The Midday Brief: April 27, 2011
Your afternoon reading: Wentworth tries to revive campus carry; Berman unsatisfied with Obama's birth certificate; counting inmates Full Story
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Texplainer: What Does It Cost to Fight Texas Wildfires?
As the wildfires have worsened, costs have mounted at a rate of over $1 million per day. The state will pay the majority, though local governments and the feds will also pay a share. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Wentworth Surprises Senate With Campus Carry
State Sen. Jeff Wentworth surprised his colleagues and brought the Senate to a standstill today when he tried to tack his controversial campus carry bill onto another measure. Full Story
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Credit: Texas Senate -
Raymund Paredes: $10,000 Degrees "Entirely Feasible"
At a board meeting of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on Wednesday, Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes said that $10,000 bachelor's degrees — books included — as proposed by Gov. Rick Perry are "entirely feasible." Full Story
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![Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Commissioner Raymund Paredes speaks at the podium during the Generation Adelante college fair.]()
Credit: Office of the Governor Rick Perry -
Berman Not Satisfied With Obama's Birth Certificate
State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, has checked out the birth certificate President Barack Obama released this morning — and he's not satisfied. Full Story
Credit: Illustration by Bob Daemmrich / Jacob Villanueva -
The Brief: April 27, 2011
The Senate will soon take up a budget bill with one proposal that has garnered some high-powered opposition. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
After Rick O'Donnell, Now What?
One week ago, Rick O’Donnell’s employment at the University of Texas System came to an abrupt end after 50 days marked by tension and confusion in the higher education community — especially at the University of Texas at Austin. So what happens now that he’s gone? Full Story
Credit: Todd Wiseman / Bob Daemmrich -
Redistricting Maps Move Front and Center in the House
Texas state representatives will choose their voters today — grabbing the ones they want, ditching the ones they don't — as the decennial drawing of political maps reaches the floor of the House. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Guns on Campus Could Cost Colleges
Allowing students to bring guns to college could cost universities a pretty penny in insurance premiums — one of the hitches that is keeping the campus-carry bill stalled in the Texas Senate. Full Story
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Credit: Edward A. Ornelas\The San Antonio Express-News -
Technicality Slays House Bill on Class Sizes — for Now
The House was set to debate a bill that would scrap a 27-year-old law mandating a 22-to-1 student-teacher ratio in kindergarten through fourth grade today — but before it got the chance, state Rep. Borris Miles, D-Houston, derailed the legislation with a point of order. Full Story
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House Tentatively Passes Ban on Sugary Drinks at Schools
House Bill 127 would make middle and high school students leave campus if they want to satisfy their soda fix. Full Story
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Bill to Test Rape Kits Comes With Big Price Tag
Thousands of untested rape kits could be examined for DNA evidence, but a bill considered today by a Senate panel carries a hefty price tag. The result could be that the boxes remain stacked on shelves in police storage rooms across the state. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Perry: "No Faith" In LBB; Leave Rainy Day Fund Alone
Gov. Rick Perry says he is unswayed by estimates that the state's Rainy Day Fund may end up being more flush than previously anticipated and blasted the Legislature's budget office as an unreliable source of numbers. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Outside Group Wants Investigation Into Data Exposure
The Texas attorney general and the FBI are already investigating the accidental release of personal information by the comptroller's office. Now, as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, an outside group wants to start its own investigation. Full Story
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Credit: Comptroller's Office -
Is Miguel Alemán the Next Town to Fall to the Cartels?
Residents of Ciudad Miguel Alemán, across the border from the South Texas town of Roma, fear their town could be the next to fall to drug-related violence after a pre-dawn battle by Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel last week. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
House Gives Early Nod to Puppy Mill Bill
Dog breeders would be regulated for the first time in Texas under a bill the House tentatively approved today. Full Story
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Texas Senate to the Feds: Pay for Border Security
Dear federal government: Texas needs help covering the cost of border security. Signed, the Texas Senate. A resolution adopted by the state Senate today is intended to send a message to Washington demanding more action on illegal immigration. Full Story
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Credit: Spencer Selvidge for The Texas Tribune -
The Midday Brief: April 26, 2011
Your afternoon reading: attorneys target Combs; Patrick says he's got abortion sonogram votes; how far can Ron Paul go? Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmerich -
Patrick: No Holdup on Abortion Sonogram
Holdup? What holdup? Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, says he's got the votes to send abortion sonogram legislation back to the House — but the timeline for doing it depends on how quickly the Senate passes the budget. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Anti-Bullying Bill Gets Early OK From Senate
After a spate of bullying related suicides in Texas schools, state lawmakers introduced more than 15 bills this session to address the issue. Today, the Senate approved one of them — SB 205 from Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston. Full Story
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![Asher Brown took his own life on Sept. 23, 2010 after bullies at school tormented him. He was 13 years old.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Equality Texas
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