An effort by Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, to require undocumented Texas students to pay out-of-state tuition rates sparked emotional debate in the Senate today, and forced Birdwell to pull the measure down.
Brian Birdwell
Posted in
State Government
Face Time
2010 didn’t turn out like it looked a year ago. Unexpected people showed up. The political environment bloomed red instead of blue. The Tea was strong. And big shots turned into paper tigers. Here are some of the political personalities who mattered.
Posted in
Demographics
Hosed in Waco
It was a bad Election Night for residents of the largest city in McLennan County. After years of regional dominance, their congressional seat belongs to Bryan, halfway to Houston; their state senate seat is 86 miles away in Granbury; and one of their House seats has moved three counties east, to Centerville.
Posted inState Government
Can We Talk?
Not to be-Labor the point, but on this Day when we pause to celebrate the men and women of Texas (and elsewhere) who work for a living, we thought we’d show off the sweat and toil of our crack interviewers. Nearly every Trib reporter has sat down with a few of the most interesting and newsworthy Texans over the last few months: current and former elected officials, authors and activists, operatives and candidates, and policy wonks of all types and stripes. Thus far we’ve conducted 37 so-called “TT Interviews” (a respectful riff on the Rolling Stone Interviews that many of us grew up reading) and presented them as audio, video, a transcript or some combination of the above. This non-narrative form is an effective and compelling way to tell the unfiltered stories of Texas politics, public policy and government; enjoy. And happy holiday.
Posted inState Government
2010: Democrat Withdraws From SD-22 Race
John Cullar, the attorney and former McLennan County Democratic Party chair chosen to run in the November general election against state Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, notified state election officials today that he is withdrawing from the race.
Posted inState Government
A Certified Texan
In the wake of a court ruling keeping state Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, on the ballot, lawyers for his Democratic opponent and the Texas Democratic Party are deciding whether to appeal to the Texas Supreme Court. But time is short: Today is the last day a candidate who is removed can be replaced.
Posted in
State Government
2010: Birdwell Will Stay on Ballot
Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, can remain on the November ballot, the state’s 5th Court of Appeals ruled this afternoon. Texas Democrats had sued to remove him, saying his vote in the Virginia elections in 2006 made him ineligible to serve in the Texas Senate.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Stiles on Bill White’s donor-appointees, M. Smith on a form of meritless lawsuit that’s still legal in Texas, Ramshaw on what federal health care reform means for the future of physician-owned specialty hospitals, Galbraith’s interview with the chairman of the Public Utility Commission, Philpott on the latest flap over federal education funding, Grissom on the finally-in-compliance Dallas County Jail, Titus on the oiled pelicans of the BP spill, Hamilton’s interview with the new chancellor of the Texas State University System, Ramsey on the political and legal definitions of residency, Hu on Barack Obama’s visit to Austin and Aguilar on what the U.S. could be doing to aid Mexico: The best of our best from August 9 to 13, 2010.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: Aug. 13, 2010
Falling behind on governor’s race drama? Don’t fret.