The latest state agencies news from The Texas Tribune.
After his son and two others died in a horrific car wreck in 2004, former UT Regent Scott Caven Jr. set out to prove that his namesake, Scotty, wasn't to blame. He eventually persuaded the Texas Department of Public Safety to change its accident report — a rare feat: In the last five years, DPS has changed the final reports in fewer than 1 percent of fatal crash investigations. Full Story
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The pro-charter National Center for Education Reform cites state's lack of financial support for facilities, a cap on the number of charters and a restrictive regulatory environment. Full Story
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The Texas Departments of Family and Protective Services and State Health Services are launching a "Room to Breathe" campaign to educate parents about the dangers of co-sleeping, a controversial subject that they appear to be approaching with caution. Full Story
What are state and local governments in Texas doing to make raw data available to the public? Not much. Full Story
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It was a political week, with a full-court press from our staff on Bill White's switch to the governor's race and all of the fallout; the moves during the first week of filing for political races; Philpott's look at Republicans challenging Republicans; Hu's latest in the popular Stump Interrupted series; Ramshaw on emergency rooms, family doctors, and child protection; Stiles and Grissom mapping payday lending locations juxtaposed with family income data; Rapoport on the state budget and education; Thevenot on KBH's plans for schools; and Hamilton on the power (or not) of political endorsements. The best of the best from November 28 to December 4, 2009. Full Story
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Lobbyists from across the Republican party come out to support one of their own for State Board of Education, forsaking former chair Don McLeroy. Full Story
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Forget what I said on this week's TribCast, parroting the chatter around the Capitol: The state senator from Houston is not considering a primary challenge to his fellow Republican, Comptroller of Public Accounts Susan Combs. Full Story
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Though Texas employees are increasingly retiring just to get rehired — a clever way to bring in a salary AND a pension at once — USA Today reports that many states are curbing the practice. Full Story
"If the prison administrators cannot get the job done, we need to find some who can." Full Story
Hank Gilbert got out of the race for the Democratic nomination for governor, saying there are "two credible candidates" in the race. And he said he'll be a candidate for agriculture commissioner — the office he tried unsuccessfully to win in 2006. And then came the real surprise: Gilbert said he is endorsing Farouk Shami for the Democratic nomination. Full Story
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State health officials are considering lifting a requirement that Texas emergency rooms have a physician on-site at all times — as long as one can get there within 30 minutes. Full Story
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How many people could you feed with $2.7 million? Full Story
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The season for speculating is drawing to an end. Politicians, it’s time to stake your claim. Full Story
Criminal justice blogger Scott Henson is reporting on Grits For Breakfast that lawmakers put 59 new felonies on the books during the last legislative session. Full Story
Texas school chief calls requirements to adopt national curriculum standards "unprecedented intrusiveness" Full Story
With the filing deadline fast approaching, are Democrats beginning to feel some holiday cheer? Full Story
Removals of Texas children from abusive homes have reached their highest point since the 2008 polygamist sect raid, when hundreds were taken into custody in a single day. Full Story
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Hoping to push a wide array of digital content and teaching tools to public schools, the Texas Education Agency has cut a deal with a division of The New York Times for an electronic curriculum portal and searchable access to the newspaper’s content since 1851. Full Story
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Ramsey and others on Bill White and the changing state of the race for governor; Thevenot's two-parter on what Dallas churches are doing to combat social ills and racial division; Ramshaw on the use of force by school district police departments (and why parents don't know about it); Grissom's two-parter, abetted by Stiles, on unregulated payday lenders; Aguilar on Mexican immigrants who play against type; and Rapoport on those missing extra checks for retired public employees. The best of the best from November 21 to 25, 2009. Full Story
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Sorry, retired teachers and other public employees: You'll have to do without that extra $500 you were expecting. And you shouldn't count on any additional benefits next year — not if the state pension fund continues to be, in the words on one state senator, "actuarially unsound." Full Story
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