We have a winner! In the March Madness university lobbying championship, it's Texas A&M! The Aggies are far and away the winners, acoording to opensecrets.com which pulled the lobbying financial disclosure forms and determined that the "K Street College Classic" winner is [...]
"The Secret Pardon," is the title of Brandi Grissom's latest Texas Tribune post on the Hank Skinner case. It's another must-read from this Trib reporter.
Every couple of minutes, attorney Rob Owen glances nervously at the calendar in his office. Barring the intervention of the U.S. Supreme Court, a reprieve [...]
Jessica Meyers checks in on a dust-up between the candidates for agriculture commissioner:
THE CLAIM: Democratic agriculture candidate Hank Gilbert accused incumbent Republican Todd Staples of lying about cuts to food programs for the elderly. "Staples lied and claimed no specific programs were singled out for" [...]
From Laredo TV station KGNS, a news story about how Rick Perry failed to notify local officials about his secret border plan. The video report, titled, "City leaders left out of the loop of Perry's plan for the border" is below:
From the video, [...]
THE CLAIM: Democratic agriculture commissioner candidate Hank Gilbert accused incumbent Todd Staples of lying about cuts to food programs for the elderly.
"Staples lied and claimed no specific programs were singled out for cuts," Gilbert's campaign said in a new release about possible budget reductions [...]
As the House moves toward a Sunday vote on health care, two more Texas Democrats told the Dallas Morning News late Thursday that they are likely to support the bill: Reps. Henry Cuellar and Ciro Rodriguez. Both members supported the original House legislation that passed in November. It needs 216 [...]
Many individual elements of the health care plan working its way through Congress remain popular, but the cost of the plan and finding ways to pay for it remain key reasons why most voters continue to oppose the proposed legislation.
New Rasmussen Reports [...]
The praise for conservative icon Ann Coulter and scorn for "Barack Hussein Obama's" socialist agenda was plentiful at a Republican candidate forum in Washington, D.C. Thursday, and it certainly sounded like any standard GOP event. But it sure as heck didn't look like one.
"The" [...]
The Obama administration has delivered another budget plum to Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson and the state of Nebraska, adding more than a half-billion dollars for a new veterans hospital in Omaha.
The move reverses a decision by Mr. Obama's own Veterans Administration of a [...]
Yes, Democrats will finally enjoy the ugliest of victories when they force through their health-care overhaul on a [...]
Your daily dose of news and views from in and around Dallas City Hall:
• This week, city officials confirmed that Dallas is on schedule to open the first of two long-awaited suspension bridges [...]
The Bleacher Report says the Minnesota Vikings, even with the addition of Brett Favre, weren't as successful as they could have been because they didn't properly use their running backs, especially their scatback-type runners.There is no god and I am his prophet. [...] 
Thanks for all the years you were supported by loyal Democrats.Hours after Gov. Rick Perry announced Anna Jimenez was his choice for Nueces County district attorney she was surrounded by fellow Republicans and some Democrats, as she was sworn in. [...] In the last act for several Metro board members, we get a step forward on another commuter rail line.
Moving to extend Metro’s reach into Fort Bend County, the agency’s board agreed Thursday to spend up to $500,000 on environmental studies for a commuter rail line connecting southwestern suburbs with [...]
An awful lot of attention gets paid to property taxes and the rate at which they rise due to higher appraisals. There are other variable costs to home ownership, however, and one of them is homeowners insurance.
As a result of a dramatic increase in mold claims prior to 2003, [...]
As we know, HISD Superintendent Terry Grier has proposed ending HISD’s relationship with Community Education Partners (CEP), which provides alternate schools for kids with discipline problems. Following that, the Chron editorialized in favor of Grier’s stance.
Grier contends that CEP costs too much — $22 million annually and $180 [...]
Bad budget times are fertile ground for those who want to see an expansion of gambling in Texas.
“We are planning to lay out our case again to the Legislature,” said Duane Galligher, a spokesman for the Texas Gaming Association, which led the push to bring Las Vegas-style casino gambling [...]
From the Inbox:
Wizard of Pawz
Houston Humane Society’s 29th Annual K-9 Fun Run & Walk
HOUSTON, TX (March 10, 2010) – The 29th Annual Houston Humane Society K-9 Fun Run & Walk will take place Sunday, March 28 at Sam Houston Park, 100 Bagby. This fun and beneficial event begins at 10 am, check-in opens at [...]
A committee hearing was held on Thursday in the Maryland State Senate on a medical marijuana bill. According to the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP):
In a move that's been anticipated for weeks, Steve Levy, Suffolk County Executive finally made it official Thursday; he's switching to the GOP. A release announcing a press conference for Friday was sent out by Levy's staff, confirming that he plans to run for Governor "as a" [...]
A lovely, redheaded Hollywood makeup artist stood in the trailer of a 1950’s drive-in movie set talking with the film’s four lead actors.
It was 2002, the last day of filming on the movie; the next day the makeup artist was to model in a [...]
Filed under: Humor, Social Studies, Teachers Tagged: Charities, Education, Humor, Social Studies, St. Baldrick's Day, Teachers [...] 
And comes up with one of his better columns.
Chet Edwards is the representative from the 17th Congressional District in Texas to the United States House of Representatives. He claims to be a Democrat, but almost never votes with the Democratic Party on important legislation. He's one of those conservative "blue dogs" that wants to [...] From a North Texas History Center Press Release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GENEROUS GIFT
North Texas History Center given its largest donation
McKINNEY, Texas (March 18, 2010) – Plagued by financial troubles, the North Texas History Center was recently given a glimmer of hope.
[...]
This is another reason to suspect Mr. Sikes' claims from Los Angeles a week ago. In Japan, a person who claimed Prius braking problems could face criminal charges over the Japanese equivalent of making a false accident report.There is no god and I am his prophet.' [...] 
Democrat whip James Clyburn announces the majority is “giddy” over the $940 billion price tag [...] Several years ago, a woman I know contracted breast cancer. She was either uninsured or under-insured so she had to go to a public facility to get treatment. Her payments, if any, were based on her ability to pay. She got her treatments and she's completely cured. A couple years [...]
In addition to naming new Metro board members, today was the day for Mayor Parker’s transition team to give its report on Metro. Here’s the Chron story about their report. I’m going to focus on one piece of it:
[James] Moncur, a former deputy city controller and former Metro [...]
A leading North Korean financial expert has been dragged before a firing squad and shot dead for ruining the country's financial affairs.
Mr Pak Nam Ki was responsible for revaluing the communist regime's currency last November, but his attempts to curb inflation caused nationwide misery [...]
Ask Rabbi Sam White what he thinks of the global political row over plans to expand the community in which he lives, prays and studies, and he answers bluntly: "I don't see the problem. God gave us the land of Israel." The notion that the location of' [...]
Kai Eide, the UN's special representative to Afghanistan until earlier this month, has attacked Pakistan for having arrested prominent Taliban leaders who were taking part in back-channel peace talks.
Eide, [...]
[...]
Only, it isn't really funny...
