The Evening Brief: Oct. 24, 2012

Culled:

•   Head of Texas’ embattled $3B cancer fund says officials ‘listened’; pledges effort will endure (The Associated Press): "An embattled $3 billion cancer-fighting fund in Texas will recover from a controversy that led two Nobel laureates and others to resign over allegations that politics trumped science in spending decisions, state officials told stakeholders Wednesday."

•   Texas names pop up as possible Romney cabinet members (The Dallas Morning News): "Let the speculation begin. With less than two weeks to go before the election, the respected National Journal is speculating about who might make the short-list for a President Mitt Romney as he fills out his cabinet. Three Texans show up on the list: retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison for transportation, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn for Attorney General and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott for the Environmental Protection Agency."

•   Ted Cruz helps rally Republicans in support of Kenneth Sheets (The Dallas Morning News): "Republican Senate nominee Ted Cruz on Wednesday urged supporters finish the election strong and stand up for liberty. 'We are winning. We’re right. They’re wrong,' Cruz told a group gathered in Mesquite. 'We’re going to retire (Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid and send Barack Obama back to Chicago.' Cruz was in Mesquite on behalf of state Rep. Kenneth Sheets, R-Dallas. Sheets is trying to fend off former state Rep. Robert Miklos to retain the House District 107 seat in the Legislature."

New in The Texas Tribune:

•   Willingham's Family Seeks "Posthumous Pardon": "The surviving relatives of Cameron Todd Willingham have sent an application for pardon, hoping to clear his name 12 years after his execution for a 1991 fire that killed his three young children."

•   Politics is No Charm the Third Time Around in Nueces County District: "In Nueces County's HD-34, Rep. Connie Scott, R-Robstown, is facing former Rep. Abel Herrero, D-Robstown, for the third time in as many election cycles. Each is attacking the other's voting record."

•   Victory or Death" Letter to Return to Alamo for Exhibit: "After addressing concerns about security and preservation, the Texas Library and Archives Commission voted to allow Col. William Travis' famous 1836 letter to be displayed at the Alamo in February as part of a special exhibit."

•   Luis CdeBaca: The TT Interview: "The U.S. ambassador-at-large on why he thinks people are uneasy about admitting that human trafficking is a problem, what Texas has done to help address the problem, and how the government can team up with the private and nonprofit sectors to draw attention to the crime."

•   Report: More Funding Needed for Mental Health in Juvenile Facilities: "The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition has released a report calling for more funding for mental health in the juvenile justice system. It says girls are not given adequate counseling for past trauma. The Texas Juvenile Justice Department, however, takes issue with some of the report's conclusions."