Monthly Archives: January 2025

Houston Progressive Caucus

From the inbox: On January 30th, the birthday of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and in the wake of the attempt to suspend funding of Medicaid and thousands of other federal government programs, Houston progressives are launching the Houston Progressive Caucus—a movement … Continue reading

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CenterPoint proposes small rate decrease

A win is a win. More than six months after CenterPoint Energy came under fire for its response to Hurricane Beryl — and its proposal to raise its rates — Houston’s main electricity company announced Wednesday that it reached a settlement that will … Continue reading

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Driver who caused the Energy Transfer pipeline fire ruled to have died by suicide

The report has not been published yet, so there are still questions to be answered. The driver who caused a massive pipeline explosion and fire in Deer Park last fall died by suicide, according to the Harris County medical examiner’s … Continue reading

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Charges dismissed against two of Hidalgo’s former aides

Well, well, well. Criminal cases against at least two of County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s former employees have been dismissed by the Office of the Attorney General, nearly two weeks since District Attorney Sean Teare recused himself of the prosecutions. Prosecutors under Attorney … Continue reading

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HISD graduates’ earning potential

Very concerning, but I have a lot of questions. Less than 20% of Houston ISD’s high school graduates earn enough to make a living wage in Harris County six years after obtaining their diplomas, according to an analysis of by … Continue reading

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of January 27

The Texas Progressive Alliance says one week down, 208 to go as it brings you this week’s roundup. Off the Kuff analyzed three more Harris county races from 2024, in which Democrats did considerably better. SocraticGadfly looked at issues of … Continue reading

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How deep is this funding freeze?

The chaos is the point. Houston and Harris County on Tuesday were scrambling to figure out the potential impact of President Donald Trump’s pause on federal grants and aid, a move local officials said could hold up hundreds of millions … Continue reading

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Maybe do more than just worry about what mass deportations might do to Texas?

Just a thought. In Texas, undocumented people have built apartment complexes and skyscrapers that changed skylines. They have picked fruits and vegetable in fields, cooked in restaurant kitchens, cleaned hospitals and started small businesses. They have become stitched into communities … Continue reading

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Assessing North Texas’ wildfire risk

Interesting stuff. North Texas terrain and climate differ significantly from Southern California’s, but the possibility of wildfires in the Tarrant County area that are as destructive as those in Los Angeles cannot be ruled out, according to Luke Kanclerz, head … Continue reading

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January 2025 campaign finance reports – Harris County offices

You know the drill here. Start of the year, we review all of the relevant campaign finance reports. Harris County races are the main event for 2026, at least at this time. I won’t mind if there are some other … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024, Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

On weakening vaccine mandates

I had to take several deep breaths while reading this story. They only helped a little. When speech pathologist Rebecca Hardy recalls her up-close seat to lawmaking during the 2015 state legislative session, she remembers how tough it was to … Continue reading

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The drone crackdowns

I learned a lot from this story about how drones are being used and how that usage may come to an abrupt end as Chinese technology is increasingly limited by law. Russell Hedrick, a North Carolina farmer, flies drones to … Continue reading

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Abbott wants federal reimbursement for all his border boondoggle spending

We all want things. Gov. Greg Abbott is asking the federal government for more than $11 billion in reimbursements to Texas for the costs of border security operations and wall construction during the Biden administration. In letters sent Thursday to … Continue reading

Posted in La Migra, National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Three water stories

This lawmaker wants to fix Texas’ water shortage with desalination and billion-dollar pipelines The state lawmaker expected to carry out Gov. Greg Abbott’s “transformative” water reforms this year wants to earmark billions of dollars to develop new sources and fix … Continue reading

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Home distilling ban lawsuit heads to the Fifth Circuit

Of interest. In July, a Texas judge ruled that a 157-year-old ban on at-home distilling was unconstitutional, allowing a group of at-home distilling proponents in the Lone Star State to pursue their passion without the fear of breaking the law. It also marked a … Continue reading

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Weekend link dump for January 26

“Ultraprocessed Foods Have a Terrible Reputation. They Don’t Deserve It.” “An AI app for creating nonconsensual nude images of anyone is getting the vast majority of its traffic directly from Meta platforms, where the app is buying thousands of explicit … Continue reading

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HISD teacher rating system 2.0

We’ll see how this one goes. Houston ISD’s new system for evaluating its roughly 11,000 teachers looks similar to its current one, maintaining a large emphasis on classroom observations and student test scores, but without a controversial student survey component … Continue reading

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A brief update on that bonkers bankruptcy court saga

Just because I came across it, I felt it was worth sharing. In October 2023, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David R. Jones resigned from the bench. A Houston judge frequently touted for the sheer volume of bankruptcy cases his court handled, Jones stepped down after … Continue reading

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Buc-ee’s keeps their lawyers busy

They remain one litigious beaver. Everyone’s favorite beaver is back in the courtroom crying foul over another gas station’s use of rodent-like iconography. Buc-ee’s, known for its wide selection of beaver-centric merch and clean bathrooms, has filed several trademark infringement … Continue reading

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

Here’s the voucher proposal

Here it is. Get ready to be sick of the whole debate by the end of the session. The Texas Senate revealed a bill on Friday to create an education savings accounts program, a top priority for Gov. Greg Abbott … Continue reading

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I sure hope these are the only cases we see

Stay away, measles. The Houston Health Department said [last] Friday it has identified two cases of measles in adults who’ve recently traveled internationally, the first cases in Houston since 2018. The adults live in the same household, and it’s unknown … Continue reading

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Would you buy electricity from this man?

Man, 2025 is on one. Enron, or the satire-infused Frankenstein version of the long-deceased company, filed an application with state regulators Tuesday to become Texas’ newest retail electric provider. It’s yet another eyebrow-raising move by 28-year-old CEO Connor Gaydos, one of the pranksters behind “Birds … Continue reading

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State Bar to drop its lawsuit against Paxton

Welp. The State Bar of Texas on Wednesday moved to drop its lawsuit against Attorney General Ken Paxton for his attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, extending a cascade of legal and political wins for the … Continue reading

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

GLO contests the allegations on their Harvey screw job

Going through the motions here, since we all know that Justice Department investigation will never happen. Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham has penned a letter to federal law enforcement officials encouraging them to reject “unsubstantiated findings” submitted by the U.S. Department … Continue reading

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HISD addresses the “ICE in schools” issue

From the inbox. Dear HISD Community, Many of our staff are receiving questions about how HISD manages state and federal law enforcement agencies on our campuses. We want to assure you that our policies have not changed, and they align … Continue reading

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This time the power stayed on

The weather cooperated by not being as bad as it could have been. Most Houston-area residents woke up to two delights Tuesday morning: an unusually thick blanket of snow, and the power thankfully still on. It was a sharp contrast … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

TEC drops ethics complaint against state GOP Chair

Boy that was fast. The Texas Ethics Commission has dismissed a complaint against the state Republican Party Chair alleging that he illegally threatened and intimidated lawmakers over their support for a House speaker candidate, according to the state House Member … Continue reading

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Texas blog roundup for the week of January 20

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes we’re all ready to fight back now as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Snow Day 2025

That sure was something. Houston woke up to a winter wonderland Tuesday as a fresh blanket of snow fell across the region. The winter storm that also brought sleet should taper off through Tuesday afternoon. How does this snow — … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Dan Patrick says something about abortion

Usually, when Dan Patrick says something should happen in the Legislature, he gets his way. With this, I’m not so sure he actually has anything in mind, and as such I’m not expecting anything. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Sunday … Continue reading

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Ichiro, CC, and Billy Wagner elected to the Hall of Fame

Congratulations to them all. A leadoff hitter, an ace starter and a lockdown closer walk into a Hall … It’s no joke. The National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 is complete after Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner were voted in by … Continue reading

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Precinct analysis: County races 2024 part 2

PREVIOUSLY: President Senate Railroad Commissioner District Attorney and County Attorney Last time we looked at the low-performing countywide races for Democrats. This time it’s the three races where Dems did the best. The starting place is exactly where you’d expect … Continue reading

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Yeah, we’re still not getting sports betting

But Axios is gonna write about it as if there’s a chance, because it’s that time of the biennium again. Texas remains a holdout in the nationwide push to expand gambling, but industry representatives are headed to Austin for the … Continue reading

Posted in Jackpot!, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

RIP, Cecile Richards

An icon passes. Cecile Richards, a lifelong advocate for women’s rights who led Planned Parenthood for 12 years, has died at the age of 67 after a battle with brain cancer, her family said in a statement Monday morning. Richards, … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment