Tuition will go up next year for most students in the University of Texas System, after a Board of Regents vote today. Regents also committed to developing medical schools in Austin and South Texas.
Politics
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Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas Gets a D+ in Public Integrity Study
Texas has scored a 68 out of 100, placing 27th in a national state integrity study. The state got high marks for auditing and for monitoring pension funds, but not as high for accountability of the governor and legislators.
Posted in
Economy
More Texas Children Living in High-Poverty Areas
A new report says the number of Texas children living in areas of high poverty has increased about 40 percent over the past decade. And as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, advocacy groups hope the data will bolster anti-poverty programs.
Posted in
Energy
TPPF Criticizes Upcoming “Avalanche” of EPA Rules
A report released Monday by the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation renewed its criticism of the Environmental Protection Agency. Environmentalists say the group’s concerns are misplaced.
Posted in
Politics
Little Agreement on How to Fix School Finance System
A teachers group has urged Gov. Rick Perry to call a special session to address education funding. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, there’s still plenty of disagreement on what fixing the school funding system would actually mean.
Posted in
Politics
Democrats Wait for the Political Winds to Change
Every Texas Democrat who has run for statewide office in the last 18 years has been defeated. Every Democrat on the ballot this year hopes to bust that slump. But Republicans in Texas have suffered a longer drought than what Democrats are currently facing.
Posted in
Economy
Budget Battles Still Ahead for Legislature
The state Legislature heads back to work in less than a year. And as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, the state’s improving economy won’t likely save legislators from the protracted budget battle that awaits them.
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Politics
On the Records: Cruz Releases Tax Returns
Hot on the heels of his fellow GOP Senate candidates Craig James and David Dewhurst releasing their tax returns, Ted Cruz has provided the Tribune with the last five years of his tax filings.
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Politics
In NASA Country, Gingrich’s Lunar Colony Plan Fails to Launch
For members of Houston’s aerospace industry, GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich’s vow to put a permanent base on the moon by 2020 is a plan unlikely to take off.
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Politics
On the Records: Dewhurst Releases Two Years of Tax Returns
Following the lead of fellow Republican U.S. Senate candidate Craig James, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has released his tax returns from 2009 and 2010. James on Thursday urged his fellow candidates to release their returns from the last five years.