Monthly Archives: August 2019

Rock me like a Herricane

Posted on August 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I had no idea this existed. Rose Kelley was jogging through Memorial Park one summer evening when she saw a group of women practicing football. One of the women spotted Kelley, with her sturdy frame and strong legs, and figured … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

With silver linings like these…

Posted on August 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

…Who needs misfortune? Even Texas Republicans are a bit amused with the clever new Democratic battle cry that’s emerged amid a recent spate of GOP congressional retirements: “Texodus.” First came U.S. Rep. Pete Olson of Sugar Land on July 25. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Lawsuit filed over mail ballot practices

Posted on August 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We haven’t had a good voting rights lawsuit in a few months. In a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday in San Antonio, [two] voters — George Richardson of Brazos County and Rosalie Weisfeld of McAllen — alleged that the state law … Continue reading →

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Initial reaction to the TEA action on HISD

Posted on August 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of wait and see so far. Houston-area political and community leaders offered muted response Thursday to a state recommendation issued this week to replace Houston ISD’s school board, reserving judgment until more details are known about a Texas Education … Continue reading →

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It looks like we’re getting a new school board

Posted on August 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

What a mess. Texas Education Agency officials have recommended that a state-appointed governing team replace Houston ISD’s locally elected school board after a six-month investigation found several instances of alleged misconduct by some trustees, including violations of the Texas Open … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

TDP sues over Bonnen-MQS secret meeting

Posted on August 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an interesting turn. The Texas Democratic Party is suing House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan, alleging they created an unregistered political action committee and violated other state election laws. The lawsuit, filed in Travis County … Continue reading →

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The Harris County bail lawsuit effect on Dallas County

Posted on August 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib looks to see if the recent Harris County bail lawsuit settlement might affect the bail lawsuit in Dallas County. “Anytime one county settles, it could possibly provide a roadmap for another county, but I can’t say that it … Continue reading →

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Time to investigate

Posted on August 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

So, hey, that conversation we now know Dennis Bonnen had with MQS? The subject of that conversation, which involved a quid-pro-quo access-for-political-activity proposal, may be a violation of house rules. So, the relevant committee will have a look-see to check … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

David Temple convicted again

Posted on August 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

New trial, same result. A Harris County jury on Tuesday convicted David Temple of murder in the 1999 death of his pregnant wife, opening the door for the former Katy-area football coach to be sent back to prison several years … Continue reading →

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The Ike Dike debate continues

Posted on August 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There’s more than one way to mitigate against flooding, and it may be best to adopt more than one of them. For about a decade, two of Texas’ top universities have pushed dueling plans to protect the Houston-Galveston region from … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of August 5

Posted on August 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Roundup stands with the people of El Paso as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Bonnen blinks

Posted on August 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

OMG. Speaker Dennis Bonnen on Tuesday apologized to his 149 colleagues for “terrible things” he said about some of them, just hours after more details emerged about slurs against fellow House members uttered by him and his chief GOP sidekick … Continue reading →

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By the way, Trump is also a deadbeat

Posted on August 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s his brand. President Donald Trump publicly pledged “all the support of the federal government” on Saturday after 22 people were shot to death in an El Paso Walmart this weekend. But his statements are prompting charges of hypocrisy because the … Continue reading →

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There will be a special election in HD28

Posted on August 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Missed this the other day. The chair of the powerful House budget-writing Appropriations Committee, state Rep. John Zerwas, will be the new executive vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of Texas System. Zerwas, a doctor by training, announced … Continue reading →

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It’s all about the tape

Posted on August 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

You want to hear the recording of that conversation between Speaker Dennis Bonnen and MQS in which Bonnen supposedly trashed a bunch of Republican legislators? You can’t hear it unless MQS wants you to. For the past week, Texas Republicans, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Marchant joins the exodus

Posted on August 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The line at the door keeps growing. U.S. Rep. Kenny Marchant will not seek reelection in 2020, two sources confirmed to The Texas Tribune late Sunday. He is the fourth member of the Texas delegation to announce his retirement in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Harris County gets official approval for voting centers

Posted on August 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Full steam ahead. Harris County on Monday received permission to use voting centers, which enable voters to cast ballots at any location they choose, in high-turnout elections, County Clerk Diane Trautman announced. Under this system, voters are not required to … Continue reading →

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July 2019 campaign finance reports: State Reps

Posted on August 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

State legislative races tend to get less attention than Congressional races. Fewer candidates, less money, very little news coverage. That’s probably going to be less true this year, as both parties are going to expend a lot of effort and … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Study shows a lot of gaps in Harris County’s ability to respond to chemical fires

Posted on August 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This quantifies what was painfully apparent in recent months. More monitoring and manpower is needed for Harris County to better respond to chemical fires like the three that struck the region earlier this year, worrying residents and shutting the Houston … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I for one am happy to be anti-drowning

Posted on August 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’m almost irrationally furious about this. Wednesday’s event by the Bayou City Initiative was billed “Flood Resiliency and the State of City Infrastructure.” So, it was no surprise to see featured speaker Carol Haddock, head of Houston Public Works, get … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Weekend link dump for August 4

Posted on August 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Is the classic movie Airplane! now problematic? “The 69 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1999″. I probably know more of these songs than I can recognize just from the titles. “Better to have a few rats than to be one“. … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 4 Comments

I don’t have anything to say this morning

Posted on August 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Twenty people murdered in El Paso by a racist piece of shit. Just families, out shopping for back to school supplies. You’re not safe anywhere from an asshole with an automatic weapon and a manifesto. I grew up in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments

Raising money to register Republicans

Posted on August 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Just keeping an eye on things. A new super PAC focused on registering new Republican voters in Texas has raised nearly $10 million from some of the state’s biggest GOP donors, according to its first report to the Federal Election … Continue reading →

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Rep. Mike Conaway to retire

Posted on August 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We will have at least three new members of Congress from Texas in 2021. Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas will not seek reelection in 2020, according to multiple GOP sources, becoming the fifth Republican to announce their retirement over the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The main concern about voting centers

Posted on August 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This Trib story, which is about the implementation of voting centers in multiple counties across Texas for the 2020 election, delves into one of the main concern about them: Voting centers can change from one election to the next, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Rep. Will Hurd to step down

Posted on August 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. I did not see this coming. The U.S. House’s last black Republican member, Rep. Will Hurd of Helotes, announced Thursday that he is retiring from Congress. President Donald Trump’s racist comments about elected officials weighed heavily on Hurd, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Your daily Bonnen-MQS update

Posted on August 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’m just sittin’ here watching the wheels go round and round… After a week of denying that he asked an arch-conservative to target 10 fellow Republicans in the next primary election, House Speaker Dennis Bonnen challenged Empower Texans CEO Michael … Continue reading →

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Mediation fails again

Posted on August 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Not really a surprise. A third round of mediation between Mayor Sylvester Turner and the Houston firefighters union concluded in an apparent impasse Thursday afternoon, ending another attempt to resolve the long-running contract dispute and sending a lawsuit over the … Continue reading →

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

That UT-Tyler poll

Posted on August 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose I have to talk about this. A poll conducted by the Center for Opinion Research at the University of Texas at Tyler showed [Beto O’Rourke] leading among Texas voters in the Democratic presidential primary. The survey showed O’Rourke … Continue reading →

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State Rep. John Zerwas to retire

Posted on August 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Big news. Rep. John Zerwas, the head of a powerful budget-writing committee in the Texas House, announced Wednesday his retirement at the end of September. “It has been an absolute honor to represent House District 28, and I am proud … Continue reading →

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I just can’t quit the Bonnen-MQS squabble

Posted on August 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

How much popcorn is too much? Asking for a friend. A hardline conservative activist who has accused Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, of offering his group long-denied media access to the lower chamber in exchange for politically targeting 10 … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of July 29

Posted on August 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance thinks that maybe some Republicans ought to try reading the Mueller report as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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