Politics
National Democrats reserve air time in Edwards' congressional district
By Michael W. Shapiro, WACO TRIBUNE-HERALD, 23 July 2010
Todd Gillman at the Dallas Morning News and the New York Times' Jeff Zeleny have both reported on the House Democratic campaign committee's signal that it will pour millions of dollars into TV ads in 40 House districts including that of Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco.
Rep. Susie Byrd draws ire of flea market operators over city's proposal
By Ramon Bracamontes, EL PASO TIMES, 23 July 2010
Several flea market vendors and operators are upset at city Rep. Susie Byrd because they think she wants to shut them down by proposing new regulations.
Government
Education commissioner defends Texas Projection Measure
By Terrence Stutz, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 22 July 2010
Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott Thursday defended a policy that has allowed schools to boost their state ratings by counting some failed students as passing, saying much of the criticism of the policy is politically motivated.
Plan to invest in Texas charter schools gets first defeat
By Kate Alexander, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 22 July 2010
The State Board of Education opted Thursday not to dedicate public school endowment dollars to finance charter school facilities.
Report: Most small businesses qualify for health coverage aid
By Mary Ann Roser, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 22 July 2010
About 81 percent of Texas small businesses, or 248,700 of 4 million U.S. companies, are eligible for a federal tax credit this year to help them buy health insurance for their workers under the new health care law, according to a report released Thursday.
Lawmakers told border crime getting out of hand
By Lise Olsen and Dudley Althaus, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 22 July 2010
Along the newly fenced Mexican border, dangerous and heavily armed groups are increasingly smuggling people as well as dope — and U.S. border investigators must dedicate more time to dismantle their organizations, according to a Government Accounting Office report released to Congress Thursday.
With Subsidies, Electric Cars Gaining Foothold in Texas
By Kate Galbraith, THE TEXAS TRIBUNE, 23 July 2010
Plug-in cars — which are touted as green because they use little if any gasoline and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 49 percent and 75 percent compared with a conventional vehicle — will soon be a viable option in Texas. By the end of this year, Austinites should be able to buy the new electric car from Chevrolet, called the Volt. By next February, hundreds of Leafs, Nissan's plug-in car, will be on the roads around Houston. The new influx, fueled by government subsidies, should more than double the number of plug-in vehicles in the state.
Judge says house demolition unconstitutional
By Josh Baugh, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 23 July 2010
The city of San Antonio violated the constitutional rights of a San Antonio man when it demolished his Tobin Hill home without warning in 2008, a U.S. district judge ruled this week.
El Paso City Council staffers could face cuts
By Marty Schladen, EL PASO TIMES, 23 July 2010
Amid calls for austerity, the City Council is talking about cutting its own staff.
Jefferson County cuts budget, lowers tax assessor's salary
By Heather Nolan, BEAUMONT ENTERPRISE, 22 July 2010
Jefferson County Commissioners made budget cuts Thursday with minor cuts in materials and office supplies, but no additional staffing changes.
News
Ships ordered to leave spill site ahead of storm
By Harry R. Weber and David Dishneau, THE ASSOCIATED PRES, 22 July 2010
Dozens of key ships stationed around BP's crippled well in the Gulf of Mexico were ordered to evacuate Thursday ahead of Tropical Storm Bonnie, but engineers have decided to keep intact the cap that plugged the well last week, leaving it unwatched for at least a few days.
As storm nears, cap stays sealed, crews flee
By Tom Fowler, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 22 July 2010
The closely watched cap keeping oil from spilling out of BP's Macondo well will stay closed even as support ships and crews evacuate the Gulf of Mexico in the face of Tropical Storm Bonnie, officials said Thursday.
Mexico grows numb to killings, gang butchery
By Dudley Althaus, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 22 July 2010
With the underworld violence killing 25,000 Mexicans in less than four years, assassins have become nearly as inventive at disposing of their victims as in dispatching them.
Texas Organizing Project says it's 'not ACORN with a new name'
By Kim Horner, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 23 July 2010
The activists who held signs in the hot Dallas sun Thursday to fight for utilities assistance for the poor were from the Texas Organizing Project, or TOP. But many consider them a new version of an old community-organizing group that folded earlier this year after a string of controversies: ACORN.
Activists seek more electric-bill help for poor Texans
By Alex Branch, FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 22 July 2010
Rising temperatures and the economic downturn have led to renewed calls for the state to release more funds originally intended to help low-income people pay their electric bills.
Alamo Colleges eyeing taxes, tuition
By Melissa Ludwig, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 23 July 2010
Facing a $12 million budget shortfall next year, leaders at the Alamo Colleges are proposing tax and tuition increases on top of eliminating jobs and freezing wages and hiring.
People
Q&A with new state Sen. Brian Birdwell
By Michael W. Shapiro, WACO TRIBUNE-HERALD, 23 July 2010
Several hours before taking the stage at Hill College’s Performing Arts Center for a ceremony in his honor (link), new state Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, talked to the Tribune-Herald about his first month on the job, his desire to earn the GOP general election nomination and redistricting.