Hu Tube: Behind the Bubbles
We debuted the Stump Interrupted series this week and I've received some emails about how the work is done. The short answer=not quickly. Full Story
We debuted the Stump Interrupted series this week and I've received some emails about how the work is done. The short answer=not quickly. Full Story
The SBOE's Don McLeroy might miss Rick Agosto more than he thought. Full Story
If Williamson County DA John Bradley is sick of the spotlight, then he got appointed to the wrong commission. Of course, many people would argue that regardless. Full Story
Experts from around the U.S. and Mexico are debating the War on Drugs and its affect on violence south of the border. Some of them wonder whether decriminalization is the answer. Full Story
Idea for seminars at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, the Baker Institute of Public Policy, and the Bush School of Government and Public Service: How do you fire a cheerleader? Full Story
The state is cracking down on officials who run afoul of election, lobbying and officeholder rules. Just ask Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole. Full Story
We've set up our first Twitter list, aggregating the feeds of 58 tweeting Texas elected officials Full Story
In keeping with our goal of making government data more accessible, we've created a simple application for searching fines issued by the Texas Ethics Commission. Full Story
Gov. Perry made a timely announcement today: He's proposing initiatives to improve mental health programs for veterans. Full Story
House Speaker Joe Straus' picks for the legislative committee that says whether the state should kill or keep state agencies: Reps. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, and Byron Cook, R-Corsicana. San Antonio attorney Lamont Jefferson, who's with the Haynes and Boone law firm, will serve as the House's public member. Full Story
Federal officials say Texas' testing standards in reading are below the “basic” proficiency standards — and that low bar means those passing the TAKS may not be as proficient as advertised. Full Story
Your afternoon reading. Full Story
With 220 approving U.S. House votes down and the U.S. Senate to go, healthcare reform is now closer to becoming a reality — but that’s no easy hurdle ahead. Full Story
What concerns me as a Republican is that the race for governor may be focusing too much on the personalities of the candidates and the highly charged nature of the race rather than the long-term vision and consequences. I worry that either candidate could win the race but lose the future — too much focus on the politics of the next year, rather than the policies of the next decade. Full Story
Remember VH1's "Pop-up Video"? We loved it, too. It inspired us to launch a new feature we call Stump Interrupted, a twist on the traditional stump speech. U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is the first to get the S.I. treatment. We take her seven-minute monologue from a Waco campaign event and put it into context. Full Story
Texas’ chain of inland checkpoints has created a border within a border, separating abused and sometimes undocumented children in counties adjacent to Mexico from services north of the invisible line. Full Story
Drugs are abundant in border communities. Poverty is rampant. Substance abuse treatment is scarce. What's a 16 year old to do? Full Story
The new University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll debuted this week with a survey that puts Kay Bailey Hutchison 12 points behind Rick Perry in the race for Texas governor, that says the Democrats are mostly unknown and trailing that perennial frontrunner, Undecided, and that finds the Maybe Race for U.S. Senate dominated by three candidates who are all, in turn, losing to Undecided. Full Story
Bill White is still running for the U.S. Senate, according to aides and to White himself, in response to a flurry of weekend rumors that he's switching to the race for governor. Full Story
Today in El Paso, County Attorney Jose Rodriguez announced he is running for the state Senate seat that Democrat Eliot Shapleigh is giving up. Full Story