Even if Cynthia Dunbar doesn’t seek reelection to the State Board of Education, another conservative Republican stands ready to take up the cause.
state agencies
Slideshow: Transition Medicine
Benjamin Ligums was born with a rare degenerative brain disease that left him immobile, non-verbal and legally blind. His family has found a second home at Baylor’s Transition Medicine Clinic, which specializes in treating profoundly disabled young adults.
Caven’s Quest, Part Two
In 2008, the file at DPS headquarters in Austin still said Scotty Caven III caused the August 2004 car crash that killed him and two others. Officials there had declined to reopen and investigate the case. But his father, UT System regent Scott Caven Jr., wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Aging Out
When kids with disabilities transfer from children’s Medicaid to the adult program, they lose services, health care and medical expertise. A few committed doctors and social workers are stepping in to ease the transition.
Caven’s Quest, Part One
After his son and two others died in a horrific car wreck in 2004, former UT Regent Scott Caven Jr. set out to prove that his namesake, Scotty, wasn’t to blame. He eventually persuaded the Texas Department of Public Safety to change its accident report — a rare feat: In the last five years, DPS has changed the final reports in fewer than 1 percent of fatal crash investigations.
Show Us the Money
The Texas Ethics Commission wants candidates and elected officials to come clean about their spending, and it’s adopted new rules that require them to do just that.
TribBlog: Texas’ Charter School Law Gets a “D”
The pro-charter National Center for Education Reform cites state’s lack of financial support for facilities, a cap on the number of charters and a restrictive regulatory environment.
TribBlog: Room to Breathe
The Texas Departments of Family and Protective Services and State Health Services are launching a “Room to Breathe” campaign to educate parents about the dangers of co-sleeping, a controversial subject that they appear to be approaching with caution.
On the Records: A Data Challenge for Texas
What are state and local governments in Texas doing to make raw data available to the public? Not much.
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
It was a political week, with a full-court press from our staff on Bill White’s switch to the governor’s race and all of the fallout; the moves during the first week of filing for political races; Philpott’s look at Republicans challenging Republicans; Hu’s latest in the popular Stump Interrupted series; Ramshaw on emergency rooms, family doctors, and child protection; Stiles and Grissom mapping payday lending locations juxtaposed with family income data; Rapoport on the state budget and education; Thevenot on KBH’s plans for schools; and Hamilton on the power (or not) of political endorsements. The best of the best from November 28 to December 4, 2009.

