Creighton Easily Wins Special State Senate Race
State Rep. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, has defeated state Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, in a special election runoff for a vacant Houston-area state Senate seat. Full Story
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![State Reps. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, and Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, faced off for the vacant Senate District 4 seat in a special election runoff Tuesday.]()
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Congress' Inaction Leaves Border Communities Hoping for Funding
When Congress adjourned last week without passing a border security bill to pay for additional operations, it also left local governments without an avenue to be reimbursed for millions spent during the border crisis. Full Story
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![A detainee sleeps in a holding cell at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing facility, Wednesday, June 18, 2014, in Brownsville, Texas. CPB provided media tours Tuesday of two locations in Brownsville and Nogales, Ariz. that have been central to processing the more than 47,000 unaccompanied children who have entered the country illegally since Oct. 1.]()
Credit: AP Pool / Eric Gay -
The Brief: Aug. 5, 2014
SpaceX on Monday chose to place its first commercial launch complex on Boca Chica beach near Brownsville. The announcement solidified Texas' leading position in the country's space program even as it transitions to one with greater opportunities for private companies. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Perry Forms Political Action Committee Called RickPAC
Seeking to aid fellow Republicans in the November elections — and perhaps bolster his own chances for a 2016 presidential run – Gov. Rick Perry has formed a federal political action committee. Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry speaking to the Texas Republican Convention on June 5, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Opening Statements Made in Trial Over Abortion Regulation
UPDATED: Attorneys made their opening arguments Monday in a U.S. district court trial over a provision that requires abortion facilities to meet the same regulations as ambulatory surgical centers. Full Story
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![A hallway at the Whole Woman's Health clinic in Austin, which shut down in 2014.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
The Brief: Aug. 4, 2014
A new report raises fresh doubts about a key witness instrumental in securing the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham. This new evidence forces again the question as to whether Texas executed an innocent man. Full Story
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![Cameron Todd Willingham was executed on Feb. 17, 2004.]()
Credit: Graphic by John Jordan -
In El Paso, a Plan for a Homeless Shelter With Female Veterans in Mind
“God spoke to me," Hope Jackson said about her plan to start a shelter for homeless female veterans in El Paso. Jackson, who is relying on her money and community support to convert a house for the facility, said it would be ready this fall. Full Story
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![Hope Jackson, who retired as a lieutenant colonel in the Army, is shown on the future site of her HOPE (Healing, Optimizing, Perfecting, Empowering) Institute shelter for female veterans, on July 29, 2014, in El Paso. The shelter will start providing services to women in the area this fall, Jackson says.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre -
Villalba Urges GOP to Woo Hispanics
State Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas, urged the GOP to focus on appealing to Hispanic voters, emphasizing that the “ultimate survivability of the Republican Party” is at stake, in an Austin speech Thursday. Full Story
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![Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas, takes questions from reporters after filing the Protection of Texas Children Act on Feb. 6, 2013.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
A Longshot for Speaker, With Money to Spend
Rep. Scott Turner, R-Frisco, has not been in the Texas House for two years, but the freshman lawmaker and former California congressional candidate has his eye on the top job there: speaker. Full Story
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![Scott Turner at the Texas GOP state convention in Fort Worth, Texas, June 5, 2014]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
The Brief: Aug. 1, 2014
Ted Cruz has become the latest D.C.-based practitioner of the Pottery Barn rule: He broke the border bill, and now, possibly more than any other single person, he owns it. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas thanks Republican delegates in Fort Worth on June 6, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Time Running Out for Congress to Address Border Immigration Crisis
UPDATED: After the U.S. House called off a vote Tuesday afternoon on a $659 million supplemental bill for border security operations, Gov. Rick Perry said Congress is "abandoning its post." Full Story
![A detainee sleeps in a holding cell at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing facility, Wednesday, June 18, 2014, in Brownsville, Texas. CPB provided media tours Tuesday of two locations in Brownsville and Nogales, Ariz. that have been central to processing the more than 47,000 unaccompanied children who have entered the country illegally since Oct. 1.]()
Credit: AP Pool / Eric Gay -
In Bank Debate, High Stakes for Texas Businesses and GOP
A once-obscure federal export credit agency has landed at the center of a national debate over business and free-market ideology, with potentially enduring ramifications for the Texas companies it supports and the Republicans it is dividing. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Dallas.]()
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The Brief: July 31, 2014
This week's House committee hearing in which leading officials in charge of executing the plan said they never asked for Guard troops revealed another aspect of Rick Perry's border action, according to the Houston Chronicle's Patrick Svitek. Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry announces the deployment of National Guard troops along the Texas border as Texas Guard Adjutant General John Nichols listens at the Texas Capitol on July 21, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
The Brief: July 30, 2014
Top officials at the Texas National Guard and the Department of Public Safety on Tuesday told a select House committee looking at the costs of the ongoing border operation that they did not request Guard troops. Full Story
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![Adjutant General John Nichols of the Texas National Guard explains the Guard's role in helping secure the border as Gov. Rick Perry, l, and DPS Director Steve McCraw listen July 21, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Congress Holds Hearing on Red River Land Fight
UPDATED: Lawmakers at a congressional hearing Tuesday considered legislation that seeks to clear up confusion over whether Texans who live along the Red River own their property — or whether the federal government does. Full Story
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![A view of the Red River looking east, north of Bonham, Texas. Texas is to the right, and Oklahoma is on the left. The border between the two states runs along the south (right) bank of the river.]()
Credit: Henley Quadling -
The Brief: July 29, 2014
At a special University of Texas System regents meeting on Tuesday evening, they are expected to name a sole finalist for the system's next chancellor. And their choice is expected to be Admiral William H. McRaven. Full Story
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![Admiral William H. McRaven, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, was named the sole finalist to be chancellor of the University of Texas System on July 29, 2014. McRaven holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin.]()
Credit: Tech. Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey, U.S. Air Force -
Castro Invites Perry to Discuss Border With Texas Reps
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, has asked Gov. Rick Perry to meet with the entire Texas congressional delegation to discuss the influx of illegal immigrants at the border and to “help set a more positive tone.” Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, at a victory party for congressional candidate Pete Gallego at Don Pedro Mexican Restaurant in San Antonio on Nov. 6, 2012.]()
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GOP State Senate Nominees Speak Out Against Historical Racing
Five Republican nominees for seats in the Texas Senate voiced public opposition Monday to a proposal that would allow a controversial new form of betting on horse races in Texas. Full Story
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The Brief: July 28, 2014
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Bob Ray Sanders is pushing back against one major tenet of the conventional wisdom surrounding the race for governor: Wendy Davis needs to maintain a healthy separation between her and President Obama. Full Story
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![State Sen. Wendy Davis, the 2014 Democratic nominee for governor, addressing supporters on July 13, 2014, in East Austin.]()
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With Summer Ads, Some Campaigns Are Testing Conventional Wisdom
In Texas, the traditional model for general election campaign advertising — don't run ads before Labor Day — is being challenged by some campaigns. Full Story
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![Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott isn't on TV right now, but he is spending campaign funds to screen his latest 30-second spot at theaters before screenings of some summer blockbusters.]()
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