Search Results for: farmers branch

Restraining order extended in Farmers Branch

Posted on June 7, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Still no decision on an injunction, but we’re getting there. A temporary restraining order granted last month will remain in effect until June 19, U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay ruled. Lindsay will decide by then whether to issue a temporary … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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TRO granted in Farmers Branch lawsuit

Posted on May 22, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise here. A federal judge on Monday issued an order halting enforcement of a voter-endorsed ordinance preventing apartment rentals to most illegal immigrants, a day before the ban was to take effect in this Dallas suburb. U.S. District Judge … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Farmers Branch lawsuits filed

Posted on May 16, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

As expected, the ratification of Farmers Branch’s anti-immigrant ordinance has spawned a round of lawsuits. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund wants a federal district court to restrain the Dallas suburb from enforcing the rental ban, which is … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Election wrapup: Farmers Branch

Posted on May 13, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

As predicted, the city ordinance to make renting an apartment to an undocumented immigrant was ratified by the voters in Farmers Branch. With all votes counted, the bitterly contested ordinance passed by 67 percent of the vote. “We are fed … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Farmers Branch mayor: Vote against the ordinance

Posted on May 12, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Better late than never, I guess. The mayor of the first city in Texas to forbid landlords from renting apartments to illegal immigrants is urging voters to strike down the ordinance. It’s the first time Mayor Bob Phelps has taken … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Farmers Branch will vote on immigration law

Posted on December 29, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Previously I noted that there was a petition drive in Farmers Branch to force a repeal of the anti-immigrant law that was passed by its City Council in November. It appears that drive was successful. Opponents of a city ordinance … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2007 | 1 Comment

Farmers Branch lawsuit

Posted on December 27, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

To no one’s surprise, the city of Farmers Branch has been sued for its recent anti-immigrant actions. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund is asking a federal court here to block the suburb … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 3 Comments

Farmers Branch

Posted on November 16, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I presume you’ve heard of the fun and games up in the Dallas suburb of Farmer’s Branch, where apartment managers have been forcibly deputized into an arm of la Migra. Not too surprisingly, they’re not happy about this development, which … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 2 Comments

Spring Branch ISD lawsuit

Posted on August 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m late to this, but better late than never/ A former candidate for the Spring Branch ISD school board has filed a lawsuit alleging the district’s election policies are in violation of national laws against voting discrimination. In her complaint, … Continue reading →

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

Early voting in Farmer’s Branch

Posted on April 30, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Our local election may not generate much turnout, but that’s not the case for the Farmer’s Branch referendum to make it illegal to rent an apartment to an undocumented immigrant. [A] popular former Farmers Branch mayor, David Blair Jr., has … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2007 | 1 Comment

More silliness in Farmer’s Branch

Posted on March 18, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Good grief. Word that Minyard Food Stores is considering moving a Hispanic-oriented Carnival supermarket into an empty building in the center of town has further roiled a city that has been debating whether to impose local measures to curb illegal … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 4 Comments

Property values up, crime down in Farmer’s Branch

Posted on February 6, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Damn those illegal immigrants! Despite an uptick in crime in 2003 and 2004, the 10-year crime rate dropped 27 percent from 1995 to 2005, according to figures from the Texas Department of Public Safety. The average value of a Farmers … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Farmer’s Branch tries again

Posted on January 23, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

They may be down in Farmer’s Branch, but they’re not out. The five-member City Council voted unanimously to rescind an earlier measure and replace it with a modified version that must be approved by voters in May before it goes … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 1 Comment

Farmer’s Branch backs down

Posted on January 21, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Farmers Branch City Council on Monday is expected to repeal the city’s litigation-inducing ban on renting apartments to illegal immigrants and will consider a revised ordinance that will put the matter to a vote in May. The council in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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The continuing problems of At Large-only school boards

Posted on March 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Houston Landing take a look at the big picture. In Katy and several Houston-area districts, school boards have employed an election system — known as “at-large districts” — that has contributed to most trustees living in wealthier neighborhoods, a Houston … Continue reading →

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Rep. Rhetta Bowers jumps into the CD32 primary

Posted on September 21, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Really crowded now, and already a little spicy. State Rep. Rhetta Andrews Bowers, D-Rowlett, has joined the large primary to succeed U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, in representing Congressional District 32. Bowers made her campaign official Tuesday, reversing a previous … Continue reading →

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First official contender for CD32 announces

Posted on May 21, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Dr. Brian Williams, the first hopeful to succeed Rep. Colin Allred in CD32. Dr. Brian Williams, the trauma surgeon whose profile grew in 2016 after treating Dallas police officers ambushed by a sniper, has launched his campaign to replace … Continue reading →

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And here we go with the list of potential successors to Rep. Allred

Posted on May 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Right on time. Contenders are emerging to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, who announced Wednesday that he’s running for Senate against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz. Allred, a former NFL player, is in his third term representing the 32nd Congressional … Continue reading →

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LULAC files that lawsuit to end Houston City Council At Large districts

Posted on December 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve been waiting for this. The League of United Latin American Citizens on Monday filed its long-anticipated lawsuit against the city of Houston, seeking to get rid of at-large City Council seats that it says leave Hispanic residents with insufficient representation at City Hall. … Continue reading →

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Chron story on the proposed new City Council map

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Remember, you heard it here first. Houston’s proposed City Council maps for 2023 elections make only minor changes to district boundaries near Rice University, Freedmen’s Town and parts of downtown. Overall, less than 3% of Houston’s 2.3 million residents will … Continue reading →

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Anti-trans sports bill dies

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good news, with the usual caveats. A controversial Texas bill that would restrict the participation of transgender student athletes in school sports ran out of time for consideration in the House as the lower chamber hit a crucial deadline Tuesday night for … Continue reading →

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

The progressives and the runoffs

Posted on July 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

May as well check in on this. Judging from March, the ideological left wing of the Democratic Party in Texas should be inconsolable. After months of high hopes, the faction ran into a centrist buzz saw in the March 3 … Continue reading →

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Well, now we’ve all heard of Waskom

Posted on June 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations, I guess. Five men this week declared a small town in East Texas a “sanctuary city for the unborn,” commandeering the language of the movement for immigrant rights to counter the reproductive freedom of women. There are no abortion … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The repeat Congressional candidates

Posted on June 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib looks at how the key 2020 Democratic Congressional campaigns are shaping up. Short answer: There are a number of repeat candidates from 2018. The situation in the 24th District is emblematic of a broader trend across the state. … Continue reading →

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One more for CD24

Posted on April 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Another contested primary. Democrat Candace Valenzuela, a 34-year-old Carrollton-Farmers Branch school board member, is launching a campaign Monday against Texas GOP Rep. Kenny Marchant, one of the party’s top targets in 2020. She will face an uphill battle for her … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Crossing over

Posted on September 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Former Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, a Republican, has endorsed Democrat Miguel Suazo in his bid to replace current Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush. Patterson, a former political rival of Bush, cited what he called mismanagement of the … Continue reading →

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Redistricting trial wraps up

Posted on July 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Now we wait. The state of Texas faced a healthy dose of judicial skepticism on Saturday as its lawyers laid out final arguments in a trial over whether lawmakers intentionally discriminated against minority voters in enacting current Texas House and … Continue reading →

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MALDEF sues over provision of border bill

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Worth watching. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF, filed suit Sunday against Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw and the Texas Public Safety Commission, which oversees the DPS. The group alleges … Continue reading →

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As usual, the Fifth Circuit is where hope goes to be strangled

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Judge Jerry E. Smith’s presence on the panel that will hear oral arguments in Texas v. United States on Friday is simply a disaster for the DAPA and expanded DACA programs. Smith, the self-described former right-wing activist, once described … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The At Large trend

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From Think Progress: Yakima, WA is one-third Latino, but a Latino candidate has not been elected to the city council for almost 40 years. Santa Barbara, CA is 38 percent Latino, but only one Latino has been elected to its … Continue reading →

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More redistricting shenanigans on the way

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The city of Galveston prepares to make like Pasadena. [Gulf Coast Interfaith], which includes representatives of the NAACP and others, sent a letter Thursday to the city of Galveston’s attorney also questioning the wisdom of the city seeking to make … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of June 24

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is once again ready to wish the Legislature a happy summer as far away from Austin as possible as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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A little perspective about redistricting

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

So now we wait for the full Supreme Court’s ruling on AG Abbott’s requests to stay the 2012 elections, which by the way would only apply to the elections affected by the disputed redistricting maps. Other primary elections for things … Continue reading →

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Another story about plastic bags

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

No news on the bag-banning front, though officials in the D/FW area quoted in this Star-Telegram story seem open to the idea, but what interested me was the numbers mentioned: Estimates show that each person now uses about 130 plastic … Continue reading →

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