The keepers of numbers over in the LBJ Building, north of the Capitol, have confirmed to lawmakers what they warned them about in 2006: The legislation that cut local school property taxes and revised the state’s corporate franchise tax didn’t balance, to the tune of $10 billion a biennium.
Pretty Good Forecasting
Posted in
Guides
Texplainer: Could Texas Fire Up Old Sparky?
The short answer is yes — and no. It’s still around, and would work if it was plugged in. But it can’t be used for executions in Texas anymore.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Last Words: “All Right, Warden, Let’s Do It.”
Before prison officials administer the lethal cocktail of drugs used to carry out executions, the condemned may say their final piece. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice keeps a record of these last statements.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Will Europe Thwart Texas Executions?
Texas has enough supplies of a key drug to carry out only two more executions. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is exploring its options, including what other states are doing. But the drug alternatives are limited and would most likely still leave Texas reliant on nations that oppose the death penalty.
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Health care
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
The best of our best from January 31 to February 4.
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Health care
The Week in Texas Politics Recap: 1/31 to 2/4
No time to follow every twist and turn of the Texas Legislature? We’ve made it easier for you with our weekly recaps of the action under the dome.
Posted in
Demographics
Mexican Reporter Asylum Case Postponed Until 2012
A final ruling in the case of a Mexican reporter seeking asylum in the U.S. with his teenage son has been postponed until 2012 after his attorney was subpoenaed to appear in federal court in an unrelated case and asked for a rescheduling.
Posted inState Government
The Midday Brief: Top Texas Headlines for Feb. 4, 2011
Your afternoon reading: abortion sonogram hearings set for next week; Anchia’s plum Super Bowl seat; and a Texas congressman’s own budget woes
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Guides
Texplainer: What’s a Tier-One University?
There’s no universal definition but essentially, the term refers to the country’s top research-focused universities. While there are specific benchmarks to be considered part of that group, some aren’t clear or rely purely on perception.
Posted in
Energy
Trip Doggett: Audio Interview
An audio interview with Trip Doggett, president and chief executive of the Texas grid operator, ERCOT
