Monthly Archives: April 2025

It’s hurricane prediction season

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And it will be another busy one. The 2025 hurricane season is shaping up to be one of the most intense in recent years, with forecasters at Colorado State University predicting an above-normal active season. A staggering 17 named storms are expected, with 9 … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on It’s hurricane prediction season

Texas blog roundup for the week of April 7

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance remains tariff-free as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , | Comments Off on Texas blog roundup for the week of April 7

Measles update: Another needless death

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We have to start with some bad news. An 8-year-old girl with measles died Thursday morning, the second known measles-related death in an ongoing outbreak that has infected nearly 500 Texans since January. Her funeral was Sunday at a church … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Measles update: Another needless death

KP George charged with money laundering

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Great. Fort Bend County Judge KP George, already facing legal troubles, was arrested Friday and charged with two counts of money laundering, according to county jail records and the district attorney’s office. George, a Democrat first elected in 2018 and … Continue reading →

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

Just make up your damn mind about West 11th already

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I swear, I am so sick of this. After Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s administration removed cyclist protections along Heights Boulevard and Austin Street in March, advocates for a contentious safety project on 11th Street in the Heights neighborhood are worried it could be next on … Continue reading →

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

Abbott finally calls CD18 election

Posted on April 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s for November. Gov. Greg Abbott has set Nov. 4 as the special election date to fill the congressional seat left vacant by former Rep. Sylvester Turner’s death — a timeline that leaves the solidly Democratic seat vacant for at … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2025 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Paxton sues San Antonio over abortion funding

Posted on April 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

First, this happened. In an election-year reversal, San Antonio city leaders voted 6-5 Thursday to fast-track distribution of $100,000 to organizations that provide reproductive services, including emergency contraception and transportation for out-of-state abortion care. Just months ago, city staff shut down a … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Another name emerges as a possible Houston hockey team owner

Posted on April 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

New player alert. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has said the league has received interest from multiple prospective owners about a Houston hockey franchise. On Thursday, the identity of at least another interested party became public. ESPN reported that Houston billionaire … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Paxton whistleblowers get what they asked for

Posted on April 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them, and good in general. A Travis County district court judge on Friday awarded $6.6 million to four former senior aides to Attorney General Ken Paxton who said they were improperly fired after reporting Paxton to the FBI. … Continue reading →

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

US and Mexico get 2031 Women’s World Cup

Posted on April 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that the United States-Mexico and the United Kingdom are the sole respective bidders for the 2031 and 2035 Women’s World Cups. Infantino made the announcement on Thursday at the 49th UEFA Congress in … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on US and Mexico get 2031 Women’s World Cup

Malik appointed to HCDE Board

Posted on April 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Silky Joshi Malik has been unanimously appointed to Harris County Department of Education’s (HCDE) Board of Trustees. Malik will fulfill the remainder of the term for Position 7, At-Large, which expires in December 2026. The seat was previously … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Malik appointed to HCDE Board

Weekend link dump for April 6

Posted on April 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

“Two, even if there were no government guidance on Signal usage, it doesn’t change the fact that the error that led to Signalgate is not Signal’s fault. To imply otherwise, as Trump did, is not just to deny reality—it is … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | Comments Off on Weekend link dump for April 6

Abbott finally says something about CD18

Posted on April 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And of course it’s stupid and insulting. Gov. Greg Abbott has blamed his delay in calling an election to replace U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner on election issues in Harris County, he recently told Austin’s KXAN. Abbott has faced criticism for the past month for failing … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2025 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

More on Austin Street, Whitmire, and bike lanes

Posted on April 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna do this as a link roundup so I can get this out of my system. See here for the starting point. Whitmire stresses maintaining public safety as fears grow over future of Houston’s bike lanes. Emphasizing his priority toward … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Yeah, that’s too many candidates

Posted on April 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

There are how many people running for Mayor of San Antonio?!? San Antonio is barreling toward the most bizarre mayoral election in recent memory. A massive field of 27 candidates has no clear frontrunners. State and national PAC money is flowing into … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2025 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Measles update: We’re already making this harder on ourselves

Posted on April 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your weekend update. The measles outbreak centered in the South Plains region soared past a combined 500 cases in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma on Friday, according to health officials. Texas has seen 481 measles cases amid the outbreak … Continue reading →

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

TEA can release 2023 A-F accountability ratings

Posted on April 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. A judge ruled Thursday that the Texas Education Agency can release its 2023 A-F school accountability ratings for the state’s public school districts, overturning a previous injunction issued in response to a lawsuit from more than 120 districts. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Smaller number of federal buildings on the chopping block

Posted on April 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Progress? I dunno. Less than two weeks after posting – and abruptly pulling down – a list of federally owned office buildings to be sold, the U.S. General Services Administration has released a much shorter list that includes one property in Houston. A … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Smaller number of federal buildings on the chopping block

Yeah, the Paxton federal prosecution was officially dropped

Posted on April 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Please take several deep breaths before and as you read this. The Justice Department quietly decided in the final weeks of the Biden administration not to prosecute Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, effectively ending the corruption investigation that cast a long … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Yeah, the Paxton federal prosecution was officially dropped

It looks like there’s no DaSean Jones do-over election on the May ballot

Posted on April 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the May 3, 2025 Joint Election Fact Sheet that I got on Monday. You will notice that on page 2, where the participating entities are listed, that Harris County is not among them. There are MUDs and services districts, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Election 2025, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dispatches from Dallas, April 4 edition

Posted on April 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week, in news from Dallas-Fort Worth, the governor goes full Islamophobe; Dallas gets ready to pick a new police chief; Neiman Marcus in … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Dispatches from Dallas, April 4 edition

Another lawsuit threatened for CD18

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

File away, I say. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Wednesday that House Democrats will “very likely” sue if Texas Gov. Greg Abbott continues to hold off on calling a special election for the Houston-area seat of the late Congressman Sylvester … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Tariffs are not good for beer

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’ll cost you more to drown your sorrows. Just getting a beer in Texas could become more expensive under President Donald Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on essentially every country in the world. While most industries are bracing for Trump’s … Continue reading →

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

A win for protecting the right to travel

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good news, but the legal fight is far from over. The state of Alabama cannot prosecute groups that help people leave the state for an abortion, a federal judge ruled late Monday. The decision — one of the first to … Continue reading →

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

Texas blog roundup for the week of March 31

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance will be texting this week’s roundup to the Houthi PC Small Group.

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , | Comments Off on Texas blog roundup for the week of March 31

Measles update: Moving around the state

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And we have some new counties to add to the board, too. The measles outbreak that began in the South Plains region of Texas rose to 422 cases and spread to two new counties on Tuesday, according to health officials. … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Measles update: Moving around the state

I got those “too much overtime cost” blues

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

More overtime, more problems. The city of Houston is expected to spend twice as much as it budgeted on overtime this year, contributing to next year’s projected $330 million deficit, the city controller’s office said Tuesday. Overtime costs for Houston … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Astrodome Conservancy keeps plugging away

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I respect the hustle. It’s time to move forward with Vision: Astrodome, the recently unveiled proposal from the Astrodome Conservancy. It activates the power of this historic monument to serve the public, now and long into the future. Since its … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Astrodome Conservancy keeps plugging away

Recall Houston

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Color me skeptical. Recall Houston, a group working to recall Houston Mayor John Whitmire, is gaining steam and reading for a push to get the effort on the ballot in 2025. The organization has been working for almost a year, … Continue reading →

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

Menefee threatens to sue to get CD18 election called

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Hope it doesn’t have to come to that, but there’s no reason to trust Greg Abbott. Acting Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee on Monday demanded that Gov. Greg Abbott call a special election to fill the region’s open congressional seat, even going … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2025 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Menefee threatens to sue to get CD18 election called

Why are we now tearing up bike lanes?

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is bullshit. Without prior announcement, the city of Houston has begun removing the dedicated bike lane on a key street, raising concerns among residents about transparency and the city’s commitment to pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. The potential loss of … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments