Tag Archives: coronavirus

Food trucks and bars

Posted on August 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I approve of this. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission approved rules Tuesday intended to make it easier for bars to legally operate as restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state agency greatly expanded rules that had already offered a limited … Continue reading →

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We are finally making progress in getting COVID-19 under control

Posted on August 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good news is always welcome, but be aware of the context. Houston-area hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients dropped below 900 Sunday, the lowest amount since the summer surge peaked in mid-July. Some 893 people confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19 were … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Uptown BRT officially opens

Posted on August 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Meet the Silver Line. T.J. Buttons is used to a bus ride in Houston giving him plenty of time to check his phone. On that front, Houston’s first bus rapid transit route failed miserably. “It’s so fast,” Buttons said as … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Coronavirus and hurricane shelters

Posted on August 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Two things we have to be thinking about today. Houston officials and public health experts are expressing concern that Tropical Storm Laura could amplify the spread of COVID-19 by displacing residents to public shelters or residences outside the area, increasing … Continue reading →

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Why wouldn’t Dems attack Abbott for his COVID response?

Posted on August 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I am puzzled by the premise of this article. As the Democratic National Convention opened on Monday, former First Lady Michelle Obama condemned President Donald Trump for having downplayed the coronavirus pandemic and scenes flashed throughout the night from Houston, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

COVID executive order lawsuit update

Posted on August 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to keep track of all these, I know. The state of Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott have denied a Dallas salon owner’s allegations that COVID-19 emergency orders suspending state laws are unconstitutional. Abbott and the state specifically denied allegations … Continue reading →

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Weekend voting litigation news

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I have two news items about voting-related lawsuits. Both of these come via the Daily Kos Voting Rights Roundup, which has been increasingly valuable to me lately, given the sheer number of such lawsuits and the fact that some news … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Who knows what our positivity rate is?

Posted on August 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From the We Still Suck At Data Department: As schools begin to reopen and Gov. Greg Abbott faces pressure to relax shutdown measures, it is impossible to determine where Texas stands on a COVID-19 metric that has guided the governor’s … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

It’s still hard out here on bars and restaurants

Posted on August 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I continue to worry about our once-thriving hospitality industry. Hundreds of Texas bars and restaurants are scrambling to change how they operate, maneuvering through loopholes that will allow them to reopen after being closed by Gov. Greg Abbott’s latest shutdown … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

No fans (at first) for the Texans

Posted on August 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You’ll have to watch the Texans’ home opener on your teevee. Fans will not be allowed to attend the Texans’ home opener against Baltimore because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Texans play the Ravens on Sept. 20 at NRG Stadium … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed to restore original Census deadline

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Citing the high stakes of a botched census, Harris County and two of its Democratic county commissioners have signed on to a federal lawsuit trying to block the Trump administration’s efforts to end counting for the 2020 census a … Continue reading →

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Some superintendents disagree about school opening delays

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It takes all kinds. Superintendents leading 10 Houston-area school districts penned a letter this week opposing Harris County’s recommendations for reopening campuses, arguing that face-to-face instruction should resume earlier than health officials suggest. In their two-page letter, the superintendents say … Continue reading →

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The economic effect of losing college football this fall

Posted on August 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I have some sympathy, but I also have some skepticism. Texas’ five major conference football teams – Baylor University, Texas Christian University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University and the University of Texas at Austin — are massive economic drivers … Continue reading →

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HISD also spending more money on mobile technology

Posted on August 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Also good. Houston ISD officials anticipate receiving a chunk of the $32 million that Harris County leaders allocated this week for helping school districts buy sought-after computers and wireless Internet hotspots. HISD Chief Financial Officer Glenn Reed said early conversations … Continue reading →

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How Nuro is doing in the pandemic

Posted on August 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

An interesting update on the little driverless grocery (and other things) delivery serives. As recently as last fall, Nuro appeared to be years away from widespread adoption. The company, which operated in Arizona and California, arrived in Houston in 2018 … Continue reading →

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Despite it all, voter registration keeps increasing

Posted on August 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You love to see it. Not even the worst pandemic to hit Texas in a century was enough to stem the surge in voter registrations that has remade the state’s electorate over the past four years. Just since March, Texas … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Time for another COVID roundup

Posted on August 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start with some good news, which comes wrapped in a warning. The number of coronavirus patients crowding hospital wards in the Houston area is now in its sixth week of steady decline, a welcome reversal of the virus’ alarming … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Harris County to buy digital devices for students

Posted on August 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

An excellent use of CARES money. Harris County commissioners on Tuesday voted to spend up to $32 million in federal COVID-19 funds on providing hundreds of thousands of WiFi hotspots and devices to children in school districts across the county. … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

College sports roundup

Posted on August 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Southland Conference postpones fall sports. After much deliberation, the Southland Conference has postponed league competition in all of its fall sports with the intent of playing a football season in the spring of 2021 due to concerns over COVID-19. The … Continue reading →

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Harris County to join TDP lawsuit over vote by mail

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They do lots of stuff at Commissioners Court. Harris County Commissioners Court voted on Tuesday to join a lawsuit by Texas Democrats suing Gov. Greg Abbott to expand vote-by-mail in Texas. The Democratic-led commissioners court voted 3-2 to join the … Continue reading →

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

We don’t need a vote to expand Medicaid

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a fundamental truth that needs to be addressed in this. On Tuesday, Missouri became the 38th state to expand Medicaid, opening healthcare to over 230,000 Missourians. It joins a lengthy list of GOP-led states in expanding healthcare, including Nebraska, … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Harris County issues guidance for opening schools

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They can’t issue mandates, so this will have to do. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Wednesday unveiled the county’s guidance for school reopenings, recommending based on a handful of COVID-19 metrics that schools offer only virtual instruction in the … Continue reading →

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

The Big XII will play football

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

That’s their plan, anyway. The start of the Big 12 Conference’s college football season will move forward as scheduled, conference officials said Wednesday, meaning four major Texas football programs are one step closer to playing this fall. “Ultimately, our student-athletes … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Big 10 and PAC 12 scrap football for this fall

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Boom. Big Ten Conference presidents and chancellors voted Tuesday to postpone all fall sports seasons, including football, with the hopes of playing in the spring, it announced Tuesday. “The mental and physical health and welfare of our student-athletes has been … Continue reading →

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Texas Dems ramp up mail ballot outreach

Posted on August 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a smart move, with some caveats. The Texas Democratic Party [announced] Monday that it is doubling down on its vote-by-mail campaign with a goal of reaching 1.7 million potential mail voters by the end of the month — the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

More election innovation, please

Posted on August 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Some good stuff here: less than 90 days to E-Day & we’re pushing for Bexar to: ✅ send all 65+ reg voters app to vote by mail ✅ expand EV hrs to include at least one 24-hour site ✅ increase … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

So where are we with college football?

Posted on August 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Possibly on the brink of postponing the season. Commissioners of the Power 5 conferences held an emergency meeting on Sunday, as there is growing concern among college athletics officials that the upcoming football season and other fall sports can’t be … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Who needs testing?

Posted on August 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the surest way to see the infection rate decline, am I right? The number of Texans being tested for the coronavirus has fallen sharply in recent weeks, a trend that has worried public health experts as officials consider sending … Continue reading →

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No eviction moratoriums

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

So opines Ken Paxton, and we all know what an unimpeachable source he is. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton advised Friday that local Texas governments’ attempts to delay evictions for renters grappling with the COVID-19 recession amounted to rewriting state … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

FBS versus FCS

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m referring in the title to the two types of Division I NCAA college football, the Football Bowl Subdivision, which includes the power 5 conferences, and the Football Championship Subdivision, which used to be known as 1-AA and which has … Continue reading →

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The school situation remains a mess

Posted on August 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a mess of Greg Abbott’s making. Some superintendents say that despite Abbott’s statements to the contrary, their ability to respond to the pandemic is still limited, and many of their questions have gone unanswered even as school is slated … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

It’s like we don’t want any extra Congresspeople

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

As someone once said, where’s the outrage? For months, as Texans have been asked to stay home to avoid the spread of the new coronavirus, Jennifer Edwards has been doing the rounds at gas stations in a trio of counties … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Rental assistance

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We’re going to need a lot more like this. Houston on Wednesday added another $20 million to its rent relief program, aimed at helping thousands of tenants catch up on late rent payments. City council voted unanimously to add the … Continue reading →

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Another lawsuit against Abbott over emergency orders

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This one is a bit more serious due to the lack of Hotze and Woodfill, but it’s still not a great way to have the debate about this issue. Five Republican Texas lawmakers are suing Gov. Greg Abbott over the … Continue reading →

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