The Brief: Aug. 5, 2011
Tomorrow's one of the biggest days yet of Rick Perry's career. But will the governor even show up? Full Story
Tomorrow's one of the biggest days yet of Rick Perry's career. But will the governor even show up? Full Story
Gov. Rick Perry is finally getting the kind of national spotlight he’ll need to run for president, but this weekend’s “day of prayer and fasting” rally in Houston may not be the kind of attention he was looking for. Full Story
In West Texas, the main concern is water. In cities like Houston and Fort Worth, clay soil is drying up because of the blistering summer heat, bursting water pipelines and splitting asphalt roads. Across Texas, the cause of these spiraling problems is the same: a nine-month drought that shows no signs of relenting. Full Story
Anita Perry first entered the national consciousness as the spur to her husband’s possible presidential run. But a different theme emerges when friends and associates talk about the wife of Texas’ 47th governor: She is not the type to draw attention to herself. Full Story
In an effort to make it easier for military and overseas voters to take part in elections, lawmakers may have killed turnout in primary election runoffs in Texas and increased the electoral power of organized groups like the Tea Party. Full Story
The daughter of a former Texas House speaker tops the latest round of campaign announcements. Full Story
Maybe it's the heat. Or redistricting. Or maybe Gov. Rick Perry's political hyperactivity is contagious. Whatever it is, candidates are popping up like it was Labor Day. Full Story
The announcement of a new online university for Texas, Western Governors University Texas, has united members of the higher education community who have recently found themselves at odds over the future of the state's colleges and universities. Full Story
An Austin judge ruled this week that the Texas Department of Public Safety overstepped its authority when it enacted tougher requirements for immigrants trying to obtain driver's licenses, giving immigrants' rights groups and some business leaders a glimmer of hope. Full Story
About two dozen candidates and political action committees have more than $1 million in their accounts, some of them much more, according to our analysis of midyear filings with the Texas Ethics Commission. Full Story
The vise squeezing Texas schools since the Legislature voted to remove $4 billion in state funding is getting a little tighter. Full Story
The insiders are more convinced that ever that Gov. Rick Perry will run for president. Full Story
About two dozen candidates and political action committees have more than $1 million in their accounts, some of them much more, according to a Texas Tribune analysis of midyear filings with the Texas Ethics Commission. Full Story
After more unabating triple-digit temperatures and continued skyrocketing power demand, the Texas electric grid operator warned of a "high probability" of rolling blackouts, although as of 5 p.m. the danger appeared to have abated. Full Story
Rick Perry, a state representative with multiple sclerosis and the spine surgeon who performed the governor's July 1 adult stem cell transfusion are laying the foundation for the commercialization of the controversial procedure in Texas. Full Story
Your afternoon reading: Perry pokes at Romney on health care; the governor's record on higher education; drought now worst in state's history, expert says Full Story
It’s official: Texas is now in the midst of the worst one-year drought on record, according to State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon. Full Story
DAY 4 of our month-long series on the effects of new state laws and budget cuts: Less financial aid will be available for college students in Texas. Full Story
Texas set another all-time record for electricity use on Wednesday, forcing the state's grid operator to declare a power emergency. Matt Largey of KUT News reports on the state power grid's struggle to keep up with the heat. Full Story
Revelations over a surgical procedure may shine an even brighter spotlight on the man who could be days away from announcing his run for president. Full Story