The Brief: Sept. 25, 2014
The legal problems of a couple of Republican officeholders continue to garner headlines. Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry adjusts his glasses during his appearance at the Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 21.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Van de Putte: Use Transportation Money for Transporation
State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, pledged on Wednesday to stop using money intended for transportation for other programs. 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.]()
Credit: Eddie Seal -
New in Trib+Water: Recent Rains No Drought Breaker
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: rains fall on Central Texas, a new plan is in place to manage water from the Highland Lakes and an interview with Jennifer Walker of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. Full Story
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Reservoir Plan to Be Focus of Contested Case Hearing
UPDATED: The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality voted Wednesday to refer protests over the proposed Lower Bois d'Arc Reservoir in northeast Texas to the State Office of Administrative Hearings. Full Story
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![Lake Texoma in October 2013. Once a major water supply for North Texas, it has been offline amid a zebra mussel infestation.]()
Credit: Laura Buckman -
The Brief: Sept. 24, 2014
The special prosecutor overseeing the criminal case against Gov. Rick Perry let his frustration be known on a request by Perry's attorneys to excuse him from appearing at an Oct. 13 pre-trial hearing. Full Story
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![Houston attorney Tony Buzbee, who leads Gov. Rick Perry's legal team, explains the felony indictments on August 18, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Texas and the EPA Find Agreement Underground
In their efforts to regulate the wells that hold Texas' oilfield waste, state officials have found a surprising ally in the federal Environmental Protection Agency, long a political punching bag in Texas. Full Story
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![Although leadership at the Texas Railroad Commission and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency often feuds, staff at each agency has found ways to work together, says Milton Rister, executive director of the Railroad Commission.]()
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The Brief: Sept. 23, 2014
A three-week trial challenging Texas' voter ID law in federal court wrapped up on Monday amid speculation a decision could be handed down before Election Day. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
TribFest: One-on-One with George P. Bush
Full video of my 2014 Texas Tribune Festival keynote conversation with George P. Bush, the Republican nominee for Texas Land Commissioner in 2014. Full Story
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The Brief: Sept. 22, 2014
Texas politics was the big conversation in Austin and even outside the state with this weekend's Texas Tribune Festival. Full Story
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![Land Commissioner candidate George P. Bush takes a question from the public at TribFest Sept. 19, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Liveblog: Environment at The Texas Tribune Festival
We're liveblogging the sessions from the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival's Environment track. The sessions include panels on the state's water needs, the Texas coast, agriculture in the state and Texas' battles with the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Emily Albracht -
Liveblog: Energy at The Texas Tribune Festival
We're liveblogging the sessions from the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival's Energy track. The sessions include panels on the state's power grid, the potential impact of energy reform in Mexico on Texas, the debate over hydraulic fracturing and a deeper look at the state's drilling boom. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Emily Albracht -
At TribFest, Bush Talks In-State Tuition, Open Beaches
In a wide-ranging interview Friday night at The Texas Tribune Festival, Republican land commissioner candidate George P. Bush discussed a state law granting in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants and a controversial court case on the Texas Open Beaches Act. Full Story
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![Then-candidate for Texas land commissioner George P. Bush with Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith at TribFest on Sept. 19, 2014]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Staples Leaving Ag Commissioner Post Early to Head Oil and Gas Association
UPDATED: Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples confirmed he has been selected to head up the Texas Oil and Gas Association – the state’s largest and oldest petroleum group. He will leave his current post early. Full Story
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Texas Supreme Court Weighs Oilfield Fraud
For mineral owners, making sure oil and gas operators pay what they promise can prove incredibly difficult, as shown in a case the Texas Supreme Court will soon decide. Full Story
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The Brief: Sept. 18, 2014
Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples lost out on his bid to be lieutenant governor, but he might be in line for another job before his term ends in January. Full Story
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![Texas Commissioner of Agriculture, Todd Staples - August 29, 2011.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Drought Still Grips Texas Towns
After a summer that brought little relief from the drought, the small town of Gordon in Palo Pinto County is just one of many Texas communities still facing a difficult task: find new water or go dry. Full Story
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At "Kumbaya" Meeting, a New Colorado River Plan is Approved
The Lower Colorado River Authority approved a new plan on Wednesday to manage the Colorado River and its reservoirs, known as the Highland Lakes. Full Story
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![A 2013 look at at a boat dock at Lake Travis, whose water level decreased markedly amid a historic drought. Lake Travis is part of the Central Texas' Highland Lakes.]()
Credit: Rebecca Vanherdehaage -
Midland ISD Looks to Create Pipeline for Future Oil Industry Workers
Midland school officials and area businesses are excited about a planned high school program that will focus on preparing high schoolers to work in the region's booming oil industry. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Fábio Pinheiro / Todd Wiseman -
The Brief: Sept. 16, 2014
University of Texas System regents moved quickly Monday to keep two lawmakers from sitting in on interviews conducted by an external investigator into admissions procedures at the system's flagship Austin campus. Full Story
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Drillers, but Not Fracking, Tied to Tainted Water
Oil and gas activities – but not hydraulic fracturing – tainted drinking water wells atop North Texas’ Barnett Shale and Pennsylvania’s Marcellus formation, according to a new study. Full Story
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![Steve Lipsky shows the methane contamination of his well by igniting the gas with a lighter outside his family's home in Parker County near Weatherford on June 17.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill
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