Category Archives: The great state of Texas

Where Texans got their Obamacare information

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Baker Institute tells us. While most Texans used healthcare.gov earlier this year to get information or to enroll in a health insurance plan under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), larger percentages of Texans found talking to the call center … Continue reading →

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Mayor Parker for pot reform

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The list of people who think it’s time to talk about reforming our drug laws keeps growing. Add Houston Mayor Annise Parker to the growing list of officials calling for a new approach to the nation’s drug laws, especially when … Continue reading →

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UTMB continues to do well post-Ike

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see. The morning after Hurricane Ike crashed into Galveston Island six years ago, David Callender surveyed the sea of mud coating the 84-acre University of Texas Medical Branch campus. The UTMB president saw oak tree limbs blocking the … Continue reading →

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A home where the Texas State Bison Herd can roam

Posted on August 31, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Very cool. It was a little confusing at first, but the bison at Caprock Canyons State Park are settling into a pasture that’s 10 times what they were used to — basically the entire park. Park staff opened up 10,000 … Continue reading →

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Two environmental stories

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news, and some bad news. The bad news: We have an oyster shortage. Add an oyster shortage in Texas Gulf Coast to the problems exacerbated by the state’s years-long drought. But Texas’ dry spell isn’t the only reason … Continue reading →

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San Antonio has begun curbside recycling of plastic bags

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As of August 1, to be exact. “We are starting with a new recycling processor that can accept the bags so that allows us to add it to the list of items we can accept,” [Solid Waste Management Department Public … Continue reading →

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Ivy Taylor named interim SA Mayor

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations, Madam Mayor. The City Council appointed Councilwoman Ivy Taylor to become San Antonio’s next mayor. She did not win a majority of the council vote, as her colleagues split 5-3 over her and Councilman Ray Lopez. Lopez then withdrew … Continue reading →

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Wonkblog on Texas cities’ efforts to combat payday lenders

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s always nice when the national media notices something positive happening in Texas instead of the usual. Four years ago, ACE Cash Express was the company that turned Dallas Council member Jerry Allen into the payday loan industry’s worst enemy. … Continue reading →

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San Antonio’s “Little India”

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I love stories like this. On a recent Saturday morning, about two dozen men in team jerseys gathered on grounds in the far North Side with their kits of helmets, bats and protective gear, pumped to play cricket. The scoreboard … Continue reading →

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Going where the payday lenders are

Posted on July 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The most frequent defense I hear of payday lenders it that there’s a demand for the kind of short-term low-dollar loans that they provide that aren’t provided by other financial institutions, and even if they were those institutions don’t exist … Continue reading →

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We don’t need no (sex) education

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the state of Texas leading the nation in yet another unflattering category. In Texas and across the country, the rate of teenage births has declined significantly since its peak in 1991. Birth rates among teenagers in Texas dropped 43 … Continue reading →

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White return flight

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Some interesting demographic trends going on. Between 2000 and 2010, [Harris] county, like much of the U.S., saw a sharp decline of its white population, losing about 12 percent of Anglos or about 83,000 people. The drop mirrors demographic shifts … Continue reading →

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We really need to do better on vaccinations

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Cherise Rohr-Allegrini, PhD, MPH and self-proclaimed “crunchy granola hippie”, writes in the Rivard Report about how we are letting infectious diseases regain a foothold. In 1998, the World Health Organization declared that measles would be eradicated worldwide by 2007. In … Continue reading →

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Make sure you check for zebra mussels

Posted on July 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

New boating rules are in effect in an effort to combat the spread of zebra mussels. Starting on [July 1], boaters are going to have to take an extra step to clean their vessels if they want to cruise around … Continue reading →

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The Mexican abortion option, one year later

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Exactly as predicted. The Alamo flea market sits right off South Texas’s lengthy Highway 83; a sprawling, dusty, labyrinth of a place. Under canopies in the converted parking lot, vendors in dark sunglasses stand behind tables heaped with piles of … Continue reading →

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On e-cigarettes

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the Rivard Report: After a 2011 ordinance banned indoor smoking in public places around San Antonio, some smokers were left trying to find options to leave tobacco behind. In the ensuing three years, electronic cigarettes and vaporizers have seen … Continue reading →

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A poison plan for feral hogs?

Posted on June 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It could work, though probably not any time soon. A preservative used to cure bacon is being tested as poison for the nation’s estimated 5 million feral hogs. […] The USDA program that began in April includes $1.5 million for … Continue reading →

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The people who signed up for insurance via Obamacare got themselves a pretty good deal

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It worked the way it was supposed to work, in other words. Texans who received financial assistance to purchase health coverage through the federal insurance exchange are paying less in monthly premiums than individuals in most other states using that … Continue reading →

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Billboards above the trees

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Is this really necessary? In the latest conflict, billboard opponents are objecting to a proposed policy change that would allow billboards as high as 65 feet – taller than a typical six-story building – in spots along Texas highways. The … Continue reading →

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Waco finally adopts non-discrimination policy for LGBT city employees

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Very glad to see it. Without fanfare or controversy, the city of Waco has quietly agreed to bar discrimination against city employees who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. City Manager Dale Fisseler said Monday he has made an administrative … Continue reading →

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Look out for zebra mussels

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Take proper care of your boat, y’all. Fishing and boating enthusiasts take note: you’re probably going to need a little extra time as you head out on the lake this year. Rules to prevent the spread of the invasive zebra … Continue reading →

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On “potty water”

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Wastewater reuse in Wichita Falls has been in the works for years and would have happened with or without the drought. It was fast-tracked as the city deals with reservoirs that are … Continue reading →

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The stars at night could use a little less competition

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The stars at night may indeed be big and bright, but too much brightness here on earth makes them harder to see in the sky. A West Texas astronomical observatory known for discovering the largest supermassive black hole is facing … Continue reading →

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Give up the green

Posted on May 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Note: From time to time, I solicit guest posts from various individuals on different topics. While I like to think I know a little something about a lot of things, I’m fortunate to be acquainted with a number of people … Continue reading →

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Maybe we don’t need that much more water

Posted on May 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

More conservation would mean less demand and less need going forward. Drought-prone Texas could make better use of its existing water supplies and avoid spending billions of dollars on new reservoirs, pipelines and other big-ticket projects with more realistic forecasts … Continue reading →

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It’s like the drought never really went away

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

If it ever did go away it didn’t go far, because here it is again. Even as light rain moved through the region Thursday, Houston officially slipped back into a moderate drought. Although most areas only recorded a few hundredths … Continue reading →

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Brazoria looks at desalinization

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Booming population growth plus greater upstream demands on their main water source equals thoughts of alternate water supplies. By the time the Brazos bisects Brazoria County on its way to the Gulf of Mexico, it’s all but tapped out, unable … Continue reading →

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734K ACA enrollments in Texas

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty damn impressive, all things considered. New numbers out show that 734,000 Texans bought health insurance through the federal marketplace from last October to April 19, 2014, a report released by Health and Human Services shows. Prior to March 1, … Continue reading →

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The feral hogs of Montgomery County

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Because three blog posts about feral hogs are better than two. Feral hogs – which some find more pesky than mosquitoes and more invasive than fire ants – are alive and well in Montgomery County. Officials in The Woodlands say … Continue reading →

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Texas insurance enrollment update

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Enrollments are up and the number of uninsured are down, though both could have been a lot better. The sky-high rate of Texans without health insurance has dropped only slightly since the launch of the federal Affordable Care Act’s online … Continue reading →

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The dino turtle

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Please don’t go extinct. The extremely rare, utterly impressive and scary looking alligator snapping turtle is actually even more rare than first thought, according to a study out of Florida this week. Researchers in in the sunshine state have found … Continue reading →

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SA City Council to begin the plastic bag debate

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I look forward to seeing what direction they go. City staffers Wednesday plan to recommend to the City Council’s Governance Committee that San Antonio move forward with a ban on single-use plastic and paper bags. The recommendation comes after vetting … Continue reading →

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Another trip down Demography Lane

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the Sunday Chron op-ed pages: Texas is headed for the ditch, but few people are aware of the state’s perilous path. The demographers have seen the future, though, because it’s foretold in their numbers. And they’ve been sounding the … Continue reading →

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Dallas adopts plastic bag fee

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

A fee, not a ban. Stores in Dallas will charge customers five cents for most kinds of plastic or paper carryout bags, under a measure approved Wednesday by the City Council. At the urging of council member Dwaine Caraway, the … Continue reading →

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