Monthly Archives: June 2019

Ten Best and Ten Worst 2019

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s that famous biennial list from Texas Monthly. The Best House Speaker Dennis Bonnen Representative Joe Moody Representative James White Representative Donna Howard Representative Dade Phelan Representative Victoria Neave Senator Kirk Watson Representative Tom Oliverson The Worst Lieutenant Governor Dan … Continue reading →

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Metro’s driverless shuttle finally debuts

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Nice to have good weather. TSU’s Tiger Walk isn’t just for pedestrians anymore. The region’s first autonomous shuttle to carry passengers debuted Wednesday along the tree-lined walk, the center of the Texas Southern University campus. Operated by Metropolitan Transit Authority, … Continue reading →

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

Texas blog roundup for the week of June 17

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

In honor of Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the Texas Progressive Alliance strongly denies that this is this week’s roundup.

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What about Royce?

Posted on June 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Gromer Jeffers examines the question of whether State Sen. Royce West will jump into the Democratic primary for US Senate in 2020. For several months, there’s been speculation that Democrats, against the wishes of some party leaders and donors, will … Continue reading →

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Maybe rural counties don’t want hospitals

Posted on June 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

That’s what the evidence says. The voters of Fayette County have spoken, and they’ve said that they don’t need a hospital in this rural community of 322,000 people, one hour southeast of Austin — or at least not enough to … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Buzbee billboard lawsuit dismissed

Posted on June 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I did say it was a dumb lawsuit. A state district judge has dismissed challenger Tony Buzbee’s lawsuit against Mayor Sylvester Turner and advertising company Clear Channel Outdoor over a series of billboards for the city’s AlertHouston campaign. In the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

UT/Trib: So this is what a swing state looks like

Posted on June 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is not the poll I’m looking for, but it still tells us something. Half of the registered voters in Texas would vote to reelect President Donald Trump, but half of them would not, according to the latest University of … Continue reading →

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Still filled with dread about I-45

Posted on June 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Anyone got a paper bag I can breathe into? Strip away the enormity of rebuilding Interstate 45 and the promise of speedier trips along downtown Houston freeways, and two questions about the once-in-a-generation project remain: How many negative effects are … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

How good a stepping stone is Mayor of Dallas?

Posted on June 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Stephen Young notes that being Mayor of Dallas has not been particularly helpful to others’ ambitions. If he’s anything, Dallas mayor-elect Eric Johnson is an ambitious guy. He’s got degrees from Harvard, Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania, and took … Continue reading →

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Scouting the opposition in CD07

Posted on June 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Not impressed so far. Facing a roomful of conservative voters at a meet-and-greet earlier this month, Republican Wesley Hunt laid out the stakes for his party’s primary in Texas’ 7th Congressional District. “This is about putting the best candidate forward … Continue reading →

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Our vaccine exception rates keep going up

Posted on June 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A small change to the law in 2003 has had a big effect over time. As measles cases hit a 25-year high in the United States, Texas medical experts fear the state could see the next outbreak of a vaccine-preventable … Continue reading →

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Schlitterbahn sold

Posted on June 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

End of an era, as another iconic family-owned Texas business is sold to a non-Texas firm. Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts — which has dealt with a gruesome death, indictments and financial troubles in recent years — is selling a chunk … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for June 16

Posted on June 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

You don’t bring me flowers any more. “That means Border Patrol can perform traffic stops and searches (on both private vehicles and Greyhound buses) not just in El Paso, but also in cities like Philadelphia, Portland, and Chicago.” “The Internet … Continue reading →

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A starter agenda for when we have a Democratic state government

Posted on June 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been pondering the recent legislative session, which as we have discussed wasn’t great but also wasn’t nearly as bad as some other recent sessions have been. The qualification for all this is that the key defining factor for our … Continue reading →

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Whata lot of angst

Posted on June 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve lived in Texas a long time, but I wasn’t born here. As such, news like this doesn’t hit me the way it hits some other folks. Chicago-based BDT Capital Partners said Friday it’s agreed to acquire a majority stake … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Independence Heights and I-45

Posted on June 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Sometimes, with everything else that’s going on in the world, I forget that the I-45 expansion is still out there, looming like a battleship in the harbor. But there it is, and we can’t not worry about it. For Tanya … Continue reading →

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Back to mediation

Posted on June 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Give it another sixty days. Maybe it’ll be different this time. A Texas appeals court Thursday ordered the Houston firefighters union and Mayor Sylvester Turner’s administration back to mediation in the hope the two sides will agree to a new … Continue reading →

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

Justice Democrats find a primary opponent for Rep. Henry Cuellar

Posted on June 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s on. A 26-year-old Laredoan, former valedictorian of Early College High School and current immigration and human rights attorney, Jessica Cisneros is announcing her campaign Thursday to run for Congress in 2020 to represent Laredo and the rest of Texas’ … Continue reading →

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Well, now we’ve all heard of Waskom

Posted on June 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations, I guess. Five men this week declared a small town in East Texas a “sanctuary city for the unborn,” commandeering the language of the movement for immigrant rights to counter the reproductive freedom of women. There are no abortion … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Republicans are worried about Texas, part 583

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

When was the last time you head about a Republican-oriented mass voter registration effort? Wealthy Republican donors are preparing a multimillion-dollar effort to register more than 1 million new GOP voters in Texas for 2020 amid anxiety that President Trump … Continue reading →

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Joint primaries

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Another potential change to how we vote is in the works. Harris County primary voters could see a big change at the polls in 2020 if local party leaders agree on a new proposal. Under the current system, voters go … Continue reading →

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

Sorry, Smithville

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Their loss would be Houston’s gain. MD Anderson Cancer Center will relocate its nearly 50-year-old research facility near Austin to Houston, a decision that’s upset business and political leaders in the central Texas area. Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape has … Continue reading →

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Checking in on the national political atmosphere

Posted on June 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, via G. Elliott Morris’ weekly email blast: Are Democrats doing as well as they were in 2017-2018? The plural of “anecdote” is not “data”, but that’s what special elections and the generic ballot are for. These numbers … Continue reading →

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Metro still talking how to get to Hobby

Posted on June 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

At some point, we gotta make a final call. Transit and city officials took turns Tuesday trading barbs over the best way to route light rail from Houston’s East End to Hobby Airport. In a sometimes-testy back and forth, District … Continue reading →

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Prop B layoffs rescinded

Posted on June 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

No Prop B, no need for layoffs. Funny how that works. Houston City Council on Wednesday formally reversed the 220 firefighter layoffs and hundreds of demotions it approved earlier this year, making official Mayor Sylvester Turner’s pledge not to lay … Continue reading →

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

Texas blog roundup for the week of June 10

Posted on June 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance knows that the moon is actually part of Uranus as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Here comes another referendum no one will understand

Posted on June 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Be careful what petitions you sign, that’s my advice. A political action committee is launching a petition drive Sunday aimed at limiting how much city contractors and vendors can contribute to municipal candidates, marking the start of a month-long effort … Continue reading →

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Let the HD100 candidates come on out

Posted on June 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

With State Rep. Eric Johnson now also known as Dallas Mayor-Elect Eric Johnson, that means a special election for his legislative district is in the offing. Dallas community advocate Lorraine Birabil has launched a campaign to replace outgoing state Rep. … Continue reading →

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On prosecutor caseloads

Posted on June 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’m still thinking about this. When a line of prosecutors stepped up to the microphone at Harris County Commissioners Court in February, they told tales of long hours, endless to-do lists and bloated caseloads well into the triple digits. Their … Continue reading →

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In which I plead for a boon from national writers

Posted on June 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Dear national political writers: The former Texas congressman and one-time Senate hopeful has attended at least 67 Iowa town halls, driven nearly 3,000 miles across the state, and hired dozens of staffers there. He’s tall, white, charismatic, and handsome—traits that should serve … Continue reading →

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Scarface

Posted on June 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

If CM Dwight Boykins is running for Mayor, then someone has to run for District D. Your mind isn’t playing tricks. A former member of the pioneering hip-hop group Geto Boys could wind up representing a large part of the … Continue reading →

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DART to study driverless buses

Posted on June 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what this means in practice. Dallas Area Rapid Transit has joined a national association of transit and transportation agencies to explore how autonomous buses could shuttle people around cities in the future. The Automated Bus Consortium plans to research driverless buses and run pilot … Continue reading →

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It’s not an apology that’s needed

Posted on June 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This may make for good rhetoric, but it’s not what the goal should be. Congressmen Joaquin Castro and Lloyd Doggett on Friday demanded Gov. Greg Abbott apologize to Texas voters for attempting to purge as many as 95,000 people from … Continue reading →

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Another dive into the Heidi Group grift

Posted on June 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer is on it this time, and as before if you’re not mad by the time you’ve finished reading you’re doing it wrong. The state of Texas has poured hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars into [Carol] Everett’s clinic, … Continue reading →

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