Did it just get easier for governmental agencies in Texas to delay releasing public information?
Criminal Justice
Get the latest Texas Tribune coverage on criminal justice, including crime, courts, law enforcement, and reforms shaping the state’s justice system.
TribBlog: Packin’ in the Park
Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who has been taking his gun to Big Bend National Park anyway, says he is glad he can now carry without violating the rules.
Data App: Day Care Danger
More than 120 federally subsidized day care centers had their licenses denied or revoked by the state for violations of regulations and minimum standards in the last two years. Map their locations and drill down into the records by the provider name or action taken by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
The Brief: February 18, 2010
Shami takes another hit, Keller back in the spotlight and the state of Texas’ health.
TribBlog: Skinner Execution Postponed
The trial judge who initially decided Hank Skinner would die Feb. 24 — one week from today — has pushed the execution date back to March 24, says Skinner attorney Rob Owen, co-director of the University of Texas at Austin’s Capital Punishment Clinic.
On the Records: If You Can See This …
… you aren’t among the 40 percent of Texans who don’t use the Internet, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Only Mississippi and West Virginia have a lower percentage of residents using the Web.
TribBlog: Budget Cuts Due [Updated]
State agencies are expected to submit their budget cuts today.
A Better App: Public Employee Pay
Find the salaries of more than 340,000 public employees with our enhanced data application, including those working at the largest state agencies as well as individual public schools, cities and mass-transit operators. And universities: Did you know, for instance, that of the 10 highest-paid professors at the state’s two largest universities, nine are Aggies?
Survey Says…
Texans are more worried about the economy and the direction of the country than anything else, according to the new University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll. Other notable findings: Nearly two-thirds support either gay marriage or civil unions, nearly half prefer private health insurance to a government-run plan, and more than a third think the Legislature meets every year.
TribBlog: TX Supreme Court To Consider “Pole Tax”
The Texas Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of a $5 tax on admission to the state’s strip clubs — a measure lawmakers implemented in 2007 to raise money for sexual assault prevention and low-income health insurance.

