Skip to main content

All Coverage

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Ross Ramsey

    Adler's interactive multimedia feature on three decades of gubernatorial debates, Grissom on the other side of the judge sometimes called "Killer Keller" and on the state's new public defender for death row inmates, Thevenot on education "growth standards" that don't reflect student performance but do appear to inflate the rankings of the schools they attend, Smith and Hu on a briefly public battle between lobbyists and the abrupt end to that litigation, Hamilton on why the mayor of DISH is throwing in the towel, Aguilar on the former and future mayor of El Paso's troubled sister city of Juárez, and Reed on how many Bobcats and Eagles it takes to turn on a lightbulb. The best of our best from July 5 to 9, 2010. Full Story 

    Article thumbnail
    Credit: Graphic by Jacob Villanueva

  • TribBlog: Hate on Ice

    By Sarah Adler

    The Westboro Baptist Church, whose members believe God hates homosexuals, is planning to convey that message in protests at nine sites in the Dallas and Arlington area this weekend. One of the organizations the church plans to protest is throwing its own counter-fundraiser to buy an ice machine used to provide lunches for HIV-positive people. Full Story 

  • TribBlog: Not OK With the KKK

    By Elizabeth Titus

    University of Texas President Bill Powers has decided it's time to rid the campus of a name that is a reminder of white hoods and racist atrocities: Ku Klux Klan leader William Stewart Simkins. Full Story 

    Bill Powers speaks about budget cuts at The University of Texas on Tuesday, February 2nd.
    Credit: Jacqueline Mermea

  • Keller for the Defense

    By Brandi Grissom

    Judge Sharon Keller has been pilloried as the villain of the Texas criminal justice system, but supporters credit the chief of the state's highest criminal court with working to ensure fair trials for impoverished defendants. Full Story 

    Sharon Keller at the 2010 Texas Republican Convention.

  • How the Human-Powered Gym Works

    By Elise Hu

    At Texas State University, one 30-minute workout can generate enough electricity to power a laptop for three hours. Watch as the director of campus recreation explains how elliptical machines and treadmills are harnessed into alternative energy. Full Story 

    Article thumbnail

  • Faking the Grade

    By Brian Thevenot

    Last school year, the Texas Education Agency implemented a new “growth measure” purported to reward schools for improving student performance — even if they still fail state tests. The effect on state accountability ratings was immediate and dramatic: The number of campuses considered “exemplary” by the state doubled, to 2,158. But a new analysis shows the projections of future student success may be wrong as much as half the time. Full Story 

    Article thumbnail
    Credit: Graphic by Jacob Villanueva

  • Power From the People

    By Allen Reed

    Two Texas universities are building the biggest power plants of their kind in the nation, converting the sweat energy of exercising students into electricity to fuel their campuses. Full Story 

  • TribBlog: Another Roll of the Dice

    By Sarah Acosta

    It was more like a bidding auction today than a meeting of the Texas House Committee on Licensing and Regulation. Gambling advocates packed into three Capitol hearing rooms, and threw out number after number as they asked legislators — yet again — to consider the benefits of more gaming in Texas. Full Story 

    Article thumbnail

  • TribBlog: Getting Drunks Off the Road

    By Forrest Burnson

    The Senate Committee on Criminal Justice met today to talk about ways to stop Texans from getting behind the wheel after imbibing. Judges, police and even a third-time DWI offender told lawmakers some Texas drunken driving laws could use some stiffening, while other measures take punishment too far. Full Story 

    State Sen. John Whitmire speaks to reporters.
    Credit: Associated Press

  • Perry on Mending Ties with the Farm Bureau

    By Elise Hu

    After Gov. Rick Perry and Democrat Bill White each addressed a Texas Farm Bureau conference in San Marcos, Perry spoke with reporters about his relationship with the group, which Farm Bureau spokesman Gene Hall has described as "strained" after Perry vetoed an eminent domain bill in 2007. The group endorsed Perry's rival, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, in the Republican primary this spring, but its general election endorsement is still up for grabs. Full Story 

    Article thumbnail

  • Making Nice

    By Elise Hu and Morgan Smith

    A brief meeting in a judge’s chambers Wednesday cut short a brewing turf war between HillCo Partners and two former lobbyists it had sued after they quit and took a stable of clients with them. Full Story 

    Article thumbnail

  • Ante Up

    By Ross Ramsey

    The starting gun for the debate over gambling fires this morning: Gaming interests inside and outside Texas are asking lawmakers to expand legal wagering to include either resort casinos, slot machines at race tracks, or some combination. Full Story 

    Article thumbnail