The FBI is investigating whether a hacker broke into the state’s confidential cancer database, possibly accessing personal information and medical records. Health and Human Services Commissioner Tom Suehs says state health officials notified his office in early May that a hacker was holding the Texas Cancer Registry hostage and demanding a ransom. Suehs says preliminary investigation results from the FBI indicate the threat may be a hoax but that if private records were compromised, health officials will quickly notify the people listed in the registry.
state agencies
Posted in
Demographics
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Ramsey’s interview with Rick Perry’s chief consultant, Stiles on the massive amount of cash that cities are collecting from red-light cameras, Grissom on the coming debate over the Democrats’ two-step primary/caucus process, Thevenot on the State Board of Education’s latest controversial plan, Aguilar on immigrants deported for minor infractions, Ramshaw on the social conscience (or lack thereof) of medical schools, M. Smith on a nascent voter registration effort in Harris County, Hamilton’s interview with the newest state senator, Philpott on Bill White’s feistier week, Galbraith on how tighter EPA rules will affect Texas and Hu on questions about the governor’s transparency: The best of our best from June 21 to 25, 2010.
Posted in
State Government
Is Rick Perry Transparent?
His campaign was criticized this week for failing to detail its expenditures. But Craig McDonald, who filed an ethics complaint on behalf of liberal watchdog group Texans for Public Justice, says there’s a larger issue at play: the Perry administration’s overall lack of openness.
Posted in
Public Education
State Board of Landlords?
Hoping to tackle the long-standing challenge of financing charter school facilities, the State Board of Education is considering taking on a novel and controversial role: landlord. SBOE member David Bradley, R-Beaumont, wants to use $100 million from the $23 billion Permanent School Fund to buy properties and then lease them back to charter schools, which have historically struggled with capital costs. Critics say the elected board can’t possibly fulfill the mandate of the Fund — to invest for maximum return — while at the same time cutting charters a good deal.
Posted in
State Government
The Weekly TribCast: Episode 34
The latest poll in the governor’s race, an ethics complaint over the governor’s living expenses and fallout from the special election to replace Sen. Kip Averitt.
Posted in
State Government
TribBlog: Birdwell Eligibility Rests On Residency, Attorney Says
The fact that Brian Birdwell, who won election to the state Senate Tuesday night, voted in Virginia in 2006 could put him in an eligibility bind, an Austin election attorney said today. But whether anyone will challenge his residency is another question.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Tara Rios Ybarra in Federal Custody
The federal government’s roundup of dentists for medicaid fraud in South Texas has claimed its latest casualty: outgoing state Rep. Tara Rios Ybarra.
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State Government
TribBlog: Watchdogging Perry’s “Creature Comforts”
Texans for Public Justice, a nonprofit watchdog group, filed a complaint today urging the Texas Ethics Commission to require Gov. Rick Perry to provide detailed reports of campaign expenditures on the Governor’s Mansion.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
M. Smith’s interview with the new chair of the Texas GOP, Philpott on Republicans and Tea Partiers living in harmony, Aguilar on Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s not-yet-released strategic plan, Ramshaw’s tragic tale of out-of-state kids in Texas treatment centers, Grissom on how budget cuts could impact juvenile justice, Stiles’ awesome new population app, Galbraith on the decline of the Ogallala Aquifer, Hamilton’s interview with the commissioner of higher education and the debut of Hu’s new video debate series: The best of our best from June 14 to 19, 2010.
Posted in
State Government
2010: Broadband Brouhaha
The recently released map of Texans’ access to high-speed internet is a new flashpoint in the race for state Agriculture Commissioner. At issue is the nonprofit behind it, Connected Nation, which received $3 million in federal money for the project under current commissioner Todd Staples’ auspices.
