The Evening Brief: Nov. 5, 2013
Your evening reading: toll road swap floated for Austin; Texas Supreme Court hears same-sex divorce cases; new poll shows Abbott with commanding lead Full Story
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![Traffic congestion on Interstate 35 in Austin. The freeway through central Austin is among the state's most congested road segments, according to a TxDOT study.]()
Credit: Illustration by Charles Stricklin/Todd Wiseman -
Study: More Than 2 Million Texans Qualify for Insurance Tax Credit
More than 2 million Texans are eligible for tax credits to purchase health coverage in the federal insurance marketplace, the most of any state, according to a new report from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Full Story
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OIG Loses Another Medicaid Fraud Court Battle
The health commission’s Office of Inspector General, which says Texas has misspent hundreds of millions of dollars on Medicaid orthodontic and dental fraud, has now lost its first three court battles against accused providers. Full Story
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Inside Intelligence: About Your Privacy...
For this week’s nonscientific survey of insiders in government and politics, we asked about immigration, the federal health care law and about who’s most likely to violate your privacy. Full Story
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Measuring Attorney General Candidates on Smart Meters
Unlike their counterparts in the lieutenant governor’s race, the Republicans vying to be the state’s next attorney general have largely refrained from drawing any knives in public. But they're coming out around the issue of smart meters. Full Story
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![Chairman Barry Smitherman of the Railroad Commission of Texas in his office, May 31, 2013.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Edward Theriot: The TT Interview
The director of the Texas Memorial Museum on why the institution's upcoming 75th anniversary will be bittersweet and why massive budget cuts currently planned for the museum are more than a local problem. Full Story
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Worsening Austin Traffic Prompts Talk of Toll Swap
As state and local leaders consider what to do about the most congested segment of road in Texas, Interstate 35 through central Austin, the possibility of swapping the interstate with a nearby toll road remains a possibility. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
The Brief: Nov. 5, 2013
The latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll confirms that U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has solidified his status as the biggest star in the Texas GOP firmament. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Prop 6 Seeps Into Republican Politics
This year's vote on water funding has some implications for conservative candidates in Texas. It's the best opportunity to fund water projects without raising taxes, but also controversially pulls from the state's savings account. Full Story
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Texas Oil Drillers Look for Alternatives to Flaring Gas
A few companies in Texas are developing pilot projects to capture and use the excess natural gas that is often vented into the air or burned during the oil drilling process. Full Story
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UT/TT Poll: Cruz Still Earning Top Marks From Conservatives
After his part in the federal government shutdown, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is still very popular with Texas Republicans and remains their top pick in the 2016 presidential pack, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Book Describes Rise, Fall of Perry's 2012 Campaign
Gov. Rick Perry's failed 2012 presidential campaign is chronicled in detail in Double Down: Game Change 2012, a new book about the last presidential race. Full Story
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The Evening Brief: Nov. 4, 2013
Your evening reading: Martinez Fischer raises possibility of looking at UT regents' tablets; Abbott downplays prevalence of voter ID affidavits; Microsoft inks big Texas wind power deal Full Story
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![Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer asks questions during a House Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations on October 23rd, 2013]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Liberal Groups Fault Cornyn, Cruz on Judicial Vacancies
Leaders from state and national liberal organizations on Monday called on U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn to increase efforts to fill nine vacant federal judgeships that impact Texas. Full Story
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Lawmaker Eyes Access to UT Regents' Computers
State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer believes that the investigation into whether a University of Texas System regent should be impeached could require a look at UT regents' personal computers, iPads and smartphones. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dan Flynn (right), R-Van, talks to state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, on Oct. 23, 2013. Van is co-chair of the House Select Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations, whose members include Fischer.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Patterson Touts Leadership Abilities in Web Ad
Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, a candidate for lieutenant governor, highlights his commitment to gun rights and a family history of military service in a new campaign web video. Full Story
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T-Squared: Year Five, Day One
Yesterday was the fourth anniversary of our launch — it's not too late to send a card — so today is the first working day of year five. We're so excited for what comes next. Full Story
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UT/TT Poll: Abbott Leads Davis by Single Digits
Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott has a single-digit lead over Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis in the 2014 race for governor, according to a new University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll. Full Story
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The Brief: Nov. 4, 2013
The big headline from the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll out today is this: The gap between Greg Abbott and Wendy Davis can be counted on a single hand. Full Story
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With or Without $2 Billion, Water Woes Unlikely to Go Away
Whether or not Texas voters approve Proposition 6, which would take $2 billion from the state's savings account to use for water financing, the state has a long way to go in dealing with its water deficit. Full Story
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![Lilly pads in Stamford Lake, near Paint Creek, which was dug as a reservoir in the 1950s.]()
Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller
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