Monthly Archives: March 2020

Weekend link dump for March 22

Posted on March 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

“How the GOP’s War on Government Paved the Way for Trump’s Deadly Incompetence”. “Small disruptions create small societal shifts; big ones change things for good. The O.J. Simpson trial helped tank the popularity of daytime soap operas. The New York … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 5 Comments

TDP files lawsuit to expand vote by mail

Posted on March 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

All right, then. Following fruitless negotiations over how to proceed with the upcoming primary runoff elections, Texas Democrats are looking to the courts to push for an expansion of voting by mail in the state. In a lawsuit filed in … Continue reading →

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

Does Houston have enough hospital capacity?

Posted on March 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We sure hope so. Houston-area hospitals would not have enough resources to respond to a widespread outbreak of the coronavirus unless they take strong action to significantly increase capacity, according to new calculations released by Harvard University. Even in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 26 Comments

Les traffic, easier construction

Posted on March 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll be talking about the knock-on effects of the coronavirus pandemic for years to come. A lighter load on Houston-area freeways and COVID-19 concerns have not slowed the heavy machinery making way for more lanes or new ramps along many … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Another review of Judge Hidalgo’s first year

Posted on March 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Though, oddly enough in a story about Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s first year in office, most of the text is about outgoing Commissioner Steve Radack and the two-year-long temper tantrum he’s been throwing. For many years, the Harris County … Continue reading →

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

Abbott delays primary runoffs

Posted on March 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

So this was originally going to be a post about what various groups have been advocating for the primary runoffs. And then Greg Abbott went and pushed the runoffs back to July without addressing any of the other concerns that … Continue reading →

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

Coronavirus and local control

Posted on March 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From Politico, evidence that there are no small-government “conservatives” in pandemic self-isolation foxholes: Texas is a big state with a proud small-government philosophy. And that’s being tested by the Covid-19 pandemic. Strict bans on public gatherings to curtail the virus’ … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Reducing the coronavirus risk in jail

Posted on March 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is an obvious step to take. More than 8,500 people are housed inside the Harris County jail, and thousands more move through the building and return to their communities each day to keep the criminal justice juggernaut running. Sheriff … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Distilling more hand sanitizer

Posted on March 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Well done. Even before the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020, hand sanitizer was one of the first items to fly off the shelves during the spread of the novel coronavirus, and is still nowhere to be seen at local … Continue reading →

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Statewide restrictions on public gatherings

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This was expected. Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday took sweeping action to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus across Texas, issuing an executive order that will close restaurants and schools, among other things. During a news conference at the … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Bloomberg brings some of his money back

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Former Democratic Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg failed in his bid for the White House, but he is still looking to make an impact on Texas politics. Bloomberg announced Tuesday he is sending $2 million to a Democratic-leaning group called … Continue reading →

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Preserving Texas’ film history

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Cool story. Click play on the grainy, black-and-white image titled simply “Houston Time Service” on the website of the Texas Archive of the Moving Image and you’re treated to a 110-second Houston love story. The film, from the 1940s, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math, The great state of Texas, TV and movies | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Primary precinct analysis: Who did what in the RRC race

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Railroad Commissioner primary was a bit like the Senate primary – multiple candidates (though not nearly as many), not a whole lot of money, but the candidate who did best in fundraising was also the leading votegetter. Here’s a … Continue reading →

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

Moving the May elections

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Another possible method for coping with coronavirus. As the coronavirus outbreak continues to grow in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday issued a proclamation that will allow municipalities to postpone their upcoming May 2 elections until November. The move comes … Continue reading →

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

Abbott addresses vote by mail possibilities

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

He’s thinking about it. Gov. Greg Abbott acknowledged on Tuesday that he has the authority to postpone May 26 runoff elections or conduct them exclusively via mail-in ballots in response to the coronavirus. “Everything’s on the table,” Abbott told reporters … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of March 16

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance interrupts its practice of social distancing to bring you this week’s roundup.

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Further delay for Opening Day

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Mid-May at the most optimistic, and that’s very likely too soon. Major League Baseball pushed back opening day until mid-May at the earliest on Monday because of the new coronavirus after the federal government recommended restricting events of more than … Continue reading →

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We already have the power to do more voting by mail

Posted on March 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

KUT points to a path forward that could get a lot more people voting by mail in Texas. Texas has one of the most restrictive vote-by-mail laws in the country, but it is open to some of the state’s most … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

SD14 special election date set

Posted on March 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

A bit of a surprise, to me at least. Gov. Greg Abbott has postponed the special election for the Austin area’s Texas Senate District 14 due to the spreading coronavirus pandemic. The election to replace retiring state Sen. Kirk Watson, … Continue reading →

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Emergency orders extended

Posted on March 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

In Houston. City council on Tuesday extended Houston’s emergency health declaration, reflecting a warning by Mayor Sylvester Turner that the public health crisis fueled by the spread of COVID-19 will not go away anytime soon. “This is a crisis. I … Continue reading →

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Art Car Parade has been canceled

Posted on March 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Some inevitable sadness from the inbox: Dear Friends, As one of the city’s largest and most iconic annual events, the Houston Art Car Parade has celebrated the artist in everyone for each of the past 33 years, showcasing hundreds of mobile masterpieces … Continue reading →

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Bars and clubs to be closed

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Man, the effect of the coronavirus pandemic is going to be huge even if everything goes well. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Monday ordered all bars and clubs countywide to close for 15 days, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

All mail ballots for the primary runoffs are being discussed

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is a pleasant surprise. Texas is not making any moves to delay the May 26 primary runoff as of now, even as other states have opted to postpone elections. But election officials have had preliminary conversations about the potential … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

STAAR testing waived

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This had to happen, given everything else. In an unprecedented move, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday he would waive testing requirements for this year’s STAAR exam, as many schools expect to be closed at least through the April testing window, … Continue reading →

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Schools could be closed for the rest of the academic year

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of school-related news on Monday. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath told school superintendents and lawmakers Sunday to be prepared for long-term school district closures, potentially through the end of the school year, especially in areas where the new coronavirus … Continue reading →

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

Primary precinct analysis: Everyone did something in the Senate primary

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

So while we wait for actual precinct data from the primary, I thought I’d take a look at some county-level data from the non-Presidential races, as they have the county-by-county breakdown on the SOS election night pages. The US Senate … Continue reading →

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

Shepherd ISD update

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They’re the other district being taken over by the TEA due to failing performance. Four days after a court order temporarily stopped Texas from taking over Shepherd Independent School District, elected school board members voted to effectively cede their control … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Houston healthcare community is preparing for COVID-19

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I sure hope it’s enough. With last week’s new certainty that the novel coronavirus is loose and being transmitted in Houston, the region’s medical providers are bracing for the current handful of known cases to blaze into an outbreak like nothing in … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Weekend link dump for March 15

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Beware The Ides of March. Especially the horn section. “I took a deep dive into the Trump administration’s failure to bring any new Voting Rights Act cases in the first three years of his term. This dry spell of new … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Does getting to 40% make you likely to win the runoff?

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I was talking with some fellow political nerds last week, and one of the topics was the forthcoming runoffs. As is usually the case, this year we have some runoffs between candidates who finished fairly close together in round one, … Continue reading →

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

County to review countywide voting centers

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s make this work better. Commissioners Court has formed a working group to review Harris County’s shift to voting centers and examine what effect it had on hours-long lines at the polls on Primary Day, which Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney … Continue reading →

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

School could be out for awhile

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We got the news on Thursday that HISD schools were going to be closed until March 31 due to coronavirus. (This week is spring break, so the kids got an extra day off before the start of break, then a … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Abbott declares a state of emergency

Posted on March 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like it’s called for. Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday declared that the new coronavirus is a statewide public health disaster and said that Texas is on the verge of being able to significantly ramp up its testing capacity. At … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 33 Comments

Bloomberg takes his money and goes home

Posted on March 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Thanks for nothing, dude. Back in the halcyon days of late January—before the Iowa caucuses melted down, before an ascendant Bernie Sanders was supplanted by a triumphant Joe Biden, back when Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar were viable candidates in … Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment