The Midday Brief: Sept. 28, 2010

Your afternoon reading:

• The University of Texas campus has reopened following the apparent suicide of a young man who burst into the Perry-Castaneda Library in a business suit and a face mask, wielding an AK-47, according to witness accounts. The Tribune has rounded up the best of the media coverage so far.

• "I don’t get what the DGA sees in this race, except that things may be so bad for the Democrats in governor’s races that they are looking for longshots to come in. But all of the indicators in this race are bad." — DGA targets Perry, BurkaBlog

• "A new research report shows that political spending on television commercials is up nationwide but campaigns and outside groups are only investing in a handful of Texas races." — Boom in political TV ads can be seen in Texas

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "Not long after a gunman ran through the University of Texas campus randomly firing an AK-47 and then shot himself, an old debate resurfaced: Should concealed handguns be allowed on campus?" — UT Shooting Could Renew Concealed Carry Debate

• "The Democratic Governor's Association is running commercials critical of Gov. Rick Perry." — Democratic Governors Group Attacks Perry

• "The halls of public universities are buzzing about the push for accountability, especially as Texas works to catch up with states that have already taken up the mantle — and dealt with some of the inherent difficulties — of a data-driven examination of higher education." — Data-Driven Accountability Emphasized In Higher Ed