A legislative committee held hearings that raised questions about a University of Texas System regent's voluminous records requests of the system's flagship university, so we start our playlist this week with "Too Much Information" by Duran Duran. Full Story
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This week in the Texas Weekly Newsreel: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz checks in with voters on a post-shutdown tour of Texas, surprising moves on the 2014 campaign trail and Gov. Rick Perry announces a Texas A&M campus in Israel. Full Story
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M. Smith on wasted private tutoring efforts, Satija on government protection for the lesser prairie chicken, Root finds a new nest of Democratic trial lawyers, Malewitz finds a border skirmish featuring mollusks, Hamilton with the latest on politics at the University of Texas, Batheja on the link between vehicle traffic and bond ratings, Aguilar finds some promise in a juvenile justice program in Eagle Pass and Aaronson covers the court fight over new abortion regulations: The best of our best for the week of Oct. 21-25, 2013. Full Story
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Texas regulators signaled Friday that they would pursue a major overhaul of the wholesale electricity market in hopes of ensuring the long-term reliability of the state’s electric grid. Full Story
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Your evening reading: contractor involved with health exchange received Enterprise Fund money; Sebelius comes to Texas to apologize and to criticize; Cruz despises avocados Full Story
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Watchdog group Texans for Public Justice found that CGI Group, the lead technology contractor behind the problem-ridden Healthcare.gov, received $1.8 million from Gov. Rick Perry through the deal-closing Texas Enterprise Fund in 2011. Full Story
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Following a week of intense scrutiny from the Legislature, University of Texas System Board of Regents Chairman Paul Foster announced on Friday that he intends to recommend new policy changes in November. Full Story
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Overall enrollment in Texas colleges and universities grew by about 8,000 students in 2013. That's an increase of less than 1 percent over 2012 figures. Full Story
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Texans are familiar with the devastation that wildfires can bring to land, property and community. But new research claims that smoke from those fires could pose hazards hundreds of miles away. Full Story
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At the Trib's Oct. 17 symposium on transportation at Southern Methodist University, Aman Batheja sat down with Ted Houghton, chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission, and Phil Wilson, executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation. Full Story
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In Austin to highlight insurance enrollment efforts under the Affordable Care Act, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius acknowledged problems with the online marketplace and criticized some Texas leaders' efforts to block the law. Full Story
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On Oct. 22, I talked about the coming constitutional referendum on funding the state water plan with state Rep. Jim Keffer, R-Eastland, and Carlos Rubinstein, chairman of the Texas Water Development Board. Full Story
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Texas is poised to reopen discussions about its border with Oklahoma after an episode involving a mollusk invasion, an idle water supply and a missing 74-year-old map. Full Story
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Percent-for-art policies are becoming increasingly common at Texas public universities, and campus leaders say they contribute to the vibrancy of their institutions. Full Story
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Candidates haven't officially put their names on the ballot for the 2014 elections, but the first contest — the one for resources needed to win an election — is already claiming victims. Full Story
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The problem-plagued federal health insurance marketplace drew fire on Thursday from across the political spectrum and in multiple venues. Full Story
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Your evening reading: gubernatorial hopefuls both favor Prop 6; Davis calls insurance exchange problems "inexcusable"; yet more NSA surveillance revelations Full Story
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At the Trib's Oct. 17 symposium on transportation at Southern Methodist University, I sat down with four members of the House Transportation Committee: Chairman Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, and state Reps. Cindy Burkett, R-Sunnyvale, Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, and Joe Pickett, D-El Paso. Full Story
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Political chatter about a grassroots uprising against the water funding measure on the November ballot appears to be overblown. Polling indicates a fair amount of Tea Party support for that constitutional amendment. Full Story
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Gubernatorial candidates Wendy Davis and Greg Abbott are throwing their support behind Proposition 6, the constitutional amendment that will fund projects designed to help the state meet its growing need for water. Full Story
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