Tag Archives: Florida

Are we headed towards a coronavirus spike?

Posted on May 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

One set of researchers thinks we may be. Houston is one of several cities in the South that could see spikes in COVID-19 cases over the next four weeks as restrictions are eased, according to new research that uses cellphone … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

MLS has a plan to start its season

Posted on May 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

That’s Major League Soccer, and their plan may sound a bit familiar. With no indications of when it could resume the season in home markets, MLS has proposed placing all 26 teams in the Orlando area this summer and playing … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

How about an Arizona/Florida/Texas plan for MLB?

Posted on April 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Call it the MLB Plan 3.0 for having a season. With the spread of the novel coronavirus threatening Major League Baseball’s 2020 season, the league and the union continue to seek ways to salvage the year as best they can. … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Arizona/Florida Plan

Posted on April 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s call this the MLB Plan 2.0 for playing a season. Major League Baseball, assessing myriad proposals, has discussed a radical plan that would eliminate the traditional American and National Leagues for 2020, a high-ranking official told USA TODAY Sports, … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Coronavirus and crime

Posted on April 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s down around the country. Turns out having everyone stay inside has a salutary effect, for the most part. Crime rates plunged in cities and counties across the U.S. over the second half of March as the coronavirus pandemic drove … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Abbott imposes travel restrictions

Posted on April 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Where we are now. Gov. Greg Abbott is tightening travel to Texas by ordering some motorists from Louisiana to self-quarantine for two weeks. The new travel restrictions come as Louisiana’s status as a novel coronavirus hotspot grew Sunday to more … Continue reading →

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

Texas is on track to pick up three more Congressional districts

Posted on January 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Put an asterisk next to this, as the actual Census will need to bear that out. The U.S. population continues to shift south and west, according to new Census Bureau data that offers the clearest picture yet of how the … Continue reading →

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How other states are handling the Census

Posted on October 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Better than we’re handling it. So cities and states with big immigrant populations — like California and New York City — are supplementing the Census Bureau’s efforts like never before, allocating money to outreach groups that can go to communities … Continue reading →

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Buc-ee’s is going national

Posted on August 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The WaPo has a look at our famous highway rest stop’s growing ambitions. Its fans say few things are more Texas than the chain of massive convenience stores with the disposition of an amusement park. Among its 38 stores, customers … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

2020 DNC update

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Houston remains in the running, but who knows how this will go. Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez is choosing among Houston, Miami and Milwaukee. In recent weeks, some Democrats have privately suggested Milwaukee would get the nod, and a … Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Buc-ee’s comes to Alabama

Posted on February 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Tomorrow, the world. Texas road stop institution Buc-ee’s has opened a store in Alabama, its first location outside the Lone Star State. Despite chilly weather, more than 100 people were lined up outside the Baldwin County store when it opened … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

SOS walks its advisory back even more

Posted on February 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Just rescind the whole damn list and let’s pretend this never happened. A week after it flagged tens of thousands of voters for citizenship checks, the Texas secretary of state’s office is now advising counties on how to check their … Continue reading →

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

Look out for lionfish

Posted on December 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, it’s another destructive invasive species, aided and abetted by climate change. Scientists battling coral reef deaths caused by warming ocean waters 100 miles off the coast of Galveston might now have another climate change problem to fight in coming … Continue reading →

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CBS/YouGov: Cruz 44, O’Rourke 36 (RVs)

Posted on June 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Time for another poll. In Texas’ Senate race, incumbent Republican Ted Cruz has a 10-point lead over Democrat Beto O’Rourke among likely voters. Cruz benefits from strong support from his own party and has an advantage among independents as well. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Improving how animals are rescued

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

One of the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina was the need to rescue pets along with their owners, and to do everything possible to keep them together afterwards. This Texas Monthly story describes how that went with Harvey. There are … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A big ask for hurricane recovery

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. I mean that mostly sincerely. Texas needs an additional $61 billion in federal disaster recovery money for infrastructure alone after Hurricane Harvey’s devastation, according to a report from the Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas that was … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Charity Navigator on your best bets for Harvey relief

Posted on September 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

In case you’re still making up your mind about how to donate to Harvey relief. Hurricane Harvey made landfall on Friday evening, August 25th, as the first Category 4 hurricane to hit the United States since Hurricane Charley in 2004. … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

CBS/YouGov: Trump 46, Clinton 43

Posted on October 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Texas is being tracked as a battleground state. I can’t even believe I just typed that. Hillary Clinton holds a three-point lead over Donald Trump in Florida, while in Texas – a state that has voted Republican by wide margins … Continue reading →

Posted in The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Still asking for Zika help

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Following reports of the first local mosquito-borne Zika infections in the U.S., Mayor Sylvester Turner is once again calling on the state of Texas and federal government to provide financial assistance to help fight it. “There are … Continue reading →

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The Florida-Trump U plot thickens

Posted on June 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Florida’s attorney general personally solicited a political contribution from Donald Trump around the same time her office deliberated joining an investigation of alleged fraud at Trump University and its affiliates The new disclosure from Attorney General Pam Bondi’s spokesman … Continue reading →

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The Donald is spurring people to register to vote

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Just another data point for your consideration. Registration among Hispanic voters is skyrocketing in a presidential election cycle dominated by Donald Trump and loud GOP cries to close the border. Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Elected … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

“Prison gerrymandering” tossed by federal court

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. The Federal District Court for Florida’s Northern District ruled Monday that the prison gerrymandering in Florida’s Jefferson County unconstitutionally dilutes the voting power of its residents. By packing inmates who can’t vote into a district, but … Continue reading →

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Donald Trump is making more citizens

Posted on March 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

He’s good for something. Over all, naturalization applications increased by 11 percent in the 2015 fiscal year over the year before, and jumped 14 percent during the six months ending in January, according to federal figures. The pace is picking … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas plans to sue over EPA’s latest clean air plan

Posted on May 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

So what else is new? Attorney General Ken Paxton said Tuesday that he plans to sue the Obama administration over the proposed “Clean Power Plan,” its plan to combat climate change by slashing carbon emissions from power plants. “Texas has … Continue reading →

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

No, seriously, expand Medicaid or else

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Bring. It. On. The federal government is officially holding state leaders’ feet to the fire, hoping to get Texas to expand its Medicaid program to provide health insurance to more low-income Texans. Federal officials called the state’s health agency this … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Financing the high speed rail line

Posted on August 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

A long story in the Trib about Texas Central High-Speed Railway and its ambitious Dallas to Houston rail line. It’s a good primer if you haven’t been paying close attention to the story and want to cover all the basics. … Continue reading →

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

The dino turtle

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Please don’t go extinct. The extremely rare, utterly impressive and scary looking alligator snapping turtle is actually even more rare than first thought, according to a study out of Florida this week. Researchers in in the sunshine state have found … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Florida’s failure to be insane is our gain

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good news if you’re rooting for Houston to host Super Bowl LI. Houston’s bid for Super Bowl LI received a major boost Friday when Florida lawmakers ended a 60-day legislative session without approving a plan that would have provided a … Continue reading →

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Feeling good about the Super Bowl bid

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The city of Houston has submitted its bid to host Super Bowl LI in 2017, and they feel pretty good about their chances. Houston’s competition will be San Francisco or Miami – the city that fails to get the coveted … Continue reading →

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

You sure you’re registered?

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Your voter registration could get cancelled without you realizing what’s happening. More than 300,000 valid voters were notified they could be removed from Texas rolls from November 2008 to November 2010 – often because they were mistaken for someone else … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Amending the Texas “Stand Your Ground” law

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I agree with this. Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, said Texas needs to revise its law to prevent a tragedy such as the Trayvon Martin case in Florida from happening here. This state’s current law is not that different from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

I’d really like to buy a yacht in Texas, if only your tax policies would let me

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not sure which is more awesome, the idea that we’re even having a debate about giving yacht owners a tax break or that they yacht owners who would benefit from this are telling us it’s for our own good. … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The SUPERTRAIN passes us by

Posted on February 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We knew we weren’t going to get much in the way of funding for high speed rail in Texas, but it still kinda stings to see just how little we got. The $3.75 million that the Lone Star State will … Continue reading →

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