Proposition 14, adopted by California voters on Tuesday of this week, calls for open primaries, similar to a process that was used in Louisiana from 1975 until 2008. In an open primary, all candidates for an office are listed on the ballot, and the top two vote-getters go into a
Why the SEC? It’s a better fit for A&M academically and culturally. Though a member of the elite American Association of Universities, A&M would rank below Stanford, Berkeley, USC, UCLA (and UT) in the PAC-10. But it would immediately be one of the top-rated institutions in the SEC. As for
The Texas Oil and Gas Association action could be filed as soon as tomorrow. The feds are flexing their muscles and threatening to take over all permitting in the state. They don’t like Texas’s system of “flex permitting,” which TCEQ and its predecessor agencies have used going back to Ann
(For a full discussion of the accusations leveled against Bill White by the Perry campaign, see my previous post, “Perry says White should quit the race over Rita contract”) I received this e-mail today from a Perry insider as a response to the post mentioned above: The connection to White
This was the lead of the AP story that has rocked the White campaign today: Former Houston Mayor Bill White, who was widely praised for guiding his city through Hurricane Rita, acknowledged to The Associated Press on Tuesday that he made money by investing in a company that was hired
This was the big takeaway from the pundits on election night: It was a great night for women and for Tea Party activists. Here is a sample of the punditry: --Mark McKinnon, writing in the Daily Beast: "Voters in 12 states expressed their anger with Washington and special
The Chronicle today has a disturbing story about the results on 8th and 10th grade TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowlege and Skills) tests. The result is that Texas students are improving. Why is this a disturbing result? Because critics are charging that the test was dumbed down to
The issue of whether Baylor gets an invitation to join the Pac-10 conference may depend upon how university presidents on the West Coast feel about having Baylor’s new president Ken Starr as a member of their club. You may have heard that California is liberal, and Ken Starr is, well,
I have been reading the May 11 testimony of Elmer P. Danenberger III, who was chief of Offshore Regulatory Programs for the much-maligned Minerals Management Service prior to his retirement, to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, when I came across this recommendation by Dannenberger: 2. Establish an
The latest twist on the Big Twelve realignment is that Oklahoma and Texas A&M might depart for the SEC. This from an Aggieland source. UT doesn’t have to worry about finding a place to land, but it has never been interested in the SEC, mainly for academic reasons. Only two
Now that the state is facing an $18B shortfall (according to appropriations chairman Jim Pitts, but not so, according to Governor Perry), and the business tax is underperforming, the time is right to do an audit of tax returns. At a time when every dollar is crucial, two questions stand
Last summer, I hopped on what can only be described as the canning bandwagon. Home canning and preserving seemed to take the world by storm—at least that’s what all the blogs were saying. I had to join in the fun. Only one thing was stopping me: I had no idea
You can’t miss him. The man in the red beret. Nope, he’s not a Frenchman … he’s our Texas wine guy, a colorful gentleman who never shies away from a good time. When the mood is right, you might even spot him wearing a purple suit. If you’ve been following
There has been considerable discussion on this site about the accuracy of Rasmussen polls, particularly in the Kentucky Senate race. Rasmussen had Rand Paul +25 over Democrat Jack Conway. This was a significant outlier. Last week pollster.com had an article about Rasmussen polls, which I am going to
Reuters moved a story today quoting Secretary of Defense Bob Gates concerning the flap over Obama’s choice for director of national intelligence (DNI), retired General James Clapper, now undersecretary of defense for intelligence: Clapper’s military background has rattled some of the lawmakers whose support he will need for Senate confirmation.
You know, when I see the words “made from scratch” in front of “mole,” I start to hyperventilate a little. And when the tab for sampling this is $3.25. that makes me even happier. And when the mole–on a tender, generous-to-bursting pork taco–is actually wonderful, with deep red-chile flavors, accessorized
The hot topic on sports talk shows today was that the PAC-10 was set to issue invitations to six Big 12 schools: UT, A&M, OU, Okie State, Texas Tech, and Colorado. The PAC 10 commissioner issued an explicit denial late this afternoon. An A&M source told me after I posted
I spent a day with Texas A&M oceanographers in late May, and here was their assessment: Around early June, currents in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico tend shift so that they run northward toward the shore and eastward toward the Mississippi delta. This pattern will probably last for the rest
First, CEO Tony Hayward says he wants his life back from the oil spill. (We’d like our ocean back.) Then Randy Prescott of BP Houston observes, “Louisiana isn’t the only place that has shrimp.” Prescott’s name and phone number have been spread over the Internet. Then BP decides to hire
In the late sixties, the Capital City was just as thrilling, drug-addled, pompous, and aimless as you’ve heard. Especially if you came from the provinces.
Before he was fighting for the governorship of the second-largest state in the country, Bill White was just a kid from Texas.
Before Rick Perry was fighting for the governorship of the second-largest state in the country, he was just a kid from Paint Creek.
Recipe from Zelko Bistro, Houston
A recipe using fresh red snapper from the Gulf, by executive chef Miguel Ravago of Fonda San Miguel, Austin.
Had the Texas myth become a straitjacket?
I am writing you these few lines to thank you and your staff for remembering my daughter on the fifteenth anniversary of her death [“Dreaming of Her,” April 2010]. It was a beautiful story that brought back a lot of memories for my wife, myself, and my family.
This is our second “Where I’m From” special issue, in which the entire magazine, front to back, is given over to stories about growing up in Texas. Last time, most of the essays were by staff writers. This time we turned to some of our favorite authors, folks like
Juno
Mission
Cat City Grill, Fort Worth and Yelapa Playa Mexicana, Houston
Houston
Most of the questions in the latest Gallup/USAToday poll related to perceptions of the economy, but this may be the most important finding: 50% of Republicans surveyed describe themselves as “highly motivated,” compared to 30% of Democrats.
Either this poll or the most recent Rasmussen poll is an outlier. On May 20, Rasmussen had Paul with 59% of the vote and Jack Conway, his Democratic challenger, with 34%. Research 2000 has the race at 44% for Paul, 40% for Conway. Somebody is really wrong here. I checked
The consultant’s report, released yesterday, is now available online. Here are a couple of its salient observations: TxDOT funding situation At present, State Highway Fund revenues are not as stable as in previous years, nor are they continuing to increase at the same pace as in the past. In addition,
The El Paso Times today reports that the 1,200 National Guard troops President Barack Obama is sending to the border will be authorized to do…well, nothing. Can’t patrol it, can’t interdict aliens crossing the border, can’t use deadly force. From the Times’ story: The Posse Comitatus Act, a federal law,
President Obama may have sent the wrong troops to the Border. Maybe he should have sent the Coast Guard instead of the National Guard. The Monitor reported an incident on May 19 in which Mexican cartel members armed with AK-47s robbed an American fishing party of $400. No
My post last week about the State Board of Education discussion and voting on social studies standards (“Jefferson wins! He’s back in the textbooks”) began with this sentence: This “tick-tock” report comes from my colleague Katy Vine, who has been following and writing about the State Board of Education for
This weekend, after a long bicycle ride, I found myself perusing the cheese counter at our local specialty foods store. I took my time browsing through what the case had to offer, picking up plastic-wrapped parcels of perfection in every hue and hardness, as if the cheese counter were not
At least it’s better than the Rasmussen poll. The numbers: Perry 44% White 35% Undecided 15% Someone else 7% If you were trying to put a good face on the results for White, you would say (1) Perry is under 50%; (2) 22%, more than 1 voter in 5, are
I mean, where’s Bill White? The State Board of Education is in a meltdown that is getting worldwide publicity, and the best he can do is say that if he is elected governor, he would name a new chair. Big deal. He ought to be saying: This is Rick Perry’s
This "tick-tock" report comes from my colleague Katy Vine, who has been following and writing about the State Board of Education for Texas Monthly. 12:31 – Here we go. Bob Craig makes a motion to add “impact of Enlightenment ideas” back into a standard altered in March to remove references
Over the past couple of days, the main topic on this blog has been the controversy over the Arizona immigration law. I understand why Debbie Riddle and others want to do something about illegal immigration. What I don’t understand is why they think that passing a law will achieve anything.
During the debate, Riddle invited Martinez-Fischer to work with her on her bill. But her press release takes an entirely different tone. Martinez-Fischer was totally polite in his debate dialogue with Riddle, saying he respected her as he respects all of his colleagues. Apparently there was some preliminary wordplay before
The following legislation is Riddle’s HB 49 from the 2009 legislative session, which she referred to several times during her debate with Trey Martinez-Fisher. A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to the creation of the offense of criminal trespass by illegal aliens and to certain procedures for arresting
The following is my best effort at an accurate transcription of the debate that took place last night on Radio Station KRLD in Dallas. Scott Braddock moderated the debate. Braddock: (to Riddle) What do you want to see happen? Riddle: This is all about border security. The bill that I
The Democrats voted him out, but the Republicans should get credit for it. Pat Toomey’s insurgent candidacy forced Specter to change parties, and once that happened, he was doomed. Just another pol who stayed too long.
Specter has a huge lead in Philadelphia County, but Sestak is winning in the west. Many of the rural counties have not reported any votes. True junkies can follow the race on a very good map by clicking HERE.
The Philadelphia Inquirer has Specter 66%, Sestak 34% with 2% of precincts reporting. The paper’s Web site describes the vote-counting as “very slow.” Most readers probably know by know that Ron Paul’s son, Rand Paul, has won the Senate race in Kentucky. The other state that has a major battle
The #1 broadcast network during broadcast prime time last Friday (05/14/2010, 8-11pm) among Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34, regardless of language was … Univision. The reason was the network’s special commercial-free broadcast of the town-hall event, “Inmigración: Un Debate Nacional” (Immigration: A National Debate) and its block of hit novelas.
I had a conversation yesterday with a knowledgeable and well informed Capitol figure about the prospects for gambling legislation. The headline of this post pretty much sums up the situation. Here are the reasons: 1. The industry can’t get agree on what it wants. It’s split between Vegas interests, racetrack
