The Midday Brief: December 23, 2009

Your afternoon reading:

• “A federal court order to fix Dallas County electronic voting machines could have statewide impact. KERA's BJ Austin says the issue is cancellation of some votes, without the voter's knowledge.” — Statewide Impact Expected From Dallas County Voting Machine Case — KERA

• “The Sun Belt states that grew like fertilized weeds during the real estate boom are now experiencing sharp declines in population growth, the Census Bureau said Wednesday.” — Recession Cuts Migration to Sun Belt, New Figures Show  — The New York Times

• “Ross Ramsey, writing in the Texas Tribune today, has a story that the Hutchison campaign asked that I not be allowed to be a panelist on the gubernatorial debate on the grounds that KERA, the Dallas PBS station that is hosting the debate, and NPR both have policies against opinion writers participating in debates. The story is correct.” — Banned wagon — BurkaBlog

• “As a thought experiment, what would be required to achieve Dewhurst's goal of saving $218 million per biennium at TDCJ if it came entirely from the institutional division?” — Can Dewhurst's budget cut goals be met by closing TDCJ prison units? — Grits for Breakfast

• “Texas has been failing to process food stamp applications within the 30 days required by the federal and state governments, and some families have been waiting months for assistance.” — State auditor asked to review Texas food stamp system — Postcards

New in The Texas Tribune:

• “The Texas governor's race has already taken off. Three of the four best-funded candidates have already splashed TV and/or radio ads across the state. Some people estimate $1 million a day could get spent on the primary campaigns between the first of the year and the March 2 primary. But you'll likely see nothing right around Christmas.” — Do Not Open Until After the Holidays — The Texas Tribune

• “Eagle Pass Mayor Chad Foster might have to change his tune about his idyllic border home after this week.” — TribBlog: Border mayor escapes Mexico shootout — The Texas Tribune

• “We promised at our launch to publish lots of government data and the apps to help you explore it. Here's a rundown of what we've published so far — and a look ahead to next year.” — On the Records: An App-y New Year — The Texas Tribune

Alert: The Brief will be back on Dec. 28 (for real this time).