Nearly a year after wildfires tore through Central Texas, Spicewood residents Melvin Pulver and Debbie Opdahl recount how Pulver survived the Pedernales fire Sept. 4 through quick thinking and a little luck.
Ben Philpott
Ben Philpott is a senior reporter for KUT-FM, Austin’s National Public Radio affiliate. He has been covering state politics and dozens of other topics for the station since 2002, during which time he has been recognized for outstanding radio journalism by the Radio and Television News Directors Association, Public Radio News Directors Incorporated, the Houston Press Club and the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters. Before moving to Texas, he worked in public radio in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, Ala., and at several television stations in Alabama and Tennessee. Born in New York City and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Philpott graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in broadcast journalism.
Posted inState Government
High Early-Vote Turnout Leaves Question Mark for Candidates
Polls open today for the state’s runoff elections. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, attention in the U.S. Senate race is still partly focused on last week’s higher-than-expected early-voting turnout, which could spell good news for either candidate.
Posted inState Government
Competitive Senate Race Draws to a Close
The race for the Republican nomination for Texas’ U.S. Senate seat wasn’t supposed to be a race at all. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, just days before Tuesday’s runoff election, the competition is tight.
Posted inState Government
TribCast: Runoff Politics and Paying for Public Ed
Ben, Ross, Morgan and Evan raise the curtain on Tuesday’s runoffs — with special attention to the U.S. Senate race — and the consider the disappearance of $300 million in public education funding.
Posted in
State Government
Unlikely Tea Party Candidate Challenges State Senator
State Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, expected a tough fight in the GOP primary for Senate District 25. But instead, as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, Wentworth has instead been tussling with a political newcomer who has broad Tea Party support.
Posted inState Government
Early Voting Under Way in Primary Runoffs
Early voting began Monday morning for the July 31 runoff. Every vote counts in an election with low turnout. Unless maybe you’re former state Solicitor General Ted Cruz. Ben Philpott reports for KUT News and the Texas Tribune.
Posted inState Government
Turnout Key in GOP Senate Runoff
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Ted Cruz will spend the month of July fighting to win the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. Turnout and campaign messages will play a key role in who claims victory.
Posted inState Government
Politics Seen in New Driver’s License Requirement
A law implemented in May requires individuals seeking a new driver’s license to show proof that they’ve lived in Texas for at least the last 30 days. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, some say the new protocol reflects an anti-immigrant bias among state lawmakers.
Posted inState Government
Hutchison “Enthusiastic” About Romney, She Says in Parting Message
Retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison this morning delivered her final speech as an elected official before the state Republican convention. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, the audience didn’t take kindly to her praise for Mitt Romney.
Posted inState Government
Straus Opponents Active at GOP Convention
House Speaker Joe Straus, booed at the Republican state convention two years ago, is bracing for another chilly reception from the GOP faithful on Friday.
