Tag Archives: Harris County

There’s no cheap housing in Houston any more

Posted on July 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What are we going to do about that? In the sprawling Houston region, those who could not afford homeownership in the city’s urban core always had options. They could trade proximity for affordability. But as rising home prices and mortgage … Continue reading →

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That UH/Hobby poll has Judge Hidalgo up by one in Harris County

Posted on July 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t know how many of these polls we’re going to get. Democrat Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo holds a 1 percentage point lead over Republican opponent Alexandra del Moral Mealer in polling results released Thursday by the University of Houston. … Continue reading →

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COVID hospitalizations up in Houston

Posted on July 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. COVID-19 hospitalizations have nearly doubled in the Houston area over the last month, according to re-published Texas Medical Center data, which paints a clearer picture of the risk associated with newer, increasingly transmissible versions of the virus. The medical … Continue reading →

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More on finding Baby Holly

Posted on July 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Everything about this story continues to fascinate me. How did investigators find Holly Marie Clouse? It all came down to a question about spelling — and a birth certificate. In January, genealogists identified the bodies of Harold Dean Clouse and Tina … Continue reading →

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Some ideas for improving elections in Harris County

Posted on July 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Put it on the new guy’s to do list. When Harris County’s new elections administrator starts the job next month, he will have less than three months to get ready before polls open on Oct. 24 for early voting in … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court takes some action on access to contraception

Posted on July 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From last week: Harris County leaders on Tuesday passed a trio of items in support of women’s access to abortion and contraception in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. The most significant of the three … Continue reading →

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We have a new Election Administrator

Posted on July 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Harris County’s election commission today named Clifford D. Tatum the county’s next Elections Administrator. He is scheduled to take over from interim EA, Beth Stevens. Mr. Tatum is the chief information security officer for the DC Board … Continue reading →

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The continued Republican threat to voting

Posted on July 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They cannot be satisfied. Not satisfied with the new voting restrictions put in place less than a year ago, the Texas Republican Party is plowing ahead with yet new measures that would reduce the number of early voting days and … Continue reading →

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Charges against Judge Jordan dropped

Posted on July 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

That was quick. Just four days after being indicted and arrested, Harris County misdemeanor court Judge Darrell Jordan saw an official oppression charge against him dropped. Fort Bend County prosecutors on Friday announced they were dropping the misdemeanor charge against … Continue reading →

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Still no new Election Administrator

Posted on July 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

C’mon, y’all. Harris County officials canceled an election commission meeting for the second time this week, again citing a lack of quorum because only two members were able to attend in person. The rescheduled meeting now is set for Tuesday. … Continue reading →

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Bexar County raises its COVID threat level

Posted on July 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Hopefully not a sign of things to come. Local health officials raised San Antonio’s COVID-19 risk level to high this week after warning of a “silent surge” just two weeks ago. That surge continues, according to data from the city’s Metropolitan Health District, … Continue reading →

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More on Jordan and Dolcefino

Posted on July 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Dolcefino speaks. Former TV reporter Wayne Dolcefino has called for the resignation of Harris County misdemeanor Judge Darrell Jordan, alleging a personal vendetta led the jurist to wrongly hold him in contempt of court in 2020. Dolcefino’s demand came after … Continue reading →

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Harris County implements a burn ban

Posted on July 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Surely this is a thing we can all comply with. Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday enacted a countywide burn ban due to drought conditions and an increased threat of wildfires across unincorporated Harris County, but fireworks will remain legal … Continue reading →

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No new election admin yet

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Hope this delay is brief. Harris County’s top election position remains unfilled, after a Monday meeting of the county’s election commission to select a candidate was canceled due to a lack of quorum. Their final pick will face a narrowing time … Continue reading →

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Jordan and Dolcefino

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I have questions about this. Darrell William Jordan, a Harris County misdemeanor court judge, on Monday was arrested and charged with of official oppression, according to court records. Jordan is accused of using his office to unlawfully arrest and detain … Continue reading →

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Sheriff Gonzales withdraws from consideration for ICE

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not a big surprise at this point. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez has withdrawn from consideration to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he confirmed Monday afternoon. Gonzalez’s withdrawal comes 14 months after President Joe Biden first nominated him to … Continue reading →

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DAs are not going to be able to avoid enforcing anti-abortion laws

Posted on June 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate the sentiment, but that’s not how it works. Even before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, local prosecutors in several of the largest Texas counties vowed not to file criminal charges in abortion-related cases, seemingly offering hope … Continue reading →

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We are getting serious about the flood tunnel idea

Posted on June 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Now the question is how could we pay for this? A network of eight massive storm water tunnels that drain upstream of and into the Houston Ship Channel could be the key to alleviating flooding in Harris County, flood control engineers announced this week. The … Continue reading →

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Harris County GOP drops its lawsuit over election night vote dropoffs

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It wasn’t getting anywhere, anyway. The Harris County GOP on Friday dropped its lawsuit, filed on the day of last month’s primary runoff election, challenging the county’s plan for counting ballots. Local Republican party officials argued the county’s ballot transport protocol violated … Continue reading →

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We have finalists for the Election Administrator job

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The director of voting for Harris County will become the interim elections administrator, officials said Wednesday as the county elections commission narrowed its search for the permanent job to two candidates. Following a closed-door executive session of the Harris … Continue reading →

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Harris County ponders a bond election

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

First one in awhile. Harris County leaders will begin discussions Tuesday about whether to add a bond election to the November ballot. The bond would be a hybrid measure to raise money for roads, parks, flood control, and public safety. … Continue reading →

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There was definitely an improvement in mail ballot acceptance for the primary runoffs

Posted on June 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The last time I looked, I was largely unable to find any news stories about mail ballots and their rejection rates for the May primary runoff elections, with the exception of one story about Bexar County and how they were … Continue reading →

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SCOTx answers the Fifth Circuit’s questions

Posted on June 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some late-breaking SB1 lawsuit news. The Texas Supreme Court issued a ruling Friday on the term “solicit” as it pertains to the state’s new election code. […] Of three main issues, one raised several questions pertaining to the definition of … Continue reading →

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Long lost daughter of Tina Linn and Dean Clouse found

Posted on June 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Incredible. Absolutely incredible. Donna Casasanta got the call this week, a call she’s spent half of her life praying for. A call about Holly Marie. More than 40 years ago, her son, Harold Dean Clouse, moved to Texas from New … Continue reading →

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When we had more deaths than births in Texas

Posted on June 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like that would be a bad thing. In the midst of the nation’s deadliest pandemic, Texas recorded more births than deaths every month since 2016 — with one exception. Provisional data from the Texas Department of State Health Services … Continue reading →

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Radack drops his redistricting lawsuit

Posted on June 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Former Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit he filed against Harris County Commissioners Court alleging Commissioners Court violated the Open Meetings Act during county redistricting. Below is a statement from Harris County Attorney Christian … Continue reading →

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Now I know the difference between those two Army Corps of Engineers lawsuits

Posted on June 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some good timing for me here. A federal appellate court on Thursday reversed an earlier decision that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was not to blame for flooding homes downstream of the Addicks and Barker reservoirs after Hurricane Harvey. The ruling brought new … Continue reading →

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Are we going to raise the COVID threat level again?

Posted on June 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe, but not yet. Coronavirus infections are on the rise across Houston, wastewater tracking shows, even as fewer people seek testing two years into the pandemic. Four months after the city saw record infection rates caused by the highly contagious … Continue reading →

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What does the Army Corps of Engineers owe reservoir flooding victims?

Posted on June 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll soon find out. Christina Micu sat on the witness stand and tearfully explained how she’d made a list of everything she lost when Hurricane Harvey flooded her four-bedroom home. Her son’s toys. Her kitchen stove. A rocking chair her … Continue reading →

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A better mail ballot

Posted on May 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’m glad someone’s working on this. After thousands of mail-in ballots were rejected in Texas’ statewide primaries in March, election officials and voting rights groups are stepping up efforts to make sure voters don’t run into the same problems with … Continue reading →

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Checking in again on the wastewater

Posted on May 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

COVID levels keep creeping up. After the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 hit 1 million deaths on Monday, new data shows numbers on the rise again. The latest Houston Health Department wastewater results from May 9 show levels are now … Continue reading →

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A few remaining threads from the runoffs

Posted on May 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It was, as noted, a smooth and easy night in Harris County, despite the folderol from earlier in the day. Harris County election drama in the courts did not prevent voting officials from what could be a record speedy count. … Continue reading →

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Runoff results: Harris County

Posted on May 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

As with the statewide roundup, here are the results from Harris County. As of 10 PM, 99 of 260 voting centers had reported, so while these results aren’t final, it seems likely to me that not much will change. Congressional … Continue reading →

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The election night experience

Posted on May 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Let me start off by saying that my heart breaks for everyone in Uvalde. I cannot begin to fathom the pain and loss they are experiencing. I don’t know when we as a society will act to protect people from … Continue reading →

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