Monthly Archives: April 2018

Interview with Lawrence McGaffie

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We continue with interviews in the special election for District K to succeed the late CM Larry Green. Today I am talking with Lawrence McGaffie, an ordained minister and Army veteran who is the founder of the Inspire the Lead, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

ACLU sues Galveston County over bail practices

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The ACLU of Texas, the ACLU and Arnold & Porter filed a federal class-action lawsuit today against Galveston County, Texas, for violating the constitutional rights of people arrested for misdemeanors and felonies. The lawsuit was brought against … Continue reading →

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Stockman trial: Off to the jury

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Please return a verdict. The defense team for former U.S. Congressman Steve Stockman told jurors Monday the ex- GOP lawmaker did not plot a massive fraud scheme, but said the government should have targeted two wealthy conservative donors for making … Continue reading →

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Interview with Anthony Freddie

Posted on April 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the special election to succeed the late Council Member Larry Green in District K is on May 5. Early voting for this election begins April 23, which is to say two weeks from now. In those two … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Misdemeanor diversion

Posted on April 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds good to me. Houston’s non-violent misdemeanor offenders will soon be cleaning up trash and invasive plant species plants along Buffalo Bayou in an initiative to help offenders clear up their criminal record, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

It’s not easy being green

Posted on April 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I have mixed feelings about this. The “Blue Trees” artist has stirred up a hive of trouble for Houston’s parks and recreation department, complaining that the city plagiarized an installation he created five years ago by re-painting the same grove … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for April 8

Posted on April 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

“Take care when typing a domain name into a browser address bar, because it’s far too easy to fat-finger a key and wind up somewhere you don’t want to go.” A citizens’ guide to deciphering lobbyist-speak. I support this effort … Continue reading →

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From the “Answering my own rhetorical question” department

Posted on April 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Nobody could have seen this coming! Ever since Texas’s “sanctuary cities” ban was first proposed in late 2016, the measure’s Republican backers have painted it as a public safety measure targeting criminals — without racist or anti-immigrant intent. But records … Continue reading →

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The most interesting story related to the County Treasurer’s office you may ever read

Posted on April 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, yeah. A top administrator at the Harris County Treasurer’s Office charged with stealing money from a county credit union told investigators he was using the funds to pay off a dominatrix he met online who was trying to blackmail … Continue reading →

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SNCF has qualms about Texas Central

Posted on April 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Who is SNCF? They’re another passenger rail company, one that has also expressed an interest in building lines in Texas, and they have offered some negative feedback to the Texas Central high speed rail line. One of the world’s largest … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Farenthold resigns

Posted on April 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

So long, Ducky. U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, resigned on Friday. The decision marks the capstone of a tumultuous few months for the four-term congressman, who has been dogged by sexual harassment allegations and an ongoing ethics investigation. “While … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Stockman trial update: Defense rests

Posted on April 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

And we’re done. The defense rested its case Thursday in ex-GOP congressman Steve Stockman’s federal campaign fraud trial, after calling only two witnesses who together testified for less than an hour. The former Republican lawmaker from Clear Lake told the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Harvey effect on fire ants

Posted on April 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Possibly another reason to curse that storm. Rice University ecologists are checking to see if Hurricane Harvey’s unprecedented floods gave a competitive boost to fire ants and crazy ants, two of southeast Texas’ least favorite uninvited guests. Extreme weather events … Continue reading →

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Council approves new floodplain regulations

Posted on April 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve been waiting for this. Starting this fall, all new homes built in Houston’s floodplains must be elevated higher off the ground after a contentious debate and narrow vote by City Council on Wednesday to adopt the Bayou City’s first … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

It’s going to be redistricting time for Texas at SCOTUS soon

Posted on April 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an update. In their latest brief to the U.S. Supreme Court, the voting and minority rights groups challenging Texas’ political maps painted Republican state lawmakers as “opportunistically inconsistent in their treatment of appearance versus reality.” Pointing to the lawmakers’ … Continue reading →

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The CD02 primary runoff

Posted on April 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, yeah, that’s happening. Kevin Roberts already overcame a $6 million onslaught from self-funding multimillionaire Kathaleen Wall to keep his hopes of winning a seat in Congress alive. Now the Republican’s challenge is beating retired Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw, a … Continue reading →

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Multiple cities and states sue over Census citizenship question

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Seventeen states, the District of Columbia, and six major cities sued the Trump administration on Tuesday over the addition of a controversial new question about US citizenship to the 2020 census. This is the third major lawsuit against the administration’s action, after California and the NAACP sued last week, … Continue reading →

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Valdez and White in the runoff

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The DMN provides a snapshot of where we are in the one Democratic statewide primary runoff. Former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez and Houston investor Andrew White have disparate strategies for winning the nomination. Valdez, who finished first with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Stockman trial update: The prosecution abides

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From Monday: The second of two key government witnesses took the stand late Monday in Houston in the federal fraud trial of former U.S. Congressman Steve Stockman, telling jurors his main duty on the ex-lawmaker’s staff was to “just do … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of April 2

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance believes that everyone counts and everyone should be counted as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Beto’s big haul

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, raised over $6.7 million for his U.S. Senate bid in the first quarter of 2018, according to his campaign, a staggering number that poses a new category of threat to Republican incumbent Ted … Continue reading →

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

Texas loses another voting rights lawsuit

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Anyone else detecting a pattern here? Handing the state another voting rights loss, a federal judge has sided with a civil rights group that claimed Texas violated federal law by failing to register residents to vote when they updated their … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

HISD will not change its funding mechanism

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Not this year, at least. Houston ISD officials have abandoned plans to overhaul the way the district funds its schools, opting to keep HISD’s long-standing financing system as they work to fill a $115 million budget deficit. Schools will continue … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Ted Cruz brand

Posted on April 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It takes all kinds. While some Republicans may fret about Trump’s shaky approval ratings or their party’s brand among disappointed conservatives, Cruz seems to occupy his own space in the political firmament. Launching his 2018 reelection campaign in Houston on … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Schlitterbahn indictments

Posted on April 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I’m still stunned by this. Three Schlitterbahn Waterparks officials now have been swept up in a criminal probe into the 2016 decapitation death of a 10-year-old boy at the company’s Kansas park. An indictment unsealed Tuesday in Kansas reveals for … Continue reading →

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More fire department sexual harassment allegations

Posted on April 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Welcome to the Woodlands. When she began her job at the fire department of The Woodlands Township in July 2013, Julie Thomas believed her skin was sufficiently thick to endure a work environment dominated almost entirely by “men with big … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: HCDE Precinct 1

Posted on April 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

After the last precinct analysis post, I got an email from Danny Norris, one of the two candidates in the runoff for HCDE Position 6, Precinct 1, asking if I intended to look at this race. My answer at the … Continue reading →

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This is not how you secure elections

Posted on April 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is atrocious. If she had known it was illegal, Crystal Mason said she would have never cast a vote in the 2016 presidential election. The 43-year-old former tax preparer hadn’t even planned on voting until her mother encouraged her … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Who are you calling lazy?

Posted on April 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This makes me laugh. On paper, Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas) appears to be a shoo-in for reelection. He‘s served nine terms in what’s been a GOP stronghold for decades, hasn’t had a serious challenger in years and sits on one … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Weekend link dump for April 1

Posted on April 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The grocery store apocalypse has begun. “The defining fact of digital life is that the web was created in the libertarian frenzy of the 1990s. As we privatized the net, releasing it from the hands of the government agencies that … Continue reading →

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Harris County sued by “voter fraud” trolls

Posted on April 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s get this kicked to the curb ASAP. A conservative non-profit group sued Harris County in federal court Thursday to force the county to make available records on how it stops non-U.S. citizens from voting. The Public Interest Legal Foundation … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Stockman trial update: Tanning salons and dolphin boat rides

Posted on April 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I love this trial so much. It’s the gift that keeps on giving, about the grifter we all deserve. Former U.S. Congressman Steve Stockman spent $450,000 in charitable funds from an East Coast philanthropist on personal expenses including dolphin boat … Continue reading →

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Tina Thompson

Posted on April 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations to original Houston Comet Tina Thompson for her selection to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Tina Thompson was honored for her stellar college, professional and Olympic career when she was named to the 2018 Class of the Naismith Memorial … Continue reading →

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