We’ve been waiting for it and wanting it for almost a year — and now the day has arrived. Finaliy, we’re launching a Trib-content-centric edition of the daily trivia game QRANK right here on our site.
T-Squared: Our Big, Fat QRANK Wedding
A Conversation with Jim Pitts
For our latest TribLive conversation, I interviewed the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee about the budget shortfall, the possibility of new revenue sources, whether Joe Straus will retaliate against members who opposed him and whether Tea Party threats should be taken seriously.
Jim Pitts on the Rainy Day Fund
The chairman of the House Appropriations Committee on what lawmakers should do with the Rainy Day Fund.
Oh, Kay!
Kay Bailey Hutchison pulled the trigger, announcing in a letter to her supporters that she won’t seek reelection in 2012.
TribBlog: Gohmert Takes His Shot
On Friday, U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, appeared on Fox and Friends to talk about why he believes, in the wake of the Tucson shootings, that members of Congress should be allowed to carry guns in Washington, D.C.
The Hispanic Paradox
Many of the longest lives in Texas are lived in an unlikely place: along the impoverished border with Mexico, where residents often live until age 80 and beyond. Explanations for this so-called “Hispanic Paradox” range from theories about differences in the diet, faith and family values of first-generation South Texans to suggestions that natural selection is at play in immigration patterns.
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
The Trib staff on the opening of the Texas legislative session, Hu on what actually happened on day one, C. Miller’s time-lapse photo essay, M. Smith on public school kids in the criminal justice system, Stiles and Chang interactively map legislative offices, Grissom interviews the chronicler of drug war killings in Juárez, yours truly on security at the Capitol, Galbraith on efforts by industrial plants to duck the battle between state and federal environmental regulators, Ramshaw on 25-year-olds cut out of federally mandated state health insurance, E. Smith’s news-making interview with House Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts and our guide to some of the people who might — and might not — run for Kay Bailey Hutchison’s seat in the U.S. Senate: The best of our best from January 10 to 15, 2011.
TribBlog: Abbott Blasts Feds After West Texas Shooting
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott accused the federal government of putting U.S. citizens’ lives at risk following a reported cross-border shooting Thursday in Hudspeth County. During the incident, first reported by the El Paso Times, at least one Mexican gunman allegedly shot toward Hudspeth County workers in rural West Texas who were doing maintenance on a desolate road.
TribBlog: Put Combs on Your List
If the lieutenant governor’s job comes open in 2014, Comptroller Susan Combs is interested. But that’s a long way off, she says, and everything has to line up just right.
The Weekly Recap: Jan. 10 – Jan. 14
No time to follow every twist and turn of the Texas Legislature? We’ve made it easier for you with our all-new weekly recaps of the action under the dome. Take a look back at the top political news from Jan. 10 to Jan. 14.



