Texas budget writers are hoping December will ring in stronger retail sales — after getting the news Friday that sales tax collections were down 14 percent from this November to last. The state’s economy is always a hot topic in the governor’s race. Ben Philpott is covering the Texas governor’s race for KUT News and the Texas Tribune. He takes a look at how the economy’s playing so far.
Economic Campaigning
Posted in
Criminal Justice
USDA Approved: Jail Construction
Some Texas sheriffs are looking to an unlikely source to get them out of the hole as private prisons win away federal contracts for inmates and put the financial squeeze on county jails.
Posted in
State Government
Advice for Annise Parker
Congratulations, Mayor-Elect. Now you get to govern a great city — Houston — that’s much bigger than the electorate and much more complicated than the campaign. Perhaps you’d like some aspirin? Or a re-count?
Posted in
Public Education
Does Texas Pre-K work?
One education model — with unproven results — serves almost a third of pre-kindergarteners in Texas. Its grade? Incomplete.
Posted inState Government
The Map to the Maps
Think of the long game instead of the short one. This election is the one that picks the people who draw the maps that corral the voters into the political districts that will elect state and federal legislators for the next ten years.
Posted inState Government
Dan Patrick on the Two-thirds Rule
The Republican state senator from Houston explains why the longstanding parliamentary tradition is “arbitrary” — and why his party should better exercise its power.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: What Fredo Learned
Alberto Gonzales — remember him? — in Esquire.
Posted in
T-Squared
T-Squared: Someday Your Print Will Come
You may now print our stories, blogs, etc. (You’re welcome.)
Posted in
Transportation
HuTube: Red Light Cam Story Near You
NBC-5 in Dallas used our data application for a story on red-light cameras.
Posted in
Health care
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Stiles and Babalola’s long-awaited red-light camera data app. Grissom’s two-parter on a powerful Texan’s quest to change the DPS report on the crash that killed his son. Ramshaw’s two-parter on transitional medicine. Thevenot on the charter school queue. And a ton of political news: KBH filed (but our TribCasters wondered about her path to the GOP nod); Debra Medina filed (and Hamilton tried to sort out what effect she’ll have on the race); Farouk Shami defiantly remained in the Democratic primary (but Hu couldn’t find evidence that he’d voted very often, let alone like a Democrat); and Rick Perry sent personalized messages to every Tom, Dick, and fill-in-the-blank. The best of our best from December 7 to 11, 2009
