The Midday Brief: Top Texas Headlines for April 5, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "The Texas Senate just refused to agree to changes in the controversial voter ID bill — Senate Bill 14 — that were made by the House of Representatives." — Senators: No to House-passed Voter ID bill, Postcards

• "Texas Republican Tom Leppert said he's had 'positive conversations' about his Senate bid with Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), but didn't seek his endorsement." — Ex-Dallas mayor had 'positive' talks with Cornyn about Senate bid, The Hill

• "Sen. Kirk Watson and Comptroller Susan Combs today announced a series of moves intended to make the public more aware of the state’s fiscal condition." — Watson and Combs team up on transparency measures, Postcards

• "The most comprehensive bill this session reining in homeowners associations just passed the Senate, an action homeowner advocates view as a barometer for change." — Major HOA reform bill passes Senate, Trail Blazers

• "The Confederate flag no longer flies over Anderson County government. Members of a local Sons of Confederate Veterans group took the flag down late Monday, even as the City Council was passing a resolution asking for the flag's removal." — Confederate flag down from Palestine courthouse, PoliTex

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "The U.S. Supreme Court issued a 30-day stay for death row inmate Cleve Foster, who was scheduled tonight to become the first Texas inmate executed using the state's new three-drug lethal injection cocktail." — Supreme Court Stays First Pentobarbital Execution

• "With a football helmet in hand, Rep. Eddie Lucio III, D-San Benito, won preliminary approval from the House today for a bill to ensure school districts keep close tabs on how often helmets are checked and repaired." — House Gives Helmet Safety Bill Early Approval

• "The Senate approved a bill today that would help charter schools borrow money by allowing them to use the state’s Permanent School Fund as a bond guarantee." — Bill May Boost Bond Rating for Charter Schools

• "A bill that would create a committee of experts, school officials and parents to develop guidelines for schools to use to craft food allergy protocols passed the Senate today." — Senate OKs School Guidelines for Food Allergies