House and Senate Adjourn; Special Session to Begin Tuesday
Both the House and Senate have adjourned sine die. But without a school finance deal in the Senate, Gov. Rick Perry is expected to call a special session for 8 a.m. Tuesday. Full Story
Brandi Grissom worked at the Tribune from its launch in 2009 until 2014, rising to the rank of managing editor. In addition to editing duties, Grissom led the Tribune's coverage of criminal justice issues. During her tenure at the Tribune, she was chosen as a 2012 City University of New York Center on Media, Crime and Justice/H.F. Guggenheim Journalism Fellow and was a fellow at the 2012 Journalist Law School at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. Grissom, along with Tribune multimedia producer Justin Dehn, received a 2012 regional Edward R. Murrow Award for investigative reporting for work on the case of Megan Winfrey, who was acquitted of murder in February 2013 after the Trib’s coverage brought statewide attention the case. Grissom joined the Tribune after four years at the El Paso Times, where she acted as a one-woman Capitol bureau. Grissom won the Associated Press Managing Editors First-Place Award in 2007 for using the Freedom of Information Act to report stories on a variety of government programs and entities, and the ACLU of Texas named her legislative reporter of the year in 2007 for her immigration reporting. She previously served as managing editor at The Daily Texan and has worked for the Alliance Times-Herald, the Taylor Daily Press, the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung and The Associated Press. A native of Alliance, Neb., she has a degree in history from the University of Texas.
Both the House and Senate have adjourned sine die. But without a school finance deal in the Senate, Gov. Rick Perry is expected to call a special session for 8 a.m. Tuesday. Full Story
House and Senate Democrats said today a special session would bring transparency to the school finance process and a greater awareness of how the deep funding cuts to government services will affect Texans' daily lives. Full Story
Former Texas Gov. William "Bill" Clements Jr., 94, who broke the Democratic Party's century-long hold on the Governor's Mansion with his election in 1978, died Sunday. Full Story
The marathon negotiations over the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association failed to produce a bill, probably prompting a special session later this summer over that issue. Full Story
The 82nd Texas Legislature’s regular session ends as it started, with lawmakers arguing about a shrunken state budget and redistricting. Full Story
Police across the state are watching the House anxiously today, hoping for the passage of HB 1541. It's a last-ditch effort to keep alive a small state agency lawmakers created in 1991 that awards grants to police agencies to help prevent and investigate auto theft and burglary. Full Story
In a state that bans same-sex marriage, it would seem to be easy to know who can legally marry. Texas county clerks will tell you it is not — at least when it comes to the issue of transgendered applicants. Full Story
Rick Perry has said he's not running for president, but state Rep. Aaron Peña, chairman of the Hispanic Republican Conference, hopes his group's support might change the governor's mind. Full Story
Lawmakers made progress today on solving the current budget deficit but still haven't solved the major problem in the 2012-13 budget: school finance. Full Story
The Texas Senate approved a measure this evening that would ban texting and sending e-mails and instant messages while driving. Full Story