Enlarge Marjorie Kamys Cotera

Democratic U.S Senate candidate Paul Sadler, visits Austin Central Labor Council Labor Day fish fry at Texas AFL-CIO office parking lot in Austin, Texas on August, 31st, 2012

Ted Cruz is the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate from Texas, proof that it is possible for a long shot to win an election against a sure thing. The narrative he laid out for reporters, financiers, anyone who would listen back at the beginning of the year was that he could win with a toehold here and some traction there.

And he needed some time to get ahead of his other primary rivals and to build a case against Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who was the surest thing since sunrise. The time he needed was delivered by the federal judges who pushed the March primaries to May and the May runoffs to July.

Now comes Democrat Paul Sadler, a former legislator and current statewide unknown who doesn’t yet have the resources for the kind of campaign that would put him into contention, with his own version of the story Cruz was pushing back in January.

These sorts of things usually don't work, and when they do, they sound crazy at the beginning. Cruz ran a smart campaign, but also got very lucky in court. He started like all of these characters — like Victor Morales, or the Rick Perry who ran in 1990, or about a third of the Republicans who were elected to the House in the unexpectedly strong 2010 election. Sadler's, like theirs, is a threadbare story, a political quest starring Sadler as Arthur Pendragon or Luke Skywalker or Inigo Montoya, struggling against huge odds and triumphing in the end with trumpets blaring and angels singing.

Crazy, but hey, it's the top of the fight card. And Cruz, who could hardly refuse after the way he baited Dewhurst into debates, will appear with Sadler in at least two televised forums before the election. He's agreed to two in Dallas — on Oct. 2 and Oct. 19 — but declined an invitation for a debate in Houston.

Just think: verbal pugilism featuring two smart lawyers. Sadler hopes to win some attention there, and before, and is touting a poll done for his campaign that suggests voters are open to his positions — if only they know about them (FrederickPolls, 700 likely voters, Sept. 6-9). He says he's more willing to work with the other party than Cruz would be, and the poll says that's the more popular position. He supports Barack Obama, and the poll gives Cruz a strong thumbs up there.

The Democratic pollsters included some "push" questions, asking people if they'd support a candidate with various traits — all without naming the candidates. They favor the federal health care plan over health care vouchers proposed by Republicans, oppose building a wall on the border (especially if, as it's worded in the poll, it would cost $7 billion). The respondents had a negative reaction to a candidate who opposes abortion in cases of rape and incest. They were open to a lawyer who "held the same prestigious leadership position at Harvard as Barack Obama." That's Cruz. And they don't like the idea of killing the Department of Commerce and its National Weather Service "meaning he would bring an end to weather forecasts."

Sadler's team is trying to make a point with all of this — that voters would prefer the Democrat to the Republican if they and their positions were equally well known.

One question is whether that's true — that's what elections are for. The other is whether Sadler can get enough attention to test the case. Cruz had seven months for his long shot. Sadler has less than two.

Enlarge Chris Devers

For years, political observers have been bracing for an electoral shake-up in Texas. After all, it’s the only reliably Republican state in which minorities make up a majority of the population.

Since Hispanics lean Democratic, but participate in elections at lower rates than their black and Anglo counterparts, the conventional wisdom holds that their apathy has prolonged the GOP’s firm grip on Texas. It’s generally accepted, too, that getting Latinos motivated to vote is the key to a future resurgence of the party of Lyndon Baines Johnson.

Both are valid points. But there’s a highly ignored factor in this demographic debate: the allegiance of Anglo voters. Republicans have a huge advantage there. It helps explain why no Democrat came close to winning statewide from 2000 to 2010 even though minorities accounted for 89 percent of the state's population growth over the same period.

Call it political white flight: As the minority population booms in Texas, Anglos have increasingly cast their lot with the GOP. Even after Democrats started losing everything statewide in the mid-1990s, they continued to rule many of the courthouses throughout Texas. But Republicans have taken over those local offices in recent years despite an increasingly diverse population. Democrats haven’t won statewide in Texas since 1994, and the GOP has controlled both chambers of the Legislature since 2003.

The political ramifications of the GOP's lock on the Anglo vote, in state and presidential elections, are huge. In swing states like Ohio, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are splitting the white vote almost evenly.

In North Carolina, which has a larger percentage of black voters than Texas but far fewer Hispanics, Obama is getting almost a third of the white vote and remains competitive in the state, according to a recent poll.

In Texas, Hispanic and black voting mirrors trends in other large states and in swing states. About two-thirds of the Latinos prefer Obama, as do about 90 percent of the African-American voters.

But it’s not even remotely close among Anglo voters, and that's why Texas isn't anywhere near swing-state status. Romney is beating Obama among Anglos 77-17, and his advantage overall — 55-40 — is larger than the margin John McCain racked up against the Democrat in 2008, according to a survey by Texas GOP pollster Chris Perkins.

Anglos no longer constitute a majority in Texas, but they comprise 60 percent of the pool of likely voters in the survey. Latinos made up about 26 percent and blacks were at 12 percent in Perkins' poll.

It’s hard to imagine Republicans going much higher with Anglo voters, which is clearly a danger for the party since Anglos are declining as a share of the total population.  But if the GOP can maintain its position with them and then increase even slightly their percentage among Latinos — by getting, say, 40 percent — they could remain dominant for a long time.

By the same token, if Democrats were able to increase even slightly their percentages among Anglo voters — while holding on to their share of Latinos and African-Americans — they would give Republicans a run for their money.

Enlarge Commission for Environmental Cooperation

Texas may follow in the footsteps of Maine and Vermont and allow heavier trucks on some major highways — partly because of an expansion of the Panama Canal.

State transportation officials have been talking with their federal counterparts about increasing the weight limit for trucks in some parts of the state.

Right now, the weight limit for trucks on federal highways is 80,000 pounds but the Texas Department of Transportation routinely offers waivers to trucks that apply for them and pay a fee.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins revealed at last month’s Transportation & Infrastructure conference in Irving that a pilot program may be launched for trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to ease the transport of goods between the Houston Port and the Inland Port in Dallas.

“Congress wants to study that, so we’ve said study it here, study it on I-45, study it between Houston and the Inland Port,” Jenkins said.

TxDOT spokeswoman Kelli Reyna said last week that nothing has been made official regarding a program to allow heavier trucks on any interstate highways in Texas.

“We did have an informal discussion with U.S. DOT about this,” Reyna said. “We are looking at this as a potential test project of sorts.”

Motivating these efforts is the Panama Canal expansion that’s expected to be completed by 2015.

Some argue that the expansion will lead to more large ships docking at Texas ports. Heavier trucks come into play because larger ships can carry shipping containers weighing up to 97,000 pounds. Shipping companies would prefer to transfer those containers directly to trucks without repacking the goods inside.

“The Panama Canal opens up [and] somebody is going to be a major winner,” Jenkins said. “We’re already behind, unfortunately.” He noted that South Carolina has already started allowing trucks to transport international shipping containers weighing up to 100,000 pounds.

Even with relaxed weight limits on some highways, the Panama Canal expansion may not lead to much of a boost in Texas imports. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett is leading a working group created by TxDOT to study the impact of the Panama Canal expansion.

“The whole concept is based on a premise that the Panama Canal is going to greatly increase container traffic to Houston,” Emmett said. “There’s no indication that that’s the case.”

The testimony the working group has heard so far suggests that shippers that currently use West Coast ports aren’t likely to reroute to Texas following the Panama Canal expansion, Emmett said. A report from the group is due later this year.

Truck weights on interstate highways have been a contentious issue on Capitol Hill for decades. Critics argue that heavier trucks are more dangerous and rip up roads and bridges faster. Supporters counter that allowing heavier trucks means fewer trucks on the road burning less emissions. They also insist that heavier trucks can be just as safe on the road. A major transportation funding bill approved by Congress earlier this year ordered a study of the issue.

Maine and Vermont allow heavier trucks on federal highways through a pilot program that Congress recently extended by 20 years. Texas would need similar dispensation, Reyna said.

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This week in the Newsreel: Paul Sadler tries to get the word out about his campaign for U.S. Senate, state senators (and others) wait for committee assignments, and Texas Supreme Court Justice Dale Wainwright resigns. And there's some dancing.

You can view the video at: https://trib.it/RAuhnl

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We asked the insiders this week about nine House races that are on most watch lists — mostly because the Legislature and the courts drew the lines to make swing districts of these.

The insiders put Democrats in the lead in two of the nine races and, in every case where it was possible, they went with the incumbent. We'll check on this again before the election to see if they've changed their minds, but the results follow. This week, they voted in droves, but to an unusual extent, held their tongues.

As always, we've attached the verbatim comments made by the insiders who has something to say.

Enlarge Todd Wiseman

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Who do you think will win the HD-23 race — Craig Eiland or Wayne Faircloth?

• "Craig will have just enough cross-over appeal with some of the local conservatives."

• "Craig probably squeaks it out, but not by much."

• "If Eiland loses, it will be a big blow, both to the Democratic Caucus and the House as a body. His institutional knowledge and calm perspective would be hard to replace. Seeing him driven to the point of visible anger during Straus's raw power play during the tort reform 'debate' spoke volumes."

• "Eiland will be the prime beneficiary of the DCCC beating up the Republicans and Lampson's ground game."

• "Craig 'Rico Suave' Eiland is respected in his District."

• "I think he is a D that survives"

Who do you think will win the HD-34 race — Abel Herrero or Connie Scott?

• "Map drawers did Rep. Scott no favors. Tough call."

• "She has the funds to hit it out of the park."

• "Connie walked door-to-door to meet her constituents and has worked hard to represent them. They will want her to continue working for them."

• "Connie Scott is a useful idiot for industry. Harsh but true."

• "Connie is raising money."

• "I give the edge to puffy hair"

• "Just too democratic"

Who do you think will win the HD-43 race — J.M. Lozano or Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles?

• "Rep. Lozano beat the odds to win the nod, and he will surprise folks again when he wins."

• "This race will be a blood bath, but in the end Boom Boom Lozano will prevail."

• "Sometimes, late at night, I whisper to my young child about how there are bad men in Austin who stand for nothing other than personal gain."

• "YGT is a known quantity and is great one-on-one. If the HDCC steps up, she should win in a walk."

• "J.M. is working hard and is personable. YGT burned many bridges after her loss."

Enlarge Todd Wiseman

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Who do you think will win the HD-78 race — Dee Margo or Joe Moody?

(no comments)

Who do you think will win the HD-107 race — Robert Miklos or Kenneth Sheets?

• "Miklos is about to experience the true definition of a blitzkrieg campaign."

• "Constituents like having a military veteran working on their behalf."

• "Sheets is being used by Trabulsi and the Governor like so many defense lawyers before him. He's intelligent, but I wonder if he even knows it. A one-sided civil justice system is neither just nor sustainable."

• "Too Republican for a Democrat to win."

• "No one knocks on more doors more times than Robert Miklos. In a former life, he got rich selling Bibles door-to-door."

Who do you think will win the HD-114 race — Carol Kent or Jason Villalba?

• "Villalba has built a lot of enthusiasm in his district."

• "This is an interesting race as two moderates run against one another. Good problem to have for HD 114."

Enlarge Todd Wiseman

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Who do you think will win the HD-117 race — Philip Cortez or John V. Garza?

• "Cortez barely won a runoff against a horrible candidate who wasn't even from the district. His legacy of being cavalier with the truth will sink him with swing voters."

Who do you think will win the HD-134 race — Sarah Davis or Ann Johnson?

• "134 was made more Republican during redistricting."

• "Pundits who say Democrats don't have a good bench ignore the Houston Latinas at their own peril."

Who do you think will win the HD-144 race — Mary Ann Perez or David Pineda?

(no comments)

Our thanks to this week's participants: Cathie Adams, Jenny Aghamalian, Clyde Alexander, George Allen, Louis Bacarisse, Charles Bailey, Tom Banning, Mike Barnett, Andrew Biar, Allen Blakemore, Tom Blanton, Hugh Brady, Steve Bresnen, Chris Britton, Andy Brown, Raif Calvert, Kerry Cammack, Thure Cannon, Snapper Carr, Tris Castaneda, Corbin Casteel, Elna Christopher, Rick Cofer, John Colyandro, Harold Cook, Beth Cubriel, Randy Cubriel, Denise Davis, June Deadrick, Nora Del Bosque, Tom Duffy, David Dunn, Richard Dyer, Jack Erskine, Jon Fisher, Wil Galloway, Norman Garza, Dominic Giarratani, Bruce Gibson, Stephanie Gibson, Eric Glenn, Kinnan Golemon, Daniel Gonzalez, John Greytok, Clint Hackney, Wayne Hamilton, Bill Hammond, Adam Haynes, John Heasley, Jim Henson, Beth Hernandez, Ken Hodges, Deborah Ingersoll, Richie Jackson, Cal Jillson, Jason Johnson, Mark Jones, Robert Jones, Walt Jordan, Lisa Kaufman, Richard Khouri, Tom Kleinworth, Ramey Ko, Pete Laney, James LeBas, Luke Legate, Myra Leo, Richard Levy, Elizabeth Lippincott, Ruben Longoria, Homero Lucero, Matt Mackowiak, Matt Matthews, Bryan Mayes, Dan McClung, Parker McCollough, Robert Miller, Bee Moorhead, Mike Moses, Steve Murdock, Craig Murphy, Keir Murray, Keats Norfleet, Pat Nugent, Nef Partida, Gardner Pate, Bill Pewitt, Tom Phillips, Allen Place, Royce Poinsett, Jay Pritchard, Jay Propes, Tim Reeves, Jeff Rotkoff, Jason Sabo, Paul Sadler, Jim Sartwelle, Stan Schlueter, Bruce Scott, Robert Scott, Christopher Shields, Jason Skaggs, Ed Small, Martha Smiley, Todd Smith, Dennis Speight, Jason Stanford, Bob Strauser, Colin Strother, Michael Quinn Sullivan, Sherry Sylvester, Jay Thompson, Russ Tidwell, Trent Townsend, Trey Trainor, Ware Wendell, Darren Whitehurst, Seth Winick, Alex Winslow, Peck Young, Angelo Zottarelli.

Enlarge Todd Wiseman

Friday, Sept. 21:

• Texas Tribune Festival at the University of Texas at Austin runs through Sunday, kicks off with keynote from Gov. Rick Perry at 6 p.m.
• Texas Democratic Party's "Noche Azul" with San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro and Newark Mayor Cory Booker; Sunset Station, San Antonio (6 p.m.)

Saturday, Sept. 22:

• Harris County Democratic Party's Johnson Rayburn Richards Dinner; Hilton America's Hotel, Houston (6-9 p.m.)
• Block walk for U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions with House candidate Jason Villalba; Dallas (8:30 a.m.)

Monday, Sept. 24:

• House Elections Committee hearing (10 a.m.)
• Land and Resource Management Committee hearing (10 a.m.)
• Joint Public School Finance Committee hearing (9 a.m.)
• Rally for Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson at the University of Texas at Austin (5-7 p.m.)
• Fundraiser for Tarrant County GOP nominees Giovanni Capriglione, Craig Goldman, Stephanie Klick, Matt Krause and Jonathan Stickland; Austin (4:30-6:30 p.m.)
• Fundraiser for Collin County GOP nominees Jeff Leach, Scott Sanford and Scott Turner; Austin Club (4:30-6:30 p.m.)
• Fundraiser for GOP Reps. Bill Zedler and Charles Perry and House candidates James Frank and Drew Springer; Austin Club (4:30-6:30 p.m.)

Tuesday, Sept. 25:

• House Public Education Committee hearing (9 a.m.)
• Senate Finance Committee hearing (10 a.m.)
• Swearing-in ceremony for Rep. Bobby Guerra; Capitol (10:30 a.m.)
• Fundraiser for Rep. Dan Huberty; Austin Club (4:30-6:30 p.m.)
• Fundraiser for Rep. Linda Harper-Brown; Las Colinas Country Club, Irving (6:30-8 p.m.)

Wednesday, Sept. 26:

• House Environmental Regulation Committee hearing (9 a.m.)

Thursday, Sept. 27:

• House State Affairs Committee hearing (1 p.m.)
• Fundraiser for House candidate Justin Rodriguez; Casa Hernan, San Antonio (5:30-7:30 p.m.)
• Fundraiser for House candidate Carol Kent; W Residences, Austin (5:30-7 p.m.)

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You’d think that in this economy, job openings would barely see the light of day before getting snapped up by eager applicants. That’s not the case in the manufacturing sector, where high-quality, high-paying jobs sit vacant — sometimes for months, sometimes indefinitely — because of a shortage of manufacturing workers.

According to a recent Skills Gap study conducted by the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte Consulting, two-thirds of business respondents report a moderate to severe shortage of qualified, available workers. Last spring, the San Antonio Manufacturers Association shed local light on this problem, estimating more than 1,500 open jobs in the area remained unfilled due to a lack of skilled workers. Training programs from the Texas Workforce Commission help to bridge the gap, but we need a long-term, comprehensive solution.

Texas isn’t alone, as the skilled-talent shortage is acute nationwide and around the globe. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, for every three skilled workers who retire, only one person steps up to fill the gap. Globally, more jobs for skilled tradespeople go unfilled than any other category of employment, according to a recent survey by ManpowerGroup.

A number of factors may be causing the manufacturing talent shortage in Texas.

First, there’s a persistent misconception about the types of jobs the manufacturing sector has to offer. Historically, manufacturing has been a primary source of middle-class jobs, especially for workers without college degrees. Some parents may think their children need four-year college degrees to get good jobs and mistakenly rule out manufacturing fields as an option. But today, manufacturing has diversified and manufacturers are clamoring for qualified workers with a variety of specialties, from welders to engineers, process managers to pipe fitters, and risk analysts to chemists.

With proper job training, associate's degrees or technical certificates earned after high school, workers can land many high-quality manufacturing jobs. Through Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, students can begin this training while still in high school. Other manufacturing jobs require bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degrees. For example, Texas will need to fill 758,000 science, engineering, technology and math (STEM) jobs by 2018. But regardless of specialty or education, manufacturing jobs in Texas command average starting salaries of $70,000 a year.

In addition to addressing misconceptions about manufacturing jobs, Texas needs a flexible educational framework that meets the needs of all students and the wide array of Texas employers hoping to hire them. To groom this diverse workforce, we must create more education options for our high school students.

A flexible education system would recognize different talents and provide varied approaches so students get the education they need. Whatever paths young people wish to take after high school, we must sustain the state’s K-12 emphasis on educating all students so they are ready to succeed after graduation. To achieve this readiness, all students must be exposed to a rigorous, relevant curriculum with coursework that clearly links what they’re learning to jobs in the real world. TAM is optimistic that lawmakers can find solutions that achieve this flexibility without undermining the state’s accountability system.

Taking deliberate action to ensure Texans are educated, well trained and equipped for the complexity of a competitive global economy has to be a priority. Otherwise businesses will be forced to look elsewhere for workers.

TAM and its members are working to shift understanding about the industry and the types of jobs we create today, but for its part, the state must also ensure a solid foundation is laid by our state’s public schools, community colleges and universities.

It’s heartening to see both the Texas House and Senate considering these issues ahead of the next legislative session that begins in January. Solving this issue can be a “win-win-win” for all Texans: for students who will be able to land high-wage jobs, for Texas industry employers who will be able to replace retiring “boomers” with a ready and trained workforce and for Texas taxpayers who deserve a nimble public education system that prepares students to succeed in the modern economy.

Manufacturers’ message to parents, students and job seekers is simple and consistent: For those eyeing technical certificates or associate’s degrees, manufacturing has high-quality, high-paying jobs for you. For those pursuing bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degrees, manufacturing has high-quality, high-paying jobs for you. If Texas can embrace flexibility for all students, manufacturers can send out the clarion call about these jobs: “Come and get ‘em.”

Tony Bennett is the president of the Texas Association of Manufacturers.

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Bill Hammond raises some legitimate concerns about the current state of public education in Texas. We both agree that too many students drop out before they finish high school and a significant percentage of those who do graduate are not prepared for college. However, he and I disagree on how to address those problems.

Hammond encourages us to “stay the course” of the existing high-stakes testing system and “4x4” curriculum that have come to dominate public education in Texas. Implicit in this expensive testing system (the cost to Texas taxpayers is an estimated $450 million over a five-year period) and the 4x4 curriculum is the idea that everyone should be prepared to go to a four-year university. I call it the “one-size-fits-all” approach to education, which doesn’t acknowledge that students have different talents and interests. The current system clearly isn’t working all that well to prepare students to be “college ready.” And it is doing a particularly poor job for those students who would benefit from a greater emphasis on career and technical education at the high school level.

So why should we “stay the course” of an overly prescriptive curriculum and a high-stakes testing system that haven’t delivered on its promises since they were first put in place in the mid-1990s? Rather than acknowledging that this state-mandated system isn’t working, the response from the defenders of the status quo is to roll out a new test, make a few changes to the accountability system and promise everything will be better if we just give it a chance to work. That’s what they said when TAAS became TAKS, and that’s what they are saying now that TAKS is becoming STAAR.

What can we do to inject some common sense into the discussion on education policy? We need multiple pathways to a high school diploma — pathways that reflect student goals. Every student should get the basics. Then, for those students wanting to go on to a university, there would be a college preparatory curriculum with emphasis on math and science, or one that focuses on humanities and the fine arts. There would be a career-oriented curriculum for students so inclined which would prepare them with an industry-certified license or credential by the time they graduate from high school.

I fully support holding schools accountable. But the current system does not hold schools accountable for successfully educating and preparing students; rather, it makes them beholden to performance on a single test. Success and accountability can be measured in a variety of ways.

For those on the career path, certification or licensure in their fields is the best way to show whether or not their education was successful. And for those going to a university, there is no reason we can’t use the same tests that universities use in determining admission, like the SAT or ACT. Performance measures ought to be tied to the actual outcomes that we seek for our students.

Frustration on the part of parents, educators and employers with the current system has been building for many years. Change is long overdue, and we need to have the political courage to move away from failed policies towards a common sense approach that will prepare young Texans to be college-ready or career-ready.

Let’s replace a system driven by “test learning” with one that emphasizes real learning.

Tom Pauken is the Texas Workforce Commissioner representing employers and author of Bringing America Home.

A business tax created in 2006 to address the last school funding challenge is facing its own challenge at the state Supreme Court. Nestle USA has sued the state over the franchise tax, claiming that it violates the Constitution’s prohibition on taxes that are not equal and uniform. The company alleges that it is charged a higher rate than its wholesale role warrants, paying the full 1 percent that manufacturers pay. Texas officials defend the rate charged Nestle and other national companies that don’t have manufacturing operations in Texas but are nevertheless considered to be companies operating as manufacturers. The franchise tax has underperformed since its creation, but because it is expected to bring in over $5 billion this year, it could cause a major problem come budget-writing time.

The group asking for interim redistricting maps to be tossed out got turned down by the U.S. Supreme Court. In a one-sentence denial, the justices rejected the request by the League for United Latin American Citizens to throw out the maps drawn when the Legislature’s maps were rejected by the Justice Department and federal courts. The interim maps will be used in the upcoming general election.

Observers are closely watching the outcome of a vote to unionize a corporate-owned Coca-Cola plant in Fort Worth. It’s the second attempt in 15 months after the Teamsters called off an election in June of 2011. Coca-Cola spent more than $200,000 on consultants to combat the unionizing of the plant, promising to fix workers’ problems. But organizers came back and found employees whose interest in better pay, lower health-care costs, job security and fairness in the workplace led them to schedule another election. If the vote succeeds, the plant will be the first Coca-Cola owned plant in the South to be unionized.

The University of Texas at Austin came to a standstill last week after receiving a bomb threat and calling for an evacuation. An investigation into the threat, which was deemed a hoax, continues to broaden as other universities across the nation received similar threats. UT police are working with the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Austin Police Department and the FBI to try to discover the connection between threats called in to North Dakota State University, Louisiana State University and Arkansas State University.

Halliburton has called on the National Guard to help it retrieve a radioactive rod it lost somewhere on the road between Pecos and Odessa. The seven-inch rods are used in the drilling of natural gas wells and contain americium-241 beryllium, which doesn’t produce radiation in its most dangerous form. Still, a spokesman for the state health department warned people to keep a healthy 20-25 foot distance from the rod. 

In addition to listing the state as the 10th fattest in the country with an obesity rate of 30.4 percent, a study of obesity in America predicts the rate will increase to 57.2 percent by 2030. That spells trouble for the state’s health care costs. Both the public and private sectors could see their costs rise by billions of dollars as they contend with an increase in obesity-related diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and cancer. The study offers suggestions for reducing the burden but cautions that there is no simple solution to the obesity epidemic. 

Lubbock’s Fiestas Patrias parade saw some unexpected fireworks. Carl Tepper, head of the Lubbock County Republican Party, reportedly yelled at the Tejano Democrats float, provoking a response that attracted the attention of the parade chairman, Frank Gutierrez. The Tejano Democrats accused Tepper of pointing at the Democrats’ float and yelling that people could get their welfare checks there. Tepper denies saying anything about welfare and characterized all of the comments as jokes. Gutierrez intervened and the parade went on without incident.

Dale Wainwright is leaving the Texas Supreme Court at the end of the month. He ranks third in seniority on the court and is resigning too close to the November elections for the governor to get an appointee on the ballot. That means Gov. Rick Perry will name someone who — subject to Senate approval — will serve until after the 2014 election. Wainwright, a former district judge in Houston, joined the court in January 2003. He'll go to work in the Austin office of Bracewell & Giuliani next, and has already talked quietly with political folks about a possible future run for attorney general. 

Don Baylor, a senior policy analyst at the Center for Public Policy Priorities, has been appointed to the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Pat Ekiss of Taylor to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. Ekiss is the city of Taylor's fire chief. Perry also appointed Nyria Melchor of Plano to the Texas Council on Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders. Melchor is a community volunteer and member of the State Bar of Texas.