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News For February, 2010

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Evan Smith

    Thevenot on the abysmally low community college graduation rate and higher ed's coming budgetary winter. Ramshaw on Terri Hodge's guilty plea and hasty exit. Grissom on the Department of Public Safety's use of dreaded federal stimulus funds to plug a hole in the state's border security budget. Hu on the first of the intraparty face-offs in our Primary Color series. Ramsey and Stiles on the congressional candidates with the most money on hand. Ramsey on whether Farouk Shami's accent and name are an obstacle to his election. Aguilar on the fever-tick epidemic overwhelming South Texas. Rapoport on TxDOT's hard road and the State Board of Education's lack of finance expertise. Philpott on how Barack Obama's budget will impact Texas. M. Smith on whether lawyers giving to judges is a good thing. Hamilton on the latest transportation innovations on the drawing board. The best of our best from February 1 to 5, 2010. Full Story 

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  • HuTube: G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S

    By Elise Hu

    Kay Bailey Hutchison's preference for private jets is the latest barb in a back-and-forth over which Republican gubernatorial candidate lives a lusher lifestyle. Full Story 

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    Credit: Todd Wiseman

  • Guest Column: Advice for Kay

    By Glenn Smith

    Don't believe all the loose talk that the GOP race for governor is over. A month is forever in politics, as Ann Richards proved in 1990. Full Story 

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    Credit: Courtesy of Glenn Smith

  • Department of Public Stimulus

    By Brandi Grissom

    The Department of Public Safety, which is struggling financially, is planning to use $16 million of the federal stimulus dollars that Gov. Rick Perry begrudgingly accepted to plug a hole in the border security budget. The decision follows a mandate by Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and House Speaker Joe Straus that state agencies cut 5 percent out of their budgets to meet an anticipated shortfall. Full Story 

    Security camera towers loom over the Rio Grande River.
    Credit: Bob Daemmrich

  • The Capital Gang

    By Ross Ramsey and Matt Stiles

    The six Texas congressional candidates who ended the year with $1 million or more on hand are incumbents. Only two of the candidates with the 20 biggest bank accounts are not. Full Story 

    Search our interactive chart, which details campaign financing by Texas candidates for U.S. Congress during 2009.
    Credit: Matt Stiles

  • Primary Color: HD-146

    By Elise Hu

    State Rep. Al Edwards, D-Houston, and former State Rep. Borris Miles are vying for the same Texas House seat for the third time. In a district with a high dropout rate, a high incidence of HIV infection, and a high percentage of people without health insurance, they predictably disagree about who can best deliver on promises of help, hope and change. Full Story 

  • That's Right, He's Not From Texas

    By Ross Ramsey

    Farouk Mohammed Shami, who's running for governor as a Democrat, has a strong Middle Eastern accent and a strange name. Some of his fellow Democrats are loathe to talk about it. He's not worried. "If a president can be named Barack Hussein Obama, a governor can be named Farouk Shami," he said. "If a president can be black, a governor can be brown." Full Story 

    Farouk Shami on November 19, 2009
    Credit: Todd Wiseman

  • A Hard Road

    By Abby Rapoport

    Lawmakers are still perturbed at TxDOT, but the state's transportation agency is trying to do better. The first step, says one commissioner: Figure out how to meet the transportation needs of Texas citizens — which it's not doing. Full Story