Monthly Archives: February 2014

Not just DNA

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

There are a lot of other exonerations that happen around the country, for crimes major and minor, that don’t involve DNA. In September 2006, [Corey] Love was charged by Houston police with possession of between one and four grams of … Continue reading →

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Davis for medical marijuana

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Wendy Davis talks to the DMN editorial board and answers some questions about marijuana. Questions: As you know, both ends of the political spectrum have questioned the nation’s and state’s drug policies and the mass incarceration that has resulted. Even … Continue reading →

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No ruling in Texas same sex marriage lawsuit

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

We’re going to have to wait to see if an injunction will be granted against Texas’ Double Secret Illegal Anti-Gay Marriage constitutional amendment. A San Antonio federal judge issued no decision Wednesday in a request to bar the state from … Continue reading →

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We still need to reduce inmate headcount

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Harris County jail’s population is down from historic highs, but with the usual summer uptick coming, Sheriff Adrian Garcia has asked for a waiver to make some more beds available. State officials have rejected a request from Sheriff Adrian … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of February 10

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is still learning the rules of team figure skating as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Interview with Hugh Fitzsimons

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

In my previous interview, I mentioned that the two Democratic candidates for Ag Commissioner that I had spoken to were very different from each other. (There is a third candidate in the race, but I have not seen any evidence … Continue reading →

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Turner for Mayor 3.0

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This is what you call a poorly kept secret. Just three months after Annise Parker captured a final term as mayor, a major contender has declared his desire to succeed her in the City of Houston’s top job. “You know … Continue reading →

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Is it all over for the Harrisburg Line underpass?

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Despite earlier agreement between Metro, residents, and the city to build an underpass for the far end of the Harrisburg line, it’s not looking too good for that option right now. Residents of Houston’s East End supported a 2003 transit … Continue reading →

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If we must have voter ID, let’s make sure people know about it

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Democratic Senators from Harris County write a letter to County Clerk Stan Stanart. Three Houston state senators are asking Harris County officials to emulate Dallas County’s voter outreach efforts tied to Texas’ new voter identification law. State Sens. Rodney … Continue reading →

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Interview with Kinky Friedman

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

We come to my last set of interviews for the primary season, the Democratic race for Ag Commissioner. Some primaries feature candidates that don’t differ all that much. This race is not one of those. Making his second run for … Continue reading →

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Hearing for the Texas federal same sex marriage lawsuit is tomorrow

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

All eyes will be on San Antonio on Wednesday. Like most new parents, Nicole Dimetman and Cleopatra De Leon plan their days around their small child. Theirs is an ordinary family life, they say, but it is by no means … Continue reading →

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School finance retrial wraps

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

We’re back where it all began. The Texas Legislature failed to bridge funding gaps between wealthy and poor school districts despite partial restoration of funds that were cut, lawyers representing schools told a state district judge Friday. “They have put … Continue reading →

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Where to see Bigfoot

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

And by “Bigfoot”, I mean whatever the huckster Rick Dyer has faked up to look like a “Bigfoot”. Be that as it may, the place to go is the Alamo Drafthouse. Anyone who doubts a Texas man’s claim that he … Continue reading →

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Interview with Rep. Mary Gonzalez

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

We’re one week out from the start of early voting, and barring anything unexpected the interviews I present this week will be the last ones I do for the primary cycle. I’ll have interviews with two of the Democratic candidates … Continue reading →

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Gallup’s poll of Latinos in Texas

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. Texas Hispanics are decidedly Democratic in their political party preferences, 46% to 27%, but that 19-percentage-point Democratic advantage is much smaller in Texas than the average 30-point gap Democrats enjoy among the … Continue reading →

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More on Texas Left Me Out

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer reports on the launch of Texas Left Me Out. Members of the coalition pointed to two different studies that estimate that thousands of uninsured Texans with chronic conditions are likely to die as a result of not expanding Medicaid. A Harvard … Continue reading →

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KIPP departs Galveston

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I have two things to say about this. The popular KIPP charter school chain is pulling out of Galveston, where it operates two campuses with about 900 students combined under a contract with the school district. Because of statewide school … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for February 9

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I keep trying to come up with a pithy summary for this and I keep failing. It’s just…I can’t even. From the “Brevity is the soul of wit” department. Sharknado 2: The Second One is a thing that is happening. … Continue reading →

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Pity the poor Hispanic Republicans

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’d say I feel sorry for them, but I don’t. Every few years, I like to check in with Massey Villarreal to see if he’s still a Republican. He still was on Thursday. But it’s getting harder all the time. … Continue reading →

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What the ACA does, Texas has long done

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

By now you’ve surely heard about the CBO report on the Affordable Care Act and the workforce, which despite some terribly botched reporting does have a lot of political considerations. There’s something I’d like to point out about this before … Continue reading →

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HISD on HB5

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good information on the changes made to school curricula and graduation requirements. With most details of the state’s new reform of public education – known as House Bill 5 – settled only last week, HISD is ready with a multimedia … Continue reading →

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New frontiers in giant statues

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

David Adickes will bring his art to Webster. The City of Webster is planning a 20,000 square-foot space-themed attraction with a towering astronaut statue to beckon visitors along I-45. According a proposal unveiled this week, the city’s five-acre tract of … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: The Acid Queen

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Not many rock groups could pull off the “concept album” without it descending into a morass of self-indulgence and wretched excess. The Who was one of the bands that could get away with it, because Pete Townshend was such a … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s border surge plan

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

A whole lot of not much here. Attorney General Greg Abbott, the Republican candidate for governor, said Tuesday he wants to nearly double state spending to improve security along the U.S.-Mexico border, proposing a “continuous surge” with 1,000 new boots … Continue reading →

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HISD proposes closing five schools

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure about this. Houston ISD officials are proposing to close five small schools at the end of this academic year, a move likely to set off protests from parents and alumni. Some on the school board – which ultimately … Continue reading →

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More on the audit letters

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron asks some outside experts to go over those recently released audit letters. Houston leaders appeared to have ignored the significance of recurring accounting and management problems or did not have the resources to fix them, according to accounting … Continue reading →

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Reintroducing the jaguarundi

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. The federal government has established a recovery plan for the jaguarundi, almost four decades since the small wildcat was listed as an endangered species and almost three decades since one was confirmed in the U.S. But don’t expect to … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: We miss you, Molly

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I managed to miss the anniversary of Molly Ivins’ death last week. For my penance, here are ten of my favorite Texas songs. I know she would have approved. 1. Stupid Texas Song – Austin Lounge Lizards 2. Deep Ellum … Continue reading →

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January campaign finance reports for Houston officeholders

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

One more set of finance reports to document, from city of Houston officeholders and candidates. I’m not going to link to the individual reports this time, since the city’s system automatically downloads the PDFs and I don’t feel like uploading … Continue reading →

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Making the push to sign people up for health insurance

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County is at ground zero for this national effort. With less than two months remaining to enroll in the health care marketplace, the federal government is focusing outreach efforts on areas with the largest concentrations of uninsured, including Texas’ … Continue reading →

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The cost of fighting the inevitable

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Trib headline: Anti-Regulation Politics May Have Hurt Energy Industry. Oh, the irony. Businesses in energy-related industries in Texas say they have been unable to take full advantage of the natural gas boom that is roaring across the state because of … Continue reading →

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Followup on that report about sexual assault in the Harris County jail

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Last month, I blogged about a report by the Justice Department that alleged a high rate of sexual assault in one of the Harris County jail buildings. Sheriff Adrian Garcia, who testified about the report in Congress to a panel … Continue reading →

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Bexar County to offer “plus one” benefits

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. Without referencing same-sex couples, Bexar County on Tuesday agreed to extend health insurance benefits to the unmarried companions of county employees. The “Plus One Qualifying Adult” policy adopted by Commissioners Court attempts to circumvent legal roadblocks that … Continue reading →

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On succeeding Abbott as AG

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The next Attorney General will inherit a lot of Greg Abbott’s unfinished fights, some of which he instigated and some of which were thrust upon him by the Lege. Defending the constitutionality of the state’s controversial public school finance system … Continue reading →

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