Author Archives: Charles Kuffner

A more general look at ransomware attacks

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This WaPo story, which I found by googling around for more news on the Dallas ransomware attack, has some great general information on this recent plague, which I thought you’d find useful as well. The ransomware attacks that pose a … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for June 4

Posted on June 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

“The Disney Vault Is Back for the Streaming Age and It’s Worse Than Ever”. “It’s no surprise that queer students in Republican-dominated states where these laws have passed are profoundly impacted. But less visible is the dramatic effect the steady … Continue reading →

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Impeachment in the Senate

Posted on June 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Long Trib story about what to expect when the Senate finally takes up the impeachment trial of Ken Paxton. The Senate plans to consider impeachment rules on June 20 and to start the trial by Aug. 28. Yet there are … Continue reading →

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Maybe giving a millionaire his own government wasn’t the best idea

Posted on June 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This story is absolutely bonkers. In 2019, the city of Dripping Springs was finalizing plans for a new pipeline to move wastewater from its busy north end to a regional treatment plant on the south. Half a decade in the … Continue reading →

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Hammerhead flatworms

Posted on June 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

What fresh hell is this? They can grow up to 15 inches long, multiply when cut in half and are poisonous when eaten by pets and other animals. People across social media have reported seeing hammerhead flatworms in Texas this year and are … Continue reading →

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Paxton’s defense team

Posted on June 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I feel slightly weird about this. Six top officials and employees at the Texas attorney general’s office have taken a leave of absence to help defend suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton in his impeachment trial this summer. Those employees are … Continue reading →

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Superintendent Miles hits the ground running

Posted on June 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We should expect a lot of this. Mike Miles wasted little time Thursday before imposing major changes to the Houston Independent School District he now oversees, launching a plan to reconstitute 29 struggling campuses that forces employees to reapply for their jobs but … Continue reading →

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Special election for Slaton’s seat set

Posted on June 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that Nov. 7 will be the date of a special election to fill the seat of disgraced former state Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City. The House voted to expel Slaton less than a … Continue reading →

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Mike Miles and the Board of Managers

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s official. Former Dallas ISD superintendent Mike Miles − described as a military-minded leader who pushes reform − is the state’s choice for the new Houston ISD superintendent. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath announced his long-rumored decision Thursday morning, the … Continue reading →

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DeGuerin and Hardin to prosecute Paxton

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Prominent lawyers Dick DeGuerin and Rusty Hardin will serve as lead prosecutors for the Texas House in the Senate impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton. The two Houston-based defense attorneys, introduced at a Capitol news conference Thursday, … Continue reading →

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Dispatches from Dallas, June 2 edition

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. In DFW-area news this week, we’ll be talking about Ken Paxton, who’s local to Collin County, updates on the Dallas ransomware problem, trouble in … Continue reading →

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Abbott names former SOS John Scott as temporary AG

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I honestly wasn’t sure he was going to bother with this. Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday appointed Fort Worth lawyer and former Secretary of State John Scott as interim Texas attorney general, temporarily replacing Ken Paxton, who was suspended as … Continue reading →

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How bad is the “Death Star” bill going to be?

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll soon be finding out. House Bill 2127 has been approved by the state House and Senate, and Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign it any day. Crafted by state Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock), the bill aims to create a statewide, uniform set … Continue reading →

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“Near normal” hurricane season this year

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good news, bad news. Texas and the rest of the Gulf and East coasts are most likely to see a “near-normal” hurricane season this year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Federal forecasters are predicting between 12 and … Continue reading →

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What will Angela do?

Posted on May 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is a good and balanced article about one of the people who will sit in judgment of Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate: his wife, Angela Paxton. When it came time for the high school teacher and guidance counselor … Continue reading →

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Ogg draws a primary challenger

Posted on May 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. A former Harris County prosecutor, Sean Teare, who left the district attorney’s office in February is running to unseat his longtime boss, District Attorney Kim Ogg in the Democratic primary, depicting her tenure as one riddled with mistakes. … Continue reading →

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State moves to buy Fairfield State Park

Posted on May 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This would be a fitting end to this saga. Texas isn’t giving up on saving Fairfield Lake State Park, a 1,820-acre park that operated on leased land for decades until the owner sold it earlier this year. On Thursday, Texas … Continue reading →

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Two thoughts on the whole impeachment thing

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start with the obvious, which is the “Why now?” question. A lot of people seem to be mystified. Why, after nearly a decade of Ken Paxton’s criming, did the House General Investigations Committee decide to go all scorched earth … Continue reading →

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Meet your Paxton prosecutors

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s officially handed over to the Senate now. The Texas House on Monday named 12 of its members to prosecute its case against impeached Attorney General Ken Paxton in the state Senate. The House announced a Republican-majority board of managers … Continue reading →

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TikTok sues Montana over its ban

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Worth keeping an eye on. TikTok sued the state of Montana Monday in an effort to overturn a first-of-its-kind law banning downloads of the app in the state. The lawsuit, which comes on the heels of other suits filed by Montanan TikTok creators, alleges the … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of May 29

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance honors and remembers those who lost their lives serving in the military as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Post-impeachment pre-trial roundup

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Some more links of interest relating to the Paxton impeachment-a-thon. I suspect that as more reporters and columnists read the House General Investigations Committee’s report we will see more stories that zoom in on the particulars of his offenses. For … Continue reading →

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Yet another Dallas ransomware update

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’re three weeks out, how are things going? Three weeks after Dallas was hit with a ransomware attack, city officials still haven’t publicly explained the full scope of the breach or the city’s progress toward restoration. The ransomware attack hit May … Continue reading →

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Cruise cars spotted in the wild

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

There I was at the WalMart on Yale this week, with my parents, and what did I see but this: Yes, it’s a Cruise car, charging up in the parking lot. We knew that at least initially they will have … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for May 28

Posted on May 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

“According to a new study in the Nature journal Scientific Reports, composting food scraps results in 38 to 84 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than tossing them in landfills. Unlike trash in landfills, compost heaps are watered and turned, which … Continue reading →

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House impeaches Paxton

Posted on May 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

For the third time in as many days, I say Wow. In a history-making late-afternoon vote, a divided Texas House chose Saturday to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton, temporarily removing him from office over allegations of misconduct that included bribery … Continue reading →

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A tale of two elections bills

Posted on May 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The good news. Texas lawmakers have voted to reverse an expensive state law requiring election officials to replace all their current vote-counting equipment with technology that doesn’t exist. An unprecedented mandate the Legislature passed in 2021, without fully realizing its … Continue reading →

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Superintendent House’s last day

Posted on May 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

He’s out of there. Houston ISD Superintendent Millard House II is marking his last day in the office as the head of Texas’ largest school system on Friday, according to Mayor Sylvester Turner, nearly a week before the Texas Education … Continue reading →

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Impeach-a-palooza

Posted on May 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The impeachment debate in the House will happen today. The Texas House intends to take up a resolution to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton at 1 p.m. Saturday, according to a memo from the House General Investigating Committee. Citing Paxton’s “long-standing pattern of abuse of … Continue reading →

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A trio of candidate announcements

Posted on May 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Molly Cook, Emergency Room Nurse and Community Organizer, Announces Second Run for Texas Senate District 15 Molly Cook (she/her) is running again for Texas Senate District 15 in the 2024 Elections. Since the primaries in March 2022, … Continue reading →

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No more vehicle inspections

Posted on May 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I didn’t know about this one. Texas legislators have approved a bill to eliminate annual vehicle safety inspections, meaning automobile registration renewals would never again be contingent on the state of a motorist’s windshield wipers or fuel cap. The Texas … Continue reading →

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House General Investigations Committee votes to impeach Paxton

Posted on May 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Once again, I say Wow. In an unprecedented move, a Texas House committee voted Thursday to recommend that Attorney General Ken Paxton be impeached and removed from office, citing a yearslong pattern of alleged misconduct and lawbreaking that investigators detailed … Continue reading →

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Harris County to sue over those two new election laws

Posted on May 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I wish I felt more optimistic about this. Harris County will file a lawsuit challenging two Republican-backed election bills headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk, County Attorney Christian Menefee announced Wednesday. At issue are two measures that apply only to Harris County, including one that abolishes … Continue reading →

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Dispatches from Dallas, May 26 edition

Posted on May 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week, in DFW-area news, another smorgasbord, including the ongoing effects of the ransomware attacks, runoff elections, the aftermath of the Allen mall shooting, … Continue reading →

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