Tag Archives: California

Harris County Attorney sues Juul

Posted on April 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee filed a lawsuit Thursday in California state court against e-cigarette company JUUL and several of its executives. Harris County is the first governmental entity in Texas to join the nationwide fight … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Paxton responds to Twitter lawsuit

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He said something about it, anyway. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Wednesday that a lawsuit by Twitter won’t deter his office from investigating the content moderation practices of the social media giant and four other major technology companies. Twitter … Continue reading →

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

Twitter sues Paxton

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

How the tables have turned. Twitter filed a lawsuit against Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a California federal court Monday and asked a judge to halt the state’s top lawyer from investigating the company. The social media giant’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Are people leaving the Republican Party?

Posted on February 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Some people are, in at least some states, if you go by voter registration data. In the days after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, the phone lines and websites of local election officials across the country were jumping: … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS mostly punts on Census apportionment shenanigans

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They seem to be hoping that the problem will solve itself, while applying a partisan litmus test to when it is appropriate for them to step in. The Supreme Court dismissed a challenge to Donald Trump’s final sabotage of the … Continue reading →

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More on DPS and data protection

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

A followup from the DMN about that data breach involving every drivers license number you’ve ever had. Some other states do not sell [drivers’ license] data, but Texas does. State lawmakers could change the law in their 2021 session. I … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

We’re number one (million)!

Posted on November 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

One million COVID cases in Texas. Hooray? Texas’ grim distinction as the national leader in terms of COVID-19 infections came as little surprise to some local medical experts, who blamed politicians for conflicting messages about the virus and warned the … Continue reading →

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

Here comes another rideshare company

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like a less than optimal time to be expanding, but here we are. Alto, a new rideshare company based in Dallas, will roll into view in Houston as it looks to expand its reach and compete with Uber and … Continue reading →

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October Census deadline restored

Posted on September 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good news, though as with everything we can’t be sure just yet that it’s for real. A federal judge in California late Thursday blocked the Trump administration from stopping the 2020 Census count next week, saying it should continue until … Continue reading →

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And the PAC12 flip flops, too

Posted on September 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Everyone’s playing football again. The Pac-12 will play a seven-game conference football season beginning Nov. 6, the league announced Thursday. The decision, voted on by the Pac-12’s CEO group on Thursday, represents an official reversal after the conference announced in … Continue reading →

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Census shenanigans halted for now

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good. [On] Saturday, US District Judge Lucy Koh issued a temporary restraining order to stop Census Bureau officials from winding down door-knocking and online, phone, and mail response collection by September 30—a month early—writing that the shortened census timeline could … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed to restore original Census deadline

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Citing the high stakes of a botched census, Harris County and two of its Democratic county commissioners have signed on to a federal lawsuit trying to block the Trump administration’s efforts to end counting for the 2020 census a … Continue reading →

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How Nuro is doing in the pandemic

Posted on August 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

An interesting update on the little driverless grocery (and other things) delivery serives. As recently as last fall, Nuro appeared to be years away from widespread adoption. The company, which operated in Arizona and California, arrived in Houston in 2018 … Continue reading →

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How to lose a Congressional seat

Posted on July 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

As things stand right now, Texas will gain three Congressional seats in the 2021 reapportionment, as Texas continues to be the fastest-growing state in the country. There is one thing that can stop that, however: Donald Trump. President Donald Trump … Continue reading →

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High school sports pushed back a bit

Posted on July 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Just a guess, but I’d bet this winds up being redone at least once more before any actual sports get played. The University Interscholastic League is delaying the start of high school football’s regular season to Sept. 24 for Class … Continue reading →

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RNC sues to halt California mail ballot expansion

Posted on May 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Put a pin in this. The Republican National Committee and other Republican groups have filed a lawsuit against California to stop the state from mailing absentee ballots to all voters ahead of the 2020 general election, a move that was … Continue reading →

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How about some antibody tests?

Posted on May 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

That would be good. After months of emphasis on diagnostic screening, contact tracing and research into possible treatments, Houston is about to deploy a new tool in the effort to contain COVID-19: antibody testing. Baylor College of Medicine researchers last … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Emerson: Trump 47, Biden 41

Posted on May 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Next up. The latest Emerson College/Nexstar Media polls of Texas, California, and Ohio show President Donald Trump with a slight advantage in Ohio and Texas in the general election against presumptive Democratic nominee former Vice President Joe Biden. Trump also … Continue reading →

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Hollywood’s plans to come back

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve posted a few times about how sports leagues like MLB are making plans to return to action from coronavirus shutdowns. The larger entertainment industry, including TV and movie making, are in a similar position as the sports leagues, and … Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Whither college football?

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

All NCAA spring sports were canceled due to coronavirus, beginning with March Madness and going through baseball and softball and soccer and everything else. Everyone has been looking forward to the fall when things were supposed to be back to … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

What does “reopening the economy” look like?

Posted on April 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll find out (sort of) later this week. Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday that reopening the Texas economy will be a “slow process” guided by public health concerns as he continued to preview a forthcoming executive order that will detail … Continue reading →

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We still have no idea how many people have been infected

Posted on April 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There’s just a real lack of testing being done. Six times in three weeks, Marci Rosenberg and her ailing husband and teenage children tried to get tested for the new coronavirus — only to be turned away each time, either … Continue reading →

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Coronavirus and driving

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There are a lot fewer cars on the road now, though the decrease may not be quite as much as you’d think. Traffic around the country has plummeted since governments began enacting stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus outbreak, but data … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Another lawsuit the Astros want tossed

Posted on April 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It was the first one filed against them relating to the banging scheme. The Astros have asked a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed against the team, owner Jim Crane and baseball operations employee Derek Vigoa … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Of course he thinks that’s “essential”

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Doesn’t get any more on-brand than this. Gun stores are essential business and should be allowed to remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Friday. Paxton said in his nonbinding opinion that state law prevents … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Another scooter injury study

Posted on February 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Keep ’em coming. Electric scooter injuries have surged along with their popularity in the United States, nearly tripling over four years, researchers said in a study published Wednesday. Nearly 40,000 broken bones, head injuries, cuts and bruises resulting from scooter … Continue reading →

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Texas is on track to pick up three more Congressional districts

Posted on January 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Put an asterisk next to this, as the actual Census will need to bear that out. The U.S. population continues to shift south and west, according to new Census Bureau data that offers the clearest picture yet of how the … Continue reading →

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CNN/SSRS: Trump 48, Biden 47

Posted on December 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Time for a non-Mayoral poll. The story is about results, primary and general, in both California and Texas, so forgive the abrupt opening sentence. In Texas, however, it’s a different picture, with Biden holding wide leads across nearly every major … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

How other states are handling the Census

Posted on October 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Better than we’re handling it. So cities and states with big immigrant populations — like California and New York City — are supplementing the Census Bureau’s efforts like never before, allocating money to outreach groups that can go to communities … Continue reading →

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On paying college athletes

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

In case you missed this news out of California. California is going to pass this likeness rights bill and boy howdy does the NCAA not like it California Senate Bill 206, otherwise known as the Fair Pay to Play act, … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Ride sharing for kids

Posted on August 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Yet another transportation option. Los Angeles-based HopSkipDrive, a ride-hailing platform that hires vetted caregivers to drive children 6 and older, is now available in Houston. “Parents shouldn’t have to choose between their careers and their children’s education and activities, but … Continue reading →

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It’s up to cities to make the Census work

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Lege shirked its duty, so this is what’s left. Across the country, states are spending millions on making sure they get a better headcount of their residents. For example, California officials announced they are investing as much as $154 … Continue reading →

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Another look at scooter mayhem

Posted on July 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From the Associated Press: As stand-up electric scooters have rolled into more than 100 cities worldwide, many of the people riding them are ending up in the emergency room with serious injuries. Others have been killed. There are no comprehensive … Continue reading →

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In case you thought scooters were not enough of a menace

Posted on June 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

How do pogo sticks grab you? San Franciscans may soon be able to bounce their way around town, if a Swedish-based mobility company has its way. Earlier this month, start-up company Cangoroo announced plans to deploy hundreds of pogo sticks … Continue reading →

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