The Midday Brief: Top Texas Headlines for Feb. 10, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl’s decision not to seek reelection has set off a Republican leadership scramble in the Senate, potentially pitting Texas Sen. John Cornyn against Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander for the powerful No. 2 position in the GOP hierarchy." — Sen. Jon Kyl’s exit could spark leadership scramble, Politico

• "Texas’ corrections chiefs should consider freeing more enfeebled inmates, and quit holding them until they die, some House budget writers said Thursday." — Texas House budget writers urge prisons to release more enfeebled inmates, The Dallas Morning News

• "We should now put to rest any notion that if lawmakers balance the state budget without raising taxes and without tapping the state's rainy day fund, they can do so with spending cuts here and there that hardly anyone will notice. This might seem obvious, but knowing that there will be pain involved if lawmakers stay on this course is an important first step as the discussion about taxes and spending shifts from the campaign trail to the Capitol." — Proposals show fat-trimming alone won't balance the budget, Austin American-Statesman

• "The state Commission on the Arts, one of four state panels identified by Gov. Rick Perry as currently not critical to the mission of the state of Texas, was criticized for a longstanding inability to keep track of its funding in a report last May by the state Auditor." — Texas Arts Commission — which Gov. Rick Perry wants to suspend to save cash — had lost track of $1 million at most recent audit, Texas Watchdog

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "Lots of Texans are asking that question in the wake of last week's electricity mess, and nobody's going to be happy with the answer, which is: 'It depends' (if you ask the electricity industry); or 'Yes' (if you ask consumer advocates)." — Texplainer: Will My Electricity Bill Go Up Because of the Blackouts?