Monthly Archives: July 2017

Friday random ten – All in, part 4

Posted on July 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

All good things must come to an end. 1. All The Voices – INXS 2. All The Way To Memphis – Mott the Hoople 3. All The Young Dudes – Billy Bragg 4. All These Years – Solas 5. All … Continue reading →

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Who will run statewide for the Dems?

Posted on July 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

For several statewide offices, it is unclear at this time who might run. Lillie Schechter, the new chairwoman of the Harris County Democratic Party, has watched in recent months as at least seven candidates have come through the doors of … Continue reading →

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Finance reports still slowly coming in

Posted on July 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Lizzie Pannill Fletcher announced today that she raised more than $365,000 in her first seven weeks of the campaign as a Democratic candidate for Texas’ Seventh Congressional District, a seat currently held by Representative John Culberson. Fletcher’s … Continue reading →

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Still a few bugs in the system

Posted on July 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A continuing story. While Harris County officials are complaining that a federal judge’s bail order threatens public safety, the county has failed to provide more than 100 low-level defendants with pretrial services aimed at ensuring they make their court dates. … Continue reading →

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There is trouble with the trees

Posted on July 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

More to the point, there is trouble with the idea that municipal tree ordinances are somehow a bad thing, but that’s where we are, and it’s got some folks worried. More than 40,000 trees were lost to [Hurricane] Ike, according … Continue reading →

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Redistricting update: It’s all about the emails

Posted on July 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Two days into the trial, and there’s more drama. Plaintiffs challenging Texas’ 2013 redistricting maps Tuesday accused the state of improperly delaying the release of thousands of pages of documents from them, including 113 documents that state lawyers refuse to … Continue reading →

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Houston Public Works director caught up in HCC bribery case

Posted on July 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Unclear yet how big a deal this is, but it is a big deal. Houston Public Works Director Karun Sreerama made $77,143 in unlawful payments to a Houston Community College trustee who faces up to 10 years in prison after … Continue reading →

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Culberson does his Culberson thing to Metro again

Posted on July 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It is what it is. But maybe, just maybe, there’s now a sell-by date on it. Houston may have stopped building light rail lines, but the fight over them rages on — right to Washington where Rep. John Culberson again … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of July 10

Posted on July 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance would like to bottle and sell Angela Merkel’s eyerolls as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Here come the LGBT candidates

Posted on July 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Keep your eyes on these folks. At least four Houstonians are among the numerous LGBTQ Texans eyeing campaigns in 2018 and 2019. One of the Houston candidates has formally announced, and three others are strongly considering runs. “People are fed … Continue reading →

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Harris County will not enter SB4 litigation

Posted on July 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Unfortunate. Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday decided not to join a lawsuit against the state’s controversial sanctuary cities law. A motion made by Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis to move to join the lawsuit died after it failed to … Continue reading →

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MJ Hegar in CD31

Posted on July 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Very cool. In a Texas congressional district that includes one of the country’s largest military bases, a military hero is betting she can stage a political upset. Air Force veteran MJ Hegar is launching a Democratic challenge against U.S. Rep. … Continue reading →

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Who wants to give Greg Abbott power over their health insurance?

Posted on July 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I sure don’t, but then I’m not the median voter in this state. The Senate Republicans’ health care plan would give governors virtually unchecked discretion over health insurance plans. In red states with governors hostile to health care expansion, such … Continue reading →

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Redistricting trial week begins

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This will be the main event of the week. Eight months ahead of the 2018 primaries, Texas and its legal foes on Monday will kick off a week-long trial that could shake up races across the state. The state and … Continue reading →

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First finance reports for Congressional challengers start coming in

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Democratic candidate and nonprofit leader Alex Triantaphyllis announced he raised over $450,000 from more than 1,100 contributors since his entrance into the race for Texas’s 7th Congressional District. He will report over $400,000 cash on hand entering … Continue reading →

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Who gets the VW settlement money?

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the fifty million dollar question. Volkswagen faces billions of dollars in fines in Texas for its admitted cheating on emissions tests, but the potential payday is being held up as the state Attorney General and county officials fight in … Continue reading →

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Special session officially set

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Brace yourselves, it starts next week. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a declaration for a special session of the Texas Legislature Monday, formally inviting lawmakers back to Austin to pass “sunset legislation” that will keep several key state agencies open. The … Continue reading →

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Anti-spousal benefits plaintiffs ask for injunction

Posted on July 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Ridiculous. Conservative activists are seeking an injunction blocking Houston from paying same-sex spousal benefits to its municipal employees, after Texas’ Supreme Court ruled last week that gay couples may not be entitled to them. Attorneys filed a motion Friday in … Continue reading →

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Judicial Conduct commission suspends JP Hilary Green

Posted on July 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Bam! The Texas Supreme Court on Friday issued an order to suspend Harris County Justice of the Peace Hilary Green from office immediately based on allegations that Green illegally abused prescription drugs, sent sexually explicit texts to a bailiff while on … Continue reading →

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Firefighters petition for a raise

Posted on July 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever. Houston firefighters are launching a campaign to place on item on the November ballot asking voters to mandate parity in pay between corresponding firefighter and police-officer ranks. The petition drive to amend the city charter, slated to launch Saturday … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for July 9

Posted on July 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

So is there a limit to human lifespans or not? A long and thoughtful story on lip synching and our changing attitudes towards it. I fall into the camp of those who prefer actual singing and playing of instruments by … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Humble ISD

Posted on July 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I’d been meaning to go back to the Humble ISD election in May, where two Project LIFT candidates were running against incumbent members, to see what I could learn. The canvass reports are up on the Harris County Clerk website, … Continue reading →

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HCC Trustee Chris Oliver pleads guilty to bribery charges

Posted on July 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Hoo boy. A Houston Community College trustee faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to bribery, federal prosecutors said Friday. The case of 53-year-old Christopher W. Oliver, 53, of Houston was unsealed by U.S. District Judge Vanessa … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Campus carry lawsuit tossed

Posted on July 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. A federal judge has dismissed a longshot lawsuit filed by three University of Texas at Austin professors seeking to overturn the state’s 2015 campus carry law, which allows people to carry concealed handguns inside most public university buildings. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Saturday video break: Saved

Posted on July 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s Bob Dylan during his Christian phase: Gotta say, that meets my criteria for a good gospel song: It’s not doctrinally objectionable, and it has an excellent beat that you can dance to. Thumbs up. Now here with a similar … Continue reading →

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“America’s future is Texas”

Posted on July 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s that long story in the New Yorker that everyone is talking about. It covers basically the entire legislative session with a bunch of preliminary background info, most of which is very familiar to all of us, so I’m just … Continue reading →

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Denton County returns to paper ballots

Posted on July 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I hadn’t realized this. Denton has been using a hybrid voting system that employs both electronic and paper ballots for about a decade. But county officials recently approved spending just shy of $9 million to buy new voting equipment from … Continue reading →

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Trumpcare would be a hospital killer

Posted on July 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is hardly a new problem, but it’s yet another aspect of Trumpcare that gets too little attention. Texas hospitals stand to lose billions under the Republican-backed health plan, as federal Medicaid dollars shrink, leading to a rise in uncompensated … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten – All in, part 3

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

All we are is all we are. 1. All Of My Life – Phil Collins 2. All Or Nothin’ At All – Bruce Springsteen 3. All Revved Up – Jermaine Jackson 4. All Revved Up With No Place To Go … Continue reading →

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June CEC meeting candidate update report

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The June County Executive Committee meeting for the Harris County Democratic Party was a few days ago. There was some official business to take care of, mostly swearing in new precinct chairs, but in addition to the good crowd in … Continue reading →

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Mayor will take revenue cap referendum off the 2017 ballot

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Not gonna lie, I’m disappointed by this. Mayor Sylvester Turner abruptly reversed course Wednesday on his plan to ask voters to repeal Houston’s revenue cap this fall, saying it now is “unlikely” he will ask for its removal. The politically … Continue reading →

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Trump DOJ says all is swell with voter ID now

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Of course they do. Texas’ new voter identification law fully absolves the state from discriminating against minority voters in 2011, and courts should not take further action in a battle over the state’s old voter ID law, President Donald Trump’s … Continue reading →

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Texas’ climate change future

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna be awesome. The Texas economy could face some of the costliest consequences of climate change as temperatures continue to increase over the next several decades, according to a new study. In the study published last week in the journal … Continue reading →

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Not many states are honoring that “give us your voter data” request

Posted on July 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Glad to hear it. Forty-four states and the District of Columbia have refused to provide certain types of voter information to the Trump administration’s election integrity commission, according to a CNN inquiry to all 50 states. State leaders and voting … Continue reading →

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