Politics
Which Rick Perry will appear? The right one, for any occasion
By Jason Embry, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, Feb. 9, 2010
Why has Rick Perry never lost an election? It could be because there are four of him.
Political Notes: How Chavez-Thompson counts on a win
AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, Feb. 9, 2010
If you give the Republicans 25,000 (yes, there are GOP union members, she says), that means 200,000 folks out there will probably vote for her if they go to the polls.
Kyle's growth, debt has council candidates concerned
By Patrick George, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, Feb. 9, 2010
With one council member leaving to run for mayor and another for a county commissioner seat, Kyle will see a big shake-up on its City Council after Saturday's special election.
From farm to politics, Perry follows in family's footsteps
By Jason Embry, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, Feb. 9, 2010
If he wasn't your governor, chances are that Rick Perry would be spending his days in the left seat of a Boeing 737 cockpit as a Southwest Airlines pilot.
Hispanic Democratic group endorses Shami for governor
By ROBERT T. GARRETT, The Dallas Morning News, Feb. 10, 2010
A leading group of Hispanic Democrats endorsed businessman Farouk Shami for governor Tuesday, saying the Palestinian-American immigrant personifies the American dream.
Hutchison calls education a priority
By Jenny LaCoste-Caputo, San Antonio Express-News, Feb. 9, 2010
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison visited San Antonio's KIPP Aspire Academy Monday along with former first lady Barbara Bush and former Congressman Henry Bonilla to talk about what she calls her No. 1 issue in her campaign for governor: education.
White calls for more efficient state government
By Gilbert Garcia, San Antonio Express-News, Feb. 9, 2010
The former Houston mayor earned bipartisan support in that city — averaging 88 percent of the vote over his two re-election campaigns — by emphasizing efficiency over ideology, and he told the Express-News Editorial Board on Tuesday that Gov. Rick Perry is mishandling a looming budget crisis.
US Rep Sheila Jackson Lee gets rare challenge
By MICHAEL GRACZYK, Associated Press, Feb. 9, 2010
Sheila Jackson Lee's appearance at Michael Jackson's funeral in Los Angeles last summer helped convince a three-term Houston city councilman to give the ubiquitous congresswoman her first credible re-election challenge since she won her seat 16 years ago.
Fact-checking the Democratic debate
By AMAN BATHEJA, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Feb. 8, 2010
Here is a closer look at some of the statements and claims made by businessman Farouk Shami and former Houston Mayor Bill White in Monday night's debate between the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial candidates.
Government
County punches its ticket for rail group
By CHRIS MORAN, Houston Chronicle, Feb. 9, 2010
Commissioners Court decided Tuesday to buy a $50,000 ticket to get Harris County aboard a movement to bring high-speed rail to Texas.
Experts disagree on reasons for area's smog compliance
By MATTHEW TRESAUGUE, Houston Chronicle, Feb. 9, 2010
Houston met the federal smog limit for the first time last year because of pollution controls and not as a result of favorable weather conditions or a slumping economy, Texas regulators say.
DPS cuts training time to gain recruits, reduce costs
By JAMES PINKERTON, Houston Chronicle, Feb. 9, 2010
The tan cowboy hat and shiny back boots will be the same, but Texas troopers soon will be on the highways with nine fewer weeks of training than their veteran colleagues.
Districts consider ending salary perk for teachers
By ERICKA MELLON, Houston Chronicle, Feb. 9, 2010
Houston-area school districts spend tens of millions of dollars a year on teachers with advanced degrees that studies show don't produce better student achievement.
Hundreds of pieces of mail undelivered in Temple
The Associated Press, Feb. 9, 2010
A federal investigation found that nearly 700 pieces of mail sat undelivered in the Temple post office last July, more than half of it first class.
Texas to discard millions of babies' blood samples
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Feb. 8, 2010
A critical safety net for babies -- that heel prick of blood taken from every newborn -- is facing an ethics attack.
News
Slater: Mansfield couple’s fight with powerful homebuilder back in court
By Wayne Slater, The Dallas Morning News, Feb. 9, 2010
The Culls are a retirement-age couple who say Perry Homes built a defective house with a broken foundation and cracked walls, but won’t fix it.
NASA chief: Mars is our mission
By ERIC BERGER, Houston Chronicle, Feb. 9, 2010
NASA's emerging exploration plan will call for safely sending humans to Mars, possibly by the 2030s, and de-emphasize exploration of the moon, the agency's leader said Tuesday.
Space shuttle Endeavour pulls in at space station
By MARCIA DUNN, AP, Feb. 9, 2010
Shuttle Endeavour arrived to a warm welcome at the International Space Station early Wednesday, delivering a new room and observation deck that will come close to completing construction 200 miles above Earth.
The one that got away
By HARVEY RICE, Houston Chronicle, Feb. 9, 2010
Over the last few months investigators have learned that Salaz, now 34, is in the vicinity of Monterrey, Mexico, said the inspector general of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. But U.S. officials have no authority to make arrests in Mexico and are having trouble persuading Mexican authorities to send him back to Texas.
Short sale failures long on problems
By Laura Elder, The Galveston County Daily News, Feb. 10, 2010
The story of 4114 Green Heron Drive in Pointe West is playing out again and again in the county and across the nation, driving down property values and prices and leaving taxpayers potentially on the hook for many millions of dollars, industry observers said.
People
Perry underscores executive during long tenure as state's CEO
By Jason Embry, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, Feb. 9, 2010
Gov. Rick Perry has in many ways dispelled the notion that governor of Texas is an inherently weak office.
Drama likely as Scardino, Siegler face-off in retrial
By HARVEY RICE, Houston Chronicle, Feb. 9, 2010
Two experienced attorneys, one a former Harris County star prosecutor known for theatrics and the other a skilled defense attorney, will face each other in the retrial of Anthony Graves, whose capital murder conviction was overturned by a federal appeals court.
Sanders steps down as CEO of United
By Walt Nett, LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL, Feb. 10, 2010
Dan Sanders has resigned as chief executive officer of United Supermarkets, the company announced Tuesday.
Former McAllen mayor's DWI case filed
Jared Taylor, The McAllen Monitor, Feb. 9, 2010
Prosecutors said they filed the driving while intoxicated case of former McAllen mayor Leo Montalvo on Monday, seven months after his arrest.