Getting more Hispanics with college degrees

Hispanic enrollment at colleges and universities in Texas would need to almost double by 2015 to meet the state's higher education goals — a daunting challenge in light of high dropout rates, poverty and other problems facing the fastest-growing segment of the population.

That is perhaps the most troubling conclusion of a new report by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on progress toward goals adopted by the state in 2000.

...

"Texas is not one of the highest-achieving states in terms of overall education attainment," said Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes. "And Hispanics are the lowest-achieving of the three major ethnic groups in Texas.

Have I mentioned that Republicans hate public education, but love racist monuments?

CenterPoint reduces Ike hike

CenterPoint Energy and the city of Houston have reached a tentative agreement to reduce the proposed monthly fee the local power distribution company hopes to add to customer bills to pay for repairs following Hurricane Ike.

CenterPoint will reduce its $677 million request by $15 million and fund a new position to monitor its implementation of recommendations from the Mayor's Electric Reliability Task Force, which were released this year. The recommendations include deploying “smart grid” technology throughout the city, creating a centralized database of customers and facilities that should receive priority in power restoration and changing tree trimming practices.

Rules aren't for Republicans

State Rep. Garnet Coleman is calling out the Harris County Hospital District for hosting U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's news conference on health care reform Monday, 1½ years after it rejected his request to hold a similar event on the grounds that it was political.

Coleman said the Hutchison event, where many of the Texas Medical Center's top leaders urged Congress not to rush efforts to fix America's health care system, betrayed a “double standard” and may have lent a partisan meaning many of those leaders didn't intend.

Texas Tomorrow fund nearly broke

As much as $2.1 billion of your state tax dollars in the near future will be spent to pay the college tuition and fees for about 119,000 Texas children.

This is not a free education for them. Their parents and grandparents bought state-guaranteed prepaid college education plans between 1996 and 2003 known as the Texas Tomorrow Fund, later renamed the Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan.

Now the fund is nearly broke, a victim of tuition deregulation at state universities and busts in the financial markets that were supposed to provide the investment returns to keep the fund solvent.

Another benefit for Republicans who hate public schools.

Former executive director of El Paso's empowerment zone arrested

Federal agents on Thursday arrested the former executive director of El Paso's empowerment zone on suspicion of fraud and theft from the agency.

Phyllis Rawley, who ran the empowerment zone for more than three years, was arrested at her home in Culver City, Calif. She appeared before a federal judge in Los Angeles and was released on $10,000 bond, said Special Agent Andrea Simmons, the FBI spokeswoman in El Paso.

The indictment charges Rawley with three counts of theft and seven counts of wire fraud.

El Paso approves domestic partner benefits

Gay and unmarried heterosexual partners of municipal employees will now be able to get city health benefits.

After a brief debate about whether the timing was right, the City Council voted 6-1 Thursday to add domestic partner benefits to the city budget.

About 45 of 6,100 city employees will qualify for the benefits, budget director David Almonte said. The benefits will begin in January.

Juan Garcia going through senate confirmation

The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee will vote within the next week whether to confirm local attorney and former state Rep. Juan Garcia as assistant secretary of the Navy.

Garcia, 42, spent more than two hours before the 26-member committee Thursday morning along with two other nominees for similar positions with the Army.

Should the committee vote in favor of Garcia, the nomination will move to the full U.S. Senate. That vote could happen before the senate’s summer recess, which starts Aug. 7.

Congratulations to Juan.

Landowners want access to their land despite that d*mn fence

Silly landowners. Nothing is more important now than racism. And, that d*mn fence is the newest and foremost symbol.

Construction of the border fence has stalled in the most southern parts of Cameron County because of unanswered questions brought to light by affected landowners.

They want to know what land the government is actually seizing from them and how they will gain access to and from their property.

These questions could be answered today in federal court where several landowners and representatives of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will face off again on the battle for the land, including areas deemed "no man’s land."

Will Victoria redo new fire station bid?

The city could end up in court if it fails to throw out all bids for a new fire station in Victoria, further delaying the project.

Attorney John Griffin said he doesn't believe the city followed the bid laws because it didn't publish information used to select the best offer.

That created confusion over which contractor should get the contract, he said.

Hutchison gets whiney over 2010 race

In just a matter of hours, Hutchison told a Dallas radio station in a telephone interview that she planned to quit her Senate seat in October or November to challenge Perry. But then several hours later she told reporters in Washington that her statements had been misunderstood and what she really wanted was for Perry to get out of the race.

“Nobody expected [Perry] to run for 15 years, and I think there's a chance that he wouldn't run because he would see how divisive it is and that he's trying to stay too long and that he can really help in many ways if he doesn't run, in which case I could then be able to stay in the Senate all the way to the end,” Hutchison said, according to Congressional Quarterly.

What a sense of entitlement Kay Bailey Hutchison has! Yet, she's an improvement over the current hack.

BexarMet pays out for taping phones

The Bexar Metropolitan Water District will pay two of its top managers $125,000 each to settle legal claims that the troubled water utility secretly tapped their phones.

The settlements, approved by the board Monday night, ended a dispute that began nearly a year ago with revelations that indicted former General Manager Gilbert Olivares was accused of secretly recording the phone conversations of four managers whom he suspected of working against him.

Pete Sessions likes earmarks for his cronies

Rep. Pete Sessions — the chief of the Republicans’ campaign arm in the House — says on his website that earmarks have become “a symbol of a broken Washington to the American people.”

Yet in 2008, Sessions himself steered a $1.6 million earmark for dirigible research to an Illinois company whose president acknowledges having no experience in government contracting, let alone in building blimps.

What the company did have: the help of Adrian Plesha, a former Sessions aide with a criminal record who has made more than $446,000 lobbying on its behalf.

Hat tip to Texas on the Potomac.

White objects to Centerpoint charging twice for work time

Mayor Bill White on Wednesday threatened litigation against CenterPoint Energy if the utility does not drop $22 million in Hurricane Ike-related costs it is attempting to pass along to ratepayers.

The dispute, which will be considered Friday at a hearing before the Public Utility Commission of Texas, is not likely to change the $1.83 monthly increase on Houston-area bills to pay for the $677 million cost of restoring power after Ike.

But White said the city has taken on CenterPoint out of principle because the company is attempting to be repaid for paying employees who would have been working even if Ike hadn't hit.

The city will not “pay someone's salary who was going to show up anyway ... CenterPoint needs to back off,” White said.

Coastal Bend beaches are high in bacteria

The tourists will love that.

Several area public beaches’ water quality again ranked the worst in the state, according to an annual report released Wednesday.

Texas was ranked 18th in beach water quality nationally with 6 percent of its water samples exceeding state daily bacteria standards, according to a report by the Natural Resource Defense Council, a nonprofit environmental action group. Last year, 9 percent of Texas beaches exceeded bacteria standards.

Which polluters hold sway over the tourism business? You know in Republican Texas the actual citizens don't count. As the Republicans bash Sonia Sotomayor for not being a white male, the times are changing.

Perry loves his cronies

But, then he is a Republican, isn't he.

Gov. Rick Perry was restrained from raising money during a legislative session, but he used political funds to travel across the state to host almost a dozen invitation-only luncheons for corporate executives and supporters.

Corporate executives and supporters. Isn't that redundant?

Valley malls refuse disabled vet in scooter

[Iraq war veteran David] Guzman, 43, this week sued Simon Property Group, Inc., the malls' owner, saying staff at the La Plaza Mall and Rio Grande Valley Premium Outlets violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing him access. He's seeking a judge's order to allow the scooter, plus court fees.

“They're thinking I'm going to be driving recklessly,” he said. “As it is, I can barely stand on the darn thing, much less wreak havoc.”

Corrina Spencer-Scheurich, an attorney with South Texas Civil Rights Project who is representing him, said the policy was particularly odd since mall staff themselves use the scooters.

Would you like a hazardous waste site in your neighborhood?

A proposal to build a hazardous household waste collection facility near a neighborhood has residents worried about safety.

The city applied for a grant to build a regional hub for the collection of household hazardous waste, including paint, oil, pool chemicals, potent cleaners and discarded electronics, near the Bay Ridge subdivision on the city’s east side.

Texas children missed out on boom times

The number of children in El Paso County who received food stamps and lived in poverty continued to increase during the Texas economic boom and before the current recession began, according to the 2009 Kids Count Data book released Tuesday.

The report shows the number of El Paso children (89,010) living in poverty rose 3.3 percent between 2002 and 2007. The number of children (88,293) on food stamps rose 15.5 percent between 2002 and 2006.

El Paso's statistics reflected a state wide trend for Texas, which had 1.5 million children living in poverty in 2007, compared with 1.4 million in 2003. The number of Texas children on food stamps in 2006 was 1.5 million, a 13.2 percent increase from 2002.

Republicans are too greedy to care about your children.

More here.

El Paso Mayor wins battle for billboards

The City Council on Tuesday failed to override Mayor John Cook's veto of a strict ordinance that would have banned new billboard construction in the city limits and five miles into unincorporated parts of the county. Council members split 4-4 on the override. Six votes were necessary to stop the mayor's veto.

BISD Superintendent to get hearing

The BISD Board of Trustees agreed Tuesday to a limited waiver of its attorney-client privilege prior to next week’s hearing on Superintendent Hector Gonzales’ proposed termination.

A three-day Chapter 21 hearing on Gonzales’ ouster before Texas Education Agency Hearing Examiner Victoria Guerra is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. Monday in the Brownsville Independent School District’s Security Services Building at 2477 Price Road.

The NRA and Rush speak. Hutchison and Cornyn jump.

You see nunchucks are like guns and the NRA will mark you down if you vote for Sotomayor. What else can Kay Bailey Hutchison or John Cornyn do? Between the NRA and the batsh*t crazy crowd in the primary (was that redundant?) Hutchison and Cornyn have no choice. Their masters have spoken.

As for the Latino vote? Heh, heh.

Seeing that Sotomayor showed time and time again to be a moderate justice in her rulings, which was independently verified, and the most qualified when it comes to any sitting judge on the bench, Cornyn's and his fellow GOPers' opposition to her is only the latest example of how the GOP doesn't care how their "act of contrariness" against Sotomayor resonates with Latinos.

For all the criticism Latinos are getting for supporting Sotomayor -- for example, being accused of supporting her only because she's Latina -- it would seem Republicans are doing the opposite -- opposing her because she is Latina.

The Republican party racism is in full display along with their usual reaction - projection. Accuse the other party of that which you are guilty. That's how Barack Obama becomes a racist, too.

Stoking racism to the point of sedition

I'm watching the Senate confirmation vote for Sonia Sotomayor hearing and I am dumb struck at the racism coming from Senator Grassley et al. All the batsh*t crazy talking points are on display. Think about this. ALL OF THE BATSH*T CRAZY TALKING POINTS ARE ON DISPLAY!!!! What is going on?

People are being riled to the point of sedition. You don't believe me? Read about the birthers or just read this call for sedition from a right wing Texas blog, Libertarian Republican:

Rise up for America has convened citizen grand juries across the country, presented evidence of Obama "treason" to the jurors and issued grand jury indictments against Barack Hussein Obama in multiple jurisdictions.

...

The issue of Obama eligibility is NOT going away; it is coming to a head. I sincerely hope that Obama will become the president he promised to be, before this powder keg blows...

The usual suspects are stirring the pot.

"Republicans can reap significant political benefits by voting against her confirmation and making her an issue in key races next year," conservative activist Ralph Reed told his supporters in a memo.

Voters will remember that "it is a gun vote, and this was not a judge vote. It was a racial quota vote. She is for quotas," added Grover Norquist, a leading conservative activist, in an interview.

Did you know that you could be forcibly evacuated?

I didn't. Would forcibly evacuating people who don't want to go be the best use of resources during an emergency?

“It’s largely symbolic, and it sends a strong message,” [Galveston Police Chief Charles Wiley] said. “I’m an advocate for early evacuation, but I don’t see how in the world we could enforce it.”

Here's the kick:

People who have to be plucked from rooftops or flooded houses during the next bad storm might end up getting a bill from their rescuers.

Under regulations passed without much notice during this year’s legislative session, people who refuse to evacuate and put themselves in danger are liable for whatever it costs to rescue them.

Celis gets Bexar County judge

Bexar County is the new home of Mikal Watts. Watts and Celis had a lot of business together. Maybe a Bexar County judge isn't a good idea.

Judge Sid L. Harle of the 226th District Court in Bexar County has become the seventh judge to be assigned to the criminal cases of former law-firm operator Mauricio Celis.

Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson ordered Harle’s appointment Monday.

Mean Rachel tells us why Tom Shieffer is a bad idea

Read it. She's right.

El Paso stands up for tolerance and diversity

The city of El Paso won't tolerate discrimination against anyone, including gays and lesbians.

That's the message from a resolution that the City Council passed unanimously Tuesday. It reaffirms the city's commitment to "acceptance, tolerance and diversity."

The resolution was necessary after a confrontation between five gay men and security guards at a Chico's Tacos restaurant June 29, City Council members said.

Good for them!

(H/t to Joe.My.God)

Republican donors take sides in Perry/Hutchison fight

This is a fun sideshow. Who is for the batsh*t crazy element and who is for the basic right wing?

More than seven months out from the March primary, it's arguably premature and maybe even dicey to compare secretive jockeying for money between the Republican heavyweights poised to make history because of the rare spectacle of a sitting senator challenging a governor from her own party.

Besides, the early money — she has $12.5 million on hand and he has $9.3 million — indicates that both will have ample cash to stir voters.

Still, Hutchison has made inroads with Perry loyalists including former Gov. Bill Clements, Austin philanthropist Joe Long and some former Perry appointees to state boards, leading Bill Ceverha, a Dallas fundraiser on her side, to say: "Of course, it's meaningful. It's money he's not going to get."

Victoria Mayor wants to change city charter

After leading a successful charge to defeat a citizens group's plan to amend the city charter, Victoria's mayor is working on his own plan to amend the document.

Mayor Will Armstrong has appointed a three-member charter review committee composed of Mayor Pro Tem Tom Halepaska and council members Denise Rangel and Paul Polasek.

Flores case to test effectiveness of Texas ethics rules

Can you buy hire a Texas legislator in order to gain influence as long as it is called consulting work?

But in a series of six indictments, they allege [Kino] Flores hid more than $847,000 in income, property interests and gifts from state ethics regulators over a six-year period — including payments he received from a handful of companies such as Houston-based Dannenbaum Engineering, McAllen Medical Center and Inter National Bank for which he did consulting work.

Flores said in a statement July 17 that he never “intentionally or knowingly violated any state law.” And he may have good reason to cling to that defense.

In an unusual move, the 2005 grand jury authored a report pointing out a loophole in state ethics laws that stymied their efforts to get to the bottom of “obvious misconduct” by an unnamed “high profile” official.

Gulf dead zone much bigger than first thought

In June scientists said this year's "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico could be the largest ever, and forecast it would cover between 7,450 to 9,668 square miles of the bottom of the continental shelf off Louisiana and Texas.
foreducators_deadzone1.jpg

Fast forward one month and, with the measurements in, the dead zone is actually ... 3,000 square miles.

This is not good news.

Corpus Christi 'ethics' rules allow council members to do business with the city

What kind of weak ethics rule allows a city council member to have business ties with their city?

The newest draft of city ethics rules could allow council members to enter business contracts with the city, but require them to disclose campaign donations from contractors up for a vote.

It also adds a clause preventing them from accepting gifts that are meant to influence them, a condition that ethicists say could be a loophole that would allow many gifts.

Oh, yeah. Any size gift is appreciated. Wink. Wink. Are these rules meant to be an invitation to public corruption?

Cuellar lightening rod for health care questions

It's nice to see a blue dog congress member sweat. (Hat tip to La Sanbe.) Those for a public health care option and those who don't give a sh*t about anybody else wanted answers. Veterans joined the fray.

Cuellar also heard a series of complaints from members of veteran’s groups about health care and other benefits for those who have defended this country — including from Guadalupe County Precinct 4 Commissioner Judy Cope, who has called for a Congressional investigation into goings-on at the Houston Regional Veteran’s Affairs Center.

“Our veterans are being treated worse than dirt!” Cope exclaimed. “They’re not being treated with respect. We need an investigation.”

Mr. Cuellar, if you can't get a robust public option out of your committee, you deserved to be irrelevant.

It's blogger roundup time!

Time again for the Texas Progressive Alliance weekly blog roundup.

Off the Kuff takes closer look at that story about Texas turnout in last year's election.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson adds some context to what's being said in Texas about Unemployment insurance, the stimulus, and Gov. Perry.

This week at McBlogger, Krispy Kreme takes a moment to tell of her personal experiences with folks desperately in need of adequate health care.

John Coby at Bay Area Houston thinks Clear Lake Hospital has a heart of Cold.

No matter what Governor Rick Perry says or hopes for, Texas is part of the federal union. Neil at Texas Liberal offers a video this week of him reading Federalist Paper #9 on the site of the San Jacinto battlefield. Federalist #9 talks about the need for a strong union and San Jacinto is where Texas won independence from Mexico.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes that John Cornyn chooses to be an a**hole over Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation.

TXsharon is combining Principles of Community Organizing (POCO) training with a vacation in Colorado so several of her posting this week contained pictures of the Durango & Silverton train ride, clean air, huge deer and breathtaking beauty. But, be sure to check out the progress made from working on the Railroad in regards to land farming toxic drilling waste.

Over at TexasKaos, lightseeker explains why the language we use in defending Health Care Reform matters more than we may think. Hint: They want to have a discussion of Government takeover of health care. We should want to discuss the necessity and fundamental fairness of publicly assisted health care for all. We can win one of these debates, but probably not the other. Check it out...

Miss Hypocrisy, meet Mr. Ignorant. Kay Bailey pricked Rick Perry for snubbing stimulus money she voted against. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs serves.

WhosPlayin was on vacation all week, but still ended up spending some time reading the Health Care Bill and has written a summary of the 'Public Option' part of the bill, noting that it looks an awful lot like a PPO.

This week Teddy from Left of College Station covers the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce resolution to oppose any national health care, and reviews what the resolution says and what the resolution means. Left of College Station also covers the week in headlines.

After Citizen Sarah at Texas Vox read the Austin American Statesman's report on how poorly the Green Choice power program was selling, she felt motivated to write a rebuttal on how Austin Energy's pricing of wind energy left something to be desired. And this week, the Statesman reports that Austin Energy may re-evaluate the price of their latest batch of clean energy When folks start asking questions, the powers that be (get it?) pay attention. Ya gotta agitate to get the dirt out!

Case of the missing League City meeting tapes

League City police are investigating the disappearance of audiotapes of a raucous parks board meeting about a proposed dog park, a city councilman said Friday.

The city last week discovered two of the three audiotapes of the July 8 meeting were missing after a League City resident requested them July 13.

Only one tape remains; the city found a tape of the recording of the last minutes of the meeting still inside the tape recorder, according to Dianna Stapp, the city’s records supervisor, in her written response to the person who requested the information.

In El Paso they're still talking about Chico's Tacos

The El Paso Times looks at comparisons with other civil rights struggles.

Tensions revolving around homosexuality are not isolated to El Paso, and the gay kiss at Chico's Tacos may be the latest example of a decades-old pattern of social conflict in the fight for equal protection under the law.

Caller Times touts Las Brisas tax revenue

What about the cost in human lives for potential pollution? Do we cost that out or just ignore that aspect?

Las Brisas Energy Center would pay nearly $318 million in property tax in its first 10 years, according to the most recent study commissioned by the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corp.

That’s the net benefit after minimal cost to local taxing entities — about $1.5 million — for infrastructure and providing services to new students in the Corpus Christi Independent School District. The study also assumes $103.5 million in tax abatements in the plant’s first 10 years from the city, Nueces County and Del Mar College.

“This really represents all new net income for the community,” said Roland Mower, CEO of the Regional Economic Development Corp.

This story reminds me of a recent Torchwood mini series on the BBC America.

Why are Nueces County Sheriff's Deputies disciplined differently?

Four guards were discovered to have falsified logs at the Nueces County Jail on Sept. 2 of last year. They were reprimanded. Two guards accused of the same offense in a different incident five days earlier were fired.

...

Letters of reprimand, the punishment meted out to the four deputies in the Sept. 2, 2008, incident, is among the mildest of disciplinary measures for jail guards. Kaelin wouldn’t discuss why guards in the two incidents were given different levels of punishment.

Those four were among 50 deputies who were disciplined in the past year for infractions ranging from absenteeism to improper inmate release. The records of deputy discipline were obtained through Texas’ Public Information Act. The department did not release the records of deputies disciplined in connection with the Garcia suicide because of pending litigation.

Will Hispanic bashing mean no in state tuition for undocumented kids?

Asked whether the state can continue to grant in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said in an opinion Friday that there's not enough legal precedent to answer the question with certainty.

Abbott said the sections of the Texas Education Code that permit illegal immigrants to pay resident tuition at state colleges and universities could conflict with federal law. But he added, "Given the paucity of judicial precedent, we cannot predict with certainty that a court would so find."

Political translantion: Abbott is trying to figure out the best angle for his future.

Napolitano gets an earful about that d*mn fence!

Forty three members of Congress have sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano voicing concern over the “mounting” environmental and societal impact of the border wall and other security barriers.

The lawmakers have asked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to cooperate with other applicable agencies to create and fund a “robust border-wide environmental monitoring program” and to provide “sufficient mitigation funding” for damage caused by border security infrastructure and enforcement activities along the Southwest border region.

“It is the Secretary’s responsibility to protect the homeland, not selectively destroy our environment,” said Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., one of the 43 members of Congress to sign the letter.

Here's a headline I didn't expect to see

'Gay nightlife in McAllen goes upscale'

FEMA coughs up $20M to buy 64 houses

That works out to $312,500 per house. Not bad.

Earlier this week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved a $20 million buyout grant for 64 houses that ended up in the public beach easement after Hurricane Ike.

The funds will be used to buy the properties, demolish the houses and turn the lots into public property.

Federal regulations require property owners to pay for one-quarter of the cost, but earlier this year the state Legislature set aside $10 million to cover their contribution.

If the $10M is used only on the aforementioned 64 houses, that means $468,750 per house for buyout and beach recovery.

UTMB pointing fingers over who refuses care to indigent

Clearly, UTMB is refusing care or they would be providing it.

A top official at the University of Texas Medical Branch said Friday the medical branch had not canceled an agreement to provide health care to indigent people from Galveston County.

This week, county officials insisted the medical branch canceled the agreement.

But Dr. Ben Raimer, the medical branch’s senior vice president, said the county had failed to renew its contract at the end of an extension in November.

We need a public health care option. Texas needs it more than any other state.

Bañales still off Celis case

An appeals court blocked attempts from Mauricio Celis’ attorneys Friday to keep District Judge J. Manuel Bañales on the case.

Celis’ attorneys filed emergency motions Friday morning with the 13th Court of Appeals to fight the judge’s removal.

See previous posts.

Corpus Christi woman in critical condition with swine flu

A woman with swine flu is in guarded condition and on a ventilator at Christus Spohn Hospital South, said a health official who isn’t sure she’ll survive.

The woman, in her early 30s, was admitted Wednesday and has developed viral pneumonia as a result of the flu, said Dr. William Burgin, Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District health authority.

This is very sad.

John Cornyn can't help being an a**hole

Which will it be? Firing up the old racist Republican base and vote against Sonia Sotomayor? Or, be a reasonable, fair human being and vote for her? Guess what little Johnnie Cornyn will do? Lie first, then vote against her.

Cornyn said that he believes Sotomayor has a tendency toward judicial activism and holds a radical view of the law.

More like lawyering while female and Hispanic. Cornyn had to bring up the 'wise Latina' thingy. With the NRA and Rush Limbaugh running the party (racists with guns), what is a poor Senator to do?

Cornyn is a vivid example of Republicans' dilemma in deciding how to vote on the 55-year-old appeals court judge, who is virtually guaranteed confirmation by early August. Like other GOP leaders, he's concerned with placating a conservative base that's vehemently opposed to Obama's nominee, but he's one of many Republicans who risks undercutting himself with Hispanic voters, a growing part of the electorate, by doing so.

Interest groups weighing in on Sotomayor's confirmation have complicated the decision. The National Rifle Association warned Thursday that a vote for the judge would count against senators in the group's influential ratings, which help sway many voters.

What will Kay Bailey Hutchison do? For her primary race against Rick Perry for the batsh*t crazy vote, I'd guess she'd have to vote against Sotomayor. Hutchison would show some character to vote for her.

More on Cornyn's a**holeness here.

Perry says states have the right to let sick people die

Gov. Rick Perry, raising the specter of a showdown with the Obama administration, suggested Thursday that he would consider invoking states’ rights protections under the 10th Amendment to resist the president’s healthcare plan, which he said would be "disastrous" for Texas.

Perry is running for the batsh*t crazy vote in the Republican primary.

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki gets an earful about a Valley VA Hospital

At least, I hope he's listening.

A furious South Texas veterans’ leader has denounced VA Secretary Eric Shinseki’s ‘wait and see’ remarks and urged him to visit the region to see first hand the plight of injury and illness-ravaged veterans.

“We feel that a personal visit by you – and a few home-visits with our impoverished disabled veterans in the Rio Grande Valley area – would be the best way of finding out the real, not so acceptable, situation,” America’s Last Patrol leader Placido Salazar told Shinseki, in an e-mail to the VA secretary.

Tempers flare in Houston over HFD handling harassment

Please, please let this season be racism's last hurrah. Sexism has further to go I fear, but can we get a racism break within the next decade? The birthers are all about finding some way to call our first black president illegitimate. The white Republican male senators made fools of themselves and insulted women and Latinos with their racism and sexism in the Sotomayor hearings. The Cambridge Gates incident is inflaming people on both sides of the issue. [Frankly, I think either Professor Gates or Sergeant Crowley could have defused the situation. Both appeared to be in a p*ssing contest more than a race contest from my viewpoint. However, Crowley was the one who held the ultimate power and had the professional responsibility to act maturely. My two cents worth.]

The head of the Houston firefighters union blasted City Councilwoman Jolanda Jones for her handling of allegations of racism and sexism in the Houston Fire Department, saying in a sharply worded letter Thursday that she had disparaged “thousands of firefighters.”

The letter, written by Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 341 President Jeff Caynon, also accuses her of making threats, intimidation and “racist ranting” during a July 14 discussion at a local restaurant.

Jones has urged the city to adopt a zero-tolerance policy for handling discrimination incidents and has stood by the side of two female firefighters who found racist and sexist graffiti scrawled in their quarters at an airport fire station earlier this month.

But Caynon, who is African-American, said in the letter that she crossed a line in the meeting when she referred to him as a “house Negro” only interested in keeping his job.

Jones denies that she called Caynon a 'house Negro', but did call him on the lack of protections for a firefighter victimized by other firefighters. Jones has several good points. I hope that those points don't get lost in Jeff Cayon's hurt feelings.

El Paso police detained during Hudspeth drug bust

This is strange. Why didn't the police work together? Is one side dirty? Is one side or both engaging in a p*ssing contest?

Hudspeth County Sheriff Arvin West says he was reasonable to interrupt an attempted drug bust and detain several El Paso police officers working in his jurisdiction.

Officer Michael Short, though, claims his constitutional rights were violated when he was held against his will in Hudspeth County, despite no criminal charges against him.

Because of his treatment by the sheriff, Short filed a federal lawsuit last week seeking monetary damages.

...

The officers had been cross-deputized by District Attorney Jaime Esparza, whose authority stretches from El Paso into Hudspeth and Culberson counties.

When Officer Short heard that Sheriff West was coming after the El Paso officers, Short left for El Paso. Short was arrested returning to El Paso. Sheriff West sounds like an a**hole at best.

Update: For more on the story including Short's filing check here and here.

Tar balls on South Padre Island

Just keep yelling 'Drill, baby, drill.'

Oil continued to wash onto South Padre Island and other area beaches Thursday as authorities tried to learn its origin.

Though not considered a major environmental threat, large puddles of oil were seen along the beaches, including Boca Chica Beach.

Don't worry. 'It's not a major environmental threat.' Sure. And cigarettes are good for you, too.

Why would a Democrat want to build more of that d*mn fence?

Why continue to build George Bush's monument to racism and fear?

While construction on the border fence in Cameron County is at a standstill because of pending lawsuits, at least one local landowner is surprised by a California congressman’s introduction of legislation that calls for more fencing construction along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The bill, known as the Unlawful Border Entry Prevention Act and introduced Wednesday by U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, D-Calif., gives Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano discretionary authority to build 350 miles of additional reinforced fencing where she deems it necessary. More than 650 miles of fence has already been approved along the U.S.-Mexico border.

HFD re-admits cadet with noose

Ut, oh. More trouble for the good old boys who haven't caught up with the times.

The Houston Fire Department is reviewing its recruiting practices after it was discovered that a former fire cadet who resigned after tying a noose and making inflammatory comments in front of black firefighters was readmitted to the fire academy.

The cadet, who city officials declined to name, is expected to join the department in August, if he successfully completes his training at the academy.

The revelation prompted further outrage from community activists and City Council members who on Wednesday rebuffed Mayor Bill White's attempt to hire an outside investigator and continued to demand an independent probe.

See previous posts about HFD's hostile work environment for women and African-Americans.

Attorney claims reverse discrimination by Galveston mayor

A prominent local attorney claims Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas told him she could not appoint him to the Galveston Housing Authority Board of Trustees because the only open seat was reserved for an African-American.

Irwin “Buddy” Herz, who served on the board in the late 1990s, said Thomas initially promised the seat to him but changed her mind after a fellow council member asked her to appoint an African-American applicant.

Thomas disputed Herz’s claim, saying he misinterpreted what she said.

Bye, bye Bañales

Good news.

Two months after ruling that a visiting judge showed at least the appearance of bias in Mauricio Celis’ trial, District Judge J. Manuel Bañales has been ordered to step down from the same case.

The ruling is prompting prosecutors to review Bañales’ actions in the case to see whether there are any legal remedies, District Attorney Carlos Valdez said. After removing Judge Mark Luitjen from the first criminal trial, Bañales sentenced Celis and appointed a Jim Wells County judge to preside in three remaining criminal trials against Celis.

“I’m encouraged that maybe we can have someone from outside this area who has no ties to the people in this case to hear the remainder of this case,” Valdez said. “That’s been our position all along.”

If I paid SAISD taxes I'd be p*ssed

Be prepared to see and hear a lot more about the San Antonio Independent School District starting next month, when officials plan to launch a marketing campaign to boost enrollment.

School trustees Tuesday night awarded a $179,750 six-month contract to Thompson Marketing, a local firm.

Why not spend the money making SAISD better in some way?

Texas Windstorm Insurance Association asks judge for carte blanc in screwing customers

The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association wants a judge to give it immunity against paying attorneys’ fees, penalties, interests and other expenses beyond actual damages in litigation claiming it acted in bad faith or maliciously in dealings with policyholders.

In Bakht Khattak vs. Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, the insurer is seeking sovereign immunity, which means it can’t be sued without its consent.

That's the way Republicans like to do business in Texas.

Chico's 911 tapes backup De Leon's story

Police released the five 911 emergency calls made on the night security guards allegedly threw five gay men out of a Chico's Tacos restaurant because two of them kissed.

...

"There are two men eating here, and they're kissing. They are homosexuals. I approached them and told them that they couldn't be kissing here because there are children here. They were kissing on the lips," [security guard Marco] Nava told the operator in Spanish.

What children were at Chico's Tacos at 12:30 AM? Are heterosexuals thrown out for kissing? Why won't Chico's Tacos release the security tapes?

Who wants the Texas Guard sent to our border with Mexico?

People like George Bush who think force (or tax cuts) is the answer to every problem.

An outspoken group of border-security advocates called Gov. Rick Perry's Internet surveillance program ineffective Tuesday, and urged him to order the Texas National Guard to the border.

"The cameras, I think, are really just a waste of money," said Rebecca Forest, co-founder of the Immigration Reform Coalition of Texas. "I don't know why he ever thought that would work."

Mix that mindset with racism and what do you get?

Corpus Christi college students will have to pay lots more

Why? Because Republicans hate public education. Just look at the Texas State Board of Education, Rick Perry or the Republicans in the Texas legislature.

Full-time college students will see as much as a $214 hike in tuition at area colleges and universities this fall.

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi will increase tuition and fees 6.2 percent or about $161.50 from what it charged last fall for 12 credit hours, considered a full course load. Fees for non-Texas residents increased 2 percent or $113.50.

Republicans like the idea of a very rich class and a very poor class. Guess which class they want you to be in?

Brownsville man wants BP to stop kicking up dust on his land

The dust comes from agents driving patrol Jeeps and sport utility vehicles up and down the dirt levee road, [Brownsville businessman Sam Manatt III] said.

Previously, Manatt suggested DHS make the levee an all-weather road, which would prevent the blowing dust, but the government declined, he said.

Frustrated by not only the blowing dust but deterioration of the levee behind his businesses, Manatt took it upon himself to install the gates.

U.S. Hispanic Contractors Association get race baiters off the air at KLBJ

Speaking of white male privilege.

KLBJ-AM has canceled "The Todd and Don Show," and co-host Don Pryor has been reassigned to off-air duties under an agreement reached Monday by the station's owners and local members of the U.S. Hispanic Contractors Association.

The contractors' group also agreed to cancel plans for a boycott of parent company Emmis Austin Radio, its six local stations and their advertisers, said the group's spokesman, Paul Saldaña.

The agreement follows last week's repeated use by Pryor of an ethnic slur to describe illegal immigrants on the morning talk show, triggering complaints from listeners and Hispanic leaders.

Todd and Don still work at KLBJ in important positions. What effects will their viewpoints continue to have?

Kino Flores gets himself a good attorney

Everybody's entitled to a good defense.

State Rep. Kino Flores’ high-powered defense lawyer says he has now had the chance to see the numerous indictments brought against his client and they don’t amount to very much.

Roy Minton gave one-on-one interviews to Rio Grande Valley reporters in his Austin office Monday about the indictments. Flores, D-Palmview, was in the room for the interviews but declined to comment or be photographed. Also present were attorneys Sam Bassett and Ed Shack.

No harm, no foul?

His lawyer said any mistakes were unintended.

"An omission or a mistake in these is a very common thing and there are omissions in these and I think one or two mistakes," Minton said.

Minton said he has represented dozens of lawmakers who made similar errors on the forms.

Disclosure laws are intended to inform the electorate of possible conflicts of interest. Let the sunshine begin.

Judge rules for Friendswood citizens

The city cannot move forward with plans to issue certificates of obligation without voter approval to buy park land outside of the city limits, a Travis County judge has ruled.

Judge Scott Jenkins of the 53rd District Court signed an order Friday ruling in favor of five residents, who have dubbed themselves the Friendswood 5. The residents fought the city’s plans, which they said violate the city’s charter.

Pat Buchanan, George Bush and white male privilege

Pat Buchanan had a meltdown on the Rachel Maddow show last week. This week, an embarrassed Rachel tried to set the record straight. White males were certainly not the only individuals who built our nation. But, we need to understand Pat's point of view to combat it. Pat is looking at the world from a platform of white male privilege. White males built this country because they ordered work to be done. The sweat and ingenuity required to accomplish a task is of no importance.

A Pat supporter might say the whites had the vision to build America. Even that idea falls apart when you look at the very privileged Bush family. Daddy Bush had a big problem with that 'vision thingy'. Baby Bush is the very picture of all that can go wrong when priviledge holds sway over merit. Looking at Baby Bush's life you can see the Buchanan method at play. Bush messes something up. The help cleans it up. Bush makes money and moves on up the ladder of 'success'.

The Texas State Board of Education is fighting Buchanan's battle to make our children's social studies match their world view. White males built this country. If other people are in the story, it's just because they got in the way. In their view, white males deserve to hold all of the power and receive all of the credit and benefits. No wonder CEO's are so much more important than laborers.

Don't let the believers in God-given white male privilege teach our children to be less than.

Update: Ruy Teixeira explains that Buchanan et al are fighting a losing battle.

It's blogger roundup time!

It's Monday and it's time for another Texas Progressive Alliance blog roundup.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is sick of cronies running our cities our state and our country!

WCNews at Eye On Williamson on more GOP shenanigans - Republicans, hypocrisy, the stimulus, and more Carter "nuttiness".

Off the Kuff notes that as Texas' unemployment rate continues to rise, we are now in the position of having to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal government to fulfill our unemployment insurance obligations. Heckuva job, Governor Perry!

John Coby at Bay Area Houston has posted a A How to Guide for Illegal Immigrants to Vote in Texas Elections.

Xanthippas takes on more disability-as-diversity nonsense. Also, on a side note, our blog Three Wise Men's 5th anniversary is this coming Tuesday. We'll be putting up a special post in commemoration.

The Texas Cloverleaf looks at how the NTTA will be raising rates because volume is down. So much for supply and demand theory.

This week, an old author returns to McBlogger with a true story about dogs. Completely unrelated to politics and nothing but funny.

Neil at Texas Liberal posted a video of him reciting the words the 1848 Shaker hymn Simple Gifts as a ship passes behind him on Galveston Island. Coming up this week at Texas Liberal will be a video shot at the San Jacinto battlefield.

Upon the arrival of Fashion Week in Austin, Mean Rachel wants to know "Does this city make my butt look hot?"

Citizen Sarah at Texas Vox expresses disappointment, to say the least, that the Public Utility Commission denied Sylvester Turner's petition to protect our most vulnerable from dangerous summer heat.

Teddy at Left of College Station ask if journalism, the fourth estate, will be able to survive the economic recession and into the new digital age. Left of College Station also reviews the week in headlines.

The Texas Tribune, a new media project headed up by soon-to-be-former Texas Monthly editor Evan Smith, is an idea that shows lots of promise. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs has more details about it.

Just as during the campaign, malicious emails are being sent, especially to the elderly. One paticularly nasty one is entitled: SENIOR DEATH WARRANTS. Over at TexasKaos, lightseeker takes on piece of electronic hit mail and offers some ideas on fighting back in his diary, Healthcare Scare Mail and what You Can Do To Help.

Texas gives dentists a pass

Well, why not? Republicans seem to hate consumers.

Texas State Board of Dental Examiners is less likely to discipline, slower to act and far less likely to impose harshest penalties than other boards, review finds

Webb County officials accused of forcing employees to fund their games

Frequent football pots and “rifas (raffles) entre amigos” at the Webb County tax office were thinly veiled campaign fundraising tactics for the office’s longstanding boss, according to a federal lawsuit that alleges 10 employees lost their jobs there because of their reluctance to play along.

Six of the lawsuit’s plaintiffs were fired and two quit in the wake of a state investigation that led to illegal gambling charges against Tax Assessor/Collector Patricia Barrera, her deputy chief Mary Ethel Novoa and employees Dora Jimenez and Rosa Hernandez. Two more say they were fired for refusing to put Barrera bumper stickers on their cars.

The lawsuit says Barrera and the staffers forced employees to sell, or buy, raffle tickets for everything from nativity scenes to trips to Las Vegas. Title companies and used car dealerships that had steady business with the tax office were routinely tapped to purchase tickets or donate prizes. In exchange, they got red-carpet processing with perks like overlooked late fees.

Will there be long prison sentences for that? I hope so.

The misogynists who harassed female firefighters get more than they might have expected

Thanks to the misogynists, the employment practices of the Houston Fire Department will be scrutinized.

Whatever the ultimate resolution of recent harassment complaints lodged by two female Houston firefighters, a larger issue looms in the background — one that speaks to the commitment of fire departments across the country to be employers of equal opportunity and provide workplaces free of hostility.

At the same time that U.S. military branches and law enforcement agencies were successfully bringing women into their ranks, the great majority of fire departments — including HFD — failed to follow suit. The result is a percentage of female firefighters well below that of most occupations and much smaller than what anyone might have expected a generation ago when lawsuits and affirmative action put an end to the firehouse as an exclusively white male domain.

See previous posts.

Republicans figure out how to extend unemployment insurance afterall

Hummm. I wonder if there is a close primary vote coming up for Governor Perry?

... After his agency's staff said it might take months to get an extension of unemployment benefits into the hands of people who are exhausting their current allotment, [Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken] said that was too long.

By the end of the day Friday, the commission found a way to begin paying benefits by the end of the month (Perry said he had directed commission action on the matter as well).

El Paso LGBT community wants reforms

The El Paso Police Department was criticized by some after allegations of anti-gay discrimination at a Chico's Tacos restaurant last month.

Leaders of Puentes Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resources went further, asking the City Council to enhance police training on gay issues.

At the City Council's Tuesday meeting, Puentes board members asked the council members to institute more sensitivity training for officers and add a community liaison within the department. In a memo last week, Police Chief Greg Allen promised officers would review a city ordinance barring discrimination against any group, including gays, in public places and said the department would reach out to advocates for additional training.

Good can come from bad.

See previous posts.

Folks want to drink in Kleberg

Who can blame them?

Kleberg County Citizens for Economic Growth has gathered 700 signatures seeking a vote on alcohol sales in Justice of the Peace Precinct 1. The area in question also includes a part of J.P. Precinct 4, which was in Precinct 1 until 1980, and still is dry. The proposal is to allow wine, liquor and mixed drink sales in the area, which now only can be purchased at restaurants or bars with a private license. Beer already is allowed.

Worker injury at Corpus Christi Citgo

Maybe with Obama worker safety will be a priority over profits. One can hope.

A fire Sunday morning at Citgo East Refinery injured one employee.

The TABC has been in trouble before

The Cowboy Cantina in East Texas had been open for business less than six months when, on New Year's Eve 2005, local sheriff's deputies and undercover agents from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission staked out the bar. The owner, Oscar Jimenez, ended up with cracked ribs after one of the agents kicked him while he lay on the ground, he said.

...

Alan Steen, the TABC administrator, said last week that it was unfair to compare the agency of five years ago with today's organization. The agents involved in such incidents, he said, "were the old cowboys of the TABC.

I guess that remains to be seen.

See previous posts about TABC raid on a Fort Worth gay bar when a young man received a serious head injury while in TABC 'custody'.

Ciro Rodriguez's vote on climate change explored

Frankly, I think Rodriguez does what he thinks looks best for him, not what he knows is the right thing to do.

A Democratic legislator the leadership did not think they needed to worry about was Ciro Rodriguez of the Texas 23rd District. When Speaker Pelosi had polled him prior to the vote, he indicated he would vote “yes” on the measure, supporting his party’s longstanding commitment to enact much-needed legislation to begin to combat the effects of global warming.

He did not tell her the truth. When the time came to vote, instead he opposed the legislation, and then hustled off the crowded floor. Bedlam erupted. After Rodriguez sprinted out of the chamber, frustrated floor managers shouted after him and dispatched a search party. Politico blogger Glenn Thrush captured the high drama:

There is no mystery about Rodriguez. Ciro has no spine.

What does it take to get a reasonable work environment for female firefighters in Houston?

A lot of negative publicity is a start. Will it be enough?

Months before two Houston female firefighters found racist and intimidating graffiti scrawled on the walls and lockers of a women's dormitory inside Fire Station 54, their supervising captains knew chaos was in the making, according to records obtained by the Houston Chronicle.

Urine left splattered in the women's bathroom. Lockers with locks, but no keys. A cold water valve deliberately “turned off,” ensuring a scalding shower.

In fact, Station 54's “Daily Captain's Log” — a communication tool shared between captains — shows that firefighters Paula Keyes and Jane Draycott complained at least six times since April 1 that their male co-workers were harassing them, and the log's sparse bureaucratic jottings provide a snapshot of escalating tensions well before the problems publicly exploded on July 7.

Both women bravely reported the harassing actions of their co-workers and refused to retreat. The fire department management turned a blind eye. The Houston Chronicle gets props for reporting this story.

Stacking the Galveston Island RDA for the benefit of developers

A city council member said she fears a move is afoot to dilute power of an appointed board that vets requests for millions of dollars in public money from developers seeking reimbursements for improvements to their luxury residential and retail projects.

Council member Elizabeth Beeton asserts an Aug. 6 meeting between Galveston Island Redevelopment Authority and the city council is the beginning of an effort to expand and stack the five-member board with people friendly to developers and the wishes of some elected officials. Beeton also serves on the redevelopment authority’s board.

Will the new Corpus Christi mayor help citizens near refineries?

Lets see what happens.

After a decade of stalemate between industry and its residential neighbors, the city’s new mayor offers the first glimmer of progress – if they’re willing to discuss property buyouts, he’s willing to act as facilitator.

While the idea is preliminary, it’s a sign that on-again, off-again efforts to extend the buffer zone around the industrial area could be revived.

Mayor Joe Adame met recently with Suzie Canales, director of Citizens for Environmental Justice, who has worked for the past 10 years toward buyouts. He told her to give him some time to work on the idea.

“I don’t mind getting in the middle of that,” Adame said. “If you can get in there and deal with it in the proactive, business approach, it’s certainly better than a threatening lawsuit way.”

Oh, a business approach, not a 'look at the human cost approach'. If 25 babies are born sick for life, what is the business approach to that? Do we cost it out in dollars or human suffering?

Fighting Corpus Christi tooth and nail for public info

Corpus Christi’s legal department fought to withhold information readily available on the city’s Web site.

City legal staff members also sought to withhold information requested about companies seeking to do business with the city, when the companies had no objection to the information being released.

In those instances and several others, the state Attorney General told the city it had to release the information. Rulings often came weeks or months after requests were submitted for information at City Hall under the Texas Public Information Act.

Jerry Patterson wants Exxon investigated

What? Isn't every oil company allowed to do whatever it wants?

Accusing Exxon Corp. of sabotaging South Texas oil wells and then lying about it to the state, Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson asked the Railroad Commission to begin an investigation that, he says, could lead to fines topping $1 billion.

Patterson accused Exxon of wastefully and deliberately destroying access to the wells in the early 1990s after a royalty dispute with the Refugio County landowners — heirs of Thomas O'Connor, who arrived in Texas as a penniless Irish immigrant and died as the state's richest man in 1887.

Why more of that d*mn fence?

Sure the Republicans are all about the racism. Sonia Sotomayor's hearing was a prime example of that. But, the Democrats are in charge now.

Lawmakers from states in the Southwest are urging the House leadership to block a proposal requiring construction of 700 miles of pedestrian fence along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The push to move the language in a Senate-passed bill comes as House and Senate legislators meet in conference committee to iron our differences in the two pieces of legislation. The House version has no such requirement.

House Democrats from Texas, Arizona and California contend that requiring a double-layered fence — instead of using vehicle barriers and cameras and sensors — “represents wasteful spending that could alternatively be used for multitude of valuable security purposes.”

Why should the Democrats continue building the Republicans monument to racism and fear?

More on Texas Gulf Coast wind farms

A wind farm of 500-foot-tall turbines that could power as many as 600,000 homes will be installed about 10 miles offshore of this barrier island, according to information from the Texas General Land Office.

...

The school fund will get a royalty of 3.5 percent of the wind farm’s total production through the first eight years, a news release from the GLO states. That percentage increases to 4.5 percent for the next eight years and peaks at 6.5 percent in the 17th year.

...

Because the turbines will be visible from the South Padre Island shores, Kittelberger said, he speculates local brokers and developers could be affected because property values will go down.

El Paso Mayor likes billboard pollution

Mayor John Cook on Friday vetoed an ordinance that would have banned new billboard construction in El Paso and in unincorporated areas within five miles of the city. The ordinance also would have placed new controls on high-tech digital boards.

The City Council will consider an override of Cook's veto at its July 28 meeting, said West Side city Rep. Ann Morgan Lilly, who has pushed for tighter controls on billboards for more than a year.

RIP Walter Cronkite

Oh for the days when newscasters didn't take marching orders from Republicans. You are missed.

Corpus Christi has an interim police chief

The Corpus Christi Police Department has a new interim police chief, a department veteran who said “interim” really means interim.

Cmdr. John Moseley will lead the department beginning Aug. 17, after an orientation period and a previously scheduled vacation.

Moseley, 55, said he passed on the chance to take a placement test for chief and isn’t interested in the job full-time.

Kino Flores indicted by grand jury

State Rep. Ismael “Kino” Flores was indicted Friday for failing to disclose more than $847,000 in personal assets on his state-mandated financial disclosure forms.

In a series of six indictments, Travis County prosecutors allege the Palmview Democrat hid sources of income, gifts received, real estate holdings and the sales of certain properties on the documents he is required to file each year as a lawmaker.

There's more.

[Travis County District Attorney Rosemary] Lehmberg said a grand jury returned six indictments against the southern Texas Democrat. Flores, of Palmview, is charged with 16 counts of tampering with a government record and three counts of perjury. Tampering with a government record is a felony punishable by up to two years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000. Perjury is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and fine of up to $4,000.

Being a CradDICK Dem doesn't say much for your principles.

More here, here here, and here.

Republican Cameron County Judge Cascos to seek re-election

Cascos, a Republican who defeated incumbent County Judge Gilberto Hinojosa in 2006 said, "Yes, I think so," when asked about his re-election plans at a meeting of the Harlingen Rotary Club on Friday.

Cascos also said the county will increase taxes by 1 cent "only if we’ve cut everywhere we can cut," to address a projected $4 million budget shortfall that he blamed on lower international bridge crossing fees and a 1.8 percent growth rate forecast by the Cameron Appraisal District.

TABC admits it violated policy in Rainbow lounge raid

The head of the TABC has told the Dallas Voice newspaper that the agents involved in the Rainbow Lounge raid violated agency policy and that the TABC should not have participated in the raid in the first place.

Batsh*t crazies expound at the SBOE

The rewrite history into their own image crowd is at it again at the Texas State Board of Education. What a way to make Texas a big joke. Thank goodness the Republicans in the Senate took some of the batsh*t crazy focus away.

Texas students should learn about the virtue of American democracy, including the country's founding Biblical principles, some State Board of Education members emphasized Thursday. Others argued that honest history means textbooks must include some of the warts.

And be careful about erasing folks like Henry Cisneros from those history books just because of some distant indiscretion, Mary Helen Berlanga, D-Corpus Christi, warned.

Personal data found in records left near abandoned DPS office

Sloppy. Sloppy.

Hundreds of documents containing names, birth dates, driver’s license numbers and some Social Security numbers were found Wednesday littering the driveway of Galveston’s vacant Department of Public Safety office.

Until contacted by The Daily News, the state agency was unaware of the office cleaning mishap, which occurred sometime after Hurricane Ike’s Sept. 13 landfall flooded the building at 6812 Broadway.

Situation in Juárez looking bad

Hundreds of Mexican federal police have begun withdrawing from Juárez, possibly being sent as reinforcements as the drug warfare intensifies in the western state of Michoacan.

Meanwhile, the violence in Juárez has claimed the life of an El Paso woman, who was identified as one of the latest victims.

In Michoacan, La Familia Michoacana cartel last week launched a series of attacks on federal police in which 20 officers and soldiers have been killed in revenge for the capture of a cartel lieutenant in that Pacific coast state. The Mexican government has been sending more forces to the region.

The fight against the drug lords continues. That's a good thing.

El Paso may offer domestic partner benefits

The partners of gay and lesbian city employees may qualify for health insurance and other benefits under a proposal presented to the City Council on Thursday.

The plan would offer gay couples - as well as unmarried heterosexual couples - the same benefits that married employees of the city have received for decades.

If approved by the council later this month, domestic partner benefits would begin on Jan. 1. City representatives on Thursday didn't show any sign of opposition to the proposal.

El Paso officers to get bias training

Great news!

Police officers will receive more training after being hit with complaints that they discriminated against gay men at a Chico's Tacos restaurant.

In a memo to City Manager Joyce Wilson, Police Chief Greg Allen said his department did not discriminate against anyone when enforcing the law or keeping the peace.

First, Chief Allen needs to understand that his officer on the scene and his spokesperson DID discriminate. Lets start the education with Chief Allen.

See previous posts.

Why is there so much E. Coli in the Rio Grande near Brownsville?

A lingering problem with high a concentration of bacteria in the Rio Grande may result in a bi-national approach to water quality issues.

A team of researchers is working to find the source of excessive levels of E. coli in a 23-mile section of the river near Brownsville.

The bacteria — which aren’t considered dangerous unless people have direct contact with the water — are regularly found near Brownsville in annual water quality surveys, said Stephen Niemeyer, the border affairs manager for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

We'll find out next week if Judge Bañales is off the Celis case

A hearing on whether a local judge should be removed from the Mauricio Celis case took all day and included testimony from about a dozen witnesses, including the judge’s staff and Celis’ lead trial attorney.

But the ruling won’t come until next week.

At close to 7 p.m. Thursday, District Judge Louis Sturns told the crowd of attorneys in court he wanted to wait until he received a transcript of the hearing on Monday. He said he likely would decide by 5 p.m. Wednesday on whether District Judge J. Manuel Bañales should be taken off two of the cases against the former law firm operator.

Wind farm coming to Mustang Island

The Texas General Land Office announced Thursday that it leased two areas off of Mustang and South Padre islands for a proposed wind farm to newly formed Baryonyx Corp.

What Republicans think is important from Sonia Sotomayor's hearing

Race race race race race Race race race Race race race race race Race race race race race race race race Race race race race race Race race race race race Race race race race race Race race race race race Race race race race race Race race race race race guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns gay marriage gay marriage gay marriage gay marriage gay marriage abortion

The above is what I heard. Apparently, the GOP has come out from under the white sheet as Pat Buchanan advised. Strangely, guns have become way more important than ownership of a woman's hooha.

Senator's Ricky impersonation to Sotomayor is not the half of it

White Republican male after white Republican male disparaging the idea of a 'Wise Latina' woman while claiming 'white male perspective is the norm' is the real story. Coburn's Ricky moment is just icky racism.

A humorous comment by Republican Sen. Tom Coburn in questioning Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor on Wednesday, in which he evoked a line from the TV character Ricky Ricardo, may not have been insulting, but it was insensitive, a San Antonio lawmaker said.

Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, D-San Antonio, noted that such jokes often are how people arrive at stereotypes.

Lobbyists threw Norma Chavez a big graduation party

This looks bad and smells bad.

Seventeen lobbyists paid more than $3,500 for an elaborate graduation party for state Rep. Norma Chávez in Austin.

Though it is legal -- and not unusual -- for lobbyists to host parties for lawmakers and ply them with food, drinks and gifts, Capitol watchdog groups said the party for Chávez took the practice to a different and more personal level. And, they said, it raised questions about whether Chávez would feel indebted to lobbyists who would later seek her vote.

Chico Tacos wants a fight with gay patrons

Chico's Tacos owner Bernie Mora defended his restaurants Wednesday, saying they have never discriminated against anyone.

He said guards at his store on Montwood ejected five men not because two of them kissed, but because they were unruly.

"Basically, they were just misbehaving," Mora said in an interview. "This is just a whole lot to do with this one guy blowing it all out."

Do they have video?

Police report of intoxicated man prior to rainbow raid

According to police records, a cruiser video showed a man arrested for public intoxication two days before the controversial raid. In a police report, officers said they saw the man leave the lounge very intoxicated earlier in the evening and told him to get a ride.

Ok. Now, lets verify that the man was actually at the Rainbow lounge. If there was a good reason to start the raid, so far so good. Lets not forget to investigate what actually happened at the raid.

Making recall harder is on Del Rio agenda

Only 5 citizens spoke. Some for, some against. Does the current charter invite 'nuisance' recalls? [I'm sure all recalls seem like a nuisance to some.] Does the current action to change the charter violate procedure?

A Brownsville city contract for a failed contract bypassed legal department

A contract that the city negotiated with a promoter for a failed July 4 concert at the Brownsville Sports Park was not processed by the legal department and City Attorney Mark E. Sossi wants to know why.

I'll bet the citizens of Brownsville would like to know, too.

Hidalgo County Judge is running for re-election

Speculation has been rife for some weeks now that Hidalgo County Judge J.D. Salinas will run for Congress in 2010.

Salinas sought to quell those rumors at a recent fundraiser by announcing he was running for re-election.

The AP/Houston Chronicle is an ass

The online headline screams 'Sotomayor refuses to renounce 'wise Latina' words'

What hearing were they watching? Sotomayor said numerous times that her words were inartful. Here's the thing: why do they want to argue against a 'wise Latina' anyway?

Perry shrugs as unemployed lose checks

In a sign of lingering hardship, more than 15,000 Texans will lose their unemployment checks at the end of the month because they have exhausted their benefits after 59 weeks without a job.

They are among 82,000 Texans who are on their last allotment of unemployment benefits. Though they are eligible for a further extension funded by the federal government, it could take weeks or months to receive.

Forth Worth mayor apologizes for raid on gay bar

Mayor Mike Moncrief apologized for a raid on a gay bar that sparked claims of brutality and procedure violations after several members of a gay rights group were escorted out of a City Council meeting Tuesday.

Gay activists want an indpendent investigation.

One by one, members of the gay community stood before City Council members late Tuesday, urging them to do the right thing and conduct an independent investigation into last month’s much-publicized incident at the Rainbow Lounge.

People are asking questions.

Was the club singled out for inspection by Fort Worth police and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission officers because it caters to gays?

Will people be happy with the current investigation?

The Fort Worth police consider the investigation a priority, taking some internal affairs investigators off other cases to focus on the Rainbow Lounge incident, he said.

The police chief now has an liaison to the Fort Worth LGBT community.

“I plan to work hard to heal the community as a whole, both the police department and the GLBT community,” [17-year veteran Sara] Straten told the council.

State to look at Jim Wells County forfeiture fund

More than $1.2 million in seized funds were dispersed to Lydia Chapa, Mickey Quintero, Sandy Harrel and former district attorney Joe Frank Garza during a five-year period from 2004 to 2008, according to a drug forfeiture fund audit presented to Jim Wells County Commissioners on Monday by local accountant Roger Saenz.

And those findings have allegedly piqued the interest of state officials. District Attorney Armando Barrera said his office was contacted by an attorney from the Criminal Justice Division of the Texas Attorney General’s office, who requested a copy of all audit information, which Barrera forwarded to them this week.

Is anybody getting nervous?

Republican senators are scared, little white men

I watched the Sotomayor hearing yesterday. What other conclusion could I reach? At first I thought they were just throwing red meat to their batsh*t crazy crowd. Then it dawned on me that these angry white men were coming face to face with their own irrelevancy. No wonder they are angry.

Jeff Sessions kept calling Sonia Sotomayor a liar and Sotomayor schooled him. Orrin Hatch took Sonia Sotomayor down into some weeds for no apparent reason. Grassley just started off angry and spitting and kept at it for 30 minutes. But, the worst excuse for a sack of skin was Lindsey Graham. He lectured her while calling her a bully and taunting her about military law. The ironic thing about Graham's lecture is that Sotomayor had been nothing but gracious under fire for hours. [Roger Simon from Politico said on some MSNBC show that Graham had been criticized by Rush Limbaugh for being too nice the day before. Dahlia Lithwick, on MSNBC said Graham wanted to put Sotomayor into time out.]

Today will be round two of angry old white men confronting their impotence. I can hardly wait.

Polygraph works to get evidence thrown out of a Dallas court

Scarlett Haley says Dallas police officers searched her home without a warrant, found her boyfriend's drugs and then threatened to arrest her and take away her children if she didn't sign a document saying she consented to the search.

But the cases against Haley's boyfriend fell apart in large part because the judge – in an virtually unprecedented courtroom move – acknowledged that he based his decision to throw out evidence in the case on the results of a polygraph exam that Haley passed. The judge's ruling led prosecutors on Monday to seek the dismissal of four felony drug cases against the boyfriend, James Aderinboye.

Ok. If the police did coerce a consent after the search, what happens to the police? Will anybody look at that?

Cyclists vote, but maybe not in the Republican primary

The GOP governor vetoed Senate Bill 488, which would have created a misdemeanor crime for drivers who come closer than three feet to cyclists and pedestrians they pass on roads. Perry, who broke his collarbone riding a bike in his neighborhood last month, said the bill would contradict current law."In addition, an operator of a motor vehicle is already subject to penalties when he or she is at fault for causing a collision or operating recklessly," Perry said in his veto message.

The veto has riled leaders of the Austin cycling community, some of whom are already active in city politics and are now turning their eyes to stopping Perry's re-election effort next year.

"I have never voted in a Republican primary in my life," said Hill Abell, owner of Bicycle Sport Shop in Austin. "But more than likely, if Perry has a significant opponent in the primary, I'll be supporting that opponent with my vote, and financially."

In a very close race, the cyclists could make the difference.

Cuellar questions VA backlog

It takes a little time to clean up after 8 years of devastation. Rebuilding takes longer than tearing apart.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar has written to Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki about the huge backlog of claims for compensation, rehabilitation and medical care.

The Laredo Democrat also spoke about the issue on the House floor during debate on the 2010 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill.

The Houston Chronicle recently reported that nearly 18,000 veterans are waiting for their disability applications at the Houston VA Regional Office, with 26 percent of the claims have been pending for over six months. The Houston VA office handles many of the claims from South Texas veterans.

You know expectations are low for Cornyn from this this headline

'In opening, Cornyn avoids harsh criticism of Sotomayor'

The racism just dripped from each of the Republican senators. 104 white male Supreme Court Justices. No room for the experience, perspective and knowledge of a Latina.

What was most interesting about Sen. John Cornyn's opening statement at the Sotomayor confirmation hearings was what he didn't say.

Speaking to a national television audience, Cornyn ignored Judge Sotomayor's controversial "wise Latina" remarks, steering clear of the ethnically based controversy and, instead, emphasized Sotomayor's remarkable and uniquely American story of growing up in a Bronx housing project, the child of Puerto Rican immigrants.

Cornyn, unlike his Republican colleagues, chose not to use his ten-minute opening statement to debate how gender and race might influence a person's political perspective. Consequently, there seems to be little room for civil rights groups to criticize the San Antonio Republican for any racially charged or ethnically based comments.

That bar is low.

Jackson Lee wants an investigation of gay sailor's death

The young man felt threatened by some homophobic service members, but could not complain due to Don't Ask Don't Tell.

Jim DeMint shows that d*mn fence is about racism

A U.S. senator has been accused of causing unnecessary distress to border residents by claiming an amendment he passed would increase double-layer border fencing.

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-South Carolina, did get an amendment added to the Fiscal Year 2010 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill on a 54-44 vote last week but it does not mention anything about more double-layer fencing.

“In a state of shock over the double fence, I called on every activist I know to protest the double fence outside Congress members' offices,” said Adrienne Evans, founder of the No Wall-Big Bend Coalition. “I had to retract my request when I got the real scoop… the amendment that DeMint sponsored has no language whatsoever about a double fence.”

Jim DeMint, the pride of Republicans everywhere, has to appeal to the racist, batsh*t crazy crowd.

Listening to th the Sotomayor hearing

Leahy called on all to represent the American people, not partisan interests, and to not distort her record. So far in Sessions opening, he agrees. Lets see if the Republicans can keep their evil racism in check or, if the batsh*t crazy base will demand out and out racism. Everyone is watching. Especially young Hispanics.

Right now Sessions is going on about keeping God in the pubic square. I guess they're going for the poor, pitiful, put upon Christians who aren't allowed to have a full blown theocracy.

Texas border cams miss the mark

Gov. Rick Perry's border Web camera program is out of money after a first year that fell far short of the goals for arrests and reports of illegal crossings.

An internal report showed that just 17 of 200 cameras - one for every 70 miles of the 1,200-mile Texas-Mexico border - were installed with a $2 million federal grant received last year.

Border cams seem lots better than large, environmentally unfriendly, family unfriendly, farmer unfriendly and expensive fence. Of course, a Republican was running the program. Success is too much to ask for a Republican.

It's time for the Monday blogger roundup!

It's Monday and it's time for another version of the Texas Progressive Alliance weekly highlight reel.

Off the Kuff suggests that a pro-science PAC could do a lot of good, nationally and in Texas.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson reminds us that despite the brouhaha over transportation during the recently passed legislative session TxDOT is still broken.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is outraged at the way Texas Republican crony capitalism whips patients in hospitals and psychiatric facilities.

Nat-Wu at Three Wise Men takes a look at the nation's unemployment picture,and finds it's even worse than the numbers make it appear.

Over at Texas Kaos, Lightseeker shares an email indicating Big Insurance doesn't just want to maximize the profits in makes from its members, it wants them to help protect them from competition. No, REALLY. Big Insurance Wants YOUR Help to Block Competetive Reforms.

Barfly at McBlogger takes a look at an exciting new movie coming out soon that's sure to draw in every douchebag you know.

With the news that the CIA concealed a clandestine counter-terrorism program from Congress on direct orders from Dick Cheney, the recently loquacious former veep has once again clammed up and disappeared. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs notes the turnabout.

Teddy at Left of College Station asks whether or not soon to be former Governor Sarah Palin is going with the flow, swimming upstream, or flopping on the shore? Teddy also answers the question of whether or not Congressman Murphy can push through legislation that would be the beginning of the end of Don't Ask, Don't Tell". Also, Left of College Station covers the week in headlines.

Neil at Texas Liberal watched a 35 year old rerun of All In The Family. In the episode Neil watched, George Jefferson called Archie a honky.

WhosPlayin posted video of an inappropriate campaign solicitation at Congressman Michael Burgess' recent Town Hall meeting.

John Cornyn says the truth shouldn't excuse Nancy Pelosi

That's the only way I can read Cornyn's comments about Dick Cheney ordering the CIA to lie to congress.

Another DFW-area gay bar targeted by TABC?

The Rainbow Bar incident wasn't enough? First the TABC quibbled over a 100 yard address change, then came back and found a minor on the premises. The Dallas Eagle is closed down.

For the latest here.

Texas hospitals can get away with whatever

Everybody makes mistakes. But in Texas, hospitals that blunder and bungle care — for such violations as having no procedures for determining brain death, using filthy equipment, neglecting the elderly and abusing patients — get off cheap. By law, the most a general or specialty hospital can be fined, even when a patient dies, is $1,000 per day per violation.

State officials say the stigma of an error is motivation enough for hospitals to take pains to avoid them. Yet there’s no requirement for hospitals to post such mistakes or inform patients when they goof. Instead, it’s up to consumers to dig through the health services department’s Web site to find out which hospitals got it wrong.

Republicans love their cronies. Love for citizens? Not so much.

San Antonio cement plants threaten air quality

But on Monday, Peter Bella, director of natural resources for the Alamo Area Council of Governments, is going to ask Capitol and five other area cement plants to consider temporarily shutting down or at least slowing operations this summer to reduce their emissions of nitrogen oxides — and possibly keep the federal government from designating San Antonio as a dirty-air city.

They’re some of largest polluters in the region, but the massive heat needed to turn limestone into cement makes shutting down their kilns difficult, expensive and inefficient. It’s a big thing to ask an industry that already has made significant cuts.

School closures disproportionally effect minority children

The Texas Legislative Black Caucus is protesting plans to close numerous public schools statewide that serve mostly minority students.

The lawmakers argue the closures — nine are planned in Houston — will lead to the decline of historic neighborhoods in the state's major cities. But school district leaders contend they cannot afford to keep open schools as student populations dwindle. Also, in a few cases, the state education commissioner forces the closure of schools with persistent poor performance.

Harris County GOP experiencing many woes

Cue the tiny violins.

The Harris County Republican Party is in arrears amid a dour fundraising climate and an internecine struggle over its chairman, Jared Woodfill, whose leadership numerous local GOP stalwarts have begun to question publicly.

The troubles, which have led party officials to cut the salaries of two staffers and embrace a change of direction to a less costly, grassroots strategy, could not have come at a worse time. Fresh off a bruising 2008 election in which the longtime Republican hold on the county was broken, party leaders had hoped this year would lay the groundwork for a comeback.

Open Beaches Act goes to Texas Supreme Court

It's plain to see that the Texas Supreme Court rules for cronies, not the law. So, who is the biggest crony in the case?

On Nov. 19, the state’s top justices will hear a claim by a Galveston property owner whose West End houses ended up in the public beach easement after Hurricane Rita.

Carol Severance asserts the state’s threat to have her houses demolished in 2006 violated her constitutional protection against unreasonable seizures.

The court’s ruling will either gut the Open Beaches Act, limiting access to the Gulf of Mexico to a few island parks, or uphold the state’s ability to maintain a public beach easement as the coastline moves steadily inland.

I don't think beach combers and sea gulls count as cronies.

As a side note, the 5th Judicial Circuit, which kicked the case to the Texas Supreme Court, is the same bunch of jerks who gave Judge Kent a 4 month paid vacation in response to an employee's complaint of sexual assault. Kent was later convicted for obstruction of justice for lying about sexually assaulting his employees.

Del Rio's getting a VA clinic

After more than a year of lobbying, it appears a veterans' clinic in Del Rio could be a reality in coming weeks.

“From what I understand, it's a done deal; they are just finishing up the (provider) certification process,” said Juan Mireles, Val Verde County's Veterans Affairs officer.

Local veterans organizations joined together with U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez last year to push for a primary care clinic for area veterans.

Celis dodging civil cases, but criminal cases are pending

While the fight continues over the judge in one criminal case, several civil suits are being settled or dropped.

[Mauriciso] Celis, 37, a former law firm operator, was convicted in February of falsely holding himself out as a lawyer. That criminal case is at the center of a showdown between District Attorney Carlos Valdez and District Judge J. Manuel Bañales.

Valdez has asked Bañales to step down because of political and social ties to a Celis attorney and donations from lawyers associated with Celis. Bañales refused, and a Tarrant County district judge has been appointed to decide the issue.

Celis also faces three more criminal trials in Nueces County, on charges of theft, money laundering and impersonating a public servant, and an aggravated perjury trial in Zapata County.

Bañales should do the right thing and step down.

See previous posts.

Texas allows company with filthy track record to care for psychiatric patients

Republicans love their cronies as much as they hate providing services to the citizens.

A private prison company's history of filthy conditions, sexual abuse, suicides and riots in some of its Texas lockups isn't stopping the state from paying it $7.5 million to run a new psychiatric hospital near Houston.

Lawmakers inserted an earmark into the state budget to fund the future Montgomery County facility starting in 2011. But they said they didn't know until this week that the county had selected the GEO Group to operate it, although GEO lobbyists were pushing for it as early as February.

Crony. Crony. Crony. Crony.

Bend over North Texas. Allstate is raising rates.

North Texas homeowners insured by Allstate will see their rates increase an average 6.2 percent beginning next month under a rate plan filed by the company with the Texas Department of Insurance.

A spokesman for Allstate, the second-largest property insurer in Texas, said Tuesday that the increase is primarily driven by broader severe weather activity across the state and higher costs to rebuild after fire, wind and hail losses.

Severe weather activity or greed? I'm thinking partly cloudy with massive waves of greed.

Company holding water rights hostage

Exelon Energy's plans to build two nuclear reactors near Victoria may be on hold, but it hasn't stopped the power company from reserving the rights to 75,000 acre-feet of precious Guadalupe River water for another year — and maybe longer.

The deal, which the Chicago-based energy behemoth inked with the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, has worried some Victoria-area residents.

You mean those residents who want to be able to drink water.

Brownsville ISD Superintendent wants an open hearing

The hearing on the proposed termination of Superintendent Hector Gonzales will take place in open session Aug. 3-5, attorneys for Gonzales and the BISD Board of Trustees decided Wednesday.

In a pre-hearing conference, the attorneys decided the hearing will take place on Brownsville Independent School District property but did not choose a location, district counsel Mike Saldaña said. Gonzales' attorney, Ruben Peña, said the superintendent's decision to have the hearing in open session "speaks for itself." Gonzales has long maintained he has done nothing that would justify his firing.

Perry names Gail Lowe to head SBOE

So much for Cynthia Dunbar.

Gov. Rick Perry on Friday appointed Republican Gail Lowe of Lampasas as the new chairwoman of the State Board of Education. Lowe, publisher of a Lampasas newspaper and a member of the board for seven years, will replace fellow Republican Don McLeroy, who was forced to give up the chairmanship after failing to win Senate confirmation during the legislative session this year.

Gail is part of the theocracy crowd.

Several state Board of Education members are encouraging public school districts to use a particular Bible curriculum that some experts predict will land them in court if they do.

"It's absolutely jaw-dropping," said Mark Chancey, a professor of religious studies at Southern Methodist University, referring to the e-mail circulated by state Board of Education members Terri Leo, R-Spring, Barbara Cargill, R-The Woodlands, Cynthia Dunbar, R-Richmond, and Gail Lowe, R-Lampasas.