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News For July, 2010

  • TribBlog: Testing the Texas Projection Measure

    By Brian Thevenot

    The Texas Education agency plans to release school accountability ratings for every campus in the state on Friday. For the second year, the rankings will be filtered through the controversial Texas Projection Measure, which critics fault for inflating the school scores. Full Story 

    Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott in March, 2010.
    Credit: Justin Dehn

  • Whooping It Up

    By Ben Freed

    Cases of whooping cough spiked in Texas last year to their highest level since 1962. Ben Freed of KUT News reports on what's being done to prevent the spread of this disease. Full Story 

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  • The Map: Get Out the Vote

    By Matt Stiles, The Texas Tribune, and Zahira Torres, El Paso Times

    El Paso and Hidalgo are the largest Latino-majority and Democratic-leaning counties in the state, and they rank near the bottom when you compare the size of their voting age population to the actual number of people who show up at the polls. Collin and Fort Bend are growing suburban counties with larger Anglo populations that tend to lean Republican and produce some of the highest turnouts of eligible voters anywhere in Texas. Guess which pair gets the most attention and has the most clout? Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman/Jacob Villanueva

  • TribBlog: The Sound and the Fury

    By Kate Galbraith

    Attorney General Greg Abbott filed a legal challenge on Monday against the Environmental Protection Agency, saying the agency's rejection of Texas' pollution-permiting system constitutes "improper overreach by the federal government." Full Story 

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    Credit: Bob Daemmrich

  • TribBlog: Deported With Disabilities

    By Emily Ramshaw

    U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents with mental disabilities have been mistakenly deported because they were unable to effectively defend themselves, according to a study released by the American Civil Liberties Union and the non-profit Human Rights Watch. Full Story 

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  • TribBlog: Suing for Access

    By Emily Ramshaw

    Statewide disability group ADAPT of Texas and the Texas Civil Rights Project commemorated the 20th anniversity of the Americans with Disabilities Act today by filing more than 20 lawsuits across the state — targeting inaccessibility in restaurants and municipal buildings. Full Story 

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    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller

  • TribBlog: The 51st State

    How can Texas rank last in the nation — 51st — in the percentage of adults with high school diplomas, and simultaneously rank 22nd in the percentage attending at least some college? Full Story 

    Brookings Institute Mapped Educational attainment nationwide. Texas ranks last — 51st — in the percentage of adults with high school diploma, largely due to rapid immigration growth. The state ranks significantly higher on college attainment.
    Credit: Brookings Institute

  • A Fine Mess

    By Brandi Grissom

    Efforts to salvage the problem-plagued Driver Responsibility Program ultimately may not shield it from the wrath of its many detractors, including at least one lawmaker who believes we "shouldn't hesitate in getting rid of it." Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • The Map: The Giant Still Sleeps

    By Matt Stiles, The Texas Tribune, and Zahira Torres, El Paso Times

    Nearly 37 percent of the state's population of nearly 25 million is Latino, but only about 1.2 million Latinos who were registered to vote in 2008 cast ballots. Pinpointing when the emerging majority group in Texas will begin wielding its power at election time is no small feat. Scores of campaigns, party activists and interest groups spend millions of dollars each year trying to determine what will happen when that day comes. Full Story 

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    Credit: El Paso Times

  • The Map: Can a Democrat Win?

    By Matt Stiles, The Texas Tribune, and Zahira Torres, El Paso Times

    Political observers, partisan faithful and a pair of campaigns have been consumed by one question for nearly eight months: How close is the race between Republican Rick Perry and Democrat Bill White? Members of both parties agree that White represents the Democrats' best shot at winning the governor's office in 15 years, despite the state's status as a Republican stronghold. But many believe that voting patterns show Texas is still years away from becoming truly competitive. Full Story 

    Bill White and Rick Perry have their sights set on the governor's office
    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • T-Squared: The Trib-Times Collaboration

    By Evan Smith

    Today we're publishing the first of three stories in a series that is the result of a partnership between the El Paso Times and the Trib — a show of the "hang together" spirit bolstering public service journalism in the 21st century. Full Story 

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  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Ross Ramsey

    Ramshaw's question about an insurance company denying coverage for an infant vaccine prompts a reversal; Stiles' new app lets you poke through mid-year campaign reports on donations and spending; Ramsey finds foreshadowing of the state's big fall races in the campaign finance reports; Aguilar interviews Henry Cisneros about current politics; Dawson finds Texas environmentalists getting advice from an unexpected place; Galbraith on "demand response" that might cut the need for power plants and on the next wave of electric cars; Aguilar on increasing trade through Texas ports of entry; M. Smith on affirmative action battles in higher education; Titus on Mexican college students' drift from border universities to UT-Austin and Texas A&M; and Hamilton on controversy over private, for-profit colleges: The best of our best for the week of July 19 to 23, 2010. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman