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  • Bill's Barack Problem

    By Ross Ramsey

    Ever had a date you didn't want to introduce to your mother? Bill White knows how you felt. The Democratic nominee for governor will campaign today in Midland, Abilene and Alvarado. Where he won't be is in Austin and Dallas, where Barack Obama, the leader of White's party, will be holding two fundraisers and giving a speech on higher education — and, it turns out, meeting briefly with Rick Perry to talk about border issues. It remains to be seen whether avoiding the president is a plus or a minus in what is already an uphill battle to oust a 10-year incumbent. Full Story 

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    Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman

  • Learnstrong

    By Reeve Hamilton

    Can a $3 million marketing campaign to promote higher education change the culture of a country-sized state in which just 27 percent of the population has a college degree or certificate? It worked for cancer ... Full Story 

    "Generation TX" stickers
    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • The End of Private Practice?

    By Emily Ramshaw

    Across Texas, hospital systems are scooping up physician groups and solo practitioners, scrambling to create the kinds of coordinated medical teams that federal health care reform puts a premium on. But some health care providers say the gold-rush-style push is an overreaction driven by fear of the unknown. Full Story 

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  • Working in a Bad Economy

    By Mose Buchele, KUT News

    As the nation’s unemployment rate hovers around 9.5 percent, the jobless are hardest hit by the poor economy. But as Mose Buchele of KUT News reports, the stress of working through the downturn is also taking a toll on those who have jobs. Full Story 

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  • Not Ready for Prime Time

    By Ross Ramsey

    There couldn't be more difference between the two candidates for an open spot on the Texas Railroad Commission. If you see them one after the other, it's hard to conclude that Republican David Porter is the better choice. He's timid, uncomfortable in public, shows no signs of leadership and has apparently been through a quick political charm school curriculum designed to make him risk-averse and to keep him from making a mistake that would put the seat in Democratic hands. Full Story 

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Ross Ramsey

    Thevenot on bogus public school accountability rankings, Garcia-Ditta on what locals think of increased patrols on the border, Stiles and Ramsey on where Kay Bailey Hutchison's donors have landed, Grissom on the pay gap between state and local police, Cervantes on how tweaks to the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder will impact Texas, M. Smith on the sinking prospects for an East Texas wetlands project, Ergenbright on the challenge of educating autistic children, Aguilar on efforts to legalize medicinal marijuana, Ramshaw on former foster children having trouble getting records from the state and Burnson on public health officials battling imported infectious diseases: The best of our best from August 2 to 6, 2010. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • Crossing While Contagious

    By Forrest Burnson

    The 1,200-mile border it shares with Mexico makes Texas one the most vulnerable states when it comes to imported infectious diseases. In a majority of cases, Customs and Border Protection officers are unable to detect these public health threats at ports of entry, according to a new Centers for Disease Control study. Full Story 

    Scene from the Laredo port of entry
    Credit: Marjorie Cotera

  • Digging Up the Past

    By Emily Ramshaw

    Young adults who age out of Texas foster care often request their records to reconnect with estranged siblings, to track down biological families or to understand what they endured. But child welfare advocates complain the state routinely denies these requests, saying the records can't be found or will take months or even years to compile — assuming they respond at all. State officials admit they have a large backlog but insist they've beefed up staff and are putting new policies in place to address it. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • TriBlog: Harris County Jail Controversy to Be Continued

    By Brandi Grissom

    It wasn't so much a grilling as a polite discussion this morning between Harris County officials and members of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. Despite continued overcrowding at the county's four facilities and ongoing concerns about inmate conditions, the county is expected in November to ask the commission for permission to continue filling the jails with hundreds of so-called "variance beds" — beds beyond the capacity for which the buildings were designed. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman