TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

Should Texas Democrats try to turn the state blue from the inside out or the outside in? That’s the strategic question behind the money tug-of-war between the state party and the national candidates who count on Texas to fill their campaign coffers.

National party conventions are often devoid of drama and real news. But that doesn’t mean nothing valuable can be gleaned from them. Last week in Tampa, time spent with the Texas Republican delegation revealed some clear themes.

Texas Insurance Commissioner Eleanor Kitzman has been the subject of concerns raised by lawmakers and consumer advocacy groups. But she deflects the criticism, saying her focus is only on how to best serve Texas consumers.

Attorneys for the state and the federal government will meet this month to iron out a timeline for the state's challenge to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. The litigation is why the state isn't able to immediately file an appeal to last week's voter ID decision.

The Texas Department of Transportation's annual list of the 100 most congested roadways ranks a section of Interstate 35W in Fort Worth as the worst stretch of asphalt in the state. 

A Texas farmer's battle to keep the Keystone XL oil pipeline off her property is only the most visible of what some legal experts describe as a rising tide of property-rights cases across Texas.

For youths who are considered some of the most troubled in the juvenile justice system, the Phoenix Program is a last chance to straighten their paths. For the troubled juvenile system, it may be the road to reform.

In an effort to address lagging student success in required algebra courses, the University of Texas at Arlington is taking an approach that is becoming more common throughout the country: letting computers do the teaching.

The drought that began in October 2010 has continued into 2012, and it has taken a toll on Texas' water supplies. This map shows communities that are at risk of running out of water within 180 days.

Texas plans to join the more than 30 states that have already asked for a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Act's requirements, according to a letter new state Education Commissioner Michael Williams sent school districts Thursday.

In this edition of the Weekend Insider: The Texas state budget may not be as bad as expected, and a program to help migrant students attend college reaches a milestone.