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A new report by three environmental groups documents dangerous levels of toxic contaminants from coal ash in Texas and elsewhere — and little regulation.

Your afternoon reading.

At this morning's TribLive interview, Attorney General Greg Abbott wouldn't say whether he'll square off against his Democratic opponent, Barbara Ann Radnofsky. "That is going to be up to the people who run my campaign," he said.

Someone tell Tom DeLay to ready his tie dye and burnt orange.

Judge Pat Priest has just denied Tom DeLay's request for a change of venue. The former congressman will be tried in Travis County, though he may still raise the issue again during the process of jury selection. The trial date has tentatively been set for Oct. 26.

The Texas Task Force on Indigent Defense today approved money to help establish a public defender's office in Harris County — the largest urban area in the nation without one — along with a slate of measures meant to prevent innocent people from serving time.

Your afternoon reading.

In the first ad of his general election campaign against U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, Bill Flores evokes a familiar anti-Washington theme. 

If Austin's an island of blue in a sea of red, Tom DeLay wants off the island and into that sea.

"The whole idea that the big donors give [Gov. Rick Perry] money and get the appointment in return? My gosh, spare me,” says billionaire former University of Texas Regent Robert Rowling. “I already had good football tickets — you know what I’m saying?"