Tag Archives: John Whitmire

It’s not too early to reschedule that meeting

Posted on October 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Casey talks to State Sen. John Whitmire about Rick Perry’s choice of Williamson County DA John Bradley as the replacement chair of the Texas Forensic Sciences Commission, and how we can tell if the intent was as sinister as … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

All in the family, HCC-style

Posted on September 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I noted last night and this morning that the HCC Trustee seat in District 8, which was left open at the last minute by Abel Davila, will be filled by his brother-in-law Arturo Aguilar. (Davila is married to HISD Trustee … Continue reading →

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Not everybody isn’t hiring, Part Deux

Posted on July 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Bad economic times are good times for Texas prisons to fill their vacancies. Texas has just 1,262 correctional officer jobs now open, compared with more than 3,700 openings just over a year ago. Officials say more people have become guards … Continue reading →

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Westpark zealots try to pull a fast one

Posted on May 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Just yesterday, the Chron wrote an editorial about how everything was coming up roses and daffodils for Metro lately, thanks to some federal funding (with more in the pipeline) for the light rail expansion and a generally favorable political climate. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Endorsement watch: Three Senators for Locke

Posted on May 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Via email from the Gene Locke campaign, the three Democratic State Senators who serve in Houston have all endorsed Locke’s candidacy for Mayor. “At a time when Houston needs a strong, accomplished leader at City Hall, the right candidate has … Continue reading →

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Senate rejects Shanda Perkins

Posted on May 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The nomination of Shanda Perkins, the unqualified anti-sex toy activist best known for her war on dildos, for the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, was rejected today by the Senate. After a brief debate, the GOP-controlled Senate by a … Continue reading →

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Updates on some criminal justice bills

Posted on May 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As Grits notes, this is the time of the session in which bills die because there’s no longer the time for them to make it through the process. Fortunately, as he writes in that post, many of the bills related … Continue reading →

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

It only hurts when it happens to you

Posted on April 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This story is about the likely death of the Wentworth nonpartisan redistricting committee bill, which wasn’t unexpected, but the real story is about how it went down. A move to put redistricting into the hands of a bi-partisan public commission … Continue reading →

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“Highway piracy”

Posted on February 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Appalling. A two-decade-old state law that grants authorities the power to seize property used in a crime is wielded by some agencies against people who are never charged with, much less convicted, of a crime. Law enforcement authorities in this … Continue reading →

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