Monthly Archives: October 2021

Elections of interest elsewhere in Texas

Posted on October 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Early voting has started for the special election runoff in HD118. Early voting began Monday in San Antonio to see who will replace former state Rep. Leo Pacheco, a two-term Democrat who resigned from Texas’ 118th district in August to … Continue reading →

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On Rice and the AAC

Posted on October 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a great move for Rice. It also means they will need to step it up in men’s athletics. On the job a few months in early 2014, Rice athletic director Joe Karlgaard met with alumni at a fundraiser in … Continue reading →

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Texas takes its shot at Roe v Wade

Posted on October 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We were always headed in this direction. It was just a matter of when we were going to get there. Texas on Thursday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to keep in place a law that imposes a near-total ban on … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court redistricting has begun

Posted on October 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The Republicans are apoplectic. I have no sympathy. The two Republican Harris County commissioners say a proposal by Democrats to re-draw commissioner precinct boundaries will cut services and dilute the influence of conservative residents. The proposed map by Precinct 1 … Continue reading →

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Abbott picks Trumpy Secretary of State

Posted on October 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Red alert, this is not good. Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday appointed John Scott — a Fort Worth attorney who briefly represented former President Donald Trump in a lawsuit challenging the 2020 election results in Pennsylvania — as Texas’ new … Continue reading →

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Elon Musk’s underground adventure

Posted on October 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Say what now? When it surfaced two months ago, the notion of Teslas whizzing through underground tunnels between San Antonio International Airport and downtown seemed fanciful. Now, there’s a sign the idea may have gained some traction. The Boring Co., … Continue reading →

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Comings and goings

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Lloyd Doggett will run in a new district again. Longtime U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, has decided to run for reelection in Texas’ 37th Congressional District, opting to vie for one of Texas’ two new congressional districts — a … Continue reading →

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Chick-Fil-A and the “heartbeat” lawsuits

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’d forgotten all about this. A case that’s before the Texas Supreme Court this fall could have strong implications for the future of the state’s newly adopted abortion ban, the most prohibitive in the nation. The suit relates to a … Continue reading →

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

Texas blog roundup for the week of October 18

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is glad for a little fall in the air as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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A long story about the bail industry

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s complicated. Judges set bail, but it’s the bondsmen who decide how much a defendant pays to get out of jail. The long-held 10 percent standard — with defendants or their loved ones paying a tenth of the bail amount … Continue reading →

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American Athletic Conference to expand

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Time for some more dominoes to fall. The American Athletic Conference is set to consider expansion this week after six Conference USA programs applied for membership on Wednesday. If all six teams are added to the AAC, it would expand … Continue reading →

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Congressional map passes

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

And so the work is done. The lawyers are warming up their engines as we speak. The Texas Legislature has signed off on new congressional districts that shore up the GOP’s dominance and yield little ground to the people of … Continue reading →

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The Trib on Collier/Dowd

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good story. Mike Collier is willing to bet Texas voters know his name. In fact, he’s confident that when he last ran for lieutenant governor three years ago and came within 5 percentage points of winning, it was because most … Continue reading →

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2021 Day One EV report: Everyone likes voting by mail

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of mail ballots have been cast so far. Much more than any other kind. Early voting began Monday for a handful of area school board and municipal races, state constitutional amendments and hundreds of millions of dollars in school … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Wrapping it up

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron counsels a Yes vote on Prop 2. For 30 years, the Texas Constitution has allowed the Legislature to authorize cities to issue bonds to raise needed funds to more quickly build roads, bridges and other vital infrastructure. On … Continue reading →

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First lawsuit filed against the redistricting maps

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Why wait? We already know they suck. Before they’ve even been signed into law, Texas’ new maps for Congress and the statehouse are being challenged in court for allegedly discriminating against Latino voters. Filing the first federal lawsuit Monday in … Continue reading →

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Justice Department officially asks SCOTUS to halt SB8

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The stakes are clear. Now we get to see if SCOTUS has any respect for the law. The U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether to take up abortion providers’ challenge to Texas’ near-total abortion ban sooner than the high court … Continue reading →

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The Lege may fail to enshrine Abbott’s max anti-vaxx order into law

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

One bit of good news. Legislation intended to block any Texas entity, including hospitals and private businesses, from mandating COVID-19 vaccines for employees has stalled out in the Senate with less than two days left in the third special legislative … Continue reading →

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More on the Spring Branch ISD single member district lawsuit

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good story from KTRK. The unofficial dividing line for the two sides: I-10 running through the district. With two boys in the district, Carla Cooper-Molano has seen the battle scars, and she wants someone on the school board who represents … Continue reading →

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

30 day campaign finance reports: HCC

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: HISD 30 day reports As is usually the case, the HCC finance reports are not as interesting as the HISD reports, but review them we must, because these races really do matter. So here we begin. Adriana Tamez, District … Continue reading →

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Down to the wire for Congressional redistricting

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Time is running out in this session. Of course, there’s always the next session shudder. A redraw of the state’s congressional map to include a decade of population growth could be headed to last-minute backdoor negotiations after the Texas House … Continue reading →

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Superintendent House’s listening tour

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I like what he’s been doing. During his first week as Houston ISD’s superintendent in July, Millard House II said he welcomed feedback from everyone, especially those who long have been left out of important discussions. He has been receiving … Continue reading →

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Early voting starts today for the 2021 election

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Time to strap on the pads and get yourself out to the polling places: . Early voting begins Monday, October 18th. Log on to http://harrisvotes.com to view your sample ballot and find the polling location closest to you. Make your … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2021 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Weekend link dump for October 17

Posted on October 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

“Treat Trump Like the Common Perp He Is”. “One striking feature of the homicide increase from 2019 to 2020 is how uniform and pervasive it was: it rose in big cities and rural areas, in more conservative and more liberal … Continue reading →

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The Lege is now 3/4 done with redistricting

Posted on October 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

All but the Congressional maps are done. They’re just plowing through it. The Texas Legislature is nearing the end of its work to incorporate a decade’s worth of population growth into new political maps — pressing forward with efforts to … Continue reading →

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The poisoned fruit of the anti-Critical Race Theory tree

Posted on October 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Pass stupid, racist laws, get stupid, racist outcomes. A top administrator with the Carroll Independent School District in Southlake advised teachers last week that if they have a book about the Holocaust in their classroom, they should also offer students … Continue reading →

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SCOTx puts San Antonio ISD’s vaccine mandate on pause

Posted on October 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Ken Paxton finally gets what he wants. The Texas Supreme Court temporarily halted San Antonio Independent School District’s staff vaccine mandate on Thursday, a day before the deadline for all employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The ruling comes two … Continue reading →

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Hey, look, it’s a Robinson Warehouse update!

Posted on October 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From the new CityCast Houston newsletter, Lisa Gray’s latest project. “It appears that the property purchased by the Aga Khan many years ago is under development,” writes City Cast subscriber Mickey Altman. “What is going on there?” He’s talking about … Continue reading →

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Justice Department goes to SCOTUS over SB8

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. The Biden administration will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to stop enforcement of Texas’ near-total abortion ban, according to a Friday statement from a U.S. Department of Justice spokesperson. Courts have pingponged back and forth on the law’s … Continue reading →

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

House passes anti-trans sports bill

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Disgraceful. The Texas House approved legislation on Thursday that would restrict transgender student athlete participation in school sports, clearing a notable hurdle for supporters of the measure after similar legislation sailed through the Senate and stalled in the House three … Continue reading →

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More on the Mac Walker ballot name situation

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good move by HISD. Houston ISD on Tuesday took responsibility for failing to include the nickname of a trustee candidate when it entered his name in a county elections office portal. Lee “Mac” Walker, vying for district 7, said last … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Incumbents go one for three

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In HISD District VII, the Chron goes with a challenger, in this case Mac Walker. In unruly classrooms and school boards alike, you’ve got good kids, you’ve got troublemakers, and then you’ve got the good kids who, for some reason, … Continue reading →

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Interview with Joshua Rosales

Posted on October 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Every election I get at least one late response or contact from a candidate that I had not interviewed. This year I got a reply to my email to Joshua Rosales after the interview I did with Myrna Guidry had … Continue reading →

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The Constitutional amendments

Posted on October 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember how in odd numbered years there are some number of constitutional amendments to vote on in November? This is the one thing that guarantees you have a reason to turn out regardless of what your city or school … Continue reading →

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