Three prominent Houstonians have launched a campaign accusing Gov. Rick Perry and some University of Texas System regents of being “intent on tearing down” UT-Austin’s status as a “university of the first class.”
April 2013
Posted in
State Government
Plenty to Spend, and Plenty of Anxiety About It
Two years ago, lawmakers couldn’t find the money they needed to run the government they had promised their voters. Now they have the money — and a completely different set of political problems.
Posted in
Higher Education
TribLive: Starr on Making Baylor Excellent
At Monday’s TribLive conversation, Baylor University Ken Starr talked about how he’s working to differentiate Baylor from its peer cohort of elite private schools.
Posted in
Economy
Video: Perry Talks About Priorities for Rest of Session
With less than a month remaining in the legislative session, Gov. Rick Perry met with the Texas House GOP Caucus and talked to reporters about his support for a bill that would draw $2 billion from the Rainy Day Fund for water infrastructure needs.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
AG: Domestic Partner Benefits Violate Texas Constitution
The Texas Constitution prohibits government entities from recognizing domestic partnerships and offering those couples insurance benefits, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott wrote in an opinion on Monday.
Posted in
Higher Education
TribLive: Starr on Tradition vs. the Modern World
At Monday’s TribLive conversation, Baylor University President Ken Starr talked about the intersection of a campus culture built on traditional values with the realities of life in the modern world — including the revelation that a star athlete is gay.
Posted in
Higher Education
TribLive: Starr on the Big 12
At Monday’s TribLive conversation, Baylor University President Ken Starr talked about the future of the Big 12 — and the Bears’ place in it.
Posted in
Energy
Debate Over Water Bill Could Spur Bigger Fight
A bill that would draw $2 billion for water projects from the Rainy Day Fund is set to hit the House floor Monday afternoon. The debate could turn to focus on what it means to be a fiscal conservative in the Tea Party era.
Posted in
Health care
TribuneFest: Health Care and the 83rd Session
At the Trib’s April 25 symposium on higher education at the University of Texas at Austin, state Reps. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, and John Zerwas, R-Simonton, talked about Medicaid, mental health and more.
Posted in
Higher Education
The Political Hazards of Changing High School Standards
Voters asked lawmakers to cut down on the high-stakes standardized tests in schools and to replace some of the budget cuts made in 2011. Will they soon be asking why lawmakers made it easier to get a high school diploma?