The Brief: Aug. 13, 2012
Intended to shake up the presidential race, the announcement of U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney's running mate has set Texas Republicans aglow. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., at the 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C.]()
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Long Shots Carry On Despite Stacked Deck
Two-thirds of the candidates for Texas House don’t face major opposition in November. Only about a dozen races are truly competitive, in the sense that either party might win. Full Story
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In Hard Times, Staffing at Schools Closely Watched
How school districts manage personnel costs will be increasingly monitored as debate over efficiency progresses — as will the ways they have coped with the loss of roughly 25,000 employees they shed before the 2011-12 school year. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman -
In South Texas, Looking to Mexico for Alternative to Abortion Clinics
Reproductive health providers in the Rio Grande Valley warn that women are turning to unregulated Mexican pharmacies for misoprostol, an ulcer drug that can also be used to terminate a pregnancy. Full Story
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![A pharmacy employee in Nuevo Progreso, Tamaulipas, holds a box of Cytotec. The medication is intended to treat ulcers but has been used by women as an abortion pill.]()
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Texas Weekly Newsreel: Guide to Texas Races
This week on the Newsreel, check out our guide to upcoming Texas political races. And, with the runoffs out of the way, lawmakers start talking about the session ahead — and the state budget. Full Story
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TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Aaronson and Aguilar on deferred deportation beneficiaries in Texas, Aguilar on Republicans and Latinos, Grissom and M. Smith on a move unlikely to improve frosty relations between two State Board of Education rivals, Hamilton on meningitis vaccines at Texas colleges and universities, Murphy on what each vote cost the winners and losers in last month’s primary runoffs, M. Smith on claims and counter-claims of flaws in standardized school tests, Tan on a legislator’s reaction to the Tribune’s request for his recent personal income tax returns, Grissom on lax security at the state’s juvenile prisons and Dehn’s Weekend Insider on meningitis vaccines and birth control on the border: The best of our best from Aug. 6 to 10, 2012. Full Story
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The Evening Brief: Aug. 10, 2012
Your evening reading: Perry to campaign for Romney at Iowa State Fair; San Antonio City Council approves Castro's pre-K initiative; UNT Health Science center may merge with university Full Story
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UNT Health Science Center May Be Combined With University
The University of North Texas System Board of Regents may be on the verge of combining the University of North Texas System Health Science Center in Fort Worth and its flagship institution, the University of North Texas in Denton. Full Story
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Advocacy Groups Don't Want GEO to Run State Hospital
A coalition of influential Texas organizations is pushing back against the proposed privatization of a state psychiatric hospital by GEO Care, a subsidiary of a prison operations group that has a troubled history in Texas. Full Story
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The Brief: Aug. 10, 2012
A Texas couple's mortgage has added another layer of complexity to Mitt Romney's much-debated business record. Full Story
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Private Space Industry Eyes State's Open Spaces
Home to NASA's Johnson Space Center, Texas is no stranger to the field of space exploration. But now the state could become a hub for a new space economy — one based in the private sector. Full Story
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![Jennifer White, a public relations liaison for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, looks over a map of Boca Chica Beach in South Texas. The map shows the protected area’s privately owned parcels; one could become a SpaceX launchpad site.]()
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When It Comes to Transparency, There's Room for Improvement
Lawmakers say they want transparency and that the public should be able to see their finances. But state requirements allow officeholders to report their financial interests vaguely enough to hide conflicts. Full Story
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![State Rep. Charlie Geren, the head of the House Administration Committee, wrote a letter to his fellow House members saying that they were "under no legal obligation"to accommodate a Texas Tribune request to submit three years of tax returns.]()
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Amid Lingering Drought, a Sweet Silver Lining
Triple-digit temperatures and parched lands may not be ideal for Texas farmers. But the dry conditions this summer have bestowed an unexpected gift on farmers' fruit and vegetable crops: enhanced flavor. Full Story
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Meningitis Vaccine Rules Could See Some Changes
In 2011, Texas became the first state to mandate that all students who come onto college campuses be vaccinated against bacterial meningitis. But even supporters may be pushing for a few revisions to the statute next session. Full Story
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![Medical assistant Patricia Jaramillo holds a vial of the meningitis vaccine, August 7, 2012 in Houston at Legacy Community Health Services. Each vial contains one dose.]()
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San Antonio City Council OKs Castro's Pre-K Proposal
An initiative from San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro that would direct a portion of sales tax revenue to fund full-day pre-kindergarten unanimously passed the City Council, leaving it for voters to approve in November. Full Story
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The Evening Brief: Aug. 9, 2012
Your evening reading: Sadler says campaign has new momentum in wake of Cruz victory; major Republican donor sues Dallas lawyer; firm disputes claims of flaws in state's standardized tests Full Story
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Weekend Insider: Suspicious Abortion Pills, College Meningitis Shots
Reporter Thanh Tan takes us to South Texas, where some women are relying on a medication they can purchase over the counter in unregulated Mexican pharmacies to end their pregnancies. Reeve Hamilton looks at meningitis vaccine requirements at colleges and universities. Full Story
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Updated Interactive: Executions Since 2001
With Tuesday night's execution of Marvin Wilson, Gov. Rick Perry has now overseen 245 executions. Use this updated interactive to learn more about the prisoners who have been executed since Perry became governor. Full Story
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![This gurney is used to perform executions at Terre Haute by lethal injection.]()
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Testing Firm Hits Back Against Claims of Flaws
After a UT-Austin professor's research suggested a flaw in the design of the state's standardized tests, an official with the testing vendor said the firm welcomes an "open dialogue" based on well-founded evidence — but not what he called "wild conclusions." Full Story
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The Brief: Aug. 9, 2012
Ted Cruz is already in, but the names of two other prominent Texans are conspicuously missing from the list of Republicans scheduled to speak at the party's national convention. Full Story
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Credit: Gage Skidmore / Ben Philpott
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