Subject:

Texas State Legislature

  • Blogs

    February 10, 2012

    Appeals Court Won't Rehear Attempt Trying to Overturn Texas's New Sonogram Law

    In news that should make Rick Perry tingly all over, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order today denying the Center For Reproductive Rights' request for a new hearing in their suit against Texas's new sonogram law. The CRR had previously requested that the court hear the case en banc ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 20, 2012

    Supreme Court Tosses District Judges' Redistricting Maps, Says Texas Needs a Do-Over

    ​Back in November U.S. District Judges Orlando Garcia and Xavier Rodriguez down in San Antonio drew up new congressional and state House and Senate maps, since they so hated the ones submitted by the Texas Legislature. The judges claimed the state willfully ignored the state's growing Hispanic pop ... More >>

  • News

    November 24, 2011

    Democracy: What a Meshuga Way to Run a Country -- or HOA

    Can't we all get along? Oh, hell no.

  • News

    October 27, 2011

    My, How This Crisis is Growing

    Can't we all get along? Oh, hell no.

  • Blogs

    June 10, 2011

    Arlington Rep. Bill Zedler Wants To Hear All About Your Abortion

    Rep. Bill Zedler just has a few questions about your legal medical procedure.​In the latest piece of depressing women's health news from the Texas Legislature, The Dallas Morning News reported today that the House has voted to deny state funding to public hospitals that either perform "elective a ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 1, 2011

    State GOP Legislators' Revenge Won't Be on Democrats, But on the Old, Poor and Sick

    ​People all over America should watch the special session of the Texas Legislature, just now beginning, if they want to see what Republicans are really up to. Among other things, they're out to kill Medicare and Medicaid. The regular session was stymied at the last minute when Democratic sta ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 26, 2011

    In Legislature's Final Days, Lawmakers Extend Court Protections for Polluters

    Rep. Dennis Bonnen​Amid these "late nights and high feelings" of the tail end of the 82nd Texas Legislature, House lawmakers took a little time to pay the bills yesterday, tying up one last niggling loophole that was letting property owners sue polluters that were contaminating their land. As it ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 12, 2011

    Fracking Chemical Disclosure Bill Blasts Through Texas House, Enviros Unimpressed

    From the rapidly spreading "Fracking Song" from ProPublica and Studio 20 NYU.​In these final days of the 82nd Texas Legislature, lawmakers in Austin are throwing support behind Eastlake Rep. Jim Keffer's bill that'd require drillers to report the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing at each of t ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 29, 2011

    Peace, Love and Chicken-Fried Steak Day

    God Bless the Texas Legislature. No amount of political discord will prevent them from the serious work for which the people of this great state sent them to Austin. And it has nothing to do with cuts to a cash-strapped educational system. No, ma'am. Our state government has bigger things to worry a ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 26, 2011

    What Would Happen if the Proposed Beer Legislation Becomes Law?

    ​Three bills bouncing around the Texas Legislature are being trumpeted as game-changers for the state's beer industry. In quick review: HB 660 would permit brewpubs to sell directly to wholesalers and distributors; HB 2436 would allow small breweries to sell their product for on- or off-site c ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 19, 2011

    DISD Splits Townview Center Into "Two Schools" With Two Principals, Not Seven

    ​The Dallas Independent School District sent word earlier this afternoon: It is splitting the mammoth Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center on E. Eighth Street into two schools -- one devoted to humanities; the other, arts and science. The six magnets housed within Townview, among them the TAG Magnet, t ... More >>

  • News

    March 24, 2011

    A Pro-Guns-On-Campus Buzz! (Someone Else Wrote It)

    ​The Dallas Independent School District sent word earlier this afternoon: It is splitting the mammoth Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center on E. Eighth Street into two schools -- one devoted to humanities; the other, arts and science. The six magnets housed within Townview, among them the TAG Magnet, t ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 28, 2011

    Walk for Choice Rallies Support for Women's Reproductive Rights, Squares Off Against Religious Counter-Protest

    Photos by Patrick MichelsPro-choice demonstrators shout it out with religious abortion opponents downtown Saturday at the Walk for Choice. A slide show is here.​Some 200 pro-choice demonstrators -- some college-age, others old enough to recall protesting for abortion rights before Roe v. Wade -- t ... More >>

  • News

    February 24, 2011

    Concealed Guns on Campus a Fait Accompli?

    Photos by Patrick MichelsPro-choice demonstrators shout it out with religious abortion opponents downtown Saturday at the Walk for Choice. A slide show is here.​Some 200 pro-choice demonstrators -- some college-age, others old enough to recall protesting for abortion rights before Roe v. Wade -- t ... More >>

  • News

    February 17, 2011

    Bake Sale Bandits

    Local Movement Fights for Cottage Food Bill.

  • Blogs

    February 14, 2011

    In Need of Another Rolling Blackout? Then Read This New Story of ERCOT.

    ​This morning we received the same report presented to all members of the Texas Legislature: The Story of ERCOT, prepared by the Texas Coalition for Affordable Power. It's a mammoth thing -- 110 pages based, says TCAP, on "months of research, including a review of journalistic accounts, regulatory ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 20, 2010

    A Look at the Latest Proposed Legislation Calling for Statewide Sobriety Checkpoints

    National Lampoon​As The American Independent reminds this morning, there have been myriad bills proposed in the Texas Legislature in recent years that would allow for the creation of so-called sobriety checkpoints. And last year's S.B. 298 -- submitted by state Sen. John Corona and co-authored by, ... More >>

  • News

    November 11, 2010

    Riddle in an Enigma: Puzzled by Austin's Odd Priorities

    National Lampoon​As The American Independent reminds this morning, there have been myriad bills proposed in the Texas Legislature in recent years that would allow for the creation of so-called sobriety checkpoints. And last year's S.B. 298 -- submitted by state Sen. John Corona and co-authored by, ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 24, 2010

    Council to Sneak Peek Pending State, Federal Legislation That Could Affect Dallas

    ​Doubtful Andrea's liveblogging today's meeting of the council's Ad Hoc Legislative Committee, fascinating though it may be. Because today's the day the council gets its Federal Legislative Update and the Development of the City's Legislative Program for the 82nd Session of the Texas Legislature, ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 23, 2009

    On The Range: Sopapillas

    ​On The Range is a weekly exploration of the history and lore of Texas menu items.Many of us got our first taste of sopapillas by raising the flag. Doesn't make sense? Well, back when dining out options were fewer and farther between, Panchos Mexican Buffet was one of the few places where you co ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 3, 2009

    This Is Your Brain on Junior High: State Lege Gives UTD $6 Million to Study DISD Students

    ​It's a common scenario: an "A" elementary school student suddenly becomes a "C" middle-schooler. What happened? According to local brain health researchers, your child is suffering from information overload. "He was so overwhelmed by the amount of information he was trying to stuff in," says ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 15, 2009

    On The Range: Chili Con Carne

    Given the popularity of chili, this was probably inevitable.Chili con carne, better known as chili for short, was named Official State Dish of Texas back in the late 1970s. Why chili and not barbecue or steak? According to Paul Burka, political writer, food guru, and all-around reside ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 19, 2009

    A Downtown Law School is Good for Downtown. But is it Good for America?

    How UNT imagines the old City Hall will look once it becomes a law schoolA Friend of Unfair Park whose name does not rhyme with "Patt Mulle" sends us this Texas Watchdog story concerning the downtown law school the University of North Texas System is hoping to squeeze into the old Municipal Building ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 16, 2009

    Dallas County DA Craig Watkins to Deliver Keynote at Annual Prayer Breakfast

    Dallas County District Attorney Craig WatkinsLarry James, president and CEO of Central Dallas Ministries, posted this announcement to his blog this a.m.: Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins will deliver the keynote address at this year's 14th Annual Urban Ministries Prayer Breakfast, set f ... More >>

  • News

    February 5, 2009

    A Texan's Home is his Castle, Until Someone Richer Wants It

    Dallas County District Attorney Craig WatkinsLarry James, president and CEO of Central Dallas Ministries, posted this announcement to his blog this a.m.: Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins will deliver the keynote address at this year's 14th Annual Urban Ministries Prayer Breakfast, set f ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 31, 2009

    License to Drive? Not So Fast, Even If You're a Legal Immigrant With a Valid Work Visa.

    A lawsuit filed in Austin on Wednesday has found its way to the Courthouse News Service: Miguel Salazar and Edgar Soria, both of whom live in Dallas County, and Avila Trejo, currently a resident of Denton County, are suing the Texas Department of Public Safety because it refuses to issue them a driv ... More >>

  • News

    January 22, 2009

    Easier Being Green

    Despite tough times, energy conservation bills gain traction in Legislature

  • Blogs

    December 1, 2008

    Open-Carry Advocates Are Bringing Their Gunfight to the DFW Airwaves

    Tomorrow, don't be surprised if you start hearing radio ads advocating an open-carry policy for handgun owners with the proper permits. The folks behind OpenCarry.org are attempting to get some spots on the Dallas-Fort Worth airwaves in which they demand the Texas Legislature allow folks to wear the ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 12, 2008

    Texas Railroad Commissioner Takes to Internets to Dispute Channel 8 Story

    Tomorrow, don't be surprised if you start hearing radio ads advocating an open-carry policy for handgun owners with the proper permits. The folks behind OpenCarry.org are attempting to get some spots on the Dallas-Fort Worth airwaves in which they demand the Texas Legislature allow folks to wear the ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 27, 2007

    Who Paid for Your Politics?

    Tomorrow, don't be surprised if you start hearing radio ads advocating an open-carry policy for handgun owners with the proper permits. The folks behind OpenCarry.org are attempting to get some spots on the Dallas-Fort Worth airwaves in which they demand the Texas Legislature allow folks to wear the ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 13, 2007

    Craig Watkins: Ganging Up on Crime

    Tomorrow, don't be surprised if you start hearing radio ads advocating an open-carry policy for handgun owners with the proper permits. The folks behind OpenCarry.org are attempting to get some spots on the Dallas-Fort Worth airwaves in which they demand the Texas Legislature allow folks to wear the ... More >>

  • News

    May 31, 2007

    Membership Has Privileges

    We're in the club, you're not. Pfffftt!

  • Calendar

    May 24, 2007

    Czech You Very Much

    Ennis puts on the polka

  • News

    February 22, 2007

    Into the Breach

    We feel the need for weed

  • Blogs

    February 14, 2007

    Rafael Anchia Wants to Kill Anti-Immigration Legislation Dead. Good Luck With All That.

    We feel the need for weed

  • News

    March 9, 2006

    Busted

    It's not just us; two state legislative committees find a culture of corruption at City Hall.

  • News

    June 2, 2005

    Ruh-Roh

    Those silly officials from around the state think the law should apply in Dallas

  • Calendar

    June 24, 2004

    Movie Magic

    Outdoor pictures offer a trip back in time

  • Calendar

    November 13, 2003

    Out and About

    These films do ask, do tell

  • News

    February 27, 2003

    Osama bin Bunny

    House Bill 433 tackles terrorism?

  • Dining

    January 16, 2003

    Beer Bust

    It's better to come to BJ's with a thirst than an appetite

  • Dining

    March 1, 2001

    Cloudy Issue

    Bill proposes to ban smoking in Texas restaurants

  • News

    September 7, 2000

    Swing Vote

    Think all politics is local? In the 5th District, think again.

  • News

    March 11, 1999

    Ignorance is bliss

    Two supposed champions of open government are pushing hard to keep campaign finance records off the Internet. What don't they want you to know?

  • News

    September 3, 1998

    GOP to gays: Butt out

    Texas' Log Cabin Republicans find themselves the ultimate outsiders--vilified by both the GOP and fellow gays

  • Film

    May 1, 1997

    Joe Bob Briggs

    Drive-In Movie Critic of Grapevine, TX

  • News

    January 11, 1996

    A pox on 1995!

    Next year will be better

  • News

    June 15, 1995

    Redefining reform

    Big business proponents contrive some of the worst bills of the 74th session

  • News

    June 8, 1995

    A whorin' we will go

    Texas Lege folds to pressures of Republicans and lobbyists

  • News

    December 1, 1994

    States' rights

    New members of the Texas Lege promise to uphold the old seedy standards

  • More >>
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