Author Archives: Charles Kuffner

Endorsement watch: I had totally forgotten who her opponent is

Posted on October 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Teneshia Hudspeth for a full term as Harris County Clerk. As the parent of a young child, Teneshia Hudspeth is familiar with the back-to-school rush for documents, including birth certificates. For families without reliable internet access, that … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: I had totally forgotten who her opponent is

The Biden marijuana pardons

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A pretty big deal. Calling the criminalization of marijuana a “failed approach,” President Joe Biden announced a pardon of all federal marijuana possession charges Thursday — and urged governors to follow suit with state-level convictions for marijuana possession. The federal … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

City news release website hacked

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Looking for a mail-order Russian bride or wondering how to order a school term paper online? Or maybe you want to improve your slot machine skills by playing online casino games. The city of Houston’s official website for news releases has you covered. The page on Wednesday morning … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on City news release website hacked

Our big mail ballot test is now underway

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sure hope we do better this time. Harris County officials on Monday urged residents to follow the correct mail voting guidance as the end-of-the-month deadline to apply for mail-in ballots for the 2022 midterm elections nears. This year’s primary elections … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Our big mail ballot test is now underway

The nightmare hurricane scenario

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry, but we have to think about it. Eric Berger, meteorologist, Space City Weather editor and senior space editor at Ars Technica, said when it comes to hurricanes there are three principal threats to worry about: storm surge, winds and … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Telemundo and Asian Texans For Justice polls

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Saw this on Twitter: NEW: The latest Telemundo poll shows a majority of Texas Latinos favor Beto for Governor: @BetoORourke: 54% @GregAbbott_TX: 31% This is BIG news. — Antonio Arellano (@AntonioArellano) 11:42 AM – 28 September 2022 In the comments … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Evade this, Kenny

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Paxton gets ordered to testify, along with an old-fashioned bench slapping. A federal judge has ordered Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to testify in an abortion rights lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman had previously quashed the subpoena, which Paxton … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Evade this, Kenny

So did Ron DeSantis break Texas law or not?

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A couple of lawyers try to figure it out. Bexar County, Texas Sheriff Javier Salazar has announced a criminal investigation into Venezuelan migrants being induced in San Antonio to board chartered planes and flown to Martha’s Vineyard. Florida Governor Ron … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on So did Ron DeSantis break Texas law or not?

Texas blog roundup for the week of October 3

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance wishes all obstacles could be batted aside with a NASA satellite as it brings you this week’s roundup. Off the Kuff follows up his mockery of Ken Paxton with a note about what Paxton was really … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , | Comments Off on Texas blog roundup for the week of October 3

Endorsement watch: You have to want it first

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Duncan Klussman in CD38, partly by default. When we gave Wesley Hunt our endorsement in the Republican primary, he made it clear he’d rather go without it. Now, in the general election, we are more than happy to oblige him. Democratic challenger Duncan … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: You have to want it first

Interview with Luke Warford

Posted on October 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Railroad Commission is that office where you always have to explain to normal people that it has nothing to do with its name. No trains, just energy, especially oil and gas leasing and inspections and other things. Including … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Judicial Q&A: Ted Wood

Posted on October 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. This year it’s mostly incumbents running for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Judicial Q&A: Ted Wood

The professional vote-deniers are out there

Posted on October 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They’re probing the systems for weaknesses, a line that reminds me of the velociraptors in the original Jurassic Park. Except that the ‘raptors were sleek and efficient predators, while these guys are basically Pennywise with canned scripts and a huge … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

That US Soccer report on abuse allegations in the NWSL

Posted on October 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a lot, and as the head of US Soccer says, it’s just the first step. The independent investigation into player abuse in women’s professional soccer found a long list of failures by National Women’s Soccer League coaches and executives, … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on That US Soccer report on abuse allegations in the NWSL

Judicial Q&A: Justice Julie Countiss

Posted on October 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. This year it’s mostly incumbents running for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

At least one local voter purge effort has been thwarted

Posted on October 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

For now, at least. Like flies to garbage, though, you know they’ll be back for more. The Harris County Elections Administrator’s Office received a flood of affidavits this summer challenging the eligibility of thousands of registered voters throughout the county, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tell me again why we’re encouraging all these crypto-miners to come to Texas

Posted on October 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Seriously, what are we doing here? Cryptocurrency miners are accelerating their push to expand in Texas far beyond what authorities had initially expected, threatening to send the state’s electricity use skyrocketing. Enough miners have applied to connect to Texas’s power … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Endorsement watch: Starting out with Susan

Posted on October 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron kicks off endorsement season with a fulsome recommendation of Susan Hays for Ag Commissioner. Hays, 53, lives in Alpine, where she and her husband purchased land several years ago to grow hemp and hops. Her background is as … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: Starting out with Susan

Interview with Susan Hays

Posted on October 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s time for some interviews with statewide candidates. It’s hard to say which of the Republican statewide incumbents is the worst and most in need of being unelected – they all have strong cases, and there’s always something worse to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Judicial Q&A: Judge Toria Finch

Posted on October 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. This year it’s mostly incumbents running for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Judicial Q&A: Judge Toria Finch

You can add “incompetent” to “corrupt” when describing Ken Paxton

Posted on October 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t say this is a surprise, but it is shocking. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s staff this month quietly dropped a series of human trafficking and child sexual assault cases after losing track of one of the victims, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on You can add “incompetent” to “corrupt” when describing Ken Paxton

Somehow, there is a national carbon dioxide shortage

Posted on October 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

And it is affecting breweries. Carbon dioxide has no taste, no odor, and no color — but it’s a vital ingredient in the beer business, from putting frothy bubbles in brews to blocking oxidization that makes beer taste stale. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Somehow, there is a national carbon dioxide shortage

Weekend link dump for October 2

Posted on October 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

“Whether The Jetsons was a blueprint for the future or simply a prediction of it, it foreshadowed many of the products and services we now use today.” “Fifty years ago this spring, I was on the original daytime show with … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | Comments Off on Weekend link dump for October 2

Fifth Circuit does its thing with appeal of voter purge case

Posted on October 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Get out the rubber stamp. A federal appeals court has ruled that Texas does not need to release details about a list of 11,737 registered voters whom the state has identified as potential noncitizens. The U.S. Court of Appeals for … Continue reading →

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

The Paxton subpoena-fleeing saga gets more ridiculous

Posted on October 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Because of course it does. Lawyers in an abortion lawsuit tried for days to subpoena Attorney General Ken Paxton before sending a process server to his home Monday, and notified his office that their server was there before Paxton fled … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Paxton subpoena-fleeing saga gets more ridiculous

More on the lawsuit against True The Vote

Posted on October 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

NPR takes a deep dive. Konnech, a small Michigan company that makes election logistics software, says a “smear campaign” whipped up by the controversial group True the Vote has led to death threats and forced the company’s CEO to leave … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More on the lawsuit against True The Vote

White Oak bike trail extension: I think we’re done now?

Posted on October 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

When we last looked about a month ago, it was clear that the construction on the White Oak Bike Trail extension was almost done, as there was just a small amount of concrete to be poured to connect the trail … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on White Oak bike trail extension: I think we’re done now?

Texas to appeal that ridiculous ruling that forbade banning handgun sales to those under 21

Posted on October 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Now we’ll see if their heart is in it. Texas is gearing up to fight a judge’s ruling that the state can’t ban adults under 21 from carrying handguns, a move that’s drawing anger from some gun rights groups. … Continue reading →

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

In case you needed a clear example of the moral depravity of the “right to life” movement

Posted on October 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

So a couple of days ago State Sen. Robert Nichols, who has a consistent anti-abortion voting record, said at the Texas Tribune Festival that he would be willing to add a rape exception to Texas’ extremely strict forced birth laws. … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on In case you needed a clear example of the moral depravity of the “right to life” movement

Metro looks beyond parking lots for its park and rides

Posted on October 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I like the idea. It will need some careful thought and planning, but the idea seems to be on the right track to me. The Metropolitan Transit Authority spent decades developing a network of parking lots where drivers could leave … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Metro looks beyond parking lots for its park and rides

Too many bicyclists die on the roads around here

Posted on October 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We should be more upset about this. More than 100 bicyclists have died on Harris County roads over the past five years, according to data from the Texas Department of Transportation. A Chronicle analysis of TxDOT roadway crash data found … Continue reading →

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

Interview with Amy Hinojosa

Posted on September 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We wrap up with my second Harris County Department of Education trustee interview. HCDE races are at the bottom of the ballot, the office and its trustees are usually not in the public limelight, and many people don’t know much … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

CCA tells Paxton again that he’s not the supreme prosecutor

Posted on September 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good, but this isn’t over. It just means that the fight will have shifted. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s last-ditch attempt to regain the power of his office to unilaterally prosecute election cases was rejected by the state’s highest criminal … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on CCA tells Paxton again that he’s not the supreme prosecutor

Uvalde parents file lawsuit against multiple defendants

Posted on September 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Keep an eye on this one. The first major lawsuit has been filed over the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde by the families of three surviving students. “The horrors of May 24, 2022, were only possible because … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Uvalde parents file lawsuit against multiple defendants