Vol 31, Issue 12 Print Issue

The Week in the Rearview Mirror

Up to 168,000 gallons of fuel oil spilled into Galveston Bay on Saturday, closing the Houston Ship Channel and raising fears of a major ecological disaster along the Texas Coast.

The University of Texas System dropped 2,000 heavily redacted email documents that nevertheless shed more light on the ongoing conflicts between system regents and school administrators.

Gov. Rick Perry in an interview Monday with Fox Business described restrictions on Tesla Motors from selling cars directly to consumers as "antiquated protections." But his office later said there are no plans to call a special session on the issue. Meanwhile, Tesla executives on Wednesday met secretly with San Antonio-area government officials. The city is said to be in the running for a $5 billion battery plant to be built by Tesla.

The lesser prairie chicken will be listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The decision is expected to have a significant economic impact in the five states, Texas included, where the bird roams. Officials from all five states had worked together on a plan intended to stave off a listing for the bird.

A judge ordered the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to disclose its supplier of execution drugs. The state will appeal the ruling.

Disclosure: At the time of publication, the University of Texas was a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune. (See the full list of Tribune donors below $1,000 here.)

Political People and their Moves

Jon Burrows of Temple, Olen Underwood of Willis and Glen Whitley of Hurst were reappointed to the Texas Indigent Defense Commission by Gov. Rick Perry for terms to expire Feb. 1, 2016.

The Association of Texas Professional Educators has named Loree LeBoeuf the new director of its foundation. She worked previously as senior legal counsel at Econohomes LLC in Austin.

Ralph Hall's challenger in the CD-4 GOP runoff election, John Ratcliffe, has earned the endorsement of the Club for Growth PAC and The Madison Project.

GOP lite guv candidate Dan Patrick picked up the endorsement of the Gun Owners of America-Political Victory Fund. Patrick is attempting unseat Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in the May 27 runoff election.

GOP attorney general candidate Ken Paxton earned endorsements from RNC committeeman Robin Armstrong and former RNC committeeman Bill Crocker. Paxton faces Dan Branch in the May 27 runoff election.

HD-10 GOP candidate John Wray picked up a couple more endorsements in his runoff contest with T.J. Fabby. The Ellis-Hill Association of Realtors and the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas both threw their support behind Wray.

Disclosure: At the time of publication, the Association of Texas Professional Educators was a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune. (See the full list of Tribune donors below $1,000 here.)