Monthly Archives: February 2023

January 2023 campaign finance reports: HISD

Posted on February 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Previously: City of Houston, Harris County. While I did July reports for Harris County and the city of Houston, I last rounded up HISD finance reports a year ago. As with the city it is now election season, so let’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Even the Republicans know their election contests are losers

Posted on February 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This Chron story is about Dan Patrick telling a group of local Republicans that the 2022 election should be re-done in Harris County, because he has nothing better to say or do with his time. His claims, which the story … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Uvalde school district will not finish its internal review of police response to mass shooting

Posted on February 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

If nothing else, there are two clear arguments to be made in this debate. The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District announced it will not continue with an independent review of the district police response to the Robb Elementary School shooting. … Continue reading →

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A very early thought about turnout in the 2023 Houston election

Posted on February 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Before I begin, please note that all of this involves a lot of back-of-the-envelope math and more than a few assumptions made along the way. The number of registered voters in Harris County, and thus in Houston, will certainly change … Continue reading →

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Now we have a gambling bill filed by a Republican Senator

Posted on February 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe this is the gambling expansion bill that those who want gambling expansion have been waiting for. Advocates for legalizing online sports betting in Texas debuted new bills Monday that take a narrower approach than they did in 2021 — … Continue reading →

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Looking like no early entry into the SEC for UT and OU

Posted on February 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s always about the money. Which, to be fair, is pretty substantial in this case. The negotiations for Oklahoma and Texas to leave the Big 12 a year early and join the SEC in 2024 have stalled and a deal … Continue reading →

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What I want from the next HCDP Chair

Posted on February 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, the Harris County Democratic Party will soon have a new Chair. And as you know, I am a Democratic precinct chair, which means I’m one of the several hundred people that will vote on who that is. … Continue reading →

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Harris County restores some public safety funding

Posted on February 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

A bit of post-quorum-busting cleanup. Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved nearly $10 million in additional funding for the sheriff and district attorney, three months after the Democratic majority said the unplanned adoption of a lower tax rate would … Continue reading →

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Houston Landing

Posted on February 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Meet the new kid on the local media block. More than a year ago, researchers studying local news in the Houston metro area learned something critical to the launch of the Houston Landing. “The community often times feels left out … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for February 5

Posted on February 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

“AT FIRST GLANCE, electric vehicles seem like rolling disasters for the power grid. Surely the ancient, creaky network in the United States can’t handle the demand for charging those massive batteries. But a new analysis suggests that just a fraction … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

EPA asked to investigate TCEQ’s water permitting process

Posted on February 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Need to keep an eye on this. The Environmental Protection Agency says an informal investigation is underway after more than two dozen environmental advocacy groups submitted a petition against the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The petition alleges that state … Continue reading →

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Metro CEO Lambert to retire

Posted on February 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I wish him well. After 44 years, Tom Lambert is hopping off the Metro bus. Lambert, president and CEO of Metropolitan Transit Authority, is retiring at the end of the year after leading Texas’ largest transit system for 11 years. … Continue reading →

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Never underestimate the power of ducks

Posted on February 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t track “favorite stories” for a given year, but if I did, this would be a lock to make it for this year. Alicia Rowe, an Austin therapist, first came across news of her death in a British tabloid. … Continue reading →

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Is it finally the time for Julian Castro?

Posted on February 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This story is mostly about Ted Cruz and whether he might run for President again in 2024; the tone of the story is that he probably won’t. No one cares about that, but because it is a story about 2024 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Somehow, Texas could lose a state park

Posted on February 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

You wouldn’t think that would be possible, but you would be wrong. Texas is at risk of losing a state park forever. Fairfield Lake State Park, an 1,800-acre gem overlooking a beautiful 2,400-acre lake, nestled within the convergence of three … Continue reading →

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Can you print a house?

Posted on February 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’re gonna find out. 3D printing is taking home construction to new heights. In Houston, a giant printer is building what designers say is the first 3D-printed two-story house in the U.S. The machine has been pouring a concrete mix … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

HCDP Chair Odus Evbagharu to step down

Posted on February 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This was expected. The chairman of the Harris County Democratic Party on Wednesday announced that he would step down at the end of February. Odus Evbagharu has led the party since 2021. The 30-year-old native of Katy is the youngest … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Winter storm 2023

Posted on February 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know if this one will get a name, but I can imagine what a lot of folks are calling it. Thousands of frustrated Texans shivered in their homes Thursday after more than a day without power, including many … Continue reading →

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

Pension reform had the desired effect

Posted on February 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a good thing Houston got this done when it did. We couldn’t get it done earlier, and I don’t think we could get it done now. Now, nearly six years after Mayor Sylvester Turner shepherded a package of reforms through the … Continue reading →

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State Bar lawsuit against Paxton survives motion to dismiss

Posted on February 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton must face an ethics lawsuit by state attorney regulators over a case he brought challenging results of the 2020 election, according to a court ruling posted on Monday. Judge Casey Blair on Friday … Continue reading →

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Anti-vaxxer defamation lawsuit against Houston Methodist dismissed

Posted on February 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. A state district judge has dismissed Dr. Mary Talley Bowden’s defamation lawsuit against Houston Methodist Hospital, which suspended the doctor’s privileges in late 2021 over COVID misinformation. Judge Mike Engelhart, of the 151st Civil District Court, heard arguments Monday afternoon after the … Continue reading →

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Have you chipped your pet yet?

Posted on February 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The city will begin enforcing its new ordinance requiring dogs and cats to be microchipped. Houston is offering free microchips for dogs and cats before it begins enforcing a new ordinance that requires pets to have the identification devices. City … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of January 30

Posted on February 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is ready for January to end as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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January 2023 campaign finance reports: Harris County

Posted on February 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Previously: City of Houston January 2022 reports are here, July 2022 reports are here. I did not get around to doing the 30-day and 8-day reports from 2022, so what you see here in these reports is not contiguous for … Continue reading →

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Paxton seeks settlement with some of the whistleblower plaintiffs

Posted on February 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s legal team is in settlement negotiation talks with three of the four former employees who filed a whistleblower lawsuit against him for firing them after they accused Paxton of criminal acts. Paxton’s lawyers, … Continue reading →

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A brief digression on baseball broadcasting and leveraged buyouts

Posted on February 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I call your attention to this fine article about some current baseball-business news, which among other things helped me better understand some business lingo. Diamond Sports Group, the company that owns Bally Sports Network and thus the rights to 14 … Continue reading →

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