Tag Archives: Dallas

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 →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Dispatches from Dallas, September 9 edition

Dispatches from Dallas, September 1 edition

Posted on September 1, 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, it’s a big old grab bag with Ken Paxton, Clarence Thomas and Harlan Crow, problems in Tarrant … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Dispatches from Dallas, September 1 edition

A couple of thoughts as the HISD school year starts

Posted on August 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron editorial board has them, and so do I. So, in the spirit of the first day, we are setting out three of our own classroom expectations and concerns. We’ll skip the niceties too. Miles needs to control the … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A couple of thoughts as the HISD school year starts

Dispatches from Dallas, August 25 edition

Posted on August 25, 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 story from Granbury, southwest of Fort Worth, that ties up a lot of book-banning … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Dispatches from Dallas, August 25 edition

Time for another Cruise update

Posted on August 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Driverless taxi service Cruise got the full go-ahead in San Francisco. In a win for the autonomous vehicle industry, California regulators have given the green light to Cruise and Waymo to offer commercial robotaxi services across San Francisco 24 hours … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Time for another Cruise update

Who votes in Houston elections?

Posted on August 21, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The short answer is old people. When Houston residents head to the ballot box this November to elect a new mayor and city government, fewer people may actually show up than in Seattle, a city with a third of our … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

More cities’ responses to the Death Star law

Posted on August 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Some good reporting from El Paso Matters. In 2015, El Paso became the second city in the country to safeguard its workers by passing a historic wage theft ordinance. Now, as a sweeping new state law aimed at handicapping Texas’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More cities’ responses to the Death Star law

Dispatches from Dallas, August 19 edition

Posted on August 19, 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, it’s another grab bag. We have followups to the Southwest Airlines religious liberty case, the ransomware attack … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Another data point on ransomware

Posted on August 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

And other cybersecurity incidents, from the FBI. A series of cyberattacks across Texas, including some in the Houston region, are part of a growing statewide and national trend of increasingly sophisticated groups working through computers to steal money and information, … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Another data point on ransomware

Amtrak seeks partnership with Texas Central

Posted on August 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Hey look, a sign of life! The largely stalled initiative to construct a high-speed railway between Houston and Dallas is up and running again. Amtrak and Texas Central, the Dallas-based company behind the long-planned project, announced Wednesday they are exploring … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Amtrak seeks partnership with Texas Central

Dispatches from Dallas, August 11 edition

Posted on August 11, 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, two big local stories: an update on the Dallas ransomware saga and a nationally-breaking saga about a … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

On bringing DPS troopers to Houston

Posted on August 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I have some questions. Call in the troopers. That’s one of state Sen. John Whitmire’s plans for reducing crime in Houston, which voters consistently have rated as one of their top concerns. A similar partnership with the Texas Department of … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Lots of people were affected by that Dallas ransomware attack

Posted on August 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Not great. Computer hackers accessed the personal information of at least 26,212 Texans in a ransomware attack on the city of Dallas, according to an official disclosure made public Monday, three months after the breach. The city’s notice to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dispatches from Dallas, August 4 edition

Posted on August 4, 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 another grab bag: Texans, and specifically North Texans, with J6 arrests and convictions; the return … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Dispatches from Dallas, August 4 edition

Will Dallas join the Death Star litigation?

Posted on July 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It remains to be seen. Council members Chad West and Adam Bazaldua told The Dallas Morning News that they know of no plans as of Thursday for Dallas to get involved in the legal challenge of HB 2127, but both … Continue reading →

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

Dispatches from Dallas, July 28 edition

Posted on July 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 Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, we have a grab bag of news on regular beats: ransomware, Collin County’s favorite hometown … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Dispatches from Dallas, July 28 edition

What does Mike Miles have against libraries?

Posted on July 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I do not care for this. Superintendent Mike Miles, appointed in June by the Texas Education Agency to lead Houston ISD, will eliminate librarians and media specialists from the 28 campuses under his New Education System and an additional 57 aligned schools that opted … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Dispatches from Dallas, July 21 edition

Posted on July 21, 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 Metroplex, a big police expose in the DMN, the seventh anniversary of the July 7 Dallas police ambush, … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Dispatches from Dallas, July 21 edition

The scooters come back to Dallas

Posted on July 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how it goes this time around. Electric scooters had a rough go in Dallas following their 2018 introduction. The “micro-mobility” options pissed off plenty and led to a spike in hospitalizations. So in 2020, the two-wheeled vehicles were yanked … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Major League Cricket

Posted on July 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

America’s newest major league makes its debut today. While cricket has flourished in England and some of its former colonies, it has never taken off to the same degree in the United States, where some have perceived it as impenetrable. … Continue reading →

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

You sure you wanna join the NES now?

Posted on July 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Consider your answer carefully. Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles met with dozens of school principals Thursday to walk them through his plans for “wholesale systemic reforms” and offered those who signed up for his New Education System one last chance … Continue reading →

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

Dispatches from Dallas, July 7 edition

Posted on July 7, 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 DFW, a mass shooting in a historically Black neighborhood in Fort Worth, the return of a former statewide candidate … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Dispatches from Dallas, July 7 edition

Some schools want in on the Miles Plan

Posted on July 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Not too surprising, all things considered. Over 50 Houston ISD schools voluntarily signed up for Superintendent Mike Miles’ sweeping New Education System, joining the 28 campuses required to be part of the reform program Miles launched his first day in … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dallas improves its cybersecurity

Posted on June 30, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see. The Dallas City Council approved a nearly $4 million deal Wednesday to get a new system that alerts the city’s information technology department of possible cyber attacks. The approval comes as the city is nearly two months … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Dispatches from Dallas, June 30 edition

Posted on June 30, 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 Metroplex: updates on the Dallas cyberattacks and two other hacks with DFW connections you may not have heard … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Dispatches from Dallas, June 30 edition

The Chron asks the “will what Mike Miles is doing actually work” question

Posted on June 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Join the club. Superintendent Mike Miles has swept into Houston in recent weeks with confident claims that his strategies to overhaul the largest school system in Texas can quickly spur positive results at long-struggling schools. That’s mostly because his agenda … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Chron asks the “will what Mike Miles is doing actually work” question

I still don’t get how Mike Miles is going to do what he says

Posted on June 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start with the big plans that appointed HISD Superintendent Mike Miles is touting. Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles unveiled a dramatically expanded plan for the district at a Thursday board meeting, announcing 150 schools will see “wholesale systemic reform” … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

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 →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Dispatches from Dallas, June 23 edition

Dispatches from Dallas, June 9 edition

Posted on June 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 DFW, we have a grab bag. Who’s in and out in the Democratic primary for CD-32; Collin County is … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Dispatches from Dallas, June 9 edition

A more general look at ransomware attacks

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This WaPo story, which I found by googling around for more news on the Dallas ransomware attack, has some great general information on this recent plague, which I thought you’d find useful as well. The ransomware attacks that pose a … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on A more general look at ransomware attacks

Mike Miles and the Board of Managers

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s official. Former Dallas ISD superintendent Mike Miles − described as a military-minded leader who pushes reform − is the state’s choice for the new Houston ISD superintendent. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath announced his long-rumored decision Thursday morning, the … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dispatches from Dallas, June 2 edition

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. In DFW-area news this week, we’ll be talking about Ken Paxton, who’s local to Collin County, updates on the Dallas ransomware problem, trouble in … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Dispatches from Dallas, June 2 edition

Yet another Dallas ransomware update

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’re three weeks out, how are things going? Three weeks after Dallas was hit with a ransomware attack, city officials still haven’t publicly explained the full scope of the breach or the city’s progress toward restoration. The ransomware attack hit May … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Yet another Dallas ransomware update

Dispatches from Dallas, May 26 edition

Posted on May 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week, in DFW-area news, another smorgasbord, including the ongoing effects of the ransomware attacks, runoff elections, the aftermath of the Allen mall shooting, … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment