Monthly Archives: May 2025

Measles update: Never forget who RFK Jr is

Posted on May 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

He’s a liar. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says his “Make America Healthy Again” Commission report harnesses “gold-standard” science, citing more than 500 studies and other sources to back up its claims. Those citations, though, are rife with errors, from broken links to misstated … Continue reading →

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Judge approves the Whitmire drainage settlement deal

Posted on May 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Okay then. A Harris County District Court judge on Friday approved Mayor John Whitmire’s settlement agreement with plaintiffs to phase in payments to the city’s drainage fund, his office said. The final confirmation comes after more than a month of tension among … Continue reading →

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The death of bad bills is always worth celebrating

Posted on May 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good, good, good. A handful of bills that would have stopped local governments from enacting their transportation priorities and hamstrung local transit efforts are likely dead. The measures failed to pass before key deadlines as the legislative session draws to … Continue reading →

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Storm recovery group challenges Whitmire’s drainage deal

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Plot twist coming, maybe. I’m skipping the first part of this story in which we rehash the 2010 ReNew Houston vote, the ways that Houston made use of the drainage fee revenue that were later challenged in court, the court … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s decision and Patrick’s tantrum

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

A brief roundup of some THC stories… What will Greg Abbott do? Gov. Greg Abbott has been tight-lipped about whether he’ll sign the bill on his desk that would ban THC in Texas. I don’t envy him. There’s really no … Continue reading →

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The DOGE effect on feral hogs

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The hogs approve this message. Wild hogs are exceptionally hard to kill. They can leap over fences and run 30 miles per hour on open ground, making them difficult to shoot. And they’re smart, learning to avoid traps if other … Continue reading →

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Controller Hollins has some questions about the budget

Posted on May 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This hit my inbox on Tuesday evening, so I didn’t see it in time to queue something up for yesterday. Ahead of Wednesday’s City Council vote on the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 Budget, City Controller Chris Hollins has released a … Continue reading →

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Film incentive bill passes

Posted on May 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Probably won’t be that big a deal, but we’ll see. The Texas House gave final approval to a bill increasing the amount of money the state spends to attract film and television productions. Senate Bill 22, filed by Houston Republican … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege, TV and movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Waymo “road trip” coming

Posted on May 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Company’s coming. Houstonians have the opportunity to see driverless vehicles in action. Google’s autonomous-driver sister company, Waymo, announced Tuesday that it’s initiating road trips this summer for testing and exploration in Houston, Orlando and San Antonio. The road trip consists … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of May 26

Posted on May 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The weekly Texas Progressive Alliance roundup is always human generated.

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Bill targeting abortion pills appears to be dead

Posted on May 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Three cheers for the end of session death-by-calendar watch. A major Texas bill that was poised to offer a blueprint for abortion restrictions has likely died in the state legislature. Senate Bill 2880, a top priority for the state’s abortion … Continue reading →

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Fair for Houston makes good on its warning

Posted on May 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They did warn us. Lawyers for advocacy group Fair for Houston have filed an injunction against Mayor John Whitmire and the Houston City Council after urging the city to comply with a local law to give the city more representation … Continue reading →

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The case against rooting for Tesla to fail

Posted on May 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

From Inside Climate News. While some people may be pleased to see Tesla and Musk struggle, and most of the damage was self-inflicted, Tesla’s swoon is probably bad for the U.S. EV market. It helps to have a sense of … Continue reading →

Posted in National news, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

So about that Compassionate Use program…

Posted on May 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Psyche! A plan to expand Texas’ struggling medical marijuana program has been stripped down by a state Senate committee, just days after the House agreed to the upper chamber’s plan to ban all recreational THC. New draft language for House … Continue reading →

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We need a better class of wingnut billionaire overlords

Posted on May 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I read this story about the latest dude in politics with more money than sense and I just shake my head. In mid-September, Alex Fairly accepted an invitation to spend the day with one of the state’s richest and most … Continue reading →

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What’s next for Aurora’s driverless trucks

Posted on May 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Expansion coming soon. Autonomous vehicle technology company Aurora Innovation plans to expand on the success of its first driverless commercial launch and add night driving to its operations. Aurora said Thursday that in the second half of 2025, it will … Continue reading →

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THC retailers upset by THC ban

Posted on May 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

What are y’all going to do about it? Sydney Torabi, co-founder of Austin-based Restart CBD, could only watch in disbelief late Wednesday night as the Texas House delivered a key vote to push through a ban on all products containing … Continue reading →

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Yes, the penny is done for

Posted on May 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

So long, old friend. The Trump administration says making cents doesn’t make sense anymore. The U.S. Mint has made its final order of penny blanks and plans to stop producing the coin when those run out, a Treasury Department official confirmed Thursday. … Continue reading →

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

Weekend link dump for May 25

Posted on May 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

“A chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s multibillion-dollar artificial intelligence startup xAI appeared to be suffering from a glitch Wednesday when it repeatedly brought up white genocide in South Africa in response to user queries about unrelated topics on X.” “How … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 2 Comments

A start-of-hurricane-season roundup

Posted on May 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your latest forecast. The nation’s top weather agency, where federal job cuts and staffing shortages are stretching forecast resources thin, is predicting 13 to 19 named storms in its 2025 hurricane season outlook released Thursday. This hurricane season, which begins in less … Continue reading →

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Fort Worth’s view of the HISD takeover

Posted on May 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As recently noted, Fort Worth ISD has been notified by the Texas Education Agency that they are required to intervene in that district. While it’s not been determined yet what that means, a takeover is on the list of possibilities. … Continue reading →

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More on Austin’s MLB ambitions

Posted on May 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Veteran Longhorn sports-knower Kirk Bohls, formerly of the Statesman and now of the Chron, has a long look at the team working to bring an MLB franchise to Austin. Matt Mackowiak has a plan. The long-time Austin political strategist and … Continue reading →

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Measles update: El Paso the exception

Posted on May 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Weird. As soon as measles started spreading in West Texas, El Paso health officials began preparing schools and day care facilities for the day the virus would inevitably arrive. But now that it’s here, it’s not kids who are making … Continue reading →

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Trojan “abortion exceptions” bill passes

Posted on May 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

For better or worse. A bill clarifying when doctors can perform abortions under Texas’ near-total ban will now go to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk after the House approved the bill with wide bipartisan support. Despite some concerns raised by conservative … Continue reading →

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Tesla robotaxis to arrive in Austin in June

Posted on May 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t use them, I say. Make Elon cry. Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the company will have robotaxis on the streets of Austin, Texas, by the end of June. In an interview with CNBC’s David Faber on Tuesday at … Continue reading →

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Lege goes for full THC ban

Posted on May 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. The Texas House late Wednesday gave initial approval to a bill that would ban all products containing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, likely spelling the end for the state’s short-lived hemp industry. Under the legislation, which is nearing the governor’s desk … Continue reading →

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Winning Humble ISD candidate declared ineligible

Posted on May 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is rough. A candidate who won her bid for the Humble ISD school board on May 3 has now been declared ineligible after her opponent challenged her candidacy, a district spokesperson confirmed Tuesday. Brittnai Brown, a former educator, was sued by opponent Tracy … Continue reading →

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That Waymo is watching you

Posted on May 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Huh. The Los Angeles Police Department obtained video footage from a Waymo driverless car as part of its investigation into a hit-and-run in which a separate, human-driven car hit a pedestrian. The LAPD published the footage, which has a note … Continue reading →

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Hollins wants a final ruling on the drainage deal before he’ll certify the budget

Posted on May 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Okay. Controller Chris Hollins said he won’t certify Mayor John Whitmire’s 2026 budget until the court makes a decision on the city’s payment agreement with the plaintiffs in a years-long streets and drainage lawsuit, Hollins told the Houston Chronicle following a budget trends report Tuesday. Whitmire earlier … Continue reading →

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

More on the visa issues for the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Posted on May 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a problem for Houston, too. Experts are now raising questions about America’s ability to receive such an influx of people, however, as some tourists wait months to obtain a visa, and the Trump administration strains relations with international allies … Continue reading →

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RIP, George Coulam

Posted on May 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Texas Renaissance Festival founder George Coulam was found dead Wednesday morning in his home in Todd Mission, according to law enforcement officials. He was 87. The Todd Mission Police Department was dispatched to Coulam’s home just outside the Renaissance … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of May 19

Posted on May 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance will not be accepting any Qatari jets in return for this week’s roundup.

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Long-awaited Texas redistricting trial begins

Posted on May 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Been waiting a long time for this one. Questions over whether Latinos had their voting power diminished in the Dallas area will be a focus of a federal trial in El Paso that begins Wednesday. U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Rep. Vikki Goodwin to run for Lite Guv

Posted on May 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Dems have their first official statewide candidate. State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, has filed paperwork to run for lieutenant governor in next year’s midterm election, giving up a safe seat in the Texas House to seek one of the state’s … Continue reading →

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