Monthly Archives: November 2015

Interview with Sharon Moses

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

There are six citywide runoff races coming up, with early voting to start on Wednesday. The large fields and high turnout among less-frequent city voters gave rise to some unexpected results in the At Large races, which means those of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2015 | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Harris County keeps considering vote centers

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Perhaps one of these days they will move forward on this. Seeking to making voting easier on Election Day, Harris County officials are considering shifting to a system that would allow voters to cast ballots at any county polling place … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Paxton can get others to pay his legal bills

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s Christmas in November for our felonious Attorney General. Texas’ ethics regulator has carved a path for Attorney General Ken Paxton to tap out-of-state donors to pay his legal tab to defend against felony fraud charges. The Texas Ethics Commission, … Continue reading →

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Would you like to sit in armed or unarmed?

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From Houstonia: Imagine it’s a Saturday afternoon. You stop into Whataburger to pick up lunch with your kids in tow, the only thing on your mind remembering which kid doesn’t want ketchup on his burger, which kid only wants ketchup … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Weekend link dump for November 29

Posted on November 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

“Crime overall in 2015 is expected to be largely unchanged from last year, decreasing 1.5 percent.” “No, really. It’s an actual glossy, full-color magazine called Dabiq, complete with feature articles and photo spreads. So, in the interest of understanding just … Continue reading →

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Feds respond to request for delay of immigration appeal

Posted on November 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Counterpoint: It was the federal government’s move Tuesday, and the U.S. Department of Justice asked the court to reject Texas’ request for a 30-day extension to file its brief in the case, but says it is open to an eight-day … Continue reading →

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Hey look, a Regent Square update

Posted on November 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Sometimes I forget this is still a thing. In 2007, longtime urbanites said goodbye to the Allen House Apartments, a decades-old complex along Dunlavy just south of Allen Parkway. The multiblock property was a Houston institution, housing hundreds of college … Continue reading →

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Another lawsuit against Uber

Posted on November 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to keep track of them all. A former San Antonio-area driver for Uber has filed a class-action lawsuit against the ride-hailing company, alleging it pays drivers less than minimum wage, makes them eat expenses it should pay for and … Continue reading →

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

Runoff endorsement watch: Frazer breaks the tie

Posted on November 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Chronicle has a bit of unfinished endorsement business to take care of as we approach early voting for the runoffs. In the At Large #1 and #5 races, their endorsed candidate from November did not make it into the … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: I Can’t Give You Anything But Love

Posted on November 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Reaching back to the 1920s and the legendary Duke Ellington: I love me some Glenn Miller, but of all the big band leaders of that era, I think Ellington had the best overall body of work. The movie The Cotton … Continue reading →

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Feds say No to Abbott on refugees

Posted on November 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

What now, Greg? The federal government on Wednesday informed refugee resettlement agencies in Texas and across the country that states do not have the authority to refuse to accept Syrians. The statement, made in a letter obtained by the Houston … Continue reading →

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The Mexican abortion option, part 3

Posted on November 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Between 100,000 and 240,000 Texans have attempted to terminate their pregnancies without medical assistance, according to new research released Tuesday. Based on interviews and a statewide survey, the unprecedented study by the … Continue reading →

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More on the high speed rail station in Houston

Posted on November 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron frets about it not being downtown. After hearing so much about how the proposed Central Texas Railway will help people commute between the central business districts of Houston and Dallas, it turns out that the Houston station will … Continue reading →

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

Friday random ten: The songs Rolling Stone forgot

Posted on November 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s their list. And here are ten songs I would have tried to include if I’d had a hand in making their list. 1. Sultans Of Swing – Dire Straits 2. Sunday, Bloody Sunday – U2 3. And When I … Continue reading →

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Steve Brown to run in HD27

Posted on November 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to shake things up a bit. The bad week for state Rep. Ron Reynolds is getting worse. Steve Brown, the former chairman of the Fort Bend County Democrats, wrote on Twitter Wednesday that he will challenge Reynolds in … Continue reading →

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Houston Zoo reverses its stance on allowing in guns

Posted on November 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This was a surprise. The Houston Zoo has reinstalled a series of signs that prohibit the carry of firearms into the gates of the family-friendly attraction almost three months after being forced to take them down at threat of legal … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Thanksgiving video break: It was like the turkeys mounted a counterattack

Posted on November 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The greatest holiday TV episode ever. If you haven’t seen this before, you are in for a treat. And if you have seen it before, you know what I’m talking about: I hope your Thanksgiving is better and less chaotic … Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Precinct analysis: Age ranges

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Let us one more time ask the question: Just how old were the voters in our 2015 election? Range All Pct ====================== 18-30 21,998 8.2% 31-40 32,359 12.1% 41-50 39,074 14.6% 51-60 58,610 21.9% 61+ 115,755 43.2% The short answer … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2015 | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Reynolds receives jail sentence in barratry case

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

He got the max for the misdemeanor charge on which he was convicted. State Rep. Ron Reynolds could spend up to a year in jail after he was sentenced Monday to the maximum penalty following his conviction on charges arising … Continue reading →

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HCC versus Dave Wilson, the continuing story

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a fight over legal fees. Dave Wilson has long been a thorn in the side of Houston Community College trustees. That hasn’t changed now that he’s one of them. Wilson, a controversial figure long before he was elected to … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of November 23

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance wishes everyone a happy Thanksgiving as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Precinct analysis: Where the voters came from

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday we looked at the voting history of the people who participated in the 2015 election. Today we’re going to take a look at how those numbers broke down by Council district. Dist All 3 None Rest Total ==================================== A … Continue reading →

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Planned Parenthood sues Texas

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Planned Parenthood’s Texas affiliates on Monday filed a federal lawsuit to keep state health officials from booting them from the state’s Medicaid program. Following Texas’ announcement in October that it would stop funding any care for poor … Continue reading →

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State wants delay on immigration appeal

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Of course it does. The Texas Attorney General’s office is asking the U.S. Supreme Court for an extra 30 days to respond to the Obama Administration’s appeal of lower court rulings that have blocked controversial changes in immigration enforcement. The … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

More rules against polluting your neighbors proposed

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Environmental Protection Agency proposed tougher new limits on Tuesday on smokestack emissions from Texas and 22 other states that burden downwind areas with air pollution from power plants they can’t control. At the same time, the EPA moved … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Old reliables, newcomers, and everyone else

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I have three more views of the 2015 electorate, now that I have a copy of the voter roster. With that, and with the past rosters that I have, I can try to paint a more detailed picture of who … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2015 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Our partisan Mayoral runoff

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I’m shocked, shocked to find that there are partisan interests in the Mayoral runoff. Even though Houston elections officially are nonpartisan, the contest between Bill King and Sylvester Turner has evolved into a test of party might as voters prepare … Continue reading →

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Paxton fires back at prosecutors

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Incoming! Lawyers in Attorney General Ken Paxton’s ongoing securities fraud case have fired back against special prosecutors in the latest in a series of back-and-forth court filings. In their Thursday filing, Paxton’s attorneys called the prosecutors’ reply to their motions … Continue reading →

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Now who’s messing with religious freedom?

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

What is Greg Abbott’s beef with faith organizations? A prominent Texas faith organization signaled Friday that refugee resettlement agencies in the state may not comply with Gov. Greg Abbott’s order to turn away Syrian refugees, writing a letter “to express … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Weekend link dump for November 22

Posted on November 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

An oral history of Turkeys Away, the greatest episode of WKRP in Cincinnati and one of the greatest TV episodes ever. “As the Internet of Things grows, we can scarcely afford a massive glut of things that are insecure-by-design.” “The … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: The Harris County bonds

Posted on November 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Courtesy of Mike Morris at the Chron. It’s an open secret of local politics that, when Harris County needs voter approval for big projects, they turn not to suburban county residents but to those in the city of Houston’s urban … Continue reading →

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Rep. Ron Reynolds convicted of misdemeanor barratry charge

Posted on November 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The word “tawdry” applies to this. State Rep. Ron Reynolds was convicted Friday of illegally soliciting clients in an “ambulance chasing for profit” scheme, a verdict that carries the threat of jail time and deals a blow to his political … Continue reading →

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Pro softball returns to Houston

Posted on November 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Didn’t know we had pro softball here, but it’s cool that we do. The new sports franchise debuting here this summer is appropriately named: the Houston Scrap Yard Dawgs. After an eight-year absence, professional women’s fastpitch softball is coming back … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: How High The Moon

Posted on November 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Didn’t get my act together in time to post a video last week – sorry about that. This Saturday we get a little jazzy with the great Charlie Parker: If you’re a sax player, then Charlie Parker is one of … Continue reading →

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