Monthly Archives: June 2022

COVID vaccines for kids under 5 are now available

Posted on June 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s been a long wait. On Saturday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on Covid vaccines for the youngest Americans. Her endorsement means shots can begin immediately, finally ending the two-and-a-half year wait … Continue reading →

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What were Uvalde police actually doing at Robb Elementary?

Posted on June 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll say it again: The more we learn about the law enforcement response to the Uvalde massacre, the worse it looks. Surveillance footage shows that police never tried to open a door to two classrooms at Robb Elementary School in … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

“We all marched into Stuckey’s, one hundred thousand strong”

Posted on June 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I wish her all the best. [Stephanie] Stuckey, 56, is in the third year of a turnaround for Stuckey’s, which, at its 1960s peak, boasted 368 travel centers along highways in 40 states. Their teal, steeply arched roofs were visible … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

So how’s that bipartisan agreement on a framework for a gun control deal going?

Posted on June 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s check in. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn arrived at the Texas GOP convention in Houston Friday to address his role as chief negotiator for a bipartisan gun package head on — and was promptly booed for it. “No gun control!” … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit upholds dismissal of Methodist vaccine mandate lawsuit

Posted on June 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A federal appeals court on Monday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging Houston Methodist’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which last year thrust the hospital into the national spotlight as the first healthcare system in the U.S. to require the … Continue reading →

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

Is Texas Central in trouble?

Posted on June 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This story sure questions its stability. The departure of Texas Central Railway’s CEO has critics of the proposed bullet train between Houston and Dallas optimistic the controversial project has reached its last stop, far short of ever starting construction. “Texas … Continue reading →

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

Weekend link dump for June 19

Posted on June 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

“A Texas entrepreneur is bringing back the woolly mammoth. Well, sort of.” “This bears repeating: Judicial supremacy is an institutional arrangement brought to cultural ascendancy by white people who wanted to undo Reconstruction and the rise of organized labor that … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 2 Comments

Recount updates

Posted on June 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We have a winner in CD15. Today, after Wednesday’s manual recount of the votes in the CD-15 primary runoff election, the Texas Democratic Party announced that Michelle Vallejo has secured enough votes to earn the Democratic nomination for U.S. Congress … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Look for the grifters

Posted on June 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

In any rightwing political movement, there will always be grifters. It’s absolutely an ants-to-a-picnic situation. Over the last two presidential election cycles, True the Vote has raised millions in donations with claims that it discovered tide-turning voter fraud. It’s promised … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Charlene Ward Johnson wins HCC2

Posted on June 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Final voting for the HCC2 runoff was yesterday. You can see the results here. Charlene Ward Johnson won with 1,278 votes, out of 2,390 cast, for 53.7% of the vote. I said there had been 4,662 ballots cast in the … Continue reading →

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There’s a lot of resistance to releasing information about Uvalde

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. The City of Uvalde and its police department are working with a private law firm to prevent the release of nearly any record related to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in which 19 children and two teachers … Continue reading →

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“Significant” suspension expected for Deshaun Watson

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I should think so. The NFL will argue that Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson should receive a “significant” suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, multiple people familiar with the case said Friday. The league “probably” will seek a … Continue reading →

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

Harris County GOP drops its lawsuit over election night vote dropoffs

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It wasn’t getting anywhere, anyway. The Harris County GOP on Friday dropped its lawsuit, filed on the day of last month’s primary runoff election, challenging the county’s plan for counting ballots. Local Republican party officials argued the county’s ballot transport protocol violated … Continue reading →

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Rice to join AAC in 2023

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

As expected given prior developments. Nearly eight months after accepting an invitation to join the American Athletic Conference, Rice on Wednesday announced it has finalized an agreement to officially enter the league in 2023. Rice — along with UTSA, North … Continue reading →

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Biden signs executive order to protect trans kids

Posted on June 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday to enhance protections for transgender children and take steps to ban conversion therapy as efforts continue in Texas and other states to restrict gender-affirming medical care. The executive order calls on … Continue reading →

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Houston wins its bid to be a 2026 World Cup host

Posted on June 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent. The World Cup is coming to Houston. FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, chose Houston as one of 16 sites for the 2026 Men’s World Cup, the first edition of the tournament to be co-hosted by three nations: the United … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

West 11th Street will proceed as planned

Posted on June 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Plans to narrow 11th Street in the Heights, which have divided residents wider than the four-lane road some are trying to maintain, will proceed, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Tuesday. “This change isn’t easy and won’t satisfy everyone,” Turner said … Continue reading →

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

Monkeypox? Really?

Posted on June 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, really. Texas health officials said Tuesday they have identified the first case of monkeypox in the state this year, but noted the illness does not currently present a risk to the general public. The case was identified in a … Continue reading →

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Quinnipiac: Abbott 48, Beto 43

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A lot closer than their previous poll, from December. In the race for Texas governor, 48 percent of voters support Republican incumbent Greg Abbott, while 43 percent support Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pea-ack) University poll of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Flores wins CD34 special election

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Groan. Republican Mayra Flores prevailed Tuesday in a special election for an open congressional seat in South Texas, marking a major breakthrough for Republicans eager to blaze new inroads in the historically blue region. She beat Dan Sanchez, the leading … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

We have finalists for the Election Administrator job

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The director of voting for Harris County will become the interim elections administrator, officials said Wednesday as the county elections commission narrowed its search for the permanent job to two candidates. Following a closed-door executive session of the Harris … Continue reading →

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

Texas blog roundup for the week of June 13

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is watching what the January 6 committee does with great interest as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Would you believe there’s still Renew Houston litigation out there?

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This hit my mailbox on Friday. Today, the Supreme Court of Texas ruled in the City’s favor in Perez v. Turner, a challenge to Houston’s drainage fee, which provides the City with $125 million per year to pay for drainage … Continue reading →

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What was DPS doing during the Uvalde massacre?

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not much, it would seem. As many as 13 troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety waited in a hallway at one point during a gunman’s rampage that killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in … Continue reading →

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

Harris County ponders a bond election

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

First one in awhile. Harris County leaders will begin discussions Tuesday about whether to add a bond election to the November ballot. The bond would be a hybrid measure to raise money for roads, parks, flood control, and public safety. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Too much Deshaun Watson news

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The lawsuit counter ticks up again. The official number of lawsuits pending against Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will indeed increase to 26. Attorney Tony Buzbee tells Josh Voight of WEWS in Cleveland that two more women will be suing Watson. … Continue reading →

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

There was definitely an improvement in mail ballot acceptance for the primary runoffs

Posted on June 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The last time I looked, I was largely unable to find any news stories about mail ballots and their rejection rates for the May primary runoff elections, with the exception of one story about Bexar County and how they were … Continue reading →

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Calling all lifeguards

Posted on June 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The city needs you. Lifeguard shortages are keeping most Houston community pools closed as summer arrives with scorching heat and near record-breaking temperatures. Just 12 of 37 aquatic centers operated by the Parks and Recreation Department are scheduled to open … Continue reading →

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OK, now I know what the White Oak Bike Trail extension will look like

Posted on June 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

In my last post about the construction of the White Oak Bike Trail extension, I said that I couldn’t quite envision what the finished product would look like. That was partly because there were three things that looked like they … Continue reading →

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March For Our Lives

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I sure would like to think that all this activist energy means that things are different this time. Hundreds of Houstonians gathered near City Hall in downtown Saturday for the student-led March for Our Lives, one of dozens of events … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

C’mon, we should get to see the city’s after-action report on the freeze

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is silly. Houston will not release its retrospective report on the 2021 winter freeze, citing a post-9/11 law shielding information that could be exposed by terrorists or criminals. The city drafted a report, called “After-Action Report/Improvement Plans for the 2021 Winter … Continue reading →

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

Two redistricting lawsuit updates

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Legislators involved in the most recent redistricting effort can be made to sit for depositions. The Supreme Court refused Tuesday to block the deposition of Texas lawmakers in redistricting suits. Mum as to whether there were any dissents, the order from the … Continue reading →

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We will learn Houston’s fate as a World Cup site this week

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s been a long road. On June 16, FIFA will announce its host cities for the 2026 Men’s World Cup set to be held within the U.S., Canada and Mexico. If Houston is one of the 16 locations chosen for … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for June 12

Posted on June 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

“Even with the continued decline in payphones, there are still more payphones in the country than McDonalds or public libraries.” “These 25 rainbow-flag waving companies donated $13 million to anti-gay politicians since 2021″. “What is the LGIS News Service you … Continue reading →

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