Author Archives: Charles Kuffner

HISD reports significant drop in D and F-rated campuses

This is very good news. Houston ISD state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles said Wednesday that the number of the district’s schools that earned a D or F rating in the Texas Education Agency’s accountability ratings dropped by about two-thirds compared to … Continue reading

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Translators needed for non-criminal courts

Of interest. Harris County has long afforded free interpreters to people navigating criminal cases, but it does not always offer the same to those with civil cases, local lawyers say. The denial for interpreters has become so routine that some … Continue reading

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Texas blog roundup for the week of August 5

The Texas Progressive Alliance is now a fan of women’s rugby and the pommel horse as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Two small updates on the CD18 race

From this Trib overview of the five candidates “with extensive elected experience” in the CD18 race: Since the candidate selection is internal within the party, there is no formal filing process for candidates and precinct chairs could theoretically choose anyone. … Continue reading

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New Mexico seeks to poach Texas doctors

Clever. The governor of New Mexico on Sunday announced an initiative intended to lure Texas doctors and other medical professionals to relocate to her state. New Mexico’s Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham aimed this effort specifically at those medical professionals impacted … Continue reading

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What’s in a name, Bexar County GOP 2024 version

Hilarious. Bexar County GOP officials said they may file a lawsuit against Texas House District 118 candidate Kristian Carranza, a Democrat, alleging that she changed her last name from Thompson to appeal to voters on the city’s largely Latino South … Continue reading

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Endorsement watch: SJL’s kids for Turner

From the inbox: Over the past several weeks we’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and love from the residents of the 18th Congressional District. Countless people have reached out to express not only condolences for our mother’s death, … Continue reading

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

Questioning the police response to the Santa Fe school shooting

Interesting. Testimony by a former Galveston County sheriff’s deputy Thursday raised questions about how fast and effectively police responded to the mass shooting inside Santa Fe High School. Sgt. Brent Cooley, retired from the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office, testified that … Continue reading

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The cost of the Michelin stars

Seems like a reasonable investment to me, to be honest. In July 2024, the Michelin Guide, the international dining guide run by the French tire company Michelin, announced that it had finally made its Lone Star State debut. Many speculated … Continue reading

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July 2024 campaign finance reports – Harris County offices

PREVIOUSLY: Senate and Congress State offices Lina Hidalgo Rodney Ellis Adrian Garcia Tom Ramsey Leslie Briones Sean Teare Dan Simons Ed Gonzalez Mike Knox Christian Menefee Jacqueline Lucci Smith Annette Ramirez Steve Radack Teneshia Hudspeth Carla Wyatt Marilyn Burgess Candidate … Continue reading

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Full Fifth Circuit overturns Galveston redistricting ruling

Terrible. They’re just making this shit up as they go. Distinct minority groups cannot join together in coalitions to claim their votes are diluted in redistricting cases under the Voting Rights Act, a divided federal appeals court ruled Thursday, acknowledging … Continue reading

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A high level overview of passenger rail in Texas

There’s stuff happening, mostly talk for now but maybe there will be more. A robust passenger rail system has long been seen as a pipe dream in car-dependent Texas. But a glut of federal dollars for rail projects and a … Continue reading

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Weekend link dump for August 4

“Scientists in Brazil have come up with the first evidence that sharks are being exposed to cocaine.” “A common ancestor to some of the most widespread animals on Earth has managed to surprise scientists, because its taco shape and multi-jointed … Continue reading

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Special election for CD18 set for November 5

I was beginning to wonder if this would even happen. Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday set a special election to fill former U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s seat for the remainder of the term on Nov. 5, the same day … Continue reading

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Lawsuit filed over another social media law

We’re going to be litigating this past legislative session for a long time. Two tech industry groups, the Computer and Communications Industry Association and NetChoice, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to block a new Texas law that would require platforms … Continue reading

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Whitmire endorses Harris

A bit behind his peers, but he got there. Houston Mayor John Whitmire endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for U.S. president. “Her tough-but-smart-on-crime history assures me she is committed to public safety,” Whitmire wrote in a Thursday … Continue reading

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The election to nominate a candidate in CD18 has been set

Per an email that I got yesterday from the HCDP, the Executive Committee meeting of CD18 precinct chairs to fill the vacancy on the November ballot will be next Tuesday, August 13, at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, with the meeting … Continue reading

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HPD has a new Chief

Meet the new guy. Months of searching for Houston’s next full-time police chief ended with Mayor John Whitmire naming J. Noe Diaz, leader of the less than 100-person Katy Police Department, as Troy Finner’s replacement in charge of the nation’s … Continue reading

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The lost Harvey recovery funds

Good job on the audit front. Now let’s see what we can learn from this. Houston lost at least $8.5 million in potential reimbursements for a federally funded Hurricane Harvey home repair program due to missed deadlines and filing errors, … Continue reading

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The House gets its turn to yell at CenterPoint

They mostly focused on tree maintenance, which seems reasonable enough. House lawmakers on Wednesday questioned CenterPoint Energy’s tree maintenance ahead of Hurricane Beryl, in which tens of thousands of trees knocked out power lines, shutting off electricity to 2.3 million … Continue reading

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HPD releases a dropped cases report

Kudos for the serious review, but boy did this go on for a long time without anyone doing anything about it. Between 2016 and 2024, Houston Police Department leaders had multiple opportunities to question — and potentially stop — the … Continue reading

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The JRR is now the JJR

From the inbox: The Harris County Democratic Party (HCDP) will announce today that it has chosen to honor the legacy and dedication to the Democratic Party of the late congresswoman, Sheila Jackson Lee by renaming its premiere annual gala in … Continue reading

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Who’s going to pay for derecho damage?

Well, CenterPoint would like for that to be us. CenterPoint Energy expects to incur as much as $1.8 billion in costs from its efforts to restore power after May’s severe storms and July’s Hurricane Beryl, company executives said during a … Continue reading

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Leave the protesters alone

I don’t agree with this. Mayor John Whitmire is proposing a ban on the targeted picketing of any residential dwelling in Houston after months of pro-Palestininian protests in front of his own house. Protesting in front of public officials’ homes … Continue reading

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The principal shuffle

Seems like a lot. Since Mike Miles was appointed as HISD superintendent in June 2023, there has been widespread principal turnover across the district. The Houston Chronicle has been tracking the leadership changes at HISD campuses through a series of … Continue reading

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Texas blog roundup for the week of July 29

The Texas Progressive Alliance stands with the childless cat ladies as it brings you this week’s roundups.

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So about those generators CenterPoint bought…

I’m fine with all of this, but it shouldn’t be the endpoint of the conversation. It’s not even the main point. A state lawmaker said Monday he was considering pushing legislation to recoup some of the $800 million CenterPoint Energy … Continue reading

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Meta settles lawsuit with Texas over facial recognition usage

Wasn’t following this closely. Facebook’s parent company Meta will pay Texas $1.4 billion to settle a lawsuit that accused the company of using personal biometric data without users’ authorization. The 2022 lawsuit, filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in … Continue reading

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Our West Nile summer

Lots of rain = lots of mosquitoes. Local health authorities worry the post-Beryl explosion of the blood-sucking insects could become more than a nuisance, raising the risk of infections of West Nile and other mosquito-borne illnesses. At least 496 mosquito … Continue reading

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Lawsuit over San Marcos marijuana decriminalization ordinance tossed

For now. A Hays County judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against the City of San Marcos in response to a proposition decriminalizing low-level marijuana possession. Judge Sherri Tibbe dropped Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s suit against San Marcos on Monday. … Continue reading

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More on Judge Kelli Johnson

Not great. Top judicial leaders in Houston have effectively removed hundreds of pending cases from state district Judge Kelli Johnson and assigned them to other jurists in the wake of two recent DWI stops — one on June 25 that … Continue reading

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More on Ken Paxton’s ethicslessness

Yes, that’s a word. It’s also a good description of the state of our Attorney General. Three decades following its inception, the [Texas Ethics C]ommission is toothless. Compliance of Texas’ ethics laws is largely voluntary. That’s because the agency relies … Continue reading

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July 2024 campaign finance reports – State offices

PREVIOUSLY: Senate and Congress For the first time in awhile that I can remember, there’s not really a state or statewide legislative race generating much interest in Harris County. The candidates and incumbents for the Court of Appeals benches have … Continue reading

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On rooftop solar

There are a couple of things to consider as you read this. Texas ranks third in the country in electricity generation from small-scale solar, including rooftop solar, trailing California and Arizona, according to the Energy Information Administration. (The federal office … Continue reading

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