Redistricting is, for the moment, in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court, but the election season is underway.
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Our list of 2012 primary candidates, to which we are adding the latest filings to the major political parties as they become available. It's got the Statewides, the State Board of Education, the Texas delegation to Congress and the Legislature, all based on the maps put in place by federal judges in San Antonio. If the maps change, and the filings change, we'll change, too.
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Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst released more interim charges he wants Senate committees to consider before the upper chamber gavels in January 2013. And it should be a surprise to few that there's a sustained focus on the Texas-Mexico border.
Full StoryCandidates started filing for the primaries this week, so the latest nonscientific survey of political and government insiders focused on what will separate Republicans and Democrats in their respective primaries. And football, too.
Full StoryThe Texas Supreme Court upheld the state’s main business tax as a legitimate levy on business that does not constitute a personal income tax. The tax has been a disappointment to the state as collections have lagged behind projections, but legislators were reluctant to try to restructure it until the courts ruled on the constitutionality question.
The case against Michael Morton, wrongfully convicted of the 1986 murder of his wife, Christine, has been dropped, but the men who prosecuted him may now be facing their own legal troubles. The Texas Coalition on Lawyer Accountability has filed grievances against former Williamson County District Attorney Ken Anderson, his former assistant Mike Davis and current DA John Bradley. The group alleges that the three are guilty of misconduct and violated state law by withholding evidence in Morton’s 1986 murder trial. Morton’s attorneys successfully had his DNA tested in October, which led to his exoneration. Now his attorneys have accused the DA’s office of withholding critical information from the defense team at the time of the trial that could have led to Morton being cleared of the crime and prevented another woman from becoming a victim of the man who has now been accused of Morton’s wife’s murder.
El Paso city officials threatened with a recall election over the extension of benefits to same-sex partners of city employees must face the voters. A judge asked to review the petitions seeking the recall election has ruled that they can be used, in spite of the fact that church groups gathered signatures. Mayor John Cook had asked that those names not be allowed as part of the total number required, since the Texas election code forbids corporations from making contributions to recall campaigns. He contended that churches were corporations, albeit nonprofit, and could not legally circulate petitions. The case could proceed to higher courts, as the question of corporate contributions was reopened last year when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that corporations could make unlimited donations to campaigns.
Officials at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport are cautiously optimistic that the announced bankruptcy filing of American Airlines won’t have a traumatic effect on the facility. A scheduled renovation project is still on the books, but board members acknowledged that the future could remain uncertain until the totality of the bankruptcy filing is understood. DFW depends heavily on its relationship with American, though, and if the airline reduces its flights, there could be huge financial repercussions for the airport. Currently, American and American Eagle account for 83 percent of the landing fees collected by DFW, the biggest source of revenue for the facility.
The Bravo show Top Chef’s agreement with the state of Texas included a $600,000 break for the show to locate in San Antonio and surrounding cities. The governor’s Economic Development and Tourism Division gave $400,000 to producers of the show, and the city of San Antonio ponied up another $200,000. San Antonio and the state of Texas both insist that the economic benefits go beyond the show’s initial expenditures to include positive exposure and media coverage of the state. The bulk of the shows were filmed in San Antonio, but Austin and Dallas will also appear in some episodes.
Texas has faced all kinds of troubles resulting from the record drought this year, but there are also reports of valuable objects being found as lake levels drop. Debris like computer and car parts and sunken boats were expected, but archaeological sites have also been exposed, revealing historic cemeteries and tombstones. In Nacogdoches, a lake that receded 12 feet revealed one of the missing tanks from the explosion of the space shuttle Columbia.
Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos got a rude awakening after she announced her plans to run for re-election. Six police organizations, representing more than 10,000 former and current police officers, voted no confidence in her leadership, claiming Lykos has shirked her duty in the prosecution of cases. The dispute centers on Lykos’ policy of bringing only misdemeanor charges against offenders caught with drug residue of less than one-100th of a gram. Police unions want these cases to continue to be felonies, while a majority of Harris County district judges favor lessening the charge, complaining that courts are flooded with minor drug cases. And her predecessor, former DA Johnny Holmes, endorsed Mike Anderson, a Republican challenging Lykos. Anderson is a former assistant prosecutor and district court judge.
House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, announced the appointment of Frederick "Shad" Rowe Jr. of Dallas to the Employees Retirement System of Texas Board of Trustees. Rowe currently serves as president of Rowe and Company Inc., in Dallas.
Former Austin Chronicle reporter Lee Nichols is the new communications director for Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio.
