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Archive of Texas on Tuesday May 06, 2008
Will states fix 2012 primary process?
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Needle-exchange program hits roadblock
State lawmakers who want to allow needle-exchange programs in Texas vowed to try again in 2009 after an attorney general opinion issued Monday cleared the way for a case against three activists in Bexar County who passed out clean syringes. Read More
School incentive awards increase attendance, criticism
The carrot at Stevens Elementary School is a shiny new bicycle, raffled off at the end of the school year for perfect attendance. Read More
House Democrats blast Craddick, saying he knew about 'ghost workers'
As some Texas House members began changing their payroll practices amid an investigation into allegations of ghost employees, others on Monday criticized House Speaker Tom Craddick and other top officials for "trying to start a bonfire" on a practice they approved. Read More
Strip clubs ask high court to halt fee collection
An association representing strip clubs asked the Texas Supreme Court on Monday to stop the state from collecting a new fee that a trial court has ruled unconstitutional. Read More
El Paso commissioners pass anti-border wall resolution
EL PASO, Texas - County commissioners are opposing construction of a wall along the nation's southern border with a resolution. Read More
Boomer retirees are loving what Texas Hill Country affords them
Baby boomers' growing desire to retire to small towns is turning the Texas Hill Country into one of the nation's hot spots for the silver-haired set. Read More
Central Texas man on death row maintains innocence as many believe his trial was unfair
Jurors sentenced Rodney Reed to death after DNA evidence showed he'd had sex with 19-year-old Stacy Stites, found strangled in the brush off a remote country road. Read More
Texas county, feds agree on border deal
ALLEN, Texas - The federal government and a south Texas county have finalized an agreement to build a combination of levees and border fence, a project aimed at addressing national security concerns and local flood-control needs at the same time. Read More
Texas used seized FLDS records against polygamous sect
Census sheets found in a safe at a polygamous sect's ranch in west Texas both support and contradict the state's claim of a widespread culture of underage marriage. Read More
Mexican citizen given execution date for gang rape, murder
HOUSTON ? A Mexican-born Texas prisoner whose death sentence set off an international dispute and a U.S. Supreme Court rebuke of the White House received an execution date Monday. Read More
Bexar County needle-exchange program quashed before it could begin
The only government-sanctioned needle-exchange program in Texas has been quashed before it could begin. Read More
Fake documents swamp Houston
Illegal immigrants fearful of being caught in stepped-up workplace raids are fueling a growing market in Houston for phony immigration and work documents. Read More
AG opinion sidelines Bexar needle-swap plan
In the wake of a long-awaited opinion issued Monday by Attorney General Greg Abbott, Bexar County officials will not move forward with what would have been the first legally sanctioned syringe-exchange program for drug addicts in Texas. Read More
Harris County may send more inmates out of state
With the Harris County Jail already filled to the brim and an influx of inmates expected this summer, the sheriff's department is asking Commissioners Court for permission to send another 1,130 more inmates to Louisiana facilities. Read More
Oh say, is that banner made in the U.S.A.?
Lawmakers in 10 states have taken steps to require that American flags bought with state funds be manufactured in this country. While not all the legislation has passed, one state’s new law even bans the sale of foreign-made American flags in that state. Read More
Fairness of death-penalty panels questioned
Death-penalty supporters are raising questions about the fairness of state commissions charged with studying how capital punishment is carried out in Maryland and Tennessee, claiming the panels will issue reports that ignore their views. Read More
WORTH NOTING: Voters' guide promotes phone sex
An Oregon voters’ guide lists a very wrong number. California’s governor insults rural legislators. And Pennsylvania considers selling wine in vending machines. In case you missed those stories this week, “Worth Noting” fills you in. Read More
Parents turn to states for autism help
(UPDATED 4 p.m. EDT, Thursday May 1) One of the toughest problems facing autism patients, their families and policymakers is paying for treatment. Families are increasingly relying on states to help them cope with the financial, medical and educational needs. Read More
With justices' OK, voter ID moves ahead
A decision Monday (April 28) by the U.S. Supreme Court to let Indiana demand photo identification from voters paves the way for other states to do the same during November’s presidential election, experts say. Read More
More states offer choice in long-term care
More states are poised to offer a successful alternative to traditional Medicaid plans that allows elders and the disabled to avoid moving to a nursing facility by hiring friends, neighbors or family members to look after them in their own homes. Read More
Credit crunch hits states' college loans
(Updated 11:55 a.m. EDT, April 23, 2008)
The credit crisis has led some state lending agencies to suspend their federal and private student loan programs, forcing thousands of students to search elsewhere for money to pay for college. Read More
States get in on calls for a gas tax holiday
SLOCOMB, Ala. - Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida has been fighting to cut 10 cents from the state's gasoline tax for two weeks in July. Lawmakers in Missouri, New York and Texas have also proposed a summer break from state gas taxes, while candidates for governor in Indiana and North Carolina are sparring over relief ideas of their own. Read More
Death row inmates plead for humanity
"Let's ride" were the last words spoken by Michael Richards before the syringes containing a lethal concoction of chemicals were pumped into his veins in Texas' Huntsville death chamber Sept. 25, 2007. Read More
Canadian company plans 2nd pipeline
TransCanada Corp. is planning "Keystone Phase II," a second oil pipeline from Alberta, Canada, that would travel through western South Dakota to Port Arthur, Texas. Read More
Executions resume
Georgia is poised to become the first state in the nation to execute an inmate since the U.S. Supreme Court decided in September to review Kentucky inmates' claims that lethal injection is unconstitutional. Read More
Ga. execution could be first since court ruling
Three states moved to schedule executions following a recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that upheld the constitutionality of lethal injections, led by Georgia which planned to put a man to death Tuesday for killing his girlfriend. Read More
Food prices on a roll
Americans may be getting another helping of food inflation, thanks to higher prices for chicken and pork. Read More
Legislators prod Congress on Medicaid, Real ID
As some states tumble into what they fear is a recession, state lawmakers from across the country are pushing Congress for relief from impending federal rules that would force states to pick up more Medicaid costs and spend billions to make drivers’ licenses more secure. Read More
Partisan mix in R.I., Conn. poses challenges
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Will Democrats grow legislative edge in '08?
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Gay marriage decisions ripe in Calif., Conn.
More than four years after its historic court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, Massachusetts stands alone in blessing gay marriages — more than 10,000 to date — and its example has spurred no imitators but lots of backlash. All eyes now are on the highest courts in California and Connecticut. Read More
'Purple' states turn a little more 'blue'
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Governors pitch ambitious programs
Billion-dollar deficits in California, New York and Arizona haven’t stopped governors there and elsewhere from proposing big-ticket items for 2008. Stateline.org looks at proposals from governors’ 2008 "state of the state" speeches and provides an exclusive summary of all the addresses so far.
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Obama's friends in unlikely places
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Commentary: Govs beat White House hopefuls as agents of change
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Iraq casts shadow on 2008 state races
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Democratic mid-term gains affecting policy
So complete was the Democratic rout in the 2006 midterm elections that the party even gained legislative influence in Alaska, Idaho, North and South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming – states long dominated by the Republicans. And those gains, though small, are translating into policy achievements. Read More
WORTH NOTING: Illinois gov runs up travel tab
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s commuting costs start to add up. South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds settles a dispute with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over a cranky game warden. Read More
Embryonic stem cell research divides states
President Bush’s second veto of a bill to allow federal funding of stem cell research puts the ethical issue squarely in states’ hands. So far, seven states have moved to fund the research, six have banned it, three have affirmed its legality but do not fund it and a handful of others continue to debate the issue. Read More
States outpace feds on minimum wage
When the new federal minimum wage takes effect July 24, 30 states will require employers to pay hourly workers more than federal law requires. Read More |
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