The Midday Brief: May 6, 2010

Your afternoon reading:

“'Not only is Southwestern Bell fraudulently billing and collecting from citizens of Harris County, they are cheating our hospitals,' County Attorney Vince Ryan said in announcing the lawsuit. 'This sort of blatant, remorseless greed preys upon those who are ill and increases the cost of medical care for everyone. It simply cannot go unaddressed.' — Harris County sues phone company for $2 million — Houston Chronicle

“To get an idea of how far Democrats have moved to the right on the issue of immigration reform, consider this: The Obama administration’s enforcement efforts in 2009 led to the deportation of 387,790 illegal immigrants — a 5 percent jump over the Bush administration’s record in 2008.” — Democrats' shift right frustrates Hispanic activists — Politico

"Dunnam, a Waco Democrat, is the chairman of the House Select Committee on Federal Economic Stabilization Funding, a fancy title for the public officials who are watching how $20 billion of the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is being spent in Texas. Dunnam has, from its passage in February 2009, been a vocal proponent of the twin goals of the act -- to get money into an ailing economy quickly and to create or retain jobs." — Unspent stimulus billions in Texas causing growing unease — Texas Watchdog

“Like many schools in the era of ‘zero tolerance’ for discipline problems, Paris school officials turned to the justice system. Two campus police officers gathered witness statements, which generally supported the girl’s account, and referred the matter to the Lamar County district attorney.” — Too Black for School? — Texas Observer

New in The Texas Tribune:

The young mayor of San Antonio — whose future electoral prospects are a frequent-bordering-on-yawn-worthy topic of conversation in Texas — gets his global 15 minutes this weekend in a glowing 4,600-word New York Times Sunday Magazine profile. — TribBlog: Julián Castro in the Times Mag

Republican state Comptroller Susan Combs today is announcing a new transparency website, a massive collection of government data she mentioned during a TribLive event in February.” — On the Records: Combs' Open Data Center

As part of the Trib's inaugural College Tour stop, the Land Commissioner of Texas and his Democratic opponent sat down side-by-side on the Texas Tech University campus to talk about the fate of the Christmas Mountains, coastal erosion, long-term care for veterans, and the portfolio of issues that each of them wants to manage for the next four years. — Video: A Conversation with Jerry Patterson and Hector Uribe