The Brief: Sept. 27, 2012
State budget concerns may have engulfed the last legislative session, but Texas officials are now sounding the alarm over another looming fiscal predicament: local debt. Full Story
State budget concerns may have engulfed the last legislative session, but Texas officials are now sounding the alarm over another looming fiscal predicament: local debt. Full Story
The 85 mph speed limit assigned to a new toll road opening in Central Texas is drawing plenty of interest, but it may not draw many truck drivers, according to an official with the Texas Motor Transportation Association. Full Story
Mexican President Felipe Calderón is known for a war on drugs that has left thousands dead. Opponents of Calderón's war are worried his next stop could be a teaching position at the University of Texas at Austin. Full Story
By the time Gov. Rick Perry's campaign sputtered into South Carolina in January, he was so gaffe-prone that aides struggled to bat down stories about blunders that never actually happened. An excerpt from Oops! A Diary from the 2012 Campaign Trail. Full Story
Ross, Reeve, Jay and Ben review The Texas Tribune Festival, which featured talk of Satan and college costs, and Jay's new book, which goes behind the scenes of Gov. Rick Perry's doomed presidential campaign. Full Story
Your evening reading: Cruz answers Sadler's criticism over student loans; report says family planning cuts closed 53 Texas clinics; Gary Johnson calls Ron Paul write-in "meaningless" Full Story
Massive cuts lawmakers made last year to family planning funding in Texas caused more than 50 clinics statewide to close, according to a report published by the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday. Full Story
At the 2012 Texas Tribune Festival, I interviewed San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro and Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ted Cruz about a range of national and state issues, including taxes, health care and immigration. Full Story
The manufacturing sector is short of skilled workers, and many of those jobs will go to students who don't have four-year college degrees — and who don't need them. Full Story
Public schools should spend less time on testing and on a one-size-fits-all approach to education. Not all students want or need to go to college. Full Story
At the 2012 Texas Tribune Festival, San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro and Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ted Cruz talked about the former's plan to raise sales taxes to fund pre-K. Full Story
Mitt Romney may be cutting back on fundraising, but his campaign isn't done tapping Texas donors. Full Story
In Gov. Rick Perry's Texas campaigns, his wife, Anita, offered spousal support. But during the presidential race, she was all in. Her central role, and the resistance it provoked, is detailed in this excerpt from Oops! A Diary from the 2012 Campaign Trail. Full Story
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Lake Jackson, isn't seeking re-election this year, turning a typically Republican seat into an interesting race between a former congressman and a two-term state representative. Full Story
Texas has more uninsured residents than any other state, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This interactive shows demographics of the uninsured and how many people could be insured by 2014 if federal reform is implemented. Full Story
State Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, opened her television campaign for re-election with a biographical spot that also promotes her position on education. Davis faces state Rep. Mark Shelton, R-Fort Worth, in the competitive SD-10 race. Full Story
Your evening reading: U.S. Supreme Court denies fourth stay of execution for Texas inmate; Super PAC announces ad buy against Gallego; Booker predicts Castro will be first Latino governor of Texas Full Story
The U.S. Supreme Court denied death row inmate Cleve Foster's fourth request for a stay his execution, which is scheduled for Tuesday evening. Full Story
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld lower courts' findings that the Texas Open Meetings Act is constitutional, rebutting challenges from city council members across Texas. Full Story
Despite efforts to crack down on human trafficking in Texas, lawmakers and advocates said Tuesday that pimps still operate with little pressure. Legislators were urged to increase civil penalties for trafficking businesses. Full Story