Category Archives: Bidness

Tariffs are not good for beer

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’ll cost you more to drown your sorrows. Just getting a beer in Texas could become more expensive under President Donald Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on essentially every country in the world. While most industries are bracing for Trump’s … Continue reading →

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

Elon Musk has been busy making Austin dirtier

Posted on December 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Some good reporting from the Wall Street Journal. Elon Musk made big promises to Wall Street about Tesla’s new Model Y SUV in 2022, and the company was ramping up its production in Austin, Texas, when environmental problems threatened to … Continue reading →

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

High speed rail II proposed in the Lege

Posted on November 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

For obvious reasons, I don’t expect this to go anywhere. As plans for a Dallas to Houston bullet train move forward, one state legislator is hoping to kick-start another high speed rail line from North Texas to San Antonio. State Rep. John … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Some rocky times for Texas’ cryptocurrency miners

Posted on February 21, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Their boundless optimism never wavers, however. Cryptocurrency miners began flocking to Texas in the past five years, drawn by the state’s low energy costs and relaxed regulations. As they began setting up shop, lawmakers and local officials were touting the boom as an economic lifeline … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Some rocky times for Texas’ cryptocurrency miners

Tesla to build a factory in Brookshire

Posted on January 21, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck, Brookshire. Tesla appears to be preparing a large new industrial facility west of Houston in a project that further deepens the electric vehicle-maker’s investments in Texas about a year after billionaire Elon Musk moved its headquarters to Austin. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Tesla to build a factory in Brookshire

In which I ponder the future of cryptomining

Posted on December 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I know I’m stepping away from things I have knowledge and experience with when I comment on stories like this, but sometimes I just can’t help myself. Beleaguered crypto lenders are being dealt another blow from Bitcoin miners as they … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on In which I ponder the future of cryptomining

Yeah, the crypto lovers here are still all in

Posted on November 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, at least they’re consistent. The crypto community in Austin was buzzing. Hundreds of investors, legislators, professionals and enthusiasts packed the halls of the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center at the University of Texas on Nov. 17-18 for the … Continue reading →

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

Labor complaints filed against Tesla gigafactory in Austin

Posted on November 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some non-Twitter Elon Musk news, in case you felt the need for that. On Tuesday, the Austin-based nonprofit Workers Defense Project announced it was filing complaints with the federal Department of Labor (DOL) alleging wage theft and falsified safety training … Continue reading →

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

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

Houston’s first unionized Starbucks

Posted on September 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Well done. A Starbucks in Houston’s Upper Kirby neighborhood has become the first in the city to form a union, and the 10th in Texas, after an organizing drive that began in July. The results of store’s union election were … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Texas will get a lot from the Inflation Reduction Act

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Thanks, Biden! Texas’s clean energy sector is expected to be one of the largest beneficiaries of the climate and health care legislation President Joe Biden has signed into law, according to estimates released by the White House Wednesday. Over the next … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Texas will get a lot from the Inflation Reduction Act

Bitcoin and the firefighters’ pension fund

Posted on July 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Okay. When the Houston Firefighters Relief and Retirement Fund bought $25 million in cryptocurrencies, with the fund’s chief investment officer touting their potential, retired fire Capt. Russell Harris was concerned. Harris, 62, has attended the funerals of 34 firefighters killed … Continue reading →

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

Houston get a medical marijuana pick-up location

Posted on July 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

For those who will need it. Houston’s first permanent pick-up location for medical marijuana opened Tuesday, giving patients another option for obtaining their prescription cannabis. Texas Original, the state’s largest medical marijuana provider, opened a 1,776-square-foot facility on Houston Avenue … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

How are Texas businesses going to react to the forthcoming criminalization of abortion?

Posted on July 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s too soon to say. Certainly too soon for most of them to say. In overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court presented corporate America with a question that may prove uncomfortable for big companies headquartered in states such as … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Texas misses the train

Posted on May 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Greg Abbott’s border hostage-taking has a cost. The Mexican government said it intends to shift long-range plans to build a trade railway connection worth billions of dollars from Texas to New Mexico in the wake of Gov. Greg Abbott’s stepped-up … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

You (probably) still have to get vaxxed if you work in Houston

Posted on January 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’m glad to see this, but there’s a huge question that this story doesn’t address, much less answer. Local companies say they will maintain their vaccination policies despite last week’s Supreme Court ruling that struck down the Biden administration’s vaccination … Continue reading →

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

A loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, a few Bitcoins

Posted on October 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not on my shopping list, sorry. Be sure to add Bitcoin to your grocery list. Coin Cloud, a Las-Vegas based digital currency machine company, is making it convenient to access some of the most popular cryptocurrencies by placing a number … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Hollywood (mostly non-) response to SB8

Posted on October 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. In May 2021, Texas governor Greg Abbott signed into law SB8, also known as the Texas Heartbeat Act. It’s the latest, and most contested, challenge to the 1973 Supreme Court decision made in Roe v. Wade, which legalized … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, TV and movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Hollywood (mostly non-) response to SB8

More on the Abbott max anti-vaxx order

Posted on October 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Businesses will face a choice that they would rather not have to face. Companies doing business in Texas face new and complicated challenges after Gov. Greg Abbott this week banned COVID-19 vaccine mandates for all entities in the state — … Continue reading →

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

There’s still a lot of investment in renewables in Texas

Posted on June 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good to know. Four months after the failure of the Texas electric grid sparked a backlash against clean power, investors and developers have decided just what the state needs: more renewable energy. Much more. Texas is on pace to have … Continue reading →

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

What are the limits on limiting vaccination requirements?

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

News item #1: Carnival will require COVID vaccinations for all passengers cruising from Galveston: Carnival Cruise Line today announced plans to begin cruising from the Port of Galveston on July 3. Cruises will be open to customers who are fully … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, That's our Lege, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Two arguments against Abbott’s rollback of extended unemployment insurance

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s bad economic policy. “I’m still nervous that we’re bowing out of this program before the labor market is fully healed,” said Dietrich Vollrath, an economics professor at the University of Houston. “The bad consequences of doing too much is … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Two arguments against Abbott’s rollback of extended unemployment insurance

Of course business groups want Abbott to cut off unemployment payments

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Completely on brand. The Texas Association of Business and more than three dozen other business groups are pushing Gov. Greg Abbott to cut the additional $300 in federal benefits currently going to unemployed Texans. Nearly 1 million Texans remained unemployed … Continue reading →

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

Griddy files for bankruptcy

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Live by market disruption… Griddy Energy, a California-based retail power company, filed for bankruptcy on Monday citing financial woes brought on by the power crisis in February. Griddy’s business model exposes consumers to the wholesale market, which in normal times … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Griddy files for bankruptcy

We should be vaccinating grocery workers

Posted on February 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The only disagreement I have with this is that we should have more broadly classified “essential workers” from the beginning, and it should include more people who do not have the ability to work from home. Nearly a year into … Continue reading →

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

Bar owners still mad at Abbott

Posted on September 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t blame them, but the situation is complicated. As Gov. Greg Abbott outlined his latest reopening plan this week, bar owner Greg Barrineau watched in disbelief. Abbott, who announced that Texas restaurants could expand dine-in service to 75% capacity, said … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

RIP, Luby’s

Posted on September 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The end of an era. Looks like the days of LuAnn platters are coming to an end. Luby’s board of directors has “approved and adopted a plan of liquidation and dissolution,” the company announced. The plan will need to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Coronavirus and delivery workers

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a very obvious answer for this. Couriers delivering online orders of household essentials have become a lifeline for Houstonians hunkering down at home to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. But a growing number of workers responsible for … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The looming unemployment insurance crisis

Posted on March 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Can we please not make the same egregious mistakes as last time? As businesses across the state close to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the mass layoffs that have followed could quickly drain the state fund that pays unemployment … Continue reading →

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

Distilling more hand sanitizer

Posted on March 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Well done. Even before the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020, hand sanitizer was one of the first items to fly off the shelves during the spread of the novel coronavirus, and is still nowhere to be seen at local … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Distilling more hand sanitizer

Where have all the Christmas tree farmers gone?

Posted on December 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

They’re not growing them like they used to. Across the U.S., Christmas tree farmers are getting out of the business. Illinois lost dozens of farmers in recent years, dropping from 212 growers in 2012 to 182 farmers in 2017, according … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Where have all the Christmas tree farmers gone?

Buc-ee’s is going national

Posted on August 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The WaPo has a look at our famous highway rest stop’s growing ambitions. Its fans say few things are more Texas than the chain of massive convenience stores with the disposition of an amusement park. Among its 38 stores, customers … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Schlitterbahn sold

Posted on June 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

End of an era, as another iconic family-owned Texas business is sold to a non-Texas firm. Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts — which has dealt with a gruesome death, indictments and financial troubles in recent years — is selling a chunk … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Schlitterbahn sold

Whata lot of angst

Posted on June 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve lived in Texas a long time, but I wasn’t born here. As such, news like this doesn’t hit me the way it hits some other folks. Chicago-based BDT Capital Partners said Friday it’s agreed to acquire a majority stake … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment