The Midday Brief: November 16, 2009

Your afternoon reading:

• “They're certainly not all politically canny positions, but give Democratic gubernatorial candidate Hank Gilbert this much: He's already offered detailed proposals in some half-dozen areas that affect Texans.” — Want detailed proposals? One candidate's got 'em — San Antonio Express-News

• “The gist of the accusation is that several of Locke’s clients while he was a lawyer/lobbyist at the well connected Andrews Kurth firm had significant ties to the city government and entities with whom the city had interlocking ties (Metro, the Houston-Harris County Sports Authority, and the Port Authority).” — Houston mayor’s race: Parker attacks attorney Locke’s conflicts of interest — BurkaBlog

• “At times like these, with the American economy out of whack and his son out of work, Mr. Salcedo finds himself doing what he never imagined he would have to do: wiring pesos north.” — Money Trickles North as Mexicans Help Relatives — The New York Times

• “When some people decide not to pay their tolls, they really, really mean it.” — TxDOT and the Unforgiven — Austin American-Statesman

• “With regard to social studies, state officials and educators have been considering over the past few months which historical figures and religious holidays should be included in textbooks.” — Technology and texts expected to dominate state board of education meeting — Fort Worth Star-Telegram

New in The Texas Tribune:

• “Through all the debate, intrigue and jostling during the last legislative session, something familiar was missing: A lobby-funded advertising war.” — Into Thin Air — The Texas Tribune

• “When inspectors with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) came out to investigate the 2007 incident, they found not a single psychiatrist on staff and a facility poorly equipped to provide mental health treatment to its nearly 1,500 detainees.” — Detaining Care, Part One: Mental Hell — The Texas Tribune