Desalination has become a buzzword in water discussions around the state, amid concerns over future supplies. But tapping salty aquifers, or even seawater from the Gulf of Mexico, carries costs. Full Story
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Ted Cruz and David Dewhurst both addressed the Texas GOP convention Saturday, but the two Senate candidates offered a study in contrast. Cruz got a rock star reception. Dewhurst got booed after targeting his opponent. Full Story
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Texas Democrats made Gilberto Hinojosa their first Hispanic chairman Saturday, closing a convention peppered with questions about the viability of the party that once dominated the state's politics. Full Story
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There's something new in the Texas Republican Party platform: a call for a national guest-worker program. Full Story
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Our reports from the Republican convention in Fort Worth here, here and here, and from the Democratic convention in Houston here and here, Batheja on what the losers in the first round of the U.S. Senate primaries will do, Murphy compares campaign spending and results, Galbraith finds the state's cities raising rates for increasingly scarce water, Ramshaw on a California hospital company's past and its move into Texas, Aaronson maps food stamps and food insecurity in Texas, and Dehn's Weekend Insider looks at transportation funding and political conventions: The best of our best content from June 4 to 8, 2012. Full Story
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Courtesy of WFAA-TV in Dallas, here's the full video of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's speech Friday at the state Republican Party convention in Fort Worth. Full Story
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Rick Santorum avoided aggravating an already divided group of fellow Republicans on Friday night and instead regaled the crowd with tales of campaign misadventures and hopes for the party's future. Full Story
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Your evening reading: Dewhurst cheered, Romney jeered at convention; Castros, Parker hopeful about future of Democratic Party; Greens, Libertarians also meeting this weekend Full Story
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In initial results from the new State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, just more than half of students working on a ninth-grade level met the passing standards for writing, while 87 percent passed biology. Full Story
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Julián and Joaquin Castro and Houston Mayor Annise Parker — at the Texas Democratic Party's convention in Houston — have some ideas about what Democrats will have to do to be viable again. Full Story
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Retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison this morning delivered her final speech as an elected official before the state Republican convention. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, the audience didn't take kindly to her praise for Mitt Romney. Full Story
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At the state GOP convention, House Speaker Joe Straus said Friday he was confident he would keep his job for the next session. And he indicated that Republicans could hurt themselves if they focus only on demanding ideological purity. Full Story
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After some at the GOP state convention booed Thursday at Gov. Rick Perry's mention of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, he got a mostly positive reception Friday during his own speech. That wasn't the case for Mitt Romney, whose name drew jeers from the audience during a speech from Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Full Story
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Like the two major parties, the Libertarians and the Greens will also hold conventions this weekend. Neither party has primaries, so the conventions will decide which candidates will be their nominees for state and federal offices. Full Story
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Despite calls for accord, divisions appeared to define the first day of the state Republican convention. Full Story
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Texas cities have traditionally enjoyed lower water rates than most metro areas in the nation. Use this interactive to see how Texas cities compare in regard to water rates, single-family usage and weather. Full Story
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The drought has pushed Texas cities to raise rates to pay for new water supplies and to encourage conservation. But raising rates often triggers public resistance in a state that is wary of too much government. Full Story
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Conventions might not be absolutely necessary to conduct the state's political business, but they're important to the partisans who, just like other kinds of enthusiasts, find strength in numbers. Full Story
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A Juneteenth monument was built for the Capitol, but it won't be installed after all. Concerns were raised about the design of one of the statues as well as historical inaccuracies. A new monument is coming to the Capitol instead. Full Story
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Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie said that despite his disappointment in being unable to propel a candidate to victory in a statewide race, the party should reflect on its significant accomplishments. Full Story
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