The Midday Brief: Top Texas Headlines for Feb. 28, 2011
Your afternoon reading: Pitts bill draws on Rainy Day Fund; forensic science chairman approved; freed man sues state of Texas Full Story
Your afternoon reading: Pitts bill draws on Rainy Day Fund; forensic science chairman approved; freed man sues state of Texas Full Story
Anthony Graves, who was freed from jail this year after spending 18 years behind bars for brutal murders he did not commit, sued the state of Texas today to officially clear his name and to force the Texas comptroller to pay him for the time he was wrongfully imprisoned. Full Story
The Senate Nominations Committee voted 4-2 today to recommend approval of the state forensic board Chairman John Bradley's appointment. Sens. José RodrÃguez and Kirk Watson voted against Bradley's nomination. Full Story
Corpus Christi's Flour Bluff ISD has blocked extracurricular clubs from meeting on campus to make sure it's complying with federal law after denying approval of a gay-straight alliance. Full Story
The deck may already be stacked against Tom Leppert. Full Story
In 2009, state Rep. Leo Berman's bills — like the ones restricting illegal immigrants to certain geographical regions and denying them access to higher education — failed to gain traction. But with a Republican supermajority now in control, this could very well be the session of Leo. Full Story
The growth of the state’s Hispanic population and the rise of immigration as a political issue put Texas Republicans in a tight spot — especially the ones with statewide aspirations. Full Story
For the latest installment of our nonscientific survey of political and policy insiders on issues of the moment, we asked whether lawmakers will finally approve new forms of gambling to soften the blow of massive budget-cutting. Full Story
State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, wants all presidential and vice presidential candidates to show their birth certificate to the Texas Secretary of State in order to get on the ballot. Full Story
Who would have thought that of all of the big, nasty, thorny things in front of the Legislature this year that redistricting might be the least dangerous? Full Story
Texans know Farouk Shami as a former long-shot candidate for governor, the head of a hair care empire, and the inspiration for perhaps the greatest campaign song of all time. Soon, Shami will add another job to that list: guest judge on Celebrity Apprentice. Full Story
Big D may need a new nickname. Despite a surging state population, the city of Dallas grew by a paltry 1 percent in the last decade — a rate lower than any of the 20 largest cities in Texas. Full Story
The best of our best content from Feb. 21 to 25, 2011. Full Story
No time to follow every twist and turn of the Texas Legislature? We've made it easier for you with our weekly recaps of the action under the dome. Full Story
Exiting Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert has released a lengthy (as in, more than three minutes) video on YouTube explaining why the Republican is running for U.S. Senate. Full Story
Your afternoon reading: Perry defends Wisconsin governor; terror suspect appears in Lubbock court; Leppert announces Senate run Full Story
It's official. Republican Tom Leppert, who stepped down as mayor of Dallas this week, told a Dallas TV station that he is joining the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in 2012. Full Story
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, the Republican Governors Association chairman, squared off with Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, the Democratic Governors Association chief, this morning. Here's the video, courtesy of Politico. Full Story
For our latest TribLive event, I talked about federal health care reform with state Rep. John Zerwas, R-Simonton, Anne Dunkelberg of the Center for Public Policy Priorities and Tom Banning of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians. Full Story
With the one-year anniversary of the BP oil-rig explosion approaching, Ian Crawford of KUT News spoke with Carter Smith, executive director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, about the state of the Gulf and why researchers may be studying its effects for decades. Full Story