Monthly Archives: November 2016

Pot bills get their own post

Posted on November 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

They got their own story in the Trib, so why not their own post. Texas lawmakers across the state say they want leniency in how the state prosecutes marijuana crimes. In an interview with Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith Monday, … Continue reading →

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Smoke-free Houston, ten years later

Posted on November 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: It’s been 50 years since the release of the Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health and the harmful consequences from the use of tobacco. 2016 marks the 10th year of the adoption of Ordinance No. 2006-1054 … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Saturday video break: Mr Blue Sky

Posted on November 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s Lily Allen covering a classic rocker: I kind of love this version. She has the perfect voice for a song that always makes me happy to hear. Now here’s the Electric light Orchestra original: It’s good, and you have … Continue reading →

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Emmett says he will run for re-election in 2018

Posted on November 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Well, this was unexpected. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said Thursday that he plans to seek re-election when his current term is up in 2018, ending speculation that he might step aside after more than a decade at the helm … Continue reading →

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From the “Don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone” department

Posted on November 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

People are signing up for health insurance plans while they still can. For years the backers of the Affordable Care Act have fretted over how best to stimulate insurance enrollment on the exchanges so the law could work as designed. … Continue reading →

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Former HISD Trustee Marshall found liable in civil bribery lawsuit

Posted on November 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Ouch. A bribery lawsuit that kept a cloud of suspicion over the Houston school district for six years ended Wednesday with a jury finding that former board president Larry Marshall participated in a kickback scheme that caused millions of dollars … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Ladies’ night, part 21

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I took last week off from my two regularly scheduled music-themed posts because I just didn’t have it in me. They’re back this week, not because I feel better per se, but because there’s comfort to be found in both … Continue reading →

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Sustaining the Harris County Democrats’ success

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

All things considered, I feel reasonably optimistic about Democratic prospects in Harris County going forward, but I felt that way in 2008 as well, so I certainly understand the inclination to be cautious. Democrats swept Harris County last Tuesday in … Continue reading →

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Mayor Turner picks Austin PD Chief for HPD

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: In a sweeping announcement, Mayor Sylvester Turner named four new department directors and a reappointment Thursday. Pending City Council confirmation, Art Acevedo of Austin will assume the position of police chief and El Paso’s Samuel Pena will … Continue reading →

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No Astrodome laser light show for the Super Bowl

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Alas. Organizers have nixed a proposal to use high-tech lasers to project dazzling images of Houston’s culture and history onto and through the roof of the Astrodome during Super Bowl LI. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said the NFL turned … Continue reading →

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City reaches deal with Uber

Posted on November 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mayor Sylvester Turner today announced a comprehensive strategy to streamline the City’s vehicle-for-hire licensing process to ensure that Uber remains in Houston and that Houstonians and visitors have as many transportation options as possible during the upcoming … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

SBOE rejects that lousy Mexican-American studies textbook

Posted on November 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. The State Board of Education voted 14-0 Wednesday to deny the adoption of a Mexican-American studies textbook decried by opponents as racist and inaccurate. The textbook, titled “Mexican American Heritage,” was the only submission the board received when it … Continue reading →

Posted in School days, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

What do our elected officials think about the plan to kill off Medicare?

Posted on November 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember when this was a major campaign issue? With all the other things we’ve discussed so far today, I wanted to return to one critical one. It’s not about mights or maybes or fears of what’s to come. It’s … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: The RRC and the Libertarian moment

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Back to precinct analysis, and the race that I featured in my post from yesterday, the Railroad Commissioner race. Here are the numbers: Dist Christian Yarbrough Miller Salinas =========================================== CD02 152,751 97,235 18,346 6,835 CD07 130,384 96,652 20,510 6,537 CD09 … Continue reading →

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As long as we’re talking about improving our voting machines

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Then this is what we should be talking about. [Travis] County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir called Rice University computer science professor Dan Wallach, who has been poking holes in voting-machine security for years. He’s testified before Congress on the subject. Now … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Does it matter why infrastructure was improved?

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I say no, but maybe that’s just me. In the days leading up to the nation’s biggest sporting event, thousands of visitors will use Broadway to travel from the airport to downtown hotels and other spots. Work on gravel paths, … Continue reading →

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A theory about third parties

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Before I get to that theory, have you ever wondered about the people who vote straight ticket Libertarian or Green in Harris County? I got to wondering about them, because that’s the sort of thing that I think about at … Continue reading →

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It’s bill-filing season

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

And they’re off. Today is the first day of early filing in the Texas Legislature. Lawmakers in both the House and Senate may begin filing the bills that will be discussed when the legislature convenes in January 10, 2017. So … Continue reading →

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HISD: Meyers resigns, Lunceford un-resigns

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Round and round we go. HISD Trustee Greg Meyers, who has served on the school board since 2004, has resigned. Meyers, who represents District VI for HISD and also served as board president in 2010, announced Thursday that he will … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Hillary in Harris County

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s get started with the precinct data, shall we? Here’s a Chron story from the day after the election about how things looked overall in the county. The country’s most populous swing county turned a shade bluer Tuesday, when Hillary … Continue reading →

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Pasadena voting rights trial begins

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron’s Mike Snyder provides an update. [This] week in a Houston federal courtroom, [the Voting Rights Act] will again be invoked in a challenge to an allegedly discriminatory council system, this time in a suburban city that’s undergone a … Continue reading →

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Climate change will not be kind to Houston

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It could be even worse, if that’s any consolation, but it will be bad as things are going now. Houston’s brutally hot summers, persistent humidity, floods and hurricanes never have been much of a selling point. It’s been something to … Continue reading →

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Weekend linkdump for November 13

Posted on November 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

So apparently the Cubs winning the World Series represents a minor plot problem for one of Scalzi’s book series. It’s like that episode of Star Trek: TNG where Picard talks about Fermat’s Last Theorem still being unsolved, an assertion that … Continue reading →

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Statewide review: 2016 was like 2008, but not in a good way

Posted on November 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

There’s no point in beating around the bush, so I’ll just come out and say it: Despite the excitement about increases in voter registration and heavy early voting turnout. statewide Democratic candidates outside of Hillary Clinton generally did not do … Continue reading →

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Zena Stephens

Posted on November 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations to Texas’ first black female Sheriff. While history was being made with the election of Donald Trump as president, Zena Stephens was making a little of her own in Southeast Texas by becoming the state’s first black female sheriff. … Continue reading →

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Beto O’Rourke talking about the Senate

Posted on November 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Another Democratic Congressman is thinking about trying for an upgrade. U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, an El Paso Democrat, told The Texas Tribune he is considering running for the U.S. Senate. “I am,” the sophomore congressman said when Tribune CEO Evan … Continue reading →

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Checking in with Ed Gonzalez

Posted on November 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Also known as Harris County Sheriff-elect Ed Gonzalez. Ed Gonzalez will have a lot to do when he assumes the position of the county’s top cop in January. He’ll have to rein in overtime pay, manage the Harris County jail … Continue reading →

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HD105 race remains unresolved

Posted on November 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I hadn’t realized this was still an open question. The ballots are still out in the race for Texas House district 105 between Republican Rep. Rodney Anderson and Democratic challenger Terry Meza. The race for the west Dallas County seat … Continue reading →

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Checking in with Kim Ogg

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

That’s District Attorney-elect Kim Ogg now. Kim Ogg, still hoarse from shouting over the jubilant victory party crowd after winning her race for Harris County District Attorney, said Wednesday that her first order of business would be to evaluate and … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

We may never know how the state did its court-ordered voter ID outreach

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We sure don’t know how the money was spent on it. On a television ad airing ahead of Election Day, Texas Secretary of State Carlos Cascos declares: “It’s voting season in Texas.” The 30-second spot tailored by international public relations … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Initial thoughts: Statewide

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

See part 1 on Harris County here. The current statewide tally is Trump 52.39%, Clinton 43.34%. She received 3,848,617 votes to his 4,651,955. That’s an improvement of some 540K votes over Obama in 2012, which I certainly would have deemed … Continue reading →

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Initial thoughts: Harris County

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I’m still not quite ready to resume regular blogging. I’ve got a few things drafted from before the election, several of which are non-political, that I’ll begin to put in the queue, and a couple of ones that were political … Continue reading →

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Dems sweep Harris County

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hillary Clinton had a 100K lead in early voting in Harris County, and increased her lead as the night went on. The only countywide Republican who was leading early on was Mike Sullivan, but later in the evening, at the … Continue reading →

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Races I’ll be watching today, non-Legislative edition

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This is my companion to yesterday’s piece. 1. SBOE district 5 I’ve discussed the SBOE races before. This particular race, between incumbent Ken Mercer and repeat challenger Rebecca Bell-Metereau, is the one that has the closest spread based on past … Continue reading →

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