The two men battling for a spot on the Texas Railroad Commission go head-to-head — virtually — in the latest installment of our Face-Off video series. Watch as political novice and certified public accountant David Porter, a Midland Republican, debates Democrat Jeff Weems, an oil and gas attorney from Houston, on their respective qualifications for the job, whether there are enough pipeline inspectors and and the proper balance between environmental regulation and economic growth.
Elise Hu
Elise Hu was a political reporter at the Tribune, focusing on multimedia projects, from 2009 to 2011. She previously worked as the state political reporter for Austin's ABC affiliate, KVUE-TV, from 2006 to 2009. She was recognized by the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters three years in a row for her beat reporting on state politics and was named Best TV Reporter Who Can Write by The Austin Chronicle. Before arriving in Austin, she held reporting positions at television stations in Waco; Greenville, S.C.; and Columbia, Mo. She's an evangelist for social media and multimedia journalism — her Political Junkie blog was listed as one of WashingtonPost.com's top Texas political blogs. A native of Plano, she has a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri.
Posted inState Government
The Weekly TribCast: Episode 39
In this week’s episode, the TT podcast gang talks about Texas voting trends, the latest skirmishes in the governor’s race and the eligibility questions surrounding state Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
A Conversation with Harriet O’Neill
After nearly two decades on the bench, former Texas Supreme Court Justice Harriet O’Neill stepped down earlier this year. She talks with the TT’s Morgan Smith about her legacy and what’s next.
Posted in
Demographics
The Weekly TribCast: Episode 38
Evan returns for this week’s TribCast, in which the podcast gang takes up campaign finance, the Hispanic Republicans of Texas, Gov. Rick Perry’s taxes and the committee shakeup in the Texas Senate.
Posted in
State Government
“This Report Backs Us Up”
State auditors found muddled chains of command, missing files and a massive backlog of cases when they dug into the enforcement process at the Division of Workers’ Compensation, according to a report released Thursday. The findings support the claims of former employees who exited the division this year amid complaints of stalled action on dozens of cases against workers’ comp physicians accused of abusing the system.
Posted in
Demographics
The Weekly TribCast: Episode 37
In this week’s TribCast, Ross, Elise, Ben and Brandi discuss the issues framing Texas politics this week — education, immigration and campaign finance numbers.
Posted in
Demographics
Floundering and Flourishing
Depending on whom you ask, anywhere between 100,000 to half a million Juarenses have left Mexico since drug violence exploded in 2008. In a tragic irony, neighboring El Paso is flourishing economically as Juárez descends further into terror.
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State Government
TribBlog: New Doc at Workers’ Comp
After the exodus of at least half a dozen employees and swirling questions about its lack of enforcement against unscrupulous doctors, the Division of Workers’ Compensation has put a new man in charge of the investigations. The former executive director of the Texas Medical Board, Dr. Donald Patrick, started Monday.
Posted in
Demographics
HuTube: Perry on FOX Business
Gov. Rick Perry chats with the FOX Business Network’s Neil Cavuto about his latest poll numbers, the moratorium on deep water drilling and the cancellation of a Border Governors’ Conference that was going to take place in Arizona, until Mexican governors boycotted the meeting.
Posted in
Energy
How the Human-Powered Gym Works
At Texas State University, one 30-minute workout can generate enough electricity to power a laptop for three hours. Watch as the director of campus recreation explains how elliptical machines and treadmills are harnessed into alternative energy.
