11/20/2009

Houston businessman Farouk Shami joins Democratic race for Texas governor
AUSTIN – Palestinian-born Houston businessman Farouk Shami jumped into the Democratic race for governor Thursday.

11/19/2009

Lawmaker tells Texas' State Board of Education that Hispanics are lacking in textbooks
AUSTIN – Hispanics are getting the shaft in proposed history and social studies standards for Texas public schools, Hispanic legislative leaders complained Wednesday to the State Board of Education.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison launches radio ads today in Texas governor's race
AUSTIN – Kay Bailey Hutchison will launch the first broadcast ad of the hotly contested 2010 campaign for governor today.

11/17/2009

Perry says Hutchison took his advice on staying in Senate
Gov. Rick Perry said Monday that Kay Bailey Hutchison's decision to stay in the Senate until after their primary fight in March was a good one – since it was his idea.

11/14/2009

Veteran Plano lawmaker Brian McCall won't seek re-election
The surprise move comes less than a year after the Republican obtained one of the most powerful positions in the House.

IBM outsourcing deal with state still worth it, consultants say
AUSTIN – The state's massive computer outsourcing contract with IBM is mired in delays, server meltdowns and disputes, but it can still be salvaged, two independent consultants said Friday.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison won't leave seat for Texas governor's race until after March primaries
AUSTIN – Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison abruptly changed course Friday, saying she will remain in the Senate through next year's Republican primary while running for governor against Rick Perry.

11/13/2009

Perry accuses Obama of taking country toward socialism

Hutchison says federal insurance plan may not be right for Texas
Kay Bailey Hutchison said this week that, if she becomes governor, she would probably have Texas not participate in a government-run insurance plan.

11/12/2009

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison backs term limits for Senate
WASHINGTON – Three-term Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has thrown her support behind a constitutional amendment that would cap Senate service at two terms.

Forensics panel overhaul may delay arson inquiry for years, ex-official says
AUSTIN – The pending overhaul of a state forensic science panel could delay by two years or more its review of the arson investigation that led to the 2004 execution of Cameron Todd Willingham, the panel's former head said Wednesday.

11/11/2009

New head of Texas Forensic Science Commission says he'll protect panel's integrity
John Bradley told a Senate panel today that Gov. Rick Perry has given him no instructions on a high-profile arson investigation.

Texas eases rule requiring six-month reviews of food-stamp eligibility
AUSTIN – Texas is easing a requirement that most families on food stamps must be interviewed every six months, a step that will relieve pressure on the system for determining who receives state aid, officials said Tuesday.

11/07/2009

East Texas legislator switching to GOP
State Rep. Chuck Hopson says he's leaving the Democratic Party and becoming a Republican.

Texas forensic science agency's new chief calls for changes as arson inquiry continues
AUSTIN – The new chairman of the Texas Forensic Science Commission has called for several key changes at the agency, including new confidentiality requirements, to ensure that its future reviews of criminal cases are credible.

11/01/2009

State Rep. Terri Hodge planning re-election bid as bribery trial looms
Embattled state Rep. Terri Hodge, whose federal bribery trial is scheduled just days after the March 2 Democratic primary, says her legal troubles won't deter her from running for an eighth term.

10/31/2009

Comptroller Combs wants Texas tuition program refunds to include earnings
AUSTIN – Responding to a backlash from parents, state Comptroller Susan Combs said Friday that she will seek to reverse a recent change in the state's prepaid college tuition plan that would have cost parents who canceled contracts thousands of dollars.

Perry gigs Schwarzenegger in battle with Hutchison
AUSTIN – In his quest for re-election, Gov. Rick Perry has launched a two-coast offensive.

10/29/2009

Governor's race: Is Cheney key to conservatives' vote in Texas primary?
AUSTIN – Kay Bailey Hutchison's campaign hopes the endorsement of former Vice President Dick Cheney will help woo conservatives in the GOP base that will be key to winning the Republican nomination for governor.

State Rep. Dan Branch will seek re-election, won't run for attorney general
State Rep. Dan Branch announced Wednesday that he will seek re-election rather than run for Texas attorney general.

10/28/2009

State Rep. Dan Branch will seek re-election, won't run for attorney general
State Rep. Dan Branch announced Wednesday that he will seek re-election rather than run for Texas attorney general.

10/27/2009

Rep. Terri Hodge to be tried in Dallas City Hall corruption case days after March primary
Rep. Terri Hodge's trial on public corruption charges has been scheduled to begin March 8, just days after the Democratic primary in which Hodge will attempt to retain her statehouse seat.

10/26/2009

Perry, Hutchison slug it out on Web
WASHINGTON – A bruising political battle like the one between Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison usually means a slew of tough television ads. But for now, the candidates are saving their barbs for the Web.

10/25/2009

Hutchison absenteeism not much of an advantage to Perry
How important is good attendance? Rick Perry has made it a habit to ding Kay Bailey Hutchison each time she misses a vote in the Senate. He began back in February, months before she even had formally announced her campaign for governor, blasting her over a missed procedural vote on a stimulus plan.

10/19/2009

Hutchison urges approval of Prop 11 in Dallas stop
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who's challenging Gov. Rick Perry in the Republican primary election, is on the road with the head of the Texas Farm Bureau to promote a state proposition limiting how the state government can take private property.

10/16/2009

3 Education Board members take issue with social studies proposal
AUSTIN – State Board of Education members have stopped short of embracing most of the controversial recommendations of their appointed social studies experts, but three key members want more coverage of religion in U.S. government and history classes.

10/15/2009

Perry vigorously defends '04 execution in Corsicana blaze
AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry gave a spirited defense Wednesday of the 2004 execution of Cameron Todd Willingham, whose case has drawn national attention for its flawed arson investigation and raised the specter that Texas put an innocent man to death.

Black students in Texas near the top in national math test
AUSTIN – Black students in Texas were among the best in the nation on a national math test this year, while the state as a whole ranked near the middle on the "Nation's Report Card" exam.

Report card time

10/14/2009

Fire investigator accuses Rick Perry of 'unethical' behavior
The nationally noted fire expert whose investigation of arson evidence called into question a 2004 Texas execution blasted Gov. Rick Perry late Wednesday, accusing the governor of "unethical" behavior in the case.

10/15/2009

Fire investigator accuses Perry of 'unethical' behavior; governor defends execution
AUSTIN – The nationally noted fire expert whose investigation of arson evidence called into question a 2004 Texas execution blasted Gov. Rick Perry late Wednesday, accusing the governor of "unethical" behavior in the case.

10/14/2009

Judge William Wayne Justice, champion to the downtrodden, dies at 89
U.S. District Judge William Wayne Justice's rulings improved the way Texas prisoners are treated, desegregated housing for the poor, integrated school districts across the state that had defied orders to integrate, and opened classrooms to children of illegal immigrants. Several of his rulings affected institutions across the nation.

Texans' secession talk brings national reaction
AUSTIN – When Rick Perry raised the possibility of secession, it sparked a firestorm inside Texas – some embraced his call for states' rights, some were passionately opposed.

Hutchison unclear about Senate resignation date
WASHINGTON – Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who said in July that she would resign by December, said Tuesday that she's no longer sure when she'll leave the Senate.

10/13/2009

Wayne Slater: Texas Gov. Rick Perry's secession talk triggered calls of 'good riddance'
In calls, letters and e-mails to the governor's office, both sides in the secession debate have made their opinions known to Perry. Inside Texas, a state that correspondents are quick to note was once a republic, there's plenty of pro and con about the virtues of sovereignty.

10/10/2009

Perry fills 2 spots on Texas Forensic Science Commission
AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry, who upended the Texas Forensic Science Commission last week on the verge of an important hearing into questionable evidence used in an execution, named his final two replacements to the board Friday.

10/09/2009

Hutchison defends earmarks despite Perry jabs
Gov. Rick Perry has hammered Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison time and again as a Washington-style big spender. The senator says she's being effective for Texas.
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10/05/2009

Slater: Perry team stretches facts to talk down Farm Bureau’s backing of Hutchison
Each side accused the other of bad faith and bad votes, leaving voters to navigate all the finger pointing.

10/03/2009

State removes foster children from DeSoto agency's oversight
AUSTIN – State child welfare officials have removed about a dozen foster children from a small private contractor in DeSoto, saying it failed to hire trained staff and properly screen foster parents.

10/01/2009

Nonprofit group Perry founded to receive stimulus grant
AUSTIN – A nonprofit charitable organization founded by Gov. Rick Perry was awarded $250,000 in federal economic-stimulus funds Wednesday.

09/30/2009

Barbs fly after Gov. Rick Perry's webcast speech is short-circuited
AUSTIN – If a politician makes campaign promises on a live webcast that goes down, does he make a sound?

09/23/2009

Perry says he's got Pickens' vote
AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry announced Tuesday that he's won the endorsement of Dallas energy executive T. Boone Pickens, and Perry declared himself an ally in the billionaire's effort to promote wind energy and natural gas as a way of weaning the nation from foreign oil.

09/18/2009

Texas Education Board revises history books
AUSTIN – Neil Armstrong, Daniel Boone, the state capitals – and even Christmas. All are going back into the state curriculum standards for social studies, State Board of Education members decided Thursday.

Barton may seek appointment to Senate
WASHINGTON – Add Rep. Joe Barton to the list of Republicans lobbying for an appointment to the Senate when Kay Bailey Hutchison resigns.

09/13/2009

Friction between Perry, Hutchison is nothing new
WASHINGTON – Sometimes you have to wonder how much Texas' governor and its senior senator could have accomplished if they'd managed to set aside rivalry and actually, you know, cooperated.

09/10/2009

Texas Supreme Court hears arguments on whether state employees' birth dates should be public record
An attorney for the state comptroller's office, which has refused to release the information, argued that employee birth dates are protected under common law and should remain confidential because of the potential for identify theft.

Democrats hold national meeting in Austin
AUSTIN – National Democrats open a three-day gathering today in Texas, offering a showcase for a beleaguered state party that says political resurgence is just around the corner.

09/05/2009

Ex-Texas Tech regent say he felt pressured to quit after backing Hutchison
AUSTIN – A Lubbock businessman said Friday that he felt forced to resign from the Texas Tech board of regents last month after he endorsed Gov. Rick Perry's rival, Kay Bailey Hutchison.

09/02/2009

Education blog: Texas Tech raises $24 million in bid for state Tier One funding
Texas Tech University announced it has received private gifts totaling $24.3 million, with $21.5 million of that eligible for matching Tier One funds from the state. The gifts come from 20 individuals and eight corporations.

08/30/2009

Penalties rise for senior fraud, drive-by shootings under new Texas laws
Criminals also will face more stringent punishment under new state laws aimed at cracking down on graffiti, street gangs, tampering with government records, and stealing air conditioning parts and other materials made of copper.

Driving laws toughen in Texas, especially for teens
Foremost, you will need to climb into the back and pull those buckles out from between the seat cushions. For the first time in Texas, all passengers will be required to wear a seat belt – not just those in the front seat or younger than 15. And as of Tuesday, cellphones in school zones will be banned statewide.
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08/27/2009

Tax returns for past eight years released for Kay Bailey Hutchison and husband
AUSTIN – Eight years of tax returns show that Kay Bailey Hutchison and her husband, Ray, have lived off of their set salaries and investments, which totaled $761,000 last year, but have given relatively little of that amount to charity.

08/25/2009

Daughters of the Republic of Texas to back public access to records involving Alamo
The volunteer organization running the Alamo plans to back legislative efforts to increase public access to its financial records, a San Antonio state senator said Monday.