Author Archives: Charles Kuffner

Texas blog roundup for the week of December 23

Posted on December 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance wishes a Merry Christmas to all who celebrate as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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On Rep. Kay Granger

Posted on December 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

On Saturday I was perusing Bluesky, and posts like this were all over the place: US Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, hasn’t voted since July. The Dallas Express reports that it found her in a “memory care and assisted living home” … Continue reading →

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HISD to add metal detectors at all high schools

Posted on December 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Inevitable, I suppose. Ridiculous, but inevitable. Houston ISD will introduce new weapons detection systems to its high school campuses in the spring semester after experiencing an uptick in confiscated weapons in the 2024-25 school year. More than 10 guns have … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for December 22

Posted on December 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

“We are all passengers on the NFL’s journey. Private equity is too. It just gets to sit in better seats.” “Put simply, we don’t have anywhere near enough pardons: both at the federal and the state level.” “Our antivaccine friends … Continue reading →

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CenterPoint finds a use for those useless-to-us generators

Posted on December 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

San Antonio, here they come. A plan is in the works to partially relieve Houston-area ratepayers of CenterPoint Energy’s $800 million lease of controversial generators that have sat mostly unused during power outages. The bulk of the lease includes 15 large generators, … Continue reading →

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Who is all this Enron performance art for?

Posted on December 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I have no idea. The company that recently resurrected Enron’s fallen brand announced Friday it would host a “town hall” to address residents’ concerns after its CEO was allegedly targeted in a pie attack in New York. Despite the Chronicle’s … Continue reading →

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Harris County adopts plan for court translators

Posted on December 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good start, now needs follow through. Harris County’s district and county courts unveiled an updated plan Wednesday for expanding interpreter services for those navigating the court system, but said they will need millions in additional funding to sustain the effort. … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over SpaceX pollution

Posted on December 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

So many lawsuits, so little time. Rio Grande Valley groups are suing the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, accusing the agency of bypassing state regulations by allowing SpaceX to temporarily discharge industrial water at its South Texas launch site without … Continue reading →

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Dispatches from Dallas, December 21 edition

Posted on December 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week, in news from Dallas-Fort Worth, we have another grab bag: the Lege; the Bum Steers from north Texas; updates on the disastrous … Continue reading →

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The coming push to require proof of citizenship to register to vote

Posted on December 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is a complete non-problem, but “solving” things that aren’t problems and in doing so creating real problems that then need to be solved is very on brand for Republicans. Republicans are making a big push for legislation requiring Texans … Continue reading →

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Expanding Metro’s micro-transit

Posted on December 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Okay fine, but show me the numbers. Metro will expand on-demand rides of its micro-transit to include services in Second Ward, Third Ward and downtown Houston through a partnership with the city of Houston and Evolve Houston. The expansion comes after … Continue reading →

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IAH Terminal E to be named for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee

Posted on December 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Fitting. City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a resolution to rename a terminal at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in honor of the late U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. The late congresswoman, who died in July from pancreatic cancer after representing … Continue reading →

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Now Buzbee sues Roc Nation

Posted on December 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Back and forth, back and forth. Prominent Houston attorney Tony Buzbee has filed a lawsuit against Jay-Z’s entertainment company Roc Nation and several attorneys who represent the American rapper for allegedly conspiring with and paying former clients to sue the Buzbee … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of December 16

Posted on December 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance would like some hot chocolate to go with this week’s blog roundup.

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There was some good news from Odessa last month

Posted on December 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good to hear. When Craig Stoker pulled the flyer out of the mailbox, he chuckled. It was a political mailer, one of many deployed this fall in Odessa, the West Texas city in the heart of the oil-rich Permian Basin. … Continue reading →

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Somehow, the Boca Chica land swap is off

Posted on December 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I only found out about this now because this story, dated November 14, was either never on the Houston Chronicle homepage or was missed by me when it was, until it was on Page One of the December 16 print … Continue reading →

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The Dustin Burrows dilemma

Posted on December 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. Five years ago, Rep. Dustin Burrows’ reputation sustained a major blow among his House colleagues. The Lubbock Republican resigned as chair of the House GOP Caucus after it was revealed that he … Continue reading →

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Expanding ETHAN

Posted on December 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds like a good idea. The city may spin off the Houston Fire Department’s emergency telemedicine program to a local government corporation in hopes of generating enough funding to support the initiative and, perhaps, even turn a profit. The city’s … Continue reading →

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Uplift Harris 2.0 still on hold

Posted on December 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Just part of the process at this point. Harris County’s second version of a guaranteed income program has been blocked as it awaits a final appeal after a recent court order stopped the county from distributing funds under the revamped … Continue reading →

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Starbase City

Posted on December 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Elon Musk would like his own company town, please. SpaceX’s goal is to colonize Mars. But first, it wants to create an official city in Texas. Employees living on the site of SpaceX’s operations in South Texas are requesting a … Continue reading →

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The leopards are going to be very busy

Posted on December 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is a story about how the Trump administration is targeting Medicaid for cuts, mostly to finance its future tax giveaways to the wealthy, and how states like Texas could come in behind that and make even further cuts to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Weekend link dump for December 15

Posted on December 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

“I don’t know how to explain to somebody what it feels like when your own military that you volunteered to fight for your country doesn’t want you.” “It’s shark-infested waters to procure moms, to then procure their children, to then … Continue reading →

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We are again speculating about Judge Hidalgo’s re-election plans

Posted on December 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Well, Mayor Whitmire is speculating, anyway. County Judge Lina Hidalgo said she hasn’t decided whether to run for office in 2026 in response to a claim made Thursday by Mayor John Whitmire that she will not pursue another term as … Continue reading →

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The birds and the trees and the religious liberties

Posted on December 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I really don’t know what to make of this, which is a story about an unusual religious liberties lawsuit that the city of San Antonio and the 2021 constitutional amendment that expanded religious freedom in Texas, stemming from a backlash … Continue reading →

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One more eVTOL in Houston

Posted on December 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I missed this story when it ran in September, but here it is now. It answered a few questions about how these things operate, which I liked. Lilium, a German aerospace company, debuted its electric vertical takeoff and landing jet … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues out of state abortion provider

Posted on December 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The thing about rot is that it has a tendency to spread. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit accusing a New York doctor of prescribing abortion drugs to a Texas resident in violation of state law. This … Continue reading →

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The plea deals no one wants

Posted on December 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Things are going great in the waning days of Kim Ogg’s time as Harris County DA. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg has ordered prosecutors to make a plea recommendation of life without the possibility of parole in every pending … Continue reading →

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Dispatches from Dallas, December 14 edition

Posted on December 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week, in news from Dallas-Fort Worth: elections news; Dallas HERO’s connection with the incoming presidential administration; the State of the City in Dallas; … Continue reading →

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Will Cornyn get MAGAed in the 2026 primary?

Posted on December 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From The Downballot (scroll to the bottom of the “Senate” section). Republican Sen. John Cornyn has long been a loud and proud supporter of Donald Trump, but his occasional apostasies have drawn the ire of MAGA purists and could land … Continue reading →

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RIP, Cruise robotaxis

Posted on December 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Didn’t see that coming. General Motors said Tuesday it will retreat from the robotaxi business and stop funding its money-losing Cruise autonomous vehicle unit. Instead, the Detroit automaker will focus on development of partially automated driver-assist systems for personal vehicles … Continue reading →

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Trying to improve on ShotSpotter

Posted on December 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Wytec, a new type of AI-powered gunshot-detection system. Wytec International Inc., a builder of 5G wireless networks, is working on artificial intelligence software to deploy on networks of sensors to pinpoint the location of gunshots or other campus problems … Continue reading →

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The HISD Board doesn’t want to hear it

Posted on December 12, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Curious move. Houston ISD’s board of managers signaled early support Tuesday for limiting the public’s ability to speak freely about any topic during its monthly board meetings. Board members voted 8-1 to advance a policy proposal that would eliminate a … Continue reading →

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Paxton versus 404Media

Posted on December 12, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. In October, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton subpoenaed 404 Media, demanding that we hand over confidential information about our reporting and an anonymous source to help the state of Texas in a wholly unrelated case it is pursuing … Continue reading →

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Houston to get a pro volleyball team

Posted on December 12, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty cool. As far as professional volleyball goes, there isn’t much two-time Olympic medalist Micha Hancock hasn’t done. Hancock won gold with Team USA at the Tokyo Games and a silver medal at the Paris Games. She played professionally in Italy for … Continue reading →

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