2010: Earle Explains
Most money was on a run for governor or attorney general, but — as you’ll hear — Ronnie Earle wants to be a part of the legislative process and thinks the Lite Guv position suits him best. Full Story
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![Ronnie Earle in Austin, July 2008]()
Credit: Lindsay Beyerstein -
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Stiles and Thevenot collaborate on the salaries paid to superintendents, and even compare them on price per student… Ramsey’s look at redistricting and next year’s elections… Aguilar’s report on jails, brought to you by the federal agency that’s in the ag business… Rapoport’s peek at the power behind Texas pre-kindergarten programs… Smith’s conversation with Dan Patrick, in three parts… Grissom’s narrative on a circular immigration and deportation route financed by two governments… Ramshaw finds doctors agreeing on public policy and split on strategy and tactics… Hu’s latest Stump Interrupted puts the camera on Farouk Shami… Hamilton’s story on two retired cops who are taking on cargo theft in Texas… And Kreighbaum and Stiles pop open the itineraries of your folks in Congress. The best of our best from December 12 to 18, 2009. Full Story
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On the Records: Digging Through Disclosure
Writing about congressional travel required days of tedious work because the information isn't easily accessible. Full Story
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Credit: U.S. House -
Keep On Trucking
Texas has the worst rates of cargo and heavy equipment theft in the country. Yet while criminals are raking in billions of dollars each year, the state has never had an organized system to address the problem. Full Story
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Frequent Flyers
Members of the Texas congressional delegation took more than 200 privately funded trips, at a cost of more than $350,000, in 2008 and 2009. Full Story
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Credit: Jacob Villanueva -
Super Salaries
School superintendent salary data offers a unique window into the vast diversity of Texas districts, from massive to miniscule, and the way they pay their chief executives. One new trend: Performance pay. Full Story
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![Superintendent salaries often, but not always correlate with district enrollment. The top earner in Texas, Beaumont ISD's Carrol Thomas, is the exception. He earns $334,212 for managing a system one-tenth the size of the state's largest, Houston ISD.]()
Credit: Jacob Villanueva -
Legal Lottery
Can Texas lottery winners sell all of their payments to private finance companies? State attorneys say no. A state appeals court says yes. The Texas Supreme Court will decide. Full Story
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Mapmaker, Mapmaker
Think like the political pros and your mind will go to the long game instead of the short one. The short game is the elections of 2010. The long game is redistricting in 2011, when maps are drawn that corral the voters into the districts that will elect legislators for the next ten years. Full Story
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USDA Approved: Jail Construction
Some Texas sheriffs are looking to an unlikely source to get them out of the hole as private prisons win away federal contracts for inmates and put the financial squeeze on county jails. Full Story
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Credit: Ross Ramsey -
TribBlog: What Fredo Learned
Alberto Gonzales — remember him? — in Esquire. Full Story
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HuTube: Shot Blocker
Gotta hand it to these young Republicans for not letting a bitter battle between their bosses get in the way of polite pleasantries on the street. Full Story
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Credit: Texans for Kay campaign -
On the Records: What He Said
Data: Make it available. Make it usable. Make it meaningful. Share. Full Story
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On the Records: A View Behind the Cameras
How we built the red-light camera app. Download the data and build your own — or embed ours as an iframe. Full Story
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Credit: Matt Stiles -
On the Records: A Data Challenge for Texas
What are state and local governments in Texas doing to make raw data available to the public? Not much. Full Story
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![Sites like D.C. Bikes and Stumble Safely present government data with innovative applications.]()
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The Brief: December 3, 2009
The season for speculating is drawing to an end. Politicians, it’s time to stake your claim. Full Story
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TribBlog: A Felony For You, a Felony For Me
Criminal justice blogger Scott Henson is reporting on Grits For Breakfast that lawmakers put 59 new felonies on the books during the last legislative session. Full Story
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The Brief: December 1, 2009
Ladies and Gentlemen, step right up for your chance to see the incredible, shrinking Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
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On the Records: Adventures in Public Information
Most agencies release their data with little hassle. Not the Dallas Area Rapid Transit agency. Full Story
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The Midday Brief: November 30, 2009
Your afternoon reading. Full Story
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On the Records: Hutchison vs. White Money
With some notable exceptions, few political donors cut checks to both candidates. Full Story
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![Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Houston mayor Bill White.]()