The Evening Brief: June 6, 2012

Culled:

• Texas GOP prepares to kick off Fort Worth convention (Fort Worth Star-Telegram): "Mitt Romney may not be here, but the former Massachusetts governor and presumptive GOP presidential nominee was one of the few devout Republicans in Texas on Wednesday who were not heading to the state convention that kicks off in Fort Worth Thursday. … Gov. Rick Perry is scheduled to kick off the convention around 10 a.m. Thursday, likely speaking to the largest crowd since ending his own presidential bid earlier this year. Attorney General Greg Abbott is also expected to address the crowd Thursday. And Thursday afternoon, Ron Paul is expected to speak to a crowd of thousands."
• Texas sales tax receipts keep chugging along (The Dallas Morning News): "Texas sales tax revenue keeps chugging along. European Union bailout of Greece — or not. Jobless national recovery — or not. The state collected $2.09 billion from its 6-1/4 cent sales tax last month, Comptroller Susan Combs announced Wednesday."

New in The Texas Tribune:

• EPA, Armendariz Blasted at House Hearing: "At a House subcommittee hearing Wednesday, congressional Republicans heaped criticism on the EPA and its former south-central region chief, Al Armendariz, who had been scheduled to testify but canceled at the last minute."
• Interactive Map: GOP's Senate Primary Results: Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst pulled in the most votes, 624,170, in the May 29 GOP primary race for the U.S. Senate. But that was still 70,000 votes short of preventing a runoff with former Solicitor General Ted Cruz, who received 479,079 votes. Use our interactive map to see where Dewhurst or Cruz secured a majority or plurality of the votes.
• On the Records: Statewide Officials' Personal Finance Statements Updated: We've added personal finance statements for statewide officeholders into our directory of elected officials. This includes disclosures for Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Comptroller Susan Combs and Attorney General Greg Abbott.
• Powers Pushes New UT Students to Graduate in Four Years: "Hoping to boost the University of Texas at Austin's four-year graduation rates significantly, President Bill Powers emphasized the benefits of graduating in a timely fashion on Wednesday while addressing incoming freshmen."