about a lot of his successes in the sport, including the recent rules changes that has made for quicker games, but … Continue reading →

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