The Midday Brief: June 4, 2010

Your afternoon reading:

"An unmanned aerial vehicle made its first surveillance flight Tuesday over the Southwest border in West Texas and began gathering intelligence for federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, officials said Friday." — First drone flies over Texas skies, San Antonio Express-News

"Texas legislators are going to travel around the state to talk redistricting. The House redistricting committee and judiciary and civil jurisprudence committee will hold joint meetings on the subject that will occupy much of the 2011 legislative session. The first hearing outside of Austin is June 21 in San Antonio." — Redistricting work gets under way in Texas, The Associated Press

"House Republicans are turning up the political heat on the White House over the possibility that administration jobs were offered to Democrats to dissuade them from seeking office against incumbents in Pennsylvania and Colorado. 'I am concerned that the Obama administration has engaged in a habit of attempting to manipulate the democratic election process to benefit the Democratic Party,' said Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio." — Texas Rep. Smith turns up heat on White House over job offers to Democratic challengers, Texas on the Potomac

"Dallas County’s computer systems are back up today after a water main leak knocked them out, crippling county government for about three days." — Dallas County computers back online after basement flood, The Dallas Morning News

New in The Texas Tribune:

"In three short months, the Fort Worth family court judge emerged from a six-way scrum of Republican primary contenders — she and former House member Green, R-Dripping Springs, were the only ones without appellate experience — to become the top choice of the legal establishment for the post. Now, with O’Neill’s early departure on June 21, Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Lehrmann to replace her. (She still has to survive a general election challenge from Democrat Jim Sharp, who sits on Houston’s 1st Court of Appeals, and Libertarian William Bryan Strange III.)" — Debra Lehrmann: The Texas Tribune Interview