Author Archives: Charles Kuffner

Federal grant to Amtrak for Texas high speed rail planning rescinded

Posted on April 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

My reaction to this was “bad”, but I might be wrong. President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday terminated a federal grant to help fund a long-sought high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston — saying that if the embattled project … Continue reading →

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Dispatches from Dallas, April 19 edition

Posted on April 19, 2025 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 measles, but not an epidemic (yet); new police and fire chiefs in Dallas; Ken Paxton … Continue reading →

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House passes Abbott’s voucher bill

Posted on April 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. The Texas House gave initial approval early Thursday to a bill that would create a $1 billion private school voucher program, crossing a historic milestone and bringing Gov. Greg Abbott’s top legislative priority closer than ever to reaching his … Continue reading →

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Taral Patel takes a plea

Posted on April 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Taral Patel, a former Fort Bend County staffer and commissioner candidate, pleaded guilty Tuesday to two misdemeanor charges after he was accused of creating fake social media profiles to post racist messages about himself, according to the Fort Bend … Continue reading →

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Carbon capture permit granted

Posted on April 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. The Environmental Protection Agency has approved a Texas company’s application to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and inject it underground, becoming the first project in the state to be awarded such a permit. Occidental Petroleum Corporation, a … Continue reading →

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Houston can defer the drainage settlement spending

Posted on April 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Can successfully kicked down the road. Mayor John Whitmire and plaintiffs in Houston’s drainage lawsuit have reached a deal on how the city will fund future street and drainage projects, slashing a third of its $330 million budget deficit. The … Continue reading →

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Short term rental ordinance passes

Posted on April 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Now we get to see how well it works. Future revisions may be needed, and that’s fine. Starting Jan. 1, all houses and apartments rented out for fewer than 30 days must be registered with the city’s Administration and Regulatory … Continue reading →

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Microtransit comes to the Heights

Posted on April 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Whoopie. Houston transit officials on Monday said on-demand microtransit would expand to provide rides in the Heights. Metro, with the city of Houston and Evolve Houston, expanded the Community Connector service, which has been serving downtown Houston, Second Ward and … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of April 14

Posted on April 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance stands with the students who have had their visas revoked as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Measles update: More on how we’ve done this to ourselves

Posted on April 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

From the Associated Press: The measles outbreak in West Texas didn’t happen just by chance. The easily preventable disease, declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, ripped through communities sprawling across more than 20 Texas counties in part because health departments were starved of … Continue reading →

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A possible wrench in the voucher engine

Posted on April 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I approve. House Democrats are threatening to kill all constitutional amendments for the rest of session unless the House votes to put school vouchers before voters in November. They appear to have the numbers to make good on that special … Continue reading →

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RIP, Houston Landing

Posted on April 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Major bummer. The board of Houston Landing has voted to shut down the nonprofit newsroom in the face of financial challenges. Although Houston Landing launched with significant seed funding, it has been unable to build additional revenue streams to support … Continue reading →

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An early progress report on the new DA

Posted on April 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds good so far. Harris County’s jail population declined 6% since February, and District Attorney Sean Teare secured more than $7 million in funding from the county Thursday to keep the trend going. The $7.6 million in funding, approved by … Continue reading →

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Fully autonomous trucks set to hit the road

Posted on April 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

For realsies. Autonomous freight trucks are slated to hit the Dallas highways this month. The self-driving heavy-duty semi-trucks running on technology formulated by Aurora, a Pittsburgh-based self-driving vehicle tech company, will roll back and forth along the Interstate 45 corridor connecting Dallas … Continue reading →

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A high school transfer portal

Posted on April 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Almost certainly not going to happen, at least this session, but an interesting thought experiment. House Bill 619 is a straightforward two-page document. But the ramifications of its potential passing would drastically alter the landscape of high school sports in … Continue reading →

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It’s not just measles

Posted on April 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Welcome back, whooping cough. We didn’t miss you, but here you are again. In the past six months, two babies in Louisiana have died of pertussis, the disease commonly known as whooping cough. Washington state recently announced its first confirmed … Continue reading →

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Still working on that short-term rental ordinance

Posted on April 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I wish them luck. Two things were evident in an hours-long Quality of Life Committee meeting this week: the Houston City Council wants an ordinance governing short-term rentals that will protect neighborhoods from party houses. But without enforceable zoning codes, … Continue reading →

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More on the Australian redclaw crayfish

Posted on April 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Time to meet another invasive species. The South Texas odyssey of the Australian redclaw crayfish continues. Approaching five years since the lobster-like creatures were first reported in the Brownsville area, scientists are still trying to determine how disruptive this visitor from halfway around the … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for April 13

Posted on April 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

“Researchers have proposed studying sex in space, but so far, the only documented case is a pornographic science-fiction film called The Uranus Experiment. If NASA wasn’t so uptight, I could provide more specifics. But as an insider, I’m now convinced … Continue reading →

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Taking from Harris to give to Houston

Posted on April 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This story from Tuesday perplexed me a little at first. Harris County would have to turn over tens of millions in toll road dollars to the city of Houston for use on public safety and emergency services under a bill … Continue reading →

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Taking the package

Posted on April 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The city’s workforce is voluntarily shrinking. More than 700 city of Houston employees are set to retire May 1 after accepting voluntary buyouts, city officials said Thursday. Many of the positions will have to be backfilled, but Whitmire administration officials … Continue reading →

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Who wants a piece of Minute Maid Park?

Posted on April 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Parts of the old signage could be yours if you act soon. The “Minute Maid” signs from the Houston Astros’ formerly-titled Minute Maid Park are being auctioned off online. Shall we start the bidding at $500? Yes, that’s correct: the … Continue reading →

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Measles update: Time for another moment of perspective

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the Friday numbers. The measles outbreak centered in the South Plains region of Texas grew to 541 cases across the state on Friday, according to health officials. The Texas Department of State Health Services reported that 56 have … Continue reading →

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Harris County sues over refugee grant funds

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Keep on litigating, the reasons to do so aren’t going to run short anytime soon. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee is suing the Trump administration after it froze a more-than-$10 million grant for the county’s Refugee Health Services Program. Menefee … Continue reading →

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On weather balloons

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Another possibly bad omen for the hurricane season. Due to staffing constraints, as a result of recent budget cuts and retirements, the National Weather Service has announced a series of suspensions involving weather balloon launches in recent weeks. On February … Continue reading →

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A brief reminder about the possible recall effort

Posted on April 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever you or I may think, Mayor Whitmire is not unpopular. A recent survey from the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs found that while most Houstonians believe both the city and country are going in the wrong … Continue reading →

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More from Maria Rojas’ attorney

Posted on April 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good stuff from the Press. During a March 27 hearing, Waller County District Judge Gary Chaney granted an injunction declaring that a network of three Houston-area clinics must remain temporarily closed. Marc Hearron, senior counsel for the Center for Reproductive … Continue reading →

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Dire wolves

Posted on April 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Colossal Biosciences is at it again. Three genetically engineered wolves that may resemble extinct dire wolves are trotting, sleeping and howling in an undisclosed secure location in the U.S., according to the company that aims to bring back lost species. … Continue reading →

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Paxton officially running against Cornyn

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The campaign no one asked for. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday he will challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in next year’s midterm elections, setting up a barnburner clash of two Republican titans that is poised to reverberate across … Continue reading →

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Can we make HPD more efficient?

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

You’d think that would be a thing we’d all want. Mayor John Whitmire has made clear he intends to boost salaries and benefits for Houston police officers in their new union contract, but those increases will not be tied to … Continue reading →

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It’s hurricane prediction season

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And it will be another busy one. The 2025 hurricane season is shaping up to be one of the most intense in recent years, with forecasters at Colorado State University predicting an above-normal active season. A staggering 17 named storms are expected, with 9 … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of April 7

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance remains tariff-free as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Measles update: Another needless death

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We have to start with some bad news. An 8-year-old girl with measles died Thursday morning, the second known measles-related death in an ongoing outbreak that has infected nearly 500 Texans since January. Her funeral was Sunday at a church … Continue reading →

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KP George charged with money laundering

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Great. Fort Bend County Judge KP George, already facing legal troubles, was arrested Friday and charged with two counts of money laundering, according to county jail records and the district attorney’s office. George, a Democrat first elected in 2018 and … Continue reading →

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