Tag Archives: Harris County

Here comes omicron

Posted on December 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not. Houston is seeing early signs of another wave of COVID-19 infections, fueled in part by a fast-spreading omicron variant, as public health officials warn of a nationwide spike in cases as early as next month. The daily … Continue reading →

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Maybe flood tunnels really are the answer

Posted on December 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Time for another study. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is revisiting the idea of constructing a large, underground tunnel beneath the city of Houston — part of its efforts since Hurricane Harvey to alleviate the potential for flooding around … Continue reading →

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Filing update: More candidates than you can count

Posted on December 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This headline and first paragraph are short by a couple of candidates. A dozen potential challengers to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo were among the scores who filed ahead of Monday’s deadline to run for county offices next year. […] … Continue reading →

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Aguirre indicted

Posted on December 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Gotta admit, I had thought this happened long ago. A Harris County grand jury on Tuesday indicted former Houston police captain Mark Aguirre on an assault charge after he was accused of running a man off the road and pointing to a … Continue reading →

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Filing update: Not that Rick Perry

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to let this speak for itself. Rick Perry is running for governor — but not that Rick Perry. The Republican Party of Texas updated its list of candidate filings Monday — hours before the deadline for the March … Continue reading →

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Fraudit update

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, it’s still a thing. Texas Secretary of State John Scott announced late Friday that his office has presented an “exhaustive” document request to Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Harris counties as part of an audit of 2020′s election. Scott’s office … Continue reading →

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The filings I’m still looking for

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Today is Filing Deadline Day. By the end of today, we’ll know who is and isn’t running for what. While we wait for that, let’s review the filings that have not yet happened, to see what mysteries may remain. Congress: … Continue reading →

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We are making progress on the flood bond projects

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s not lose sight of that. Three years into Harris County’s historic $2.5 billion flood bond program, progress can feel maddeningly slow. After decades of underinvestment in flood protection, however, any completed project is a welcome improvement for nearby residents. … Continue reading →

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Travis Scott speaks

Posted on December 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Really not sure this was his best move. Amid countless lawsuits against him, Travis Scott sat down with The Breakfast Club radio personality, Charlamagne tha God, for his first public interview since a dangerous crowd surge injured hundreds and left … Continue reading →

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2021 runoff results

Posted on December 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the vote totals, and here’s an early Chron story which has the results right but was just before the last batch came in. To summarize: – Sue Deigaard had the only easy night – she led by 30+ … Continue reading →

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Filing update: We have an Ag Commissioner candidate

Posted on December 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

But before I can get to that and other news, I have to bring you this: A Fort Worth man is running for the State Board of Education as a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian and Green Party member. Filing for a … Continue reading →

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It’s 2021 Runoff Day

Posted on December 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

. Have you got your #IVoted sticker? Ballot box with ballot Ballots include runoffs for HISD, HCC, City of Bellaire and Missouri City. ⌚ Election Day is Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mobile phone with rightwards arrow at … Continue reading →

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I’ll see your AstroWorld lawsuit and raise you $10 billion

Posted on December 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

That’s a big number, though that’s partly because there are a lot of plaintiffs. A local law firm has just filed the largest suit to date against Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival after the mass-casualty tragedy that claimed the lives of … Continue reading →

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Final 2021 runoff early voting totals

Posted on December 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The last day of early voting is always the busiest. (Well, other than the 2020 election, but you get the idea.) Early voting for four Houston ISD board seats and local council races ended Tuesday with 21,732 ballots cast, according … Continue reading →

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Filing update: A primary challenger for Judge Hidalgo

Posted on December 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Been wondering for a long time if someone might take the plunge… . Welp — Evan the Maccabee (@evan7257) 1:33 PM – 6 December 2021 I should point out, before I get too far into this, that Judge Hidalgo already … Continue reading →

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Here comes omicron

Posted on December 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It was always just a matter of time. Texas has identified its first case of the omicron COVID-19 variant, a strain flagged as potentially more infectious than any that has come before it, including the delta variant responsible for surges … Continue reading →

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A brief look at the winter storm litigation

Posted on December 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This story is actually about the judge who will be presiding over winter storm cases, but it caught my eye for a reason that will be apparent. Sylvia A. Matthews presided over more than 175 jury trials and 160 bench … Continue reading →

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How Houston has handled homelessness

Posted on December 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve done pretty well, actually. Since more than $65 million in COVID-related funding has poured into Houston and Harris County’s coffers, they have worked in tandem with a number of partners to ramp up the housing units available to move … Continue reading →

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2021 runoff early voting report: Just checking in

Posted on December 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t been following the daily early voting reports for the runoffs very closely. Only a small portion of the populace is voting, so comparisons to the November EV totals don’t mean anything. But we’re most of the way through … Continue reading →

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Filing update: Judge Hidalgo makes it official

Posted on December 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

She has filed for re-election, in case you had thought there was some other possibility. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced her 2022 re-election campaign Friday afternoon as she filed paperwork at the Harris County Democratic Party headquarters. Although progress … Continue reading →

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Some I-45 work to resume

Posted on December 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just some design work, for now. Federal officials have lifted their pause on a small piece of the planned Interstate 45 mega-project that will remake downtown Houston’s freeway system and has divided state transportation planners, community groups and local politicians. … Continue reading →

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Travis Scott’s legal team

Posted on December 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Some heavy hitters here. Prominent Los Angeles trial lawyer Daniel Petrocelli sent an electronic letter late last Wednesday to lawyers for the plaintiffs in the Astroworld Festival tragedy announcing that he now represents rapper Travis Scott and offering to pay … Continue reading →

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We continue to register more voters

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Seventeen million and counting. Texas has surpassed 17 million registered voters for the first time, continuing a pace that is reshaping the state’s electorate so rapidly that even the politicians cannot keep up. Despite a series of new election regulations … Continue reading →

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Harris County at “moderate” threat level again

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

For now. As with all things, for now. The COVID-19 threat level in Harris County was reduced Friday to moderate from significant as the local number of hospitalized patients and new cases met thresholds that guide the meter while a … Continue reading →

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Early voting starts today for the 2021 runoffs

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

You know the drill – It’s runoff time for the 2021 elections, and early voting starts today. There are nine early voting locations, which you will find in the various districts that have runoffs – HISD districts I, V, VI, … Continue reading →

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Cracking Asian-American communities

Posted on November 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib explores what the new Congressional maps did to Asian-American communities, mostly but not exclusively in the Houston area. When Texas lawmakers redrew congressional maps following the 2020 census, they split up Asian American populations in both Harris and … Continue reading →

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Another AstroWorld lawsuit

Posted on November 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It must have sucked to have been a security guard at that event. Jackson Bush found the Astroworld Festival security gig through social media. He and his uncle, Samuel Bush, applied and the New York-based company, AJ Melino & Associates, … Continue reading →

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Fraudit funding

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s bullshit all the way down. GOP leaders on Friday approved shifting $4 million in emergency funds for the Texas secretary of state’s office to create an “Election Audit Division” at the agency, which will spearhead county election audits as … Continue reading →

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Gina Calanni joins the Commissioners Court Precinct 4 race

Posted on November 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We’re up to three Democratic candidates for Harris County Commissioners Court in Precinct 4 as former State Rep. Gina Calanni throws her hat in. The announcement can be seen here, but it’s an embedded image so I’m not going to … Continue reading →

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Time for some bigger AstroWorld lawsuits

Posted on November 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here is a large number. As the lawsuits continue to pile up following the aftermath of the Astroworld Festival tragedy, attorney Tony Buzbee has filed one of the largest yet. The prominent Houston lawyer filed a suit Monday on behalf … Continue reading →

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Ben Chou files for Commissioners Court Precinct 4

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Second to announce, first to officially file. I’m running for Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 4! I’m a progressive Democrat, lawyer, and community organizer. I’m running for County Commissioner because I think we need to build a Harris County for all … Continue reading →

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No independent investigation of the AstroWorld tragedy

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure how I feel about this yet. Harris County will not launch an independent investigation into the Astroworld festival disaster after commissioners declined to support a plan by County Judge Lina Hidalgo to do so. Instead, the group on … Continue reading →

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Republicans sue over new Commissioners Court map

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hilarious. Republican Commissioners Jack Cagle and Tom Ramsey have filed a voting rights lawsuit in state court in hopes of halting a Harris County redistricting plan they claim strips more than 1.1 million people of their right to vote in … Continue reading →

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Harris County to pause the I-45 lawsuit

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna give talking a try. You never know. Harris County will pause its lawsuit against the Texas Department of Transportation over the proposed Interstate 45 widening in hopes that it leads to a consensus that has eluded them for more … Continue reading →

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