The Brief: Top Texas News for Feb. 15, 2011
The state's electric grid operator will enter Senate hearings this morning with a Texas-sized target on its back. Full Story
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For Power Grid Operator, the Reckoning Begins
The Texas electric grid operator is facing questions on a range of fronts, including its policy of not disclosing information about the power grid's day-to-day operations and its inability to ensure adequate weatherization of power plants. Full Story
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Texas "On the Brink," Legislative Group Says
Texas' superlatives are nothing to brag about, according to the fifth edition of "Texas on the Brink," an annual review that ranks the state on dozens of factors ranging from health insurance to voter turnout. Full Story
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The Midday Brief: Top Texas Headlines for Feb. 14, 2011
Your afternoon reading: census inaccuracies; lawmaker predicts $1,000 tuition increase; report says Texans overpay for electricity Full Story
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Texplainer: Can the Lege Overrule Perry on Education Money?
Gov. Rick Perry has said he can't sign an application to receive $10 billion in federal education aid because it requires an assurance he cannot constitutionally make: that the Lege will not use the money to offset state funding of public education. Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry delivering his State of the State address on Feb. 8, 2011]()
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Facing Massive Cuts, Agency Chiefs Remain "Good Soldiers"
They’re surely facing the worst budget cycle any of them have experienced. Yet in hours of testimony before lawmakers, the commissioners of Texas’ social services and education agencies appear largely unruffled. Full Story
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The Brief: Top Texas News for Feb. 14, 2011
One unlikely bout of political drama pitting Texas against Amazon.com has spawned another: Gov. Rick Perry vs. Comptroller Susan Combs. Full Story
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Budget Cuts Trickle Down to Local Governments
One lawmaker has proposed a constitutional amendment blocking lawmakers from passing so-called unfunded mandates on to local governments. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, cities and counties worry the costs will come anyway. Full Story
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Inside Intelligence: A $10,000 Degree?
For the latest installment of our nonscientific survey of political and policy insiders on issues of the moment, we asked whether colleges can deliver on Gov. Rick Perry's prompt for a $10,000 bachelor's degree. Full Story
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Perry, Doggett and Their $830 Million Feud
Six months after Congress established the $10 billion Education Jobs Fund to help states retain and hire teachers, Texas is one of only two states that has not received its money. Whether the state will gets it depends on a game of political chicken between Gov. Rick Perry and a certain Austin Democrat. Full Story
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Please Be Seated
Ever have that feeling that, "Don't worry, it's all good," means, "You're already baked"? Full Story
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Woman's Death Reveals a Troubled East Texas Jail
Amy Lynn Cowling's death is just the most recent at the Gregg County Jail in Longview. Interviews and public documents reveal a troubled facility, where the staff turnover rate is unusually high and inmates report shoddy medical care. Full Story
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![Amy Lynn Cowling's mother, Vicki Bankhead, talks about the death of her daughter in the office of the family's attorney, Jarom Tefteller.]()
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TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
The best of our best from February 7 to 11, 2011. Full Story
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Redistricting Lawsuit: Count Citizens Only
Redistricting doesn't start until next week, but the first lawsuit has already been filed. Full Story
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Howard Wins HD-48 Seat, Hartnett Says
Rep. Donna Howard won the HD-48 seat by four votes over Republican Dan Neil, according to state Rep. Will Hartnett, R-Dallas. Hartnett was appointed to investigate their election after Neil challenged the results. Full Story
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Bill Would Prevent Immigration Inquiries by Peace Officers
Freshman state Sen. José Rodríguez, D-El Paso, filed SB 600 on Friday, which would prevent law enforcement from asking the immigration status or nationality of a witness to or victim of a crime “except as necessary to investigate the offense.” Full Story
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![State Sen. José Rodríguez, D-El Paso, on June 26, 2010, at the Texas Democratic Convention in Corpus Christi.]()
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Rick Perry at CPAC: Local Government Governs Best
In a rock concert-like setting, at times reaching Howard Dean-like volumes, Gov. Rick Perry used his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington to deliver his resounding message: The government closest to the people is the one that governs best. Full Story
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Ron Paul at CPAC: "Too Much Bipartisanship"
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Surfside, gave a rollicking speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington — one peppered with cheers and jeers. His target? The "bipartisanship" that leads to foreign and financial policies he argues curb the country's liberty. Full Story
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The Week in Texas Politics Recap: 2/7 to 2/11
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
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The Midday Brief: Top Texas Headlines for Feb. 11, 2011
Your afternoon reading: Cornyn officially enters whip fray; Granger gets an audience with Hillary Clinton; Perry and Paul to address CPAC Full Story
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