Thevenot on the non-stop wonder that is the State Board of Education and its latest efforts to set curriculum standards, E. Smith’s post-election sit-down interview with Bill White at TribLive made some news and got the November pugilism started, Ramshaw on whether it makes sense for the state to call patients and remind them to take their pills, and on the state’s botched attempt to save baby blood samples for medical research, Hamilton’s interview with Steve Murdock on the state’s demographic destiny, M. Smith on whooping cranes, fresh water, and an effort to use the endangered species act to protect them both, Grissom on potties, pickups, and other equipment purchased with federal homeland security money and Stiles’ latest data and map on where that money went, Aguilar on the “voluntary fasting” protesting conditions and treatment at an immigrant detention facility, Kreighbaum on football, the new sport at UTSA, and Philpott on Rick Perry and Bill White retooling their appeals for the general election. The best of our best from March 8 to 12, 2010.
Environment
Coverage of climate, conservation, natural resources, and environmental policy shaping the state, from The Texas Tribune.
Posted in
Energy
The Big Whoop
Whooping cranes, the Endangered Species Act and property rights clash on the Texas Coast.
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Criminal Justice
Data App: Homeland $ecurity
Loving County, in far West Texas, spent about $1,100 per resident in U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant funds from 2003 to 2008. Compare that with Harris County, which spent less than $6 per resident. Contemplate the disparity — and search for individual purchases with DHS grant money — using our latest data application.
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Energy
Land Commissioner: Uribe Barely Beating Burton in Early Returns
Hector Uribe is just slightly ahead in the Democratic primary.
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Criminal Justice
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.
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Economy
The Brief: February 17, 2010
Budget crunching, the EPA offends Texans, early voting is underway, and gay couples still can’t get … a divorce.
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Energy
TribBlog: Texas vs. the EPA
Gov. Rick Perry announced the state is suing the Environmental Protection Agency over its recent finding that greenhouse gases endanger human health.
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Demographics
Democratic Gubernatorial Debate: Liveblog, Video, Audio
In their first and probably only televised debate, Bill White sounded experienced, as you’d expect of a three-term mayor of Houston, while wealthy hair care magnate Farouk Shami was more passionate, more animated, and much more prone to political mistakes.
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Energy
TribBlog: Be it Resolved
When aimed at a government agency, a resolution of disapproval isn’t just a collective scowl from the direction of Capitol Hill: it can block an agency ruling from becoming law.
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Energy
Guest Column: The 2010 Agenda: Water
The reality is that no matter how many new dams and wastewater treatment projects we build in Texas, the essential components of our hydrologic system are our watersheds and recharge zones. If we lose their vital functions, we won’t be able to build enough water infrastructure to meet our needs.