Ross, Reeve, Morgan and Ben discuss the passing of state Sen. Mario Gallegos, D-Houston, the legal battle over religious cheerleaders in Kountze and potential 2014 gubernatorial candidates. Full Story
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The special prosecutor in the 1986 murder of Christine Morton has decided not to seek the death penalty in its case against Mark Norwood, a Bastrop resident whose DNA was identified at two similar murder scenes. Full Story
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Four new senators are coming from the Texas House, where their voting records can be analyzed. Compared to the people they're replacing, they're more conservative. Full Story
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Full video of my Monday conversation about the future of Medicare with state Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, Anne Dunkelberg of the Center for Public Policy Priorities, John Goodman of the National Center for Policy Analysis and Leo Linbeck III of the Health Care Compact Alliance. Full Story
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In Dallas, former Democratic state Rep. Carol Kent, who was swept out of office in the Republican wave of 2010, is vying for an open House seat against Jason Villalba, a political newcomer and Hispanic Republican. Full Story
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The state’s $3 billion effort to battle cancer was delivered a major blow this month when 18 scientific reviewers resigned. Most of them allege that the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas was favoring politics, rather than science, when picking projects to fund. Full Story
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County juvenile probation agencies produce better results for less money than state youth lockups, according to a report by the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition. The report also says counties need more funds and oversight. Full Story
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It's a cringe-inducing moment in politics: To keep his seat in the Democrats' column, voters in Houston will have to cast one last vote for the late state Sen. Mario Gallegos Jr. Full Story
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Among the state’s biggest cities, several Dallas-area suburbs tallied the highest rate of requests to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott last year to keep government information secret, according to a Center for Public Integrity investigation. Full Story
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Though the presidential debate dominated Tuesday's headlines, the focus in Texas turned briefly to 2014. Full Story
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State Sen. Mario Gallegos Jr., D-Houston, who served in the Legislature for more than 20 years, has died at the age of 62. Full Story
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Democrat Pete Gallego, locked in one of the hottest congressional races in the country, says his opponent Quico Canseco went too far by using the face of Jesus in a political ad. Canseco stands by the mailer. Full Story
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A research team is studying how changes in land development and vegetation are affecting the ability of Texas coast wetlands to absorb carbon dioxide. An increase in mangrove population is raising new questions for the team. Full Story
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For this week's nonscientific survey of political and government insiders, we asked about the nascent race for Speaker of the House, about the reorganization of the Senate, the influence of outside groups on lawmakers and about which chamber will be the friendliest to "hot-button" issues next year. Full Story
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Ken Armbrister, Gov. Rick Perry’s legislative director, said Tuesday that the governor told him he would run for re-election in 2014. But a spokeswoman for Perry quickly rebuffed her colleague's statement, saying no decision had been made. Full Story
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Nationally, the stage is set for tonight's town hall-style debate between President Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. At home in Texas, another debate rages over the Keystone XL Pipeline; eight more protesters were arrested Monday. Full Story
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When lawmakers decided to charge inmates $100 a year for medical treatments, they expected it to help plug holes in the prison budget. But critics of the new policy say the result is less health care for sick inmates. Full Story
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Two ideas are gaining momentum as Texas lawmakers consider ways to raise more money for road projects: raising the vehicle registration fee by $50 and dedicating the sales tax on car purchases to transportation. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry has compared Texas Medicaid to the Titanic, but economists and business advocates from both sides of the political aisle say Texas shouldn’t let the program sink just yet. Full Story
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Updated: As new details on Medicaid dental and orthodontic fraud investigations emerged at a House Public Health hearing on Monday, lawmakers warned that state agencies should not shirk responsibility. Full Story
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