As Gov. Rick Perry touts his tough-on-crime policies on the national stage, the case of Cameron Todd Willingham remains in the headlines. But Willingham’s execution is hardly the only controversial one Perry has presided over. Full Story
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Austin Democrats are pretty unhappy with the Republican Legislature’s redistricting maps, and Rep. Lloyd Doggett is the poster child for their frustrations. Their anger might save him. Full Story
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The pace of campaign news and noise has quickened, and Labor Day is traditionally the last week of semi-sanity in the political season. Full Story
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State Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, says he is filing papers to run for the CD-23 congressional seat now held by Republican Francisco "Quico" Canseco of San Antonio. And in El Paso, former City Rep. Beto O'Rourke says that he will challenge longtime U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes in the Democratic primary election next year. Full Story
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A comeback run, a couple of attempts at higher office, and a slew of challenges mark this week's campaign talk. Full Story
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West Texas is taking another blow with Rick Hardcastle's decision not to seek another term in the Texas House. Full Story
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Don’t look for the Legislature to get in the middle of Texas A&M University’s split from the Big 12 Conference. Twice in the last 14 months, House Higher Education Chairman Dan Branch, R-Dallas, has called a hearing about universities leaving the Big 12 Conference — and twice he had to cancel it because the timing was off. In the meantime, the conservative blogosphere let him have it. Full Story
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Hand a bunch of insiders a list of 31 senators and ask what's going to happen next, and you turn them into outsiders. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Attorney General Greg Abbott may well use a court ruling against the abortion sonogram law to their political advantage — to lure anti-abortion voters to the polls, and fuel their fire against so-called “activist” judges. Full Story
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Another month, another new traffic record for the Tribune. And we did it while sweating through the hottest August in Austin history. Full Story
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State Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, says he is filing papers this week to run for the congressional seat now held by Republican Francisco "Quico" Canseco of San Antonio. Full Story
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Your afternoon reading: Rick Perry vs. Clayton Williams on creationism; grid operator warns of outages under EPA rule; no "Texas miracle" on the border Full Story
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The Environmental Protection Agency said Texas "has an ample range" of ways to comply with an impending pollution rule, after the state grid operator reported this morning that the rule would badly strain the electric system. Full Story
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Mexican journalist Alejandro Hernandez Pacheco was granted asylum last week by the U.S. government. His attorney says it's a sign U.S. officials are no longer confident the Mexican government can protect its citizens from drug cartels. Full Story
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Texas' institutions of higher education are increasingly looking to outside sources for help tackling low graduation rates. This week, Complete College America announced a million-dollar grant to help Texas handle students who show up to college ill-prepared. Full Story
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Former city councilman Beto O'Rourke's decision to run is no big surprise. But it sets up another big political brawl in this city known for bruising Democratic melees. Full Story
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On the national stage, Texas' economy is its best selling point. But this so-called "Texas Miracle" doesn't extend statewide: In the border region, unemployment reaches as high as 13.2 percent, and the median income is 30 percent lower than the statewide average. Full Story
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Details of last weekend's pivotal closed-door meeting between Gov. Rick Perry and a group of high-power social conservatives have surfaced. Full Story
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A new report by a University of Texas associate dean on the way UT handles tax dollars finds that the institution "excels" in the area of efficiency. Full Story
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Religious conservatives spent hours with Gov. Rick Perry last weekend, questioning him on a range of issues, including his personal life. Perry, with his wife, Anita, at his side, promised that nothing in his past should worry them. Full Story
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