Efforts to salvage the problem-plagued Driver Responsibility Program ultimately may not shield it from the wrath of its many detractors, including at least one lawmaker who believes we “shouldn’t hesitate in getting rid of it.”
July 2010
Posted inState Government
Interactive Map: Texas General Election Turnout: 2006-2008
This interactive map shows the general election turnout by county. Darker shades represent higher turnout.
Posted inState Government
Interactive Map: Texas Statewide Elections: 1998-2008
This interactive map shows the average vote margin in all contested, statewide elections by county. Darker shades represent increased partisan divide in each county, with red representing Republican support and blue representing Democratic support. Over the years, Democrats have lost support in West Texas and East Texas, but also won Dallas County in 2006 and both Dallas and Harris counties in 2008.
Posted in
T-Squared
T-Squared: The Trib-Times Collaboration
Today we’re publishing the first of three stories in a series that is the result of a partnership between the El Paso Times and the Trib — a show of the “hang together” spirit bolstering public service journalism in the 21st century.
Posted inState Government
The Map: Can a Democrat Win?
Political observers, partisan faithful and a pair of campaigns have been consumed by one question for nearly eight months: How close is the race between Republican Rick Perry and Democrat Bill White? Members of both parties agree that White represents the Democrats’ best shot at winning the governor’s office in 15 years, despite the state’s status as a Republican stronghold. But many believe that voting patterns show Texas is still years away from becoming truly competitive.
Posted in
Demographics
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Ramshaw’s question about an insurance company denying coverage for an infant vaccine prompts a reversal; Stiles’ new app lets you poke through mid-year campaign reports on donations and spending; Ramsey finds foreshadowing of the state’s big fall races in the campaign finance reports; Aguilar interviews Henry Cisneros about current politics; Dawson finds Texas environmentalists getting advice from an unexpected place; Galbraith on “demand response” that might cut the need for power plants and on the next wave of electric cars; Aguilar on increasing trade through Texas ports of entry; M. Smith on affirmative action battles in higher education; Titus on Mexican college students’ drift from border universities to UT-Austin and Texas A&M; and Hamilton on controversy over private, for-profit colleges: The best of our best for the week of July 19 to 23, 2010.
Posted in
T-Squared
T-Squared: Take Our Content — Please!
Effective immediately, inspired by ProPublica, we’ve added a “republish” button on most of our pages.
Posted in
State Government
TribBlog: Not Who, But What?
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst made some new committee assignments last week to cover the resignation of state Sen. Kip Averitt, R-Waco. But the rejiggering created as many questions as it answered: Not about who went where, but about what went where. For instance: What committee will have legislative oversight of electric utility companies?
Posted in
Public Education
TribBlog: In Reversal, SBOE Passes Charter Financing [Updated]
After getting shot down in committee, SBOE member David Bradley, R-Beaumont, and other members succeeded Friday in pushing through a plan to purchase school buildings and lease them back to charter schools in a split vote, with two Democrats absent. The decision, however, is contingent upon a favorable attorney general’s opinion on the legality of the controversial move — which would pull money from the Permanent School Fund.