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Griffin Perry

The latest Griffin Perry news from The Texas Tribune.

  • Who You Callin' a Trial Lawyer?

    By Reeve Hamilton

    In the early days of the general election campaign for governor, the Perry team has been shouting it from the rooftops at the start of every press release, no matter the issue at hand: “Liberal trial lawyer Bill White …” The Democratic nominee rejects that label, which has morphed into an epithet during years of poisonous tussles over tort reform. So is he one or isn’t he? More importantly, does it matter? Full Story 

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    Credit: Bob Daemmrich

  • 2010: Perry On "Worst" List

    By Reeve Hamilton

    Liberal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington calls Gov. Rick Perry among the "worst," throwing him in with scandal-ridden likes of Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina and New York's Gov. David Paterson. Full Story 

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    Credit: Marjorie Cotera

  • $153,800 Per Arrest

    By Brandi Grissom

    Gov. Rick Perry has invested $4 million in the Texas Border Watch Program over two years. Twenty-nine cameras have been installed on the 1,200-mile Texas-Mexico border, or one camera for every 41 miles of border. Internet viewers have helped police make a total of 26 arrests — that’s about $153,800 per arrest. Full Story 

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    Credit: Bob Daemmrich

  • TribBlog: Perry Finishes 23rd

    By Reeve Hamilton

    The #71 “Texans for Rick Perry” car driven by NASCAR racer Bobby Labonte finally had its day on the track in this afternoon's Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. Full Story 

    #71 "Texans for Rick Perry" car racing at the Samsung Mobile 500.
    Credit: Scott McKenney

  • Rick Perry: The TT Interview

    By Evan Smith

    A Newsweek/Texas Tribune exclusive: The governor talks about the Tea Party, his beef with the federal government, health care reform, the state budget, redistricting, and whether he plans to run for the White House himself. Full Story 

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    Credit: Bob Daemmrich

  • Rick Perry on Mexico

    By Evan Smith

    "The fact is, we shouldn't have to be doing anything. The federal government's responsibility has always been to operate the security mechanism along the border." Full Story 

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Ross Ramsey

    Grissom on the fall of Norma Chávez; M. Smith and Ramsey on the runoffs, the results, and the aftermath; Hu on the Tea Party's birthday party; Thevenot and Stiles on the path between schools and prisons; Ramshaw on prosecutors' reaction to helping hands from Austin; Hamilton on self-appointed lawyers; Galbraith on property rights and power lines; Aguilar and Grissom sit down with the mayor of Juárez to talk about his crime-ridden city; Kraft on telling the stories of Texans and other Americans who died in Vietnam; Ramsey on slots and horses and casinos; and Hamilton goes on a field trip with Jim Hightower to hear the history of populism. The best of our best from April 5 to 9, 2010. Full Story 

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  • The Last Populist

    By Reeve Hamilton

    Like his hero Little Richard, Jim Hightower knew how to scream and piss off the establishment. As a tour of his archives led by the man himself reveals, his is the story of a Texas-style progressive movement that peaked before the young Texans of today can even remember. Full Story 

    Jim Hightower viewing his archives at the Wittliff Collections.
    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller

  • The Middle-Finger Vote

    By Ross Ramsey

    It's embodied in the Tea Party movement, in this week's runoff election results from Lubbock and Plano, in last month's primaries, in Gov. Rick Perry's embrace of states' rights and the 10th Amendment, even in Barack Obama's campaign against the status quo in 2008. Voters are furious, and politicians are listening. Full Story 

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    Credit: Jacqueline Mermea

  • Fee for All!

    By Reeve Hamilton

    Every candidate vying for a legislative seat knows what lies ahead in 2011: a budget shortfall of at least $11 billion, probably higher, and state agency cuts to save as much of that amount as possible. But new revenue is a possibility as well, even if lawmakers are expert at the old sleight of hand, employing creative accounting and semantic trickery to avoid stepping on that political third rail, the tax hike. Full Story 

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  • TribBlog: Drop-Out Throw-Down!

    By Brian Thevenot

    Bill White and Rick Perry fought over the hotly contested high school drop-out rate on Tuesday. Is it 30 percent (White)? 10 percent (Perry)? Or, more likely, somewhere in between? Full Story 

    Rick Perry, Bill White
    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller, Callie Richmond

  • The Applicant

    By Emily Ramshaw

    Can an energy regulator who’s on the board of an entity he oversees make a play for the top job there? Industry and government sources say that’s what Barry Smitherman, the chairman of Texas’ influential Public Utility Commission, is doing, though Smitherman won't say whether he's in the running. Full Story 

    Barry Smitherman

  • 2010: HD-66 Special Election Set

    By Reeve Hamilton

    State Rep. Brian McCall, R-Plano, the soon-to-be Chancellor of the Texas State University System, resigned his seat at the end of last week. That means the voters of House District 66 have a special election coming their way . Full Story 

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