Culled:
• Fundraiser for Mitt Romney brings Dick Cheney, candidate’s son to Dallas Love Field tonight (The Dallas Morning News): “Former Vice President Dick Cheney is headlining a fundraiser for Mitt Romney today at Dallas Love Field. The GOP presidential candidate’s son will also appear at tonight’s private event, to be held at the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field.”
• Clinton takes the stage in San Antonio (San Antonio Express-News): “A beaming former President Bill Clinton got a rapturous greeting from an overflow crowd at South San Antonio High School Thursday afternoon. Clinton hit the stage at 3:52 p.m., flanked by congressional hopeful Pete Gallego, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Austin, Mayor Julián Castro and his brother, congressional candidate Joaquín Castro.”
• Perry votes for Romney (we think) (Houston Chronicle): “Gov. Rick Perry expressed support for University of Texas plans to build a new medical school in Austin but declined to say how he voted on a local proposition to increase property taxes to help finance such a school after casting his own ballot in the presidential election. The governor gave a big two-thumbs up for Mitt Romney Thursday morning while meeting with news reporters for a few minutes after voting at an Austin library.”
• Planned Parenthood Denied Rehearing in Texas Funding Cutoff (BloombergBusinessweek): “Planned Parenthood clinics in Texas were denied a rehearing by the full federal appellate court in New Orleans, where a three-judge panel ruled the state can immediately bar the clinics from participating in a public health program for poor women.”
New in The Texas Tribune:
• Court Upholds Ban on Gun Sales to Those Younger Than 21: “A federal appellate court has affirmed a lower court’s decision that banning the purchase of handguns by people younger than 21 does not infringe on individuals’ constitutional rights.”
• Comptroller’s Report Examines College, Public School Debt: “A report on government debt from Comptroller Susan Combs examines colleges and public school districts, the latter of which are responsible for a third of the money owed at the local level.”
• Eiland Ad Touts Hurricane Ike Relief, Insurance: “In a new TV ad, state Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston, touts his efforts to win Hurricane Ike relief money for UTMB in Galveston, and his lawsuits on behalf of property owners trying to get settlements from their insurance companies.”
• Board Proposes Major Overhaul of TEXAS Grants Program: “TEXAS Grants, the state’s primary need-based financial aid program for college students, could get a major retooling next session if lawmakers follow new recommendations by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.”
• Texas Parks and Towns Embrace Movement to Darken the Night Sky: “Texas is a great place to see the stars, especially in the dry desert air of the Big Bend area. But light pollution remains a problem as fast-growing cities, plus a distaste for regulation, mean that light diffuses into the night sky. A few towns in West Texas and the Hill Country, along with state parks, are trying to change that.”
• A Trip Down the Fastest Highway in America: “The newly opened stretch of State Highway 130 from Austin to Seguin has an 85 mph speed limit, the fastest in the country. Beyond the debate over whether it’s safe, what’s it like to drive?”
• Impact of Late Legislators is Felt in HD-144 Race: “As the two candidates running for a Texas House seat in suburban Houston try to reach out to voters, the deaths of the district’s previous incumbent and an area state senator have cast a shadow on the race.”
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