Texas Weekly Newsreel: Property Tax, Speed Limit, PAC Money
This week on the Newsreel, a look at property taxes versus sales taxes, 85-mph speed limits and Super PAC contributions from Texas. Full Story
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Private Firm Aims for Bullet Trains From Dallas to Houston by 2020
By 2020, bullet trains might be transporting Texans between Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston in less than 90 minutes, if a private firm's plans to build the system without public funding come to fruition. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Report: Texas Jobs Near Public Transit, But Commuters Aren't
A new report shows a growing disconnect between the number of jobs located near public transportation and the number of workers who can easily use it. And Texas metro areas are below the national averages for connectivity. Full Story
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![Dart RED Line, Dallas TX]()
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Texas Conference Draws Transportation Heavy-Hitters
A Texas conference started 15 years ago at the request of U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, has grown into one of the leading transportation policy gatherings in the country. Full Story
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![Wokers along stretch of highway at US290/US 183 April 2011]()
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TxDOT Releases First Rural Transportation Plan
TxDOT released the state’s first transportation plan for rural areas last week, intending it as a “blueprint” for future transportation projects and services in rural areas through 2035. Full Story
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![Traffic along US 77 between Driscoll and Kingsville, Texas. A 10-mile stretch of this road from Kingsville to Driscoll is right now a simple state highway with cross-traffic and stop lights. About $50 million is going to be used to upgrade it to interstate highway standards. 6/4/12]()
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For TxDOT, a $2 Billion "Perception Problem"
The Texas Department of Transportation announced this year that it had an extra $2 billion in funding. And that could hurt the agency's attempts at getting extra funding next session. Full Story
![Traffic along US 77 between Driscoll and Kingsville, Texas. A 10-mile stretch of this road from Kingsville to Driscoll is right now a simple state highway with cross-traffic and stop lights. About $50 million is going to be used to upgrade it to interstate highway standards. 6/4/12]()
Credit: Eddie Seal -
TxDOT Lobbying Congress For More Revenue Options
The Texas Department of Transportation is urging Congressional leaders to give states more discretion in charging tolls and using private funding for road projects. Full Story
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Pay to Pave
More energy producers are making "donations" to the Texas Department of Transportation to fix roads torn up by gas well operations. Full Story
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![Cracks have formed in the asphalt on Bayou Wood Circle near County Road 687 south of Angleton, Texas Tuesday Aug, 2, 2011.]()
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Panama Canal Expansion Raises Hopes in Houston
The Panama Canal's expansion will probably mean the Port of Houston sees more container ships, but local officials disagree on whether the area is ready for the extra business. Full Story
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Planning for Billion-Dollar Austin-Houston Rail Line Under Way
The Texas Department of Transportation has pitched a rail line that would take passengers from Austin to Houston in three hours. Though funding challenges may keep trains from rolling anytime soon, Erika Aguilar of KUT News reports that planning has already begun. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
At Port of Houston, Jobs Debate Centers on Trucking Limits
At the Port of Houston, which supports hundreds of thousands of Texas jobs, business leaders say outdated trucking regulations hurt their business. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, changing those rules would require legislative action. Full Story
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Perry Talks Trans-Texas Corridor in Iowa
On the final campaign stop of his bus tour today, Gov. Rick Perry was asked about the long-ago plan for a 4,000-mile network of highways, rail and utility lines that sparked a public outcry and was ultimately abandoned. Full Story
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Memo to Voters: There's No Free Lunch
Voters clearly want good schools and nice roads and low taxes. It's a political and policy question straight out of a business textbook: What's the right balance of price and quality? Full Story
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How Do TxDOT's New Salaries Compare to Other State Agencies?
TxDOT's plan to hire five new executives — each paid up to at least $250,000 annually — has received heavy criticism. How do the salaries compare to those at other public entities? We checked our government salary database to find out. Full Story
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Delisi Leaves Transportation Post for Perry Campaign
Texas Transportation Commissioner Deirdre Delisi submitted her resignation to Gov. Rick Perry today. Now she will have more time to devote to his campaign. Full Story
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![Deirdre Delisi, Chair of the Texas Transportation Commission, attends a meeting on July 29, 2010.]()
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Phil Wilson's War
Phil Wilson, a former Texas secretary of state and aide to Gov. Rick Perry, on Thursday was named executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation. For Wilson, the new job comes with a big salary — and even bigger challenges. Full Story
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![Traffic congestion on Interstate 35 in Austin. The freeway through central Austin is among the state's most congested road segments, according to a TxDOT study.]()
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Texas Airport Furloughs Delay Construction, but Not Operations
A weeklong partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration has delayed airport construction projects in Houston and Abilene. Full Story
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This Will Be on the Test
This week, Secretary of State Hope Andrade conducted a lottery that determined the order of the 10 new proposals on the November ballot. Each amendment already won approval from two-thirds of the House and Senate and now needs a nod from a majority of the voters. Here's the rundown... Full Story
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Video: Alex Jones Storms the Capitol
Notorious radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones led a raucous protest at the Capitol Wednesday over the Legislature's failure to pass a bill criminalizing invasive airport pat downs. "Every one of [those senators] is an enemy of the Republic and the Republic of Texas!" he bellowed. Full Story
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DPS Institutes Surcharge Breaks for the Poor
The Texas Department of Public Safety today announced the start of a program to help poor drivers pay off expensive surcharges and get their driver's licenses back. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
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