The executive summary, in case you've been taking some time off from the creepshow that the Texas Lege has been for the past ten months.
The Texas Legislature has adjourned from its third special session after a final flurry of activity, including approving new political maps. But lawmakers didn’t pass bills about vaccine mandates or the criminal penalty for illegal voting. #txlege https://t.co/UocIPIdl02
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) October 19, 2021
Lt. Dan has decided he wants a fourth special, but Governor Fish Lips says "not now, asshole". Maybe later. We have a few wieners and loosers ranked.
Winners & Losers of the Third Special Session of the Texas Legislature https://t.co/tf3L4vBIKf via @RANewsTX #txlege
— RA News (@RANewsTX) October 20, 2021
Republicans and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are among the winners, and Democrats and Hispanics among the losers, as the Texas Legislature wraps its third special session of the year. The jury's still out on Gov. Greg Abbott and Speaker Dade Phelan.#txlege https://t.co/V70rdr9VjW
— Bob Garrett (@RobertTGarrett) October 19, 2021
And sightless gerrymandering being the hottest topic ...
Republicans say Texas’ new political maps are “race blind.” To some voters of color, that translates as political invisibility. https://t.co/iEegJrEfY8
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) October 20, 2021
Cartoon: "Race-Blind" Redistricting by @Nick_Anderson_ for @RANewsTX
— RA News (@RANewsTX) October 20, 2021
To see more political cartoons:https://t.co/J0Pb5tD3yU#txlege #redistricting pic.twitter.com/O54jbonji4
It wouldn't be the silly boundary season without some litigation.
Before they’ve even been signed into law, Texas’ new maps for Congress and the statehouse are being challenged in court for allegedly discriminating against Latino voters. | via @TexasTribune https://t.co/nFtQzOGMAT
— KUT Austin (@KUT) October 18, 2021
Attention finally turns to 2022.
The controversial issues you’ve heard Texas lawmakers debate for most of the year aren’t going away, @rossramsey writes. Many of them will be argued all over again during the 2022 elections. https://t.co/qACRSavLid
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) October 20, 2021
Kuffner has all the Donkey shuffling covered, and TXElects -- and his Tweet feed of the usual suspects, appearing to the right on his blog's landing page -- covers the Pachyderm dances. I'll wait until after the filing deadline in December to muse about primary challenges. I will say that I like the idea of Julie Oliver taking on Lloyd Doggett, whose reputation far exceeds his current value.
I'm looking forward to blogging on the regular about some things besides our state lawmaker goons, so praise the Lawd for small blessings. First: some housing news, broken out from the criminal and social justice headlines.
Everything that's happened since Mayor Turner was accused of corruption over a housing deal: https://t.co/d2KOg2JcxU
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) October 21, 2021
Here's Kuff's catchup. I note he still hasn't mentioned anything about it.
The Harris County District Attorney confirms a "pending criminal investigation" connected to Houston City Hall. In a letter obtained by 13 Investigates, the DA denies access to documents related to the probe, because in their words, "this investigation has yet to be resolved" and is "in the course of preparing for criminal litigation."
13 Investigates requested documents from the city weeks ago when the City of Houston's now-former Housing Director shocked City Hall with allegations of a "charade of a competitive process" to award millions in housing subsidies. According to sources and documents at that point, the DA was asking about specific payments made to specific individuals starting in 2018.
Landlords filed 1,453 eviction cases last week in Houston, easily the most since the start of the pandemic. (2/6) pic.twitter.com/FRULM5vdcT
— Peter Hepburn (@ps_hepburn) October 19, 2021
In 1940, Black families, displaced by the Dallas Housing Authority housing project in the Hall/Thomas area, began purchasing homes in predominantly White sections of southern Dallas. pic.twitter.com/92xjgu5nGP
— Nathaniel Barrett (@ncoxbarrett) October 19, 2021
It's not all bad news.
Sunrise Lofts is being constructed in Houston's East End, and when it's done, will provide housing for youths aging out of the foster care system. https://t.co/12M9x806x6 #khou11
— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) October 19, 2021
Here's more criminal and social justice and injustice news from around the state.
"...while [SB6] was called bail reform, it did little to nothing to reform Texas’ unfair use of cash bail to decide who must stay behind bars until their day in court... this new law will do next to nothing to improve community safety." #txlege https://t.co/3lx5UiucVk
— Nick Hudson (@NickCHudson) October 18, 2021
"What I didn’t know was that prisons treat books as restricted commodities, a privilege—not a right—less essential than the right to bear arms, but in the eyes of the state, somehow just as dangerous." https://t.co/Pr0lEQHFrk
— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) October 17, 2021
As Texans grapple with issues of race and privilege, the 'Southlake' podcast is a must-listen, writes @iandille, who attended Carroll High School, the setting of the series. https://t.co/RhoLKBjVKj+
— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) October 20, 2021
WalletHub's 'best small city' in Texas is same problematic town making headlines last week https://t.co/Cy9nw7rTXw
— Laredo Morning Times (@lmtnews) October 19, 2021
#CorpusChristi I still want the @TxHistComm to remove this plaque, supposed "historical" marker, that disparages the #Karankawa people and says,
— Adán Medrano (@AdanMMedrano) October 19, 2021
wrongly,--"1858 marked the disappearance of the Karankawa Indians." @TexasTribune @erinmdouglas23 pic.twitter.com/EY8QSV9ITb
Can adding four lanes to a downtown interstate solve a city's traffic congestion? https://t.co/9nadG289AZ
— Slate (@Slate) October 21, 2021
And here are a few items specific to the border region of Texas.
(content warning: verbal discussion of racially motivated violence)
— Texas Civil Rights Project (@TXCivilRights) October 17, 2021
Our REJ director Laura Peña laid out the real-life consequences of Trump's hateful rhetoric for the people of the Rio Grande Valley. Watch this clip with @mmckinnon for @SHO_TheCircus. pic.twitter.com/rN6I7i8h4w
Shawna Chen: RNC targets Texas Latinos https://t.co/keJHWJijln via @axios #Election2022 #txlege
— Rob Parham (@rparham) October 17, 2021
I'm starting to wake up to the fact that Republican Latino/as in the RGV (and elsewhere) don't consider themselves Hispanic. They call themselves Tejanos; they praise themselves for their good fortune based on hard work and Jeebus and not on luck or cronyism, just like whites; and they hate immigrants, 'gobermint handouts', and worship the flag and the military. Sounds like any other MAGAt to me.
ICYMI: Asylum groups on the border sent a strong message to @POTUS this past Saturday: there is no improved version of the 'Remain in Mexico' program. https://t.co/VfYoessYkh
— Texas Civil Rights Project (@TXCivilRights) October 19, 2021
Since 2017, advocacy orgs have filed dozens of complaints with U.S. Customs and Border Protection on behalf of hundreds of migrants whose medical needs have gone unaddressed.
— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) October 14, 2021
From @pubhealthwatch: https://t.co/RX5f5nmdOj
A few environmental updates.
It is "impossible for @txrrc & @TCEQ to argue that they have a handle on flaring or that they have taken reasonable steps to reduce it," pens former TCEQ air quality regulator for @statesman.
— EDF Texas (@EDFtx) October 18, 2021
TX urgently needs @EPA to do the job regulators won't. #txlege https://t.co/vTADcpNf2P
NEW: LyondellBasell has agreed to pay $3.4 million in civil penalties after the EPA accused its subsidiaries of operating flares with too much steam and releasing thousands of tons of air pollution.
— Emily Foxhall (@emfoxhall) October 14, 2021
This includes flares at four Harris County facilities.https://t.co/PYpMf0qhS6
Arsonist who is burning down your house:
— Rebecca Parson for Congress, WA-06 (@RebeccaforWA) October 19, 2021
“I can help you reach your goal of being flame-neutral by 2050. Excited to announce my interest in advancing flame capture & storage in your area. In a year, my technology captures 0.00001290323% of annual flame emissions.” pic.twitter.com/w7JUxHo2EP
Texas natural gas industry showing limited progress in winter storm prep, experts say https://t.co/XtiLRbWSVX
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) October 19, 2021
A guest column penned jointly by environmentalists Xandra Treviño, Michelle Serrano, Patricia Rubio, Juan Mancias, Dave Cortez, and Freddy Jimenez. https://t.co/OVM7KzQHKc via @RioGGuardian
— Rio Grande Guardian (@RioGGuardian) October 18, 2021
A canal system designed more than a century ago for agriculture still delivers water to the Rio Grande Valley's fast-growing towns and cities. Experts say it could contribute to steep water shortages in coming decades. #txlege #txwater #RGVhttps://t.co/GdSpArlDQR
— Texas 2036 (@Texas2036) October 19, 2021
And the soothers.
The South Texas Music Festival is this Saturday, October 23, in San Benito.
T'is the spooky season, so get out there and get scared of something beside the Texas GOP.
Driskill Hotel named most haunted spot in Texas according to Yelp's list of Top 20 Most Haunted Spots in Texas.
— CBS Austin (@cbsaustin) October 19, 2021
Austin-based Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill, Clay Pit, 1886 Cafe & Bakery, and The Tavern, follow close behind.https://t.co/qBUWiTQH8h
A horror show broke out last night at Fenway 😱@markdero7 | @astros | #ForTheH | #MLBCentral pic.twitter.com/YXw7TQIuSH
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 20, 2021
Texan Steve Martin (center) with the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia (right) and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's John McEuen jamming at a bluegrass festival in 1974. Many Texans don't realize that Steve Martin was born in Waco. Really cool shot. pic.twitter.com/MvN7UeAfAQ
— Traces of Texas (@TracesofTexas) October 19, 2021
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