Uncorked, finally — the president's appointments for federal prosecutors in Texas, which have been held up by bickering inside the state's congressional delegation. The list includes Sarah Saldaña of Dallas, who heads the U.S. Attorney's public corruption unit there; U.S. Magistrate Robert Pitman of Austin, who would be the state's first openly gay U.S. Attorney; John Malcolm Bales, who's been the acting U.S. Attorney in East Texas; and Kenneth Magidson, an assistant U.S. Attorney based in Houston.

House Speaker Joe Straus must like his current gig — he said at the end of the 170-day session-plus-special-session that he'll seek a third term as speaker in January 2013.

Jay Kimbrough, a former chief of staff to Gov. Rick Perry (and a guy who's done a number of trouble-shooting jobs for the governor over the years), will be the interim chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. He replaces Dr. Mike McKinney, a former legislator who also did time as Perry's chief of staff. Kimbrough will hold down the fort while the system's regents look for a permanent chief executive and said he won't be a candidate for the permanent job. McKinney, a former state representative and head of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, announced his departure in May. A&M, like the University of Texas, is caught up in a public debate over how much time the professors at the state schools should spend teaching and how much time should go to research and other tasks.

Roger Williams is out of the U.S. Senate race and in the race for a new congressional seat — CD-33 — that takes in Arlington, part of Fort Worth, all of Parker County and part of Wise County. U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Ennis, announced that he will stay in CD-6, where he now lives, even though Arlington is in his current district. Williams will face at least one familiar face: former Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams earlier left the Senate race for that same congressional seat. The first round: Michael took a shot at Roger for blasting the federal government's financial mess after lobbying for federal bailouts for automobile manufacturers. Roger got after Michael for claiming a home in Arlington when he's been working in Austin for the last 13 years.

Houston lawyer Roland Sledge announced he'll run for the Texas Railroad Commission next year, saying he'd welcome a nomination to that post and promising that he won't use the job as a stepping stone to another post. Sledge, an executive with VAALCO Energy, is a Republican and has been in the industry he wants to regulate for 35 years. There's an open spot at the commission now — Michael Williams' spot — and will be another on the ballot next year; Elizabeth Ames Jones is giving up her reelection bid to run for the U.S. Senate.

State Rep. Fred Brown announced on the last day of the special session that he would resign early. The College Station Republican is moving to Salado and will run a car dealership in Temple. There will be a special election to fill out the remainder of his term, and there are already two candidates. Seth McKinney will run in that GOP primary. He played football at Texas A&M and then in the pros and is the son of former A&M Chancellor Mike McKinney. It's his first run for office. And Rebecca Boenigk (it's pronounced BAY-nick), also a Republican, is announcing her candidacy before the holiday. She's the CEO and Chairman of Bryan-based Neutral Posture, which makes ergonomic office chairs.

Sarah Whitley, chief of staff to for the comptroller's office, is leaving after working for Susan Combs for a decade. Combs hired David White to replace her, with the title of senior policy advisor. He worked as a consultant during the session and before that, was political director for Gov. Rick Perry's reelection campaign. He was previously chief of staff to state Rep. Wayne Christian, R-Center.

Press corps moves: Bob Moser, editor of the Texas Observer for almost three years, is leaving to become executive editor of The American Prospect.

Deaths: Randall Dale Adams, who spent more than a decade in jail for a police killing that he didn't commit. His case became a cause after it was featured in a documentary, "The Thin Blue Line." He died last October, but his passing wasn't reported until this month. He was 61.