Your evening reading: Perry votes for Romney, says Straus hasn't asked for endorsement; Club for Growth boosts spending against Dewhurst; Republican state senator's fundraiser for Democrat draws scrutiny in Dallas (May 16)

Michael Morton’s name isn’t on the ballot, but he has become the central figure in the heated campaign to become tough-on-crime Williamson County's next district attorney. (May 16)

The Club for Growth announced Wednesday that it has spent nearly $2 million in the last week on ads criticizing David Dewhurst in its efforts supporting Ted Cruz in Texas' U.S. Senate race. (May 16)

Calling his primary campaign bashing of Mitt Romney water under the bridge, Gov. Rick Perry voted for the former Massachusetts governor Wednesday and predicted he would beat President Obama.  (May 16)

An excerpt on U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, from Robert Draper's new book on Congress — Do Not Ask What Good We Do — from a chapter titled "Woman of a Certain Rage."  (May 16)

At our Hot Seat conversation at Angelo State University, state Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, and state Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, discussed cuts to public and higher education and other by-products of the 82nd Session. (May 16)

Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday was drawn into the swirl of rumors still encircling the leadership at the University of Texas at Austin. (May 16)

State Rep. Chuck Hopson, R-Jacksonville, faces a tough road to re-election in the redrawn HD-11. Some constituents are calling GOP primary challenger Travis Clardy the conservative alternative in the race. (May 16)

In a surprise move, the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas has withdrawn its opposition to a planned Eagle Pass coal mine that opponents allege would pollute the area's air and water supply. (May 16)

The Columbia University law professor on the in-depth investigation his team conducted that they believe revealed that Carlos DeLuna did not commit the murder for which he was executed in 1989. (May 16)

High school degrees may now be considered a bare-minimum qualification for job-seekers, but as Emery Reifsnyder of KUT News reports, a new study of the Austin regional area says high school diplomas are worth millions of dollars to the local economy. (May 16)

An administrative judge has again denied Kerry Max Cook's request to move his case out of Smith County, a decision the former death row inmate worries will doom his fight to legally prove his innocence. (May 15)

Your evening reading: Cruz and Dewhurst launch dueling "lying" ads; George W. Bush quietly voices support for Romney; Hutchison officially endorses Romney (May 15)

Texas higher education officials released the state's second annual higher education almanac on Tuesday, and we've added the latest year of data to our interactive graphic. We've also made it possible to share links associated with specific visualizations.  (May 15)

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz released new U.S. Senate campaign ads focusing on Cruz's work as an appellate lawyer for a Chinese tire-maker against an American businessman.   (May 15)

The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association's board of directors approved a 5 percent premium rate increase Tuesday and is still considering a proposal with staggered premium rates. (May 15)

For the latest nonscientific survey of politics and government insiders, we asked about several hotly contested Democratic primaries for Congress, and we threw in a question about the email volleys roiling the Texas Senate. (May 15)

Texas' Higher Education Coordinating Board has released the second edition of its almanac of information on the state's college and universities. This year, for the first time, it includes data on part-time students as well as full-time ones. (May 15)

With early voting upon us, a handful of races have changed position on the Hotlist this week, and here's a spoiler: At least a dozen are nearly certain to go to runoffs on July 31. (May 15)

Ron Paul effectively ended his presidential campaign on Monday. Or did he? (May 15)