The Evening Brief: June 27, 2012

Culled:

• Texans await ruling on fedeeral health care law (The Associated Press): "The federal government may have to implement a major provision of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul in Texas since the state’s conservative leaders are steadfastly opposed to it. But one state agency has fulfilled parts of the law and said it’s prepared to move forward if the law is upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court."

• No evidence lesbian couple were targeted, Texas police say (Los Angeles Times): "South Texas police released new information late Tuesday that they have found no evidence a lesbian couple shot at a local park Saturday were targeted because they were lesbians."

New in The Texas Tribune:

• Dewhurst's Latest TV Ad: "Stop Obama's Amnesty": "In a new TV ad, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst describes the southern border as 'a 2,000-mile monument to the failure of Washington,' and the U.S. Senate candidate says President Barack Obama's recent executive order 'burns me up.'"

• Business Leaders Draw a Line on Education Funding: "In a news conference on Wednesday, leaders in the business community said that they would not stand for increased funding for education if it came with any rollback of accountability standards in Texas public schools."

• U.S. Census Data Reveals Texas Business Patterns: "It's not booming, but business in Texas has picked up. Texas has a tolerable economic outlook compared with 2010, when the unemployment rate peaked at 8.2 percent. This interactive uses newly released U.S. Census Bureau data to show business patterns by county and Texas' economic progress through the recession."

• TPWD Looks to Rebound After Devastating Year: "The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is still feeling the effects of last year's wildfires, drought and budget cuts, but officials say the situation is improving with increased park attendance and donations."