Tag Archives: quarantine

As the COVID mutates

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just another reminder that we need to continue trying not to spread the virus while we wait for everyone to get vaccinated. A more contagious variant of the coronavirus first found in Britain is spreading rapidly in the United States, … Continue reading →

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What should the Governor’s powers be in a future emergency?

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He admits there could maybe be some limits, but as is often the case has no great idea what they might be. Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday he is open to reconsidering his executive powers during state emergencies, a point … Continue reading →

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Rodeo cancelled again

Posted on February 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Bummer. RodeoHouston is hanging up the cowboy hat for 2021. No mutton busting. No fried Twinkies. No bed salesmen in NRG Center. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo made the announcement Wednesday morning, which includes all competitions, concerts and entertainment, … Continue reading →

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Will Spring Training start on time?

Posted on January 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe, maybe not. Less than a month before pitchers and catchers are set to report, the Cactus League released a letter it sent to Major League Baseball in which it called for spring training to be delayed, a move it … Continue reading →

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More COVID restrictions are about to happen in Harris County

Posted on January 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Blame Greg Abbott and the virus, in whatever order you prefer. Houston and its surrounding communities on Tuesday became the latest region to require new emergency restrictions after seven straight days of ballooning coronavirus hospitalizations. The rollback, mandated under Gov. … Continue reading →

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It still looks grim in the Houston area

Posted on January 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Brace yourselves. As Houston left 2020 in the rearview mirror, the coronavirus continued to spread throughout the region unchecked, with some of the highest positivity rates since the start of the pandemic. And that spike will only continue to climb, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Too much virus, not enough treatment

Posted on December 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Still a bad combination. Three weeks after Gov. Greg Abbott visited Lubbock to celebrate new antibody treatments amid a surge of infections, the city remains in crisis. Its two main hospitals had nearly two dozen patients waiting for beds Friday, … Continue reading →

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We still need more than the vaccines

Posted on December 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The vaccines are great, don’t get me wrong, and they couldn’t have come at a better time, but they’re going to take awhile to be administered, and in the meantime a whole lot of people are still getting sick and … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Here comes the vaccine

Posted on December 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Houston’s first doses have arrived. Months of waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine to arrive in Houston are almost — but not quite — over, as hospitals prepare to move the first doses from sealed subzero shipments and into the arms … Continue reading →

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The regional COVID situation

Posted on December 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Not great, Bob. COVID-19 is surging across southeast Texas, especially in the suburban counties outside of Houston, which have seen a steady increase in the number of new cases, data show. Galveston, Chambers, Brazoria, Liberty, and Montgomery counties have all … Continue reading →

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Rodeo makes plans for May

Posted on December 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I hope they’ll be able to follow through. RodeoHouston is making big changes for 2021. Next year’s competitions, concerts, entertainment and carnival are moving to May 4-23, pending the COVID-19 situation, to provide “a better opportunity to host the events.” … Continue reading →

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Can we please not screw the schools right now?

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Really, we don’t have to do this. Across the Houston region and Texas, school districts that lost enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic are facing a drop in state funds starting in January if the Texas Education Agency or state lawmakers … Continue reading →

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The bar conundrum

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Halloween this year in downtown Austin was a raucous affair. Nightclubs advertised dancing and drink specials. Thousands of people crowded 6th Street, partying shoulder to shoulder, some with masks and some without. All of this happened as bars in … Continue reading →

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What happens when there’s no room for the sick people?

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s already happening in some parts of Texas, mostly out west. Presidio and Brewster counties, home to Marfa and Big Bend, along with nearby Culberson County, lead the state in cases per 1,000 residents in the last two weeks, according … Continue reading →

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Even the White House thinks Texas sucks at COVID response

Posted on December 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I mean… The White House Coronavirus Task Force says Texas is in the swing of a “full resurgence” of COVID-19 and the state’s mitigation efforts “must intensify,” while Gov. Greg Abbott and other leaders decline to take some of the … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Crossing a red line

Posted on November 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Will Greg Abbott notice? North Texas crossed a critical threshold in the number of hospital patients fighting COVID-19 that could trigger bar closings and lower occupancies at stores and restaurants if such cases don’t decrease within a week. With more … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Please stay socially distant this Thanksgiving

Posted on November 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s what we have to do. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Tuesday urged residents to limit Thanksgiving gatherings to immediate family to limit the spread of COVID-19. The county will send an emergency cell phone alert to all residents … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Remote learning has been hard for many students

Posted on November 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is a problem that I don’t think we’re prepared to deal with. Students across Greater Houston failed classes at unprecendented rates in the first marking period, with some districts reporting nearly half of their middle and high schoolers received … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The entire NCAA men’s tournament in one place

Posted on November 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

If we’re able to have an NCAA basketball season at all, then something like this makes some sense. The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee announced today the relocation of 13 predetermined preliminary round sites for the 2021 Division I … Continue reading →

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Prevention > treatment

Posted on November 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, more treatments for COVID is a good thing, but you know what’s better? Not getting COVID in the first place. Maybe we can try doing better on that? Gov. Greg Abbott traveled to Lubbock on Thursday to tout … Continue reading →

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Greg Abbott has no interest in fighting COVID

Posted on November 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It is what it is at this point. On June 26, Texas was reporting 5,102 people had been hospitalized due to the coronavirus, breaking a new record for the state. The positivity rate — the portion of tests that come … Continue reading →

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Who’s concerned about the state’s coronavirus spike?

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Not Greg Abbott, or Dan Patrick, or Ken Paxton, that’s for sure. The Oregon governor is calling it a “freeze.” In New Mexico, it’s a “reset.” Across the country, state elected officials are frantically rolling back their reopening plans to … Continue reading →

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

The state of the county 2020

Posted on November 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Mostly, COVID is bad and we’re not getting much help, and we’re also not allowed to do the things we know we need to do. Other than that… The worsening COVID-19 pandemic in Texas, which this week became the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

We’re number one (million)!

Posted on November 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

One million COVID cases in Texas. Hooray? Texas’ grim distinction as the national leader in terms of COVID-19 infections came as little surprise to some local medical experts, who blamed politicians for conflicting messages about the virus and warned the … Continue reading →

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It’s still not too late to prevent a big spike in COVID infections

Posted on October 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

But it will be soon. A rise in COVID-19 cases has health care officials and government leaders pleading with Houstonians: Act now to prevent, or at least minimize, a third wave of infections across Greater Houston. “This feels a lot … Continue reading →

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Will Greg Abbott ever talk about COVID-19 again?

Posted on October 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Signs point to No. On Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott knocked on doors in the Fort Worth suburbs, fist-bumping with police officers and warning residents that Democrats want to raise their taxes. That night, he opened Game 2 of the World … Continue reading →

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Rep. Senfronia Thompson files for Speaker

Posted on October 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

One hat in the ring, who knows how many to go. State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, the longest-serving woman and Black person in the history of the Texas Legislature, filed Friday to run for speaker of the Texas House, making her … Continue reading →

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“On the cusp” of another COVID surge

Posted on October 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The numbers are already trending up. You know what that means. Cases of COVID-19 in parts of Texas surged to near catastrophic levels this summer as some hospitals were forced to put beds in hallways, intensive care units exceeded capacity … Continue reading →

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Keep fighting, fellas

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Primal scream time. Two of Texas’ top Republicans took part [last] Saturday in a protest of Gov. Greg Abbott’s coronavirus restrictions outside the Governor’s Mansion, a striking display of intraparty defiance three days before early voting begins for a momentous … Continue reading →

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Don’t look now, but COVID numbers are ticking up again

Posted on October 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

In the state as a whole. Texas reported more than 4,100 people hospitalized with the coronavirus on Wednesday, its largest total in six weeks and one that comes amid rising infections in El Paso and North Texas. Hospitalizations hit a … Continue reading →

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We need a better word than “controversial”

Posted on October 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From the Chron: Meet Al Hartman, the controversial Houston CEO who is suing Hidalgo, Abbott over COVID orders. Al Hartman is not shy about his beliefs. As a guest on a Christian radio show, he spoke about a faith so … Continue reading →

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Abbott to allow bars to reopen

Posted on October 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Sort of. It’s kind of the most Abbott thing ever. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that bars in Texas can reopen for in-person service next week — as long as their county governments choose to allow it. Effective Oct. 14, … Continue reading →

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On executive power and the role of the Legislature

Posted on October 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few thoughts from recent events relating to Greg Abbott, COVID-19, vote access and suppression, local control, all those Hotze lawsuits, and so forth. 1. I think most of us would agree that however we assess Greg Abbott’s performance … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

When Republicans fight

Posted on October 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Such a sight to see. Gov. Greg Abbott’s most exasperating allies sure chose an awkward time to act up. In the face of a momentous election, with an array of issues that includes the pandemic, the recession, climate change, racial … Continue reading →

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