Dan Bartlett, George W. Bush’s communications director and counselor, talks to the Tribune’s Evan Smith about whether the former president’s loyalists — and the former president himself? — are taking sides in the Republican primary for governor.
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 Weekly TribCast: Episode 002
Evan Smith, Ross Ramsey, Elise Hu, and Ben Philpott have a jam session on the UT/Texas Tribune poll, the 2010 Democratic statewide slate, and their favorite haircare products.
Posted inState Government
KHOU-TV: A Few Minutes with Farouk Shami
A few minutes from KHOU-TV’s October interview with Farouk Shami, the Houston hair care executive who says he’s going to run for Texas governor as a Democrat. He pledges to spend $10 million from his personal fortune to get the job.
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State Government
2010: Former Tigua leader mulling Senate run
Albert Alvidrez, a former governor of the Tigua tribe in El Paso, is mulling a run for the Texas Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Sen. Eliot Shapleigh. But having Alvidrez in the Senate might not earn the tribe another vote for gambling rights.
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Public Education
Dropout problem drags Texas down
“I represent a district that has 80 percent renters, 70 percent of people speaking a first language other than English, where there’s a high school with 42 languages and 40 percent turnover of the student body every year — now tell me how you plan to calculate the dropout rate,” Rep. Scott Hochberg said. “I will stipulate that it’s too big — let’s just start there. I wish we fought over solutions as much as we fight over the number.”
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Public Education
Faulty figures: The great dropout debate
Despite years of research, the true picture of dropout and graduation rates remains elusive, even the subject of cross words between researchers. The consensus: Far too many Texas public school students, particularly those from poor and minority families, don’t cross the high-school finish line.
Posted inState Government
2010: Another El Paso Republican to challenge Moody
El Paso Republican Rene Diaz invited us at The Texas Tribune this morning to join him on his “journey” as he runs for the Texas House. Diaz is going to run for the HD78 seat that Democrat Joe Moody now represents.
Posted inState Government
2010: The Distinguished Gentlelady from H-P?
Another Texan is running for the U.S. Senate — but in an actual race, not a hypothetical one that depends on dominoes falling, and not in Texas. Austin native Carly Fiorina, the ousted CEO of Hewlett-Packard and a chastened adviser to John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, made formal today her plans to seek the Republican nomination for the California Senate seat now held by Barbara Boxer.
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Health care
Student Restraints Day 2: How Texas school districts compare
Texas school districts vary widely in how often they physically restrain students with disabilities – despite a shared state policy on when to use them. Use this interactive graphic to see how school districts compared during the 2007-08 school year, the most recent statewide data available.