Author Archives: Charles Kuffner

On solving the crimes

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is a nice profile of Precinct One Deputy Constable Joe Bowden, who is good at his job. His specialty is solving bike thefts, and I want to highlight this bit that shows him in action, and then share some … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

County criminal court judge arrested on domestic violence charge

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Not great. Deputies in Galveston arrested a Harris County district court judge on New Year’s Eve following a domestic violence allegation, according to authorities. Frank Aguilar, the elected jurist in the 228th District Court, was arrested by Galveston County Sheriff’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on County criminal court judge arrested on domestic violence charge

Judicial Q&A: Allison Jackson Mathis

Posted on January 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

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

The ever-expanding Mexican abortion option

Posted on January 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating stuff. One last-minute round-trip flight from Biloxi, Mississippi, to Cancún, Mexico, runs about $171 USD; three nights at a three-star hotel there can cost as little as $129. A three-day car rental in the resort town rings in at … Continue reading →

Posted in Around the world | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The ever-expanding Mexican abortion option

Mayor Whitmire inaugurated

Posted on January 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations and best wishes to the new Mayor. Former state Sen. John Whitmire was sworn in as Houston’s 63rd mayor just after midnight Monday in a private ceremony with family and friends at City Hall. Judge Victor Trevino III conducted … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Paxton still desperately trying to avoid being deposed

Posted on January 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

And still failing. The Texas Third Court of Appeals denied Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request for an emergency stay of impending depositions in the whistleblower lawsuit that sparked his impeachment this year, according to a Wednesday court filing. The whistleblower … Continue reading →

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

“The Shows That Got Away”

Posted on January 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

What are your great musical regrets? If you’ve been going to live music concerts for any length of time, you know the pain. The pain and misery of knowing a performer or band is coming to town, thinking about going … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Weekend link dump for December 31

Posted on December 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

“5 Big Ideas for Improving the Endangered Species Act”. “It might seem fantastical that these men would open up about their law-breaking to random strangers on a dating app, but the fact is, few women want to talk to them … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Southern Baptist Convention settles Paul Pressler sexual abuse lawsuit

Posted on December 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

A big deal. The Southern Baptist Convention and others have reached a confidential settlement in a high-profile lawsuit that accused a former leader of sexual assault, ending a six-year legal drama that helped prompt a broader reckoning over child sexual … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Southern Baptist Convention settles Paul Pressler sexual abuse lawsuit

Another step forward for flying cars

Posted on December 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Excuse me, “air taxis”. Researchers are one step closer to integrating air taxis and other electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles into the country’s busiest airports, thanks to a new air traffic simulation developed by NASA’s Ames Research Center … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Another step forward for flying cars

Whitmire officially resigns from the Senate

Posted on December 30, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Let the election-palooza to replace him begin! Mayor-elect John Whitmire has submitted his resignation from the Texas Senate days before he will take over the state’s largest city. Whitmire, the Senate’s longest tenured member, served for 50 years under seven … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Whitmire officially resigns from the Senate

The problem of inadequate police responses to mass shootings is national

Posted on December 30, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

More great reporting from ProPublica, The Texas Tribune, and FRONTLINE on how police departments across the country have no idea how to react to mass shootings. During an October conference to prepare law enforcement for dealing with an active shooter, … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It’s a matter of trust

Posted on December 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is a long story that recaps what incoming Mayor John Whitmire promised to do as Mayor, with a bit of analysis about how and when he might try to do them. It’s a good review for anyone who slept … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Time once again to recycle your Christmas tree

Posted on December 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Speaking of annual traditions… Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) encourages residents to recycle live Christmas trees after the holidays. This holiday season, assist the City of Houston in diverting landfill waste by repurposing your live Christmas tree into mulch … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Time once again to recycle your Christmas tree

Dispatches from Dallas, December 29 edition

Posted on December 29, 2023 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 a lot of followup on big stories as the end of the year approaches. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Dispatches from Dallas, December 29 edition

A crime threefer

Posted on December 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Houston on pace to post 20% decline in homicides in 2023 Houston’s homicide rate is down 20% compared to the year before, outpacing a historic decline in killings nationwide. The city logged 339 homicides thorough Dec. 18, down from 425 … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Ampelognathus coheni

Posted on December 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Of all of the potentially attainable achievements I could imagine for my life, finding a new dinosaur fossil seems like the coolest. A new dog-sized dinosaur species has been discovered after a small fossil of a jawbone was found outside … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Ampelognathus coheni

Texas blog roundup for the week of December 25

Posted on December 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance hears sleigh bells ring-a-ling and jing-ting-ting-a-ling as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , | Comments Off on Texas blog roundup for the week of December 25

Precinct analysis: City Props A and B

Posted on December 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Mayor’s race Controller’s race Harris Health bond referendum At Large #1 At Large #2 At Large #3 At Large #4 At Large #5 Finishing up with the two citywide ballot propositions. The first one, Prop A, established that three … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Precinct analysis: City Props A and B

RIP, hyperloops

Posted on December 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It was fun while it lasted. Hyperloop One, the futuristic transportation startup that promised to whisk us through nearly airless tubes at airline speeds, is shutting down, according to Bloomberg. The company is selling off its assets, closing down its … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on RIP, hyperloops

A brief update on the Democratic Senate primary

Posted on December 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Just a couple of thoughts. If money is any indication, the crowded contest to challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz next year is Democrat Colin Allred’s to lose. The congressman from Dallas has set campaign fundraising records and outpaced his closest … Continue reading →

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

Realignment roundup

Posted on December 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

You can officially put a bow on the PAC 12. Oregon State and Washington State have come to an agreement in principle with the 10 departing Pac-12 universities that will end ongoing litigation related to control of the conference, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Realignment roundup

Say goodbye to 2023, Mel Torme

Posted on December 25, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

As I mentioned yesterday, we do have some traditions at this here weblog, and the Mel Torme Christmas story is one of them. 2023 was a year, that’s for sure, and 2024, well, we’d probably do best to keep our … Continue reading →

Posted in Websurfing | Tagged , | Comments Off on Say goodbye to 2023, Mel Torme

Weekend link dump for December 24

Posted on December 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus… “Even at this early stage, it’s a safe bet that Tesla’s design choices for the Cybertruck will not reduce American crash deaths, and they may increase them. And if the vehicle does … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | Comments Off on Weekend link dump for December 24

Christmas Eve video break: It’s the time of the season

Posted on December 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Time once again for a revered tradition around here, the best reading of “A Visit From Saint Nicholas”: As noted before, I’ve been posting this for over a decade, I watch it every year, and it remains one of my … Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | Tagged , | Comments Off on Christmas Eve video break: It’s the time of the season

What would it take to prove the existence of Bigfoot?

Posted on December 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Monthly’s Lauren Larson visits the annual Texas Bigfoot Conference and asks the important question. [Michael Mayes, a schoolteacher and author of Valley of the Apes: The Search for Sasquatch in Area X] introduces a question that has preoccupied investigators … Continue reading →

Posted in Skepticism, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Christmas trees and climate change

Posted on December 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry to be a grinch. Christmas tree breeder Jim Rockis knows what it looks like when one dies long before it can reach a buyer. Rockis farms trees in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, where he and other producers often grow … Continue reading →

Posted in National news, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Christmas trees and climate change

Someday the 2022 election will end

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Today is not that day. Tomorrow doesn’t look so good either. It’s an Election Day mishap that will sound familiar to Harris County residents. Voters in Pennsylvania’s Luzerne County temporarily were unable to cast ballots in the 2022 midterm election … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Someday the 2022 election will end

Fifth Circuit slaps down “bad faith” obscenity prosecution

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is fascinating. An appeals court on Monday blocked a Texas district attorney from pursuing child pornography charges against Netflix for showing the French film “Cuties.” In a 3-0 ruling, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Crypto ATM data breach

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. People who used Coin Cloud cryptocurrency ATMs — a brand that was installed in some H-E-B stores beginning in 2021 — may have had their personal information compromised by hackers. The San … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Crypto ATM data breach

Gillespie County to hand count primary ballots

Posted on December 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Some lessons need to be learned the hard way. When Gillespie County Republicans conduct their primary in March, they will count votes in an ill-advised way: by hand, using scores of volunteers, without any machines. Even if they can pull … Continue reading →

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

Seattle Children’s Hospital sues Texas Attorney General over trans patient records

Posted on December 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Seattle Children’s Hospital has sued the Texas Office of the Attorney General to block the release of patient information after the agency sent the Washington-based health care system an investigative subpoena demanding … Continue reading →

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

Get ready for a shorter summer

Posted on December 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Your HISD student will be back in school before you know it. Houston ISD is poised to begin the upcoming school year more than two weeks earlier than usual after the Board of Managers voted last week to make HISD … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Get ready for a shorter summer

Paxton and aides ordered to sit for depositions on whistleblower trial

Posted on December 21, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A Travis County district judge has ordered Attorney General Ken Paxton and three top aides to sit for depositions in the 3-year-old whistleblower lawsuit against him. At a hearing Wednesday in Austin, Judge Jan Soifer granted the whistleblowers’ motion … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Paxton and aides ordered to sit for depositions on whistleblower trial