Author Archives: Charles Kuffner

Two lawsuits filed against Camp Mystic

Posted on November 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is going to be rough. The families of six campers and two counselors who died in the July floods at Camp Mystic in Hunt, west of Kerrville, filed two separate lawsuits suing the the camp and members of the … Continue reading →

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A backdoor THC ban

Posted on November 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Or maybe this was the plan all along. The Texas hemp industry, fresh from fending off an all-out ban by the state Legislature, is facing another extinction-level event — this time from Congress. The U.S. Senate on Monday night … Continue reading →

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Recall effort officially falls short

Posted on November 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They were not close. A much-hyped effort to recall Houston Mayor John Whitmire from office — the subject of multiple news stories and social media posts over the past year — fell significantly short of its goal as the 30-day … Continue reading →

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Whitmire finally admits that HPD is cooperating with ICE

Posted on November 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Goddamn it. Houston Mayor John Whitmire acknowledged Saturday that the city is cooperating with federal immigration authorities after denying for months that Houston police would get involved with immigration enforcement. Whitmire was a guest speaker at a conference Saturday hosted by former Kemah Mayor Bill King, a fellow at Rice … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues Galveston ISD over Ten Commandments display

Posted on November 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We need some real guidance here. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Galveston Independent School District on Friday for not following a new state law requiring schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms while the legislation is challenged in … Continue reading →

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San Antonio and Dallas to fight the rainbow crosswalk ban

Posted on November 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them! San Antonio has formally asked the Texas Department of Transportation to approve an exemption allowing the city to keep its rainbow-colored crosswalks at North Main Avenue and East Evergreen Street, arguing that the intersection has become safer … Continue reading →

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Rep. Al Green to run in the new CD18

Posted on November 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. U.S. Rep. Al Green announced Friday that he plans to run in the redrawn 18th Congressional District, setting up a competitive primary between the longtime Houston Democrat and whichever candidate wins the upcoming special election runoff to decide … Continue reading →

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The Loving County Election 2022 rerun

Posted on November 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Loving County wraps up one of its ongoing story lines. It might have been the longest election campaign for the shortest office term in recent Texas history. Loving County Justice of the Peace Angela Medlin, County/District Clerk Mozelle Carr and Commissioner … Continue reading →

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Paxton targeted for mortgage fraud

Posted on November 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing is likely to ever come out of this, but pass the popcorn anyway. The Trump administration has used allegations of mortgage fraud as a cudgel against the president’s political enemies in New York and California. Now, a small-town official … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for November 9

Posted on November 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

“A Review of Grokipedia, Using Myself as Test Subject”. Spoiler alert, it’s not great. “Anti-Vax Facebook Groups Ushered in Our Current MAHA Nightmare”. “Big Tech may have outfoxed regulators and its workforce, but [Cory] Doctorow sees a reckoning coming. Absent … Continue reading →

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Another story about Taylor Rehmet

Posted on November 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This one has more numbers in it. Despite the district’s solid-red reputation, Democrat Taylor Rehmet won the most votes in a Tuesday special election for vacant Senate District 9. The district, represented by Kelly Hancock since 2013, encompasses northern Tarrant … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit allows drag ban enforcement

Posted on November 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not quite sure how to interpret this. Texas can enforce a 2023 law that restricts some public drag shows, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday. Senate Bill 12 prohibits drag performers from dancing suggestively or wearing certain prosthetics on public … Continue reading →

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The Ismaili Center has its opening

Posted on November 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m really looking forward to seeing it for myself. After nearly two decades of planning and construction, a vacant property near Buffalo Bayou has been transformed into a majestic, 150,000-square-foot Ismaili Center — a new cultural and religious landmark that … Continue reading →

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A bit more election miscellany

Posted on November 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Pondering the County Attorney situation. Despite technically resigning, [Harris County Attorney Christian] Menefee has remained the acting county attorney throughout the campaign period. It’s not clear if he will remain in the position as he prepares to campaign for a … Continue reading →

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Terry Virts to run in CD09

Posted on November 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

All right. Terry Virts, the former Air Force pilot and retired astronaut, ended his bid Thursday for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate and announced that he would enter the race for a newly drawn congressional district in the Houston … Continue reading →

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Who wants to Save College Sports?

Posted on November 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

If you’ve watched any college football this year, you’ve seen some version of this ad, probably a million times: I have wondered on more than one occasion what this is all about and whether I should in fact support this … Continue reading →

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Tuesday was a good day for school boards

Posted on November 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I refer you once again to Franklin Strong and his much-valued Book-Loving Texans’ Guide to the school board elections. There weren’t that many school board races on the ballot in November – May is a more common month for these … Continue reading →

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Finally, a real story about Taylor Rehmet

Posted on November 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Amazing what a little overperforming versus expectations can do. For months, the special election to succeed Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock in a red-leaning North Texas Senate seat revolved around the two Republicans in the race. But once the early voting … Continue reading →

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HPD king of overtime reassigned

Posted on November 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating. A Houston police officer who racked up more than $170,000 in overtime writing tickets in 2024 has been transferred out of the traffic division, the Chronicle has learned through an open records request. Around a week after testifying in court about … Continue reading →

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More on the November election

Posted on November 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a Chron story from the weekend that annoyed me a little. Early voting in Harris County wrapped up Friday with some of the lowest voting turnouts in recent years for Texas’ most populous county. but still higher than in … Continue reading →

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Metro restores signal priority to the Main Street line

Posted on November 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Thank prime. But what took them so long? Metro officials restored signal priority Wednesday to the Red Line light rail in downtown Houston following weeks of pushback from riders who complained about the sluggish pace of the route. “These adjustments … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit to hear Ten Commandments case in January

Posted on November 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready. The U. S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals says it will hear appeals in January in the legal fights in Texas and Louisiana over whether public schools must display copies of the Ten Commandments. Oral arguments for the … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of November 3

Posted on November 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance has not yet suffered Whamageddon as it brings you this week’s roundup. Off the Kuff rounded up the latest finance reports from the CD18 special election. SocraticGadfly noted that there are no magic silver bullets on … Continue reading →

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November 2025 election results: Local and state

Posted on November 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Quick hits here, as I was up past my bedtime… All 17 constitutional amendments were on the path to passing. Most of them merited a No vote, but once these things get on the ballot they usually pass. Some Democratic … Continue reading →

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November 2025 election: National results

Posted on November 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Watching the national results last night turned out to be pretty easy, as Abigail Spanberger, Mikie Sherrill, and then Zohran Mamdani were all declared winners within minutes of their polls closing. You’ve got to love that kind of decisiveness, especially … Continue reading →

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The secret plan to slow down the Main Street Line

Posted on November 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t believe we have to deal with this shit. Newly obtained emails show that Houston’s decision to remove signal priority for downtown MetroRail trains may have been fueled by politics, and that city officials made the change despite internal concerns about … Continue reading →

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Second lawsuit filed over Texas app age verification law

Posted on November 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. A coalition of major technology companies has filed a federal lawsuit against Texas over its new App Store Accountability Act, arguing that the measure violates the First Amendment by imposing sweeping age-verification and parental consent requirements. … Continue reading →

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Where the rainbow crosswalk ends

Posted on November 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is deeply stupid and deadly serious at the same time. At the intersection of North Main Avenue and West Evergreen Street just north of downtown San Antonio, semi-faded rainbows connect each street corner in place of standard, white crosswalks. … Continue reading →

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Election Day for November 2025 is tomorrow

Posted on November 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The Harris County Clerk’s Office (HCCO) reminds registered voters that Election Day is Tuesday, November 4, 2025, the final opportunity to cast a ballot in this election. Races and Measures Include 17 proposed amendments to the Texas … Continue reading →

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NY court dismisses Paxton stunt lawsuit

Posted on November 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A New York judge dismissed a legal challenge Friday from Texas seeking to enforce a more than $100,000 civil judgment against a doctor accused of prescribing abortion pills to a Dallas-area woman in an early test of the state’s … Continue reading →

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SOS responds to “closed primary” lawsuit

Posted on November 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Nicely done. Texas’ top election official is opposing a GOP lawsuit that seeks to close the state’s primaries, arguing in new legal filings that a decision to restrict voting to registered party members should be up to lawmakers, not the … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for November 2

Posted on November 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

“Individuals trying to support themselves via subscriptions are as dependent on the whims of the marketplace as those working for large corporations, and it’s not just the lack of health care and 401ks that make the career of a patron-supported … Continue reading →

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Final November 2025 early voting: A lot of people voted early

Posted on November 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And here’s a look at the final early voting totals. Final EV total 2025 = 212,104 Final EV total 2021 = 114,060 Final EV total 2017 = 60,974 A lot of people voted last week! Even I was a little … Continue reading →

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“Death Star” lawsuit filed in Dallas

Posted on November 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. Two years after state lawmakers passed a sweeping law aimed at preventing Texas cities from adopting progressive policies, that law may finally get its first major test. Three Dallas residents sued the city in Denton County District Court Wednesday … Continue reading →

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