The Midday Brief: Aug. 6, 2010
Your afternoon reading. Full Story
Your afternoon reading. Full Story
Pop quiz: Which elected official's spokesman argued that their workload "may not be evident through a simple review of listings on a calendar"? Full Story
With a friend like the federal government, who needs enemies? Full Story
The 1,200-mile border it shares with Mexico makes Texas one the most vulnerable states when it comes to imported infectious diseases. In a majority of cases, Customs and Border Protection officers are unable to detect these public health threats at ports of entry, according to a new Centers for Disease Control study. Full Story
Young adults who age out of Texas foster care often request their records to reconnect with estranged siblings, to track down biological families or to understand what they endured. But child welfare advocates complain the state routinely denies these requests, saying the records can't be found or will take months or even years to compile — assuming they respond at all. State officials admit they have a large backlog but insist they've beefed up staff and are putting new policies in place to address it. Full Story
Democratic officials in Senate District 22 got together in a Hillsboro restaurant Thursday evening and nominated John Cullar to run for the state Senate seat now held by Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury. Full Story
Texas will sue the federal government, yet again, if Texas-specific requirements are not removed from budget legislation that passed the U.S. Senate today, according to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. Full Story
For his latest attack on Gov. Rick Perry, challenger Bill White has found the perfect messenger: Todd Rundgren. Full Story
Your afternoon reading. Full Story
It wasn't so much a grilling as a polite discussion this morning between Harris County officials and members of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. Despite continued overcrowding at the county's four facilities and ongoing concerns about inmate conditions, the county is expected in November to ask the commission for permission to continue filling the jails with hundreds of so-called "variance beds" — beds beyond the capacity for which the buildings were designed. Full Story
Go ahead and quit while you're behind, Gov. Rick Perry is telling challenger Bill White for the second time. Full Story
The author and former security guard at the Port Isabel detention center for illegal immigrants talked with the Tribune last week about the torture, sexual abuse and drug smuggling he says he witnessed there. Full Story
At today's hearing of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, Sheriff Adrian Garcia will be grilled about efforts to control overcrowding at Harris County's four jail facilities, which have seen a dramatic population spike. At the urging of Houston lawmakers, Garcia will be pressed to explain why he wants to keep housing more inmates than the facilities can accommodate, and why some recommendations by the county's own consultant for ways to reduce its jail population have gone unheeded. Full Story
For nearly a decade, advocates of expanded use of medical marijuana have been spurned by the Texas Legislature — but giving up isn't how they roll. So they're trying again with a limited proposal. Full Story
For the second time, Gov. Rick Perry is calling on his Democratic opponent, Bill White, to drop out of the race. Full Story
Former State Rep. Pat Haggerty was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in San Diego on Saturday after failing a sobriety test at a police checkpoint. State Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, was in the car with Haggerty when the driver was allegedly operating a rental car with a blood-alcohol level exceeding the .08 state limit. Full Story
Your afternoon reading. Full Story
"Static kill" has emerged as an early candidate for term of the year. Full Story
After a decade in which Texas has seen a 400 percent increase in the number of children with autism, lawmakers are wrestling with how best to educate the afflicted — and how to pay for it. Full Story
Our remarkable crop of summer interns — optimistic and high-spirited at a low moment for our business — are the future of this thing we do. Their schools should be proud of what they accomplished over the last two months. They themselves should be. We certainly are. Full Story