M. Smith on wasted private tutoring efforts, Satija on government protection for the lesser prairie chicken, Root finds a new nest of Democratic trial lawyers, Malewitz finds a border skirmish featuring mollusks, Hamilton with the latest on politics at the University of Texas, Batheja on the link between vehicle traffic and bond ratings, Aguilar finds some promise in a juvenile justice program in Eagle Pass and Aaronson covers the court fight over new abortion regulations: The best of our best for the week of Oct. 21-25, 2013.
Transportation
Reporting on roads, transit, infrastructure, and policy shaping travel and mobility across the state, from The Texas Tribune.
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Transportation
TribuneFest: Talking to TxDOT
At the Trib’s Oct. 17 symposium on transportation at Southern Methodist University, Aman Batheja sat down with Ted Houghton, chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission, and Phil Wilson, executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation.
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Transportation
TribuneFest: Transportation and the 83rd Legislature
At the Trib’s Oct. 17 symposium on transportation at Southern Methodist University, I sat down with four members of the House Transportation Committee: Chairman Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, and state Reps. Cindy Burkett, R-Sunnyvale, Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, and Joe Pickett, D-El Paso.
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Criminal Justice
USDA: Border Cattle Inspection Sites to Remain Shuttered
Elected officials and business leaders in Presidio and its Mexican sister city, Ojinaga, are drafting their own safety plan, hoping the USDA will consider reopening a cattle inspection site in Mexico.
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Transportation
Debt Challenges Tied to SH 130 Could Impact Future Toll Projects
A year after opening, a privately operated toll road in Central Texas may be in danger of defaulting next year, increasing the scrutiny of a funding model long touted by transportation advocates and state leaders.
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Economy
Dispute Over Money for Scanning Machine May Stall Bridge Opening
Just weeks before a new rail bridge connecting Texas and Mexico is set to open, controversy surrounding an X-ray machine for the bridge has unfolded and could delay the opening.
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Transportation
TxDOT Releases Names of Top Toll Scofflaws
The state transportation department on Thursday morning released the names of the top 25 toll scofflaws in Texas. The violators owe thousands of dollars in unpaid tolls, with the largest bill totaling more than $230,000.
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Transportation
TxDOT to Crack Down on Toll Road Scofflaws
Armed with new legislation, the Texas Department of Transportation is starting to put more pressure on the tens of thousands of drivers who use toll roads without paying. On Oct. 17, the names of habitual offenders will be made public.
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Transportation
TxDOT May Get Extra Money for Damaged Roads
State lawmakers are expected to give the Texas Department of Transportation an extra $250 million for work in counties affected by the drilling boom, but that likely won’t stop some paved roads from being converted to gravel.
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Transportation
High-Speed Rail Project on Track to Become Part of 2014 Political Debates
Details of an expensive, privately funded high-speed rail project connecting Dallas and Houston will come out next year, just in time for candidates for office to weigh in.