The Brief: July 11, 2014
Attorney General and GOP gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott has put a price tag on the cost to Texas taxpayers of the surge of unaccompanied minors across the border. Full Story
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![Republican Gubernatorial candidate, Attorney General Greg Abbott, speaks to crowd at Lavazza Coffee House on Congress Avenue, a few blocks away from Paramount Theater where President Obama was scheduled to speak later in the day. July 10th, 2014]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Vigil Near Shelter in Support of Migrants Sparks Concern
Immigrant rights groups began a three-day vigil in McAllen on Thursday in support of the thousands of unaccompanied and undocumented Central American children in Texas detention centers. Full Story
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Foster: UT Community Needs to "Re-establish Some Decorum"
A fraught week culminated in a relatively collegial meeting of the UT System Board of Regents on Thursday, after which Chairman Paul Foster said it was time for the board and UT community to "re-establish some decorum." Full Story
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![UT System Chancellor Dr. Francisco Cigarroa and Board of Regents Chairman Paul L. Foster as UT Regents study tuition increases on May 14, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Texas Company to Pay Millions Over "Predatory" Lending
Texas-based payday lender ACE Cash Express has agreed to pay $10 million to settle allegations by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that it used illegal tactics to push borrowers into a cycle of debt. Full Story
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Amid Immigration Controversy, Obama Focuses on Economy
In a speech in downtown Austin on Thursday, President Obama largely avoided discussion of the ongoing immigration troubles in Texas, and instead talked about economic progress made under his watch. Full Story
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![President Barack Obama in a speech to Texas Democrats at the Paramount Theater July 10, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Obama Visit Becomes Talking Point in Governor's Race
President Obama’s visit to Texas became fodder in the governor’s race Thursday, with Democrat Wendy Davis suggesting he should visit the U.S-Mexico border in person and Republican Greg Abbott challenging him to adopt the “Texas model” in Washington. Full Story
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![Attorney General Greg Abbott, the GOP nominee for governor, spoke at the Lavazza coffee shop, a few blocks away from where President Obama spoke later in the day on July 10, 2014.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Mayor Confident City Will Be Reimbursed for Relief Costs
Humanitarian relief efforts in McAllen will cost local governments more than $1.1 million by the end of the year, officials said on Thursday. Law enforcement officials also praised the state security surge that began last month. Full Story
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![On June 24, 2014, volunteers gather at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, where the Rio Grande Valley Catholic Charities have a makeshift shelter to help handle the surge of immigrants who have crossed into the U.S. in recent weeks.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Academic Gains Slowing; No Consensus on Why
Over the last decade, Texas students have made steady progress on a number of academic measures. But in recent years, that improvement has begun to stall. Full Story
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![Texas' improvement on national academic measures has begun to stall in recent years. In 2013, for the first time in 15 years, math and reading scores went down or stayed the same for black and Hispanic students in both fourth and eighth grades. The scores also went down for Anglo students in some areas.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa -
High Hopes Mix With Skepticism for Houston's "One Bin for All" Plan
The city of Houston hopes to increase recycling rates by letting residents toss everything into the same bin and sorting it out later. Critics argue that similar approaches have failed. Full Story
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![Glenn Bailey cleans out a city of Houston recycling truck on March 18.]()
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New in Trib+Edu: Schools Prepare for Child Migrants
In this week's edition of the Trib+Edu newsletter: schools prepare for influx of child migrants, giving boys a better emotional toolbox and an interview with María Robledo Montecel of IDRA. Full Story
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Border Crisis Puts Spotlight on 2008 Immigration Law
Many of the thousands of migrant children crossing into the U.S. are not being turned away immediately because of a 2008 law — signed by President George W. Bush and passed with bipartisan support — requiring that they get an immigration hearing. Full Story
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![A detainee sleeps in a holding cell at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing facility, Wednesday, June 18, 2014, in Brownsville, Texas. CPB provided media tours Tuesday of two locations in Brownsville and Nogales, Ariz. that have been central to processing the more than 47,000 unaccompanied children who have entered the country illegally since Oct. 1.]()
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The Brief: July 10, 2014
In the end, University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers will get his graceful exit. Full Story
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Perry, Obama Discuss Solutions to Immigration Crisis
During a meeting Wednesday, President Obama urged Gov. Rick Perry to support his call for more funds for border resources. Perry urged the president to address policies he says have made Texas a magnet for illegal activity. Full Story
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Credit: Bob Daemmrich / Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Powers Will Give Up UT-Austin Presidency in June
Despite outgoing UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa’s demand that UT-Austin President Bill Powers agree to an October resignation or be fired this week, on Wednesday the two ended up settling on Powers’ own proposed exit date — one 11 months away. Full Story
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![University of Texas System Board of Regents, December 12th, 2013 meeting.]()
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Tribcast: UT-Austin's President, Obama and Chemicals
Reeve, Emily, Ross and Jay talk about the future of University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers, a visit between President Obama and Gov. Rick Perry, and Greg Abbott's handling of questions about dangerous chemicals. Full Story
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Texas Democrats Say GOP Stalling Aided Immigrant Influx
Texas border Democrats are pushing back against Republicans who have said that current White House policies are responsible for the swell of Central American migrants breaching the U.S.-Mexico border. Full Story
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![A U.S. Border Patrol helicopter patrols over the Paso del Norte International Bridge between El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico on Tuesday March 27, 2012.]()
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Travis County Forges New Territory in Creating Voting Machine
Travis County now finds itself, along with Los Angeles County in California, at the cutting edge of a race against time to create an alternative voting technology system. Full Story
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![Paul Beckham and Gary Giffen leave Zilker Elementary School in Austin after casting ballots for the primary election on March 4.]()
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BP Wants Unspent Spill Recovery Money Back
Nearly four years after BP awarded Gov. Rick Perry's office $5 million for recovery projects in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, most of the money remains unspent. Now, the company is asking Texas for its money back. Full Story
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Texas Work Safety Hotline Upgraded
More than 20 years after the Texas Legislature passed a law establishing a 24-hour work safety hotline, real people are answering the telephone calls around the clock. Full Story
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As Texas Traffic Forecasts Worsen, Some Worry of a Drag on State Economy
The population of Texas could nearly double by 2050, prompting some to worry that not enough is being done to avoid a future traffic nightmare and the drag on the economy that could come with it. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Jessica Hamel / Dan Hill
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