Texas lawmakers will have their hands full filling a budget hole in 2011 of $18 billion or more, but the projected shortfall is great political fodder for candidates of both parties in 2010. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports.
Economy
Get the latest on jobs, business, growth, and policy shaping the state’s economy with in-depth reporting from The Texas Tribune.
Posted in
Economy
Ads Infinitum: Perry On Air
Gov. Rick Perry went on the air today with his first TV spot of the general election.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Galbraith’s three-parter on the battle over wind power transmission lines, Grissom on a convicted killer who got probation, Aguilar on how the U.S. census counts inmates in the Texas prison system, Stiles launches a new interactive tool tracking the candidates for governor, Hamilton on the Texas A&M University System’s latest accountability measure for faculty, Hu’s interview with Democratic megadonor Steve “Back to Basics” Mostyn, Philpott on how the Texas economy compares to that of other states and Ramsey on the start of the 2010 election sprint: The best of our best from Sept. 6 to 10, 2010.
Posted in
Economy
On the Records: Mapping Foreign Investment
Texas.gov, the state’s clearinghouse for services like driver’s license renewals and vehicle registrations, has launched a new page featuring numerous raw government data sets — including a list of foreign companies doing business here.
Posted in
Economy
An Accurate Reading
Rick Perry asserts the Texas economy is one of the strongest in the nation. Bill White eagerly points out what he says are the problems the governor conveniently overlooks. Who’s right? Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune looks at how we stack up compared to other states — and our own history.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
I hit the campaign trail with Rick Perry, E. Smith starts off the fall TribLive series by interviewing Attorney General Greg Abbott, Stiles on the most congested roads in Texas, Ramshaw’s interview with former Dallas Mayor Laura Miller, Grissom on the perils of talking too much if you’re the head of the state’s jail standards board, M. Smith on Congressman Chet Edwards’ fight for political survival in a Republican year, Philpott on counties worried the state’s budget woes will trickle down, Hamilton on whether Texas should be in the movie-vetting business, Aguilar on a Mexican journalist seeking asylum from his country’s drug violence, Galbraith on green energy and Texas college football, and excerpts from former Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby’s new book, How Things Really Work: Lessons from a Life in Politics: The best of our best from August 30 to September 3, 2010.
Posted in
Economy
Man, Oh, Mandates
State lawmakers facing an estimated $18 billion budget shortfall will soon wield their knives, but who or what will sustain deep cuts? As Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, county officials are among those waiting to see how the legislative slice-and-dice could affect things back home — and they’re particularly nervous about unfunded mandates.
Posted in
Economy
Reopening the Gaps
Nothing has helped Texas “close the gaps” of higher education achievement more than financial aid for low-income students. But with coming budget cuts, tens of thousands of students could lose out on the state’s largest and most generous financial aid program.
Posted in
Economy
Shelter from the Storm
As New Orleans measures how far it has come since Hurricane Katrina — and how far it has to go — an Austin man who was an aide to Mayor Will Wynn in 2005 traveled to the Big Easy to put some ghosts to rest. He talked with Matt Largey of KUT News.
Posted in
Demographics
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Galbraith on grass, federal money and efforts to prevent another dust bowl, Ergenbright on school suspensions and who gets punished; Aguilar’s interview with Alan Bersin, whose job is to keep the U.S./Mexico border secure, M. Smith on why it would be harder than you think to ditch the 14th Amendment, Adler and me on whether controversy is politically contagious, Ramshaw on the flap over funding for the state’s institutions for the disabled (it’s not about the money), my meditation on the state’s fiscal woes (including a $1.3 billion deficit in the current budget), Philpott on proposed cuts to the state’s food stamp program, Grissom on the push by Hidalgo County officials for a special election that might not be legal; Hamilton on the seven Texas universities that are making a play for Tier One status and Stiles on the mid-year cash-on-hand numbers reported by campaigns and political action committees: The best of our best from August 16 to 23, 2010.