The Idaho Department of Education began the year by announcing a $20,000 initiative to fund hands-on gardening programs in schools across the state.
2015
Posted inState Government
John Cornyn Steps Up, Says He’ll Spare the Whip
In his first sit-down interview as the new Senate majority whip, Texas’ senior senator said President Obama isn’t engaged, Harry Reid is an obstructionist and Ted Cruz and he disagree over tactics, not ideology.
Posted in
State Government
Senate Could Start Fast — and With Fewer Committees
The state Senate will start the next session by cutting as many as one third of its committees — and the members of those panels could be named weeks earlier than usual.
Posted inState Government
New in TribTalk: Hall on Higher Ed; Nelson on Contracting
University of Texas System Regent Wallace Hall lays out his vision for higher education in 2015, and state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, weighs in on the contracting controversy dogging the state’s health and human services agency.
Posted in
State Government
Abbott Won’t Keep Longtime Texas Music Office Director
Since the Texas Music Office was established a quarter-century ago, the division housed in the Texas governor’s office has been run by Casey Monahan, a former music writer. But Gov.-elect Greg Abbott is letting him go.
Posted inState Government
TribCast: Runoffs, Record Votes and Printable Guns
Reeve, Evan, Ross and Morgan discuss the results of the latest round of elections, the fate of gubernatorial appointees in the new administration, plans to print guns at the Capitol, and what a record vote in the speaker’s race might reveal.
Posted in
Health care
Appeals Judges Grill Lawyers Over Abortion Law Provision
As they weigh the constitutionality of a Texas abortion law, federal appeals court judges on Wednesday challenged arguments presented by the state and abortion providers during more than an hour of tough questioning.
Posted in
Health care
Lakey Leaving DSHS, but Not Public Health
It’s official: David Lakey is leaving his job as the state’s public health chief for a new academic post. His move comes as lawmakers are considering consolidating the state’s health agencies, which could’ve meant changes for Lakey.
Posted in
Politics
Building the Foundation of Texas Conservatism
Its brand-new headquarters is almost done, and its influence on public policy in Texas — and nationally — cannot be denied. At age 25, the Texas Public Policy Foundation is the big kid on the block among Austin think tanks.
Posted in
Health care
Court to Weigh Texas Policies on Abortion and Gay Marriage
This week, a federal appeals court is set to consider two prominent Texas cases: a legal challenge to the state’s strict abortion regulations and an attempt to overturn the state’s longstanding ban on same-sex marriages.