Monthly Archives: August 2016

Sid Miller joins Team Trump

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Awesome. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said Friday he is working with GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign to help lead an agriculture team. In an interview with KFYO’s Chad Hasty, Miller described the effort, likely to be announced next … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for August 7

Posted on August 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

“Fine. Here is a response to every stupid line in Bill O’Reilly’s slave worker fantasy.” HBO lays off Bob, Luis, and Gordon from Sesame Street, and another part of many people’s childhoods just died. “This is the question that left … Continue reading →

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Thierry wins HD146 nomination

Posted on August 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Our long strange trip is finally over. Democratic party precinct chairs chose their replacement Saturday morning for a vacant spot on the party’s November ballot. Attorney Shawn Thierry secured the nomination for House District 146, a seat left empty after … Continue reading →

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More on the “fetal remains” rule change

Posted on August 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s stupid, harmful, unnecessary, expensive, and almost certainly in violation of the SCOTUS ruling in Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt. But other than that, no biggie. In the aftermath of a car accident in 2014, Denee Booker was told by … Continue reading →

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Appeals court blocks litigation against payday lenders

Posted on August 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Lousy. The Fourth Court of Appeals in San Antonio derailed a class action lawsuit aimed at keeping payday lenders from using the state’s criminal justice system as de facto collection agencies. The suit filed by 1,400 plaintiffs argued that Cash … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: The Long Black Veil

Posted on August 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s Dave Matthews and Emmylou Harris paying tribute to Johnny Cash with a cover of a classic country tune: You’d be forgiven if you thought that was an old folk song, but it’s actually a 1959 Lefty Frizzell song, covered … Continue reading →

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HD146 nomination process is today

Posted on August 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

You know the drill. Twenty-seven southwest Houston precinct chairs are set to tap a replacement for Democratic state Rep. Borris Miles on Saturday, the third time in less than two months many of them have convened to fill a hole … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS blocks order on transgender bathroom access for students

Posted on August 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

For now. The Supreme Court on Wednesday temporarily blocked a court order that had allowed a transgender boy to use the boys’ bathroom in a Virginia high school. The vote was 5 to 3, with Justice Stephen G. Breyer joining … Continue reading →

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Harvin Moore to resign as HISD Trustee

Posted on August 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Best wishes. Harvin Moore, one of the Houston school board’s longest-serving members, said Thursday that he is resigning his seat. Moore, who has served on the board since late 2003, has asked the board to call an election for November, … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Ladies’ night, part 7

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve made it to the letter C. 1. Fresh Pair Of Eyes – Brooke Waggoner 2. California Christmas – Brooke White 3. Flat On My Back – The Buddhacrush (Amy Price) 4. Ellis County – Buddy and Julie Miller 5. … Continue reading →

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Harris County sued over disabled voting access

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Harris County, which includes Houston, has violated the Americans with Disabilities Act because many of its polling places are inaccessible to voters with disabilities, a new lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice alleges. … Continue reading →

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Paxton responds to campus carry lawsuit

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s about what you’d expect. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday called a lawsuit brought by three University of Texas at Austin professors against the state’s campus carry law “frivolous” and said the professors have no valid reasons for … Continue reading →

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Harrisburg overpass nearing completion

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hallelujah. Six months ago, Harrisburg Boulevard looked almost exactly as it has for more than five years, dotted by construction equipment. East of downtown Houston, the thoroughfare was more exposed dirt than street, and showed little sign of the rail … Continue reading →

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HD120 special election runoff decided

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

For completists only. Independent Laura Thompson has won the special election runoff to temporarily fill the Texas House seat of former state Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon, D-San Antonio. Thompson, a freelance writer, will be the first independent to serve in … Continue reading →

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Voter ID law changes agreed to

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We have a deal. Texas struck a deal Wednesday that will soften its voter ID law for the November general election — a development that lawyers suing the state say will make it easier for minorities to cast their ballots. … Continue reading →

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Still asking for Zika help

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Following reports of the first local mosquito-borne Zika infections in the U.S., Mayor Sylvester Turner is once again calling on the state of Texas and federal government to provide financial assistance to help fight it. “There are … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Carter in HD146

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes their choice for the last of the nominations to be filled by Democratic precinct chairs. The contest to replace state Rep. Borris Miles isn’t exactly a fair fight. Erica Lee Carter, daughter of U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of August 1

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance had no trouble hearing what Ghazala Khan had to say as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Paxton appeals to CCA

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Last chance to avoid a trial or a plea deal. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is appealing the securities fraud charges against him to the state’s highest criminal court, in one last bid to dismiss the case before it potentially … Continue reading →

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Jailed rape victim’s lawyer calls for special prosecutor

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

To investigate the actions of the DA’s office that led to her incarceration. Prosecutors broke the law when they jailed a rape victim in order to secure her testimony against her attacker, the woman’s attorney claimed Monday in a letter … Continue reading →

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Get ready for the next abortion lawsuit

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Expect it in a couple of months. Texas’ proposed rules requiring the cremation or burial of fetal remains “will almost certainly trigger costly litigation,” reproductive rights lawyers say. In a letter to the Texas Department of State Health Services, lawyers with … Continue reading →

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The southern segment of the proposed Oklahoma City-South Texas passenger rail line

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

There’s more to it than connecting San Antonio with Austin and Dallas/Fort Worth. Two potential South Texas routes were selected for further study, according to [Rep. Henry] Cuellar. The first would originate in San Antonio and travel south outside of … Continue reading →

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Will Texas Republicans dislike Clinton as much as they dislike Obama?

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Of course they will. I mean, come on. Texas Democrats will miss Obama. But so too will Texas Republicans. Those three syllables — O-Bah-Mah — were all it took for Republicans to signal what they stood against. “There was an … Continue reading →

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Behind The Tower

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Fifty years have passed since Charles Whitman went on an infamous killing spree at the University of Texas. Now a group of historians at UT have taken an in depth look at Whitman and his actions, and tried to answer … Continue reading →

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More on commuter rail to Fort Bend

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron picks up the ball. In a blog post for Off the Kuff, a local progressive politics blog, former Fort Bend Democratic Party chairman Steve Brown said now is the time for local officials to form a commuter rail … Continue reading →

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Pokemon Go get votes

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This is a smart idea. Lazaros Sanchez, 25, often ventures to the Capitol on his lunch break. “There’s Pokémon all over the place,” he observed late Thursday morning after catching a Pokémon called Eevee. Now politicians are jumping on the … Continue reading →

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Friday was a very good day for voting rights

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

In North Carolina: The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit’s opinion in North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP v. McCrory is nothing short of a beat down. The court does not simply tear apart major provisions … Continue reading →

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NCAA lays down a marker on anti-LGBT legislation

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hope the Lege is paying attention, because they can’t say they haven’t been warned. The NBA and NCAA may have just dealt a preemptive, one-two knockout punch to anti-LGBT bills in the upcoming Texas Legislature, which convenes in January. First, … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues Austin over open carry

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

No subtext at all to this, I’m sure. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the city of Austin in Travis County district court, trying to force the city to comply with his reading of the state’s open carry law … Continue reading →

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Meet the latest education scam

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Free money! What could possibly go wrong? An ambitious new player has emerged in the controversial effort to use taxpayer dollars to help Texas parents send their kids to private or religious schools. Texans for Education Opportunity, which launched in … Continue reading →

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