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News For June, 2010

  • Dave Carney: The TT Interview

    By Ross Ramsey

    During last weekend's GOP convention in Dallas, the chief consultant to Rick Perry's re-election campaign talked to the Tribune about the strategy behind his strategy, why many people believe a Perry run for president is coming, the mistake that Bill White is making, the canard of the "39 Percent Governor" and the whole states-versus-the-feds thing. Full Story 

    Gov. Rick Perry after his primary victory on March 2, 2010.
    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller

  • The Crackdown

    By Julián Aguilar

    Dozens of Texas border counties now check the immigration status of anyone who ends up in jail, removing thousands of criminal suspects from the country. But detainees are also being deported for minor infractions — including some who are never formally charged. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Jacob Villanueva

  • Get Smart

    By Kate Galbraith

    Thanks to a 2007 state law and federal stimulus grants, smart-grid projects are proliferating across Texas, allowing customers to monitor their electricity usage and control costs. Some utilities are saving money too. Full Story 

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  • Written But Not Read

    By Ross Ramsey

    Some 14,000 true believers will congregate in Dallas for the state Republican convention on Friday and Saturday for a biennial ritual where, among other duties, they will attempt to distill the soul of the Texas GOP into a party platform — the manifesto intended as the ideal vision for the future of the Texas GOP. Full Story 

  • The Purity Test

    By Ross Ramsey

    If the rainbow flavors of the Tea Party feature a common taste, it’s that of fiscally restrained government — and the anti-Washington and pro-state fervor that comes along with it. Not coincidentally, that was the overwhelming theme of the Republican Party of Texas’ convention last weekend. Full Story 

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Evan Smith

    M. Smith's interview with the new chair of the Texas GOP, Philpott on Republicans and Tea Partiers living in harmony, Aguilar on Immigration and Customs Enforcement's not-yet-released strategic plan, Ramshaw's tragic tale of out-of-state kids in Texas treatment centers, Grissom on how budget cuts could impact juvenile justice, Stiles' awesome new population app, Galbraith on the decline of the Ogallala Aquifer, Hamilton's interview with the commissioner of higher education and the debut of Hu's new video debate series: The best of our best from June 14 to 19, 2010. Full Story 

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    Credit: Jacob Villanueva

  • 2010: Andrea White Speaks Out

    By Reeve Hamilton

    Andrea White, wife of the Democratic nominee for governor, Bill White, has been traveling around the state drumming up support for her husband's campaign — one living room at a time Full Story 

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    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller

  • 2010: Broadband Brouhaha

    By Morgan Smith

    The recently released map of Texans' access to high-speed internet is a new flashpoint in the race for state Agriculture Commissioner. At issue is the nonprofit behind it, Connected Nation, which received $3 million in federal money for the project under current commissioner Todd Staples' auspices. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Connected Texas

  • Cuts That Cost

    By Brandi Grissom

    After shocking abuse was uncovered at Texas Youth Commission facilities in 2007, lawmakers successfully overhauled the state juvenile justice system. Three years later, advocates worry that budget woes will halt that progress. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Jacob Villanueva

  • Face-Off: The Shortfall

    By Elise Hu

    While the right and left don't agree on much, both sides stipulate that the state's budget mess is a multibillion-dollar problem. In the debut of our new video series, the executive director of the progressive Center for Public Policy Priorities, former state district judge Scott McCown, and the director of the Center for Fiscal Policy at the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation, former state Rep. Talmadge Heflin, debate the best way to dig us out of the hole — and how we got into it in the first place. Full Story 

    Scott McCown and Talmadge Heflin
    Credit: Justin Dehn

  • TribBlog: Gallego Wants "Fight Club" Investigation

    By Emily Ramshaw

    State Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, has asked the House Committee on General Investigating and Ethics to review how the Department of Family and Protective Services licenses, reviews and oversees residential treatment centers for foster kids. Full Story 

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    Credit: Nick de la Torre / The Houston Chronicle