Monthly Archives: July 2017

How much will the county get repaid for Super Bowl activities?

Posted on July 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Quite possibly not very much, as it turns out. After the New England Patriots stunned the Atlanta Falcons with a storybook comeback in Super Bowl LI, after the crowds drained away and the national spotlight left Houston, Harris County officials … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

We should all have friends like these

Posted on July 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s like they say: Friends help you move. Real friends help you move dead bodies. Really real friends help pay for your criminal defense. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, nearly two years into his fight against state securities fraud charges, … Continue reading →

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

Texas blog roundup for the week of July 3

Posted on July 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes everyone had a good Fourth of July as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Petitions have been submitted for Heights alcohol vote 2.0

Posted on July 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

That was quick. Voters in the Heights will likely have the opportunity to further loosen alcohol restrictions in the neighborhood this November now that activists have secured more than the 1,500 signatures required to get a measure on the ballot. … Continue reading →

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County’s new bail system not quite ready

Posted on July 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Real soon now. Harris County’s long-trumpeted new system for setting bail for people awaiting trial will be up and running by the end of July, nearly a month later than the July 1 effective date the county had promised a … Continue reading →

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What West Texas can do to improve their schools

Posted on July 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an op-ed from the Statesman about one educator in West Texas who has had enough. My hero this week is Graydon Hicks, Fort Davis superintendent of schools. A West Texas publication published his open letter to Gov. Greg Abbott … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

SH130 operator emerges from bankruptcy

Posted on July 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. The firm that oversees a stretch of highway with the country’s fastest speed limit says it is on better financial footing and under new ownership. The SH 130 Concession Company, which operates a 41-mile stretch of the … Continue reading →

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Yes, m’lord

Posted on July 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I totally should bid on this. All it takes to be a noble – to be called “m’Lord” or “m’Lady” – is money. And for Texans interested in owning a noble title, a silent auction in London holds an extra … Continue reading →

Posted in General snarkiness | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Firefighters’ lawsuit over pension reform law tossed

Posted on July 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

There it goes. A state district judge on Friday dismissed Houston firefighters’ lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the city’s pension reform package, removing a potential barrier to the city’s efforts to solve a 16-year fiscal crisis. State District Judge Patricia … Continue reading →

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

Uber drivers sue over employment status

Posted on July 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This will be worth watching. Lawyers for 19 Texas drivers for Uber on Friday filed a federal class-action lawsuit in Houston, claiming the ride-hailing app company’s oversight and control of supposedly independent drivers is so pervasive, they should be considered … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

First Paxton trial hearing in Harris County

Posted on July 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Not much happened, but there are some big questions to address. The securities fraud case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton kicked off Thursday in Harris County with no new trial date being set. Instead, the new judge in the … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for July 2

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

“They just stared at me, and at that moment, Tom’s door opened and another girl came out, adjusting her hair and taking off down the hall, while the first girl in line slipped into Tom’s room. This was a young … Continue reading →

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Texas will turn over some voter info to Trump vote “fraud” commission

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this: Texas will hand over personal information of the state’s more than 15 million voters to President Donald Trump’s commission that is looking into voter fraud. Secretary of State Rolando Pablos said his … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

City responds to term limits mandamus

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s what the city had to say in response to the request that the Supreme Court vacate the district court ruling that let the 2015 term limits referendum stand and order an election for this November: In an unusually blunt … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Dukes pleads not guilty

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

To all counts. State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, entered not guilty pleas to abuse-of-office charges Friday in Travis County district court. The 12-term lawmaker pleaded not guilty to tampering with a governmental record and abuse of official capacity by a … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Calling all artists!

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The city of Houston has an opportunity for you. The City of Houston is gearing up to add another thirty-eight artworks to street-side traffic signal control cabinets throughout Houston and is encouraging artists to submit qualifications for the opportunity to … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Save It For Later

Posted on July 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start with The English Beat: Some day, when my kids ask me “Dad, what was it really like in the 80s?”, I’m going to show them that video. That, and maybe an episode of LA Law. Now for one … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court sends same-sex marriage benefits question back to lower court

Posted on July 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Unbelievable. The Texas Supreme Court on Friday threw out a lower court ruling that said spouses of gay and lesbian public employees are entitled to government-subsidized same-sex marriage benefits. The state’s highest civil court ordered a trial court to reconsider … Continue reading →

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

Paxton goes after DACA

Posted on July 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I have no words. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and officials from nine other states on Thursday urged the Trump administration to end an Obama-era program that’s allowed hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants to live and work in the … Continue reading →

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Mayor introduces new recycling deal

Posted on July 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

There’s some stuff to like in this, and there are also questions to be answered. The city would send all 65,000 tons of bottles, cans and boxes its citizens recycle each year to a new processing facility to be built … Continue reading →

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