Monthly Archives: November 2015

Friday random ten: Revisiting the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs list, part 20

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s their list. 1. River Deep, Mountain High – Ike & Tina Turner (#33) 2. Sympathy For The Devil – Blood, Sweat & Tears (orig. Rolling Stones, #32) 3. I Walk The Line – Lager Rhythms (orig. Johnny Cash, #30) … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Districts with runoffs

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

District F was a three-way race, with challenger Steve Le leading first-term incumbent Richard Nguyen. Kendall Baker ran as a HERO hater, and finished third overall but did manage to come in first or second in nine precincts. I thought … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Costello for Turner

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I’m glad to see this. Houston City Councilman Steve Costello endorsed Sylvester Turner for mayor Wednesday, dealing a potential financial blow to fellow conservative Bill King as he looks to expand his donor base in the runoff. An engineer who … Continue reading →

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More prosecution responses to Paxton

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Keep ’em coming, y’all. Prosecutors in the criminal case against Attorney General Ken Paxton defended themselves in a court filing Tuesday, calling accusations of misconduct leveled by defense lawyers a gratuitous ploy to direct attention away from Paxton’s felony indictments. … Continue reading →

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Sanders to open Texas campaign office

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is expanding its footprint in Texas, setting up a statewide office and expanding its staff with just under four months until the Democratic primary. In the next few days, the … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Did HERO hurt Juliet Stipeche?

Posted on November 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s one theory. In the Houston Independent School District, trustee Juliet Stipeche on Tuesday became the first sitting HISD board member to lose since 1997. At that time, retired educator Larry Marshall defeated Clyde Lemon, a supporter of then-Superintendent Rod … Continue reading →

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The Dallas Equal Rights Ordinance

Posted on November 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Buckle up. Chapter 46 of the Dallas City Code, which was passed in May 2002, makes it illegal to discriminate against someone based on sexual orientation. The ordinance, which applies to everything from employment to housing, has defined sexual orientation … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend vote centers report

Posted on November 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

They seemed to work OK. Not all the kinks had been worked out in Fort Bend County – the first Election Day here that voters were allowed to cast ballots at any polling place. When results were finally tallied and … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of November 9

Posted on November 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance reminds everyone that runoffs matter too as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Precinct analysis: Controller

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Moving on to the office that is both second in prominence and last in ballot placement, the City Controller: Dist Khan Brown Frazer Boney Jefferson Robinson ===================================================== A 2,749 3,406 6,588 798 602 1,573 B 1,836 4,042 1,047 4,275 1,057 … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit denies Obama immigration executive order appeal

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Alas. A three-judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has once again ruled against the Obama administration’s controversial immigration program, upholding a lower court’s injunction barring the plan from taking effect while awaiting the outcome of a … Continue reading →

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Another review of Metro’s bus system reimagining

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This time from the Chron: Nearly three months into what many consider the most significant operational change any American transit system has made in three decades, Houston transit officials and supporters are calling the new bus network a rousing success. … Continue reading →

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

Hillary’s promise to state parties

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Daily Kos a few days ago, via Facebook: Just got off of Robby Mook’s conference call for Hillary Clinton volunteers, and he mentioned in passing that all of the voter data that the campaign is collecting for Clinton … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: City propositions

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not really much to see here, but here’s what things look like for Prop 1. Dist Yes No Yes% No% ======================================= A 6,271 13,110 32.36% 67.64% B 6,265 14,435 30.27% 69.73% C 26,781 19,544 57.81% 42.19% D 9,871 16,775 37.04% … Continue reading →

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Mayoral runoff overview

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Break’s over, back to the grind. Sylvester Turner and Bill King, the top two finishers on Election Day, present Houston with a clear-cut choice in everything from policy priorities to personal demeanor. “I talk about the need for the mayor … Continue reading →

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Anderson updates pot prosecution policy

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Small amounts of marijuana now mean a citation, not a ride to jail, Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson said Thursday. The county’s top prosecutor outlined changes to a pilot plan for low-level offenders she implemented last year, one … Continue reading →

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No idling

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, from last week: Mayor Annise Parker and Houston City Council today approved two significant ordinances that will improve Houston’s quality of life and protect public health: an anti-idling ordinance for motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Mayor’s race

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I now have draft canvasses. You know what that means. All data is for Harris County only. First up, the Mayor’s race: Dist Hall Turner Garcia King Costello Bell =================================================== A 1,906 4,587 3,509 6,265 1,522 1,129 B 2,494 15,947 … Continue reading →

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HBU contraception lawsuit goes to SCOTUS

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether religious nonprofits should be required to provide birth control benefits to female employees even if the employers object to certain contraceptives on religious grounds. The court announced Friday that it … Continue reading →

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Back to the business angle

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure we’ll hear more of this in the next few weeks. Business and tourism leaders worried Wednesday that voters’ rejection of a citywide anti-discrimination ordinance has hurt what had been one of their best recruiting tools: Houston’s emerging reputation … Continue reading →

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Another unintended consequence of tort “reform”

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From Lisa Falkenberg: At every turn in her ordeal, Laura has felt irrelevant. The Houston mother of two says she was raped in her hospital bed by a doctor who she claims checked his phone afterward while she cried. She … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Weekend link dump for November 8

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

“So the question remains: When a crime lab screws up, whose responsibility is it to clean up the mess?” And then read this and ask yourself why we should be surprised when there are effectively no consequences for that kind … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Morris Overstreet to run for DA

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I know we’re all still recovering from Tuesday, but the 2016 filing season is almost upon us, and the Democratic race for Harris County DA just became a contested race. Former appeals court judge Morris Overstreet announced Thursday that he … Continue reading →

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Weekend HERO reading

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few links of interest on matters pertaining to HERO. Read ’em as you see fit. From Think Progress, a reminder that the past is never dead: Four decades ago, the Equal Rights Amendment — which would have required … Continue reading →

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Where things stand with bus ridership

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Jarrett Walker, one of the consultants who helped design the new Metro bus network, looks at the most recent stats from Metro and tells us what they mean. It’s now been about two months since Houston METRO implemented their New … Continue reading →

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Bring back postal banking

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I still like this idea. Postal unions and civil rights groups are among other advocacy organizations, along with the U.S. Postal Service inspector general, pushing USPS to expand into banking. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a Democratic presidential hopeful, agrees. But … Continue reading →

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

Saturday video break: Honey, Honey

Posted on November 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Behold the majesty of ABBA at its peak: If they aren’t the greatest English-language band that didn’t actually speak English, I don’t know who is. They also gave us the musical/movie “Mamma Mia”, from which we get this version: My … Continue reading →

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We still can’t get new maps

Posted on November 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Seriously? To avoid confusion and uncertainty, the state’s 2016 elections for Congress and the Texas House will proceed under the current political maps, a three-judge federal panel in San Antonio said late Friday. The court previously approved maps for use … Continue reading →

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What happened to Adrian?

Posted on November 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not what he thought would happen, that’s for sure. When Adrian Garcia announced in May that he would be giving up his job as sheriff and the top Democratic elected official in Harris County to run for mayor, he was … Continue reading →

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Prosecution responds to Paxton’s motions to quash

Posted on November 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

They’re pretty harsh. In a 19-page court filing peppered with disdain — one footnote likens Paxton’s defense to an exchange from the 1978 film Animal House — the prosecutors called the attorney general’s legal arguments this week that the judge … Continue reading →

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Uptown living

Posted on November 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a thing that is happening. Home to the city’s glittering epicenter of retail, with a dramatic skyline dominated by the towering Williams Tower and other office buildings, Uptown Houston is best known for the places where people work and … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Revisiting the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs list, part 19

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s their list. 1. Anarchy In The U.K. – The Sex Pistols (#56) 2. Long Tall Sally – The Beatles (orig. Little Richard, #55) 3. Louie, Louie – The MOB (orig. The Kingsmen, #54) 4. When Doves Cry – Kris … Continue reading →

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What next for HERO?

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Before I get into some thoughts about how to approach a second attempt at passing a non-discrimination ordinance for Houston, let me begin by dispensing with this. 2. HERO Will Be Back The lopsided defeat of the Houston Equal Rights … Continue reading →

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Health insurance exchange open enrollment, Year 3

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The challenge, in a nutshell. In rural Borden County, 12 people signed up for Obamacare this year. Livid over the government telling them they must buy something and loath to take anything that looks like a “handout,” the uninsured here … Continue reading →

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