Search Results for: tim cole

Dispatches from Dallas, September 9 edition

Posted on September 9, 2023 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 a lot of business. We start with coverage of the Ken Paxton trial. Then we … Continue reading →

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Hervis Rogers again cleared of voting charge

Posted on September 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

What the hell, man? District Attorney Kim Ogg’s prosecutors quietly reviewed a voter fraud allegation against Hervis Rogers — the Houston parolee who waited six hours to vote in the February 2020 presidential primary — nearly a year after illegal … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Yet another Paxton roundup

Posted on August 25, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Senate trial starts in 11 days, and there continues to be so much Paxton news. Political pressure is intensifying around Republican state senators who will serve as the jurors in the impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton. … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized!, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

No pay for Paxton while he’s on the sidelines

Posted on June 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Poor baby. The Texas attorney general’s office attempted an end-run around a ruling from the state’s top accountant to pay Attorney General Ken Paxton despite his impeachment, documents indicated. Paxton has remained suspended from duty since the House overwhelmingly voted … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized!, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dispatches from Dallas, June 23 edition

Posted on June 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week (and from last week) in news from the DFW area: election results from the June 10 runoff; the Dallas short-term rental ordinance; … Continue reading →

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Nate Paul arrested by feds

Posted on June 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Well, well, well. Nate Paul, the Austin real estate developer central to allegations of illegal conduct by Ken Paxton, Texas’ now-suspended attorney general, was arrested by the FBI on Thursday. Paul was booked into the Travis County Jail at 4:25 … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Post-impeachment pre-trial roundup

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Some more links of interest relating to the Paxton impeachment-a-thon. I suspect that as more reporters and columnists read the House General Investigations Committee’s report we will see more stories that zoom in on the particulars of his offenses. For … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized!, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Tarrant County Dems seek Justice Department investigation of voting rights issues

Posted on May 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Elected officials who represent Tarrant County’s minority communities have asked the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division to investigate County Judge Tim O’Hare and other county officials over concerns that their actions will diminish voting rights. The letter, signed by … Continue reading →

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Dispatches from Dallas, April 28 edition

Posted on April 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week in news from the DFW area, book bans (local and statewide), election administration, some scary climate predictions for Galveston, more Six Degrees … Continue reading →

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So what happens with CD18 now?

Posted on March 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This story is a very basic explainer about Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s just-announced Mayoral campaign. There’s only so much it can tell us as she has not yet talked about what her top campaign priorities are, and most of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

RIP, Jeff Blackburn

Posted on February 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a guy who made a difference. In the summer of 1999, police in the tiny town of Tulia carried out one of the largest drug stings in West Texas history. Nearly 50 people were arrested, almost all of them … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Driverless taxi update

Posted on December 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Things to watch out for in the nearer-than-you-think future, with Austin first in line. When transit systems experience delays, the reason usually isn’t very interesting: congested streets, medical emergencies, mechanical problems. But the cause of a recent holdup on San … Continue reading →

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Harris County approves the option of suing Comptroller over baloney “defunding” claim

Posted on September 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Harris County Commissioners Court on Wednesday authorized a pair of private law firms to sue Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar, who accused the county of defunding law enforcement last week, forcing a halt to consideration of its $2.2 billion budget. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

If “bad apples” are the problem, then shouldn’t getting rid of them be a high priority?

Posted on August 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This San Antonio Report story is about the nine-year saga of the Redus family to get justice for their son Cameron, who was killed by University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) police officer Christopher Carter in 2013 outside Redus’ apartment. … Continue reading →

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

We’re number one in the worst way

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Bad and getting worse. When a disturbed teenager in Uvalde sought a high-powered rifle that could fire numerous rounds, he didn’t have far to go. Texas has more licensed gun dealers and manufacturers than any other state, according to a … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Justice Department to review what happened with Uvalde police

Posted on May 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Okay. The U.S. Department of Justice will review the law enforcement’s response to the Uvalde school massacre as local police face intense scrutiny for not acting quickly enough to confront the shooter. “The goal of the review is to provide … Continue reading →

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So what did happen with the HD147 special election?

Posted on May 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I was alerted by a comment on an earlier post to this. Things are getting heated in the race to replace State Representative Garnet Coleman in District 147. Jolanda Jones narrowly won the race in Saturday’s special election with 202 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Is there anything to say about Jolanda Jones’ win in the HD147 special election?

Posted on May 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

First, here are the facts. Democrat Jolanda Jones edged out her opponent Danielle Keys Bess in a special election on Saturday to finish the term of former state Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston. According to unofficial returns, Jones got 52% of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Big XII may get temporarily bigger

Posted on April 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The dominoes fall when they fall. Next week, the Big 12 plans to discuss the future of the conference regarding its expansion, per Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger. Houston, Cincinnati and UCF are expected to join the Big 12 in the 2023–24 academic … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

When a divorce helps to define a marriage

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting case. A gay San Antonio man has filed for a divorce in which he seeks to prove a common law marriage existed with his former partner of 25 years when federal law prohibited same sex marriage. The law has … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Four file for the HCC special election

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Monday was the filing deadline. On Saturday, May 7, 2022, Houston Community College System (“HCC”) will hold a special election to fill a vacancy for the HCC Board of Trustees position in geographic district II for the unexpired term through … Continue reading →

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Have van, will travel to register voters

Posted on March 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Tayhlor Coleman keeps a framed Texas voter roll from 1867 in the van she calls home to remind her why she chose to live there in the first place. Names from her family tree appear here and there throughout … Continue reading →

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Two more May special elections

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like May will be busier than expected around here. Governor Greg Abbott today issued a proclamation announcing Saturday, May 7, 2022 as the special election date for the Texas State House of Representatives District 147 seat recently vacated by Representative Garnet F. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Endorsement watch: Bess and Benton

Posted on February 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron finally addresses one of the higher-profile local primaries, and endorses Danielle Bess in HD147. Democrats have to make a choice about how they want to put up a fight in the Texas Legislature. In 2020, the party mounted … Continue reading →

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On primarying the quorum breakers

Posted on January 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Working Families Party, a political party and relative newcomer to Texas politics that backs Democrats aligned with their platform, aims to spend in the ballpark of half a million dollars this cycle, WFP Texas Co-director Pedro Lira told … Continue reading →

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Interview with Nam Subramanian

Posted on January 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We are now at the start of interview season. I began running the judicial Q&A responses last week, and this week I will begin running interviews with candidates in contested Democratic primaries. Lots of candidates, lots of races, not much … Continue reading →

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Jolanda Jones enters the HD147 race

Posted on December 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We have a strong contender for the most interesting local primary. At least four candidates have announced they are running for state Rep. Garnet Coleman’s seat, less than two weeks after the longtime Houston Democrat announced he would not seek … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A brief filing update

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few observations as we head out of the holiday season and into what I expect will be the busier part of the filing period. I’m using the Patrick Svitek spreadsheet, the SOS candidate filing resource, and the candidate … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Forty years of the Butterball Turkey hotline

Posted on November 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

All of your vexing turkey questions answered. Butterball has thrown a lifeline to home cooks since 1981, rescuing them from the brink of holiday meal disasters through its Turkey Talk-Line. What began 40 years ago with six phone operators has … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Weekend link dump for September 5

Posted on September 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

“Baseball For All’s message to women and girls: You don’t have to stop playing the game you love”. “The ideal host for Jeopardy! should embody what the show means to its viewership: a passion for knowledge and a respect for … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Final passage of the voter suppression bill

Posted on September 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

That’s all for now, we’ll see you in court for what will likely be a frustrating and unsatisfying denouement. A wave of changes to Texas elections, including new voting restrictions, are headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. Three months after … Continue reading →

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Is it really a quorum?

Posted on August 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It is if no one is counting too closely. Texas House Republicans finally got their long-sought quorum Thursday — by the skin of their teeth. There were 99 members registered as present Thursday evening, the exact number needed to end … Continue reading →

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We have a quorum

Posted on August 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. For the first time in nearly six weeks, enough lawmakers were present in the Texas House on Thursday for the chamber to conduct business — opening the door for the passage of the GOP priority elections bill that prompted … Continue reading →

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Meet the new special session

Posted on August 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Same as the old special session, at least at first. It appears likely that not enough Democrats will show up for the Texas House to conduct business when a second special legislative session convenes Saturday. Some of the more than … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments