The Brief: Nov. 9, 2015
An investigator looking into the attack Friday night on Travis County District Judge Julie Kocurek said on Sunday that her attacker was trying to murder her. Full Story
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![Travis County Courthouse in Austin, Texas.]()
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Texas Gets a D- Grade in 2015 State Integrity Investigation
Texas ranked 38th out of 50 in the latest State Integrity Investigation, an assessment of government accountability and transparency. That suggests that the state may be heading in the wrong direction when it comes to ethics. Full Story
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![Governor Perry delivers a final speech to a joint session of the Texas legislature on Jan. 15, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
A Lot of People Just Don’t Like Ted Cruz. How Come That's OK With Him?
Ted Cruz has been branded a “wacko bird” by a Senate colleague and a “jackass” by the former speaker of the House. Cruz does not appear to be bothered. Full Story
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![Sen. Ted Cruz at the third GOP debate, held in Boulder, Colorado, on Oct. 28, 2015.]()
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In Texas, Minorities Less Likely to Own Homes
A shortage of affordable housing, credit problems and lack of savings for down payments are among the main barriers blamed for creating a demographic divide in home ownership between minorities and whites. Full Story
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At GOP Convention, the Focus is Squarely on the White House
LUBBOCK — Activists at the Texas Federation of Republican Women convention ate up talk of the Lone Star State's Texas-sized influence in 2016. The GOP faithful hope the state's earlier-than-usual primary will make it matter more. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, meets with members of the Texas Federation of Republican Women after addressing the group Saturday in Lubbock. Cruz was the only presidential candidate to speak at the biennial convention of the organization.]()
Credit: Patrick Svitek -
New on TribTalk: How HERO was Defeated
The opposition's messaging and strong turnout by African-Americans and Republicans to support their respective mayoral candidates formed an unusual coalition that led to the demise of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, writes Rice University professor Robert Stein. Full Story
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![Prop 1 signs posted along the Adaptive Sports and Recreation facility on West Grey in Houston, TX for the November 2015 election.
Photo by: Shelby Knowles]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles -
Court: Texas Elections Should Proceed with Current Maps
The state’s 2016 elections for Congress and the Texas House can proceed under the current political maps, a three-judge federal panel in San Antonio said late Friday. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Texas Legislature Backs Abbott's Position On "Sanctuary Cities"
A majority of lawmakers in both the Texas House and Senate back Gov. Greg Abbott's recent moves to rein in "sanctuary cities" that don't comply fully with federal immigration policies, a Tribune tally shows. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott is shown in November 2015 proposing reforms against "sanctuary cities" that he wants Texas lawmakers to consider in the 2017 legislative session.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Garcia Endorses Turner in Houston Mayoral Runoff
Former Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia on Friday endorsed state Rep. Sylvester Turner in the Houston mayoral runoff. Full Story
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![Rep. Sylvester Turner speaks to crowd on election night. Turner narrowly defeated opponent Bill King in a runoff to be elected mayor of Houston on Dec. 12, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Judge Dismisses Austin's Lawsuit Targeting State's Property Tax System
A Travis County district judge dismissed a lawsuit Friday by the city of Austin that challenged the state's property tax system. Full Story
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Credit: Dave Wilson -
Supreme Court to Decide Birth Control Mandate for Religious Nonprofits
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether religious nonprofits should be required to provide birth control benefits to female employees even if the employers object to certain contraceptives on religious grounds. Full Story
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Abbott Seeks to Shape Republican Primary Conversation
Gov. Greg Abbott is planning to release a set of issues he would like Republican primary voters to prioritize next year. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks with reporters before a speech Friday in Lubbock. Abbott said he plans to release a list of issues he would like Republican primary voters to focus on next year.]()
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After the Rain, How Full Are Texas Reservoirs?
Heavy rain across the state has refilled many Texas reservoirs. Take a look at the current state of those reservoirs with a visualization we've built using data from the Texas Water Development Board's Water Data for Texas site. Full Story
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Patrick Says He Tried to Draft Nelson for Lieutenant Governor
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick revealed Friday he tried to draft state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, to run for lieutenant governor last year before he decided to enter the race. Full Story
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![Happy Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, watches passage of SB 1 budget bill on a 30-1 vote April 14, 2015. Lone no vote was Sen. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Prison Inmates Database Gets an Update
The Texas Tribune's Prison Inmates database, containing more than 144,000 offenders, is now updated with the latest data available from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. It is now current as of September 2015. Full Story
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Feds Worry Power Giant Will Ditch Mine Cleanup
As Energy Future Holdings continues what it hopes will be the final leg of messy bankruptcy proceedings, a recent dispute with the federal government highlights just how far a mammoth corporate reorganization can reach. Full Story
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Roundup: HERO, Quakes and "In God We Trust"
In the Roundup: A Houston nondiscrimination ordinance goes down, state regulators find no clear link between oilfield activity and some North Texas earthquakes, and a local police department gets the legal go-ahead to keep its "In God We Trust" stickers. Full Story
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Texans Pitch In to Show Support for New Colleague Ratcliffe
Not so long ago, John Ratcliffe might have felt like he was running against the entire Texas GOP House delegation. But these days, Ratcliffe is a part of the family. Full Story
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![John Ratcliffe, Republican candidate for Texas' 4th U.S. Congressional District speaks in Fort Worth on June 5, 2014.]()
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New in Texas Weekly: Otto Laments Changed Primary Tone
John Otto blames the changing tone of the primary season for not running again, a Cruz super PAC mines a Boehner insult for fundraising and Ozzy barnstorms Texas — all that and more in the latest issue of our subscriber-only newsletter for political insiders ($). Full Story
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Analysis: Texas Racing Pines for Political Fix
A pending set of gubernatorial appointments could end the current round of brinksmanship over what kinds of gambling are allowed in Texas, but it won’t solve the long-term problem facing the state's troubled racing industry. Full Story
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