Enlarge Graphic by Jacob Villanueva

Judge Michael Massengale has received an endorsement from TEXPAC, the political arm of the Texas Medical Association, in his run for a seat on the Texas Supreme Court.

TEXPAC chair Bradford Holland said the group believes Massengale — who was appointed to the First Court of Appeals in 2009 — will best “help both patients and physicians” and “interpret the law in a fair and objective manner.”

TEXPAC discussed the endorsement at last week’s fall conference. In announcing the endorsement, the Massengale campaign noted that two authors of the 2003 landmark Texas Medical Liability Act — Joe Nixon and Jaime Capelo — penned a letter in support of Massengale.

Massengale is challenging the incumbent, Debra Lehrmann, who was appointed and then elected to the Court in 2010.

In their letter, Nixon and Capelo make clear that they don’t believe Lehrmann has supported the tort reforms written into their legislation.

“Lehrmann,” Nixon and Capelo wrote, “has disagreed with her colleagues and sought to weaken the tort reforms by refusing to apply them as written. In the case of the 10-year statute of repose, she alone on the Court would hold it unconstitutional.”

*****

State Rep. Byron Cook a top target of conservative activists during the last legislative session, is making clear that he is running for re-election.

Unlike some incumbents, the Corsicana Republican has not made an official announcement about his future plans. An ad that reportedly ran over the weekend in his hometown newspaper indicated that he was seeking a seventh term.

Bryan Eppstein, Cook's political consultant, said Monday that there has been no question about the lawmaker's plans.

"Byron's always been running for re-election," Eppstein said. "Byron's been actively campaigning since the end of the session."

Cook's re-election prospects have been questioned by critics to his right who accused him during the session of meddling with anti-abortion, anti-union and ethics reform legislation. Cook already has a primary challenger in Thomas McNutt, part of the family that owns Corsicana-based Collin Street Bakery.

*****

El Paso state Rep. Cesar Blanco spent Wednesday at the White House where he took part in a meeting between the President and Democratic state legislators.

In remarks to the legislators, Barack Obama told them a dysfunctional political culture in Washington, D.C., makes their jobs more important.

“Now, given that, at least for the next year, year and a half, there’s not going to be the kind of action on a wide range of issues that we’d like to see coming out of Capitol Hill, that puts more of a burden — but also a great opportunity — on state legislatures all across the country,” Obama said.  “Because you can act when Washington won’t.”

*****

Bennett Ratliff, a former state representative running for the House District 115 seat, has received endorsements from two current and four former mayors in the district – Coppell Mayor Karen Hunt, Farmers Branch Mayor Bob Phelps, former Mayor of Farmers Branch Bill Binford, former Mayor of Carrollton Becky Miller and former Mayors of Coppell, Candy Sheehan and Doug Stover.

“I’m honored to have the support of our community leaders,” said Ratliff in a statement. “Their endorsements show the community’s desire for effective, conservative leadership in Austin.”

State Rep. Matt Rinaldi won the seat in 2014, beating out Ratliff who held it since 2013. Rinaldi is running for re-election.

*****

Wendy Davis, former Democratic candidate for governor, stepped back into political life Wednesday by formally endorsing Hillary Clinton for president — and taking to task one of her GOP rivals for the White House.

After announcing her support for Clinton at an Austin coffee shop, Davis told reporters Cruz's fight to defund Planned Parenthood disqualifies him from the presidency. Cruz has not ruled out shutting down the federal government in his push to cut off taxpayer dollars for the women's health organization. 

"The idea that we are playing with people's lives, that we are willing to shut the government down in order to make a political point ... shows that Ted Cruz and others that are in agreement with him are absolutely not fit to lead this country," Davis said.

Davis' remarks drew a nearly immediate response from Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier, who took to Twitter to call Davis' criticism the "MOST ABSURD STATEMENT OF THE DAY."

Disclosure: The Texas Medical Association is a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune. Planned Parenthood was a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune in 2011. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.

Enlarge Marjorie Kamys Cotera

Former House Speaker John Boehner in San Antonio on May 12, 2014.

U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Dallas, officially announced his bid to become the top vote-counter for House Republicans, as the party sorts out its new leadership after Speaker John Boehner's retirement announcement last week.

Sessions sent a letter to his GOP colleagues Tuesday declaring his candidacy.

“I am contacting you this morning because, if given the opportunity, I plan to run for Majority Whip so we can work together and put our conference on the right path to fight for our conservative principles on behalf of the American people,” Sessions wrote.

The whip is the third-ranking member of the House of Representatives with the primary task of counting votes, and sometimes to twist arms, to pass legislation. Sessions is currently the House Rules Committee chairman, a powerful perch from where he is able to shape legislation.

In a nod to the upheaval roiling his Republican conference, he added that the new whip “needs to unite and strengthen our conference.”

“I have always believed in our team. I have always fought for our team,” he concluded. “I humbly ask for your support for Majority Whip so that I can use my experiences and skills to best serve our conference.”

*****

State Sen. Konni Burton, R-Colleyville, sent a letter to the Texas Republican House delegation Thursday, urging them to embrace “bold, conservative leadership” following Boehner’s announcement that he would be stepping down.

“The grassroots – of which I include myself – are extremely frustrated at the lack of action on any number of conservative public policy priorities in D.C.,” the letter reads.

“The voters did not elect conservative Republicans in 2010 and 2014 to stand by idly as their leaders engaged in the politics of surrender. Speaker Boehner's resignation is a direct result of the very same grassroots wave that swept him into power. You and your fellow Congressional Republicans now have an incredible opportunity to select a presiding officer who is committed to doing the work for which the American people are hungry.”

*****

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina have been added to the lineup for the North Texas Presidential Forum on Oct. 18 in Plano, according to organizers. That brings to six the number of candidates confirmed for the event, which is being held at Prestonwood Baptist Church.

The Faith and Freedom Coalition, an influential group representing conservatives, has invited all major candidates from both parties to address the forum. The first four speakers confirmed for the forum were retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.

*****

A super PAC supporting Cruz is launching a $1 million ad campaign on radio across the country.

Keep the Promise I, one of four super PACs backing Cruz, announced the buy on Friday, billing it as the "first in a series of national radio ad campaigns." The buy starts Monday and runs through the end of the year.

The super PAC expects to reach almost 28 million unique listeners every two weeks throughout the campaign.

The first installment in the series is a 60-second spot running on Christian and conservative radio.

"Lots of candidates call themselves conservatives, but there is a only one we can trust to be one: Ted Cruz," a narrator says in the ad.

Enlarge Marjorie Kamys Cotera

Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, Nathan Hecht during press conference revealing that eFile Texas, the electronic court filing system in the US is complete on September 30, 2015

Statewide civil case filing enters the 21st century… eFileTexas, a uniform electronic court filing service for all civil cases in the state, is now available in each county — and nine months ahead of schedule, Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht announced Wednesday.

The state’s Office of Court Administration introduced the project to say goodbye to paper back in 2012 after the Supreme Court mandated the change. The state contracted Tyler Technologies for the undertaking, which costs $18 million a year for four years, said David Slayton, executive director of the Office of Court Administration.

More than 1,500 training classes were offered across the state to get counties on the same page. Collin County District Clerk Andrea Stroh Thompson extolled the service, saying her office previously worked with 1.7 million pages of records and stored 600 boxes annually. Now, she said, with eFileTexas, her office works with a lighter five boxes of records, which it keeps for six months at a time.

*****

Attorney General Ken Paxton is siding with Kountze Independent School District cheerleaders who are fighting in court for their right to display religious messages at school events like football games.

The case is now with the Texas Supreme Court after an appellate court sided with the school district and dismissed the case. On Monday, Paxton filed a friend of the court brief with the court. In the filing, Paxton lays out his support for the cheerleaders’ position in the case.

“Let’s not forget that our country was founded on the very concept of religious freedom,” Paxton said in the release. “When our fundamental rights are threatened, we have an obligation to defend them — and I stand with the students and parents at Kountze High School who are committed to move forward in this important fight.”

*****

Houston mayoral candidate Bill King announced Thursday that 76 financial leaders in Houston have endorsed him in the race. The list includes executives from various banks, investment firms and insurance companies.

“I am honored to have this strong endorsement from the leading financial experts and executives in Houston,” said King in a statement.

“These proven professionals know that we cannot wait another six years — or even another two — to start addressing the very serious financial and budget challenges we face. With their help, I will bring our city together and get City Hall back to basics, starting with the city budget."

*****

Nine members have been appointed to the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association Wednesday in order to comply with a law passed by the Legislature that requires the board to include members from coastal counties, areas at least 100 miles from the coast and members who work in the insurance industry.

“This will be a very experienced and knowledgeable board working to carry out the Legislature’s directive and TWIA’s statutory role,” said Texas Commissioner of Insurance David Mattax, who appointed the members. 

The new members include Blair Crossan, Joshua Fields, Michael Gerik, R. Scott Kesner, Ronald Lawson, Georgia Neblett, Tony Schrader, Bryan Shofner and Chandra Womack.

Enlarge

For this week’s nonscientific survey of insiders in government and politics, we asked about Ted Cruz's influence on the Hill and the departure of House Speaker John Boehner.

With Cruz pushing the leadership of his party earlier this week not to continue funding the government as long as money remains for Planned Parenthood, we began by asking the insiders whether Cruz benefits from another government shutdown.

Slightly more than half said Cruz doesn't benefit from a shutdown with another 44 percent saying he does.

We moved on to ask a few questions about what a post-Speaker Boehner world might look like. Nearly two-thirds of the insiders thought his departure increases the influence of the Tea Party among House Republicans while 56 percent thought the task of Boehner's successor in leading House Republicans would be tougher than it is currently.

We closed by asking which Texas politician benefits most from Boehner's departure. On this, the insiders were evenly split with U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Dallas, and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, each cited by 30 percent of the insiders. House Majority Whip candidate Pete Sessions, meanwhile, was named by nearly one in five of the insiders.

We collected comments along the way, and a full set of those is attached. Here’s a sampling:

Enlarge Emily Albracht

.

Does Ted Cruz benefit from engineering another government shutdown?

• "Great ideas wrong tactics, like Trump. Both could benefit from reading historical figures like LBJ, Tip O'Neil and Ronald Reagan."

• "Define benefit. Does the irrational element of the GOP eat it up and fawn all over Cruz? Yes, of course. Will it lead to Cruz becoming president? No, of course not."

• "To those for whom shutting down the government permanently is a good idea, even a short-term shutdown is something to be praised."

• "It depends on how it is communicated. The fact is if a spending bill is passed and vetoed by Obama then he shut down government. The GOP problem is getting its message out. Can Cruz do it? Because the Republican leadership can't or won't."

• "Shutdown is irrelevant to him. The key is taking a lead on the issue, which he is doing."

Enlarge Emily Albracht

.

What does John Boehner's departure do to Tea Party influence in the House GOP conference?

• "In the short term it will decrease it as it will allow the next Speaker to govern and avoid another government shutdown. In the long term the Tea Party's power will increase as this gives them more opportunity to recruit candidates and challenge a newly elected Speaker."

• "It may increase it slightly, but McCarthy is a Boehnerite, really."

• "I'd love to see one of the 'Freedom Caucus' guys run and get his ass handed to him. Maybe then those guys will understand the maths."

• "Boehner is only the first casualty of GOP base outrage over failure of Congress to stop anything Obama wants. The media is totally invested in the Tea Party being impotent, and will ignore this story."

• "Boehner's exit and McCarthy's ascension to Speaker will make it clear that the there is no way to overcome the lack of a veto proof Senate and a Democrat president. McCarthy won't be able to overturn Obamacare or defund Planned Parenthood either."

Enlarge Emily Albracht

.

Does Boehner's successor face a more difficult task leading the House Republicans?

• "They have gained so much power that in-fighting has become their only real option. Reminiscent of the Democrats of the 60's and 70's in the South."

• "Since Boehner's name is already mud, the plan is for him to pass all the bad bills to give McCarthy a clean slate."

• "We're headed to a legendary case of 'the grass is always greener.' The new Speaker will be expected to rage against the machine, but when faced with the prospect of anemic fundraising and losing the House he will be forced to make deals and move bills, thereby disappointing his supporters."

• "McCarthy is a leader and speaks conservative and understands the constituency. Boehner and Cantor spoke corporate language, not voter language. If McCarthy did not learn from their mistakes and lack of leadership, his tenure will be short lived."

• "It was easy back when Jim Wright was in charge!"

Enlarge Emily Albracht

.

Which Texas politico benefits most from Boehner's departure?

• "Ted takes credit for getting rid of a RINO."

• "I want to say Cruz, politically, and Sessions, legislatively."

• "Where's Steve Stockman when his country needs him most?"

• "The GOP base smells blood in the water."

• "Sessions will move to the top."

• "Kevin Brady"

Our thanks to this week's participants: Gene Acuna, Cathie Adams, Brandon Aghamalian, Jay Arnold, Charles Bailey, Walt Baum, Eric Bearse, Dave Beckwith, Andrew Biar, Allen Blakemore, Tom Blanton, Chris Britton, Raif Calvert, Lydia Camarillo, Snapper Carr, Janis Carter, Corbin Casteel, Randy Cubriel, Beth Cubriel, Denise Davis, Tom Duffy, David Dunn, Richard Dyer, Jack Erskine, Tom Forbes, Dominic Giarratani, Bruce Gibson, Stephanie Gibson, Eric Glenn, Kinnan Golemon, Daniel Gonzalez, Jim Grace, Bill Hammond, Ken Hodges, Steve Holzheauser, Laura Huffman, Deborah Ingersoll, Mark Jones, Robert Kepple, Richard Khouri, Tom Kleinworth, Sandy Kress, Dale Laine, Pete Laney, James LeBas, Luke Legate, Matt Mackowiak, mark miner, Steve Minick, Bee Moorhead, Mike Moses, Steve Murdock, Todd Olsen, Nef Partida, Gardner Pate, Robert Peeler, Tom Phillips, Wayne Pierce, Allen Place, Gary Polland, Jay Pritchard, Jay Propes, Patrick Reinhart, Carl Richie, A.J. Rodriguez, Grant Ruckel, Andy Sansom, Jim Sartwelle, Barbara Schlief, Stan Schlueter, Robert Scott, Bruce Scott, Steve Scurlock, Christopher Shields, Nancy Sims, Ed Small, Martha Smiley, Mark Smith, Larry Soward, Leonard Spearman, Dennis Speight, Colin Strother, Sherry Sylvester, Trey Trainor, Vicki Truitt, Corbin Van Arsdale, Ware Wendell, David White, Darren Whitehurst, Seth Winick, Angelo Zottarelli.

Enlarge Todd Wiseman

Friday, Oct. 2

• Texas Civil Justice League Judicial Candidate Forum; 221 W. Sixth St., Austin (9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.)
  
• Texas Parent PAC 10th Birthday Party and Fundraiser; 311 E. Fifth St., Austin (11:30-1:30 p.m.)
• National Center for Policy Analysis Hatton W. Sumners Distinguished Lecture Series with Speaker Glenn Beck; 223 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Irving (12-1:30 p.m.)

Monday, Oct. 5

• Campus Carry Policy Working Group meeting; 2247 Guadalupe St., Austin (3-5 p.m.)
  

Tuesday, Oct. 6

• Houston mayoral candidate Bill King fundraiser; home of Kay and Ned Holmes, Houston (4:30-7 p.m.)

Thursday, Oct. 8

• State Rep. Charles "Doc" Anderson, R-Waco, fundraiser with special guest House Speaker Joe Straus; 1001 S. Martin Luther King Junior Blvd., Waco (12 p.m.)
• State Rep. Roberto Alonzo, D-Dallas, fundraiser; 2222 McKinney Ave., Dallas (5:30-7:30 p.m.)
• State Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, Annual 40th Birthday Party; 5901 Cross Timbers Road, Flower Mound (6-8 p.m.)
• State Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, 2015 Friends & Football Fundraiser; 4512 Lakeside Drive, Dallas (7-8:30 p.m.)
  
• State Rep. Yvonne Davis, D-Dallas, Fashions, Music and More; 1724 Cockrell Ave., Dallas (7-9 p.m.)

The director of the Texas Department of Public Safety on Thursday called absurd some border residents' claim that state troopers are harassing residents during the ongoing border surge. Steve McCraw's comments came after some Texas Border Coalition members expressed concerns about the $800 million the Legislature allocated last session for an unprecedented buildup of state law enforcement along the border.

Determined to cut down on smog that chokes the nation’s skies, the Obama administration finalized new limits on ozone. But the limits are weaker than some had hoped, suggesting that fierce critics like Texas had some effect on the outcome.

Gun control supporters may have lost the fight to keep handguns off college campuses, but now some are pressuring administrators to create as many gun-free zones as possible. More than 160 UT-Austin professors signed a petition saying they “refuse guns in their classrooms” and professors at other campuses across the state are considering circulating similar petitions.

Starting Thursday, most U.S. health care providers must switch to a new system of computer codes for recording patient ailments. Opinions are mixed about the changes, but they are clearly fueling a greater demand for medical scribes, who focus on entering patient data.

Ten months after four DuPont workers died from a toxic gas release at the company's La Porte plant, federal investigators presented a scathing assessment of the company's performance, and said if the unit where the accident occurred were it to reopen today it would continue to present dangers.

Amid an ongoing lawsuit over deep cuts made by lawmakers this year to a therapy program for children with disabilities, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Wednesday offered a sternly worded defense of the Legislature’s move, calling those who claim the Legislature acted without considering potential consequences "flat wrong." 

A controversial agreement between the Travis County District Attorney's Office and Texas Mutual Insurance in which the company pays prosecutors to pursue its fraud cases will be suspended — at least for now, officials said Wednesday. The decision came after the publication of a joint Austin American-Statesman and Texas Tribune investigation into the arrangement.

Amid reports of a spike in illegal border crossings, Gov. Greg Abbott is again pushing the federal government to fortify the Texas-Mexico border, demanding "immediate and bold action" from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  

Texas has the second-highest number of families living in public housing with incomes as much as $250,000 above the income limits to get in, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The State Securities Board is questioning whether Gov. Greg Abbott really intended to veto $1.2 million for employee raises from its budget, part of more than $200 million in funds that remain in legal limbo.

In a show of home-state prowess, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has secured the endorsements of more than three dozen state lawmakers in his bid for the White House including 36 state representatives and five state senators. 

Urging Christians to “be bold” in standing up for religious freedom, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton touted his work as the state’s top lawyer on Tuesday, championing causes dear to social conservatives at a Baptist church. Paxton, who has kept a low profile since his indictment on securities fraud charges this summer, appeared at a gathering billed as an effort to raise awareness for clergy’s right to refuse to perform same-sex marriages under a new state law known as the Pastor Protection Act.

If U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions is to succeed in his bid to serve as the third-ranking Republican in Congress, the 10-term Dallas congressman will need the support of his fellow Texans. The 10-term Dallas Congressman is running for House majority whip in the wake of the leadership shakeup following outgoing House Speaker John Boehner’s retirement announcement last week.

Texas students who apply to UT-Austin for the fall 2017 semester will need to be in the top 7 percent of their high school class to gain automatic admission, which is tougher than the 2016 threshold of the top 8 percent. The cutoff for each year is calculated based on the prior year's applicant pool.   

The U.S. Department of Education has granted conditional approval of the state's No Child Left Behind waiver. But it remains unclear whether a standoff between the state and the federal government over educator evaluations has come to an end.

A group of investors led by a Dallas oilman and real estate mogul has launched a bid to take control of Oncor, the state’s largest electric transmission company, putting forth an unprecedented plan. The  deal, valued above $18 billion, is part of a larger effort to deliver Oncor’s parent company, Energy Future Holdings, from one of the largest corporate bankruptcies in U.S. history.

Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin, Energy Future Holdings and Texas Mutual Insurance are corporate sponsors of The Texas Tribune. Oncor was a corporate sponsor in 2012. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.

Gov. Greg Abbott made two appointments Tuesday to the Texas Facilities Commission. He named Robert Thomas as the commission's chairman and also appointed Patti Jones to the commission. Both appointees were named for terms to expire Jan. 31, 2021.

Nine directors have been named to the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, the Texas Department of Insurance announced on Thursday. They are: Blair Crossan of Addison, Joshua Fields of Harlingen, Michael Gerik of McGregor, R. Scott Kesner of El Paso, Ronald Lawson of Allen, Georgia Neblett of Port Aransas, Tony Schrader of Round Rock, Bryan Shofner of Lubbock and Chandra Womack of Dickinson.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, this week named Max Schanfarber his U.S. Virgin Islands campaign chairman, furthering his efforts to shore up support in states other than Iowa, New Hampshire or South Carolina. Schanfarber serves on the GOP Executive Committee for the Virgin Islands.

Killeen Mayor Scott Cosper announced this week he is entering the race for the HD-54 seat left open after incumbent Jimmie Don Aycock's decision not to run for re-election. Austin Ruiz, a Klein optometrist, has also announced plans to run for the seat. Former state Rep. Fred Brown is also likely enter the race.

A third Republican candidate has entered the race for the open HD-126 seat in the Texas House — Klein ISD School Board President Steve Smith. Smith will face off against Kevin Roberts and Glenn Rex, who have already announced bids for the seat.

State Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, announced that she will seek a fourth term representing House District 134. Davis, in her announcement, cited her work on healthcare initiatives and limited government as reasons for re-election.

State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, announced Wednesday he plans to seek re-election to the HD-147 seat he has held since 1991.

U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul has tapped five Texas lawmakers to serve as his re-election campaign co-chairs. The co-chairs are: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick; state Sens. Lois Kolkhorst and Paul Bettencourt; as well as state Reps. Patricia Harless and Allen Fletcher.

Bennett Ratliff, the former state representative from HD-115 running to regain his House seat, has received endorsements from two current and four former mayors in the district – Coppell Mayor Karen Hunt, Farmers Branch Mayor Bob Phelps, former mayor of Farmers Branch Bill Binford, former mayor of Carrollton Becky Miller and former mayors of Coppell, Candy Sheehan and Doug Stover.

Michael Massengale has received an endorsement from TEXPAC, the political arm of the Texas Medical Association, in his run for a seat on the Texas Supreme Court. He is challenging the incumbent, Debra Lehrmann, who was appointed and then elected to the court in 2010.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC is supporting John Lujan in the special election to select the new representative for the Bexar County-based HD-118. Lujan, a Republican, is hoping to take the seat most recently held by Democrat Joe Farias, who resigned in August. Lujan is one of six candidates in the race.

Five Tarrant County officials — County Commissioners Gary Fickes and Andy Nguyen, District Attorney Sharen Wilson, District Clerk Tom Wilder and Tax Assessor Ron Wright — endorsed on Thursday state Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford in his bid for re-election to his HD-92 seat. Earlier this week, Stickland drew a challenger in the GOP primary, Bedford pastor and former Texas Youth Commission Chairman Scott Fisher.

Houston mayoral candidate Bill King announced late last week an endorsement from the Texas Conservative View PAC, which describes its members as “Houston women whose dedication to limited government and freedom issues brought us together.” The PAC's directors are: Sheryl Berg, Windi Grimes, Rosi Hernandez, Kelly Horsley, Robin Lennon and Mary Jane Smith.

Wes Riddle, a former congressional candidate and founder of the Central Texas Tea Party, is endorsing Dawn Buckingham in the open SD-24 race.

The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition on Thursday named Leah Pinney the group’s new executive director. She had previously served as the organization's finance and operations director. Molly Totman, previously the organization’s grants manager and senior editor, was named deputy director.

D.C.-based communications firm LEVICK announced this week the acquisition of MACH 1 Group as it opens its Texas office in Austin. MACH 1 Group founder and CEO Katherine McLane will transition to LEVICK with the title of senior vice president. Frank Ward, who was MACH 1’s director of client services, will now serve as vice president at LEVICK. Alyssa Wright has also been brought on as account executive.

Former state Comptroller senior adviser Liz White announced that she’s joining her husband, David, on a new venture, Public Blueprint.

Disclosure: The Texas Medical Association is a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune. Windi Grimes was a major donor to The Texas Tribune in 2012-13. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.