Monthly Archives: December 2025

What the Fort Worth Chambers of Commerce learned from visiting HISD

Posted on December 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They could have gotten more out of the experience if you ask me. With Fort Worth ISD preparing for a state takeover, some of the city’s business leaders recently came to Houston to learn how its own state intervention has … Continue reading →

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Recycle those old Christmas lights

Posted on December 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

You’ve hopefully already made a plan to recycle your Christmas tree. Now you can do the same for old and broken Christmas lights. The Houston Zoo is accepting old and broken Christmas lights to recycle them and keep them out … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of December 29

Posted on December 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance has got its cup of kindness yet ready as it brings you this week’s year-ending roundup. Off the Kuff learned something new about whooping cough and its case levels in Texas. SocraticGadfly looked at discussion of … Continue reading →

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District C special election set for April 4

Posted on December 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

In case you missed it. CITY OF HOUSTON’S APRIL 4, 2026 SPECIAL ELECTION TO FILL THE VACANCY IN THE OFFICE OF COUNCIL MEMBER, DISTRICT C FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE CURRENT TERM, ENDING JANUARY 1, 2028 The City of Houston, … Continue reading →

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How alarmed should I be by these?

Posted on December 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

News item one: Texas launched a lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week over the agency’s approval of mifepristone, marking the state’s latest effort to crack down on access to abortion pills. Joined by Florida, Texas Attorney … Continue reading →

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Harris County Treasurer arrested on misdemeanor burglary charges

Posted on December 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

WTF?? Harris County Treasurer Carla Wyatt is in hot water after being arrested for allegedly breaking into a vehicle over the weekend. Wyatt, a Democrat who has been treasurer since 2023, was arrested just after noon on Saturday and faces … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit upholds award for Harvey reservoir flooding

Posted on December 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

A bog deal. Homeowners whose properties were damaged in 2017 by Hurricane Harvey floodwaters upstream of the Addicks and Barker reservoirs in west Houston can expect compensation after an appeals court panel affirmed this week that the government was liable. The … Continue reading →

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Fort Worth enters the driverless truck space

Posted on December 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. Hundreds of driverless trucks will be on Fort Worth-area roads soon following the creation of a new statewide route to El Paso. The push for more autonomous vehicles in North Texas comes as the Fort Worth … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for December 28

Posted on December 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

“So what works to keep mothers in the workforce, to allow fathers to participate more on the home front, and to give kids the best start possible? Here’s a wishlist, grounded in research”. “A radical new use of deepfake technology … Continue reading →

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Feds settle lawsuit with Colony Ridge developers

Posted on December 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. Federal authorities and the Houston-area developer Colony Ridge have agreed to settle a lawsuit in which the government accused the company of duping Latino homebuyers into seller-financed mortgages that many defaulted on in a scheme that … Continue reading →

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

The end of the Trump Burger story

Posted on December 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Sic transit griftia. As Texas-born mini-chain Trump Burger expanded, it made headlines for its unabashed pro-Trump branding and walls covered in merchandise celebrating the president. Now, none of its four locations are going by the name Trump Burger. The Bellville outpost has … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS rejects Texas National Guard deployment to Chicago

Posted on December 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This was an early Christmas present. The Supreme Court upheld a block on the National Guard’s deployment to Chicago Tuesday, dealing the Trump administration a significant blow and embracing an interpretation of the laws that govern the Guard’s activation that … Continue reading →

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Christmas tree recycling 2025

Posted on December 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

You know what time it is. The City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department is inviting residents to recycle their natural Holiday trees and help give them a second life. Beginning on Friday, December 26th and continuing through Friday, January … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

App store age verification law blocked

Posted on December 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

For now, at least. A federal judge has temporarily blocked a new Texas law adding restrictions on children’s use of app stores. Senate Bill 2420, which was supposed to activate on Jan. 1, establishes age verification requirements and mandates parental … Continue reading →

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Help track the book bans

Posted on December 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Are you looking for a way to Do Something in the new year? Here’s a good option for you. Dozens of parents and community members have signed up to help track book bans across the state, by learning how to … Continue reading →

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Say goodbye to 2025, Mel Torme

Posted on December 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And an even bigger good riddance this time. Today is Christmas Day and that can only mean returning once again to Mark Evanier’s Mel Torme Christmas story. As with the “Twas the Night Before Christmas” video from yesterday, I never … Continue reading →

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Wednesday video break: The Tuba Christmas before Christmas

Posted on December 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t figure out how to embed this from Facebook, but here’s the 2025 TubaChristmas Austin performance, for those of you who like this sort of thing (and you know who you are). Remember that these are volunteers, many of … Continue reading →

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The business of being Santa

Posted on December 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s pretty good work if you can get it, which requires some non-trivial investment on your part. “My Saturdays in December are booked for the rest of my life,” said Bill Dendy, 68, who’s performed as Santa in Dallas for … Continue reading →

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On e-bikes

Posted on December 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m keeping an eye on this. E-bike of Colorado sales manager Perry Fletcher said his sales and repair shop saw an increase in back-to-school sales to young riders and families this fall as the popularity of the battery-powered bicycles revs … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Hearing for the school DEI ban lawsuit

Posted on December 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s legitimately hard to keep track of all the crappy laws our Legislature passes and the lawsuits filed to block them. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas asked a federal judge Thursday to put a preliminary injunction on a … Continue reading →

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In which I learn something about whooping cough

Posted on December 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I started here, yet another story about how whooping cough is on the rise in Texas. Bexar County is seeing a dramatic rise in cases of whooping cough this year alongside potentially record-breaking increases statewide. So far in 2025, San … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of December 22

Posted on December 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is out wassailing this week, so here’s the blog roundup to keep you company until we return. Off the Kuff looked at the Congressional campaign situation in Texas, where betting the under on that five-seat gain … Continue reading →

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The full slate

Posted on December 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

In case you hadn’t heard. A Democrat is running in every state and federal race on the Texas ballot next year, the first time in modern state history that either party has fielded a full slate of candidates, according to … Continue reading →

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San Antonio will move its elections to November

Posted on December 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good move. San Antonians will cast ballots for municipal elections in November of odd-numbered years — instead of May — beginning in 2029 after a fractured City Council approved the calendar change, a move championed by Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones. … Continue reading →

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Tesla robotaxi crash frequency

Posted on December 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Of note. Tesla’s 29 Austin Robotaxis have been involved in eight crashes since they launched in June, Electrek reports, citing National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data you can download here. Those crashes for the most part involved property damage, and only in … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for December 21

Posted on December 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

“Even stipulating that America is a nation of immigrants, and that the persecution of immigrants is an insult to our history wherever it occurs in this land, it must still be said that launching a violent government purge of immigrants … Continue reading →

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Paxton’s attempt to block Harris County Immigrant Legal Services Fund denied

Posted on December 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

For now. It’s the first step. An attempt by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to stop Harris County from funding legal services for immigrants facing deportation hit a roadblock Tuesday after a district court judge denied his office’s request for a preliminary … Continue reading →

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Metro reverses course on Evolve for microtransit

Posted on December 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Insert record scratch sound here. Metro officials dropped plans to spend an additional $4.1 million on a microtransit pilot program overseen by Evolve Houston, a nonprofit organization previously led by Metro Chairperson Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock. The move was a sharp … Continue reading →

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

A story about Christmas tree farms

Posted on December 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m happy for them. Four years ago, James and Mary Robinson put the last Christmas tree they would ever plant in the ground. “Once you plant the tree, it takes four years to harvest it,” James said. “But once you … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: A crooked jerky jockey riding on a crooked hoss

Posted on December 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

There are lots of good covers of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” out there, but this one features Weird Al Yankovic and a badass trumpet solo: I’ve become a big fan of the Middle Aged Dad Jam Band, both … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Paxtons agree to unseal divorce records

Posted on December 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Well, well. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, Angela, have agreed to unseal their divorce case after a group of media organizations requested the records be made public. According to an order signed by the Paxtons’ lawyers, the couple has agreed that … Continue reading →

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

A bathroom bill workaround

Posted on December 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I like this approach. One week after the state’s controversial “bathroom bill” took effect, Austin City Council voted Thursday to begin crafting a plan to make city-owned restrooms gender inclusive. The Texas Legislature enacted Senate Bill 8, formally titled the … Continue reading →

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Tilman Fertitta pursuing purchase of WNBA franchise

Posted on December 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Could be a big deal. Houston Rockets ownership is in substantive talks with the Connecticut Sun over the potential purchase and relocation of the WNBA franchise, sources told ESPN this week. The discussions have been described as “positive,” and Rockets … Continue reading →

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TSU poll: Gina Hinojosa well in the Dem primary lead

Posted on December 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Noting it for the record. State Rep. Gina Hinojosa has a commanding lead in the race to challenge Gov. Greg Abbott, according to the most recent polling of the crowded Democratic primary contest. The Austin Democrat, who has served in … Continue reading →

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