Tag Archives: California

The West Texas earthquake problem

We’re number one! Earthquakes were never anything people in West Texas thought much about. Years would pass in between tremors that anybody felt. Even after the shale revolution arrived in force a decade ago and oil crews started drilling frantically in the region’s … Continue reading

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

UIL still nixes NIL

Sorry, Texas high school athletes. You’re still not getting paid. Even if state lawmakers change legislation to allow high school athletes in Texas to profit off their name, image and likeness, the University Interscholastic League may not be ready to … Continue reading

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USC and UCLA to join Big Ten

Wow. USC and UCLA have been accepted as the newest members of the Big Ten conference with league officials approving their membership Thursday night. The programs have announced their respective departures from the Pac-12 beginning in 2024 with the pair … Continue reading

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Who wants to have their dinner delivered by a robot?

Here’s your chance. Heads up, Houston: the robots are coming. Coco, the Los Angeles-based business that offers a remotely piloted delivery service, has hit the streets of Houston with its food-delivery bots as part of its expansion to targeted markets. … Continue reading

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

OAN sues AT&T over being dropped from their service

Worth keeping an eye on. Right-wing cable network One America News is suing Dallas-based AT&T and DirecTV, alleging the companies breached their contract with OAN and conspired with a company currently suing OAN’s owners. AT&T and DirecTV became the target … Continue reading

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

Why the business response to the state’s right wing assault has been so muted

A really good in depth article on the subject from the tech press, which is a source I hadn’t thought about for this before. When Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in February directed state agencies to investigate anyone who provides gender-affirming treatment to transgender … Continue reading

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Using the Texas model to protect voting rights

Some blue state needs to do this. In the midst of the ongoing debate over Republicans’ siege on voting rights in states they control, here’s an unconventional suggestion: Democratic state legislators should take a page from the Republican playbook and … Continue reading

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Quinn Ewers

This story caught my eye. They got played by an 18-year-old. Depending on your sports acumen, hearing the name Quinn Ewers either makes your ears perk up or leads you to ask, “Who?” The former Ohio State quarterback’s name is … Continue reading

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We’re #2!

More people have died of COVID in Texas than any other state except California, as Texas surpasses New York’s total. Texas has passed New York to become the state with the second-most COVID-19 deaths, a feat experts say was driven … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Astros again seek to dismiss Bolsinger lawsuit

They will probably succeed. The Astros have submitted their proposal for a Harris County judge to dismiss former Toronto Blue Jays reliever Mike Bolsinger’s lawsuit against the team. Bolsinger has alleged trade misappropriation and sought more than $1 million in … Continue reading

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Here come the young people

I’m just sitting here waiting for the Census data. Garima Vyas always wanted to live in a big city. She thought about New York, long the destination for 20-something strivers, but was wary of the cost and complicated subway lines. … Continue reading

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Former MLB pitcher re-files lawsuit against Astros

It’s the second attempt to sue them for damages over the sign stealing scheme from 2017. Continuing to maintain that the Astros’ 2017 sign stealing cost him a job in the major leagues, former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Mike Bolsinger … Continue reading

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Twitter lawsuit against Paxton dismissed

That’s not quite the end of it, though. A federal judge in California on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit brought by Twitter against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose legal efforts to investigate the social media platform after it suspended President … Continue reading

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Census apportionment numbers are in

Texas will gain two seats in Congress, which is one fewer than had been expected based on population growth estimates. Texas will continue to see its political clout grow as it gains two additional congressional seats — the most of … Continue reading

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Harris County Attorney sues Juul

From the inbox: Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee filed a lawsuit Thursday in California state court against e-cigarette company JUUL and several of its executives. Harris County is the first governmental entity in Texas to join the nationwide fight … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Paxton responds to Twitter lawsuit

He said something about it, anyway. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Wednesday that a lawsuit by Twitter won’t deter his office from investigating the content moderation practices of the social media giant and four other major technology companies. Twitter … Continue reading

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Twitter sues Paxton

How the tables have turned. Twitter filed a lawsuit against Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a California federal court Monday and asked a judge to halt the state’s top lawyer from investigating the company. The social media giant’s … Continue reading

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Are people leaving the Republican Party?

Some people are, in at least some states, if you go by voter registration data. In the days after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, the phone lines and websites of local election officials across the country were jumping: … Continue reading

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

SCOTUS mostly punts on Census apportionment shenanigans

They seem to be hoping that the problem will solve itself, while applying a partisan litmus test to when it is appropriate for them to step in. The Supreme Court dismissed a challenge to Donald Trump’s final sabotage of the … Continue reading

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More on DPS and data protection

A followup from the DMN about that data breach involving every drivers license number you’ve ever had. Some other states do not sell [drivers’ license] data, but Texas does. State lawmakers could change the law in their 2021 session. I … Continue reading

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We’re number one (million)!

One million COVID cases in Texas. Hooray? Texas’ grim distinction as the national leader in terms of COVID-19 infections came as little surprise to some local medical experts, who blamed politicians for conflicting messages about the virus and warned the … Continue reading

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Here comes another rideshare company

Seems like a less than optimal time to be expanding, but here we are. Alto, a new rideshare company based in Dallas, will roll into view in Houston as it looks to expand its reach and compete with Uber and … Continue reading

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

October Census deadline restored

Good news, though as with everything we can’t be sure just yet that it’s for real. A federal judge in California late Thursday blocked the Trump administration from stopping the 2020 Census count next week, saying it should continue until … Continue reading

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And the PAC12 flip flops, too

Everyone’s playing football again. The Pac-12 will play a seven-game conference football season beginning Nov. 6, the league announced Thursday. The decision, voted on by the Pac-12’s CEO group on Thursday, represents an official reversal after the conference announced in … Continue reading

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Census shenanigans halted for now

Good. [On] Saturday, US District Judge Lucy Koh issued a temporary restraining order to stop Census Bureau officials from winding down door-knocking and online, phone, and mail response collection by September 30—a month early—writing that the shortened census timeline could … Continue reading

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Lawsuit filed to restore original Census deadline

Good. Citing the high stakes of a botched census, Harris County and two of its Democratic county commissioners have signed on to a federal lawsuit trying to block the Trump administration’s efforts to end counting for the 2020 census a … Continue reading

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How Nuro is doing in the pandemic

An interesting update on the little driverless grocery (and other things) delivery serives. As recently as last fall, Nuro appeared to be years away from widespread adoption. The company, which operated in Arizona and California, arrived in Houston in 2018 … Continue reading

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How to lose a Congressional seat

As things stand right now, Texas will gain three Congressional seats in the 2021 reapportionment, as Texas continues to be the fastest-growing state in the country. There is one thing that can stop that, however: Donald Trump. President Donald Trump … Continue reading

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High school sports pushed back a bit

Just a guess, but I’d bet this winds up being redone at least once more before any actual sports get played. The University Interscholastic League is delaying the start of high school football’s regular season to Sept. 24 for Class … Continue reading

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RNC sues to halt California mail ballot expansion

Put a pin in this. The Republican National Committee and other Republican groups have filed a lawsuit against California to stop the state from mailing absentee ballots to all voters ahead of the 2020 general election, a move that was … Continue reading

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How about some antibody tests?

That would be good. After months of emphasis on diagnostic screening, contact tracing and research into possible treatments, Houston is about to deploy a new tool in the effort to contain COVID-19: antibody testing. Baylor College of Medicine researchers last … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Emerson: Trump 47, Biden 41

Next up. The latest Emerson College/Nexstar Media polls of Texas, California, and Ohio show President Donald Trump with a slight advantage in Ohio and Texas in the general election against presumptive Democratic nominee former Vice President Joe Biden. Trump also … Continue reading

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Hollywood’s plans to come back

I’ve posted a few times about how sports leagues like MLB are making plans to return to action from coronavirus shutdowns. The larger entertainment industry, including TV and movie making, are in a similar position as the sports leagues, and … Continue reading

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Whither college football?

All NCAA spring sports were canceled due to coronavirus, beginning with March Madness and going through baseball and softball and soccer and everything else. Everyone has been looking forward to the fall when things were supposed to be back to … Continue reading

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