Tag Archives: Texas

The “Faux Faculty Senate”

I love this bit of resistance, as I deplore the reason for it. In response to Texas’ crackdown on faculty governance, two University of Houston professors are pushing back by creating their own “Faux Faculty Senate” to give faculty a … Continue reading

Posted in School days, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

First Ten Commandments lawsuit heard

We are promised a ruling before September 1, the date the law would go into effect. The debate surrounding a state law mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools intensified Friday as attorneys representing 16 Texas families … Continue reading

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Second lawsuit filed against Tarrant County over its mid-decade redistricting

This one has an interesting twist. The League of Women Voters of Tarrant County and the League of United Latin American Citizens are suing Tarrant County, the county’s commissioners court and County Judge Tim O’Hare over its mid-decade districting. The … Continue reading

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The private school grift is gearing up

What happens when you spend a billion taxpayer dollars with no oversight and no accountability? We’re about to find out. For about eight years, a Houston private school has followed a unique pattern when appointing members to its governing board: … Continue reading

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Special Session 2: [Insert dumb sequel name here]

As promised/threatened. With the Texas House still frozen by Democrats’ absence from the state, Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday called a second special session to begin less than two hours after the Legislature gaveled out the first overtime round. The … Continue reading

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How’s that economy doing?

Not great! All signs point to a slowdown of the Texas economy as job growth slows, construction declines and inflation ticks up, according to a Monday report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. The report on the Fed’s recent … Continue reading

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First Kerrville flooding lawsuit filed

Sure to be joined by many others. In the weeks since devastating floods hit Central Texas, killing 119 people in Kerr County — including 39 children — much has been made of various investigations, legislative proposals, and potential lawsuits over what went wrong in the early morning hours of … Continue reading

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The end (of the quorum break) is near

And getting nearer. The House Democrats who fled Texas to block GOP redistricting appear likely to return in the coming days, according to a press release they issued Thursday. The caucus said its members will return if Republicans follow through … Continue reading

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From the “Abortions for me but not for thee” department

Wild, wild stuff. Three years after Starr County prosecutors charged 26-year-old Lizelle Gonzalez with murder for inducing her own abortion, District Attorney Gocha Ramirez swore under oath that when his office brought the case in early 2022 he didn’t know about … Continue reading

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Dispatches from Dallas, August 15 edition

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week, in news from Dallas-Fort Worth: more about redistricting; the good, bad, and indifferent about the first draft of Dallas’ budget; trouble in … Continue reading

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So when might the quorum busters return?

Before I address that question, here’s an important bit of business to resolve. Illinois courts will not force Texas Democrats back to the state, a judge ruled Wednesday, dealing a blow to Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dustin … Continue reading

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What the finally released Uvalde records tell us

It shouldn’t have taken this long. And there’s still a lot of stuff we haven’t seen because it’s still tied up in the courts. New Uvalde school district records released late Monday provide more details about campus safety concerns raised … Continue reading

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Let Sarah smoke

I admire a well-done political stunt. A West Texas district attorney may qualify for prison time after smoking a joint on TikTok this month in a legal gamble protesting a proposed state ban on THC. On a TikTok live stream, … Continue reading

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Everything happens on Tuesday

Hey, remember when I said yesterday that there was still no quorum and not much had happened? That was then, this is now. The Supreme Court will take its sweet time in deciding on those quo warranto filings to expel … Continue reading

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Republicans prepare to eat their own

Sometimes all you can do is stare in bug-eyed amazement. The executive committee of the Republican Party of Texas was in Austin on Saturday to finalize its first-ever legislative review, outlining a list of censurable offenses that some within the … Continue reading

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Still no quorum

I’m sitting here waiting for the Supreme Court to take up those ridiculous quo warranto actions by Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton and have been hesitant to start writing something for fear that I’ll have to trash it and start … Continue reading

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Lawsuit filed against land ownership ban

Good. A pair of Chinese citizens asked a federal judge to block a new law banning Chinese nationals and people from a select number of other countries from buying or leasing property in Texas. In a lawsuit filed July 3, … Continue reading

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The (driverless) trucks at night, are big and bright

I regret nothing. Autonomous vehicle technology company Aurora has expanded its driverless freight operations to include nighttime travel on Texas highways, according to the company’s announcement Wednesday. In late April, the self-driving 18-wheeler service was launched without a safety driver in partnership with Uber … Continue reading

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Comparing the districts

As I write this on Sunday, there’s a lot we don’t know about how this saga ends. I feel confident saying that at some point there will be a quorum and a new map will be passed. Beyond that is … Continue reading

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Waymo to come to Dallas

Arriving next year. Why it matters: North Texas has been an early proving ground for autonomous technology. Autonomous trucking companies are testing their fleets on the region’s highways and Lyft plans to offer self-driving taxis in Dallas next year. The intrigue: Waymo said the high traffic fatality rate in … Continue reading

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A win for cottage foods

Nice to know that at least one good thing came out of the regular session. Bee Boyd slid on a baking mitt, fittingly decorated with bees, before pulling open the oven door. They took a quick glance at the puffy, … Continue reading

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The censure

Don’t we have enough drama already? Harris County commissioners voted 3-1 Thursday to censure Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo following a heated disagreement over a proposed tax increase for early childcare programs. Commissioners Lesley Briones, Tom Ramsey and Adrian Garcia … Continue reading

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Tesla and Musk sued over robotaxi issues

Interesting. A group of Tesla shareholders sued the company and CEO Elon Musk, alleging they weren’t forthcoming about problems with its robotaxi. The proposed class action lawsuit, filed in a Texas federal court Monday, says Tesla misled investors, failed to … Continue reading

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Quorum break Day 5 roundup: Help an ideological enemy out?

Hilarious. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dustin Burrows are asking an Illinois court to enforce arrest warrants against Democratic lawmakers who have left the state to delay passage of a GOP-backed congressional map. Burrows issued civil arrest … Continue reading

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Checking in on Kerrville

Texas Public Radio sent a reporter to Kerrville to talk to some residents there about how they’re doing after the flood. The next person I spoke to, Jess, had been slowly moving along the memorial, reading every notice. When she … Continue reading

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Quorum break Day 4 roundup: So what is the FBI doing?

Nobody knows. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn announced that the FBI has granted his request to investigate and locate the Texas Democratic lawmakers who left the state in an attempt to stop the passage of new GOP-favored congressional maps. A spokesperson … Continue reading

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Fifth Circuit upholds voter ID for vote by mail

Of course they did. A federal appeals court has upheld Texas’ requirement that potential voters must list their identification information in their application for a mail-in ballot. In Texas, voting by mail is only available for certain groups of people, … Continue reading

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Dispatches from Dallas, August 8 edition

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 redistricting; what Dallas city council is up to and facing now that it’s back from … Continue reading

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Quorum break Day 3 roundup: Of course there’s a bomb threat

I suppose something like this was inevitable. Texas House Democrats in Illinois to block GOP redistricting were evacuated from their hotel Wednesday morning due to a bomb threat, lawmakers and local police said. A press conference scheduled for 12:30 p.m. … Continue reading

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The Operation Lone Star boondoggle

Money, money, money… Maverick County Attorney Jaime Iracheta works in a freshly refurbished, wood-paneled office with a matching desk and leather couch set. He holds meetings in a video-equipped conference room and drives to work in a heavy-duty Chevy Silverado … Continue reading

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Appeals court sides with Catholic Charities against Paxton

Good. A Texas appeals court this week denied Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office’s request to question a nun who leads Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, one of the state’s largest migrant aid organizations. In a 2-1 ruling issued … Continue reading

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Quorum break Day 2 roundup: Paxton hauls out a big threat

He seems destined to fail, but we’re going to go through the motions anyway, I guess. Attorney General Ken Paxton will ask for a court ruling declaring vacant the seats of any lawmakers who are not back to work by … Continue reading

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Tesla expands its Austin robotaxi service area

Returning to one of my pet obsessions. Tesla’s robotaxi service began in Austin back in late June, and now the brand has undergone its second expansion that has seen it quadruple its initial service area. This new expansion is almost double … Continue reading

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UH Hobby Center polls CD18

Make of this what you will. Approximately 100 days before the November 4, 2025 Texas Congressional District 18 special election, four candidates are effectively deadlocked in their respective bids to obtain one of the two positions in an all but … Continue reading

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