The Brief: April 2, 2014
The Dallas Morning News has taken another look at wage disparities between men and women, this time expanding the focus to look at trends across the country and not just in Texas. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/03/24/_F5U7206.jpg)
-
![Wendy Davis listens to a press question at Scholtz Garden on March 24, 2014 following an equal pay rally.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Medicare Providers Want Permanent “Doc Fix”
Members of Texas' congressional delegation say they got closer than ever this year to fixing a federal Medicare formula that leaves doctors threatened with payment cuts annually. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/03/31/US_Capitol-HealthCare.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Illustration by Ganesh Kumar / Todd Wiseman -
The Brief: April 1, 2014
The focus of the governor's race swung back to public education on Monday with GOP candidate Greg Abbott rolling out a pre-K proposal in a Weslaco elementary school. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/01/24/DavisAbbottEducationKids.jpg)
![Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, have both made education a central point in their gubernatorial bids.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich / Jenn Whitney -
Abbott: Tie Additional Pre-K Funding to Outcomes
Announcing the first of his education policy proposals Monday, Greg Abbott called for reforming pre-kindergarten programs before expanding access, saying that additional funding should be tied to academic outcomes. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/01/10/TPPF_Abb569cuCMS.jpg)
![Candidate for governor Greg Abbott outlines his vision for Texas in a speech to TPPF on Jan. 10. 2014]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Former Legislator Ray Hutchison Dies at 81
UPDATED: Dallas attorney Ray Hutchison, a former legislator, gubernatorial candidate and husband of former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, has died, sources said Monday morning. He was 81. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/03/31/Hutchison_Ray.jpg)
![Ray Hutchison]()
-
Demolition Mission Targets Laredo Eyesores
For the first time on the border, the National Guard is teaming up with the Border Patrol in Laredo to help rid the city of dwellings that were once havens for drugs and smuggling. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/03/27/TexTrib-Demolish-001.jpg)
![3006 Frost is one of several homes cleared for teardown in the "Operation Crackdown" project in Laredo, TX, March 26, 2014.]()
Credit: Jennifer Whitney -
The Brief: March 31, 2014
Delegates to the GOP state convention in June could find themselves with another big immigration battle on their hands. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Republicans-Hispanics-3.jpg)
![The Republican Party of Texas says the guest-worker program it backs in its platform is a practical solution, denying claims by Democrats that they are merely pandering to Latinos]()
Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Analysis: A Big Idea That Comes With a Big Price Tag
Texas voters don't like property taxes, and Republican Glenn Hegar has said he favors eliminating them. His opponent in the comptroller's race, Mike Collier, is talking up the likely result: a huge increase in sales tax. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/03/27/Glenn-Hegar.JPG)
![State Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, speaks to state Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Abbott, Davis Oil and Gas Records Show Contrast
Neither Greg Abbott nor Wendy Davis has spent much time talking about the energy industry and regulations. But Texans should have little trouble distinguishing their positions. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/03/04/DavisAbbott.jpg)
![Gubernatorial candidates Greg Abbott and Wendy Davis are shown on primary night on March 4, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich / Laura Buckman -
The Brief: March 28, 2014
The absence of big-dollar Democratic donor Mikal Watts is starting to draw notice. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/12/13/LetDav.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Lawmakers File Bill to Increase CBP Oversight
U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke has filed a bill that would establish increased oversight committee for Border Patrol agents when it comes to use of force, training and community engagement. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/CBP-Drug-Inspection.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: CBP Photography -
Deadline Extension Isn't Altering ACA Advocates' Enrollment Strategies
Health reform advocates in Texas say they will continue to focus on enrolling individuals in the federal health insurance marketplace by the original Monday deadline despite an extension for certain applications that was announced this week. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/12/02/ACA-2.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
The Brief: March 27, 2014
Executives with the electric carmaker Tesla Motors met on Wednesday with government officials in San Antonio, according to the San Antonio Express-News, a development sure to spur further talk about Texas' odds of landing the company's $5 billion battery plant. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/03/17/Tesla-Model-S.jpg)
![A Tesla Model S. The California-based electric automaker had considered Texas for its $5 billion lithium-ion battery factory. The company is also hoping to sell cars in Texas but does not have required franchise dealerships, as state law requires.]()
Credit: Tesla Motors -
As AG Weighs Plastic Bag Laws, Dallas Passes Its Own
Amid debate over whether plastic bag bans violate the state's health and safety laws, Dallas on Wednesday became the largest city in Texas to pass an ordinance restricting use of the bags. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/09/24/BagInTree.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
The Brief: March 26, 2014
The release of more than 2,000 email documents by the University of Texas System to news outlets is providing a fuller — albeit heavily redacted — picture of the various conflicts between regents and administrators. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/12/05/txtregents-ccr005.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Callie Richmond -
The Brief: March 25, 2014
Tar balls from Saturday's spill of 168,000 gallons of fuel oil in into Galveston Bay began to wash ashore on Monday as officials assessed the long-term effects of the accident. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/03/23/450x338_q75B.JPG)
![A barge loaded with marine fuel oil sits partially submerged in the Houston Ship Channel on March 22, 2014.]()
Credit: United States Coast Guard -
Davis Renews Equal Pay Attack on Abbott
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis on Monday renewed her attack on her Republican opponent, Greg Abbott, for his opposition to a Texas version of the federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/03/24/_F5U7209.jpg)
![Governor candidate Wendy Davis talks about keeping her law clients during a campaign stop at Scholtz on March 24, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Analysis: Handful of Candidates Hoping to Regain Voters' Favor
A handful of candidates seeking election this year are trying to win the favor of some of the same voters who previously voted them out of office. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/votingbooths.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
Despite National Efforts, Texas Not Enthusiastic About GMO Labeling
A small group of Texas farmers and environmental advocates is pushing for the labeling of genetically modified foods. But the effort has received little interest from Texas' Republican-dominated Legislature or from major agribusinesses. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/03/21/txtrib-LBS-OrganicFarm10.jpg)
![Gerald Cole, owner of Organicare Farms in Taylor, checks his kale plants. The vegetables are grown using aquaponics, a system in which waste matter from fish in tanks is broken down and used as nutrients for the plants.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson -
The Brief: March 24, 2014
The spill of as much as 168,000 gallons of fuel oil into Galveston Bay has crews working hard to avoid lasting impacts on a crucial shipping channel as well as an ecologically sensitive area of the Texas coast. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/oilspill-close001.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()