The Department of Public Safety, which is struggling financially, is planning to use $16 million of the federal stimulus dollars that Gov. Rick Perry begrudgingly accepted to plug a hole in the border security budget. The decision follows a mandate by Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and House Speaker Joe Straus that state agencies cut 5 percent out of their budgets to meet an anticipated shortfall.
David Dewhurst
Posted in
State Government
The Brief: January 18, 2010
Debra Medina has a dream — and it’s not just to bring a gun into a grocery store.
Posted in
Economy
TribBlog: Snip, Snip
No surprise here, but still: State leaders want state agencies to cut five percent from their current budgets “due to the uncertainty of the state’s short-term economic future, as well as potentially substantial long-term costs associated with the passage of federal legislation currently being debated in Washington, D.C.”
Posted in
Demographics
Slow Medicine
As El Paso begins to wear the new off its hard-fought medical school, another Texas border community is starting on the long road to establishing its own. University of Texas System officials are evaluating how long it will take and how much it could cost to train the next generation of doctors in the Rio Grande Valley.
Posted in
Energy
2010: Class is In
Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson invited both of the Democrats running for his job to stop by for a crash course on what the General Land Office does.
Posted in
Demographics
Meet Linda Chavez-Thompson
She was born into a family of eight children near Lubbock, worked on cotton fields in her teens and later became a Hispanic labor leader. Now she’s running for lieutenant governor. We’ve packaged resources (in various media platforms) on the latest entrant to the race.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: January 4, 2010
As we approach today’s filing deadline, there are — to paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld — known knowns. We also know there are known unknowns. But there are also unknown unknowns; the ones we don’t know we don’t know.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Time’s Up
The political window is about to close: Today’s the last day to become a candidate in the 2010 state elections. What we know so far is that the ballot will have a fireworks show at the top, with contested and well-financed gubernatorial primaries on both sides. A couple of statewide Democratic races will be competitive, but with incumbents seeking reelection on the Republican side, there’s little action there.
Posted in
State Government
2010: Ham on Wry
Can you do better than the “Davey Dewhurst sandwich”? A year-end Texas Tribune contest.
Posted in
State Government
2010: Running Lite
David Dewhurst will seek reelection on the Republican side, effectively ending that party’s primary for lieutenant governor. But the Democrats are still stirring the pot. Ronnie Earle, the former Travis County DA is in. As of earlier today, Austin restauranteur Marc Katz is in. Will Linda Chavez-Thompson sign up?