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News For June, 2010

  • TribBlog: DREAM On

    by Julián Aguilar

    A new poll indicates that, despite continuing tensions over immigration reform, a majority in the U.S. support a path to U.S. citizenship for undocumented immigrants who come to this country as youngsters. Full Story 

    A boy waves an American flag at an immigration rally held in Dallas on May Day.
    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller

  • TribBlog: Nothing to See Here

    by Elizabeth Titus

    Federal and military officials say Texans needn't worry about 17 Afghan military trainees who disappeared from Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. Many of the Afghans, who were studying English, have been located — and they say none of them pose the national security threat U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and other lawmakers fear. Full Story 

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    Credit: United States Congress

  • TribBlog: Lawmakers to DFPS: Tell Us About Abuse

    by Emily Ramshaw

    The commissioner of the agency that oversees Texas foster children told lawmakers she regrets not telling them about a 2008 “fight club” involving developmentally disabled girls. She said the agency is moving quickly to address abuse and neglect inside Daystar Residential Inc. Full Story 

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    Credit: Nick de la Torre / The Houston Chronicle

  • EPA to TCEQ: Step Off

    by Ben Philpott, KUT News

    The Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t think Texas is doing enough to keep its air clean, so today the agency is expected to tell the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that the feds will take over air quality permitting for about 39 plants. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports. Full Story 

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  • Oil and Water and Hurricanes

    by Ben Freed

    The National Weather Service is expected to upgrade Tropical Storm Alex by the end of the day, kicking off an Atlantic hurricane season that will be different from previous ones in the Gulf of Mexico because of — you guessed it — that pesky leaking oil off the Louisiana coast. Ben Freed of KUT News Radio reports. Full Story 

  • Last Call

    by Ross Ramsey and Matt Stiles

    Tonight is the legally imposed reporting deadline for the next round of campaign finance reports, which is big deal for two reasons: Candidates want to show momentum and credibility at mid-year, and they love having an excuse to ask supporters to pony up before the clock strikes midnight. Hurry, hurry, hurry! Full Story 

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  • Down in the Valley

    by Julián Aguilar

    Last week State Rep. Tara Rios Ybarra, D-South Padre Island, was indicted on charges she engaged in Medicaid fraud — the second House member from South Texas to be indicted in less than a year. But their colleagues insist that such corruption isn't a regional thing, no matter what the stereotype suggests. Full Story 

    Tara Rios-Ybarra

  • Con Jobs

    by Emily Ramshaw, The Texas Tribune, and Terri Langford, Houston Chronicle

    Criminal records don't always exclude job applicants from working with the most vulnerable foster care children, according to a Texas Tribune/Houston Chronicle investigation. At Daystar Residential Inc., where workers forced developmentally disabled girls to fight each other, dozens made it through the state's background check process in the last three years despite records of arrests. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Jacob Villanueva

  • Katherine Youngblood Glass: The TT Interview

    by Julián Aguilar

    The Libertarian Party's gubernatorial candidate talked to the Tribune on Friday about why more Texans should be armed, why same-sex unions should be allowed and her admittedly slim chances of dethroning Gov. Rick Perry. Full Story 

    Katherine Youngblood Glass
    Credit: Katherine Youngblood Glass for Texas Governor on Facebook

  • A Slippery Slope

    by Ben Philpott, KUT News

    The fallout over the BP oil leak has Texas Democrats at odds over deep sea drilling: Environmentalists have called for a permanent ban, but the party’s candidate for governor, Bill White, opposes the idea. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune has this report. Full Story 

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  • Marketing Murderabilia

    by Sarah Acosta

    Ted Bundy’s fried hair. Sperm from college campus shooter Wayne Lo. Dirt from the crawl space where John Wayne Gacy stored 26 bodies. All are collectors’ items in the macabre world of murderabilia. The more infamous the killer, the bigger the price tag — at least for now. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and a Houston city official are working to exterminate the industry they say allows murderers and rapists to make money from their crimes. Murderabilia peddlers insist they operate in good taste. “We don't push this into anyone's face,” says the owner of murderauction.com. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Jacob Villanueva