Politics
Starting Over
by Ross Ramsey, The Texas Tribune, 4 March 2010
So how does the November election shape up?
Surprise!
by Emily Ramshaw, The Texas Tribune, 4 March 2010
Not every race turned out the way political insiders — or the candidates themselves — anticipated. Here are a dozen primary races that defied conventional wisdom, stunned incumbents and shocked long-shot contenders.
The Elefante in the Room
by Brian Thevenot, The Texas Tribune, 4 March 2010
The number of Texans who could identify Victor Carrillo, or describe what he does as the chairman of the three-member Railroad Commission, is no doubt far smaller than the turnout in Tuesday’s Republican primary.
Once More, With Feeling
by Julian Aguilar, The Texas Tribune, 4 March 2010
The post-election euphoria that infused Wednesday morning could be short-lived for a handful of candidates who, though victorious, won by margins narrow enough to prompt recount requests from their closest challenger.
Green, Lehrmann an intriguing Supreme Court matchup
By Chuck Lindell, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 3 March 2010
Who could've guessed that one of the GOP's most intriguing primary races featuring a nail-biting finish, unconventional candidates and the only statewide runoff for either major party would be for an open seat on the traditionally staid Texas Supreme Court?
Perry sounds national themes but says he's rooted in Texas
By Corrie MacLaggan, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 3 March 2010
When Gov. Rick Perry addressed supporters in Driftwood at his victory party Tuesday night, he sounded a lot more like a candidate for a national office than for a state one.
White-Perry matchup puts new issues on the table
By Jason Embry, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 3 March 2010
Bill White can beat Rick Perry.
Railroad commissioner says Hispanic surname a 'serious setback' in race
By Asher Price, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 3 March 2010
The day after he suffered a crushing upset at the polls, Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Victor Carrillo loosed a sharp indictment of the Republican electorate and his own opponent.
Perry, White campaigns fire opening shots
By DAVE MONTGOMERY, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 March 2010
AUSTIN -- Gov. Rick Perry and former Houston Mayor Bill White fired the opening volleys in their race for governor Wednesday as they embarked on what analysts said could become one of the most competitive Texas gubernatorial campaigns in more than a decade.
Hutchison's supporters, peers urging her to remain in Senate
By MARIA RECIO, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 March 2010
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said she would retire after the gubernatorial primary win or lose, but after the shellacking she got Tuesday night from Gov. Rick Perry, her friends, colleagues and analysts bet she'll stay in the Senate -- perhaps even completing her term, which runs through 2012.
Hutchison's plans after defeat still 'the million-dollar question'
By TODD J. GILLMAN and TOM BENNING, The Dallas Morning News, 3 March 2010
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison lay low on Wednesday after her decisive rejection in the governor's race, taking advice about her future from friends as those waiting for a shot at her job bided their time.
Primaries are over for Perry, White: Let the barbs begin
By CHRISTY HOPPE and WAYNE SLATER, The Dallas Morning News, 3 March 2010
AUSTIN – The campaign between Bill White and Rick Perry began even before the barbecue hit the plate at the Tuesday night primary parties.
Primary election results not likely to shift leadership in Texas Legislature
By ROBERT T. GARRETT, The Dallas Morning News, 3 March 2010
AUSTIN – While voters rejected five House incumbents in Tuesday's primaries, every senator who filed to run for re-election was renominated – even one in Waco who stopped campaigning.
Cornyn: Perry 'unfair' in painting Hutchison as representing Washington
By TODD J. GILLMAN, The Dallas Morning News, 3 March 2010
Texas Sen. John Cornyn issued a tough critique this afternoon of Gov. Rick Perry's effort to tar Kay Bailey Hutchison as a creature of Washington, calling that "unfair."
Hutchison feeling GOP pressure not to resign
By PEGGY FIKAC, Houston Chronicle, 3 March 2010
AUSTIN — Republican U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is getting some GOP pressure to change her mind about resigning her seat, but a close friend predicted Wednesday that her decision will hinge on whether she can balance her service with what is best for her young children.
‘A win is a win,' but it still could change
By BRADLEY OLSON, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 3 March 2010
The margin may have been only 11 votes, but as far as Borris Miles is concerned, it's time to head back to Austin.
Lackluster showing puts damper on Tea Party
By JOE HOLLEY and R.G. RATCLIFFE, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 4 March 2010
Anti-establishment voters simply didn't materialize at the polls on Tuesday, and most Republican incumbents cruised to victory over their Tea Party challengers.
Tea party voters turn out to be big factor in gubernatorial race
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, 4 March 2010
AUSTIN -- Debra Medina was hardly the ideal candidate in Tuesday's Republican primary: She didn't raise much money and came under fire for suggesting the U.S. might have been involved in the Sept. 11 attacks. Still, she won nearly one out of every five votes, harnessing some support in the nascent tea party movement.
Big-bucks race in runoff: Gonzalez, Chávez spend $43, $56 per vote
By Zahira Torres, El Paso Times, 4 March 2010
AUSTIN -- District 76 state Rep. Norma Chávez spent $56 for every vote she received Tuesday, but the seven-term legislator could not win the Democratic primary election outright.
Chavez-Thompson gears up for November showdown
By Gilbert Garcia, San Antonio Express-News, 4 March 2010
Linda Chavez-Thompson struck a note of self-deprecation Tuesday night as she celebrated her first-ever primary election victory.
Voter inattention set up an unlikely SBOE candidacy
Veronica Flores-Paniagua, San Antonio Express-News, 4 March 2010
The District 3 State Board of Education race in the GOP primary reminds me of the 1992 Eddie Murphy comedy “The Distinguished Gentleman.”
Leal to back Price in District 87 election
By Kevin Welch, Amarillo Globe-News, 4 March 2010
Two opponents are now on the same side in the race to become the next state representative for District 87.
Jones, Perry gear up for District 83 runoff
By Enrique Rangel, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, 4 March 2010
AUSTIN - It won't be exactly David taking on Goliath, but the ever-optimistic Lubbock accountant Charles Perry thinks he can defeat longtime state Rep. Delwin Jones in the April 13 runoff.
Government
Shift in education board's ideology?
By Kate Alexander, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 3 March 2010
The ideological fault lines on the State Board of Education could shift a bit next year after some jarring shocks in Tuesday's Republican primaries.
Upsets will create new look
By GARY SCHARRER, Houston Chronicle, 3 March 2010
AUSTIN — Voters in the Republican primary basically guaranteed a new look for the State Board of Education by removing controversial member Don McLeroy and ending the 26-year board career of Geraldine “Tincy” Miller.
Cheating allegations tighten TAKS test security
By JENNIFER RADCLIFFE, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 3 March 2010
Houston ISD fourth-graders took the TAKS writing test under tighter security Wednesday as officials investigate allegations of cheating by educators at Jefferson Elementary School.
Bracing for budget cuts, UT hikes tuition
By JEANNIE KEVER, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 3 March 2010
Students at the University of Texas at Austin will pay $481 more in tuition and fees next year under a plan approved Wednesday.
Higher education: UTEP tuition will rise 4.5% in the fall
By Adriana Gómez Licón, El Paso Times, 4 March 2010
EL PASO -- Students at the University of Texas at El Paso will pay 4.5 percent more, or an additional $280 a year, for tuition and fees starting in the fall.
News
Texas lost an extra 50,000 jobs, Dallas Fed finds
By BRENDAN CASE, The Dallas Morning News, 3 March 2010
It might turn out that Texas lost some 50,000 more jobs last year than current data indicate. And according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, most of the extra job losses appear to have been in the Dallas area.
Texas primary turnout is highest in 20 years
FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS, The Dallas Morning News, 3 March 2010
The high-profile Republican race for governor helped draw the most voters to a Texas primary election in 20 years – and perhaps set a record for a GOP primary.
Talks end between American, flight attendants union
By ANDREA AHLES, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 March 2010
Negotiations between American Airlines and its flight attendants union ended Wednesday evening with no contract agreement and no new talks scheduled between the two parties.
Fort Worth has quietly become a hub for military intelligence
By CHRIS VAUGHN, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 March 2010
FORT WORTH -- It is an unremarkable beige-brick building known by its military acronym, the JRIC.
People
Ron Kirk is not amused by secession talk
By JIM LANDERS, The Dallas Morning News, 4 March 2010
WASHINGTON – U.S. Trade Representative and former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk tore into the Texas GOP fringe's flirtation with secession Wednesday, comparing such comments to a return to "the Jim Crow South."
UT regents elect first woman as leader
By Ralph K.M. Haurwitz, AUSTNIN MERICAN-STATESMAN, 3 March 2010
Since it began operating in 1881, the University of Texas System's Board of Regents has been led by attorneys, oilmen, bankers, physicians, former governors and even a newspaperman. But never by a woman until now.
Longtime architect left his mark on downtown Austin
By Christina Rosales, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 3 March 2010
In 1967, Austin architect David Graeber purchased property at 410 E. Sixth St. He refurbished it, turning the old, yellow-brick house into a metropolitan residence. Other downtown property owners soon took his lead, and thus began the urbanization of downtown Austin.
Former Dallas mayor angry over reporters' questions on secession
By KEVIN HALL, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 MArch 2010
Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry's Tuesday night primary win in his re-election bid prompted chuckles in the nation's capital over his past remarks favoring the Lone Star State's secession from the United States. One person not laughing, however, is Ron Kirk.