The Playlist: Mother of Exiles
Following a report on twin sisters forming a movement aimed at providing comfort to young victims of the drug war in Mexico, we begin this week's news-based playlist with Joseph Arthur's "Mother of Exiles." Full Story
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![A view of the Texas-Mexico border from El Paso.]()
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TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
The best of our best content from Nov. 25-29, 2013. Full Story
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Democrat David Alameel Will Run for Cornyn's Senate Seat
Democratic dental center mogul David Alameel, who spent millions on a losing campaign for Congress in 2012, told the Tribune on Friday that he'll run for the U.S. Senate seat held by John Cornyn in 2014. Full Story
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![One of Dr. David Alameel for Congress billboards along 1-30 in Grand Prairie, Texas.]()
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In First Ad, Rival Hits Carona as "Career Politician"
In the first ad of his campaign to unseat state Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, businessman Donald Huffines slams the 22-year incumbent for being a "career politician." Full Story
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In Austin, Toll Lanes May Give Bus Service a Boost
In Austin, transportation planners are hopeful that a toll project will help increase ridership on city buses, which will be able to use new tolled lanes for free and cut time on some routes. Full Story
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![View from one of Capital Metro's 1M northbound busses at the intersection of 4th and Congress in Austin.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson -
Democrats Hope the Third Time is Charming
For the third time in a row, Texas Democrats are staking their hopes for a win in the lieutenant governor's race on a Latina, betting this time that the political environment will favor San Antonio's Leticia Van de Putte. Full Story
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![State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte announcing her run for lieutenant governor at San Antonio College on Nov. 23, 2013.]()
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While Searching for Their Mother, Sisters Form Drug-War Support Group
The mother of twin sisters Mitzi and Nitza Alvarado Espinoza disappeared from their home in Mexico in 2009. Now exiled in El Paso, the sisters have formed a movement aimed at providing comfort to young victims of the drug war. Full Story
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![Twins, Nitza Alvarado Espinoza (black shirt) and Mitzi Alvarado Espinoza, with their sister Deisy, at a rally in Austin on November 9. The sisters started "Hijos de Desaparecidos" after their mom was kidnapped by the Mexican military in Chihuahua. They are currently in deportation proceedings but their attorney has filed a petition seeking a special-immigrant status since they were abandoned or orphaned.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Devils River Could Feel Impact of Hunt for Water
Thanks to conservation efforts and its remote location, the Devils River is seen as one of the state's last pristine rivers. But change could be coming for the river, as some are eyeing its basin for new water supplies. Full Story
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![The Devils River, which runs through the Dolan Falls Preserve, is known by nature enthusiasts as one of the most pristine rivers in Texas.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson -
Video: Lack of Freshwater Threatens Matagorda Bay
Fishing and tourism in Matagorda Bay depend in large part on freshwater supplied by the Colorado River. But the drought has all but cut off those flows, and wildlife and recreation on Texas' Gulf Coast have suffered. Full Story
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South Texas County Gets Off TxDOT's Gravel List
La Salle County officials have agreed to pay a portion of the repair costs and all the maintenance costs for 20 miles of roads that the Texas Department of Transportation had intended to convert to gravel. Full Story
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![A damaged portion of the IH 37 frontage road, south of FM 99 in Live Oak County, Texas on Friday, August 16, 2013. The road is on a list of roads that the Texas Department of Transportation has announced will be converted to gravel because the agency lacks funds to keep them maintained at a safe level.]()
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TribCast: Campaigns, Education and a Forgotten Gun
Reeve, Morgan, Ben and Evan give an update on who is officially on and off the statewide Democratic ticket, review the latest from the State Board of Education, and mull the significance of a lawmaker's forgotten weapon. Full Story
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Brandenburg and Lyle: The TT Interview
Two experts in campaign finance and its effects on how judges decide cases say the money has a measurable effect and that some changes in law can help. Full Story
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![From left to right: David Lyle, senior counsel for state advancement, American Constitution Society, and Bert Brandenburg, executive director, Justice at Stake.]()
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Interactive: Ranks of Texas' Homeless Decline
Nearly 30,000 Texans were among more than 610,000 Americans who were homeless this year. But Texas was among the states with the largest decreases in the homeless population. Full Story
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The Brief: Nov. 27, 2013
The Obama administration said on Tuesday it is taking action to curtail the growing influence of "dark money" in U.S. politics. Full Story
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Prosecutors Prepare to Open Their Files
As 2014 approaches, Texas district and county attorneys are preparing to implement a new law that aims to prevent wrongful convictions by requiring prosecutors to open their files to defense lawyers. Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry ceremonially signs Senate Bill 1611, known as the Michael Morton Act, which requires prosecutors to disclose evidence in criminal cases. Morton served nearly 25 years in prison for his wife's murder before he was exonerated in 2011.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
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The Evening Brief: Nov. 26, 2013
Your evening reading: gun advocates find hope in Abbott's open-carry proposal; O'Rourke stock purchase might have broken new restrictions; IRS issues new guidelines to squeeze dark-money groups Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott speaking before a NE Tarrant Tea Party meeting at the Concordia Lutheran Church in Bedford TX. Abbott is seeking to become the next governor of Texas.]()
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Inside Intelligence: About the State of the Parties...
For this week’s nonscientific survey of insiders in politics and government, we asked about state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte’s effect on the Democratic ticket, when Republicans will win a majority of Hispanics and how the primaries foretell the future. Full Story
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Guest Column: The 2013 Senate, From Left to Right
How Texas state senators rank, from liberal to conservative, based on nearly 1,000 nonlopsided votes during the regular and special legislative sessions in 2013. Full Story
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Open-Carry Advocates See Hope in Abbott Proposal
If the state's Republican leadership succeeds, Texans could find themselves growing accustomed to the sight of openly carried handguns. Full Story
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Credit: Michael Tefft / Callie Richmond