Monthly Archives: October 2022

Houston City Council approves its new map

Posted on October 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Now we wait for the lawsuit(s). City Council on Wednesday approved new boundaries for the city’s 11 districts for the 2023 elections, featuring modest adjustments affecting parts of downtown, Braeburn, Greater Inwood and a few areas in southeast Houston. The … Continue reading →

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More big money in the Governor’s race

Posted on October 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Thirty day reports are in. Gov. Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke continue to shatter fundraising records in Texas with over $200 million that is funding a statewide ad war as the state’s most competitive governor’s race in decades heads into … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Yeah, I’m still mad

Posted on October 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s that Chuck Crews endorsement I thought we were going to get on Wednesday instead of that giant turd the Chron gifted us with. State Rep. Briscoe Cain’s three terms in the Texas House could charitably be described as harmful … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Judicial Q&A: Judge Mike Engelhart

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. This year it’s mostly incumbents running for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Marist: Abbott 49, Beto 45

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Another new pollster for this election. In the Texas governor’s race, Republican incumbent Governor Greg Abbott has a 4-point edge over Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke among registered voters statewide. However, Abbott’s advantage over O’Rourke doubles to 8 points among those … Continue reading →

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In which I pay a few minutes’ attention to the Miss USA pageant

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What can I say? I love some controversy in niche competitive events. Just days after Miss Texas USA R’Bonney Gabriel was crowned Miss USA, several other contestants have accused the pageant of favoritism and rigging the competition. During the live broadcast, several … Continue reading →

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

Texas blog roundup for the week of October 10

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is ready for some MLB playoffs as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Endorsement watch: Travesty

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I have to link to this atrocious Chron endorsement of Republican Alexandra Mealer, but I refuse to quote from it. Instead, I’m going to crib from the daily Texas AFL-CIO email newsletter, which had its own thoughts on the matter: … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Judicial Q&A: Judge Donna Roth

Posted on October 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. This year it’s mostly incumbents running for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Just keep staying away, Commissioners

Posted on October 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

At this point the pattern is clear. They’re just going to keep staying away, at least until after the election. At which point one can hope that one of them will have a more permanent vacation from these duties. For … Continue reading →

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

School enrollment in Texas declined in 2020-2021

Posted on October 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Blame it on COVID. Tens of thousands more students either dropped out or otherwise left Texas public schools during the 2020-21 school year, compared to previous years, according to the most recently available records from the Texas Education Agency. The number of students … Continue reading →

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Drone racing

Posted on October 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty cool, actually. Jessica Dunegan watched her high school students fly drones through a maze of hula-hoops, cardboard and chairs last year for an end-of-year assignment in robotics class. The San Antonio-area teacher was amazed by the teamwork, engagement and … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Judicial Q&A: Judge James Horwitz

Posted on October 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. This year it’s mostly incumbents running for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

I think you know the root cause of the problem, John

Posted on October 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I was fascinated by this Texas Monthly feature on Secretary of State John Scott, who is being pushed to reckon with the insane and dangerous levels of election denial and anti-democratic activism. I’m pretty sure he gets it, he just … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The True the Vote lawsuit continues to be wild

Posted on October 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is crazy. Inside a nearly empty federal courtroom Thursday, a fiery argument broke out between a judge and the lawyers representing Texas-based nonprofit True the Vote in a defamation and computer fraud case filed by a Michigan-based election software … Continue reading →

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Interviews with Janet Dudding and Jay Kleberg

Posted on October 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We are at the point of the calendar where there are only a few interviews left for me to do, and everyone is super busy and has things come up at inconvenient times. The upshot is that I don’t have … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Judicial Q&A: Judge Jason Cox

Posted on October 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to my readers. This year it’s mostly incumbents running for … Continue reading →

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Trib profile of Rochelle Garza

Posted on October 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good story with a lot of details you probably don’t know about the Democratic candidate for Attorney General. It also includes this bit of annoying news: Polls show the contest is the tightest of all statewide races. Garza, 37, is within … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Of course it’s Collier

Posted on October 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron writes one of the longest and most effusive endorsements I’ve ever seen for Democratic Lt. Governor candidate Mike Collier. Mike Collier won’t just promise to lower your property tax bill, he’ll tell you how he’s going to do … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for October 9

Posted on October 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

“Even if the Equal Rights Amendment were somehow ratified today, this Supreme Court wouldn’t care.” “But recently, this tidal wave of backlash against hormonal birth control has made its way into another sphere of influence. Anti-abortion activists—many of whom are … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 2 Comments

You can be gay, you just can’t act gay

Posted on October 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

So rules a notoriously anti-gay Trump judge, narrowing a SCOTUS ruling from just two years ago at the behest of the usual suspect. A federal judge has ruled that Biden administration guidelines requiring employers to provide protections for LGBTQ employees … Continue reading →

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Uvalde school district suspends its entire police force

Posted on October 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Um, wow. Uvalde school officials on Friday suspended all of the district police department’s activities following the firing of a recently hired district officer who was revealed to have been among the first state troopers to respond to the deadly … Continue reading →

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Another depressing story about the existential future of Texas Central

Posted on October 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s sad, y’all. People in the path of a proposed but floundering high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas last week filed a letter that in many ways labels Texas Central Railroad the little engine that will never be. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

SCOTx to rule on the HISD takeover lawsuit

Posted on October 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This feels like something from another era. The Texas Supreme Court on Thursday heard arguments on a yearslong case over whether the Texas Education Agency has the authority to remove all of the Houston school district’s board members and temporarily … Continue reading →

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We could maybe vote on a piece of the stupid revenue cap next year

Posted on October 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Yippie. Mayor Sylvester Turner said Wednesday he will ask voters in 2023 to amend the city’s cap on property tax revenue to allow for more public safety spending, as the council cut the city’s tax rate for the eighth time … Continue reading →

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The wastewater is looking good now

Posted on October 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

In terms of COVID levels, anyway. The COVID-19 viral load in Houston’s wastewater has sunk to its lowest point in seven months as the city puts the latest wave, driven by the highly contagious omicron subvariant BA.5, in the rear … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: I had totally forgotten who her opponent is

Posted on October 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Teneshia Hudspeth for a full term as Harris County Clerk. As the parent of a young child, Teneshia Hudspeth is familiar with the back-to-school rush for documents, including birth certificates. For families without reliable internet access, that … Continue reading →

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The Biden marijuana pardons

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A pretty big deal. Calling the criminalization of marijuana a “failed approach,” President Joe Biden announced a pardon of all federal marijuana possession charges Thursday — and urged governors to follow suit with state-level convictions for marijuana possession. The federal … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

City news release website hacked

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Looking for a mail-order Russian bride or wondering how to order a school term paper online? Or maybe you want to improve your slot machine skills by playing online casino games. The city of Houston’s official website for news releases has you covered. The page on Wednesday morning … Continue reading →

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Our big mail ballot test is now underway

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sure hope we do better this time. Harris County officials on Monday urged residents to follow the correct mail voting guidance as the end-of-the-month deadline to apply for mail-in ballots for the 2022 midterm elections nears. This year’s primary elections … Continue reading →

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The nightmare hurricane scenario

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry, but we have to think about it. Eric Berger, meteorologist, Space City Weather editor and senior space editor at Ars Technica, said when it comes to hurricanes there are three principal threats to worry about: storm surge, winds and … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Telemundo and Asian Texans For Justice polls

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Saw this on Twitter: NEW: The latest Telemundo poll shows a majority of Texas Latinos favor Beto for Governor: @BetoORourke: 54% @GregAbbott_TX: 31% This is BIG news. — Antonio Arellano (@AntonioArellano) 11:42 AM – 28 September 2022 In the comments … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Evade this, Kenny

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Paxton gets ordered to testify, along with an old-fashioned bench slapping. A federal judge has ordered Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to testify in an abortion rights lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman had previously quashed the subpoena, which Paxton … Continue reading →

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So did Ron DeSantis break Texas law or not?

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A couple of lawyers try to figure it out. Bexar County, Texas Sheriff Javier Salazar has announced a criminal investigation into Venezuelan migrants being induced in San Antonio to board chartered planes and flown to Martha’s Vineyard. Florida Governor Ron … Continue reading →

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