Category Archives: The great state of Texas

The Texas 2036 poll

Posted on January 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Texa 2036 is a new (to me, anyway) organization with a mission “to enable Texans to make policy decisions through accessible data, long-term planning and statewide engagement”. Mostly, they seem like good-government-through-good-data types who favor things like public education and … Continue reading →

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

Of course some anti-vaxx groups got PPP funds

Posted on January 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Completely on brand. Texas-based anti-vaccine organization Informed Consent Action Network was among five anti-vaccine groups that collectively received more than $850,000 in federal loans from the Paycheck Protection Program, the Washington Post reported Monday. The organization received $166,000 in May 2020, … Continue reading →

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

Beware the renewable energy disinformation

Posted on January 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s out there, in more ways than one. David Dunagan doesn’t want a 760-acre solar power plant to be built across his fenceline. The Old Jackson Power Plant will replace farmland in Van Zandt County with gleaming, metal panels. Though … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

More vaccination hubs

Posted on January 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Keep ’em coming. State health officials Saturday announced 79 hub providers that are expected to receive allotments of COVID-19 vaccines this week, including newly designated hubs in some suburbs of Houston. The hub providers include two in Galveston County, one … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More vaccination hubs

Vaccine roundup

Posted on January 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few news stories (and a Twitter thread) of interest from recent days. How do you get a COVID-19 vaccine? In Texas’ rollout, it’s a game of luck and chance Still, the contrast shows just how sharp and seemingly … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Abbott speaks about the vaccination effort

Posted on January 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s going great! We swear! More than 877,000 Texans have received a COVID-19 vaccine since they first began arriving in Texas nearly four weeks ago, and that number is expected to increase by at least 50,000 more per day, Gov. … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Abbott speaks about the vaccination effort

A parting gift of pollution

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Gee, thanks. Texas may soon get authority over the disposal of ash from coal-fired power plants, a change that could insulate coal companies from tougher rules expected under a Biden administration. A proposal introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A parting gift of pollution

How’s the vaccine rollout going?

Posted on January 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not very quickly. Top Texas officials again urged health care providers to administer more coronavirus vaccines Tuesday, the same day the state reported that the proportion of Texans whose coronavirus tests come back positive has hit levels not seen since … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A new high in hospitalizations

Posted on December 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is fine. The Texas Department of State Health Services reported Monday a pandemic high 11,351 hospitalizations from COVID-19. This surpasses the previous all-time high of 10,893, which occurred on July 22. The record comes in the midst of a … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Hunting hogs from hot air balloons

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Not as popular as hoped. Turns out, hunting feral hogs from a hot air balloon is not all that popular in Texas. Three years after state lawmakers approved the high-flying hunts, no balloon company has gotten a permit, according to … Continue reading →

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

Too much virus, not enough treatment

Posted on December 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Still a bad combination. Three weeks after Gov. Greg Abbott visited Lubbock to celebrate new antibody treatments amid a surge of infections, the city remains in crisis. Its two main hospitals had nearly two dozen patients waiting for beds Friday, … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Too much virus, not enough treatment

Next in line for the vaccine

Posted on December 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Attention will shift to more vulnerable populations. Texans who are 65 years old and older, and those who are at least 16 with certain chronic medical conditions will be next in line for the COVID-19 vaccine, the Texas Department of … Continue reading →

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

We still need more than the vaccines

Posted on December 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The vaccines are great, don’t get me wrong, and they couldn’t have come at a better time, but they’re going to take awhile to be administered, and in the meantime a whole lot of people are still getting sick and … Continue reading →

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

Can we get enough people vaccinated?

Posted on December 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s going to take a lot of work. In poll after poll, alarming numbers say they don’t plan to be inoculated with the vaccine, whose 95 percent efficacy rate in trials exceeded everyone’s expectations. It’s scientists’ nightmare: create one of … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Here comes the vaccine

Posted on December 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Houston’s first doses have arrived. Months of waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine to arrive in Houston are almost — but not quite — over, as hospitals prepare to move the first doses from sealed subzero shipments and into the arms … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Here comes the vaccine

The regional COVID situation

Posted on December 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Not great, Bob. COVID-19 is surging across southeast Texas, especially in the suburban counties outside of Houston, which have seen a steady increase in the number of new cases, data show. Galveston, Chambers, Brazoria, Liberty, and Montgomery counties have all … Continue reading →

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

The bar conundrum

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Halloween this year in downtown Austin was a raucous affair. Nightclubs advertised dancing and drink specials. Thousands of people crowded 6th Street, partying shoulder to shoulder, some with masks and some without. All of this happened as bars in … Continue reading →

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

What happens when there’s no room for the sick people?

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s already happening in some parts of Texas, mostly out west. Presidio and Brewster counties, home to Marfa and Big Bend, along with nearby Culberson County, lead the state in cases per 1,000 residents in the last two weeks, according … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Even the White House thinks Texas sucks at COVID response

Posted on December 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I mean… The White House Coronavirus Task Force says Texas is in the swing of a “full resurgence” of COVID-19 and the state’s mitigation efforts “must intensify,” while Gov. Greg Abbott and other leaders decline to take some of the … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

More on DPS and data protection

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

A followup from the DMN about that data breach involving every drivers license number you’ve ever had. Some other states do not sell [drivers’ license] data, but Texas does. State lawmakers could change the law in their 2021 session. I … Continue reading →

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

Crossing a red line

Posted on November 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Will Greg Abbott notice? North Texas crossed a critical threshold in the number of hospital patients fighting COVID-19 that could trigger bar closings and lower occupancies at stores and restaurants if such cases don’t decrease within a week. With more … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

The vaccine distribution challenge

Posted on November 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Having a vaccine for COVID-19 is wonderful. Being able to make it available to everyone who needs it is a big challenge. With cases spiking to over 10 million, the virus is everywhere, and spreading deeply into every corner of … Continue reading →

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

An ounce of cure

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s certainly nice to have this, it’s just that there isn’t nearly enough of it. Texas has received 5,800 doses of the newly approved coronavirus treatment that Gov. Greg Abbott heralded on Thursday and will receive even less next week, … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on An ounce of cure

DPS needs to do better with data protection

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. You’ve been hacked. We’ve all been hacked. No one else has said it, but The Watchdog will. This is likely the largest and one of the more significant data breaches ever to hit Texans. About 27.7 million Texas driver’s … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Prevention > treatment

Posted on November 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, more treatments for COVID is a good thing, but you know what’s better? Not getting COVID in the first place. Maybe we can try doing better on that? Gov. Greg Abbott traveled to Lubbock on Thursday to tout … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Greg Abbott has no interest in fighting COVID

Posted on November 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It is what it is at this point. On June 26, Texas was reporting 5,102 people had been hospitalized due to the coronavirus, breaking a new record for the state. The positivity rate — the portion of tests that come … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Who’s concerned about the state’s coronavirus spike?

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Not Greg Abbott, or Dan Patrick, or Ken Paxton, that’s for sure. The Oregon governor is calling it a “freeze.” In New Mexico, it’s a “reset.” Across the country, state elected officials are frantically rolling back their reopening plans to … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

We’re number one (million)!

Posted on November 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

One million COVID cases in Texas. Hooray? Texas’ grim distinction as the national leader in terms of COVID-19 infections came as little surprise to some local medical experts, who blamed politicians for conflicting messages about the virus and warned the … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Will Greg Abbott ever talk about COVID-19 again?

Posted on October 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Signs point to No. On Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott knocked on doors in the Fort Worth suburbs, fist-bumping with police officers and warning residents that Democrats want to raise their taxes. That night, he opened Game 2 of the World … Continue reading →

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

So what’s up with that National Guard story?

Posted on October 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Hell, I don’t know. Governors can deploy troops for numerous reasons, from natural disasters to border security. But observers found it rare to the point of extraordinary when the Texas National Guard revealed that Gov. Greg Abbott has directed troops … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 44 Comments

“On the cusp” of another COVID surge

Posted on October 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The numbers are already trending up. You know what that means. Cases of COVID-19 in parts of Texas surged to near catastrophic levels this summer as some hospitals were forced to put beds in hallways, intensive care units exceeded capacity … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on “On the cusp” of another COVID surge

Don’t look now, but COVID numbers are ticking up again

Posted on October 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

In the state as a whole. Texas reported more than 4,100 people hospitalized with the coronavirus on Wednesday, its largest total in six weeks and one that comes amid rising infections in El Paso and North Texas. Hospitalizations hit a … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Don’t look now, but COVID numbers are ticking up again

Abbott to allow bars to reopen

Posted on October 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Sort of. It’s kind of the most Abbott thing ever. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that bars in Texas can reopen for in-person service next week — as long as their county governments choose to allow it. Effective Oct. 14, … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Abbott to allow bars to reopen

And so the re-reopening begins

Posted on September 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Are we really ready for this? Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday that most of Texas will be able to loosen some coronavirus restrictions, including letting many businesses increase their capacity to 75%, as soon as Monday. Retail stores, restaurants and … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments