Tag Archives: Harris County

Some superintendents disagree about school opening delays

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It takes all kinds. Superintendents leading 10 Houston-area school districts penned a letter this week opposing Harris County’s recommendations for reopening campuses, arguing that face-to-face instruction should resume earlier than health officials suggest. In their two-page letter, the superintendents say … Continue reading →

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HISD also spending more money on mobile technology

Posted on August 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Also good. Houston ISD officials anticipate receiving a chunk of the $32 million that Harris County leaders allocated this week for helping school districts buy sought-after computers and wireless Internet hotspots. HISD Chief Financial Officer Glenn Reed said early conversations … Continue reading →

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Despite it all, voter registration keeps increasing

Posted on August 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You love to see it. Not even the worst pandemic to hit Texas in a century was enough to stem the surge in voter registrations that has remade the state’s electorate over the past four years. Just since March, Texas … Continue reading →

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Merging transit fare systems

Posted on August 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a frustratingly small amount of information in this story, but the basic idea, as best I understand it, is great. Federal transit officials will spend $14.8 million making sure Houston area transit riders can have more options for how … Continue reading →

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More on mail ballots

Posted on August 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a second story from the Trib on the attempted destruction of the Postal Service in the name of vote suppression by Donald Trump. “I think the goal of Donald Trump’s comments are to destabilize faith in voting systems and … Continue reading →

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And the nominees are…

Posted on August 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday was the Harris County Democratic Party CEC meeting, at which the nominees for the two positions that needed them were filled. The easy one was the second one, where Teneshia Hudspeth was unanimously selected. The way this process works … Continue reading →

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Time for another COVID roundup

Posted on August 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start with some good news, which comes wrapped in a warning. The number of coronavirus patients crowding hospital wards in the Houston area is now in its sixth week of steady decline, a welcome reversal of the virus’ alarming … Continue reading →

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Do not wait with your mail ballot

Posted on August 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You have been warned. The U.S. Postal Service has warned Texas officials that some ballots cast by mail may not arrive in time to be counted for the November election thanks to certain state deadlines for mail-in ballots being incompatible … Continue reading →

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Harris County to buy digital devices for students

Posted on August 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

An excellent use of CARES money. Harris County commissioners on Tuesday voted to spend up to $32 million in federal COVID-19 funds on providing hundreds of thousands of WiFi hotspots and devices to children in school districts across the county. … Continue reading →

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Harris County to join TDP lawsuit over vote by mail

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They do lots of stuff at Commissioners Court. Harris County Commissioners Court voted on Tuesday to join a lawsuit by Texas Democrats suing Gov. Greg Abbott to expand vote-by-mail in Texas. The Democratic-led commissioners court voted 3-2 to join the … Continue reading →

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Harris County issues guidance for opening schools

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They can’t issue mandates, so this will have to do. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Wednesday unveiled the county’s guidance for school reopenings, recommending based on a handful of COVID-19 metrics that schools offer only virtual instruction in the … Continue reading →

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Texas Dems ramp up mail ballot outreach

Posted on August 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a smart move, with some caveats. The Texas Democratic Party [announced] Monday that it is doubling down on its vote-by-mail campaign with a goal of reaching 1.7 million potential mail voters by the end of the month — the … Continue reading →

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More election innovation, please

Posted on August 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Some good stuff here: less than 90 days to E-Day & we’re pushing for Bexar to: ✅ send all 65+ reg voters app to vote by mail ✅ expand EV hrs to include at least one 24-hour site ✅ increase … Continue reading →

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Paxton (again) wants another judge on his case

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Round and round they go. Defense attorneys for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — whose indictment for felony securities fraud is now more than five years old — are again asking for a different judge to oversee the case. It’s … Continue reading →

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Your Harris County Republican Party

Posted on August 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

What can one possibly say? Keith Nielsen has taken office as the chairman of the Harris County GOP, despite saying he would not do so earlier this summer after facing backlash to an image he posted on Facebook juxtaposing a … Continue reading →

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Felony judges move to dismiss bail lawsuit

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. A group of district judges in Houston on Thursday argued for dismissal of a lawsuit alleging their felony bail practices are unconstitutional because they discriminate against poor people, keeping them jailed when they can’t pay bail. Among the … Continue reading →

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July 2020 campaign finance reports: State races, part 2

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s move on to finance reports from the State House, which I will break up into two parts. Today’s look is on the various races in the greater Houston area, and after that I’ll look at the other races of … Continue reading →

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An analysis of that Paxton opinion about schools and county health authorities

Posted on August 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Short version: That’s just, like, his opinion, man. The law should mean what it says. Rule §97.6(h) of the Texas Administrative Code says: “The health authority is empowered to close any public or private child-care facility, school or other place … Continue reading →

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Enforcing the mask order

Posted on August 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Those of you who haven’t been wearing your mask when out in public, shame on you. And also, there may now be consequences for your dumb refusal to do the right thing. Houston law enforcement officials will begin issuing fines … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sherrie Matula of Sisters United Alliance

Posted on August 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Sherrie Matula is a longtime Democratic activist (she was a founder of the BAAD Women club) and two-time candidate (for HD129 in 2008, and for HCDE in Precinct 2 in 2016, which she lost by 0.2 percentage points), but that’s … Continue reading →

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SCOTX rejects multiple Hotze petitions

Posted on August 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news. The Texas Supreme Court has refused to hear several challenges by a Houston conservative power broker to emergency orders on coronavirus issued by Gov. Greg Abbott and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. Without comment, the nine Republican … Continue reading →

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So we really were undercounting the COVID-19 death rate

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t say I’m surprised. After months of undercounting coronavirus deaths, Texas’ formal tally of COVID-19 fatalities grew by more than 600 on Monday after state health officials changed their method of reporting. The revised count indicates that more than 12% … Continue reading →

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Abbott finally speaks about schools

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Of course, he mostly says weasel words. Gov. Greg Abbott clarified Friday that Texas schools will be required to provide in-person instruction this fall, but that some districts may be eligible for extended waivers on a “case-by-case basis.” In a … Continue reading →

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The school situation remains a big ol’ mess

Posted on July 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You can blame Greg Abbott for all this confusion. After weeks of confusion and conflicting signals, Texas has settled into policies that effectively compel schools to reopen their classrooms this fall no later than eight weeks after the academic year … Continue reading →

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Who gets to be on the I-45 panel?

Posted on July 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not thrilled about this. Houston will have a say in a regional response to design differences in the planned widening of Interstate 45 within the city — and so will Sugar Land, Montgomery County and Waller County. After voting … Continue reading →

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Making NRG Arena the 2020 election headquarters

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds like a good idea. Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins is seeking permission from Commissioners Court to use NRG Arena as a headquarters for the fall presidential election, converting the expansive space for voting, ballot counting and a call center. … Continue reading →

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Paxton overrides county health orders on schools

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

So much concern for the children here. Local health officials do not have the authority to shut down all schools in their vicinity while COVID-19 cases rise, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in nonbinding guidance Tuesday that contradicts what … Continue reading →

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Abbott officially extends early voting for November

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s just by a week, but at least the announcement has been made early. Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday extended the early voting period for the November election by six days, citing continued challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. Early … Continue reading →

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A whole lot of Paxton case news all of a sudden

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Brace yourselves. A Houston appeals court on Monday abated a recent decision to move the criminal cases against Attorney General Ken Paxton from Harris to Collin County, giving a new judge on the case the chance to revisit that order. … Continue reading →

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Interview with Teneshia Hudspeth

Posted on July 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, HCDP precinct chairs will be picking a nominee for Harris County Clerk, to run for Diane Trautman’s unexpired term. The leading candidate for this is Teneshia Hudspeth, who has worked in the Clerk’s office for fifteen years … Continue reading →

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July 2020 campaign finance reports: Harris County

Posted on July 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You can always count on January and July for campaign finance reports. This roundup is going to be a little funky, because all of the candidates filed eight-day reports for the March primary, and a few also filed 30-day and … Continue reading →

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Harris County issues school closure order

Posted on July 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This was expected. Harris County and Houston health authorities on Friday ordered all public and non-religious private schools to delay opening for in-person instruction until at least Sept. 8 — a date likely to be extended unless the region sees … Continue reading →

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A very early glimmer of some possibly good news

Posted on July 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We may be finally bending the curve, thanks to people finally taking seriously the need to wear face masks in public. Three weeks after Gov. Greg Abbott required Texans to wear masks, epidemiologists and disease modelers say they are cautiously … Continue reading →

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There’s a lot of COVID litigation out there

Posted on July 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Lawyer surveys the landscape. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a growing subset of new business litigation in Texas: companies suing the government over shutdown orders or definitions of essential versus nonessential businesses. One of the latest examples to make … Continue reading →

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