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TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

By Ross Ramsey July 30, 2011

Aaronson examines the Texas jobs "miracle," Root on how Rick Perry built his financial portfolio, Tan and Wiseman on Perry vs. Ron Paul, Philpott on how budget cuts will affect a mental health provider, yours truly on a House freshman who was less than impressed with his first legislative experience, M. Smith on public schools charging for things that used to be free, Hamilton on a new call to reinvent higher education, Grissom on a rare stay of execution, Galbraith on the end of a Panhandle wind program, Aguilar on the increase of legal immigration into the U.S. and Texas: The best of our best content from July 25 to 29, 2011. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
EPA Issues New Standards for Hydraulic Fracturing

By Chris Hooks July 28, 2011

The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday issued new regulatory standards for oil and gas wells that use hydraulic fracturing. Full Story
End of an Era for Panhandle Wind Program

By Kate Galbraith July 27, 2011

As the Department of Agriculture focuses on biofuels, it is pulling out of wind and solar research. For the tiny Panhandle hamlet of Bushland, this means the end of a wind program that has operated for 35 years. Full Story

Credit: Alice Daer / Kate Galbraith
Drought May Be Causing Spike in Rabies Cases

By Ari Auber July 26, 2011

The number of animal rabies cases — particularly among skunks — has more than doubled since this time in 2010 in the Central Texas region, and the increase may be due to the state's nine-month drought. Full Story

Credit: Michael Thomas
Daughters, Long Custodians of the Alamo, See Their Duties Change

By Beth Brown July 26, 2011

The Daughters of the Republic of Texas are gradually being relieved of sole responsibility for one of the Lone Star state's most important icons after years of controversy over their management of the Alamo. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Marjorie Kamys Cotera / Bob Daemmrich / Todd Wiseman
For Some Communities, Sewage Has the Sweet Smell of Success

By Kate Galbraith July 24, 2011

With Texas facing dramatic population growth and constraints on its water supplies, interest in the use of sewage — or "reclaimed water," as those in the industry prefer to call it — to provide for a variety of water needs is growing. Full Story

Credit: Djakhangir Zakhidov
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

By Ross Ramsey July 23, 2011

Ramshaw on the lioness of the Texas House, Dehn and Tan review 20 years of Rick Perry's political ads, Murphy's latest database includes the governor's political accounts over the last decade, Aaronson's visualizations of what was said in the biggest legislative debates, M. Smith on the woman in the middle chair at the State Board of Education, Galbraith on how the drought is forcing ranchers to sell their herds, Grissom has the story on a cattle rustler who's asking the courts to give him an old-fashioned sentence, Hamilton covers Rick O'Donnell's latest salvo at higher education, Aguilar on whether and how the sanctuary cities issue will translate at the ballot box next year, yours truly on Ron Paul's candidacy and the candidate in his own words: The best of our best from July 18 to 22, 2011. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Thompson Feeds Her "Little Dogs" and Throws a Bone to Bigger Ones

By Emily Ramshaw July 22, 2011

Rep. Senfronia Thompson’s almost 40-year House tenure is defined by her defense of the underserved. But her legislative career is peppered with occasional paradoxes. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Steve Moakley / Office of Senfronia Thompson
Highland Lakes' Levels Falling, LCRA Warns

By Beth Brown July 21, 2011

At a press conference today, the Lower Colorado River Authority warned Austin and the rest of Central Texas to brace for continued drought. Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan, the region's major reservoirs, are currently 52 percent full, and dropping steadily. Full Story

Credit: LCRA
EPA Chief, Visiting Texas, Calls Pollution Rule "Not Onerous"

By Kate Galbraith July 20, 2011

Lisa Jackson, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, said during a visit to Austin on Wednesday that a pollution rule adopted this month that has infuriated many Texas officials will save lives and can be enacted "cheaply and efficiently." Full Story
As Drought Intensifies, Ranchers Sell Off Cattle

By Kate Galbraith July 19, 2011

The third-worst drought in Texas history has made it hard for ranchers to find hay, and sometimes water, for their cattle. So they are selling them off — and finding eager buyers from rainier states like South Dakota. Full Story

Credit: Kate Galbraith
The Midday Brief: July 15, 2011

By Reeve Hamilton July 15, 2011

Your afternoon reading: Perry for president predictions percolate, Ratliff racing to replace a representative, and districts dealing with drought. Full Story

Credit: Bob Daemmrich
This Will Be on the Test

By Beth Brown July 14, 2011

This week, Secretary of State Hope Andrade conducted a lottery that determined the order of the 10 new proposals on the November ballot. Each amendment already won approval from two-thirds of the House and Senate and now needs a nod from a majority of the voters. Here's the rundown... Full Story

Credit: Jacob Villanueva
Amid Long-Running Battle, Plants to Apply For New Permits

By Erika Aguilar, KUT News July 14, 2011

More than 100 Texas refinery, chemical and utility plants have told the Environmental Protection Agency they plan to apply for federal air permits, which Gov. Rick Perry has said will cut jobs. Erika Aguilar of KUT News looks at whether the EPA's new requirements have done that. Full Story
To Tackle Drought, Can Lawmakers Do More Than Pray for Rain?

By Kate Galbraith July 13, 2011

The Texas drought is already a significant natural disaster. What can the government do to help those who are hit hardest? Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Regulators Approve More Safety, Environmental Studies of Proposed Nuclear Plant Site

By Becca Aaronson July 13, 2011

Federal regulators have determined that safety and environmental claims need to be investigated more thoroughly before a site in Victoria County can be declared suitable for a potential nuclear power plant. Full Story

Credit: Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Company
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

By Evan Smith July 9, 2011

Aguilar on a change in law that affects applications for state-issued IDs, Galbraith on how the drought is taking its toll on wildlife, Hamilton on an outsider's attempt to lower the cost of higher ed, Murphy visualizes the partisanship of House members, Ramsey on who becomes Lite Guv if David Dewhurst takes another job, Ramshaw on life in the colonias and three stories about Rick Perry — Grissom on how his death penalty stance might play in a 2012 presidential race, Root on how he cemented his reputation as one of the state's most powerful governors and Tan on the growing demand for him to speak elsewhere: The best of our best content from July 4 to July 8, 2011. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
The Next Green Grocery Frontier: Zero Waste?

By Ari Auber July 8, 2011

A trio of brothers and their business partner are hoping to change grocery shopping habits in Austin with in.gredients, billed as the first “zero-waste, package-free” market in the nation. Full Story

Credit: Callie Richmond
Lengthy Drought Takes Toll on Wildlife

By Kate Galbraith July 6, 2011

It may be a bad year for hunters: The number of wild turkeys, quail and even squirrels will be down due to one of the worst droughts in state history. One bright spot is that feral hogs, a statewide nuisance, will also decrease. Full Story

Credit: Dave Govoni
Across Texas, Athletic Fields Suffer in Drought

By Kate Galbraith July 1, 2011

As one of the worst droughts in Texas history intensifies, a notable if lesser worry is the condition of athletic fields. Some fields are getting patchy already, and a summer of 90 or 100 degree temperatures still lies ahead. Full Story

Credit: Todd Wiseman