Politics
Perry is writing book, 'Fed Up,' that blasts D.C. policies
By Christy Hoppe, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 25 May 2010
Gov. Rick Perry is writing a book due out this fall that will blast Washington for overreaching and intruding on the rights of states and individuals.
Collared Greens
By Ben Philpott, THE TEXAS TRIBUNE, 25 May 2010
Texas has among the most restrictive ballot access laws of any state, which is why the Green Party hasn't put its candidates before voters here since 2002. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports that party activists hope to end the dry spell this year.
Haggerty criticized by Latino bar association
By Marty Schladen, EL PASO TIMES, 25 May 2010
Republican County Commissioner Dan Haggerty got an earful Monday for saying the Mexican-American Bar Association was a form of racial profiling. Haggerty, though, seemed not to care.
Tarrant County College candidates hope to lure voters to runoff
By Diane Smith, FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 24 May 2010
The final two candidates in the race for Tarrant County College's District 5 seat are trying to convince voters that it's worth their time to vote in a runoff election that many may not realize is taking place.
Government
Supreme Court to review Texas death row case
By Michael Graczyk, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 24 May 2010
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether a Texas death row inmate should have access to evidence for DNA testing that he says could clear him of three murders.
Justice Delayed
By Brandi Grissom, THE TEXAS TRIBUNE, 25 May 2010
Death row inmate Hank Skinner bought himself some time Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to take up a technical issue in his case, but legal experts say he's unlikely to escape his ultimate punishment.
U.S. Supreme Court to hear Texas Death Row inmate's case
By Dave Montgomery, FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 24 May 2010
A Texas Death Row inmate who came within minutes of being executed for a triple murder in the Panhandle is now at the center of a potentially far-reaching Supreme Court case on DNA testing.
High court DNA decision gives Texas killer hope
By Allan Turner, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 24 May 2010
Henry Skinner, a convicted killer who once came within an hour of execution, won a major victory Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will consider whether he can seek DNA testing of bloody knives, a rape kit and other evidence under federal civil rights law.
Pressure mounts on BP, administration over spill
By Greg Bluestein and Erica Werner, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 25 May 2010
The White House is facing increasing questions about why the government can't assert more control over the handling of the catastrophe.
Presidential talks hasten U.S. aid to Mexico
By Gary Martin, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 24 May 2010
The delivery of U.S. aircraft and helicopters to the Mexican military to fight narcotics cartels is being accelerated after talks between the presidents of the two nations, officials said Monday.
CPS system strained by complaints, 2009 hiring freeze
By Corrie MacLaggan, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 24 May 2010
Texas child welfare workers are struggling to respond to a spike in abuse and neglect reports that's overlapping with the effects of a hiring freeze, according to a key state official.
Report: Dallas DA's office knew of alleged towing payments to constable's office
By Kevin Krause, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 25 May 2010
The Dallas County district attorney's office has known about allegations of suspicious payments from a towing company to a constable's office for more than two years, according to a Dallas County auditor's report.
Texas boosts child care subsidies
By Robert T. Garrett, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 25 May 2010
While some states curtail low-wage workers' subsidies for child care, Texas has avoided cuts, the Texas Workforce Commission said Monday.
County fires Chief Medical Examiner Paul Shrode: Ohio Parole Board's ruling spurs decision
By Marty Schladen, EL PASO TIMES, 25 May 2010
A majority of the County Commissioners Court stuck by Chief Medical Examiner Paul Shrode through three conflicting résumés and more than two years of questions about his credibility. All that changed Monday when court members fired Shrode on a 3-1 vote.
Downtown Austin land deal scrapped after council members raised concerns
By Marty Toohey, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 24 May 2010
City officials scuttled a plan nearly two years in the making to spend almost $16 million on a downtown parking lot after a City Council member raised concerns last week that the deal could undermine a city effort to revitalize the Waller Creek neighborhood.
News
Oil spill may benefit Texas
By William Pack, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 24 May 2010
Texas tourism officials nervously are watching the progress of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, but it seems the catastrophe might actually send more business to Texas beaches.
A Lousy Grade
By Ross Ramsey, THE TEXAS TRIBUNE, 25 May 2010
More than two-thirds of Texans say their confidence in the state's public schools ranges from shaky to nonexistent, according to the new University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
Texas 45 Southwest survives
By Ben Wear, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 24 May 2010
Central Texas' transportation blueprint for the next quarter-century will include the Texas 45 Southwest tollway, a board charged with transportation planning decided Monday.
UTEP student is slain in Juárez
By Daniel Borunda, EL PASO TIMES, 25 May 2010
A UTEP student was one of two men killed in a roadway shooting south of Juárez during the weekend, a university spokeswoman confirmed.
Deadly, ultra-pure heroin arrives in U.S.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 24 May 2010
Mexican drug smugglers are increasingly peddling a form of ultra-potent heroin that sells for as little as $10 a bag and is so pure it can kill unsuspecting users instantly, sometimes before they even remove the syringe from their veins.
Work on facility for Denton County gas drilling draws protest
By Lowell Brown, DENTON RECORD-CHRONICLE, 25 May 2010
Protesters opposing a natural gas company's plans to build wastewater tanks and compressors in a rural neighborhood temporarily blocked workers' access to the site Monday morning.
Preliminary results give Austin district officials hope for Reagan and Pearce
By Melissa B. Taboada, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 24 May 2010
Austin school district trustees approved future plans to revamp academics at Reagan High School and Pearce Middle School.
Galena Park cheating scandal brings five resignations
By Ericka Mellon, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 24 May 2010
Two administrators and three teachers resigned Monday from Galena Park ISD after district officials found evidence of staff-led cheating on the high-stakes TAKS test.
Bus rapid transit system moving forward
By Josh Baugh, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 25 May 2010
VIA Metropolitan Transit is on track to start its estimated $57.2 million bus rapid transit service connecting the South Texas Medical Center to downtown by late 2012, according to a federally required environmental study.
Home school stats called into question
By Jennifer Radcliffe, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 25 May 2010
More than 22,000 Texas secondary students who stopped showing up for class in 2008 were excluded from the state's dropout statistics because administrators said they were being home-schooled, according to Texas Education Agency figures.
Houston GOP opens eastside outreach office
By Joe Holley, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 24 May 2010
Harris County Republican Party chairman Jared Woodfill, Harris County treasurer Orlando Sanchez, former state solicitor general Ted Cruz and other elected officials were on hand for Monday's grand opening.
People
Obama-appointee, UTEP professor Irasema Coronado, is a mentor, 'compass'
By Ramón Rentería, EL PASO TIMES, 25 May 2010
Though Coronado may be reluctant to reveal too much about her private life, she has emerged in the past 10 years as one of the highest-profile Hispanic women in El Paso.