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State Government
Stay informed on Texas state government with The Texas Tribune’s in-depth coverage of the governor, Legislature, state agencies, and policies shaping the future of Texas.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: March 19, 2010
Forget black helicopters. It looks like some red and blue ones might be coming to the border.
Posted in
Demographics
A Border Runs Through It
At the heart of America’s symbiotic relationship with Mexico is a long-standing and sometimes tense agreement over an issue more far-reaching than homeland security and immigration: water.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
The Secret Pardon
Barring the intervention of the U.S. Supreme Court, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles is Hank Skinner’s last hope for reprieve from the poison-filled syringe he is set to meet on Wednesday. The board makes life-or-death decisions, recommending to the governor whether an execution should be delayed, called off or carried out, yet it’s one of the least transparent agencies in state government.
Posted in
Public Education
The Runoffs: SBOE District 10
One candidate touts her education policy expertise; the other, his conservative political credentials. This race for retiring incumbent Cynthia Dunbar’s seat on the State Board of Education may come down to campaign money vs. Christian grassroots muscle.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: AZ Lab Offers Free Testing for Skinner
Chromosal Laboratories, a DNA testing lab in Phoenix, Ariz., told Gov. Rick Perry that it will test evidence in the Hank Skinner case for free and within 30 days if he grants a reprieve of the convicted murderer’s March 24 execution date.
Posted inState Government
A Conversation with Mark Halperin and John Heilemann
The authors of the best-seller Game Change shared their favorite stories about the 2008 campaign at an event co-presented by the Trib, the Texas Book Festival, the LBJ Library, and the Center for Politics and Governance at the LBJ School of Public Affairs.
Posted in
Economy
Ranking the Recession
A new study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas compares the 2008-09 recession to other downturns — and puts it at the top of the list. Ben Philpott filed this report for KUT News and the Tribune.
Posted inState Government
The Weekly TribCast: Episode 20
In this week’s TribCast, we consider the tax disclosure problems for Texas politicians, the response to drug violence along the Texas-Mexico border and discuss the pro-impeachment Democrat in a well-known Houston district.