Monthly Archives: May 2026

Weekend link dump for May 31

Posted on May 31, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

“A Project 2029 should be mostly a blueprint for how to use trifecta power to the maximum extent possible by law and constitution to make thoroughgoing structural changes to the federal government to buttress against authoritarian fascist attack. Reinforcing the … Continue reading →

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Another case for Talarico’s chances

Posted on May 31, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

From Nate Cohn in the NYT: After a decade of big talk from Democrats about Texas, it’s understandable that people could harbor some doubt about flipping the nation’s largest red state. Judging by presidential election results, Democrats barely made any … Continue reading →

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How Fort Worth ISD parents are responding to the takeover

Posted on May 31, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I wish them all the best. It’s going to be a long ride. Zach Leonard, a parent to three Fort Worth Independent School District students, wants his children to be able to walk to a high-quality public school in their … Continue reading →

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Good luck getting a Tesla ride

Posted on May 31, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

The wait times are terrible. When Tesla announced an expansion of its robotaxis to Dallas and Houston last month, some investors touted momentum for CEO Elon Musk’s mission to transform the electric-vehicle maker into an AI-powered, driverless-tech giant. Reuters reporters … Continue reading →

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UnidosUS poll of Latino voters as we head to the midterms

Posted on May 30, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Lots here to think about. One in five Latino Texans who voted for President Donald Trump in 2024 would not support him again if given a redo, according to a new poll released Wednesday. In a survey of 500 registered … Continue reading →

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How cities can help mitigate floods

Posted on May 30, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating. A new study on rain events in Texas could help reduce urban flood risks and improve planning for extreme weather. The Texas A&M Urban Flood Study found that cities can actually change the weather, depending on the type of … Continue reading →

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Austin ISD is on takeover watch

Posted on May 30, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Austin ISD’s effort to stave off a possible state takeover suffered a major setback Thursday after the Texas Education Agency rejected the district’s plan to hand three struggling middle schools to an external nonprofit operator. In a letter sent Thursday to Superintendent Matias Segura, … Continue reading →

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Talarico’s path to victory

Posted on May 29, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the pitch. In the end, James Talarico and Democrats got the matchup they had been salivating over for months. Within two hours of Ken Paxton’s GOP primary win on Tuesday, Talarico had hauled in $600,000 — the strongest two … Continue reading →

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Michelle Williams sues HISD for wrongful termination

Posted on May 29, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A teachers union leader filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Tuesday against Houston ISD’s state-appointed board and superintendent, as well as several district administrators and Lake Worth ISD’s new superintendent, after the district terminated her. The Houston Education Association president, Michelle Williams, … Continue reading →

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Another “below average” forecast

Posted on May 29, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are predicting a below-normal Atlantic hurricane season, officials said Thursday, citing the expected El Niño weather pattern which tends to suppress hurricane formation. The agency forecasts eight to 14 named storms, with … Continue reading →

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Some early thoughts about the 2026 primary runoffs

Posted on May 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

A few of my thoughts and a few from other people… – There were 114,059 votes cast in the Democratic runoff in Harris County, with 552,678 in the Lite Guv race. (There’s no way I can see to get the … Continue reading →

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Colony Ridge developers sue Alex Jones

Posted on May 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. The developers of a Houston-area residential community are suing far-right radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for defamation, after comments he made in a February video in which he called the community a “mortgage scam” that was … Continue reading →

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Going old school

Posted on May 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating. After years of classrooms adopting more tech, a small but growing number of Houston-area private and charter schools are dialing back screens. The pandemic saw many students move to online instruction, and afterward schools began to quickly adopt technology, … Continue reading →

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Primary runoff results: Statewide

Posted on May 27, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This was a total anti-climax. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated veteran U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP runoff Tuesday, toppling the four-term incumbent in a fierce duel that centered on who was more loyal to President Donald Trump. … Continue reading →

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Primary runoff results: Congress

Posted on May 27, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Christian Menefee won big. U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee defeated longtime U.S. Rep. Al Green in Houston’s closely watched Democratic runoff for Texas’ newly redrawn Congressional District 18, positioning Menefee to hold the heavily Democratic seat in November. The race capped … Continue reading →

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Primary runoff results: Local

Posted on May 27, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

As of a little after 10 PM when I draft this, I have no idea who will win the Democratic runoff for Harris County Judge. Letitia Plummer had a lead of 0.36%, which is to say 247 votes, with early … Continue reading →

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Today is Runoff Day for the 2026 primaries

Posted on May 26, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I’m basically going to rerun my post from the start of early voting, because it’s the same information with the main difference being that there are more vote centers. Turnout during early voting was pretty good in context, with more … Continue reading →

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The Brendan Sorsby saga

Posted on May 26, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I’m fascinated by this. Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in Texas state court on Monday, seeking a temporary injunction that would grant him eligibility for the 2026 college football season. Sorsby is under investigation … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of May 25

Posted on May 26, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance warily welcomes the unofficial start of summer as it brings you this week’s roundup. Off the Kuff has his fun with the Trump endorsement of the crooked Ken Paxton over the dignity-deprived John Cornyn. SocraticGadfly offers … Continue reading →

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On dealing with hotter summers

Posted on May 25, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

From Inside Climate News, a report on how summers are expected to be hotter soon, and what we can do about it. Temperatures can vary across big cities like New York and Houston, depending on the landscape and the amount … Continue reading →

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RenFest ownership still up in the air

Posted on May 25, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

The drama continues. A year after a Grimes County judge ruled the Texas Renaissance Festival must be sold, the estate of its late founder, George Coulam, is still in control with its lawyers appealing the order to sell, a move … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for May 24

Posted on May 24, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

“As my regular readers know, I don’t believe in that system anymore. But I remember it well enough to emphatically say that if you handed evangelicals a checklist for the Antichrist (capital “A”), then Donald J. Trump would hit more … Continue reading →

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Final EV totals for the 2026 primary runoffs

Posted on May 24, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

From the Chron: The state’s red-hot Republican primary battles have ignited higher-than-usual voter turnout. Going into Friday, the last day of in-person early voting ahead of Tuesday’s runoff elections, almost 800,000 people had voted in the Democratic and Republican primary … Continue reading →

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Paxton on a social media suing spree

Posted on May 24, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

He sued Discord on Friday. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing online messaging platform Discord, accusing the tech company of exposing children to predators using the service and deceiving users about the safety of the platform. Paxton filed the … Continue reading →

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What’s taking the UIL so long to sanction flag football?

Posted on May 24, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Let the girls play! Na’Sya Atkins does not know if graduation will actually feel like the end of high school. On June 5, the Americas High School senior — a member of the Trailblazers’ girls flag football team — will … Continue reading →

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NAACP calls for athletic boycott of vote-suppressing states

Posted on May 23, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see if anything comes of this. The NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, called on athletes and fans to boycott schools in eight Southern states that have “moved to limit, weaken or erase Black voting representation” since the … Continue reading →

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The rain reprieve

Posted on May 23, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

You’re welcome, Corpus. A projection for when Corpus Christi expects to reach a water crisis was pushed back by three months after a wet April brought enough rain to delay an emergency but too little to quench a brutal drought. … Continue reading →

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No Waymos this weekend

Posted on May 23, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

News you might be able to use. Waymo has suspended service in Houston and other Texas cities since heavy rain is expected to hit the region over Memorial Day weekend and the company’s self-driving vehicles have struggled to navigate flooded … Continue reading →

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I sure hope everyone has gotten the message about Maureen Galindo

Posted on May 22, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the last day of early voting, and so here’s one more opportunity to condemn our worst candidate on the runoff ballot. The Bexar County Democratic Party on Wednesday joined other political organizations in denouncing the rhetoric of Democratic … Continue reading →

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You can now sign up online to speak at Houston City Council

Posted on May 22, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

What took us so long to do this? Houston City Council unanimously approved a proposal Wednesday letting residents sign up online to speak during public comment sessions, a change supporters say will make speaking at City Hall more accessible and … Continue reading →

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New judicial vacancy

Posted on May 22, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I think this will mean another race on the ballot this November. A Republican judge over a state criminal court is stepping down from his Harris County bench for private practice, the elected official said Wednesday. Aaron Burdette submitted his … Continue reading →

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Some Republicans say they disapprove of Trump’s endorsement of Paxton

Posted on May 21, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Time to put on our Susan Collins Is Very Concerned faces. President Donald Trump’s last-minute endorsement of Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate primary set off panic among Republicans who worry that keeping the seat will now be a more expensive and potentially … Continue reading →

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More data center pushback

Posted on May 21, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck. A rural Texas county on Tuesday approved a one-year pause on the construction of new data centers in unincorporated areas, citing public safety and public health concerns. The 3-2 vote by county commissioners in Hill County, roughly 55 … Continue reading →

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Where have the public school students gone?

Posted on May 21, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This is worrisome. Roughly 76,000 fewer students enrolled in Texas public schools this academic year — the first non-pandemic decline in nearly four decades — with Hispanic students accounting for the overwhelming majority of the loss, according to a report released … Continue reading →

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