The Brief: April 26, 2011
A seemingly benign piece of legislation, up for debate in the House today, has exposed an unlikely rift among lawmakers. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/dfd0461806b8f0e89232d879420458c2/DO%20NOT%20USE%20Sen%20Dav%20Pup%202011)
-
Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Bob Daemmrich -
Colbert to Ron Paul: "You're Rand Paul's Dad!"
On the day he announced his intention to form a 2012 presidential exploratory committee, Texas congressman Ron Paul, R-Surfside, sparred with Stephen Colbert about the Fed, the debt ceiling and whether he and his sons are the "Libertarian Kennedys." Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/CM_Capture_3_1.png)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
Has Patient Privacy Bill Hit a Snag?
State Rep. Lois Kolkhorst’s bill to further protect Texans’ private medical information looks stuck; it’s been three weeks since it passed out of committee, and it hasn’t yet been set for a House vote. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/020810-medicalrecords.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
What $7.8 Billion Less Means for Your School District
If the House has its way, there will be 7.8 billion fewer state dollars headed to Texas public schools. Here's our searchable database built from state Rep. Scott Hochberg’s projections of how the funding cuts would hit 1,024 school districts across the state. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Tribune_Data_Public_Ed_Funding_Cuts.png)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Graphic by Ryan Murphy / Morgan Smith / Todd Wiseman -
Outside Groups Lobby Texas Budget Writers
With the Senate set to debate the state budget this week, Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports that several outside groups want to shape the conversation. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Former Candidate Schieffer Called to Save L.A. Dodgers
Tom Schieffer is back in the spotlight, this time as the guy who'll oversee day-to-day operations of the Los Angeles Dodgers on behalf of Major League Baseball, which seized control of the team last week. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/112309_tomschieffer_hp.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: huffingtonpost.com -
The Midday Brief: April 25, 2011
Your afternoon reading: ad campaign pushing for leaner budget; transgender marriage rights targeted; House to take up class size Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/SchoolFundingCuts.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Video: Conservative Coalition Expands Ad Campaign (UPDATE)
One day after the Senate passed its version of the budget for the next biennium, the Texas Public Policy Foundation expanded its media campaign for a "conservative budget." They produced a series of new ads now running on statewide television. The timing appears to be strategic, as the Senate and House prepare to reconcile their spending plans in conference committee. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/RainyDayCommercial.jpg)
![Texas For Conservative Budget Commercial]()
Credit: Conservativebudget.com -
TribLive: Armstrong on Cancer Research, Smoke-Free
At Thursday's TribLive conversation, I interviewed Lance Armstrong about the need to protect cancer research funding in austere times and his advocacy on behalf of an indoor workplace smoking ban. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTribLive-LanceArmstrong032.jpg)
![Lance Armstrong at a TribLive event on April 21, 2011.]()
Credit: Jacob Villanueva -
The Brief: April 25, 2011
Though the House has already thrown the first punch, the Senate will enter the ring this week to fight for billions of dollars in state funding. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Capsized4.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
A Political Tug-of-War Over Taylor County
Troy Fraser lost a redistricting fight 20 years ago. Now he's in another redistricting battle — with another Republican and based more on what part of the state is shrinking (his area's population) than on politics. He's determined not to lose. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
A Backlash Against Drilling, in the Oil and Gas Heartland
Texans pride themselves on being the heart of the nation’s oil and gas business. But even here, public concern about the environmental consequences of natural gas drilling is growing. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib-NaturalGasBacklash-SP004.JPG)
![Demonstrators protest against natural gas drilling in downtown Fort Worth, Wednesday April 20th, 2011. The day marked the one year anniversary of BP's Deepwater Horizon rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.]()
Credit: Stuart Palley -
Inside Intelligence: And on Redistricting...
For the latest installment of our unscientific survey of political and policy insiders, we asked whether lawmakers or the courts will end up drawing political maps and who they think is angling for the four new seats in the congressional delegation. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/inside_intelligence-logo_1.png)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
Cuts, Part Two
A $176.5 billion budget — 5.9 percent smaller than the current budget — won approval from the Senate Finance Committee right and will come to a full Senate vote after the Easter break. Full Story
-
2011 Rankings of More Than 5,800 Public Schools
The Texas Tribune has updated Children at Risk's rankings of more than 5,800 public school campuses with 2011 figures. Explore them for yourself here. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/howyourschoolranks.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
In Dallas, Acclaimed Magnet Schools Bear Brunt of Budget Cuts
Dallas' top-notch magnet schools are at the heart of an identity crisis that has sent fissures through the state’s second-largest district, sparking emotional debates about how scarce funds should be spent during a time of financial reckoning. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib-DallasMagnetSchool-SP009.JPG)
![Students at Townview wait for the bus on Tuesday in South Dallas.]()
Credit: Stuart Palley -
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Aaronson on a freshman lawmaker's rogue antics, Aguilar on how cartel violence affects tick eradication, Galbraith on Midland's water woes, Hamilton on the exit of a higher ed reformer, Murphy maps voting age by county, Philpott on the data breach at the Comptroller's office, Ramsey on why Susan Combs needs to eat crow, my TribLive interview with U.S. Sen John Cornyn, Ramshaw on Cornyn's refusal to take the "nickel tour" of Planned Parenthood, M. Smith annotates the contracts of superintendents, Stiles on a GOP-friendly redistricting map and Tan on a possible Rainy Day Fund raid: The best of our best content from April 18 to 22, 2011. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Tribweek_04_18_2011.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
Video: The Week in Texas Politics Recap: Apr. 18 to Apr. 22
No time to follow every twist and turn of the Texas Legislature? We've made it easier for you with our weekly recaps of the action under the dome. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/capitol_dome_and_flags_1.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
TribLive: Podolsky on Medical Education and Health Care Cuts
At a TribLive conversation on April 14, I interviewed Dr. Daniel Podolsky the president of UT Southwestern Medical Center, about the state of medical education, the cost of health care cuts and the value of academic research. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/UTSWStill_sized.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
Drought-Plagued Midland Is Running Out of Water
A nasty drought is gripping all of Texas, but Midland's situation is especially precarious. Since the beginning of October, barely one-tenth of an inch of rain has fallen, and regional reservoirs are getting close to empty. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib-MidlandWater-RH001.JPG)
![Trees that were once mostly submerged are now high and dry in the southwestern portion of O.H. Ivie Reservoir southeast of Ballinger Texas. The reservoir is less than 30 percent full, as of April 20 2011.]()
Credit: Robert W. Hart
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/c04504d6dc51a11a9aa2de3962a9d41d/BD%20INC%20Save%20our%20State%2003%202011)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/236465e484018cf1de9fa37a063f25de/BD%20INC%20Troy%20Fraser%2003-01%202011)