Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig (@ThinkwingRadio) is now on Wednesdays at 11AM (CT) on KPFT-HD2, Houston’s Community Station. You can also hear the show:

1. Live online at KPFT.org (from anywhere in the world!)
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Welcome to Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig where we discuss local, state, national, and international stories. My co-host and show editor is Andrew Ferguson.

• An educated electorate is a prerequisite for a democracy.
• You’re entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.

1. Make sure you are registered to vote! VoteTexas.GOV – Texas Voter InformationTEXAS SoS VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT APPLICATION (ALL TEXAS COUNTIES) HarrisVotes.com­ – Countywide Voting Centers, (Election Information Line (713) 755-6965), Harris County Clerk
   1. Harris County “Vote-By-Mail’ Application for 2021
      1. Fort bend County Elections/Voter Registration Machine takes you to the proper link
      2. GalvestonVotes.org (Galveston County, TX)
      3. Liberty County Elections (Liberty County, TX)
      4. Montgomery County (TX) Elections
      5. Brazoria County (TX) Clerk Election Information
      6. Waller County (TX) Elections
      7. Chambers County (TX) Elections
      8. For personalized, nonpartisan voter guides and information, Consider visiting Vote.ORG.   Ballotpedia.com and Texas League of Women Voters are also good places to get election info.
      9. If you are denied your right to vote any place at any time at any polling place for any reason, ask for (or demand) a provisional ballot rather than lose your vote.
      10. HarrisVotes.com – Countywide Voting CentersHARRIS COUNTY – IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED FOR VOTING: Do not possess and cannot reasonably obtain one of these IDs?
          1. Fill out a declaration at the polls describing a reasonable impediment to obtaining it, and show a copy or original of one of the following supporting forms of ID:
          2. A government document that shows your name and an address, including your voter registration certificate
          3. Current utility bill
          4. Bank statement
          5. Government check
          6. Paycheck
          7. A certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes your identity (which may include a foreign birth document)
          8. You may vote early by-mail if:You are registered to vote and meet one of the following criteria:
             1. Away from the county of residence on Election Day and during the early voting period;
             2. Sick or disabled;
             3. 65 years of age or older on Election Day; or
             4. Confined in jail, but eligible to vote.
             5. Make sure you are registered:
             6. Ann Harris Bennett, Tax Assessor-Collector & Voter Registrar
             7. CHECK REGISTRATION STATUS HERE
             8. CLICK How to register to vote in Texas
             9. Outside Texas, try Vote.org.
             10. You can track your Mail Ballot Activity from our website with direct link provided here https://www.harrisvotes.com/Tracking.
2. BE REGISTERED TO VOTE, and for those of you whoa are eligible, REMEMBER TO FILL OUT AND MAIL YOUR MAIL-IN BALLOT APPLICATIONS FOR 2022
   1. You can track your Mail Ballot Activity from our website with direct link provided here https://www.harrisvotes.com/Tracking.
   2. BE REGISTERED TO VOTE, and for those of you who are eligible, REMEMBER TO FILL OUT AND MAIL YOUR MAIL-IN BALLOT APPLICATIONS FOR 2022
   3. Primary Election: March 1, 2022 – (These dates are subject to changes from the 2021 legislative session.) as per TEXAS Secretary Of State
   4. First day to apply for a ballot by mail using Application for a Ballot by Mail (ABBM) or Federal Post Card Application (FPCA).
   5. Last Day to Register to Vote: Monday, January 31, 2022
   6. First Day of Early Voting by Personal Appearance: Monday, February 14, 2022
   7. Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail (Received, if not Postmarked): Friday, February 18, 2022
   8. Last Day of Early Voting by Personal Appearance: Friday, February 25, 2022
   9. Last day for Receipt of Marked Ballot by Mail, Election Day : Tuesday, March 1, 2022 (Election Day) at 7:00 p.m. If carrier envelope is not postmarked, OR on Thursday, March 3, 2022 (next business day* after Election Day) at 5:00 p.m. if carrier envelope is postmarked by 7:00 p.m. at the location of the election on Election Day (unless overseas or military voter deadlines apply)⁴  *First business day after Texas Independence Day
3. League of Women Voters of Texas launches online Vote 411 [VOTE 411.ORG] tool in advance of primary elections; By Summer El-Shahawy | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 4:56 PM Feb 1, 2022 CST, Updated 4:56 PM Feb 1, 2022 CST
   1. The League of Women Voters of Texas, a nonpartisan civic nonprofit, has put together an interactive, online voter guide to help educate people about the many upcoming races across Texas during election season.
   2. The interactive version of the guide, vote411.org, offers a variety of tools. The website will allow Texans to: check voter registration status; find the races and candidates on their ballot based on their address; access and compare candidates’ qualifications; access voting information and assistance; find polling locations and times; and create a printable personalized ballot to take to the polls. …
4. League City residents asked to conserve after water line break, By Jake Magee | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 4:52 PM Feb 7, 2022 CST | Updated 4:55 PM Feb 7, 2022 CST
   1. League City officials have implemented Phase 1 of the city’s drought contingency plan in an effort to save water after a water line break, according to a Feb. 7 news release.
   2. After discovering a leak in the city’s main 42-inch water line between Hwy. 3 and Walter Hall Park, officials are asking residents to limit discretionary use of water, which includes sprinklers, landscape watering and outside car washing.
   3. Contractors will be on-site Feb. 8 to determine the leak’s severity and how to repair it. The line provides 70% of the city’s surface water supply, the release reads.
   4. In an update, League City water line repair will take a few days, officials say; By Jake Magee | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM |5:14 PM Feb 8, 2022 CST | Updated 5:30 PM Feb 8, 2022 CST
   5. Contractors and League City Public Works Department workers have located and isolated a water line leak, but it will take “a few days” for it to be repaired.
   6. Until the line is repaired, League City is asking residents to voluntarily conserve water by not using sprinklers, washing vehicles outside or otherwise using large amounts of water. This is in line with Phase 1 of the city’s drought contingency plan, according to a news release.
   7. ANDREW: Every pipeline leaks at some point. Worth remembering, especially for oil and gas transport.
5. League City to acquire ownership of Lobit Park; By Jake Magee | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 7:22 PM Feb 8, 2022 CST | Updated 7:31 PM Feb 8, 2022 CST
   1. Until now, Lobit Park—which is 27.5 acres near the southwest quadrant of the intersection of FM 646 and Dickinson Avenue—has been owned by Galveston County.
   2. Sarah Greer Osborne, director of communications and media relations, said the acquisition is in line with the city’s master parks plan, which seeks to add more city-owned parkland to League City.
   3. However, Council Member Larry Millican voted against the agreement, saying the park is already in the city’s master park plan and not actually adding acreage to the city’s parks. Additionally, it will cost League City more than it is worth to get the park improvements the city wants, he said.
   4. “I think [for] the citizens of League City, it’s not a benefit for them,” he said. … City Council approved the item 6-2 with Millican and Mayor Pat Hallisey opposed.
   5. MIKE: I believe Larry Millican is the same Council member who opposed improving League City’s downtown with improvements including putting utilities underground and away from storms. Millican seems to be against civic improvements generally, which is probably why he wants to be in government.
   6. ANDREW: Bringing the park under city control will let the city do those improvements that Millican thinks aren’t worth it. If he lived near the park, he might think differently.
6. Tomball alley improvement project to begin early this year , By Chandler France | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 11:30 AM Feb 4, 2022 CST
   1. A city initiative to improve the alleyways in Old Town Tomball is expected to go out for construction bids and begin construction in early 2022, City Manager David Esquivel said. The project will add and improve pedestrian pathways along Main Street between Elm and Pine streets and Commerce and Market streets. …
   2. Mike Baxter, Tomball’s director of marketing and tourism, said he believes the project will help with pedestrian access during festivals and events and help beautify the city. He said he hopes businesses backing up to the alleys will create mural art similar to the city’s mural at 215 W. Main St. …
   3. Esquivel said residents and businesses can expect disruption during construction; however, Baxter said construction should not affect events.
   4. ANDREW: Good opportunity to shore up accessibility, hopefully they take it.
7. 22 stormwater detention basins recommended for Cypress Creek watershed; By Danica Lloyd | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 1:59 PM Feb 4, 2022 CST | Updated 1:59 PM Feb 4, 2022 CST
   1. A new report released in January outlines plans for nearly two dozen stormwater detention basins to be constructed in the Cypress Creek watershed to help reduce flood risks for more than 3,000 structures between Hwy. 290 and the Hardy Toll Road over the next several years.
   2. Harris County Commissioners Court approved a $1.4 million agreement with engineering firm Jones & Carter in July 2020 to provide the implementation plan with project recommendations….
   3. Ultimately, 22 of the 23 sites were recommended in the prioritization process with an estimated total cost of $597.1 million. According to the report, these basins combined would hold about 12,800 acre-feet—or 4.17 billion gallons—of excess stormwater.
   4. [An official with the Harris County Flood Control District] said property acquisition on the sites the HCFCD does not already own has already been taking place, and it will continue as these projects are under development.
   5. REFERENCE GRAPHIC:
   6. ANDREW: Big spend, but hopefully uncontroversial. Flood defense is vital.
8. Harris County approves budget emphasizing public safety investments; By Danica Lloyd | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 5:24 PM Feb 8, 2022 CST | Updated 5:24 PM Feb 8, 2022 CST
   1. In a split vote, Harris County Commissioners Court approved a $1.3 billion budget for the next seven months as well as a preliminary $2.15 billion budget for the following 12 months at the Feb. 8 meeting.
   2. Harris County is changing its fiscal year to run from Oct. 1-Sept. 30. Commissioners approved in a 3-2 vote a “short fiscal year” budget for March 1-Sept. 30, 2022, as well as a “planning” budget for FY 2022-23. The FY 2022-23 budget, along with tax rates, is expected to be finalized in September.
   3. About 64% of each budget is dedicated to justice and safety efforts, which includes law enforcement, courts, detention, indigent defense, the district attorney’s office and other county safety initiatives. The FY 2022-23 budget includes $1.38 billion for justice and safety programs.
   4. County Judge Lina Hidalgo said these investments will provide 400 vehicles for sheriffs and constables; salary increases and overtime pay for the district attorney’s office; constable pay increases; additional detention officers at the jail; additional sheriff patrol deputies; additional bailiffs for courts; nearly $1 million for constable patrol contracts; and 35 more positions in the criminal investigations bureau of the sheriff’s office.
   5. This new budget builds on commissioners’ ongoing efforts to reduce crime and support law enforcement agencies as the rate of violent gun-related crime locally and nationally rises, Hidalgo said at a Feb. 7 press conference.
   6. “We cannot incarcerate our way out of this problem. Decades of failed criminal justice policies have wasted billions of dollars focused on so-called ‘silver bullet’ solutions that sound good—like mass incarceration, like indiscriminate policing—while failing to address the root causes of crime and the root causes of the issues,” she said. …
   7. The two Republican commissioners, Tom Ramsey of Precinct 3 and Jack Cagle of Precinct 4, opposed the budget after proposing their own alternate budget plans that ultimately did not move forward.
   8. Cagle’s approach was to use the county’s 2018 budget as a starting point and then add requests from the law enforcement agencies, he said, suggesting county government had expanded in the last three years and he would like to return to the “basics” of overseeing road maintenance, parks and public safety. Ramsey said he proposed “logical” cuts that would result in 500 new law enforcement positions.
   9. Harris County Administrator David Berry said more than 1,100 positions would have been eliminated in 2023 under these proposals. Harris County Public Health Director Barbie Robinson said many services for the most vulnerable county residents would have come to an end and the proposed cuts would have hampered the department’s ability to pursue grant funding.
   10. Ramsey released a statement Feb. 8 expressing his disappointment in the outcome of the budget approval. …
   11. ANDREW: This budget is preferable to the Republicans’, but still not good. I agree with Judge Hidalgo’s point on incarceration not actually reducing crime, but question how that point is supposed to justify hiring more police and giving them new toys. According to the budget documents linked, the total amount budgeted for BOTH the “Health and Environment” AND “Housing and Economic Opportunity” categories is just over $160 MILLION dollars. Compare that to the over one BILLION dollars spent on “Justice and Safety”, most of which is going to policing and incarceration, and you can see why I consider her words ringing a bit hollow. Reducing poverty and improving living conditions are more effective at reducing crime than policing and incarceration, but the Commissioners don’t seem to care. I suspect that the real motivation behind this budget is the more significant role of the police in maintaining capitalism and the status quo by reinforcing poverty and beating anyone who objects.
9. The man who brought drive-thru voting to Texas wants to be Houston’s next mayor; by Joshua Fechter | TEXASTRIBUNE.ORG | Feb. 7, 2022
   1. Former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins rose to prominence by pushing ways to expand voting access in Texas’ most populous county during the November 2020 election. [Now], the former Harris County elections chief who pushed measures aimed at expanding ballot access during the November 2020 election, announced Monday that he’s running for Houston mayor in 2023. …
   2. Hollins, a Texas Democratic Party official who temporarily served as Harris County clerk in 2020, rose to prominence two years ago by championing efforts intended to make it easier for people to vote during the pandemic, including 24-hour drive-thru voting and a bid to send applications for mail-in ballots to more than 2 million registered voters in Harris County.
   3. Those efforts drew a legal battle and a decisive rebuke from state Republican lawmakers, who passed a sweeping voting restrictions bill last year that outlawed the measures Hollins put in place.
   4. Now, Hollins is looking to use his brief seven-month tenure as county clerk to catapult him into the mayor’s office — where he would oversee a $5.1 billion budget and 23,000 municipal employees. He’s running to replace Mayor Sylvester Turner, who will step down next year after serving two four-year terms; the city has term limits that prevent him from running again.
   5. Hollins is the second major candidate to announce for mayor, following state Sen. John Whitmire, a longtime Houston Democrat with deep ties to the city’s police and fire unions and an $11 million war chest. …
   6. MIKE: There’s more about Chris Hollins’s background in the story, so you might want to follow the link to the Tribune article. I’m really glad to see Hollins announce that he’s running. I’ve been worried that Whitmire’s announced run this early would scare others from joining the mayoral race. No doubt, that was Whitmire’s hope and intention as well.
   7. MIKE: It’s still very early in the election cycle. My hope is that Whitmire will change his mind and run for governor against Greg Abbott. I think that Whitmire might be in Texas’s “Overton Window” (thanks Andrew) where he’s progressive enough to be acceptable to Democrats and conservative enough to win over a critical number of moderate Republicans. Time will tell.
   8. ANDREW: I looked at his campaign website. Bachelor’s in Political Science from Morehouse, law degree from Yale and business degree from Harvard, worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company. Standard fare from Democrats, Inc. I did like his voting accessibility policies, but his McKinsey connection concerns me. I see that company as “management mercenaries”; whatever you’re doing, good or bad, if you can pay, they’ll help you do it faster and more efficiently. Again, my opinion only, and I’m not saying Hollins did anything shady, but company cultures can affect people. That culture could be useful if spun as pragmatism, though. It’ll be interesting to see how the final ballot looks.
10. Texas’ power grid held up during last week’s winter weather. Experts say it wasn’t seriously tested.; Experts say it’s unclear whether changes mandated by Texas lawmakers to prevent widespread power outages like those last February made a significant difference during a weaker winter storm. by Joshua Fechter | TEXASTRIBUNE.ORG | Feb. 8, 2022, 15 hours ago
    1. … Local power outages caused by trees and ice knocking out power lines were plenty. But the state’s power grid, operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, held its own against freezing temperatures and wintry weather — avoiding the widespread blackouts that left millions of homes without power for days during freezing temperatures last February. …
    2. It’s unclear to what extent efforts mandated last year by state lawmakers to insulate the state’s power-generating infrastructure against severe winter weather helped the state prepare for the latest round of winter weather, energy experts and observers said. … The primary reason the grid didn’t fail this time, experts said, was merely that the weather wasn’t as bad. …
    3. The diffuse nature of the cold front could partially explain, experts said, why statewide demand for power fell short of expectations. ERCOT forecast that demand would peak at about 74,000 megawatts on Friday morning during the worst weather. Instead, demand hit just over 68,000 megawatts — close to the 69,000 megawatts of demand put on the system last year during last year’s storm.
    4. Peak electricity demand during last year’s winter storm would have been around 77,000 megawatts if ERCOT hadn’t ordered utilities to shut down power to millions of customers, experts estimate. …
    5. Texas had 86,000 megawatts of supply going into last week’s winter weather, according to ERCOT. Natural gas companies reduced some supply to power plants during the freezing weather, but that didn’t cause disruptions. Meanwhile, wind power, which some Texas Republicans initially blamed for last year’s power outages, generated more electricity than anticipated — which helped bolster supply.
    6. But there’s no guarantee that the grid would have withstood Uri-level weather conditions last week, Smith said.
    7. ANDREW: I expect Republicans to use this as evidence that they don’t need to winterize the grid anymore. In fact, Abbott’s reelection campaign will probably claim it as a promise kept.