Tag Archives: Steve Adler

Muskville, Texas

Posted on March 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

What did Bastrop do to deserve this? Elon Musk is planning to build his own town on part of thousands of acres of newly purchased pasture and farmland outside the Texas capital, according to deeds and other land records and … Continue reading →

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Austin takes its shot at protecting abortion access

Posted on July 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I wish them great success. I don’t think the fanatics in the Legislature will let them achieve it, but we’ll see. Austin City Council unanimously (in the absence of lone Republican Mackenzie Kelly) approved four items on Thursday, July 21 … Continue reading →

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We’re still not going to get a special session for gun safety legislation

Posted on June 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

But I still appreciate the effort. Someone has to do it. With Texas schools restarting classes in less than two months, Texas Senate Democrats renewed calls Monday for Gov. Greg Abbott to bring lawmakers back to Austin this summer to … Continue reading →

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Another look at I-35 expansion

Posted on October 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From Slate: Built on top of tree-lined East Avenue, the road opened in 1962, cutting off Black and Mexican-American East Austin from Downtown. Like urban renewal projects in other American cities, the road’s destructive legacy has recently been reconsidered in racial terms. … Continue reading →

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SCOTx does what SCOTx does

Posted on August 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Room service, as always. The Texas Supreme Court on Sunday temporarily blocked mask mandates in Dallas and Bexar counties, marking a pivotal moment in the showdown between state and local government as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations surge in Texas. The … Continue reading →

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Austin tries to slow down the Delta spike

Posted on July 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not really much they can do, though. Austin city and public health officials on Thursday raised the city’s coronavirus risk-based guidelines for the first time since the winter surge, urging unvaccinated people to avoid non-essential travel and take other precautions … Continue reading →

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Austin mask mandate somehow still in effect

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I admit, I did not expect this. Austin and Travis County can keep requiring masks for at least a bit longer after a district judge denied Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request for a temporary block of the local mandate. … Continue reading →

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Austin mask mandate enforcement still in place for now

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

No ruling, just a delay for a fuller hearing. Austin and Travis County officials can continue enforcing their mask mandates after a district judge delayed action on the Texas attorney general’s request to immediately stop the mandates. That means city … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues Austin and Travis County over its mask mandate

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Completely expected. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Travis County and Austin officials in an effort to force them to rescind their local mask orders, he announced Thursday. “I told Travis County & The City of Austin to comply … Continue reading →

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No eviction moratoriums

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

So opines Ken Paxton, and we all know what an unimpeachable source he is. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton advised Friday that local Texas governments’ attempts to delay evictions for renters grappling with the COVID-19 recession amounted to rewriting state … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Masks up

Posted on June 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We solved Greg Abbott’s riddle, so all is well now, right? With Gov. Greg Abbott’s apparent blessing, Bexar and Hidalgo counties have imposed a new mask rule for local businesses, saying they must require employees and customers to wear masks … Continue reading →

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Whistling past the ICU

Posted on June 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Clap louder! Gov. Greg Abbott and top Texas health officials on Tuesday responded to growing alarm over hospitals now swelling with coronavirus patients, assuring there is still plenty of space available even as some facilities have neared or surpassed capacity. … Continue reading →

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Here come the shelter-in-place orders

Posted on March 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The shutdowns are getting shut-down-ier. Many of Texas’ biggest cities and counties are ordering residents to shelter in place whenever possible. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff on Monday evening ordered residents to stay in … Continue reading →

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SXSW canceled

Posted on March 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Austin Mayor Steve Adler declared a local disaster Friday in response to the new coronavirus and issued an order canceling South by Southwest for the first time in its 34-year history. The 10-day event was scheduled to begin next … Continue reading →

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Scenes from the March For Our Lives

Posted on March 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From Houston: Nearly 15,000 descended Saturday morning on downtown Houston for the city’s March For Our Lives, advocating for greater gun control in light of last month’s Florida school shooting. A mix of children and adults gathered in Houston’s Tranquility … Continue reading →

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Feds join the state in defense of SB4

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this was to be expected. About a month ago, the city of El Cenizo filed a lawsuit against the state, calling the bill unconstitutional. On Monday, the Trump administration got involved. The defendants in the lawsuit are the … Continue reading →

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Getting ready for the first SB4 hearing

Posted on June 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

All eyes are going to be on this next week. On Monday, June 26, U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia will hear the City of San Antonio’s request for a preliminary injunction to block Senate Bill 4, the “sanctuary cities” law, … Continue reading →

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Mayors (still) against climate change

Posted on June 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Someone’s gotta do it. On Thursday, President Donald Trump officially announced that the United States would be withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, citing the deal’s failure “to serve American interests.” Hours later, governors, mayors, and environmental groups all had … Continue reading →

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Uber and Lyft come rolling back

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

To Austin: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday signed into law a measure creating a statewide regulatory framework for ride-hailing companies, overriding local measures that prompted businesses such as Uber and Lyft to leave Austin and other cities. Uber and … Continue reading →

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Get ready for the “sanctuary cities” lawsuits

Posted on April 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s just a matter of time. Now that Senate Bill 4 is on its way to becoming law, opponents are looking to the courts for relief – and a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court case is giving them hope. The high … Continue reading →

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Another lawsuit filed over Prop 1 ballot language in Austin

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Sure, why not? It’s Uber Zimmerman! Litigious District 6 Councilman Don Zimmerman sued Mayor Steve Adler in his official capacity Thursday, challenging the outcome of the Proposition 1 election on the grounds the ballot language “misled voters and omitted main … Continue reading →

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Our long national breakfast taco nightmare is finally over

Posted on March 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

At long last, peace in our time. With an escalating culinary battle threatening to destabilize the region, the mayors of Austin and San Antonio met Thursday morning to announce a taco truce. “As St. Paul admonishes us, let us not be … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Austin will vote on rideshare ordinance revision

Posted on February 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The month of May just got a lot more interesting. Let the people choose how to regulate Uber and Lyft, a divided Austin City Council decided late Thursday. The council, on a 2-8-1 vote, declined to adopt an ordinance underlying … Continue reading →

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Petitioners may force vote to change Austin rideshare ordinance

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Assuming there were no shenanigans, this is an impressive show of force. A group looking to overturn an Austin ordinance requiring fingerprinting of ride-hailing drivers said Monday it has gathered more than 65,000 petition signatures, more than three times what … Continue reading →

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First impressions of the 2014 results

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

My initial thoughts, for what they are worth. – Let me begin by saying that for all the criticism I had of the UT/Texas Trib’s polling and the skepticism of Internet-sample methodology, they were fairly accurate in the end. In … Continue reading →

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