The Evening Brief: June 5, 2013
Your evening reading: Cornyn pushing to add major border security amendment to immigration bill; Carter considering statewide run; judge to hear new evidence in school finance case Full Story
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TribCast: Slow Special, Racial Remarks and Engagement
Jay, Reeve, Evan and Ross discuss the plodding pace of the special session, the revelation of a Tea Party leader's racially tinged remarks and the state's lagging levels of civic engagement. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Lawyers Ask to Reopen Evidence in School Finance Trial
State District Court Judge John Dietz will hear new evidence in the sweeping school finance trial as he considers the effects of changes made during the recent legislative session. Full Story
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![After a trial that lasted more than three months, Travis County District Court Judge John Dietz ruled in February 2014 that the state's school finance system is unconstitutional.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Guest Column: Shifting Demographics and the Future of Texas Politics
The fastest-growing population in Texas is also one of the least civically engaged populations in the state. Amid the talk about how new Hispanics in Texas will vote, it's worth asking how many of them will vote at all. Full Story
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Cornyn Wants Border Security Added to Immigration Bill
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn wants to add border security provisions before he will support the comprehensive immigration reform bill that is scheduled to go before the full Senate next week. Full Story
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Credit: Ali Durkin, Medill News Service -
A Closer Look at Campus Construction Demands
A plan to issue billions in bonds for campus construction became a casualty of a legislative game of chicken in the regular session. Our new interactive illustrates just what was at stake at schools statewide. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Bullet Train Plan Sparks North Texas Turf War
A private firm's plan to develop a high-speed rail line between Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston is being closely watched by officials in North Texas, where there are varying opinions as to where the first station should be built. Full Story
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![The JR Central N700 Series, a Japanese Shinkansen bullet train developed by two railway companies in Japan.]()
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For Texas Coast, Hurricane Season Presents Toxic Risk
The next hurricane that hits the Texas coast will put some of the nation's biggest refineries — and the communities surrounding them — at risk. But it won't be the first time. Full Story
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Water Treaty Concerns Trigger Lobbying Efforts, Calls for Changes
The Rio Grande Regional Water Authority has hired a PR firm to help urge the federal government to mandate that Mexico deliver water to the U.S. under a decades-old treaty. Legal experts say such conflicts would continue if the treaty isn't amended. Full Story
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Interactive: Campus Construction Funding Proposals
Lawmakers failed during the regular session to approve money for construction at public universities, but some are hoping the special session will provide a second chance at the money. Use this interactive to see what's at stake. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
The Brief: June 5, 2013
As Democrats work to turn Texas blue, Republicans have their own plans for making the state even redder. Full Story
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The Evening Brief: June 4, 2013
Your evening reading: state GOP distances itself from Tea Party leader's comments about black voters; Cruz pens letter slamming immigration reform bill; complaint filed over judge's remarks on race Full Story
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Complaint: Judge's Death Penalty Remarks Show Racial Bias
Civil rights groups and ethicists allege that 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Edith Jones violated judicial codes of conduct during a February speech in which she reportedly said some minority groups are "predisposed to crime." Full Story
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Cruz Outlines Opposition to Immigration Reform Bill
The immigration reform bill slated to go before the U.S. Senate next week is full of loopholes that fail to secure the border or address legal immigration, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz wrote in a letter to his colleagues on Tuesday. Full Story
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Tea Party Leader Says He Misspoke About Black Voters
UPDATED: Dallas Tea Party leader Ken Emanuelson says he misspoke when he said last month that Republicans don't want to encourage blacks to vote because they overwhelmingly support Democrats. State GOP Chairman Steve Munisteri had said Emanuelson's remarks don't reflect the party's position. Full Story
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Inside Intelligence: Grading the 83rd Legislature...
For this week's nonscientific survey of insiders in politics and government, we asked for grades on the state's top leaders, on the House and Senate, about the heroes and goats of the session, and about how many legislators won't be back. Full Story
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TxDOT Outsourcing IT Operations to Private Firm
The Texas Department of Transportation has announced that a private firm will take over most of its information technology operations. Full Story
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![Traffic congestion on Interstate 35 in Austin. The freeway through central Austin is among the state's most congested road segments, according to a TxDOT study.]()
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Guest Column: Civic Engagement and the Future of Texas
Texas is at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to civic participation in the U.S., according to the Texas Civic Health Index. Only a few states had lower voter registration, political discussion and contact between public officials and the public. Full Story
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Fix for Roads in Shale Counties Might Be Short
Lawmakers allocated $450 million this session to repairing roads destroyed by truck activity related to a drilling boom. The Legislature likely isn't done with the issue, though, because the amount is less than advocates said was needed. Full Story
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Whatever Became of That School Finance Ruling?
It’s now June, and there is still no final decision in the sweeping lawsuit involving more than two-thirds of Texas school districts that arose after the Legislature eliminated roughly $5.4 billion from state public education funding in 2011. Full Story
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![District Court Judge John Dietz of Austin is shown in his courtroom on Feb. 4, 2013, before he ruled that the state's school finance system was unconstitutional.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera
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