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  • Coal Hard Cash

    By Nathan Bernier, KUT News

    On Monday, the U.S. Department of Energy announced more than half a billion dollars in funding for "clean coal" projects across the country. As Nathan Bernier of KUT News reports, a sizable chunk of that federal spending will land right here in Texas. Full Story 

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  • There Goes the Sun

    By Brandi Grissom

    In the tiny outpost of Marfa, residents who opposed the build-out of a massive solar power plant can thank the languishing economy for putting the project on hold. Tessera Solar has scotched plans to erect 1,000 three-story mirrored satellite dishes until further notice. Full Story 

    SunCatchers that Tessera Solar plans to install near Marfa.
    Credit: Tessera Solar

  • Sounding Off on EPA Regulation

    By David Martin Davies

    Texans are being asked to sound off as the Environmental Protection Agency considers regulating the dumping of coal ash. A public hearing on the issue will be held later today in Dallas. David Martin Davies of Texas Public Radio reports. Full Story 

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  • Battle Lines: Fighting the Power

    By Kate Galbraith

    Texas already harvests more wind power than any state in the nation, bringing the promise of clean energy to millions of homes and businesses. Trouble is, getting that power from remote, windy West Texas to the big cities requires a massive, $5 billion network of transmission lines — which property owners in the Hill County and elsewhere don't want in their back yards. As construction gets under way on the new lines, an army of lawyers and angry landowners is working to stymie the state's renewable energy plans. Part one of a three-part series. Full Story 

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    Credit: Brandon Cripps

  • Is the Governor's Race Really Tied?

    By Ben Philpott, KUT News

    A poll released Tuesday shows the Texas governor's race in a virtual dead heat. Conducted by the GOP firm Hill Research Consultants, it has Rick Perry leading Bill White 42 percent to 41 percent, with 14 percent undecided. Other polls this summer, however, have shown the governor with a much larger lead. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports. Full Story 

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  • T-Squared: My Q&A With "Al-Qaeda"

    By Evan Smith

    Last week, the Trib presented the Texas premiere of My Trip to Al-Qaeda, a new documentary that aired on HBO tonight. After the screening, I interviewed the filmmakers, director Alex Gibney and author and journalist (and Austinite) Lawrence Wright. Full Story 

    Evan Smith converses with filmmakers Lawrence Wright and Alex Gibney after the Texas premiere of "My Trip to Al-Qaeda" at the Blanton Museum.
    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller

  • 2010: A Dead Heat?

    By Ross Ramsey

    And now for something completely different: Rick Perry and Bill White are virtually tied in the race for governor, according to a poll done for Texas Watch by Republican pollster Hill Research Consultants. Full Story 

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  • Should Everybody Go to College?

    By Mose Buchele, KUT News

    Ask anybody — from the president of the United States to your high school guidance counselor — and you'll probably hear the same, seemingly obvious thing: Higher education is the key to financial advancement. But is everybody going to college a realistic goal? And would the world really be better if we achieved it? Mose Buchele of KUT News reports. Full Story 

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  • And They're Off!

    By Ross Ramsey

    The start of the 2010 election sprint finds Texas Republicans feverish: Even the sober ones think they could snatch up to 10 more state House seats. Democrats maintain they can still wrest majority control away from the GOP. Full Story 

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  • Steve Mostyn: The TT Interview

    By Elise Hu

    Already the state's single largest Democratic donor this campaign cycle, the Houston attorney has pledged to contribute at least $3 million to the party and its causes this year and has no intention of turning off the faucet. The man behind the Back to Basics PAC's "coward" ad sat down with the Tribune last week to talk about why he feels the need to give, the influence of money in Texas politics, how "trial lawyer" became a perjorative and what he really thinks of the Democrats' chances this fall. Full Story 

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  • An Accurate Reading

    By Ben Philpott, KUT News

    Rick Perry asserts the Texas economy is one of the strongest in the nation. Bill White eagerly points out what he says are the problems the governor conveniently overlooks. Who's right? Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune looks at how we stack up compared to other states — and our own history. Full Story 

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    Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman

  • Can We Talk?

    By Evan Smith

    Not to be-Labor the point, but on this Day when we pause to celebrate the men and women of Texas (and elsewhere) who work for a living, we thought we'd show off the sweat and toil of our crack interviewers. Nearly every Trib reporter has sat down with a few of the most interesting and newsworthy Texans over the last few months: current and former elected officials, authors and activists, operatives and candidates, and policy wonks of all types and stripes. Thus far we've conducted 37 so-called "TT Interviews" (a respectful riff on the Rolling Stone Interviews that many of us grew up reading) and presented them as audio, video, a transcript or some combination of the above. This non-narrative form is an effective and compelling way to tell the unfiltered stories of Texas politics, public policy and government; enjoy. And happy holiday. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • Contagious

    By Ross Ramsey

    The Labor Day start of the 2010 election sprint finds Texas Republicans feverish: Even some of the sober ones think they could land eight or nine or ten sets in the state House this year. Democrats aren't giving up, by any means — their optimists still think they can win the House away from the GOP. But a strain of the same virus that infected donkeys two years ago has now infected elephants. Then, Democrats were Wild About Obama and it drove their fall efforts and helped boost turnout in November. This year, it's the Republican version of Wild About Obama —and it apparently affects their enthusiasm the same way. With about two months left before Election Day, they're exuberant. Full Story 

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Ross Ramsey

    I hit the campaign trail with Rick Perry, E. Smith starts off the fall TribLive series by interviewing Attorney General Greg Abbott, Stiles on the most congested roads in Texas, Ramshaw's interview with former Dallas Mayor Laura Miller, Grissom on the perils of talking too much if you're the head of the state's jail standards board, M. Smith on Congressman Chet Edwards' fight for political survival in a Republican year, Philpott on counties worried the state's budget woes will trickle down, Hamilton on whether Texas should be in the movie-vetting business, Aguilar on a Mexican journalist seeking asylum from his country's drug violence, Galbraith on green energy and Texas college football, and excerpts from former Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby's new book, How Things Really Work: Lessons from a Life in Politics: The best of our best from August 30 to September 3, 2010. Full Story 

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