Politics
Bill White blasts Rick Perry's Horseshoe Bay land deal
By Corrie MacLaggan, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 26 July 2010
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White today continued his streak of hammering GOP Gov. Rick Perry publicly, this time questioning whether the governor acted with integrity during a land deal several years ago in Horseshoe Bay.
White assails land deals that helped make Perry a millionaire
By Steve McConigle, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 27 July 2010
Democratic candidate for governor Bill White questioned Monday whether Gov. Rick Perry acted ethically when he bought and sold a Hill Country lake lot that enhanced his investment by almost $500,000.
Border sheriffs split on governor's race
By R.G. Ratcliffe, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 26 July 2010
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White cut sharply into Gov. Rick Perry's endorsements from border sheriffs Monday, but stumbled by claiming support from two who are backing the incumbent.
Perry, White joust over land deals, but both agree the feds are mishandling border security
By Anna M. Tinsley, FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 26 July 2010
Texas' gubernatorial candidates agreed Monday that the Texas-Mexico border isn't secure -- and took swipes at each other over a land deal and gun rights -- as they spoke to about 500 Texas law enforcers.
Flores calls out Edwards on Rangel donation, says he should return money
By Michael W. Shapiro, WACO TRIBUNE-HERALD, 27 July 2010
Bill Flores called on U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, to return campaign contributions from U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., on Monday, in light of allegations by an investigative panel that Rangel violated ethics rules.
Government
Texas attorney general sues EPA to overturn air permit program disapproval
By Asher Price, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 26 July 2010
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on Monday filed a legal challenge to preserve the state's control of an air-permitting program.
Texas fights to keep air-pollution permit program
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 27 July 2010
Texas officials on Monday appealed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's decision to overturn a 16-year-old state air pollution permit program.
Texas files second suit against EPA
By Matthew Tresaugue, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 27 July 2010
Texas has sued the federal Environmental Protection Agency for the second time in six weeks, escalating a feud over the state's rules for air pollution from refiners and other large industries.
Counties Get Clout When Their Voters Turn Out
By Matt Stiles and Zahira Torres, THE TEXAS TRIBUNE AND THE EL PASO TIMES, 27 July 2010
El Paso and Hidalgo are the largest Latino-majority and Democratic-leaning counties in the state, and they rank near the bottom when you compare the size of their voting age population to the actual number of people who show up at the polls. Collin and Fort Bend are growing suburban counties with larger Anglo populations that tend to lean Republican and produce some of the highest turnouts of eligible voters anywhere in Texas. Guess which pair gets the most attention and has the most clout?
TEA: Austin school district wrong to fire diversity director
By Melissa B. Taboada, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 26 July 2010
The Austin school board was wrong when it terminated a contract employee as part of job cuts the district has made in recent months, according to a finding issued this month by a certified hearing examiner for the Texas Education Agency.
Flexible health care spending rules getting trickier in 2011
By Cindy V. Culp, WACO TRIBUNE-HERALD, 27 July 2010
Under new rules that go into effect Jan. 1, people will be required to have an order from a doctor if they want an over-the-counter drug purchase to be reimbursable from their flexible spending account.
Dallas County justice of the peace who lost primary requests criminal probe of rival's actions
By Kevin Krause, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 26 July 2010
A Dallas County justice of the peace who failed to win a new election in court after losing in the Democratic primary in March is asking a judge to initiate a criminal investigation into the actions of his opponent and his supporters.
Bid delay keeps cameras out of dozens of Dallas police cars
By Tanya Eiserer, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 27 July 2010
Dallas is rolling out new police cars without the dash-cam recorders that have played a pivotal role in holding officers accountable for how they do their jobs.
Remember the trademark Alamo's new rallying cry
By Craig Kapitan, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 26 July 2010
An ongoing trademark dispute over the phrase "The Alamo" is now in the hands of the federal government.
Harris County sweetens public defender proposal
By Chris Moran, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 26 July 2010
Seeking to strengthen its bid for state funding to open a public defender office, Harris County has changed its application to ask for less money and to propose public defenders in more courtrooms.
Lawsuits: City fails to meet disabled access requirements
By Ramon Bracamontes, EL PASO TIMES, 26 July 2010
The city government is a failure in complying with a federal law aimed at making life better for disabled people, a civil rights lawyer said Monday after filing a discrimination lawsuit.
Police asked to delay raises for 9 months
By Marty Schladen, EL PASO TIMES, 27 July 2010
City Manager Joyce Wilson is asking police to delay part of a 3.6 percent cost-of-living increase for nine months as part of a deal to save the city $1 million.
Program screens illegals' prints
By Ivan Moreno, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 27 July 2010
The federal government is rapidly expanding a program to identify illegal immigrants using fingerprints from arrests, drawing opposition from local authorities and advocates who argue the initiative amounts to an excessive dragnet.
News
Texas has 3rd-highest teen birthrate among states, study says
By Jan Jarvis, FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 26 July 2010
Texas has the third-highest teen birthrate in the nation, according to an annual study that ranked the state in the overall well-being of children.
Fine-arts requirements for Texas students expanding in coming school year
By Jessamy Brown, FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 26 July 2010
When classes begin next month, students statewide will be required to take at least one fine arts course in the sixth, seventh or eighth grade. The rules also expand high school requirements so that all students in grades nine through 12 must earn at least one fine arts credit in courses such as band, theater, choir, dance or mariachi.
Tech gets $6.4 million to research wind
By Elliott Blackburn, LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL, 27 July 2010
Gov. Rick Perry on Monday awarded some of the last millions available in the current budget from a state research incentive fund to the first school in the state to benefit from the program. Texas Tech will receive $6.4 million to test wind turbine systems new to North America through a state grant for high-tech research, the opening phase in what the university hopes will become its foothold into the commercial wind power business.