Author Archives: Charles Kuffner

On cryptomining and power plants

Posted on November 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I say again, there’s a political opportunity here, and it involves being on the right side of an issue. About 150 angry residents gathered in a conference center here on Monday for a public meeting hosted by the state environmental … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on On cryptomining and power plants

Weekend link dump for November 3

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Have you voted yet? I didn’t think we needed a “Brady Bunch” reunion series, and after reading this I’m glad we didn’t get it. Drinking coffee may or may not be good or bad for you. Hope that helps. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Final November 2024 early voting: Definitely short

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Early voting is done, and I have to say, we didn’t get to where I expected we would: 2024 2020 2016 2008 and 2012 The numbers after eight days of early voting are Mail = 57,059 In Person = 1,175,901 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Houston re-ups its membership in H-GAC

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It’s hard not to get really effing discouraged sometimes. Houston City Council voted 9-4 to renew its membership in the Houston-Galveston Area Council Wednesday after fiery discussions over whether the city’s continued involvement violated the city charter. Council Members Tarsha Jackson, Abbie Kamin, Edward … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

John Devine continues to be an ethical quagmire

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This guy, I swear. In January 2022, Elvie Kingston’s dementia took a turn for the worse. The 76-year-old millionaire and longtime conservative activist was declared by a doctor to be partially incapacitated, after which she signed legal documents that removed … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Nevaeh Crain

Posted on November 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

ProPublica said it had two stories of women who died after being unable to get an abortion during a miscarriage. This is the second one. Candace Fails screamed for someone in the Texas hospital to help her pregnant daughter. “Do … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Paxton takes his fight against the State Fair gun ban back to district court

Posted on November 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As threatened and expected. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton intends to continue challenging the State Fair of Texas’ gun ban, despite the fair ending last week, according to new court filings. Paxton filed a motion Monday to dismiss his appeal … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Paxton takes his fight against the State Fair gun ban back to district court

Compost those pumpkins

Posted on November 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

News you can use. The day after Halloween, the city of Houston will roll out its annual effort to keep pumpkins out of landfills where they would contribute to the production of harmful greenhouse gases. The city’s Solid Waste Management … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Compost those pumpkins

November 2024 early voting Day Eleven: One more day

Posted on November 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to believe, it seems like this election has been going on since the late 90s, but we have one day of early voting to go. Your early voting results through Thursday, Day Eleven: 2024 2020 2016 2008 and 2012 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Is this the year Tarrant County finally goes blue?

Posted on November 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. “Tarrant County is the 15th-largest county in the country, so it should get a lot of attention. And it’s the third-largest county in Texas, so it makes sense that there would be a lot of focus there,” said Mark … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Dispatches from Dallas, November 1 edition

Posted on November 1, 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: more on the Roberson case; election updates and the HERO amendments; the latest on Crystal Mason; the … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Dispatches from Dallas, November 1 edition

November 2024 early voting Day Ten: Slower so far than I expected

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve got two days of EV remaining. Your early voting results through Wednesday, Day Ten: 2024 2020 2016 2008 and 2012 The numbers after eight days of early voting are Mail = 51,477 In Person = 961,273 Total = 1,012,750 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on November 2024 early voting Day Ten: Slower so far than I expected

Josseli Barnica

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Remember her name. Josseli Barnica grieved the news as she lay in a Houston hospital bed on Sept. 3, 2021: The sibling she’d dreamt of giving her daughter would not survive this pregnancy. The fetus was on the verge of … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Jolt Initiative gets a reprieve from Paxton harassment

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good news for now. A nonprofit focused on increasing Latinos’ civic participation can continue its work without fear of being shut down by the state after a federal judge granted a stay on Oct. 24 in a lawsuit the group … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Jolt Initiative gets a reprieve from Paxton harassment

Texas blog roundup for the week of October 28

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is here to ask you again if you have voted as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , | Comments Off on Texas blog roundup for the week of October 28

“Scandal of epic proportions” in the bankruptcy courts

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This story is bonkers. Usually confident to the point of coming across self-righteous, Houston Bankruptcy Judge David Jones’ voice quivered as he stated repeatedly, “I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know what is going to happen next. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Once more, with feeling: There was no fraud in the 2022 election

Posted on October 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron provides a coda to that accursed election and all of the bullshit that followed. When Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced in August that she had found no evidence of election rigging during the 2022 midterm elections, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Once more, with feeling: There was no fraud in the 2022 election

Teacher certification cheating ring busted

Posted on October 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Yikes. Three Houston ISD employees are among the five people charged in connection with a scheme to help hundreds of people cheat on state teacher certification tests, Harris County prosecutors said Monday. Prosecutors said longtime Booker T. Washington High School … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

It’s crawl-out-from-under-a-rock season

Posted on October 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As predictable as the end of Daylight Saving Time around here. Three Houston-area Republicans have filed a lawsuit alleging that “tens of thousands” of people should be purged from the Harris County voter roll amid a national push to cast … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

November 2024 early voting Day Eight: Second Monday

Posted on October 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’re in the second and final week of early voting. There are now four days of EV remaining. Your early voting results through Monday, Day Eight: 2024 2020 2016 2008 and 2012 The numbers after eight days of early voting … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Why are we subsidizing privatized HOA trash collection?

Posted on October 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Whitmire says he’s on the lookout for waste in the budget. May I suggest he look here? Houston has subsidized the private trash collection of some affluent neighborhoods for almost 40 years, a policy that could complicate the city’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

New Sports Authority board chair

Posted on October 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Noting for the record. Harris County-Houston Sports Authority chairman J. Kent Friedman is stepping down, he confirmed to the Chronicle on Friday morning. Mayor John Whitmire requested Friedman be replaced by Juan C. Garcia as chair, according to city council agenda documents. Garcia’s confirmation … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on New Sports Authority board chair

November 2024 early voting Day Seven: The weekend

Posted on October 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Just going to get right into it here. Your early voting results through Sunday, Day Seven: 2024 2020 2016 2008 and 2012 The numbers after seven days of early voting are Mail = 44,805 In Person = 686,937 Total = … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Cruz files FEC complaint over Allred ads

Posted on October 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m laughing. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s campaign manager filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission Thursday, accusing U.S. Rep. Colin Allred’s campaign of illegally coordinating on television ads with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Cruz’s campaign cited a series … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Cruz files FEC complaint over Allred ads

Abortion and the High Plains

Posted on October 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good stuff. Morgan Kirkpatrick was exhausted. The longtime Lubbock resident and State Board of Education candidate spent most of her morning with other local Democratic candidates campaigning door-to-door ahead of early voting next week. From there, she went to Mahon … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Weekend link dump for October 27

Posted on October 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Have you voted yet? Netflix is going all in on Stranger Things Season Five. “As the need has grown, so has Elevated Access. The organization has continued to enlist volunteer pilots and offer free flights to patients who need reproductive … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Comparing early voting apples to apples

Posted on October 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron’s writeup of the first five days of early voting is an incomplete picture. Is turnout up or down in Texas in the 2024 election? It depends on how you look at it. Since early voting began Monday, more … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Comparing early voting apples to apples

UTSA poll for October: A little weird

Posted on October 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Not really sure how to explain this other than to say polls be weird sometimes. A new survey from UTSA’s Center for Public Opinion Research indicated that in bright blue San Antonio, support has been growing for Democrat Colin Allred in his uphill … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on UTSA poll for October: A little weird

Cruise partners with the Houston Food Bank

Posted on October 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. The Houston Food Bank and autonomous vehicle company Cruise launched a program to deliver produce and non-perishable items to expecting mothers in the city. The deliveries are a part of the Houston Food Bank’s Food Rx program, through … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

November 2024 early voting Day Five: The average so far

Posted on October 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’re at the end of the first week of early voting – I was able to wait for the Day Five report before writing this, so I’m caught up for now. It was a very busy week. Let’s take a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on November 2024 early voting Day Five: The average so far

Ken Paxton also doesn’t care if we execute an innocent man

Posted on October 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Shocking, I know, from such a moral paragon. A week after death row inmate Robert Roberson was set to die, the extraordinary quest to save his life has morphed into a deepening political battle between Texas House lawmakers and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Uplift Harris 2.0 upheld in district court

Posted on October 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is the opening act. The main event comes later. A judge on Thursday sided with Harris County’s latest iteration of a guaranteed income program, denying Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office’s application for a temporary restraining order aimed at stopping … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Uplift Harris 2.0 upheld in district court

November 2024 early voting Day Three: Let’s not overanalyze this

Posted on October 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Lone Star Left caught my eye on Wednesday as they looked at the statewide early voting data so far. All day, I waited for a full update from the Secretary of State (SoS) regarding the Day 1 early voter turnout. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Multiple settlements of AstroWorld injury lawsuits

Posted on October 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. The start of a trial over injuries suffered during the 2021 Astroworld concert has been delayed until February, after more than 300 of the plaintiffs reached settlements with LiveNation and concert headliner Travis Scott, one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Multiple settlements of AstroWorld injury lawsuits