Tag Archives: DOGE

The flood insurance problem

Posted on July 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is only going to get worse unless we take steps to mitigate it. Less than 5% of residential properties in high-risk areas in Kerr County were covered by flood insurance before the July 4 storm, according to a Houston … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Hill Country flood roundup

Posted on July 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Just some articles of interest, no real thread. Climate Change Helped Fuel Heavy Rains That Led to Devastating Texas Flood Climate scientists said the torrential downpours on July 4 exemplify the devastating outcomes of weather intensified by a warming atmosphere. … Continue reading →

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

So now the Lege will get involved

Posted on July 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As I said yesterday, I don’t know if Greg Abbott would have called a special session to address the great tragedy happening in the Hill Country if one hadn’t already been on the calendar for other reasons. He didn’t call … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The flood warning history of Kerr County

Posted on July 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They’ve tried for awhile to get some funding for a flood warning system. They’ve failed every time. Nearly a decade before catastrophic flash flooding killed at least 75 people in Kerr County, including 27 children, several local officials were hard … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

On the value of disaster warnings

Posted on July 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s hard to know where to start with this. For the last three days, state Rep. Wes Virdell has been out with first responders in Kerr County as they searched for victims and survivors from the devastating floods that swept … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Houston environmentalists join legal fight to get EPA funds restored

Posted on July 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Go get ’em. Houston environmental advocates joined a class-action lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency last week to recover billions in federal grant funding cut by the Trump administration. The nonprofit Air Alliance Houston hopes to restart the work it was leading to engage residents … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Houston environmentalists join legal fight to get EPA funds restored

Hill Country flood update 2

Posted on July 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

A brief overview of the situation, written on Sunday at noon. The death toll rose to 68 as a result of the Fourth of July floods along the Guadalupe River, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said. That includes 28 children. There were … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Hill Country flood update

Posted on July 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The situation remains very bad, with a significant potential to get much worse. The official death toll from the catastrophic floods that hit the Texas Hill Country rose to 27 as of Saturday morning, according to the Kerr County sheriff’s … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The DOGE effect on feral hogs

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The hogs approve this message. Wild hogs are exceptionally hard to kill. They can leap over fences and run 30 miles per hour on open ground, making them difficult to shoot. And they’re smart, learning to avoid traps if other … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The DOGE effect on feral hogs

The case against rooting for Tesla to fail

Posted on May 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

From Inside Climate News. While some people may be pleased to see Tesla and Musk struggle, and most of the damage was self-inflicted, Tesla’s swoon is probably bad for the U.S. EV market. It helps to have a sense of … Continue reading →

Posted in National news, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

How can we stand all this winning?

Posted on May 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Item 1: More than 1 million people count on Houston-area food pantries, which are staring down empty shelves after losing $11 million in federal funding. Until recently, 100 tractor-trailers full of federally-funded food pulled up each month to the Houston … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Harris County claims early victory in lawsuit over mass federal layoffs

Posted on May 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

First round to the good guys, but there’s a lot more to happen. Harris County was among local governments and others claiming victory Saturday after a judge halted the Trump administration’s efforts to lay off federal employees. The county, local … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Harris County claims early victory in lawsuit over mass federal layoffs

The CenterPoint weather stations

Posted on May 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good, I guess. CenterPoint Energy plans to install a network of 100 weather stations across its 12-county service territory in the Greater Houston area before hurricane season kicks off on June 1, the company announced Monday. The weather stations are … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The CenterPoint weather stations

Harris County gets in on another lawsuit over federal funding cuts

Posted on May 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Keep fighting. Harris County has filed a third lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration, challenging its overhaul of the federal government and a slew of federal workforce cuts. The county is suing along with a coalition of other local government … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Harris County gets in on another lawsuit over federal funding cuts

Harris County gets its refugee health grant back

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Trump administration restored funding for a $10.5 million refugee health grant a little over a week after Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee sued the federal government for freezing payments to its Refugee Medical Screening Program, according to … Continue reading →

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

Harris County sues over refugee grant funds

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Keep on litigating, the reasons to do so aren’t going to run short anytime soon. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee is suing the Trump administration after it froze a more-than-$10 million grant for the county’s Refugee Health Services Program. Menefee … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Harris County sues over refugee grant funds

On weather balloons

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Another possibly bad omen for the hurricane season. Due to staffing constraints, as a result of recent budget cuts and retirements, the National Weather Service has announced a series of suspensions involving weather balloon launches in recent weeks. On February … Continue reading →

Posted in National news, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on On weather balloons

Measles update: We’re already making this harder on ourselves

Posted on April 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your weekend update. The measles outbreak centered in the South Plains region soared past a combined 500 cases in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma on Friday, according to health officials. Texas has seen 481 measles cases amid the outbreak … Continue reading →

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

Smaller number of federal buildings on the chopping block

Posted on April 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Progress? I dunno. Less than two weeks after posting – and abruptly pulling down – a list of federally owned office buildings to be sold, the U.S. General Services Administration has released a much shorter list that includes one property in Houston. A … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Smaller number of federal buildings on the chopping block

Make America hungry again

Posted on March 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They’re working on it. The San Antonio Food Bank expects to lose $3 million due to federal funding cuts, leaving officials at the nonprofit saying they’re not sure how they’ll make up for that shortfall and that they are worried … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food, National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Make America hungry again

The federal buildings that may or may not get sold

Posted on March 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Who can even tell with these incompetent wannabe evildoers? The General Services Administration, landlord for federal government, said Tuesday it planned to sell more than 440 buildings across the U.S., including three in Houston and 21 others in Texas. The … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The federal buildings that may or may not get sold

The cost of the warming centers

Posted on March 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Missed this last week. The City of Houston spent about $6.5 million as the January winter storm brought freezing temperatures and snow to the region. Mayor John Whitmire’s chief of staff, Chris Newport, told the city’s resilience committee Thursday that the 10 … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“A bigger threat to U.S. federal government information systems than China”

Posted on March 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Brian Krebs assesses the DOGE madness from a cybersecurity perspective. The Trump administration has fired at least 130 employees at the federal government’s foremost cybersecurity body  — the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Those dismissals reportedly included CISA staff dedicated to securing U.S. elections, … Continue reading →

Posted in National news, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on “A bigger threat to U.S. federal government information systems than China”

If you get the chance to attend a Congressional town hall, do so

Posted on March 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Look at all the fun you can have. About two dozen demonstrators greeted 3rd District Congressman Keith Self at a town hall in the Collin College Conference Center in Wylie. “Do your job!” chanted the crowd carrying signs including “Dump … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Muskian rampage could close hundreds of federal buildings in Texas

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Look around, here today and maybe gone tomorrow. Billionaire Elon Musk’s chainsaw diet for the U.S. government could shutter near 450 federal offices across Texas that do anything from assisting ailing veterans to answering questions about retirement and disability benefits, … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Solar For All grants caught in a trap

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They can’t get out, at least not at this time. More than $400 million in federal funding for Texas-based organizations to implement clean energy programs remains frozen, jeopardizing efforts to expand access to rooftop solar panels and battery storage systems in … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Solar For All grants caught in a trap