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News For September, 2010

  • SBOE Will Vote on Sects Education

    By Nathan Bernier, KUT News

    The State Board of Education is getting set to vote later this week on a resolution that would call on textbook publishers to avoid a "pro-Islamic, anti-Christian bias" in Texas textbooks. As Nathan Bernier of KUT News reports, the matter may be more about symbolism than practical change. Full Story 

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  • Pete Earley: The TT Interview

    By Brandi Grissom

    The author of Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness on the criminalization of mental illness, the need for community-wide solutions and how Texas wastes the money it spends on the problem. Full Story 

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  • Interactive: Government Unlimited

    By Matt Stiles

    Legislative filings increased in the Texas House and Senate by 70 percent from 1991 to 2009, records show, and the number of bills and resolutions passed by both chambers climbed at a higher rate. Resolutions alone numbered about 4,000 last session, or more than half of all legislation. Explore our interactive graphics. Full Story 

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    Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman/Kiet Callies

  • What Happened to His Yard Signs?

    By Elise Hu

    You won't be seeing many Rick Perry yard signs this fall — by design. Except for a few that are available for purchase, the governor's campaign is generally eschewing traditional tools like signs and direct mail, preferring a new set of ways to win over voters. Full Story 

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  • Attention Deficit

    By Ross Ramsey

    Down-ballot candidates are usually the wallflowers at the political dance, sitting in the shadows while contestants for governor hog the affections and interest of voters and political financiers. This year is no exception. Full Story 

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    Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman

  • The Fire Next Time

    By Morgan Smith

    Under the leadership of Williamson County DA John Bradley, the Texas Forensic Science Commission has waged a masterful war of attrition in the Cameron Todd Willingham case: Stall long enough, and public interest in the internationally controversial capital punishment case — along with political liability for any missteps — will fade away. But the commission’s latest delay, while pushing the resolution of the Willingham investigation securely after the general election, comes against Bradley’s wishes and could represent a sea change on the board that until now has resisted making any broader inquiries into the state’s arson convictions. Full Story 

    Texas Forensic Science Commission Chairman John Bradley listens to other board members during a scheduled meeting on Sept. 17, 2010, in Dallas.
    Credit: Tom Pennington

  • Cutting School

    By Ben Philpott, KUT News

    The Texas Education Agency has submitted a proposal to slash 10 percent of its budget to help close the state's coming shortfall, which could be as much as $21 billion. Among the items on the chopping block: outside-the-classroom expenditures that, Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, could have a dramatic affect on student outcomes. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • How Things Look at the Gate

    By Ross Ramsey

    Republican Gov. Rick Perry is six points ahead of Democrat Bill White in the new University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll. Other numbers in that survey indicate voters might be willing to vote for a new governor but that White hasn't made the sale: 22 percent are undecided, 5 percent would vote for Libertarian Kathie Glass and — this is sort of interesting — 31 percent say they identify with the Tea Party. White got 33 percent in the poll to Perry's 39 percent — a number of some significance, since it was Perry's final percentage in 2006's four-way race for governor. Full Story 

  • 2010: Houston Chronicle Endorses Bill White

    By Evan Smith

    First out of the gate among the big-city newspaper endorsers, the Houston Chronicle today threw its support behind favorite son Bill White, Houston's former mayor, in the gubernatorial square-off against incumbent Rick Perry. Full Story 

    Former Houston mayor Bill White makes an appearance at the Austin Club as part of The Texas Tribune's bimonthly speaker series with host Evan Smith. White is the Democratic nominee in the Texas governor's race.
    Credit: Bob Daemmrich

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Ross Ramsey

    Ramsey on the fourth University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll (with insights into the statewide races, issues, the budget, and Texans' view of the national scene), Hamilton and Thevenot in Galveston on the anniversary of Hurricane Ike, Ramshaw on secret hearings that separate children from their guardians, Hu on what former state Rep. Bill Zedler did for doctor-donors who were under investigation, Aguilar on the troubles around Mexico's bicentennial, Galbraith talks coal and wind with the head of the Sierra Club, E. Smith interviews state Rep. Debbie Riddle about tourism babies and godless liberals, Grissom on why complaints about city jails go unaddressed, Philpott on the debate that will apparently never happen and Stiles continues to put the major-party gubernatorial candidates on the map: The best of our best from September 13 to 17, 2010. Full Story 

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    Credit: Illustration by Jacob Villanueva

  • Our First-Ever Live TribCast

    By Evan Smith

    This week, the usual TribCast crew — Elise, Ben, Ross and Evan — took to the Austin City Limits stage in the studios of public television station KLRU to tape what was the first (and hopefully won't be the last) live TribCast. Our topics: the UT/TT poll, including the governor's race results; the size of the Tea Party in Texas; budgetary gloom and doom; and that Rick Perry ad shot in enemy territory. Full Story 

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    Credit: KLRU/Todd Wiseman