Tag Archives: Waller County

Races I’ll be watching today, non-Legislative edition

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This is my companion to yesterday’s piece. 1. SBOE district 5 I’ve discussed the SBOE races before. This particular race, between incumbent Ken Mercer and repeat challenger Rebecca Bell-Metereau, is the one that has the closest spread based on past … Continue reading →

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Texas Central releases ridership study

Posted on November 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From their website: A comprehensive ridership study conducted by L.E.K Consulting has confirmed that Texas is ready for a privately developed Bullet Train line serving North Texas, the greater Brazos Valley and The Greater Houston Metro areas. According to this … Continue reading →

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More on the Sandra Bland settlement

Posted on September 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Garnet Coleman is working to implement the reforms mandated by the Sandra Bland lawsuit settlement. House Democrats sparred with state law enforcement officials over questions of racial profiling Tuesday at a sometimes contentious hearing. It was the latest … Continue reading →

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Family of Sandra Bland settles its lawsuit

Posted on September 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I hope this brings them some peace, but more importantly I hope it leads to fewer inmate deaths, in Waller County and elsewhere. The family of Sandra Bland — who died last year in a Waller County Jail cell — … Continue reading →

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Have we reached a tipping point on flood mitigation?

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

That’s a question that is alluded to but not directly addressed in this story. “This is how the land is supposed to act,” said Mary Anne Piacentini, executive director of the Katy Prairie Conservancy, a nonprofit land trust. “It’s supposed … Continue reading →

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Sandra Bland, one year later

Posted on July 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The timing of this is tragically appropriate. With confident, and sometimes vulnerable, lyrics, a group of poets and singers Sunday afternoon commemorated the life of [Sandra] Bland, who had been found dead in her Waller County Jail cell three days … Continue reading →

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Hempstead landfill application resubmitted

Posted on July 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. A Georgia-based company on Wednesday announced it had initiated a new application to build a controversial landfill in Waller County, bringing renewed attention to a project that a citizens group and several county commissioners have actively … Continue reading →

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Hempstead landfill fight still not over

Posted on July 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

As with all things, it ain’t over till it’s over. Green Group Holdings recently purchased the 723-acre parcel where the company had planned to build the landfill before the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality turned down the project. The move … Continue reading →

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Early voting ends for HD139 special election

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the final early voting totals from the HD139 special election. The disparity between absentee ballots and in-person votes is pretty amazing, isn’t it? I’m going to guess that the Saturday in-person total will be less than the 200 … Continue reading →

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Early voting for May 7 elections begins today

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember that special election to fill out Mayor Turner’s unexpired term in HD139? Early voting for it – and for the other elections on the May 7 ballot – begins today. Who knew, right? Here’s the press release from … Continue reading →

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Bland committee makes its recommendations for Waller County jail

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see. Waller County needs a new jail, local officers need body cameras to record their activities and the sheriff’s office needs to promote civility, a study committee formed after the death of Sandra Bland said Tuesday. The county … Continue reading →

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Former Trooper Encinia pleads not guilty in Sandra Bland perjury case

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. A former Texas trooper pleaded not guilty to charges he lied about his actions last July while arresting Sandra Bland, whose death in Waller County’s jail three days later sparked a national outcry from civil rights activists. Dressed … Continue reading →

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Waller County landfill plan appears to be dead

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. A Waller County commissioner on Wednesday declared victory in a years-long battle against an outside company’s proposal to develop a landfill there. “I am proud to say the landfill is dead,” Commissioner John Amsler said as the regular commissioners … Continue reading →

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Trooper Encinia turns himself in

Posted on January 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. Six months after arresting Sandra Bland during a now-infamous traffic stop, state trooper Brian Encinia on Thursday returned to the Waller County jail where Bland died – this time to surrender to authorities on perjury charges. Encinia, 30, … Continue reading →

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Grand jury indicts trooper in Sandra Bland case

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Waller County grand jurors indicted Department of Public Safety trooper Brian Encinia on a single charge of perjury Wednesday because they did not believe he was telling the truth about his actions during the arrest of Sandra Bland, special … Continue reading →

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Initial day-after-election thoughts

Posted on November 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

– We now have two cycles’ worth of data to suggest that having more good candidates in a Council race does not necessarily lead to better outcomes. Following in the footsteps of At Large #3 in 2013, a handful of … Continue reading →

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TCEQ rejects application for Hempstead landfill

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Back to the drawing board. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality this week returned a company’s application to construct a landfill in Waller County, calling the application “deficient.” It was the latest blow to plans for the highly controversial project … Continue reading →

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DPS seeks dismissal of Sandra Bland lawsuit

Posted on September 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The expected response by the defendants. The Texas Department of Public Safety and Trooper Brian Encinia filed motions Tuesday to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit in the death of Sandra Bland, five days after Waller County filed court papers rebutting … Continue reading →

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Who needs wetlands?

Posted on September 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Development is all that matters, right? More than 38,000 acres of wetlands vanished in greater Houston over the past two decades despite a federal policy that “no net loss” can be caused by encroaching development. That’s an area about the … Continue reading →

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More good news for Hempstead landfill opponents

Posted on September 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This could be the end of the line for the proposed landfill. Opponents of a proposed landfill in Waller County won another victory in a years-long legal fight to prevent the project. The executive director of the Texas Commission on … Continue reading →

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Will Sandra Bland’s death help lead to bail reform?

Posted on August 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

That would be a fitting and just outcome if it does. Harris County and the state should reform an unfair bond system that punishes the poor more harshly, according to civil rights leaders, legislative officials and criminal experts who gathered … Continue reading →

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Hempstead landfill clarification

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I recently blogged about an update to the Hempstead landfill story, in which Green Group Holdings asked to amend its original filings regarding groundwater levels. I received an email on Monday from a Green Group representative, who sent me the … Continue reading →

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Hempstead landfill would indeed hurt the environment

Posted on August 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Raise your hand if this surprises you. Pintail Landfill developers backpedaled from arguments that their proposed dump site outside Hempstead would not harm the environment, agreeing for the first time this summer that their review of groundwater under the property … Continue reading →

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Sandra Bland’s mother sues DPS and Waller County

Posted on August 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t say this is a surprise. The mother of Sandra Bland filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the Texas Department of Public Safety trooper and several others she deems responsible for the death of her 28-year-old daughter at the Waller … Continue reading →

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Three panels investigating Sandra Bland’s death

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

One was appointed by the Sheriff: In the wake of the controversial arrest of Sandra Bland and her jailhouse suicide, Waller County Sheriff R. Glenn Smith has asked for an independent panel of civilians to evaluate all aspects of the … Continue reading →

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Sandra Bland’s death ruled a suicide

Posted on July 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

That’s only part of this tragic story. Waller County prosecutors said Thursday that a preliminary autopsy found that Sandra Bland committed suicide, but they pledged to continue investigating the circumstances surrounding her controversial arrest by a state trooper as well … Continue reading →

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Dashcam video from Sandra Bland arrest released

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Press has a good writeup. I’m just going to quote the two bits of transcript they provided: “What’s wrong?” the trooper asked as he delivered Bland her ticket. “You seem very irritated.” “I really am, because I feel like … Continue reading →

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Sandra Bland’s death being investigated as a homicide

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Doesn’t mean that’s how it will be ruled, but it’s at least a sign that it’s being taken with appropriate seriousness. The probe into Sandra Bland’s hanging death inside a Texas jail — which a medical examiner ruled a suicide … Continue reading →

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What happened to Sandra Bland?

Posted on July 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This is horrible. There are big questions about the final hours of Sandra Bland’s life. The official story is that the 28-year old committed suicide by hanging herself in a Waller County jail cell. Her family doesn’t buy it. Bland, … Continue reading →

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Hempstead landfill update

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: After several postponements, the Contested Case Hearing on the proposed Pintail Landfill permit has been set for November 2, 2015, in Austin. Assuming no further delays, the case will be heard by two Administrative Law Judges with … Continue reading →

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Texas Central Railway to hold “informational” meetings

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I hope this effort isn’t too little, too late for them. Backers of a high-speed rail line plan a series of meetings this month in rural areas where the proposed Houston-to-Dallas tracks could cross, setting up discussions with some of … Continue reading →

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Waller County approves landfill lawsuit settlement

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Missed this when it first came out. After two fraught years of legal battle, the lawsuit over a proposed Waller County landfill came to a quiet close Friday with a deal that ensures the civil case against the county will … Continue reading →

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Settlement talks in Waller County landfill suit

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an update on where things stand with the litigation in Waller County over the proposed landfill outside Hempstead. A jury in December ruled that Waller County Commissioners Court violated Texas’ open meetings laws in deciding to allow the project … Continue reading →

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Waller County pledges more transparency after landfill verdict

Posted on December 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

More transparency is good. Beyond that, we’ll see what happens. Incoming Waller County leaders are pledging more transparency in the wake of a jury’s verdict that sitting county commissioners illegally discussed a contentious landfill project in closed-door sessions and in … Continue reading →

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