The Midday Brief: October 21, 2011
Your afternoon reading: Mitt Romney swings at Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann staffers quit in New Hampshire, and Ron Paul makes a big ad buy. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Bob Daemmrich / Gage Skidmore / Todd Wiseman -
Maurice Sherif: The TT Interview
The French photographer on why he documented the construction of the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, and what he learned as he trekked through four states photographing the multi-billion dollar effort. Full Story
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Tackling the Teen Pregnancy Crisis
Health educators and advocates gathered at the Capitol yesterday to talk about what they call the problem of teen pregnancy in Texas. The state has the third highest teen birth rate in the nation, and the second highest rate of repeat teen pregnancy. As KUT’s Matt Largey reports, it’s also an expensive problem for taxpayers. Full Story
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The Brief: October 21, 2011
Today Rick Perry will visit the power hub of the city he hopes to call home for at least four years. Full Story
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Despite Lingering Concerns, Wind Power Transmission Lines Go Up
Workers are stringing thousands of miles of wires across Texas to aid the wind-power boom, despite lingering controversy — and an estimated cost of $6.8 billion. West Texas businesses have found a niche providing for workers. Full Story
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![Near Sweetwater, construction is complete on transmission lines that will connect windy regions of the state to its population centers. The total cost of all the lines throughout Texas is estimated at nearly $7 billion.]()
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From Botched Morton Case, Hope Emerges in Cold Murder Inquiry
Jesse and Caitlin Baker recently learned of the most dramatic development in the mystery of their mother's murder in nearly two decades of probing for clues. The DNA discovery has prompted new hopes for long-awaited answers. Full Story
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Super Pacs and the Rise of the Non Campaign
Super PACs are a dream for the sort of person who likes being a political worker but hates the candidates: it will soon be possible to run a campaign without dealing with an actual contender. Full Story
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Private Sector Continues to Create Jobs in Texas
Texas added 15,400 new jobs last month, according to statistics released today by the Texas Workforce Commission. The Texas unemployment rate, which increased over the last three months, remained steady in September at 8.5 percent. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / www.sxc.hu -
Inside Intelligence: Presidential Report Card
Our insiders are watching their governor closely, and half of the people who've been watching him the longest — and professionally, at that — say he's not doing as well in the presidential campaign as they expected. That said, they're not writing him off. Full Story
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Campaign Chatter
Collin County's Republican primary for the state Senate is going to be very interesting. Full Story
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A Fight Outlasts the Proposal that Sparked It
A recurring theme questioned the status quo of the boards that govern higher education at this week’s day-long meeting of the Joint Oversight Committee on Higher Education Governance, Excellence, and Transparency: Are the boards that govern higher education due for more restrictive conflict-of-interest policies? Full Story
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Looking for Friendly (Local) Faces
In the Texas press corps, the natives are getting restless. Full Story
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Things to Do: The House's Interim Charges
The House's interim charges are out, starting with instructions to everyone to consider ways to improve the state's manufacturing capability and increase the "transparency, accountability, and efficiency" in state government. Full Story
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![House Speaker Joe Straus, R-Alamo Heights, in January 2011.]()
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Soapbox: No Better Care, Thanks to Tort Reform
The sweeping medical lawsuit reforms of 2003 had two demonstrable effects: Doctors, hospitals and malpractice insurers got richer; and many contingent fee lawyers were put out of business. Which was exactly what proponents of the reforms wanted. Full Story
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Soapbox: Better Care, Thanks to Tort Reform
Since the passage of sweeping medical lawsuit reforms in 2003, liability insurance rates have plummeted, doctors have flocked to our state in record numbers and nursing homes and hospitals are again operational. That's good for patients — and good for Texas. Full Story
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TribLive: Combs on 82nd Session Budget Cuts
At this morning's TribLive conversation, Comptroller Susan Combs talked about the billions cut from the state budget during the last legislative session — and whether kicking the can down the road on health care costs was a sound financial decision. Full Story
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TribLive: Combs on the Texas Economy
At this morning's TribLive conversation, Comptroller Susan Combs talked about the health of the Texas economy — and whether unemployment creeping up is cause for concern. Full Story
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Straus Releases Interim Charges for House Committees
House Speaker Joe Straus has released the interim charges that will direct the work of the lower chamber's legislative committees for the next 11 months — and lawmakers will be busy. Full Story
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Weekend Insider: Super PAC Influence, Wind Power Challenges
In this edition of the Texas Tribune Weekend Insider, executive editor Ross Ramsey talks about the influence super PACs have on political campaigns, and reporter Kate Galbraith explains the challenges Texas faces with its wind power boom. Full Story
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TribLive: Combs on Abortion and Family Planning
At this morning's TribLive conversation, Comptroller Susan Combs talked about her late-in-life switch from pro-choice to pro-life and the impact of cutting family planning funding. Full Story
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