The Evening Brief: Dec. 4, 2013
Your evening reading: Texas gets OK to boost payments to primary care docs; Davis says she would have vetoed cuts to public schools; radioactive material stolen in Mexico Full Story
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![Patients wait to be seen at the People's Community Clinic in Austin, on Nov. 8, 2010. Founded in 1970, the People's Community Clinic is a primary care center for the medically under served and uninsured.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond -
Report: Texas Water Woes Need Market Solution
A report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas says that Texas' water problems could impede economic growth and that the best way to address them is a free-market approach to water allocation. Full Story
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TribCast: Tax Returns, Attorneys General and Drones
Reeve, Ross, Emily and Ayan chat about Wendy Davis' tax returns, the Republican candidates vying to be the state's next attorney general, drone deliveries and the future of the filibuster. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Dewhurst Tasks Lawmakers With Border Security Efforts
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on Wednesday charged lawmakers with examining a recent crime enforcement surge effort in the Rio Grande Valley and making recommendations on how to implement similar operations in the future. Full Story
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State Gets Federal OK to Boost Medicaid Payments
UPDATED: A year after Texas was slated to increase Medicaid payments to primary care physicians under the Affordable Care Act, the state has received federal approval to implement the change. Full Story
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![Yesenia Alvarado holds her daughter, Medicaid patient Melanie Almaraz, 2, while waiting to see Dr. Alberto Vasquez for treatment of a fever at Su Clinica Familiar in Harlingen, Texas on Jul. 9, 2013.]()
Credit: Eddie Seal for The Texas Tribune -
Hot Seat: A Conversation With Campbell and Isaac
At our 12/3 Hot Seat conversation at Texas State University, state Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, and state Rep. Jason Isaac, R-Dripping Springs, talked about water, transportation, public education and other issues in play in the 83rd session. Full Story
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Guest Column: Anglo Women the Key for Texas Democrats
Democrat Wendy Davis' chances in the race for governor of Texas hinge on her ability to attract votes from Anglo women — like Ann Richards did more than 20 years ago. Full Story
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Credit: Tommy LaVergne of Rice University -
For Water Underground, Political Boundaries Trump Natural Ones
Groundwater doesn't flow according to the state's political boundaries. Yet it's regulated largely along county lines, a decades-old system that is facing increased criticism among some of those fighting for more access to the resource. Full Story
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Credit: Texas Water Development Board / Todd Wiseman -
Participants Say Mérida Initiative Making a Big Difference in Juárez
The Mérida Initiative, a $1.5 billion U.S. aid package whose beneficiaries include Mexico, has faced its share of criticism. But in Ciudad Juárez, many say they see the positive results of the initiative every day. Full Story
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![Children who participate in an after school program in Ciudad Juárez dance to Beyoncé as part of their routine. The program is one of several Merida Initiative projects in this border city designed to help the city rebound.]()
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The Brief: Dec. 4, 2013
Wendy Davis released three years' worth of tax returns late Tuesday, matching the level of disclosure of Greg Abbott and shedding additional light on how she's made a living beyond the Capitol. Full Story
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![State Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, officially files her candidacy for governor in front of a crowd of supporters at uShip’s headquarters in Austin on Nov. 9, 2013.]()
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Davis Sees Rise in Income From Private Law Practice
Democrat Wendy Davis only makes $7,200 a year in salary as a state senator, but her take-home pay more than doubled between 2010 and 2012 thanks to steadily rising income from her private law practice, tax records show. Full Story
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![State Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, greeting supporters at a phone bank in Austin.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Subsidies for Plant Construction Stir Legal, Financial Concerns
Texas officials are considering subsidizing power plant construction to keep pace with rapidly growing energy demand. But critics of the plan have raised concerns over potential legal battles and the impact on on electricity costs. Full Story
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![Steam rises from the stacks at the Martin Lake Coal-Fired Power Plant in Tatum, TX March 30, 2011.]()
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Texas Among States Getting F in Judicial Disclosures Report
Texas doesn't require enough disclosure from its judges to fully inform the public about conflicts of interest, according to a report from the Center for Public Integrity. Full Story
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Higher Ed Leaders Express Concerns Over Sequestration
In a letter sent to the Texas congressional delegation on Tuesday, a coalition of public and private higher education leaders shared their concerns about the effects of federal sequestration on university research and education in the state. Full Story
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The Evening Brief: Dec. 3, 2013
Your evening reading: Abbott and Davis square off on education; state insurance regulators move on new rules for health care "navigators"; Amazon drones worry U.S. Rep. Ted Poe Full Story
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![At separate events, Republican Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, filed for governor in Austin, Texas on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013.]()
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Janek Questions Temporary Medicaid Fix for Insurance Marketplace
Texas Health Commissioner Kyle Janek raised concerns Tuesday about a temporary process set up by the Obama administration to transfer applications for Medicaid from the federal insurance marketplace to the state. Full Story
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![Texas Health and Human Services Commissioner Kyle Janek is shown at a Texas Tribune event in 2012.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Insurance Commission Proposes New Rules for Health Navigators
To address privacy concerns raised by state leaders, TDI on Tuesday proposed additional rules for the so-called navigators directed to help Texans find health insurance under the federal Affordable Care Act. Full Story
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![Kenneth Flippin, left, and Jane Denson, right, of Enroll America at the home of Shelby Childress.]()
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New Dewhurst Web Ad Urges Voters To "Keep Texas No. 1"
The David Dewhurst campaign offers a civics lesson on the Texas Legislature and the responsibilities of the lieutenant governor — while showcasing the incumbent's conservative record in office — in a new web ad. Full Story
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Branch Focuses on Voter ID Fight in New Web Ad
In a new web video, attorney general candidate Dan Branch focuses on protecting the state's elections laws, concluding with a pledge to "stop Obama's Department of Justice from overturning our Texas voter ID law." Full Story
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Hurd Releases New Ad in CD-23 Race
Will Hurd, a San Antonio native and former CIA operations officer who's running in the GOP primary for CD-23, has released a new web video featuring the old SUV he calls "Shirley Marie." Full Story
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