Monthly Archives: March 2016

SCOTUS also blocks Louisiana anti-abortion law for now

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Forgot to note this over the weekend. The Supreme Court handed down a brief order Friday allowing four Louisiana abortion clinics to reopen after they were closed due to a recent decision by a conservative federal appeals court. Last week, … Continue reading →

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Storm protection is expensive

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

But then so would be getting hit by a truly bad storm. Building a storm surge protection system along the Texas Gulf Coast could cost between $7.9 billion and $11 billion, and likely would not be completed for about two … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mayor Turner appoints new Metro board chair

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good choice. Former Metro board member Carrin Patman will return to the transit agency as chairwoman, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Friday. Patman, 59, is a partner at Houston-based law firm Bracewell, where she has represented major corporate clients in fraud … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Irving ISD sues AG’s office over Ahmed Mohamed

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, brother. Ahmed Mohamed’s former school district has sued the Texas Attorney General — defying an order to reveal details of a federal investigation related to the Muslim teen’s arrest after bringing a homemade clock to school last year. Dozens of Democratic U.S. … Continue reading →

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How is Ken Paxton paying for his defense?

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Nobody really knows. Well, nobody who isn’t Ken Paxton, anyway. How Paxton is paying for his criminal defense — a legal tab estimated to easily exceed a million dollars — is one of the ongoing puzzles in the case against … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Weekend link dump for March 6

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

OJ Simpson thinks that show about his murder trial makes him look way too guilty. Poor baby. Should we kill the C-note in the name of fighting crime? What Chad Orzel says. It’s OK for dead Republicans to vote. A … Continue reading →

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What’s next for Adrian Garcia?

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We haven’t seen the last of him, I suspect. In less than a year, former Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia has gone from being the top Democratic elected official in Harris County to an also-ran in back-to-back elections. Garcia’s resounding … Continue reading →

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High speed rail opponents sue TxDOT and AG’s office

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

They seek information that they say they have been denied so far. A group opposed to a private firm’s plans to build a bullet train stretching from Dallas to Houston has filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Transportation … Continue reading →

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Greg Abbott does not approve of Robert Morrow

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Aw, that’s so cute. As the battle for control of the Travis County GOP heats up, and its newly elected chair writes increasingly raunchy tweets at breakneck speed, Gov. Greg Abbott has stepped into the fray to condemn his fellow … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Why are some people more likely to smoke than others?

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the CDC: American adults who are uninsured or on Medicaid smoke at rates more than double those for adults with private health insurance or Medicare, according to a study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: If I Had A Boat

Posted on March 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Lyle Lovett sings one of his best songs in a stunningly beautiful concert hall while sitting next to John Hiatt and Joe Ely swoon. Gorgeous, and the verse about Tonto telling the Lone Ranger to kiss his ass gets me … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS allows mercury regulations to remain in effect

Posted on March 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The U.S. Supreme Court has denied a request from Texas and 19 other states to block a landmark federal rule requiring power plants to slash emissions of mercury, acid gases and other toxic metals — a setback for Texas Attorney … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Two recounts may be in the works

Posted on March 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

There are always going to be some close ones. After losing her reelection bid to Hugh Shine by 118 votes, state Rep. Molly White, R-Belton, announced she is requesting a recount. In an email to supporters soliciting input Wednesday afternoon, … Continue reading →

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SH 130 operator files for bankruptcy

Posted on March 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Boom. A private company that operates part of the Texas toll road with the highest speed limit in the country filed for bankruptcy Wednesday, fewer than three years after the section of the road it oversees first opened. The SH … Continue reading →

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Texas Monthly long read on transgender issues

Posted on March 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Mostly about someone I know, as it happens. Boy. Girl. Man. Woman. These terms reflect a binary view of gender. Our language doesn’t allow for the in-between. And yet there are girly girls and tomboys; fey men and macho ones. … Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Friday random ten – H-Town represent

Posted on March 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Houston’s own The Suffers released their first album recently. They’ve been playing a relentless schedule of live gigs, and finally polished off the debut disc in the studio, thanks in part to a Kickstarter campaign? Who are The Suffers? I’m … Continue reading →

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Dan Wallach: The case for not letting everybody vote by mail

Posted on March 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

You know who Dan Wallach is by now. Voting systems and security are in his wheelhouse, and when he sent this to me in response to this, I was happy to queue it up. Vote by mail (VBM) is cheaper! … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Appeals court upholds Wilson residency ruling

Posted on March 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. A state appeals court has sided with Houston Community College Trustee Dave Wilson in a lengthy legal fight over whether he lives in the district he represents. Ever since Wilson was elected to the HCC board in 2013, … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

If you don’t have ID, you probably can’t get it

Posted on March 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Just another reminder that our voter ID law sucks. At the time, civil rights groups and Democrats pointed out that hundreds of thousands of Texans lacked a driver license or other government-sanctioned forms of photo ID, and that cost and … Continue reading →

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More on the UIL ban of transgender athletes

Posted on March 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From ThinkProgress: Transgender rights in Texas took another step backward last month, when public school superintendents voted 586-32 in favor of a rule that requires schools to use birth certificates to determine the gender of student-athletes. This law is seen … Continue reading →

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2016 primary reactions and initial impressions

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

First, a couple of minor notes. Rep. Byron Cook ultimately pulled out a win in his nasty and high-profile primary. That’s good news for Speaker Joe Straus and the general forces of “government that isn’t like a three-year-old coming off … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Oral arguments before SCOTUS on HB2

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Monthly: It’s been a circuitous journey for HB2, the omnibus abortion bill the Texas Legislature passed 2013. Suits have been filed, the law has been overturned, appeals have been made. A collection of Texas abortion clinics, led by … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas files another lawsuit against the EPA

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Haven’t we seen this movie before? In the state’s first lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2016, Texas is suing the agency for rejecting parts of a seven-year-old state proposal to reduce haze in wilderness areas. The EPA … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of February 29

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is ready to rumble for November as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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2016 Presidential primaries: Clinton and Cruz win in Texas

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

A good night for Hillary Clinton. Once again, Texas delivered for a Clinton. The Texas Tribune projects that Hillary Clinton has easily won a majority of the statewide vote in the Texas Democratic primary, dominating her rival for the party’s … Continue reading →

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2016 primaries: Congress

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The big story here is that Rep. Gene Green not only survived, but won big. He was up 65% to 32% in early voting, a margin of about 4,000 votes; in the end he won by about 58-38, for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

2016 primaries: State races

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start with the Democratic race for Railroad Commissioner, and a few words from Forrest Wilder: The Gene Kelly Effect: Texas Democrats are almost perennially embarrassed by what you might call the Gene Kelly Effect — the depressing tendency of … Continue reading →

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2016 primaries: Harris County

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Though this will be the first entry published in the morning, it was the last one I wrote last night, and I’m super tired. So, I’m going to make this brief. Harris County Dem results – Harris County GOP results … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Primary Day is today

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: “Visit www.HarrisVotes.com to ensure you go to the correct voting location and to find your personal sample ballot for the Tuesday, March 1, Republican Party and Democratic Party Primary Elections,” said Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart, encouraging … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

SCOTUS to hear HB2 oral arguments

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the big one. Before Wendy Davis took to the floor of the Texas Senate for an 11-hour filibuster that ultimately failed to stop sweeping new restrictions on abortion, there was Casey. Shorthand for Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 … Continue reading →

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Grier departs HISD

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We await his successor. Terry Grier steps aside as Houston’s school superintendent on Monday after a six-and-a-half year tenure marked by aggressive reform efforts, high staff turnover and mixed academic results. His replacement will inherit a stubborn racial achievement gap … Continue reading →

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Freedom From Religion Foundation sues Abbott over Bill of Rights display

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From their press release: The Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a federal lawsuit today against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over his removal of the group’s Bill of Rights display from the Capitol. Abbott downed FFRF’s solstice display, intended to counter … Continue reading →

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