Tag Archives: HPD

SCOTx hears firefighter pay parity arguments

Posted on November 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Lots at stake here. More than four years after Houston voters approved a measure that would grant firefighters equal pay with police officers, the legal battle to decide the referendum’s fate landed Tuesday in the hands of the Supreme Court of Texas. The … Continue reading →

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The state of the AstroWorld lawsuits

Posted on November 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’re still at the beginning of a very long road. The roughly 2,500 plaintiffs who filed lawsuits in the aftermath of the Astroworld Festival are now part of what is expected to be a yearslong legal process to seek recourse from … Continue reading →

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New regulations for outdoor music events proposed

Posted on October 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good idea, but it feels to me like there ought to be more. Houston is considering tightening up permitting requirements for some large outdoor music events to avoid wasting city resources accommodating last-minute notices. On Thursday, officials from the Houston … Continue reading →

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We could maybe vote on a piece of the stupid revenue cap next year

Posted on October 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Yippie. Mayor Sylvester Turner said Wednesday he will ask voters in 2023 to amend the city’s cap on property tax revenue to allow for more public safety spending, as the council cut the city’s tax rate for the eighth time … Continue reading →

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The active shooter hoax at our neighborhood school

Posted on September 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This made for a super eventful Tuesday afternoon. Police and panicked parents scrambled to Heights High School Tuesday afternoon, in frantic response to a false report that a gunman had shot 10 people in a room on the 2,400-student Houston … Continue reading →

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Investigating abortions is Houston’s “lowest priority”

Posted on September 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

So says Mayor Turner, and I’m glad to hear it. Mayor Sylvester Turner said Thursday that investigating abortions under the state’s near-total ban is the city’s “lowest priority” when it comes to crime. Turner said the city would continue to … Continue reading →

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Houston will have a bond on the ballot

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

First I’d heard of this, but it should be pretty routine. Houston will ask voters in November to approve a $478 million bond program to buy fire and police vehicles, renovate or replace city facilities and give the city’s animal … Continue reading →

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HISD buys stuff for its police

Posted on August 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Okay, but I hope the plan to deal with an active shooter has more than this in it. Houston ISD trustees Thursday evening approved a measure to buy 200 rifles, ammunition and 200 ballistic shields for the district’s police department, … Continue reading →

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How would HISD’s police respond to an active shooter incident?

Posted on August 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a question we would all rather not have to think about, but this is the world we live in. And at this time, the answer that Superintendent Millard House gave to that question was not reassuring. Houston ISD’s police … Continue reading →

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Texans get sued for allegedly “turning a blind eye” to Deshaun Watson’s sexual harassment

Posted on June 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We kind of knew this was coming. Attorney Tony Buzbee has filed the first lawsuit against the Texans, saying the franchise enabled former quarterback Deshaun Watson, who last week settled 20 of 24 civil lawsuits filed by women who say … Continue reading →

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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 →

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City passes its budget

Posted on June 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not too much drama. Houston’s $5.7 billion budget for the next fiscal year includes a big jump in revenue from water bills, raises for all city employees and the largest unspent reserves in years. City Council voted 15-2 to adopt … Continue reading →

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The injury totals from AstroWorld

Posted on May 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A lot of people were seriously hurt at that event. More than 700 people were seriously injured during November’s Astroworld Festival tragedy, according to new court documents filed in Harris County this week. Plaintiffs attorneys Jason Atkin, Richard Mithoff and … Continue reading →

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It’s city of Houston budget time again

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

That federal COVID relief money continues to be very nice. Once again relying on federal money, Mayor Sylvester Turner’s proposed $5.7 billion budget for next year would pay for raises for all city employees, offer tax relief to seniors and … Continue reading →

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Missing In Harris County Day 2022

Posted on May 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: For those with missing loved ones and those who would advocate for them, an annual event May 14th in Houston is the place to be for resources, awareness, and more. May 14, 2022, is Missing in Harris … Continue reading →

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Houston updates its noise ordinance

Posted on May 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This was probably inevitable, though it sure took a long time. Houston bars, nightclubs and restaurants must obtain new permits to play amplified music within 120 days under a revised ordinance aimed at cracking down on disruptive late-night noise without … Continue reading →

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State task force recommendations on AstroWorld

Posted on April 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. To avoid a repeat of the mayhem at last year’s deadly Astroworld Festival, Texas needs to standardize its event permitting process, establish “clearly outlined triggers” for stopping shows and ensure local public safety agencies are organized in a clear … Continue reading →

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City Council approves security camera ordinance for bars and convenience stores

Posted on April 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I have mixed feelings about this. Houston bars, nightclubs and convenience stores must install security cameras outside of their buildings within 90 days in a citywide surveillance effort Mayor Sylvester Turner hopes will diminish violent crime in high-risk areas. City … Continue reading →

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Deshaun Watson must disclose whether he had sex with 18 massage therapists

Posted on April 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a headline for you. NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson now will have to answer whether he had sex with 18 additional therapists who came to his defense about his massage habits last year, according to a ruling Tuesday by a … Continue reading →

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First round of Deshaun Watson depositions

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He hasn’t had much to say so far. Four days after a Harris County grand jury chose not to indict Deshaun Watson, the Texans quarterback answered questions for the first time while under oath in connection to 22 civil lawsuits accusing him … Continue reading →

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Deshaun Watson traded to Cleveland

Posted on March 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He’s someone else’s problem now. The Texans have traded Deshaun Watson to the Browns. The quarterback waived his no-trade clause for Cleveland after initially eliminating the franchise, a person with knowledge of the negotiation said, but Watson reversed his decision … Continue reading →

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No charges against Deshaun Watson

Posted on March 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good for him, I guess. A Harris County grand jury on Friday declined to indict Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, choosing not to criminally charge him in nine alleged instances of sexual assault or harassment during various private massage appointments, according … Continue reading →

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AstroWorld lawsuits get underway

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is going to be fascinating, heartbreaking, infuriating, and a lot more. Lawyers packed a Harris County civil courtroom Tuesday morning as the judge overseeing litigation stemming from the deadly Astroworld Festival concert outlined the first steps to organize the hundreds of … Continue reading →

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Deshaun Watson will face some depositions

Posted on February 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A long-awaited update on this case. Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson must undergo depositions in connection to at least some of the 22 misconduct allegations made against him before April, a judge on Monday ordered. Lawyers involved in civil litigation … Continue reading →

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Here comes that AstroWorld task force

Posted on February 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Got to admit, I had thought this had already happened. Three months after 10 people were killed at the Astroworld Festival at NRG Park, Houston and Harris County have named a 10-person task force to review procedures, permitting and guidelines … Continue reading →

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FBI seeks Astroworld info

Posted on January 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Spill ’em if you got ’em. The FBI has created a website that seeks information on the deadly Astroworld Festival, the Houston Police Department said Friday. Members of the public can upload photos and video from the Nov. 5 event … Continue reading →

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Another look at the Aguirre/Hotze debacle

Posted on December 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Man, do I ever want this to be the end of Steven Hotze as a political force. A well-funded far-right group—that made inroads with Stop The Steal organizations, paid a former police captain more than $200,000 to hunt ballots, and became entangled in a … Continue reading →

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New details about the Deshaun Watson criminal investigation

Posted on December 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

All sorts of bad things from the search warrants. Houston police have at least nine reports accusing Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions, with search warrant records showing that investigators are eyeing indecent assault — … Continue reading →

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Aguirre indicted

Posted on December 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Gotta admit, I had thought this happened long ago. A Harris County grand jury on Tuesday indicted former Houston police captain Mark Aguirre on an assault charge after he was accused of running a man off the road and pointing to a … Continue reading →

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Travis Scott speaks

Posted on December 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Really not sure this was his best move. Amid countless lawsuits against him, Travis Scott sat down with The Breakfast Club radio personality, Charlamagne tha God, for his first public interview since a dangerous crowd surge injured hundreds and left … Continue reading →

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I’ll see your AstroWorld lawsuit and raise you $10 billion

Posted on December 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

That’s a big number, though that’s partly because there are a lot of plaintiffs. A local law firm has just filed the largest suit to date against Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival after the mass-casualty tragedy that claimed the lives of … Continue reading →

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How’s that city push to get its employees vaccinated going?

Posted on December 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not bad, actually. Nearly three months after Mayor Sylvester Turner signed an executive order requiring Houston’s 21,000 city employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine, receive a medical or religious exemption, or submit COVID-19 test results every two weeks, compliance with … Continue reading →

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No independent investigation of the AstroWorld tragedy

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure how I feel about this yet. Harris County will not launch an independent investigation into the Astroworld festival disaster after commissioners declined to support a plan by County Judge Lina Hidalgo to do so. Instead, the group on … Continue reading →

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Some more AstroWorld stuff

Posted on November 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Firefighter logs from the event tell the story of early chaos and continued problems. Houston firefighters arrived at a small command post parked on the far-flung Orange Lot, about a mile from the festival grounds. They spent the day listening … Continue reading →

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