Monthly Archives: September 2018

Differing views of likely voters

Posted on September 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

First we had this. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, leads his Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke by 9 percentage points among likely voters, according to a new poll from Quinnipiac University. Released Tuesday, the survey found Cruz with 54 percent support … Continue reading →

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Galveston, ten years after Ike

Posted on September 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Overall things are better now, but not for everyone, and nothing can ever truly be the same as before. Galveston has a long and storied history dealing with epic storms, and the destruction Hurricane Ike wrought was no different — … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of September 17

Posted on September 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes that the federal response to Florence is better than it was for Harvey and especially for Maria as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Interview with Meghan Scoggins

Posted on September 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We move out to the west end of Fort Bend County, where the population is booming. HD28 covers this part of the county, and the number of votes cast in Presidential years here has increased by more than fifty percent … Continue reading →

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Flores defeats Gallego

Posted on September 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t even know what to say. This is a filthy result, one that can’t be repaired until 2020. I don’t know what happened, but it was a race we should not have lost. I don’t think one ugly loss … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Property tax revenue up, school funding down

Posted on September 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Welcome to Texas. An early projection has Texas decreasing state funding to public education, and largely using local taxes to fill the gap. In its preliminary budget request ahead of next year’s legislative session, the Texas Education Agency projected a … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Julie Countiss

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. I am running these responses in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

There are reasons why “suspect addresses” may be legit

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Real talk here. Texas law requires voters to register where they live. At the same time, state law requires counties to take voters at their word that their voter registration applications are truthful. Registrars who suspect an address may be … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

It’s Runoff Day in SD19

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is an important election. The aggressive drive by top Texas Republicans to flip a Democratic-friendly state Senate seat will culminate Tuesday as their candidate, Pete Flores, faces Democrat Pete Gallego in the final round of a special election. The … Continue reading →

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Interview with Sarah DeMerchant

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Back to the State House, and over to Fort Bend County, where there are three elections of interest this year. Fort Bend trended Democratic in 2016, and you can see that reflected in the State Rep districts. HD26 is the … Continue reading →

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CD23 “live poll”: Hurd 51, Ortiz Jones 43

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Give this one a bit of side-eye. Incumbent Republican Will Hurd is leading his Democratic challenger, Gina Ortiz Jones, in one of the country’s most competitive races in this year’s midterm elections, according to a new poll by The New … Continue reading →

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Bring back the Comets

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Jenny Dial Creech would like to see one more professional sports team in Houston. As [Tina] Thompson — the league’s first No. 1 overall draft pick — was inducted into the [Naismith Basketball] Hall of Fame, we were all reminded … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for September 16

Posted on September 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

If you like manual transmissions, you will soon have one less option for buying such a car in the US. Meet Kim Kierkegaardashian, the world’s most existentialist celebrity. “As it turns out, it’s not easy to criminally prosecute old sex … Continue reading →

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Southwest Key sues city over permit for child detention warehouse

Posted on September 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Screw them. The Austin-based nonprofit trying to open a shelter to house migrant children east of downtown sued the city of Houston Friday, alleging a discriminatory, baseless and politically motivated campaign to prevent it from opening the facility. Southwest Key … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Second look at Metro’s long range transit plan

Posted on September 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Still a work in progress, but there’s beginning to be some focus. Transit officials inched closer Wednesday to asking voters next year for up to $3 billion for two-way express bus service along many Houston freeways, along with a few … Continue reading →

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Another Lopez brother gets banned from taekwondo

Posted on September 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Steven Lopez this time. Two-time Olympic taekwondo gold medalist Steven Lopez has been banned permanently from competition by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, based on the results of the agency’s investigation into Lopez’s sexual relationship with an underage female in … Continue reading →

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The other Senate races that Republicans are worried about

Posted on September 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

They’re concerned about the State Senate, too. Republican lawmakers in the Texas Senate were sitting pretty last year. For years, the GOP had faced roadblocks to passing some conservative measures by the chamber’s two-thirds rule, which normally required the support … Continue reading →

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You know, there is a cheaper way to do this

Posted on September 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Why are we still outsourcing inmates? County commissioners next week will consider a proposal to outsource inmates to the Fort Bend County Jail, which would allow Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez to slow — but not stop — the flow … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Crossing over

Posted on September 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Former Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, a Republican, has endorsed Democrat Miguel Suazo in his bid to replace current Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush. Patterson, a former political rival of Bush, cited what he called mismanagement of the … Continue reading →

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Crosswinds: Cruz 47, O’Rourke 44

Posted on September 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s poll time again. In a sign of just how crucial the millennial vote might be in the upcoming mid-term elections, a statewide poll released Tuesday shows Ted Cruz leading 47 percent to Beto O’Rourke’s 44 percent among likely Texas … Continue reading →

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Partisan statewide judicial elections upheld

Posted on September 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I’d totally forgotten about this lawsuit. A federal judge has rejected a race-based challenge to the way Texans fill seats on the state’s highest courts. U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos of Corpus Christi handed the state of Texas a … Continue reading →

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Henry Cuellar does his thing

Posted on September 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

And it’s annoying as usual. A new report has left many Democratic House insiders perplexed and frustrated with one of the most powerful Texas Democrats in Congress: U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo. Politico reported Tuesday that Cuellar had”invited supporters to … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Gordon Goodman

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. I am running these responses in the … Continue reading →

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

Yes, Republicans really are worried about Ted Cruz

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Their actions speak volumes. With a string of polls showing GOP Sen. Ted Cruz’s lead slipping, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick showed up in Washington on July 25 to deliver an urgent plea to White House officials: Send President Donald … Continue reading →

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

What’s a little toxic waste among friends?

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

No big deal, right? The criteria Texas uses to determine how much — and whether — to clean up abandoned industrial facilities, waste dumps and other polluted sites are so lax that they may allow residential homes to be built … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of September 10

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance observes that honesty is no longer a required attribute for Republican judicial nominees as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Interview with Adrienne Bell

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

CD14 covers Galveston and Jefferson counties, plus part of Brazoria. Those first two counties were the main component of what was once CD09, before Tom DeLay ripped up the map. Its heritage is Democratic – Nick Lampson represented that turf … Continue reading →

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Sri Kulkarni and Asian voters

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Great story. Despite its diversity, [CD22] has been a Republican stronghold going back to the days when it was held by former U.S. House Speaker Tom Delay. In 2016, Donald Trump won the district by 8 percentage points while the … Continue reading →

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The state of special education at HISD

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Still a lot of work to be done. Houston ISD’s quality of special education services remains in “grave” shape due to inadequate staffing, confusion among employees and a lack of accountability, according to a district-appointed committee reviewing the quality of … Continue reading →

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On negative ads and name recognition

Posted on September 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I confess, I’m amused by this. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is going after Democrat Beto O’Rourke for cursing during some of his campaign speeches. The Cruz campaign released a digital ad on social media that shows O’Rourke cursing at various … Continue reading →

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Speed kills

Posted on September 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good long read from the Chron about our dangerous roads and highways. There’s too much to cover here, so I just want to focus on the why we all speed so much. Houston drivers likely speed, at least in part, … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Early voting has begun for SD19 special election runoff

Posted on September 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t lose sight of this election. A strong yet unsuccessful showing in 2016 against incumbent Carlos Uresti was enough to convince Pete Flores to take another shot at Uresti’s State Senate seat, this time in a special election to complete … Continue reading →

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Interview with Steven David

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We turn our attention this week to Congress. I covered a bunch of Congressional races in the primary season, and I won’t be revisiting them, but there are still a couple of races of interest in the area. First up … Continue reading →

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Baptist Ministers Association apologizes for its role in overturning HERO

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I’m very glad to see this. The Baptists Ministers Association of Houston & Vicinity issued a joint statement with the Houston GLBT Political Caucus saying the two groups “are building a relationship that recognizes our common equal rights struggle.” The … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments