Members of the Texas Railroad Commission would be allowed to meet behind closed doors to discuss the details of disputed cases under a bill tentatively approved by the Texas House on Monday.
May 2011
Posted inState Government
Texas Politicians Vary on Who Gets Credit for Bin Laden Death
When it comes to acknowledging those responsible for bringing down Osama bin Laden — which politicians are understandably eager to do — there is a noticeable inconsistency in whom Texas’ leaders are choosing to mention in their official statements.
Posted in
Economy
Senators Still Searching for Budget Support
Sen. Steve Ogden is still looking for 20 fellow senators willing to start the debate on the state budget and with less than a month left in the legislative session, the pressure is on.
Posted in
State Government
In Rare Moment, GOP House Members Applaud Obama
For a rare moment, Republicans in the lower chamber set aside their anti-Washington rhetoric and joined their Democratic colleagues to congratulate President Barack Obama for ordering the military action that led to the death of Osama bin Laden.
Posted inState Government
The Midday Brief: May 2, 2011
Your afternoon reading: politics seen in bin Laden reactions; Senate OK pushes abortion sonogram bill closer to governor’s desk; senators eye another Rainy Day proposal
Posted in
State Government
Abortion Sonogram Bill Clears Another Hurdle
Senate lawmakers tentatively passed a controversial measure to require women seeking abortions to receive sonograms — and have the details of the fetus described to them — prior to the procedure.
Posted in
T-Squared
T-Squared: Our Third Monthly QRANK Winner is…
Karen Wood — user name: KarenJWood — who amassed 103,612 points in the month of April and takes home our big prize: a baker’s dozen of books published by the University of Texas Press. Trust me: You’re gonna love our May prize.
Posted in
Demographics
Global Travel Alert Issued; No Change on Border
The U.S. State Department is asking U.S. citizens traveling or residing abroad to avoid mass gatherings and demonstrations because of Osama bin Laden’s death, but no law enforcement changes are planned along the Texas-Mexican border.
Posted in
Public Education
Is Poverty, Not Teacher Quality or Charters, Key to Student Outcomes?
Michael Marder, the co-director of the University of Texas’ UTeach program, which trains secondary school math and science teachers, looks at public education data and explains the significance of poverty, why he thinks charter schools are not necessarily the answer and how public education is like a Boeing airplane.
Posted in
State Government
TribLive: Powers and Loftin on Budget Cuts
At last Thursday’s TribLive conversation, I interviewed Bill Powers and Bowen Loftin, the presidents of the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University, respectively, about the impact of higher ed budget cuts and the predicament of middling graduation rates.