Letter From Joshua
May 31, 2011
Playground Rules
The suicides of four Texas teens who were brutally bullied have prompted cries for new legislation. But one lawyer has a different plan: Sue the school districts.
May 2011 – Page 2 of 3
Music
May 31, 2011
The Apprentice
Carrying on the legacy of the legendary musician Steve Jordan isn’t easy, especially when you’re only 22 years old and blind. But Juanito Castillo is too busy reinventing the conjunto accordion to care.
Feature
May 31, 2011
Mind Games
Baylor College of Medicine neuroscientist David Eagleman is out to change the way we think about guilt and innocence (and time and novels and, well, neuroscientists). Can he pull it off?
Feature
May 31, 2011
Falling Comet
In 1955 Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock” transformed the sound of popular music and made him an international star. Twenty-five years later he was forgotten, desperate, and dying in Harlingen. How did one of the fathers of rock and roll land so far outside the spotlight?
Eat My Words
May 31, 2011
Want Something Foodish to Do This Week?
Big names in Texas chef circles will be starring at three events this week as part of the annual convention of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, in Austin. The general public can attend this trio of events (which are some of the best of the convention); the rest of
Politics & Policy
May 30, 2011
R.G.’s Take: The Budget Session Nobody Enjoyed
As the 82nd Legislature hurtled this weekend toward a crash landing, freshman Republican Representative Lanham Lyne of Wichita Falls stepped up to the front microphone of the Texas House to deliver his first major legislative speech. Lyne was arguing on behalf of the budget, which cuts billions, yet he seemed
Politics & Policy
May 30, 2011
Remembering Bill Clements
Clements will always hold an honored place in the Republican Pantheon as the first GOP governor of Texas since Reconstruction. He was elected in 1978 thanks to a split in the Democratic party. Attorney General John Hill had defeated incumbent governor Dolph Briscoe in the Democratic primary and was favored
Politics & Policy
May 30, 2011
Who holds the cards?
The answer is: Rodney Ellis. On the last day of the session, Ellis has become the key player, because he is effectively the minority leader of the Democrats–not just the Senate Democrats, but also the House Democrats. The nineteen Senate Republicans will need at least six Democratic votes to suspend
Politics & Policy
May 30, 2011
Could It Get Worse?
After last night’s dramatic play by Senator Davis, the calculation this morning seems to be: Will the Dems fare better or worse in a special? There is still time to undo the maneuver, if six Democrats join the Rs in a 4/5 vote to suspend the rules today. Perry’s spokesperson
Politics & Policy
May 30, 2011
Perry threatens to veto Senate redistricting bill
I heard about the threat from a Democratic senator. The veto would be retribution for the Wendy Davis’s filibuster that killed the school finance bill and forced a special session, which Perry did not want. If the Legislature fails to pass a redistricting bill during the regular session, the task
Politics & Policy
May 27, 2011
School finance deal reached: part Eissler, part Shapiro
This is an exact quote from the working paper of a senior adviser to Straus: Option 1 Year 1–50% reduction from target revenue & 50% reduction from regular program Year 2–50% reduction from target revenue & 50% reduction from regular program Provisions sunset 8/31/2-13 Interim Committee to study school finance
Politics & Policy
May 27, 2011
Patrick to announce for senator on Laura Ingraham show tomorrow
This has been such a bizarre incident. Patrick and Dewhurst went at each other verbally, but in loud voices, in a Senate committee of the whole earlier today. One of the subjects was David Simpson’s anti-grouping bill, about which I wrote earlier. Patrick manipulated a situation in which he was
Politics & Policy
May 26, 2011
R.G.’s Take: Perry Gets His Way Again
Oh, ye liberals, Democrats and college professors, weep. There is no doubt now that the man you love to hate – Governor Rick Perry – will be the biggest winner of the 82nd Legislature. Perry has gotten his way on almost every item on is legislative agenda and squeezed the
Politics & Policy
May 26, 2011
Patrick vs. Dewhurst for U.S. Senate?
Patrick was genuinely angry when he blamed Lt. Gov. Dewhurst for sinking his anti-groping bill Tuesday night. But his decision to stand by that accusation in the cold light of day Wednesday afternoon was much more interesting, as was his choice of words. "Someone who will not stand up
Politics & Policy
May 26, 2011
Groping for reality
I’m really tired of hearing how sincere David Simpson is, how strong his principles are, how concerned he is about protecting the privacy of his family and all Americans from the sex-starved fingers of federal security officials. Can’t we just acknowledge that, however sincere he is, his bill to prevent
Eat My Words
May 26, 2011
Trailer Thursday: Grilled Quail With Green Beans and Shishito Pepper at Odd Duck Farm to Trailer
For years, trailers were the ugly ducking of the culinary scene, with spotty service, slim variety, and the constant specter of food poisoning. Enter a new era, the age of the concept truck, when innovative chefs, cooks, and just plain ordinary folks started opening up quirky, fun food trailers to serve
Politics & Policy
May 24, 2011
Waiting for school finance
Here is my understanding of the school finance proposal. As of this writing, the deal is not done. It will take $4B to fund the foundation school program. The plan is to provide $2 billion in proration ($1B per year) and $2B in target revenue reductions. The runs would use
Politics & Policy
May 24, 2011
Self-congratulations for an agreed-to bill
A few minutes ago, my e-mail queue filled up with e-mail messages celebrating the passage of HB 274, better known as “Loser Pays.” Here’s David Dewhurst: “The ‘Loser Pays’ bill builds on the landmark lawsuit reform legislation we passed in 2003 − further reducing the number of frivolous lawsuits in
Politics & Policy
May 24, 2011
Daniels drops out; GOP field contracts
Are the fates conspiring to make Rick Perry president? It certainly seems so. Throughout his political career, Perry has always managed to be in the right place at the right time. Now, at the moment when he has compiled a record that enables him to contemplate running for the presidency,
Politics & Policy
May 24, 2011
R.G.’s Take: The Nanny State of Texas
Once upon a time, not so long ago, in a faraway land called Pennsylvania, a woman named Sarah Palin brought 200 protest cookies to school for children at the Plumstead Christian School - because she had read a report – mistaken as it turns out – that the state was
Politics & Policy
May 24, 2011
More evidence Perry was wrong on the auto bailout
From Talking Points Memo: This is one more indication–I have published other accounts in previous months–that Rick Perry was wrong about the bailout of the automobile industry, as he was wrong about the bailout of the financial industry. Not that it will do Kay Bailey Hutchison any good. Perry
Eat My Words
May 24, 2011
Get Yourself Into a Jam
For years now, I’ve been trying to grow my own strawberries. And year after year, it’s a disappointing “harvest” of one or two small bites of tart berries. In fact, this year, my niece and I ogled two berries on the vine. I told her she could have one, and
Eat My Words
May 21, 2011
Is There a Locally Sourced “Chopped” in Austin’s Future?
Just as I was headed out the door on Saturday morning, Philip Speer (right) let drop the most interesting tidbit of the whole morning’s entertainment: “It would be fun to do this on a citywide scale,” said the executive pastry chef for Austin’s Uchi and Uchiko. We were at
Politics & Policy
May 20, 2011
Democratic reaction to the budget: “an agreement between bad and worse”
That’s Garnet Coleman’s assessment. I don’t agree with him that “[n]o real effort was made by the conference committee to improve the painful cuts in the House anhd Senate. The House came up by some $3 billion, and the Senate also raised its spending to more than $81 billion. Coleman characterizes the
Politics & Policy
May 20, 2011
Weeping for Williamson
An amendment to the tome that is House Bill 1811 would wipe out the current format for the state budget that was conceived by Ric Williamson back in 1987. The amendment was proposed by Erwin Cain, R-Como. Williamson argued that the old budget format, which was little more than a
Politics & Policy
May 20, 2011
R.G.’s Take: 82nd Legislature rolls the dice, betting on the come
Betting on the come, in gambling terms, means: You don’t have what you need but you’re betting that you will have it when you need it. Betting on the come is exactly what House and Senate Republicans are doing with Governor Rick Perry as they press for a final budget
Politics & Policy
May 19, 2011
Deal or no deal
When senators Florence Shapiro and Steve Ogden earlier today said they had a budget deal, the deal apparently was just among the senators. House Speaker Joe Straus just issued this statement:
Politics & Policy
May 19, 2011
Dewhurst said deal left in Straus’ hands
Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst just emerged from a meeting in Speaker Joe Straus’ office and said he left the Senate’s budget “deal” with the speaker to consider. Dewhurst said he had 21 senators signed onto the deal — the 19 Republicans and Democratic senators Royce West of Dallas and Juan
Politics & Policy
May 19, 2011
The deal is coming down to massaging the revenue
Senators Florence Shapiro and Steve Ogden both tell me a deal is done on the budget. Ogden says negotiations continue on exactly how to pay for it but that it is close. Public education will be funded at the Senate level, which is about $4 billion more than was in
Politics & Policy
May 19, 2011
Conspiracy theory
Who wins when the House and Senate conveniently lock up over funding the budget and a special session is necessary? Not the public schools. This Legislature will never be generous in its spending. Not health and human services agencies, for the same reason. The big winner is … gambling. The
Politics & Policy
May 19, 2011
Perry’s lament
I was told an interesting anecdote about something that happened in the budget conference committee yesterday. In the course of expressing his antipathy for higher ed, Perry mused that he has no regrets about most of the decisions he has made during his time in office, the one exception being
Eat My Words
May 19, 2011
Trailer Thursday: Fried risotto balls with prosciutto and mozzarella at Arancini
Look out, Lucky’s Puccias. Enoteca, Vespaio—you’d be wise to watch your step as well, brick and mortar though you may be. There’s a new Italian trailer in Austin that can juggle circles around you. And by circles, I mean the perfect fried risotto orbs
Politics & Policy
May 19, 2011
Caucus ruckus
One of the holdups to reaching a deal on the budget is that the fiscal matters bill has so many proposed amendments that it will take hours of debate to get through them, and every hour is precious at this point. Another holdup is that the Republican caucus doesn’t want
Politics & Policy
May 19, 2011
Make or break day
Today is the most important day of the session. If the negotiations between the House and Senate fail to produce an agreement, a special session is all but inevitable. The sticking points are higher ed and public ed. The Senate wants to spend $1 billion more on higher ed; the
Eat My Words
May 18, 2011
Go for the Paella, Stay for the Flamenco Music
I didn’t get around to Central Market until four days after their big “Pasaporte España”—“Passport Spain”—extravaganza had started. I’m kicking myself, because I’ve already missed a Spanish wine tasting and a couple of classes that sounded really good. But last Saturday I did stumble on the paella man, who
Politics & Policy
May 18, 2011
Ogden frustrated, says special session possible
Senate Finance Chairman Steve Ogden stormed off in the opposite direction from other conference committee negotiators as they left Speaker Joe Straus’ office. Caught in the stairwell behind the House, Ogden made a dour prediction: “We really haven’t made any progress. “There’s several issues. The thing that’s frustrating to me
Politics & Policy
May 17, 2011
Ghost Rider
As the Morning News's Bob Garrett reported this morning, the question of funny money came up at last night's first public hearing of the budget conference committee. The budget only balances if billions of dollars worth of hoped-for Medicaid savings materialize, and Sylvester Turner questioned LBB officials on how
Eat My Words
May 16, 2011
Beat Divas Get Ready to Release CD Celebrating “Food, Love, and Mayhem”
The Beat Divas—the celebrated Austin female vocal trio that warbles while it works—has filmed its first video. To celebrate the occasion, they’re having another of their hallmark cooking-singing classes (they sing, not the students), on Saturday, June 18, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Central Market Austin, north
Politics & Policy
May 16, 2011
Perry’s op-ed: “The Big Lie”
Governor Perry published an op-ed piece in the Statesman on Friday, which begins with Perry accusing critics of his higher ed reforms of dealing in propaganda: One proven tactic of propaganda is that if you want to distract people from the conversation you should be having, don't be afraid
Politics & Policy
May 14, 2011
McKinney’s exit
I don’t believe that A&M chancellor Mike McKinney lost his job because he didn’t implement the Jeff Sandefer “breakthrough solutions” for higher ed reform fast enough. And I don’t believe that this was a heavyhanded Rick Perry play. I think that the decision was made at A&M by influential regents
Politics & Policy
May 13, 2011
Hinojosa expects special session on school finance
So says Nate Blakeslee, who has been covering the Senate during the regular session. Nate just saw Hinojosa in the hall and Chuy uttered the most dreaded words of tongue and pen: “special session on school finance.”
Politics & Policy
May 13, 2011
Aggie shuffle: Phil Gramm could be the next chancellor
This is according to an administration source at A&M. Jeff Wentworth is another possibility. Jay Kimbrough, Perry’s fix-it man, would probably move to general counsel. Perry wanted Gramm at the time that regents chose Robert Gates. Gramm is a vocal backer of the Perry higher ed reforms. He would have
Politics & Policy
May 13, 2011
R.G.’s Take: Texas Partisanship Week
Thursday was to have been Teacher Appreciation Day in the Legislature under House Republican plans to bring up HB 400 to make it easier for school districts to furlough or fire teachers, while giving those who remain employed the opportunity to teach more children in larger classes. Only
Politics & Policy
May 12, 2011
Kicking the oil tanker down the road
Earlier today, after a conversation with Tom Suehs of DHS, I wrote that I thought a special session was unlikely. The conference committee has made a lot of progress on Health and Human Services issues. If there was a meltdown, Suehs told me, it would come on education. Well, here
Eat My Words
May 12, 2011
Trailer Thursday, Houston: Holy Haute Wheels, Batman, a Food Truck Festival in Houston!
Well, well. It looks like the quirkiest little city in Texas might have to have a showdown with its big brother. (Cue tumbleweed and some Western whistling.) Austin has long been the food truck king in this state, but Houston is quickly gaining ground. Last week I sampled some amazingly
Politics & Policy
May 12, 2011
Special session?
I don’t think so. Article II, Health and Human Services, is just about done. It’s far from great–Suehs says he he’ll run out of Medicaid money in May 2013–but nursing homes rates are fixed and provider rates are OK. If there is going to be a meltdown, it will come in Article
Politics & Policy
May 12, 2011
“Crazy as a sprayed roach”
In case you missed Rolling Stone's description of Texas politics that was included in the Quorum Report's daily clips yesterday, here it is in full [emphasis and links--nonfunctioning--are from the original RS story by Julian Brookes]: Nothing against Texas. Great state. Not to be messed with. But: unless I'm mistaken,
Eat My Words
May 10, 2011
Tyson Ties for Best Chef Southwest in James Beard Foundation Awards in New York Last Night
Tyson Cole, who is the force behind the two most innovative Japanese-fusion restaurants in Texas right now, tied for the title of Best Chef Southwest at the James Beard Foundation awards gala in New York City last night. (His co-winner was Saipin Chutima of Lotus of Siam in Las
Politics & Policy
May 10, 2011
Motion to Reconsider
Solomons should not have moved to table the Huberty/Oliveira amendment last night. In fact, he should have accepted it. As I wrote last night [see “The Amendment that Mattered”], that was an important amendment. It was necessary to protect schools from losing funding under certain circumstances. The sanctuary cities bill
Politics & Policy
May 10, 2011
The amendment that mattered
The closest vote of the night on the sanctuary cities bill was the Oliveira/Huberty amendment to take school district law enforcement personnel out of the bill. The proponents argued that school districts could lose their funding–it was not clear whether the funds were state or federal–if school districts law enforcement