Two death row inmates sued the state today, arguing that the decision to use a new lethal injection drug was made too secretly and too hastily.
Topics
Posted in
Health care
Health Payment Reform Bills Get Warm Reception
Two sweeping bills to reward patient outcomes — as opposed to the current system that incentivizes overutilization — got a warm welcome in a Senate committee hearing this morning.
Posted in
Health care
Texas Hospitals: Budget Cuts Are Too Deep
Texas hospital officials, anticipating a House budget vote later this week, warned this morning that the current proposal could mean funding cuts of up to 37 percent for some hospitals.
Posted in
Higher Education
UTSA Prof to Jon Stewart: Obama Right on Libya
Mansour O. El-Kikhia, chair of the political science department at the University of Texas at San Antonio, cited the threat to perhaps 50,000 of his fellow countrymen — including members of his own family.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: Top Texas News for March 29, 2011
The deck may now be stacked against the legalization of gambling in Texas, thanks to one state senator.
Posted in
State Government
Jack Pratt: The TT Interview (audio)
An interview with Jack Pratt of the Texas Gaming Association.
Posted in
State Government
Towns Suffer as Private Prisons Struggle to Fill Cells
A few years ago, rural cities and counties in Texas were lining up to incarcerate inmates for profit in private prisons and jails. But today, as Mose Buchele of KUT News reports in partnership with NPR, an increasing number of cells sit empty, leaving many Texas communities struggling with mounting debts.
Posted in
State Government
Jack Pratt: The TT Interview
Jack Pratt, chairman of the Texas Gaming Association, has tried for years to convince Texas lawmakers to let voters decide whether to allow casinos in the state. He’s back again, proposing a combination of casinos, “racinos” (racetracks with slot machines), and Indian casinos that he and his economists say would bring more than $1.2 billion into the state treasury every year. We asked Pratt about the new proposal, the political environment, and the odds.
Posted in
Energy
In Texas, an Upside to Higher Gas Prices
Oil prices hit $100 per barrel last month for the first time since 2008, and prices have continued to rise. But as Gretch Sanders of KUT News reports, paying more at the pump might not be bad news for Texas.
Posted in
Demographics
Security Spokesman Touts Mexico’s Gains in Drug War
The Mexican government’s chief spokesman on security issues spoke at the University of Texas on Monday about drug violence south of the border. But as Mose Buchele of KUT News reports, not everyone there was comforted by his presentation.
