The latest redistricting news from The Texas Tribune.
Rural health advocates asked state lawmakers Wednesday to help pay for improvements to rural hospitals in up to 42 Texas counties. Without state help, they said, the rural hospitals have no hope of doing necessary renovations to catch up to federal and state hospital codes. Full Story
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Ramshaw on geriatric care in state prisons, with Miller's photo essay inside those walls; M. Smith interviews the state's newest Supreme Court justice, Debra Lehrmann; Aguilar finds fewer Mexicans seeking asylum in the U.S; Galbraith sorts out the politics of pollution and whether our air is dangerous to breathe; Thevenot discovers authorities writing tickets for misbehavior to elementary school kids; Philpott reports on early hearing about political redistricting; Kreighbaum examines fines levied against polluters and finds they're often smaller than the economic benefits of the infractions; and Stiles and Babalola spotlight some of our data projects from our first seven months online: The best of our best from May 31 to June 4, 2010. Full Story
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Your afternoon reading. Full Story
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In this week's TribCast, Ross, Evan, Ben and Reeve discuss the summer political fundraising season, TxDOT's audit, how population projections will impact into redistricting and the politics of pollution. Full Story
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The Fort Hood shooter made his first courtroom appearance Tuesday, but a trial, the military court decided, won't happen until October. Full Story
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Redistricting is a highly partisan exercise, but there's likely to be more at work than mere politics in 2011. Shifts in the state’s population and demographics will play a large part in shaping where new congressional and legislative boundaries are set. Full Story
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A majority of Texans believe the state is on the right track, while a plurality thinks the country is on the wrong track, according to a new University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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A Newsweek/Texas Tribune exclusive: The governor talks about the Tea Party, his beef with the federal government, health care reform, the state budget, redistricting, and whether he plans to run for the White House himself. Full Story
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A Newsweek/Texas Tribune exclusive: The Governor of Texas talks about the Tea Party, his beef with the federal government, health care reform, Mexico, the state budget, redistricting, whether he's an insider or an outsider, what he thinks about the presidency of George W. Bush, and — while we're on the topic — whether he plans to run for the White House himself ... and his answer could not be more definitive. Full Story
Check out Census 2010's latest pitchman, Karl Rove. The man known as Bush's Brain draws on his appreciation for James Madison to sell the Census to those who haven't mailed in their forms yet. Full Story
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Republican and Democratic members of the Texas congressional delegation are discussing a possible compromise designed to cool off the overheated politics of congressional redistricting by dividing the expected spoils once U.S. Census figures are in and the reapportionment process begins in 2011, two members of the delegation say. Full Story
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As of Friday, three-quarters of Texans hadn't returned their census forms. Only five states have a worse rate of participation so far. Full Story
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The TribCast gang is back together again to talk about health care reform's effect on Texas, the redistricting fight coming up for the next legislature, and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison: Should she just stay in the Senate until 2012? Full Story
In 2011, political mapmakers will take the latest census numbers (Texas is expected to have a population of more than 25 million) and use them to draw new congressional and legislative districts. The last time this was done, in 2003, Republican mappers took control of the U.S. House by peeling away seats from the Democrats. This time, Texas is poised to add up to four seats to its congressional delegation — and early numbers indicate bad news ahead for West Texas and other areas that haven't kept up with the state's phenomenal growth. Full Story
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"You want a good count both because you want to have your representation and because you want to get the resources your community needs," says demographer Steve Murdock. Full Story
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More than 373,000 Texans went uncounted by the 2000 census, resulting in a loss of $1 billion in federal funds. With eight of the nation's 50 hardest-to-count counties right here in our state, the coming 2010 census is a cause for concern — and an apparent lack of attention by elected officials is making matters worse. Full Story
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Dallas County Republicans are jockeying for a chance to topple two freshman Democrats who seized House districts in 2008. The incumbent Dems — hoping to claim their first House majority in eight years — are girding for battle. Full Story
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What does the 2010 census mean for 2011 redistricting? Ben Philpott filed this report for KUT News and the Tribune. Full Story
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Census offices across Texas are gearing up to collect data for the 2010 census. Population growth in Texas is expected to bring the state 3 to 4 new congressional seats. Ben Philpott, who's covering politics for KUT News and the Tribune, says it will also lead to another round of redistricting battles between Democrats and Republicans. Full Story
It's going to be a noisy start to the year for Republicans, who have an unusual number of primary challengers to incumbents. Democrats, meanwhile, are making a weak play for political control in the next decade. Full Story
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