In an uncharacteristically angry letter written as the Women's Health Program circles the drain, the state health commissioner is blasting the Obama administration's argument that Texas can't exclude Planned Parenthood clinics. Full Story
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Lawmakers have approved carving prescription drugs into Medicaid managed care to save Texas money — an estimated $100 million over the next biennium. But pharmacists worry lower reimbursement rates will drive them under. Full Story
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As legislative races across the state take shape, education funding has been thrust into the spotlight. Full Story
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The four-year graduation rates at Texas' public universities are staggeringly low. State officials acknowledge the numbers are dismal and are working to improve them. But not all higher ed leaders buy into the notion that such metrics matter. Full Story
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Texas rice farmers near the Gulf Coast are anxiously awaiting word on whether they'll get water from the Lower Colorado River Authority for a rice crop this spring. The LCRA says the farmers' prospects are not good — which will relieve other Texans who also have a stake in the water. Full Story
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Last March, 13,000 protesters met in Austin to protest cuts to public education in what organizers called one of the biggest Capitol rallies in state history. This month, as Nathan Bernier of KUT News reports, the same group of activists, Save Texas Schools, plans to do it again. Full Story
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As more than 500 school districts sue the state over how it funds its public schools, Texas lawmakers announced today they would form an interim committee to study school finance. Full Story
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Your evening reading: new Paul ad slams Republican rivals, including Romney; high school association criticized for denying Jewish day school's shot at title; Cruz video hits "timid career politician" Dewhurst Full Story
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Evan, Ross, Reeve and Ben talk about the legacy of Ron Paul, the ramifications of the state's new political maps, and a Texas lawmaker's contingency plans for an asteroid attack. Full Story
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A joint interim committee is charging ahead in the state's effort to persuade the federal government to give it more flexibility to run its Medicaid program. Full Story
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Lloyd Doggett is moving again, and has a new Democratic opponent in Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector Sylvia Romo. That's just the start of a busy week on the campaign trail. Full Story
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GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul is out with a new ad today attacking all three of his rivals: "serial hypocrite" Newt Gingrich, "counterfeit conservative" Rick Santorum and "flip-flopper" Mitt Romney. Full Story
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The latest school finance lawsuit following the state's $5.4 billion cut to public schools suggests that schools need more competition. Full Story
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In a new video, GOP U.S. Senate candidate Ted Cruz is posing the race as a choice between a "strong conservative" (that would be him) and "timid career politician" David Dewhurst. Full Story
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Texas' map-making maelstrom has come to an end, at least for now. Full Story
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Police never identified the tall, thin, long-haired man who more than 20 years ago beat Debi Scott with a rotten log as she slept. She thinks her attacker was probably Mark Norwood, who is in Williamson County Jail awaiting trial on a murder charge. Full Story
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As the Republican Party inches toward selecting a presidential nominee, another group is working to add an independent candidate to the ballot in all 50 states. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, the group doesn't want to be called a third party. Full Story
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In a new campaign video, David Dewhurst assails Ted Cruz, his rival in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate, over the donations his law firm has made to Democrats — including Barack Obama. Full Story
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Your evening reading: court delivers redistricting maps, in time for May 29 primary; seven Texans indicted in massive health care fraud case; Railroad Commission elects new chairman Full Story
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The Legislature's ranking public health leaders praise the success of the Women's Health Program. But they won't let Planned Parenthood participate in order to save the program from extinction. Full Story
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