Politics
Blind trusts become campaign issue
By Mike Ward, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 1 September 2010
Questions once again are being raised about whether Texas' blind trust law might instead be thwarting public transparency and allowing officeholders to shield the conflicts of interest that the law was designed to curb.
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson repays Congressional Black Caucus Foundation for scholarships
By Todd J. Gillman, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1 September 2010
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson dipped into personal funds to repay the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation about $31,000 for scholarships she awarded to four relatives and two children of an aide, her office said Wednesday.
Democrats fight to stay in office amid backlash
By Angela K. Brown, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 2 September 2010
Rep. Chet Edwards, an imperiled Democrat deep in the heart of Republican territory, finds exiting American Legion Post No. 273 slow going. Supporters and well-wishers keep stopping him.
Kent-Carter state House race gets contentious after reimbursement charge
By Gromer Jeffers Jr., THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2 September 2010
A charge that state Rep. Carol Kent improperly took state housing reimbursements has created friction between the incumbent Democrat and her Republican challenger, Dallas lawyer Stefani Carter.
Police union yanks judge's endorsement
By Michelle Mondo, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 2 September 2010
The San Antonio Police Officers Association has pulled its endorsement of a district court judge because she dismissed a case involving a charge of assault against a police officer.
Tea Partiers Plan Protest Of Cornyn
TYLER MORNING TELEGRAPH, 2 September 2010
The Tyler Tea Party is "calling out" U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, at noon today. The group is protesting alleged interferences by Cornyn, in his role as the National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman, during an Alaska Re-publican primary race between Tea Party candidate Joe Miller and incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
Government
Socorro mayor, 10 others indicted in public corruption case
By Ramon Bracamontes, EL PASO TIMES, 1 September 2010
Socorro Mayor Guillermo "Willie" Gandara Sr. and up to 10 other El Pasoans were named in a new federal indictment handed up in the FBI's continuing public corruption investigation, the El Paso Times has learned.
Advocates for disabled rally against proposed state cuts
By Corrie MacLaggan, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 1 September 2010
"No more cuts! Raise our taxes!" That unusual chant was heard Wednesday afternoon outside the Capitol, where about 150 advocates for Texans with disabilities rallied to draw attention to proposed state health and human services budget cuts that they say would be devastating.
Austin rally protests proposed state cuts in community-based health care
By Robert T. Garrett, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2 September 2010
Proposed cuts in community-based care for the elderly, the disabled and the mentally ill would increase wait times for services and eventually impose higher costs on the state and many counties, protesters warned Wednesday.
Economic development funds would be cut under proposal from Perry's office
By Dave Montgomery, FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 1 September 2010
Gov. Rick Perry's office is proposing a $29.7 million cut in its premier jobs creation program, the Texas Enterprise Fund, as part of a supplemental plan to reduce the office's operations by 10 percent over the next two years as the state confronts a huge budget shortfall.
TEXAS Grants Face Big Cuts Next Session
By Reeve Hamilton, THE TEXAS TRIBUNE, 2 September 2010
Nothing has helped Texas "close the gaps" of higher education achievement more than financial aid for low-income students. But with coming budget cuts, tens of thousands of students could lose out on the state's largest and most generous financial aid program.
New appliance rebate program planned
By Brian Gaar, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 1 September 2010
The Texas comptroller's office will hold a second appliance rebate program to divvy up $10 million that remains unclaimed from the initial program, which was marred by a chaotic launch.
Texas plans new rebates for energy-efficient appliances
By Elizabeth Souder, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1 September 2010
Texas is going to try again to hand out appliance rebates. The state still has $10 million left over from April's grueling attempt to give away $23 million in federal energy efficiency money to people who upgraded appliances.
Tax assessor, nonprofit spar over Harris County voter rolls
By Chris Moran, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 2 September 2010
In dueling news conferences last week, the county's Republican voter registrar and a group run by a Democrat-dominated board accused each other of sabotaging efforts to sign up new voters.
High number of home-schooled students leads to state audit
By Jennifer Radcliffe, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 2 September 2010
In an attempt to ensure that public school districts aren’t disguising high school dropouts, the Texas Education Agency is conducting an audit of students who withdrew under the auspice of home schooling.
At Central Health hearing, praise for board, tears over abortion
By Mary Ann Roser, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 1 September 2010
As four nuns dressed in white sat quietly and prayed the rosary, supporters and opponents of using taxpayer money to fund abortions for needy women politely made their points to the Central Health board Wednesday, including an Austin woman who once had an abortion and wept during her comments.
Houston City Council OKs gas exploration beneath parks
By Bradley Olson, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1 September 2010
Despite concerns from some environmental advocates, the city moved ahead Wednesday with plans to allow exploration for natural gas reserves beneath three municipal parks.
94 Texas employers to get federal aid for retiree healthcare
By Anna M. Tinsley, FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 1 September 2010
Four local cities and 90 other Texas employers are among nearly 2,000 entities nationwide to land federal subsidies to help with healthcare costs for early retirees, though Texas is among the states suing the federal government over the constitutionality of the healthcare reform law.
School officials examine Perry's incentive proposal
By Emily Peters, ABILENE REPORTER NEWS, 1 September 2010
Area school officials still are trying to figure out how they might cash in on partnership incentives announced by Gov. Rick Perry in Abilene on Tuesday, but many question the plan’s logistical and financial feasibility for some of the Big Country’s larger school systems.
News
Crossings into the U.S. on the decline
By Adriana Gómez Licón, EL PASO TIMES, 2 September 2010
For the first time in two decades, the flow of undocumented immigrants is dropping, a new report shows.
Illegal migrant total down nearly 1 million in U.S., Pew report says
By Dianne Solís, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2 September 2010
The unlawful flow of Mexican immigrants into the U.S. continues to slow, and the nation's overall illegal immigrant population fell by nearly a million to 11.1 million between 2007 and 2009, the Pew Hispanic Center said in a report released Wednesday.
S.A. traffic could be worse — no, really
By Jeorge Zarazua, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 2 September 2010
Think San Antonio roads are badly congested? Think again. A new Texas Department of Transportation study shows nine of the Top 10 most-congested roads in the state are in Houston or Dallas-Fort Worth. The last one is in Austin.
Congested state roads list features 3 in El Paso
By Gustavo Reveles, EL PASO TIMES, 2 September 2010
East Side El Pasoans have known for years that traffic on the East Side can be a nightmare. Now, the Texas Department of Transportation has confirmed it with its latest study of the most bogged-down roads in the state.
Is Longhorn Electricity Worth It?
By Kate Galbraith, THE TEXAS TRIBUNE, 2 September 2010
When Longhorn football kicks off at home a week from Saturday, so will a brand-new marketing effort aimed at peddling, of all things, green electricity.
People
Mexican Reporter Seeks Asylum After Doing His Job
By Julian Aguilar, THE TEXAS TRIBUNE, 2 September 2010
Journalist Emilio Gutiérrez says that after he reported on allegations that Mexican soldiers robbed citizens, the military threatened his life. That led him to seek asylum in the U.S. — but instead, he landed in an immigration detention center for seven months. He's still waiting to find out his ultimate fate.