The Midday Brief: Top Texas Headlines for Feb. 11, 2011
Your afternoon reading: Cornyn officially enters whip fray; Granger gets an audience with Hillary Clinton; Perry and Paul to address CPAC Full Story
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Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
The Brief: Top Texas News for Feb. 11, 2011
It's no Texas vs. the feds, but in Texas vs. Amazon.com, the state's latest high-profile battle of the wits, things just got testy. Full Story
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The Governor's Symbolic Cuts and His Real Ones
The proposed budget cuts Gov. Rick Perry laid out in his State of the State speech are more symbolic than lucrative and trivialize the cuts that are being made elsewhere in state services and programs. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Community Colleges Uneasy as Ax Hangs Over Health Benefits
The Legislature’s initial budget proposals to close four community colleges caught many lawmakers off guard. But what largely escaped their attention — the slashing of health benefits across all such institutions — concerns community college officials the most. Full Story
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![Brandon Demings sits in the Senate gallery on Community College Day at the Texas Capitol. He says students at Kilgore College are already feeling the pinch of state budget cuts.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
High Above the Dunes, Wind Turbines Sprout Along the Gulf Coast
The vast majority of the state's wind turbines have gone up in West Texas. But several big wind farms have recently begun operating in the general vicinity of Corpus Christi, and more coastal projects are likely on the way — to the distress of bird-lovers and the military. Full Story
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![Cows graze near wind turbines at an Iberdrola Renewables wind farm along the Texas coast.]()
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The Midday Brief: Top Texas Headlines for Feb. 10, 2011
Your afternoon reading: Cornyn eyes a leadership fight; House members call on prisons to release some inmates; and the Arts Commission's lost money Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in the House chamber of the Texas Capitol]()
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Texplainer: Will My Electricity Bill Go Up Because of the Blackouts?
Lots of Texans are asking that question in the wake of last week's electricity mess, and nobody's going to be happy with the answer, which is: "It depends" (if you ask the electricity industry); or "Yes" (if you ask consumer advocates). Full Story
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The Brief: Top Texas News for Feb. 10, 2011
Abortion sonogram legislation, which its author says will be the "strongest in the nation," took a step toward becoming law Wednesday. Full Story
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![Dr. Scott Spear, a pediatrician, testifies before the Senate State Affairs Committee on February 9, 2011]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
For Senate Democrats, Abortion Bill Reveals Split
Unlike the debate over voter ID, in which Senate Democrats stood united in their opposition, a combination of politics, religion and personal histories have made the sonogram bill more divisive in their caucus. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Texas Already Has a $10,000 Degree — But for How Long?
Gov. Rick Perry has challenged Texas universities to develop a bachelor’s degree costing no more than $10,000, books included. As it turns out, there already is a $10,000 bachelor’s degree here — and the Legislature may be on the verge of eliminating it. Full Story
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Electric Grid Readies for More Record Demand
The state's electric grid operator has predicted record electricity demand Thursday morning, just over a week after cold weather led to rolling power outages across Texas. But as Matt Largey of KUT News reports, grid operators say this time will be different. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
The Texas Tribune Weekly TribCast: Ep 66
This week's episode of the TribCast features Evan, Ross, Reeve, and Ben mulling over the State of the State, the new House committee assignments, and the politics of abortion. Full Story
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Census Bureau Releasing Texas Data Next Week
The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that it plans to release hard population totals and racial breakdowns for Texas next week, the first step in what could be a politically complicated redistricting process. Full Story
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David Dunn: The TT Interview
The executive director of the Texas Charter Schools Association talks with The Texas Tribune about how cuts in education funding will hit charter schools hardest, and how they can partner with traditional public school districts in "win-win"arrangements — like sharing facilities. Full Story
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Compare How the 2010 Candidates Spent Their Campaign Money
How did the candidates on the ballot last year compare in their political spending on advertising, polling and staff? Use our interactive bubble chart to explore category data released recently by the Texas Ethics Commission. Full Story
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![Gubernatorial candidates Rick Perry and Bill White spent more than any other candidates on the ballot in 2010.]()
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Advocates: Prison Health Cuts Will Prompt Lawsuits
Health care in Texas prisons is already so abysmal it borders on being unconstitutional, according to a report released today by the Texas Civil Rights Project. The cuts lawmakers are now considering, they said, will almost certainly spark lawsuits that could cost Texas more money than it would spend to simply improve the system. Full Story
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The Midday Brief: Top Texas Headlines for Feb. 9, 2011
Your afternoon reading: House committees announced; eminent domain bill moves through Senate; abortion sonogram testimony under way Full Story
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House Committees Named
Speaker Joe Straus appointed members to committees today, shuffling the assignments in a Texas House where one in four members is a freshman and where Republicans have a two-to-one numerical advantage. Full Story
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![House Speaker Joe Straus, R-Alamo Heights, in January 2011.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Doctor Loan Repayment Deal in Jeopardy
More than 100 Texas doctors made a deal with the state: For four years, they would practice in underserved communities and treat the neediest patients — in return for having their med school debt forgiven. But now state officials may be backing down from their side of the bargain. Full Story
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![Dr. Xavier Muñoz treats a patient in El Paso. Muñoz agreed to treat low-income, underinsured patients in return for having his medical school bill repaid — a program that could be eliminated through state budget cuts.]()
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Sonogram Bill Reworked
Even before state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, tweaked a bill requiring a woman seeking an abortion to have a sonogram performed, he said lawmakers and the media had misunderstood his intent. Full Story
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![Round Rock physician Dr. Matt Romberg testifies before the Senate State Affairs Committee on February 9, 2011]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera
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