Leo Berman Plans Run For Speaker Of The House [1]
By Adam Russell, TYLER MORNING TELEGRAPH, 22 June 2010
State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler is expected to file as a candidate for the Speaker of the House position during the 82nd Legislative Session in January 2011.
Democrats broaden attacks over Joe Barton's apology to BP [2]
By Melanie Mason, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 22 June 2010
Democrats are broadening their attacks over Rep. Joe Barton's much-maligned – and retracted – apology to the chief executive of BP, arguing that he represents fellow Republican lawmakers on the issue.
Edwards defends himself against Flores charge that he got too involved in Big 12 talks [3]
By Michael W. Shapiro, WACO TRIBUNE-HERALD, 22 June 2010
Chet Edwards defended himself Monday against criticism from his GOP U.S. House opponent that he was too involved in negotiations about the Big 12 Conference, in which Baylor and Texas A&M universities are member schools.
Early voting numbers for state Senate runoff surge in McLennan County [4]
By Michael W. Shapiro, WACO TRIBUNE-HERALD, 22 June 2010
Early voting surged in McLennan County during the lead-up to the state Senate runoff election between Brian Birdwell and David Sibley.
Gulf Coast residents unsure if claims are taxed [5]
By Alan Sayre, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 22 June 2010
Some up and down the Gulf Coast reeling from the oil spill disaster are surprised — and frustrated — to find out the Internal Revenue Service may take a chunk of the payments BP PLC is providing to help them stay afloat.
AG candidate urges Texas lawsuit against Wall Street firms [6]
By Theodore Kim, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 22 June 2010
Texas should file a sweeping lawsuit against Wall Street firms similar to the ones that led to the multibillion-dollar tobacco settlements of the 1990s, Democratic attorney general candidate Barbara Ann Radnofsky argued Monday.
Toxic emissions at Fort Worth sites likely because of faulty equipment, state agency says [7]
By Aman Batheja, FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 21 June 2010
Elevated levels of toxic emissions found this spring near gas drilling equipment at two locations in the Fort Worth area were likely due to equipment problems that have been fixed, according to state officials.
Experts say extradition unlikely if agent charged [8]
By Adriana M. Chávez, EL PASO TIMES, 22 June 2010
The fatal shooting of a 15-year-old Juárez boy by a U.S. Border Patrol agent has raised diplomatic and legal questions as investigations unfold on both sides of the border.
Chief hired for state public defense office [9]
By Lise Olsen, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 21 June 2010
Texas has hired an experienced California attorney to run its first-ever public defense office for death row appeals known as state writs of habeas corpus — considered a death row defendant's best opportunity to raise final arguments about mistakes, unheard innocence claims or misconduct.
Immigrant detainees could be valuable for Valley in 2010 census [10]
By Jeremy Roebuck, THE MONITOR, 22 June 2010
Raymondville city leaders hope to see a significant bump in population when this year’s final Census tally comes in — but not because of a large crop of willing new residents or anyone who will still be in town when the next national count rolls around.
Redistricting debate gets started in S.A. [11]
By Gilbert Garcia, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 22 June 2010
Democrats and Republicans agreed on several points Monday at a 3 1/2-hour redistricting hearing in San Antonio. They agreed that congressional and legislative districts should be equitable, that rancorous bickering is no way to construct a legislative map, and that the days of partisan gerrymandering in this state must end.
Adkisson breaks tie on suing AG [12]
By Josh Baush, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 22 June 2010
Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Adkisson cast the tie-breaking vote Monday on a legal matter that centers on his own decision to disregard a Texas attorney general directive and instead sue the state office.
DART board set to include gender identity in nondiscrimination policy [13]
By Michael A. Lindenberger, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 21 June 2010
DART board members appear likely today to change the wording of the agency's proposed nondiscrimination policy to explicitly prohibit employment decisions based on gender identity.
Leach makes move toward appeal [14]
By Matthew McGowan, LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL, 22 June 2010
Mike Leach's legal team has set in motion a process that should soon land the former coach's lawsuit against Texas Tech in an appellate court in Amarillo.
Dallas City Council panel restores preservationists' power over some historic structures [15]
By David Flick, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 22 June 2010
A Dallas City Council committee stripped some changes from a proposed ordinance written by city staff that preservationists feared would weaken their ability to fight demolition of some historic structures.
Latinos protest plan to stop Houston bilingual stipend [16]
By Bradley Olson, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 21 June 2010
City Councilwoman Anne Clutterbuck has proposed eliminating the city's practice of paying bilingual employees a $70 monthly stipend for their language skills, prompting staunch protests from the Latino community in the wake of national unrest over immigration and multicultural issues.
Well design may be hampering spill efforts [17]
By Tim Fowler and Eric Nalder, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 21 June 2010
Money-saving measures BP took while designing the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico appear to have dogged efforts to bring the massive oil spill under control.
Family Eldercare pulls plug on merger with Meals on Wheels [18]
By Andrea Ball, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 21 June 2010
The anticipated merger between Family Eldercare and Meals on Wheels and More collapsed late last week when Family Eldercare's board of directors called the whole thing off.
Steady job recovery predicted in Abilene [19]
By Jaime Adame, ABILENE REPORTER NEWS, 22 June 2010
The pace of job losses seems to have slowed for the Abilene metro area.