Tag Archives: Texas

The 2025 constitutional amendments

Posted on October 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a bunch of them, but not many I’d recommend. On Nov. 4, Texas voters will get the final say on 17 constitutional amendments — usually listed as statewide propositions at the top of the ballot — including billions of … Continue reading →

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Wesley Hunt says he’s running for Senate

Posted on October 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Sure, why not? Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Houston, entered the Republican primary for U.S. Senate on Monday, complicating an already contentious race between two of the biggest names in Texas Republican politics. Hunt, a close ally of President Donald Trump, has laid the groundwork for … Continue reading →

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Measles isn’t done with us yet

Posted on October 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas outbreak may be over, but there are other outbreaks out there. One of the largest measles outbreaks in the U.S. is now centered in bordering areas of southwestern Utah and Arizona. In Southwest Utah, all but one of … Continue reading →

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Texas Victory Consulting poll of CD18

Posted on October 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is interesting on a couple of levels. As the community prepares to decide who will represent Congressional District 18, understanding current voter preferences is essential. This poll, fielded September 27 to October 2, 2025, conducted with 557 respondents between … Continue reading →

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Who asked for this task force?

Posted on October 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Other than Greg Abbott, anyway. State and Harris County law enforcement will join forces on a task force aimed at cracking down on repeat violent offenders, whom police leaders say are fueling much of the region’s crime problem, Gov. Greg … Continue reading →

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A brief news roundup from the current redistricting trial

Posted on October 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

What the label says, three news stories I could find that had coverage of the redistricting trial. From the Trib. When Texas first proposed redrawing its congressional map earlier this summer, critics decried it as a political power-grab to appease … Continue reading →

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Paxton says he’s gonna enforce that Ten Commandment law so hard, you guys

Posted on October 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Attorney General Ken Paxton promised to “vigorously enforce” the state’s Ten Commandments display law in a legal advisory sent to Texas public school districts, his office announced Wednesday. Paxton said his office … Continue reading →

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The state of mosquito research

Posted on October 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Really interesting stuff. Under a microscope, a mosquito can look stunning. Their blue-green iridescent scales, purple bands, and attractive spotted wings shimmer—dazzling enough to forget, for a moment, the insect lives to take a sip of your blood. Mosquitoes range … Continue reading →

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Talarico rakes it in

Posted on October 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Impressive. State Rep. James Talarico raised $6.2 million in the first three weeks of his bid for Senate, his campaign announced Wednesday, a massive haul that far outpaces the earliest fundraising numbers tallied by recent Democratic statewide hopefuls. The staggering … Continue reading →

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Bexar County processing new voter registrations again

Posted on October 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Bexar County is once again processing new voter registrations, after a months-long delay caused a backlog of 52,000 registrations to wait in limbo. Early voting starts Oct. 20 for the Nov. 4 election. Elections Administrator Michele Carew told … Continue reading →

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Second Baptist’s shenanigans

Posted on October 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Let them fight. For nearly 50 years, the Rev. Ed Young led a Houston conservative megachurch that now boasts 94,000 congregants, $1 billion in assets and high-profile members like Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, leading oil executives and prominent business leaders. That ended on … Continue reading →

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Rep. Gina Hinojosa said to be running for Governor

Posted on October 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

All righty. Texas state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, an Austin Democrat, has told at least two donors that she’s running for governor next year, Axios has learned. Why it matters: A Hinojosa win in the Democratic nomination would set up a battle … Continue reading →

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Redistricting trial 2.0 begins

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And they’re off. This week, a trio of federal judges will consider whether Texas can use its new congressional map in the 2026 election, marking the first legal test for the districts produced by a summer of intense partisan clashing. … Continue reading →

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Rep. Rosenthal to run for RRC

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

A bit of a surprise, at least to me. State Rep. Jon Rosenthal, D-Houston, announced Monday that he is running for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission — the powerful agency that regulates the state’s oil and gas industry … Continue reading →

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Still more voter registration problems

Posted on September 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Criminy. Darcy Hood mailed her voter registration application to the Tarrant County elections department in July, after she turned 18. Months later, her application still hasn’t been processed. And it’s unclear when it will be. With the Oct. 6 deadline … Continue reading →

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State lawsuit on Tarrant redistricting has its hearing

Posted on September 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what happens. A district court judge is expected to decide whether to grant a temporary injunction against Tarrant County’s new commissioner precincts next week. It’s part of a lawsuit filed by the League of Women Voters of Tarrant … Continue reading →

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State files its response to the redistricting lawsuit

Posted on September 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They’re playing the oldies, not the new tune that the Trump Justice Department tried to woo them with. Texas officials acknowledged in a new court filing that the Justice Department’s rationale this summer for pushing them to redraw the state’s … Continue reading →

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The Loving County takeover attempt

Posted on September 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is bonkers, and I am here for it. Sheriff Dave Landersman said he started hearing about the group aiming to take over his county a few months ago. It began with locals reporting unfamiliar faces around the Loving County … Continue reading →

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The second life of old EV batteries

Posted on September 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Very cool. East of San Antonio in Bexar County, 500 electric vehicle batteries at the end of their automotive lives will soon be repurposed to provide energy storage for Texas’ electric grid, a California company, B2U Storage Solutions, announced on … Continue reading →

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Andrew White makes it official

Posted on September 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As expected, Andrew White made his encore effort for Governor official on Wednesday. I got two different impressions of it, based on which news story I read about it. From the Chron: Andrew White, a Houston businessman and son of … Continue reading →

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The THC age limit is in effect

Posted on September 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Time to show your ID, I guess. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission on Tuesday approved an emergency rule to ban liquor license holders from selling THC products to anyone under the age of 21, the agency’s first step toward fulfilling … Continue reading →

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Talarico passes the first test

Posted on September 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Fundraising. What did you think I was going to say? In his first public appearance after launching his U.S. Senate bid, state Rep. James Talarico said he had sprinted over the highest hurdle a first-time candidate for statewide office must … Continue reading →

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Third lawsuit filed against Ten Commandments law

Posted on September 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This one is a followup to the first one. Texas’ Ten Commandments law is facing another legal battle after a coalition of 15 families filed a lawsuit against their school districts to block the mandate to display the religious text … Continue reading →

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Bexar County’s voter registration problems

Posted on September 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Not great, Bob! Bexar County is sitting on more than 45,000 voter registration forms that haven’t been processed — less than 50 days before voters decide whether to devote public dollars to a downtown arena for the San Antonio Spurs. … Continue reading →

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The revenue cap squeeze on first responders

Posted on September 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Great story, and an even better illustration of a couple of points I’ve been making for quite some time. Just weeks after flash flooding killed more than 100 people in Kerr County, many of the first responders who served on … Continue reading →

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Waymo comes to Nashville, driverless trucks come to I-10

Posted on September 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Two for the price of one today. Story #1: Robotaxi leader Waymo on Wednesday announced that its driverless vehicles will begin transporting passengers in Nashville, Tennessee, next year while heading in a new direction by teaming up with Lyft instead … Continue reading →

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How the hemp industry wooed Greg Abbott

Posted on September 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Some interesting stuff here, and a reminder that some things are eternal. Colton Luther, a 29-year-old from Houston who hosts the cannabis podcast “Puff and Prosper,” isn’t your typical Austin lobbyist. But in July, Luther sat across from Gov. Greg … Continue reading →

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Sen. Sarah Eckhardt may run for CD10

Posted on September 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Democratic state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt of Austin said Wednesday she is seriously considering a run for Congress in the GOP-leaning district being vacated next year by 20-year Republican Michael McCaul, saying its time for candidates in her party to … Continue reading →

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Home Depot is watching you

Posted on September 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Beware the surveillance cameras. Hundreds of AI-powered automated license plate reading cameras paid for by Lowe’s and Home Depot and stationed in the hardware stores’ parking lots are being fed into a massive surveillance system that law enforcement can access, … Continue reading →

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The Trib profiles Talarico

Posted on September 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good stuff. About 20 minutes into his appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Texas Rep. James Talarico started making his case that the Bible sanctions abortion. In the Book of Luke, the Austin Democrat noted, Mary has a vision from God … Continue reading →

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More kids are not getting vaccinated

Posted on September 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is so bad. For more than a half-century, vaccines have had remarkable success eradicating the most lethal and devastating childhood infectious diseases, saving millions of lives and ushering in a relative golden era of global public health. But now, … Continue reading →

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Dispatches from Dallas, September 20 edition

Posted on September 20, 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, we have budget news from across the region, the repercussions of the Charlie Kirk murder in the … Continue reading →

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Bobby Pulido officially in for CD15

Posted on September 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Our main target to flip next fall. Tejano musician Bobby Pulido is running for Texas’ 15th Congressional District, he announced Wednesday, giving Democrats their best — and potentially only — opportunity to flip a Republican-held seat in 2026. Pulido, a … Continue reading →

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Still more on Elon’s flood tunnels

Posted on September 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I once again call your attention to an episode of CityCast Houston, in which host Raheel Ramzanali chats with the host of the CityCast Las Vegas podcast about the experience they’ve had with Elon Musk and the Boring Company and … Continue reading →

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