Monthly Archives: December 2020

Another poll about the COVID vaccine

Posted on December 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

A little better. Texans now appear a little more likely to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus than a few months ago, according to a new survey. The survey, conducted by the Episcopal Health Foundation, found 63 percent of people … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Springer defeats Luther in SD30

Posted on December 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations. State Rep. Drew Springer of Muenster prevailed over fellow Republican Shelley Luther in a special election runoff for a state Senate seat that was animated by Gov. Greg Abbott and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Luther is the … Continue reading →

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

Give Pancho Claus a hand

Posted on December 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Tis the season. He doesn’t come the night before Christmas in a miniature sleigh with reindeer like St. Nick, but instead parades along city streets with an equally number of low-riders, often surrounded by a festive jazz band. “To the … Continue reading →

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It’s runoff day in SD30

Posted on December 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Truly the final election of 2020. Gov. Greg Abbott stayed out of the September special election for a Texas state Senate seat in rural North Texas, content to let his coronavirus response become a flashpoint between two members of his … Continue reading →

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

“Of course I didn’t say the thing that I totally said”

Posted on December 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

“You just weren’t supposed to understand it.” Texas Republican Party Chairman Allen West said Monday he was not advocating secession from the United States in his response on Friday to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to refuse to take up … Continue reading →

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We still need more than the vaccines

Posted on December 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The vaccines are great, don’t get me wrong, and they couldn’t have come at a better time, but they’re going to take awhile to be administered, and in the meantime a whole lot of people are still getting sick and … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Hotze spews some BS

Posted on December 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

That could be a perennial headline, like a pinned tweet, but here it’s for a specific purpose. Conservative activist Steven Hotze said Wednesday he does not know if the former Houston police captain he hired to investigate voter fraud really … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Can Ken Paxton be sanctioned for his seditious lawsuit?

Posted on December 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

One group is going to try. I wish them luck. A national lawyers group on Monday called for professional licensing bodies to investigate what it called a “breach of ethical rules” by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and 17 of … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Bike lanes for the Red Line

Posted on December 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I approve. The belief that Northside Houston residents will bike to buses and trains if it is safer to do so is bringing more curb work to Cavalcade, paid for out the same pot of federal money that brought the … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The real danger of unhinged conspiracy theories

Posted on December 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Because sometimes malevolent people act them out, with potentially deadly consequences for others. An air conditioning repairman was driving in south Houston around 5:30 a.m. on Oct. 19 when a black SUV rammed the back of his truck. When he … Continue reading →

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

The Lege will start out with masks

Posted on December 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how it goes from there. People attending the opening day of the 2021 legislative session will be required to wear a mask and asked to take a coronavirus test ahead of the event, the chair of the House … Continue reading →

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More people in Houston than you think have had COVID

Posted on December 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

About one in seven, which is an awful lot. Nearly 1 in 7 Houstonians have been infected with the coronavirus, city officials announced Monday, the infection’s true prevalence according to a study of antibodies in blood samples taken from people … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of December 14

Posted on December 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance once again congratulates President-elect Joe Biden as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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MLB recognizes Negro Leagues as official major leagues

Posted on December 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

A long time coming. Major League Baseball has long celebrated the legacy of the Negro Leagues. But for the first time, MLB is officially recognizing that the quality of the segregation-era circuits was comparable to its own product from that … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Can we get enough people vaccinated?

Posted on December 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s going to take a lot of work. In poll after poll, alarming numbers say they don’t plan to be inoculated with the vaccine, whose 95 percent efficacy rate in trials exceeded everyone’s expectations. It’s scientists’ nightmare: create one of … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Paxton denies whistleblower allegations

Posted on December 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty standard response. The Texas attorney general’s office will pay outside counsel $540 an hour to defend the state agency against accusations that it was retaliating against top aides when it fired them just weeks after they reported their boss, … Continue reading →

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The Cleveland Baseball Team

Posted on December 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Major League Baseball team in Cleveland will get a new name. Cleveland’s Major League Baseball franchise has decided to change its team name, moving away from the Indians moniker it has employed for more than 100 years and that … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Precinct analysis: Statewide judicial

Posted on December 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Introduction Congressional districts State Rep districts Commissioners Court/JP precincts Comparing 2012 and 2016 We’re going to take a look at the seven statewide judicial races in this post, with all of the districts considered so far grouped together. You’re about … Continue reading →

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

Here comes the vaccine

Posted on December 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Houston’s first doses have arrived. Months of waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine to arrive in Houston are almost — but not quite — over, as hospitals prepare to move the first doses from sealed subzero shipments and into the arms … Continue reading →

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Is Greg Abbott now an obstacle for Texas Central?

Posted on December 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This Texas Monthly story suggests that maybe the answer to that question is Yes. Earlier this year, after six years of legal battles brought by property owners and local governments, the rail project finally looked to be chugging along. Texas … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Precinct analysis: Comparing to 2012 and 2016

Posted on December 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Introduction Congressional districts State Rep districts Commissioners Court/JP precincts I had meant to get to this last week, but SeditionPalooza took up too much of my time, so here we are. The intent of this post is to compare vote … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

One possible path for police reform in the Lege

Posted on December 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Keep an eye on this. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, which oversees licensing of the state’s 102,000 police officers and jailers, could be in for a major overhaul, state officials hinted Monday morning. “This is the time to get … Continue reading →

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The regional COVID situation

Posted on December 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Not great, Bob. COVID-19 is surging across southeast Texas, especially in the suburban counties outside of Houston, which have seen a steady increase in the number of new cases, data show. Galveston, Chambers, Brazoria, Liberty, and Montgomery counties have all … Continue reading →

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

Weekend link dump for December 13

Posted on December 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

An oral history of the demise of the Southwest Conference, 25 years later. I was there for that Rice-UH game, with the MOB as always. In fact, it’s one of the rare times when I wasn’t playing in the band … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Tarsha Jackson wins District B runoff

Posted on December 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The long saga comes to an end. . Congratulations @tarshajackson for winning the #DistrictB runoff election. I look forward to working with you as we continue to build a city of hope and opportunity for all. — Sylvester Turner (@SylvesterTurner) … Continue reading →

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STAAR yes, school ratings no

Posted on December 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like this is where we were always headed. Texas public school students will still take the STAAR test this spring, but the state will not rate schools and districts based on their results, the Texas Education Agency announced Thursday. … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

We’re not #1, at least for now!

Posted on December 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

For the time being, probably not for very long, the most congested stretch of highway in Texas is not in Houston. Traffic on the West Loop has always been a mess and now it has a ranking from Texas transportation … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Now we wait on SCOTUS

Posted on December 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Texas filed its reply to the defendants’ responses to its democracy–killing lawsuit, and, well, it’s something. This brings us the Texas AG Ken Paxton’s reply–or, rather, replies, as there are multiple filings, including a motion to enlarge … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

“Natasha Ruiz” indicted

Posted on December 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

At long last, an update to the weirdest local election story of the year. A grand jury has indicted two Houston residents on election fraud charges, accusing them of orchestrating a phony candidacy of a woman that forced longtime state … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

FBI serves subpoenas in Paxton case

Posted on December 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Quite the timing, no? Federal agents served at least one subpoena Wednesday on the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in an ongoing investigation into allegations that Paxton abused his authority by helping a friend and campaign donor. Three … Continue reading →

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The states respond to Paxton

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Now we wait for SCOTUS. I sure hope they’re quick about it. Each of the four battleground states targeted by a Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn President Donald Trump’s election defeat issued blistering briefs at the Supreme Court on Thursday, with … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Patrick will push to lower the Senate threshold for voting on bills

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Completely unsurprising, except that I’d have thought he’d go all the way. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced Wednesday that he wants to lower the threshold of support legislation needs to make it on to the Senate floor to match the … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

HISD Board selects a successor for Wanda Adams

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Myrna Guidry. Houston ISD trustees unanimously voted Tuesday to appoint lawyer Myrna Guidry to the board seat vacated last month by Wanda Adams, who represented parts of south Houston. Trustees considered eight applicants over two days before landing on … Continue reading →

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The COVID breathalyzer test

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds promising. Texas A&M researchers and a Dallas artificial intelligence company are developing a rapid COVID-19 test that would use a breathalyzer, rather than a swab, and potentially make it safer to hold large gatherings. The testing device, housed in … Continue reading →

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