Past Contributions

• 2010: Swept Away?

  By Emily Ramshaw Nov. 2, 2010

  In what's becoming an increasingly obvious Republican sweep in the Texas House, 22 Democratic incumbents are behind in their races. Full Story 

• Laura Bush: The TT Interview

  By Emily Ramshaw Oct. 15, 2010

  The former first lady on life in the Governor's Mansion vs. life in the White House, her newfound freedom living in Dallas, why she kept her personal politics out of her husband's presidency, the role she's playing at the Bush Library, the two works of fiction she's reading now and her fondest memories of the Texas Book Festival, which she launched when she was living in Austin 15 years ago — and whose annual gala she'll headline tonight with a reading from her best-selling memoir, Spoken from the Heart. Full Story 

• A Hole in the Safety Net

  By Emily Ramshaw Oct. 12, 2010

  Advocates say the Department of Aging and Disability Services’ baseline budget request eliminates financing for more than 13,000 people — the majority waiting to receive Medicaid waiver services. Agency officials will only say that an “unknown number” of people already receiving the services could lose them. It's unclear if lawmakers can make these cuts without risking losing federal funding; federal health care reform requires states to maintain coverage at the same level it was when the Affordable Care Act became law in March. Full Story 

• Clay Boatright: The TT Interview

  By Emily Ramshaw Oct. 7, 2010

  The new president of the Arc of Texas on why the disability community’s rallying cry to close state-supported living centers has become trite and ineffective, why the movement's messaging should be upgraded (employing everything from the iPad to the Bible) and why businesses and faith-based groups should be mobilized to fill the gaping holes in government services. Full Story 

• An Interview With Arc of Texas President Clay Boatright

  By Emily Ramshaw Oct. 4, 2010

  Full Story 

• An Interview With Laura Bush

  By Emily Ramshaw Sept. 29, 2010

  Full Story 

• In the Soup?

  By Emily Ramshaw Sept. 29, 2010

  Double-billing taxpayers for travel expenses, driving a luxury car owned by a state transportation contractor and repeatedly failing to pay taxes won’t put a lawmaker in good standing with the ethics police, as state Reps. Charles “Doc” Anderson, R-Waco; Joe Driver, R-Garland; and Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, are finding. The three hope the headlines dogging their re-election bids won’t follow them to the polls, while their Democratic opponents are reveling in their misery at every campaign stop. Yet whether a scandal forces an incumbent from office depends on the scenario. Full Story 

• TribBlog: UT Shooting Coverage Roundup

  By Emily Ramshaw Sept. 28, 2010

  The University of Texas campus has reopened following the apparent suicide of a young man who burst into the Perry-Castañeda Library in a business suit and a face mask, wielding an AK-47, according to witness accounts. We've rounded up the best of the media coverage so far. Full Story 

• TribBlog: Housing Department Broke Disaster Recovery Rules

  By Emily Ramshaw Sept. 27, 2010

  In the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs broke several regulations when it contracted with a firm to distribute more than $200 million in disaster recovery funds, according to a federal audit. Full Story 

• Bed-Mal

  By Emily Ramshaw Sept. 22, 2010

  Is a hospital bed an integral part of medical care? As a federal judge considers the constitutionality of Texas’ 2003 medical malpractice reform — and Gov. Rick Perry campaigns for more lawsuit restrictions — the state Supreme Court has ruled that hospital injuries seemingly unrelated to doctor error can fall under Texas’ stringent medical malpractice caps. Some legal observers say the decision is a perversion of legislative intent, but tort reform advocates contend the high court simply closed a huge loophole in liability reforms. Full Story