TribBlog: Sparking an Apology
They're sorry, folks. Spark Energy says it's sincerely sorry for causing such a literal roar at this morning's inauguration ceremony. Full Story
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![Spark Energy's banner that flew low above the Texas inauguration on Jan. 18, 2011.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmerich -
Who's on Texas Monthly's Power List?
An early look at the 25 people the magazine deems the most powerful in Texas. Full Story
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TribBlog: Scrounging for Cash
The Legislative Budget Board has begun distributing (to legislators — not to the public) its recommendations for how to save money and raise money to help balance the 2012-13 state budget. They plan to distribute copies of the budget itself (again, to lawmakers only) later tonight, and all of the documents will be available online to the public tomorrow morning. The details are still coming in, but here are some of the headlines from the LBB's Government Effectiveness and Efficiency Recommendations. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Ben Hasson -
TribBlog: Are Tax Holidays Over?
The Legislature's starting budget will apparently include proposals to cancel popular back-to-school sales tax holidays, cut discounts for retailers who remit sales taxes early, allow sales of liquor on Sundays to increase revenue from taxes on alcohol, cut the state's subsidy of dependent insurance premiums for state employees and lower the tax breaks for energy companies that take on certain high-cost gas drilling projects, sources say. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Ben Hasson -
TribBlog: Grin and Beer It
As the inauguration parties kick off with a big party for lawmakers sponsored by the beer lobby, we looked into just how much Texans love their brewsky. Full Story
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TribBlog: Bills Get Social
HJR 51 hasn't had a committee hearing, and was only filed Jan. 4, but it already has 111 Facebook friends and hundreds of Twitter followers. As lawmakers scramble in the coming months to push their legislation through the Lege, expect more and more bills to get their own social media presence. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
On the Records: Inaugural Word Clouds
Texans heard from two familiar pols today: Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. We turned their prepared remarks into word clouds to help visualize the tone and rhetoric of their inaugural speeches at the Capitol. Full Story
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![Word cloud of Rick Perry's prepared remarks for his inauguration as Governor.]()
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The Midday Brief: Jan. 18, 2011
Your afternoon reading: inauguration coverage, corporate sponsorship and conservatives on spending cuts Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
TribBlog: Rick Perry's Inauguration Speech
The full text of Gov. Rick Perry's inauguration speech, as written. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmerich -
TribBlog: David Dewhurst's Inauguration Speech
Here's the full text of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's inauguration speech, as written. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
TribBlog: Perry's Third Inauguration Liveblog
Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry is set to be sworn in for an unprecedented third term, and a good-sized crowd has turned out for the festivities (and free barbecue). Stay with us for updates from the speech and swearing-in at the Capitol. Full Story
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![Reporters at Gov. Rick Perry's 2011 inauguration.]()
Credit: Elise Hu -
T-Squared: Bound for Bigger Things
Say it ain't so: Elise Hu, one of the Trib's best and brightest, is leaving us for NPR. Full Story
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Credit: Jake Holt -
The Brief: Jan. 18, 2011
During today's inauguration festivities, expect less pomp and more circumstance. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Back to Basics
As be begins his second decade as governor, Rick Perry's plan is to deal with the basics: to make sure the state is on a smooth economic path, to pass a balanced state budget, to coax the federal government into loosening its purse strings and tightening its security on the Mexican border. Full Story
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Credit: Justin Dehn -
A Tale of Two States
Residents of Hidalgo and other nearby counties live to be 80 years old, two years longer than the Texas average. Meanwhile, in parts of East Texas, residents live much shorter lives. Full Story
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The Looming Cuts
With some top state leaders warning that Texas' dire fiscal situation will lead to the loss of several thousand state jobs, House budget writers will release their first draft budget today. As Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, big job cuts may be just the beginning. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
The Midday Brief: Jan. 17, 2011
Your afternoon reading: a resignation and an endorsement in the Senate race; Rick Perry and the gift of the EPA Full Story
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TribBlog: Michael Williams Will Resign to Run
Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams will resign this week, allowing him to work full time on a race for U.S. Senate — and to avoid a potentially bruising legislative fight over the future of his agency. Full Story
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2012: H.W. Bush Backs Roger Williams
The race to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison may only be days old, but at least one candidate in the crowded field is already pulling out the big guns. Full Story
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The Brief: Jan. 17, 2011
At Gov. Rick Perry's swearing-in tomorrow, look for signs. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman
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