At this morning's TribLive conversation with three incoming members of the Texas House, state Rep.-elect Larry Gonzales, R-Round Rock, explained why being Hispanic and being a Republican are not incompatible. Full Story
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Hoping to see a debate between the candidates for speaker? A group of Tea Party organizations recently posed an identical set of questions to Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, and contender Ken Paxton, R-McKinney. The result is not really a debate, but it might be the closest we get. Full Story
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A new word cloud visualizes the bills filed so far according to their Texas Legislative Council assigned categories. After education, which accounts for more than a quarter of the bills, the top categories are elections, criminal procedure, vehicles and traffic, and taxation. Full Story
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Your afternoon reading: Cameron Todd Willingham, Deepwater Horizon and a rude post-holiday awakening for education employees Full Story
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Evan Smith interviewed Larry Gonzales, Paul Workman, and Jason Isaac at this morning's TribLive event in Austin. Full Story
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Already caught up in one fight, House Speaker Joe Straus now has another on his hands. Full Story
The Democratic congressman from El Paso on what life will be like with the Republicans in control of the U.S. House, why the information released by WikiLeaks shouldn't be public, whether we should be sending troops to Mexico and why Gov. Rick Perry talks so much about spillover violence. Full Story
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Lawmakers are waiting for Comptroller Susan Combs to forecast exactly how much money the state will collect between now and August 2013 so they can write a two-year budget that spends no more than that. It's not exactly like opening the envelopes at the Oscars, but the Capitol community will be hanging on her every word. If history is a guide, her estimate of revenues will be closer to the bull's eye than the Legislature's estimate of spending. But this is a dark art; accuracy can be elusive. Full Story
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Public health officials have been trying for years to get dirty syringes and the diseases they spread off Texas streets with needle exchange programs that allow IV drug users to get clean ones — and always they've come up short. Given November's election results, they fear 2011 may be no different. Full Story
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In this week's skirmish, we preview the session ahead with a last look at the speaker's race and a closer look at 2011's budget struggles. Full Story
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U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, who survived the GOP rout last November, didn’t mince words Wednesday when asked if he’d considering throwing in with the other guys. Full Story
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A wide-ranging coalition of education, criminal justice, religious and charitable groups today called on Texas lawmakers to use more than a machete to balance the state budget this year. Full Story
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Though graduation rates for community colleges are stagnant nationwide, a few Texas colleges have seen improvements. But don't go busting out the champagne just yet. Full Story
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Your afternoon reading: the Republican Caucus; Arizona-style immigration policy in Texas looks unlikely, a study says; and a bid to rename the Railroad Commission Full Story
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Thirty-six states' worth of nuclear waste has found a home — in Texas. Full Story
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The sixth annual Texas Transportation Forum was the largest yet, with contractors, state officials and others meeting to talk mobility in the state. Mose Buchele of KUT News reports on the added challenges they will face this year to keep Texas moving. Full Story
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Electronic textbooks are increasingly touted as an alternative to the more expensive traditional ink-on-paper variety. But how do lessons make the jump from the print to digital? Full Story
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The executive director of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department discusses the acquisition of a large piece of remote and rugged land along the Devils River; next steps for the bighorn sheep released in Big Bend Ranch State Park; the threats posed by invasive species like the giant salvinia, an exotic, rootless fern, and zebra mussels — and what the state's budget shortfall might mean for his agency and for the state's lands, waters, fish, wildlife and parks. Full Story
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The 112th Congress will convene Wednesday with new faces at the helm of a number House committees. Jennifer Stayton of KUT News talked with U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, who will take over as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, about the issues on which he expects to find bipartisan support, the assertion that Americans won't work certain jobs and why he supports a repeal of the new health care law. Full Story
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