UPDATED: State Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, who has alleged election fraud in his March primary loss, announced Thursday that he was dropping his bid to access mail-in ballot applications as part of a lawsuit.
Alana Rocha
Alana Rocha was the director of news partnerships for The Texas Tribune until June 2022. She was previously a multimedia reporter, after working in television and radio news for eight years. Alana covered politics for stations in Florida, Kansas and Texas and traveled the country reporting from the 2012 and 2016 presidential campaign trails. She was the lead reporter on several award-winning projects and launched “The Brief,” a daily audio update. A native of Tampa, Florida, Alana received bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Spanish from the University of Florida.
Posted in
Politics
In HD-53’s GOP Runoff, Debate Shifts Sharply
Andrew Murr and Rob Henneke are facing off in the GOP runoff in the race to succeed state Rep. Harvey Hilderbran, R-Kerrville. The conversation in the race has shifted as each tries to stand out as the conservative choice.
Posted in
State Government
Tax Collection Moves Forward Despite BLM Dispute
While the federal Bureau of Land Management spends the next several years figuring out whether it owns some 90,000 acres of land along a 116-mile stretch of the Red River, landowners will continue paying taxes, at least for now.
Posted in
Politics
Video: Perry Talks 2016 on “Meet the Press”
In an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Gov. Rick Perry acknowledged that his failed 2012 bid for president was a “botched” attempt, but said, “I think America is a place that believes in second chances.”
Posted in
Energy
Video: Landowners Voice Concerns on BLM Issue
As a federal agency decides what to do with the 90,000 acres it says it controls along a 116-mile stretch of the Red River, Texans who have been managing land in the area say they feel paralyzed.
Posted in
State Government
State Officials, Lawmakers Take Aim at BLM Dispute
After a presentation in Clay County on Red River land that’s the subject of a dispute with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Texas officials and lawmakers on Monday sought to reassure Texans who have managed some of the land for decades.
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State Government
Drug Testing for Unemployed Texans is Still Months Away
It will be months before the state can begin drug testing certain unemployment insurance benefit applicants, and some Texas lawmakers and business leaders are frustrated with the delay.
Posted inState Government
Will the Real Democrat for Ag Commish Please Stand Up?
Also, Burnam has not yet begun to fight and Villalba gets on the Straus train early.
Posted inState Government
Judge Denies State Rep’s Request for Voting Records
UPDATED: In a court hearing Friday, a district court judge rejected state Rep. Lon Burnam’s petition to obtain voting documents related to last month’s primary. Earlier this week, Burnam filed a lawsuit alleging his opponent — who defeated Burnam in last month’s Democratic primary — violated Texas election law.
Posted inState Government
Video: Wendy Davis Talks Equal Pay, Gender Equity
Here’s full video of state Sen. Wendy Davis’ speech in Austin on Monday about equal pay and gender equity in the workplace — an issue she’s made a centerpiece of her gubernatorial campaign.
