Monthly Archives: January 2018

Weekend link dump for January 14

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

What “Meltdown” and “Spectre” mean to you. “Few surprises are more compelling than the recent discovery that falcons are more closely related to parrots than they are to hawks and eagles.” “We Have A New Prime Number, And It’s 23 … Continue reading →

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Interview with Lizzie Pannill Fletcher

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

And so we come to the end of our week-long odyssey through the Democratic field in CD07. Next week, we shift focus to CD02, which will not require publishing interviews on weekend days. Lucky number seven in the Democratic lineup … Continue reading →

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The price of disrespect

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Greg Abbott makes another endorsement. Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday endorsed the Republican challenger to Galveston state Rep. Wayne Faircloth, a move that is expected to deepen simmering divisions within the state Republican party. In a new video, Abbott called … Continue reading →

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The Alley Theater debacle

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

What a mess. More than a dozen current and former Alley Theatre employees say the outgoing artistic director, Gregory Boyd, created a toxic work environment at the city’s most renowned theater, describing him as a tyrant who frequently singled out … Continue reading →

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Interview with Ivan Sanchez

Posted on January 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The field in CD07 was stable for quite some time, with six of the seven filers posting finance reports from both Q2 and Q3 last year. Then in the waning days of the filing period, a new challenger emerged. That … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS will take up Texas redistricting appeal

Posted on January 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

As the man once said, hold onto your butts. Further extending a drawn-out legal battle, the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a case over whether Texas’ congressional and House district boundaries discriminate against voters of color. The … Continue reading →

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HISD to standardize start times

Posted on January 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This had been talked about for some time. HISD will implement standardized school start times for the 2018-19 school year to better deliver efficient, reliable, and affordable transportation to our students. Currently, HISD manages 67 different school start times – … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten – Come, come now, part 1

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Another multi-part list! And we’re still in January! Woo hoo! 1. Come & Get It – Selena Gomez 2. Come A Day – Nils Lofgren 3. Come A Little Bit Closer – Jay & The Americans 4. Come And I … Continue reading →

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Interview with Joshua Butler

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We’re more than halfway through the Democratic field in CD07, and we’ll be keeping it going through the weekend. I’m not sure what I’d have done if there were more than the seven candidates there are. Good thing I don’t … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Charles Collins

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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Still grappling with how to handle sexual harassment claims

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I like the idea of putting the authority to investigate harassment claims in the Legislature into an independent body. Calls for independence between sexual misconduct investigations and those in power have grown in recent months, and experts and several lawmakers … Continue reading →

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Council approves new recycling deal

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Huzzah! Houston residents are set to have their used glass and plastic bags picked up for recycling at curbside, but not until next year. The 20-year, $37 million agreement City Council approved Wednesday is the product of two years of wrangling over recycling and … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Interview with James Cargas

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

One of the themes of this year’s election is the large number of people who are new to electoral politics getting involved. That has led to a huge number of first-time candidates throwing their hats into every ring imaginable. That’s … Continue reading →

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How many more women are we likely to have in Congress next year?

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Probably at least two, and more are possible. No freshman woman has come to Congress from Texas since Granger’s election 1996, with the exception of former U.S. Rep. Shelley Sekula Gibbs, who served as a placeholder for less than two … Continue reading →

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Yet another ruling against North Carolina’s Congressional map

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Because redistricting litigation is always of interest. A panel of federal judges struck down North Carolina’s congressional map on Tuesday, condemning it as unconstitutional because Republicans had drawn the map seeking a political advantage. The ruling was the first time … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of January 8

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance knows where the really big buttons are as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Interview with Alex Triantaphyllis

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

There are a lot of reasons why CD07 has drawn so much national attention. It’s a district Hillary Clinton won in 2016 despite being held by Republicans forever – this was Poppy Bush’s seat back in the day, for goodness’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Judicial Q&A: Michele Chimene

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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And then there were nine

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

One Democratic gubernatorial hopeful is now off the ballot. Demetria Smith, a Democrat who had hoped to challenge Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in the 2018 gubernatorial race, has been determined ineligible to run. Smith, who attended a San Angelo forum … Continue reading →

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Interview with Laura Moser

Posted on January 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Today is Day Two of my weeklong tour of CD07, which is not only one of the better pickup opportunities in Texas but also a regular feature in national stories about the 2018 environment and the map that Democrats are … Continue reading →

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Lupe Valdez kicks off her campaign

Posted on January 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s get moving. Lupe Valdez, the former Dallas County Sheriff, formally launched her Democratic bid for governor on Sunday, touting a campaign aimed at representing all Texans and listing a broad range of topics she plans to address as election … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Chris Oliver gets sentenced

Posted on January 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Goodbye. A former Houston Community College trustee was sentenced to nearly six years in prison on Monday after a judge said he accepted more than a quarter million dollars in bribes in exchange for his influence over contract work with … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Scandalized! | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Interview with Jason Westin

Posted on January 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Today we kick off interview season for the 2018 Democratic primaries. There are a lot of races and a lot of candidates, and I will bring you as many as I can. This week is all about CD07, with seven … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Judicial Q&A: Stanley Santire

Posted on January 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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Lots of female candidates running this year

Posted on January 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s that kind of year. Inside a classroom at a community college in downtown Dallas, a group of two dozen women took turns sharing their names, hometowns and what they hoped would be their future titles: Congresswoman. Dallas County judge. … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for January 7

Posted on January 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Hope the new year doesn’t already suck for you. The ten worst things Scott Pruitt’s EPA has already done. “How disinformation will be deployed in 2018 and beyond is unclear. What is clear, however, is that the Kremlin believes its … Continue reading →

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Interview season begins tomorrow

Posted on January 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We’re a month into primary season, and we’re also six weeks out from the start of early voting. You know what I did over Christmas vacation? I interviewed a bunch of candidates, that’s what. You will begin to see the … Continue reading →

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Julian Castro’s new PAC

Posted on January 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see. Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro will launch a political action committee on Tuesday that aims to support Democratic Party efforts to take control of the U.S. House and groom younger candidates. Castro’s … Continue reading →

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Darian Ward

Posted on January 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I shake my head. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday staunchly defended his press secretary’s job performance following her recent two-week suspension for conducting personal business on city time and failing to turn over public records requested by a local journalist. … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Soon

Posted on January 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the Squirrel Nut Zippers? Here they are with a song called “Soon”: I really liked SNZ, as I have always been a fan of that style of music. I wish they’d stayed together longer and made more records, but … Continue reading →

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Looking ahead to 2019

Posted on January 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, yes, I know. We’ve barely begun the 2018 cycle. Who in their right mind is thinking about 2019? I plead guilty to political insanity, but the beginning of the year is always the best time to look forward, and … Continue reading →

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So what’s up with the Farenthold ballot situation?

Posted on January 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib provides an update. So how did the Texas Republican Party manage to remove Farenthold from the primary ballot? The short answer is that they violated the election code, according to state officials. But the Texas Secretary of State’s … Continue reading →

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The life and times of Kinky Friedman

Posted on January 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I have feelings about this. With Friedman, it’s showtime most of the time. On this occasion, he’s in town with Mary Lou Sullivan, his biographer, who attempted to condense his strange life into 300 pages. Hers was an unenviable task. … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Can’t even, part 2

Posted on January 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Because “can’t” is a key part of anyone’s vocabulary. 1. Can’t Stop Dancin’ – Becky G 2. Can’t Stop Killing You – Kirsty MacColl 3. Can’t Stop My Heart From Loving You – Aaron Neville 4. Can’t Stop Rockin’ – … Continue reading →

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