Lawmakers will find themselves in a multibillion-dollar ditch when they return to Austin in January 2011. Constitutionally, they can't write a deficit budget, so they're expected to use not just cuts but revenue raisers to keep the books in balance. Ben Philpott, who covers politics and public policy for KUT News and the Tribune, filed this report. Full Story
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Despite all the handwringing about Texas' influence on the textbook market nationally, it's just not so, publishing insiders say. The state's clout has been on the wane and will diminish more as technological advances and political shifts transform the industry. Full Story
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The state says that if it has the power to ban alcohol in strip clubs, then it can levy a $5 "pole tax." But the clubs argued before the Texas Supreme Court on Thursday that nude dancing is a form of protected speech and that the tax violates the First Amendment. Full Story
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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White today called on GOP Gov. Rick Perry to remove claims on his public and campaign Web sites that crime on the Texas border has dropped 65 percent. Perry campaign spokesman Mark Miner defended the claims. He said Perry's claim refers to temporary crime drops in discreet areas during so-called "border surge" operations. Full Story
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Your afternoon reading. Full Story
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A Golden State senator says our State Board of Education can put its conservative spin on U.S. history where the sun don't shine. Full Story
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Texas unemployment held steady at 8.2 percent last month, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. That's the same seasonally adjusted rate as in January, December, and November, but it's up from 6.8 percent in February of 2009. Full Story
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Yesterday was likely one of the worst days of Hank Skinner's life — before it became what was probably one of the best days. Full Story
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Former Secretary of State James Baker traveled to Austin Wednesday night to talk with Texas Tribune CEO and Editor in Chief Evan Smith about the state of the world. Full Story
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“I was taught evolution, and it didn’t shake my faith in the Almighty whatsoever,” says George Clayton, who pulled off a stunning upset of incumbent Geraldine "Tincy" Miller, R-Dallas, in the GOP primary to win a seat on the State Board of Education. “Should creationism be taught as a counter to evolution? ... No, I don’t think so. I think evolution is in the science book. It should be taught as a science.” Full Story
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Hank Skinner was set to die Wednesday for the 1993 murders of his live-in girlfriend and her two mentally disabled adult sons — a crime he insists he did not commit. About an hour before he was to have poison pushed through his veins, the U.S. Supreme Court spared his life. Full Story
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Former Secretary of State James Baker, one of U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's highest-profile primary supporters, says he now supports Gov. Rick Perry's re-election bid. And, as it happens, much of Barack Obama's foreign policy. Full Story
Residency requirements tripped up Brian Birdwell's previous effort to enter the Texas Legislature, and it looks like they will again. Full Story
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He's back, y'all. Former state Rep. Borris Miles will be returning to the Texas House after a recount finished today shows Miles prevailing over longtime state Rep. Al Edwards by just eight votes. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court granted a stay this evening of the execution of death row inmate Hank Skinner, who was scheduled to die today. Full Story
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A federal judge declared on Wednesday that a Farmers Branch ordinance that banned apartment rentals to undocumented immigrants was unconstitutional. Full Story
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Your afternoon reading. Full Story
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Senior leaders from the United States and Mexico agreed the two countries will begin swapping intelligence on suspected terrorists and Mexican felons following discussions in Mexico City on Tuesday. Full Story
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Census results released yesterday reconfirm that the state Sarah Palin likes to call Alaska’s little sister is anything but little. Texas cities continue to break population records, according to the last population estimates from the Census Bureau. Full Story
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In 2011, political mapmakers will take the latest census numbers (Texas is expected to have a population of more than 25 million) and use them to draw new congressional and legislative districts. The last time this was done, in 2003, Republican mappers took control of the U.S. House by peeling away seats from the Democrats. This time, Texas is poised to add up to four seats to its congressional delegation — and early numbers indicate bad news ahead for West Texas and other areas that haven't kept up with the state's phenomenal growth. Full Story
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