Tag Archives: Harris County

May 2024 special election early voting, Day Five: More than halfway there

Posted on April 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We have completed five days of early voting for the May special HCAD and SD15 elections, with four more days to go. The Day Five daily EV report is here. There have been 7,980 in person votes and 12,901 mail … Continue reading →

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Ogg brings in Paxton on Hidalgo aides case

Posted on April 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Really? I mean, really? Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Thursday she is handing the pending criminal cases against three of County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s former staffers to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office. Ogg stopped short of calling … Continue reading →

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Travis Scott remains in the Astroworld lawsuit

Posted on April 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

All of the motions to get out have been decided. A Harris County District Court judge denied rapper Travis Scott’s bid to be removed from the upcoming civil trial over the deaths and injuries that occurred at the 2021 Astroworld … Continue reading →

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May 2024 special election early voting, Day Three: Still slow going

Posted on April 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your Day Three early voting report from the May 2024 special election. As of the third day, a total of 16,078 ballots have been cast, with 4,399 in person votes and 11,679 by mail. 3,111 in person votes have … Continue reading →

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Harris County gets “Solar for All” grant

Posted on April 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Harris County will receive part of a $7 billion federal grant toward installing solar panels and battery systems in low-income and disadvantaged communities across Texas, part of President Joe Biden’s plan to expand access to solar energy nationwide. The … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court puts temporary pause on Uplift Harris

Posted on April 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. The Supreme Court of Texas has temporarily blocked Harris County’s new guaranteed income program, Uplift Harris, after two lower courts denied Attorney General Ken Paxton’s requests to stop the payments. Paxton sued Harris County earlier this month, alleging its … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: One out of three ain’t good

Posted on April 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron notices there are HCAD elections and makes endorsements in them. Position 1: Kathy Blueford-Daniels While on the Houston Independent School District board from 2020 until the state takeover, Kathy Blueford-Daniels, 66, served as the appointed member on the … Continue reading →

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May 2024 special election early voting, Day One: Why are we doing this again?

Posted on April 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Houston Landing has another look at the HCAD elections and just how weird this all is. The county Democratic and Republican parties have endorsed and are campaigning for candidates in each of the three races. Accusations of nefarious intentions … Continue reading →

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Appeals court rejects Paxton appeal on Uplift Harris

Posted on April 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A state appeals court on Monday ruled Harris County’s guaranteed income program may move forward, paving the way for checks to be sent out to low-income residents as soon as Wednesday. An appeal by Attorney General Ken Paxton to … Continue reading →

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A brief history of May elections in Harris County

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As previously noted, early voting begins today for the special HCAD and SD15 elections. I have said before that we are not used to voting in May in Harris County and that because of that and because of the annoyingly … Continue reading →

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Early voting for the May 4 election begins Monday

Posted on April 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth announced that early voting for the May 4 Uniform and Special Elections for Texas Senate District 15 and the Harris County Appraisal District begins on Monday, April 22, and runs through Tuesday, … Continue reading →

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Uplift Harris can proceed

Posted on April 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

So says a judge. A district judge on Thursday ruled Harris County’s new guaranteed income program can proceed, denying the Texas Attorney General’s office request for a temporary injunction. The state sued Harris County earlier this month, arguing the initiative … Continue reading →

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SD15 rounds two and three

Posted on April 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

If it weren’t for the HCAD elections on May 4, the SD15 special election would be the headliner. Molly Cook and state Rep. Jarvis Johnson both say they take every election seriously, and that includes their head-to-head matchup on May … Continue reading →

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Good luck finding any info about those county appraisal board elections

Posted on April 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I’ve written a bunch about the HCAD Board elections, including doing interviews with four of the candidates, so that you my readers and anyone else who stumbles across this page can hopefully know a little something about … Continue reading →

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The Chron covers the HCAD elections

Posted on April 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

At long, long last. Most Houston-area property owners likely are unaware that the amount of taxes they owe is decided, in part, by a group of local appraisers overseen by a little-known board of directors. But for the first time … Continue reading →

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Interview with Kathy Blueford-Daniels

Posted on April 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We come to the end of my interviews with candidates for the HCAD positions. I might have tried to broaden the field under some other circumstances, but in this case I felt it best to concentrate on the candidates who … Continue reading →

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Travis Scott makes his argument to get out of the Astroworld lawsuit

Posted on April 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

He has a reasonable case. Not saying I’d buy it, but it’s not ridiculous. Superstar rapper Travis Scott should not be held responsible for planning failures before the 2021 Astroworld tragedy or the delayed process of ending the show as … Continue reading →

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Some Tarrant Appraisal District drama

Posted on April 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. A candidate for the Tarrant Appraisal District board alleges County Judge Tim O’Hare tried to pressure him into dropping out of the race. Colleyville City Council member Chuck Kelley, who is running for Place 3, said O’Hare first … Continue reading →

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Interview with Melissa Noriega

Posted on April 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I have two more interviews for you for the now-elected HCAD Board positions, for which I remind you that election day is May 4 and early voting begins a week from today on April 22 and runs through April 30. … Continue reading →

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Astroworld lawsuit update

Posted on April 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Drake got himself removed as a defendant. A Harris County district court judge on Wednesday dismissed Drake from the sprawling civil lawsuit over the deadly Astroworld concert. The Canadian rapper was a guest performer at the November 2021 concert, appearing … Continue reading →

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County leaders defend Uplift Harris

Posted on April 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate the passion and intensity in this response, but overall it does not leave me feeling optimistic about the outcome. Harris County leaders are defending their new guaranteed income program after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office sued to … Continue reading →

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Some of those dropped HPD cases were connected to other cases

Posted on April 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Shocking, I know. Of the suspended sex crime incident reports submitted by the Houston Police Department to the Houston Forensic Science Center, nearly 100 came back with links to other cases, Chief Troy Finner said Monday evening. […] In HPD’s … Continue reading →

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Interview with Austin Pooley

Posted on April 10, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We continue with our interviews for the three now-elected At Large positions on the Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD) Board. The first person I heard from after I had posted about the HCAD announcement of the race and how to … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues over Uplift Harris

Posted on April 10, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against Harris County over Uplift Harris, its new guaranteed income pilot program, calling the effort to administer $500 monthly payments to low-income residents the “Harris Handout.” Though participants … Continue reading →

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Interview with Pelumi Adeleke

Posted on April 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I hope by now you are aware of the May 4 election for three At Large positions on the Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD) Board. These positions have existed before as appointments but thanks to the constitutional amendment about property … Continue reading →

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Wife of Harris County Justice of the Peace arrested on murder charge

Posted on April 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. A woman who is accused of fatally shooting her nephew following a fight in northwest Harris County made her first court appearance early Saturday morning, according to documents. Mei Wolfe, 48, is facing a murder charge after a deputies … Continue reading →

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The Paxton prosecutors’ personal dispute

Posted on April 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m just going to leave this here. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton never would have been sent to prison if his fraud case had gone to trial, the prosecutors now say. In the week since Paxton, a Republican, cut a … Continue reading →

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Still waiting on details for paying the firefighters

Posted on April 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

A lot of the same stuff we’ve heard before here, but a little bit more details. Houston Mayor John Whitmire detailed his last three months as the fourth-largest city’s top boss and outlined some of his ongoing projects in a … Continue reading →

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Hey look, it’s a story about the HCAD elections

Posted on April 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

About damn time. A question you are unlikely to hear at any bar, diner or dinner table over the next month: Who are you voting for the county appraisal district board? Few area residents are aware of the election, even … Continue reading →

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The Fifth Circuit has its merits hearing on SB4

Posted on April 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is the big one. A federal appeals court heard arguments Wednesday from Texas and the federal government about whether it should continue blocking a new Texas law that would let state police arrest migrants suspected of entering the U.S. … Continue reading →

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One more whiny election loser lawsuit

Posted on April 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I know, we all thought we were done with these. Nearly five months after Harris County’s November 2022 election results were upheld in court, another unsuccessful Republican judicial candidate laid out a similar set of facts before the same judge … Continue reading →

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Travis Scott wants out of Astroworld lawsuit

Posted on April 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I would too if I were him. Whether he should or he will is another matter. Houston-born rapper Travis Scott said he should not be held personally responsible for the deaths of 10 people who died in the crushing crowds … Continue reading →

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More on the Paxton deal

Posted on March 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This Chron story goes into some detail about how we ended up with the deferred adjudication deal that brought an abrupt end to the Ken Paxton securities fraud trial. Special prosecutors assigned to the case said years-long procedural delays made … Continue reading →

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Hardy Toll Road connector approved

Posted on March 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a very different project than what was first proposed. A planned extension of the Hardy Toll Road through the Near Northside into downtown Houston will proceed, but with various community-driven design elements. Harris County Commissioners on Tuesday approved a … Continue reading →

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