The Midday Brief: March 12, 2010

Your afternoon reading:

"If she knows or changed her plans, she's not saying, at least where the public can hear. Hutchison has turned down all interview requests." — Will Hutchison resign from the Senate or is she waiting it out? — WFAA-TV

"Vince Leibowitz is the latest tribute to the ping-pong of politics.' — Here, there now where?: Vince Leibowitz bounces back to Hank Gilbert campaign —TRAILBLAZERS

"Problem is, said Pratt, a conservative radio talk show host who is also the treasurer of a political action committee, he didn't write or send the mailer." — Critical ad clouds District 84 race — Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

"Though the backlog disappeared in the Tyler, Beaumont, Austin, El Paso and Edinburg areas, there were still 16,000 applications in February for which decisions were past due, Suehs said." — Texas’ food stamp application backlog now expected to be cleared by April — Postcards

New in The Texas Tribune:

"Despite mixed results at home, and research questioning the merits of disease management programs nationally, the state is re-bidding the contract." — Disease Mismanagement?

"I didn't run for governor when I was 40 either. Or 35." — A Conversation with Bill White