Rep. Fred Hill, R-Richardson, says he'll run for reelection next year instead of seeking a local office. And we've got links to the Party sites so you can track others who sign up, expected or not.Some of his fellow Republicans in Dallas have been encouraging him to run for Dallas County Judge, but he's decided to stay put. The incumbent in that county gig, Margaret Keliher, has been getting mixed reviews in her own party, and some in the GOP are nervous about steady Democratic gains in election results there. Hill, first elected to the House in 1992, is chairman of the Local Government Ways & Means Committee. Had he decided to chase the county job, he would have been the eighth chairman to opt out of reelection. Candidates whose districts cross county lines file with their state party offices. Those whose districts stay inside the lines can file with county party officials. To watch the state stuff, link to the state parties, at: • Republican Party of Texas (www.texasgop.org) • Texas Democratic Party (www.txdemocrats.org)

Rep. Vilma Luna, D-Corpus Christi, wants another term in Austin.Luna, first elected in 1992, got back from a trip and filed within 24 hours, scotching rumors that she might run for an open Nueces County Judge seat. She's the House's ranking Democrat, if you're using committee assignments as the measure -- she's on Appropriations, Calendars, and Ways & Means.

Powers, Dierschke, Darwin, McKinney, Moon, and MahonWilliam Powers Jr., officially now, is the president of the University of Texas at Austin. The former dean of the university's law school, Powers was the only finalist for the job. He's replacing Larry Faulkner, who's stepping down after holding the post since 1998. For the fourth time in a row, the Texas Farm Bureau elected Kenneth Dierschke as its president. He beat Bob Read, a rice farmer and former TFB district director. Dierschke lives in San Angelo and raises cotton, milo, and wheat. Norman Darwin of Weatherford will be the state's first Injured Employee Public Counsel, advocating for employees in the state's worker compensation system. Darwin, chosen by Gov. Rick Perry, is an attorney with offices in Fort Worth. Donna Kay McKinney is leaving Sen. Jeff Wentworth's district staff to work for Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector (and former state Rep.) Sylvia Romo. She's worked for the San Antonio Republican for nine years. The new spokesperson for the Texas Democratic Party is Amber Moon, a Texan whose most recent gig was in Washington, working for U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Missouri. Deaths: Former U.S. District Judge Eldon Mahon of Fort Worth, or heart failure. He was 87.