Monthly Archives: August 2025

Judge rejects land ownership ban lawsuit for lack of standing

Posted on August 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Hmph. Two Chinese citizens who sued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over a new law banning people from China and three other countries from buying property in the state do not have standing to bring a class-action lawsuit over the … Continue reading →

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The “Faux Faculty Senate”

Posted on August 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I love this bit of resistance, as I deplore the reason for it. In response to Texas’ crackdown on faculty governance, two University of Houston professors are pushing back by creating their own “Faux Faculty Senate” to give faculty a … Continue reading →

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July 2025 campaign finance reports – HCC

Posted on August 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

PREVOIUSLY: Harris County Senate and Congress City of Houston HISD And we wrap up our look at July campaign finance reports with a check-in on the HCC Board of Trustees, whose reports can be found here. At the time of … Continue reading →

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On HPD and overtime

Posted on August 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Lots to think about here. Houston senior police officer Matthew Davis’ annual salary was about $90,000 this past fiscal year. He made nearly $170,000 more in overtime. It was not an anomaly. Davis has collected more in overtime than his … Continue reading →

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First Ten Commandments lawsuit heard

Posted on August 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We are promised a ruling before September 1, the date the law would go into effect. The debate surrounding a state law mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools intensified Friday as attorneys representing 16 Texas families … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for August 17

Posted on August 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

“Veterans hospitals are struggling to replace hundreds of doctors and nurses who have left the health care system this year as the Trump administration pursues its pledge to simultaneously slash Department of Veterans Affairs staff and improve care.” “A string … Continue reading →

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And the At Large #4 race gets underway

Posted on August 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Bring it on. Two candidates for Houston City Council for are waging a war over who used AI to create their list of campaign priorities. Alejandra Salinas’ campaign website lists a series of priorities she would champion if elected to fill the council … Continue reading →

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Second lawsuit filed against Tarrant County over its mid-decade redistricting

Posted on August 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This one has an interesting twist. The League of Women Voters of Tarrant County and the League of United Latin American Citizens are suing Tarrant County, the county’s commissioners court and County Judge Tim O’Hare over its mid-decade districting. The … Continue reading →

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The private school grift is gearing up

Posted on August 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

What happens when you spend a billion taxpayer dollars with no oversight and no accountability? We’re about to find out. For about eight years, a Houston private school has followed a unique pattern when appointing members to its governing board: … Continue reading →

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Special Session 2: [Insert dumb sequel name here]

Posted on August 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As promised/threatened. With the Texas House still frozen by Democrats’ absence from the state, Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday called a second special session to begin less than two hours after the Legislature gaveled out the first overtime round. The … Continue reading →

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How’s that economy doing?

Posted on August 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Not great! All signs point to a slowdown of the Texas economy as job growth slows, construction declines and inflation ticks up, according to a Monday report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. The report on the Fed’s recent … Continue reading →

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First Kerrville flooding lawsuit filed

Posted on August 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Sure to be joined by many others. In the weeks since devastating floods hit Central Texas, killing 119 people in Kerr County — including 39 children — much has been made of various investigations, legislative proposals, and potential lawsuits over what went wrong in the early morning hours of … Continue reading →

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The end (of the quorum break) is near

Posted on August 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And getting nearer. The House Democrats who fled Texas to block GOP redistricting appear likely to return in the coming days, according to a press release they issued Thursday. The caucus said its members will return if Republicans follow through … Continue reading →

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From the “Abortions for me but not for thee” department

Posted on August 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Wild, wild stuff. Three years after Starr County prosecutors charged 26-year-old Lizelle Gonzalez with murder for inducing her own abortion, District Attorney Gocha Ramirez swore under oath that when his office brought the case in early 2022 he didn’t know about … Continue reading →

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Dispatches from Dallas, August 15 edition

Posted on August 15, 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: more about redistricting; the good, bad, and indifferent about the first draft of Dallas’ budget; trouble in … Continue reading →

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So when might the quorum busters return?

Posted on August 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Before I address that question, here’s an important bit of business to resolve. Illinois courts will not force Texas Democrats back to the state, a judge ruled Wednesday, dealing a blow to Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dustin … Continue reading →

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What the finally released Uvalde records tell us

Posted on August 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It shouldn’t have taken this long. And there’s still a lot of stuff we haven’t seen because it’s still tied up in the courts. New Uvalde school district records released late Monday provide more details about campus safety concerns raised … Continue reading →

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Let Sarah smoke

Posted on August 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I admire a well-done political stunt. A West Texas district attorney may qualify for prison time after smoking a joint on TikTok this month in a legal gamble protesting a proposed state ban on THC. On a TikTok live stream, … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of August 11

Posted on August 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance stands with the quorum breakers as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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Everything happens on Tuesday

Posted on August 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember when I said yesterday that there was still no quorum and not much had happened? That was then, this is now. The Supreme Court will take its sweet time in deciding on those quo warranto filings to expel … Continue reading →

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Republicans prepare to eat their own

Posted on August 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Sometimes all you can do is stare in bug-eyed amazement. The executive committee of the Republican Party of Texas was in Austin on Saturday to finalize its first-ever legislative review, outlining a list of censurable offenses that some within the … Continue reading →

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Three perspectives on scooters

Posted on August 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron editorial board calls for regulation over a ban. We’re feeling a bit of whiplash. For a city that has for decades been desperate to get people out of their cars and into central neighborhoods, our leaders seem all … Continue reading →

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Still no quorum

Posted on August 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sitting here waiting for the Supreme Court to take up those ridiculous quo warranto actions by Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton and have been hesitant to start writing something for fear that I’ll have to trash it and start … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed against land ownership ban

Posted on August 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A pair of Chinese citizens asked a federal judge to block a new law banning Chinese nationals and people from a select number of other countries from buying or leasing property in Texas. In a lawsuit filed July 3, … Continue reading →

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The (driverless) trucks at night, are big and bright

Posted on August 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I regret nothing. Autonomous vehicle technology company Aurora has expanded its driverless freight operations to include nighttime travel on Texas highways, according to the company’s announcement Wednesday. In late April, the self-driving 18-wheeler service was launched without a safety driver in partnership with Uber … Continue reading →

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Comparing the districts

Posted on August 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As I write this on Sunday, there’s a lot we don’t know about how this saga ends. I feel confident saying that at some point there will be a quorum and a new map will be passed. Beyond that is … Continue reading →

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Waymo to come to Dallas

Posted on August 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Arriving next year. Why it matters: North Texas has been an early proving ground for autonomous technology. Autonomous trucking companies are testing their fleets on the region’s highways and Lyft plans to offer self-driving taxis in Dallas next year. The intrigue: Waymo said the high traffic fatality rate in … Continue reading →

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A win for cottage foods

Posted on August 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Nice to know that at least one good thing came out of the regular session. Bee Boyd slid on a baking mitt, fittingly decorated with bees, before pulling open the oven door. They took a quick glance at the puffy, … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for August 10

Posted on August 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

“Is the Government Still Collecting Inflation Data?” “How a Nazi-Obsessed Amateur Historian Went From Obscurity to the Top of Substack”. “A display at the Smithsonian Institute, focused on the extremely rare practice of presidential impeachment, has now been altered to … Continue reading →

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The censure

Posted on August 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t we have enough drama already? Harris County commissioners voted 3-1 Thursday to censure Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo following a heated disagreement over a proposed tax increase for early childcare programs. Commissioners Lesley Briones, Tom Ramsey and Adrian Garcia … Continue reading →

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Tesla and Musk sued over robotaxi issues

Posted on August 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. A group of Tesla shareholders sued the company and CEO Elon Musk, alleging they weren’t forthcoming about problems with its robotaxi. The proposed class action lawsuit, filed in a Texas federal court Monday, says Tesla misled investors, failed to … Continue reading →

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We get closer to school closures

Posted on August 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Words from Mike Miles. Houston ISD’s state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles announced Wednesday the district may borrow $180 million for a new career and technical education center, pending board approval. Miles, addressing hundreds of teachers at an annual teachers’ convocation, said … Continue reading →

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Quorum break Day 5 roundup: Help an ideological enemy out?

Posted on August 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Hilarious. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dustin Burrows are asking an Illinois court to enforce arrest warrants against Democratic lawmakers who have left the state to delay passage of a GOP-backed congressional map. Burrows issued civil arrest … Continue reading →

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Ask questions, get booted

Posted on August 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is why the whole Board of Managers concept sucks. The four ousted members of the Houston ISD Board of Managers sent the majority of the board’s formal requests for information to the district in the two years before the … Continue reading →

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