Tag Archives: face masks

Is it time to step back?

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not a question of whether we want to do this, it’s whether we need to. Houston leaders are calling for another two-week shutdown as dozens of Army personnel are set to arrive Monday to help fight a virus that … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged coronavirus, face masks, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Houston, Lina Hidalgo, local control, quarantine, Sylvester Turner, Texas | 1 Comment

State Supreme Court denies GOP effort to force convention to happen

Posted on July 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Denied. The Texas Supreme Court on Monday rejected the state Republican Party’s appeal of a lower court’s decision regarding its in-person Houston convention, all but ensuring that Mayor Sylvester Turner’s move to cancel the event will stand. In an unsigned … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Attorney General, coronavirus, Election 2020, face masks, Greg Abbott, Houston, Houston First, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, Republican Party, Steven Hotze, Sylvester Turner, Texas | 6 Comments

Today is Primary Runoff Day

Posted on July 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Last chance to vote for your party’s nominees. From the inbox: Today, Tuesday, July 14th, is Election Day for the July 2020 Primary Runoff Elections.Voters can cast their ballots anytime between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. at any of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged absentee ballots, Bexar County, Chris Hollins, coronavirus, early voting, Election 2020, face masks, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Harris County Clerk, primaries, Tarrant County, Texas, turnout | Comments Off

AG sides with Mayor Turner in GOP convention litigation

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

But only in a limited and technical way, so cool your jets. The Texas Attorney General’s Office on Saturday sided with Mayor Sylvester Turner in a legal dispute over the state Republican Party’s in-person convention, arguing that the Texas Supreme … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Attorney General, coronavirus, Election 2020, face masks, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Houston, Houston First, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, Lina Hidalgo, Republican Party, Steven Hotze, Sylvester Turner, Texas | 1 Comment

Give the bars a break

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m OK with this. The Texas Restaurant Association has asked Gov. Greg Abbott to revise the definitions of “bar” in his recent order closing drinking establishments in response to a spike in COVID-19 cases. In a letter to the governor, … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged coronavirus, face masks, Greg Abbott, mixed drinks, quarantine, restaurants, Sid Miller, Texas, Texas Restaurant Association, Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association, wine | 4 Comments

2020 Primary Runoff Early Voting, Final Totals: Democrats carry the day

Posted on July 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Today’s going to be a numbers-heavy post. Let’s start with Texas Elects, giving us a penultimate day summary: Early voting in person ended today (Friday) for the July 14 primary runoff and special elections. Through yesterday (Thursday), 532K people have … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged absentee ballots, coronavirus, early voting, Election 1990, Election 1994, Election 2002, Election 2014, Election 2018, Election 2020, face masks, Greg Abbott, Harris County, MJ Hegar, primaries, Ron Kirk, Royce West, runoff, Senate, Texas, turnout | 8 Comments

Who wants to enforce Greg Abbott’s mask order?

Posted on July 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Gov. Greg Abbott called on police across Texas to step up enforcement of his mask order amid the mounting pandemic, explaining Thursday that they can either “be part of the problem or part of the solution.” Facing … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged Armstrong County, Austin, coronavirus, Eastland County, face masks, Greg Abbott, hospitals, local control, Montgomery County, quarantine, Republican Party, special session, Steve Adler, Texas, The Lege | 2 Comments

Greg Abbott has no one to blame but himself

Posted on July 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s be very clear about this. Gov. Greg Abbott is under increasing political fire from fellow Republicans as well as Democrats as he responds to a sharp rise in coronavirus deaths — a record 112 on Wednesday and 106 on … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged Charles Perry, coronavirus, Donald Trump, face masks, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Lina Hidalgo, local control, Montgomery County, polls, quarantine, Republican Party, Shelley Luther, special session, Texas, The Lege | 8 Comments

GOP sues over cancelled convention

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

As the night follows the day. The Texas Republican Party on Thursday sued Mayor Sylvester Turner and Houston First Corp. for canceling the party’s in-person convention that was scheduled for next week in downtown Houston. The lawsuit, filed in Harris … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Briscoe Cain, coronavirus, David Persse, Election 2020, face masks, Houston, Houston Department of Health and Human Services, Houston First, Jared Woodfill, lawsuit, quarantine, Republican Party, Steven Hotze, Sylvester Turner, Texas | 11 Comments

2020 Primary Runoff Early Voting, Second Thursday: In which I get a look at the vote rosters

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

What’s a vote roster, you say? It’s a detailed list of everyone who voted in a particular election. You can find some recent ones, mostly pertaining to the 2020 elections so far, here. I’ve used the rosters from past elections … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged absentee ballots, coronavirus, early voting, Election 2020, face masks, Greg Abbott, Harris County, lawsuit, primaries, runoff, Texas, turnout | 4 Comments

City cancels Republican convention

Posted on July 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. Mayor Sylvester Turner announced on Wednesday that the city has canceled the Texas Republican Party’s in-person state convention in downtown Houston next week. Houston First, the public nonprofit that serves as the city’s convention arm, sent a letter … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged coronavirus, Dan Patrick, David Persse, Election 2020, face masks, Houston, Houston Department of Health and Human Services, Houston First, lawsuit, quarantine, Republican Party, Sylvester Turner, Texas | 16 Comments

Schools are going to reopen, like it or not

Posted on July 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s gonna be crazy. Texas public school districts must reopen campuses for in-person instruction in August to continue receiving state funding, unless the governor issues a school closure order or a confirmed case of COVID-19 on an individual campus forces … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged Association of Texas Professional Educators, coronavirus, face masks, Mike Morath, quarantine, school finance, schools, Texas, Texas AFT, Texas Education Agency, Texas State Teachers Association, TSTA, Zeph Capo | 3 Comments

2020 Primary Runoff Early Voting, Second Wednesday: This is all the vote by mail we’re going to get

Posted on July 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to start this update off with a bummer of a legal analysis from Vox’s Ian Millhiser: The Texas case, meanwhile, is Texas Democratic Party v. Abbott, and the stakes in that case are simply enormous. Texas law permits voters … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged absentee ballots, coronavirus, early voting, Election 2020, face masks, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Greg Abbott, Harris County, lawsuit, primaries, runoff, SCOTUS, TDP, Texas, turnout | Comments Off

GOP declines Turner’s invitation to cancel their convention

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The ball is back in your court, Mr. Mayor. The Texas Republican Party is proceeding with an in-person convention next week in downtown Houston, a rejection of Mayor Sylvester Turner’s formal request Monday to move the event online amid a … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged coronavirus, David Persse, Election 2020, face masks, Greater Houston Partnership, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Houston, Houston Department of Health and Human Services, Houston First, Lina Hidalgo, quarantine, Republican Party, Sylvester Turner, Texas | 11 Comments

Checking on Metro’s mask mandate

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I admit, I was a bit confused when I saw the earlier version of this story. Metro wanted to make sure its mask requirement for all passengers passed legal muster, asking a Houston lawmaker to seek an opinion from Texas … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Attorney General, coronavirus, face masks, Greg Abbott, Houston, Jim Murphy, Ken Paxton, Metro | Comments Off

2020 Primary Runoff Early Voting, Second Tuesday: A history of Democratic primary runoffs

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday I said that the turnout so far in the 2020 Democratic primary runoff was already historic. Today I’m going to show my work on that. Herewith is the 21st century history of Democratic primary runoff turnout for Harris County: … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged absentee ballots, coronavirus, early voting, Election 2002, Election 2006, Election 2008, Election 2010, Election 2012, Election 2014, Election 2016, Election 2018, Election 2020, face masks, Governor, Greg Abbott, Harris County, lawsuit, primaries, Railroad Commission, runoff, Senate, Texas, turnout | 3 Comments

So how’s Greg Abbott doing post-mask order?

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Greg Abbott consistently polls as the politician with the highest approval rating in the state. He was basking in adulation a few weeks ago when things were reopening and the coronavirus numbers still looked good. How are things going for … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged Charles Perry, Constitution, constitutional amendments, coronavirus, Ector County, Ellis County, emergency powers, face masks, Greg Abbott, Hurricane Harvey, local control, Montgomery County, quarantine, Republican Party, Shelley Luther, Sheriff, Smith County, special session, Texas, The Lege, Trey Martinez-Fischer | 8 Comments

Mayor Turner asks GOP to not hold its convention

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. The city of Houston will deploy health inspectors to enforce COVID-19 restrictions at the Texas Republican Convention, and potentially shut down the event if guidelines aren’t followed, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Monday. In a letter to … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged coronavirus, David Persse, Diana Fite, Election 2020, face masks, Houston, Houston Department of Health and Human Services, Houston First, quarantine, Republican Party, Sylvester Turner, Texas, Texas Girls Coaches Association, Texas High School Coaches Association, Texas Medical Association, UIL | 11 Comments

2020 Primary Runoff Early Voting, Second Monday: A statewide look

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not going to keep track of what day number we’re at now, as it doesn’t really make sense anymore. But what we can do right now is have a look at how each party is doing with mail votes. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged absentee ballots, coronavirus, early voting, Election 2020, face masks, Greg Abbott, Harris County, lawsuit, primaries, runoff, Texas, turnout | 1 Comment

How Texas screwed it all up

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

That’s a more succinct headline for this story about how Texas went from having a low COVID-19 infection rate to one of the worst in the country. And the vast majority of the responsibility for this is on Greg Abbott. … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged coronavirus, Dan Patrick, Donald Trump, Election 2022, face masks, Governor, Greg Abbott, Harris County, hospitals, Houston, Lina Hidalgo, local control, quarantine, Shelley Luther, Steven Hotze, Texas | 5 Comments

2020 Primary Runoff Early Voting, Day Five/Six: Apples and Oranges

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We are at the end of the first official early voting week for the 2020 primary runoffs. At this point, there have been five actual early voting days, as Friday and Saturday the polls were closed for the Independence Day … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged absentee ballots, coronavirus, early voting, Election 2020, face masks, Greg Abbott, Harris County, lawsuit, primaries, runoff, Texas, turnout | Comments Off

Of course there’s a lawsuit against Abbott’s mask order

Posted on July 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

And of course it involves the usual suspects. The day Gov. Greg Abbott’s mandate that face masks be worn in most public places across Texas went into effect, a GOP activist and group of conservatives filed a lawsuit in an … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Cathie Adams, coronavirus, face masks, George Floyd, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Jared Woodfill, lawsuit, Lina Hidalgo, Rick Green, Steven Hotze, Texas | 4 Comments

State GOP will have its convention

Posted on July 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I hope they don’t kill any convention or hotel workers as a result. Beyond that, I don’t know what to say. The Texas GOP’s executive committee voted Thursday night to proceed with plans to hold the party’s in-person convention in … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged coronavirus, Diana Fite, Election 2020, face masks, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Houston, Houston First, quarantine, Republican Party, Texas, Texas Medical Association | 2 Comments

Abbott finally issues a mask order

Posted on July 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Better late than never, but it’s pretty damn late. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a nearly statewide mask mandate Thursday as Texas scrambles to get its coronavirus surge under control. The order requires Texans living in counties with 20 or more … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged coronavirus, Dan Patrick, face masks, Greg Abbott, Harris County, hospitals, Jared Woodfill, lawsuit, Lina Hidalgo, local control, PolicyLab, quarantine, Steven Hotze, Texas | 6 Comments

How it’s going at the hospitals

Posted on July 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

In a word, it’s bad. At Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital on Sunday, the medical staff ran out of both space for new coronavirus patients and a key drug needed to treat them. With no open beds at the public hospital, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged Anthony Fauci, coronavirus, Dan Patrick, emergency rooms, face masks, Harris County, HFD, hospitals, Houston, Medical Center, quarantine, Samuel Pena, Texas | 7 Comments

Maybe that Republican convention won’t happen after all

Posted on July 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

First, there was this. The Texas Medical Association is encouraging Texans to practice social distancing, stay home when possible and wear masks to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. But despite the potential mixed message it may send, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged Bob Hall, coronavirus, Diana Fite, Election 2020, face masks, Harris County, Houston, quarantine, Republican Party, Sarah Davis, Texas, Texas Medical Association | 1 Comment

Hey, how about trying that local control thing again?

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like it might be worth a shot to led Mayors and County Judges lead on coronavirus response again, since they’ve done so much better a job of leading than Greg Abbott has. As Texas grapples with soaring coronavirus cases … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged Bexar County, Clay Jenkins, Congress, coronavirus, Dallas County, face masks, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Houston, Jared Woodfill, lawsuit, Lina Hidalgo, local control, mixed drinks, Nelson Wolff, quarantine, restaurants, Sam Biscoe, Sylvester Turner, Tee Allen Parker, Texas, Texas Bar and Nightclub Alliance, Travis County | 4 Comments

Ready or not, here we vote

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Hope it goes all right. Poll workers [began] greeting voters from behind face masks and shields as early voting begins in primary runoffs that will look and operate differently from any Texas election in the past 100 years. Although the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged absentee ballots, Bexar County, Chambers County, Collin County, coronavirus, early voting, Election 2020, face masks, Harris County, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, primaries, runoff, Tarrant County, Texas, Travis County, turnout, Williamson County | 1 Comment

Is this convention really necessary?

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Seriously. I know they don’t care about anyone else, but maybe the state GOP might think about the health and well-being of their own people? As the coronavirus pandemic engulfs Texas’ metropolitan areas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has left the … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged coronavirus, David Mincberg, Election 2020, face masks, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Houston First, Lina Hidalgo, quarantine, Republican Party, Texas, Texas Department of State Health Services | 14 Comments

The pause effect on bars and restaurants

Posted on June 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I feel terrible for them, but what could we do at this point? Ed Noyes was trying to get some shut-eye when he woke up to seven different texts Friday morning. Three of the five bartenders at his Fort Worth … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food, The great state of Texas | Tagged beer, coronavirus, economy, face masks, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Lina Hidalgo, liquor, local control, Margs For Life, mixed drinks, quarantine, restaurants, TABC, Tan Parker, Texas, Texas Restaurant Association, The Lege, unemployment insurance | 2 Comments

Early voting for primary runoffs starts tomorrow

Posted on June 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the runoffs? It’s time we settle who our nominees are. Who can vote in the runoffs? Texas has open primaries, meaning you don’t have to be a registered member of either party to cast a ballot in a primary … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged absentee ballots, Akilah Bacy, Anna Eastman, CD10, Chris Hollins, Chrysta Castaneda, Congress, coronavirus, early voting, Eddie Rodriguez, endorsements, face masks, Harold Dutton, Harris County, Harris County Clerk, HD138, HD142, HD148, Kirk Watson, Michelle Palmer, Mike Siegel, primaries, Railroad Commission, Royce West, runoff, Sarah Eckhardt, SBOE, SD14, Secretary of State, Senate, special election, Texas, The Lege, Voter Protection Corps | 1 Comment

Put a pause on that reopening

Posted on June 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

At this point, we had no other choice. Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday took his most drastic action yet to respond to the post-reopening coronavirus surge in Texas, shutting bars back down and scaling back restaurant capacity to 50%. He … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged contact tracing, coronavirus, Dan Patrick, economy, face masks, Greg Abbott, Harris County, HHS, hospitals, Lina Hidalgo, local control, quarantine, Strike Force, Taiwan, Texas, Umair Shah | 2 Comments

Masks for Metro confirmed

Posted on June 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s official. Metro riders need to cover up to hop on, following a decision by the transit agency’s board Thursday to require masks on its buses and trains. Metropolitan Transit Authority board members approved the requirement at their monthly meeting … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged buses, Carrin Patman, coronavirus, face masks, Houston, light rail, Metro, Tom Lambert | Comments Off

Have we gone from “concerned” to “alarmed” yet?

Posted on June 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We’re getting there. With cases of the coronavirus surging to record levels in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott recommended Tuesday that Texans stay home as much as possible and for the first time moved to allow the tightening of two kinds … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged Connecticut, coronavirus, face masks, Greater Houston Partnership, Greg Abbott, hospitals, local control, Medical Center, New Jersey, New York, Peter Hotez, quarantine, Texas, Texas Department of State Health Services, Texas Restaurant Association | 9 Comments

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