Monthly Archives: November 2023

Weekend link dump for November 19

Posted on November 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

“Return To Work: List of First TV Series To Restart Production After SAG-AFTRA Strike”. “Why Is the Entertainment Industry So Desperate To Own Dead Celebrities?” “Reuters documented at least 600 previously unreported workplace injuries at Musk’s rocket company: crushed limbs, … Continue reading →

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Harris County elections update

Posted on November 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

No news is good news. By all accounts, Harris County pulled off a smooth local election last week under its newly reconfigured election administration. But officials didn’t have time to revel in it before a judge took them to task … Continue reading →

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Whitmire and SJL on Prop B and H-GAC

Posted on November 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Houston’s two remaining candidates for mayor appear to have cooled their earlier support of local Proposition B now that it has been approved by voters and the candidates find themselves an election away from becoming the person in … Continue reading →

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“Solar For All” grant

Posted on November 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Earlier this year, the Biden Administration announced a $7 billion national “Solar For All” grant competition via the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help expand solar energy production across the country. Harris County leaders enlisted a coalition … Continue reading →

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Vouchers die another death

Posted on November 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

What a great use of everyone’s time these special sessions have been. ​The Texas House on Friday voted to strip school vouchers from the chamber’s massive education funding bill, effectively gutting Gov. Greg Abbott’s top priority from the legislation. The … Continue reading →

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The Houston-Area Crime Gun Intelligence Center

Posted on November 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This sounds promising. When Houston-area law enforcement officers announced in September that they recovered 79 guns during an investigation into a group of suspected gang members, they had a pretty good idea of how those guns had been used — … Continue reading →

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MLB owners approve A’s move to Las Vegas

Posted on November 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s still not fully resolved, but this is going to happen, like it or not. Major League Baseball owners voted unanimously Thursday to allow the Oakland Athletics to move to Las Vegas, paving the way for the second relocation of … Continue reading →

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On to the runoff

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is trying to do something no Houston mayor has done in 46 years: flip the result between a general election and a runoff. Jim McConn last achieved the feat in 1977, erasing a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

And now for the H-GAC negotiations

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Prop 2, the Fair For Houston ballot item, passed easily last week. The item charges the city of Houston to negotiate with H-GAC for a revised system of “proportional voting”. Those negotiations are next on the docket. Legal questions remain, … Continue reading →

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TikTok ban lawsuit has its day in court

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like it was a pretty good day for the plaintiffs, but as we know that’s the first very small step in a long journey. A federal judge seemed skeptical of the state’s reasoning to ban TikTok on Texas public … Continue reading →

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Appellate hearing of the State Bar discipline lawsuit against Ken Paxton

Posted on November 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Big day. Whether the Texas State Bar can take away Attorney General Ken Paxton’s law license could hinge on whether appellate justices believe the organization is trying to control what lawsuits he files on the state’s behalf — or whether … Continue reading →

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I have basically no idea who’s running for office right now

Posted on November 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Candidate data, where are you? Next year’s primary campaigns are starting to take shape after numerous candidates filed for office on Saturday, the first day to sign up for a spot on the March 2024 ballot. Voters will weigh in … Continue reading →

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Rep. Pat Fallon has a whirlwind 48 hours

Posted on November 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

First there was this on Monday, which was a little weird and meant at the time that three Republicans from Texas were leaving Congress after this term. U.S. Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Sherman, is quitting Congress and running for his old … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of November 13

Posted on November 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance applauds the efforts and results in Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky, and elsewhere as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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More plaintiffs in the lawsuit to allow exemptions to Texas’ super strict anti-abortion law

Posted on November 15, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

SCOTx will take up that appeal soon. When Kimberly Manzano’s doctor first noticed some irregularities with her pregnancy, she turned to God, praying constantly for good news. When the diagnosis worsened, she and her husband sought comfort in the Bible’s … Continue reading →

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Paxton whistleblower lawsuit unpaused again

Posted on November 15, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A Burnet County district judge ruled Tuesday that the Ken Paxton whistleblowers’ case can proceed in Travis County, while Paxton’s recently launched legal challenge to the revived lawsuit remains pending. The ruling by Judge Evan Stubbs could allow the … Continue reading →

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HISD moves towards District of Innovation status

Posted on November 15, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

One more step to go, which ought to be a mere formality. The Houston ISD District Advisory Committee voted in favor of the “District of Innovation” plan Tuesday, putting the state’s largest school district one step closer to obtaining the … Continue reading →

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Rep. Michael Burgess not running for re-election

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

No great loss. U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, a Dallas-area Republican who has held his post for two decades, will not seek re-election next year, he announced Monday. “It has been the honor of my life to have gone from a … Continue reading →

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Two more HISD stories

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Houston ISD’s elected board currently has no power. People ran for the trustee posts anyway. Two incumbents, Dani Hernandez and Patricia Allen, maintained their seats Tuesday, both winning reelection easily against a sole challenger. Meanwhile, two incoming trustees, Savant Moore … Continue reading →

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Another look at Cruise

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

While we wait to see what happens. Cruise employees worry that there is no easy way to fix the company’s problems, said five former and current employees and business partners, while its rivals fear Cruise’s issues could lead to tougher … Continue reading →

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November 2023 Texas School Board Election Recap

Posted on November 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

From Franklin Strong: Since Tuesday, headlines across the country have highlighted crushing defeats book-banning school board candidates, often associated with Moms for Liberty, suffered on Election Night. That trend carried over into Texas elections, too— but only to an extent. … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit hears wingnut anti-contraception appeal

Posted on November 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but don’t get your hopes up. In fact, keep them down. For almost a year, Texas teens have been shut out of a federal program that allows minors to access birth control … Continue reading →

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Another effort to discipline Sidney Powell

Posted on November 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Sure seems worth the effort. Reacting to the guilty pleas entered by former Donald Trump attorney Sidney Powell in Georgia, a prominent group of Texas lawyers is urging the State Bar of Texas to follow a compulsory-discipline rule against her. … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for November 12

Posted on November 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

“Scarlett Johansson has taken legal action against an AI app that used her name and likeness in an online advertisement without permission.” “Now, a team of scientists posit that silicate dust played a larger role in the mass extinction [of … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit upholds (*) Galveston redistricting ruling

Posted on November 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

With an asterisk, as noted in the title. A federal appeals court Friday ruled that Galveston County commissioners violated the U.S. Voting Rights Act by eliminating the only majority-minority district in its latest redistricting process. The 5th Circuit Court of … Continue reading →

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Appeals court reinstated State Bar lawsuit against Brent Webster

Posted on November 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I came across this story from July while writing my post about Ken Paxton’s trial date. A court of appeals reinstated a Commission for Lawyer Discipline action against the first assistant attorney general for his role in the 2020 election-questioning … Continue reading →

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Connecting Uptown and Memorial Park

Posted on November 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I approve of this. The overwhelming task of getting to Memorial Park from Uptown by bike or on foot is poised to vastly improve, provided a $22 million project for a bridge across Buffalo Bayou and underpass of Loop 610 … Continue reading →

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Whiny loser election lawsuits finally tossed

Posted on November 11, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The results of Harris County’s highly scrutinized November 2022 election were upheld Thursday evening by a judge, who threw out all but one remaining election contest out of 21 related lawsuits. Republican candidate Erin Lunceford filed her suit in … Continue reading →

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Filing season for 2024 begins today

Posted on November 11, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Happy First Day of Candidate Filing to all who celebrate. The Democratic and Republican slates will begin to take shape this weekend once candidates start filing their paperwork to run. Several Harris County officials plan to file for re-election, such … Continue reading →

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Data from Dallas County cyberattack allegedly posted online

Posted on November 11, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how bad this is. Data allegedly from the recent cyber attack on Dallas County systems has been posted online, county officials confirmed on Tuesday. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said officials were “aware of an unauthorized party posting … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit hears EMTALA appeal

Posted on November 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Keep your expectations very low. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Tuesday about whether the federal government can require Texas hospitals to perform life-saving abortions, despite the state’s near-total ban on the procedure. After the overturn of … Continue reading →

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Harris County provider of mental health services victimized by ransomware

Posted on November 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Too close for comfort. Harris County officials had few details to add Thursday morning about the investigation into a recent ransomware attack on the county’s provider for mental health services, saying cybersecurity experts had recommended they not share information. “As … Continue reading →

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More Nate Paul indictments

Posted on November 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

For your perusal. Nate Paul, the Austin real estate investor whose relationship with Attorney General Ken Paxton was central to his September impeachment trial, was charged with new crimes by federal prosecutors on Wednesday. The U.S. attorney for the Western … Continue reading →

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Dispatches from Dallas, November 10 edition

Posted on November 10, 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 Dallas-Fort Worth, we have election results; news about next years elections, including Kay Granger’s seat; Dallas city charter business; … Continue reading →

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