| S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
15
|
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
22
|
|
23
|
24
|
25
|
26
|
27
|
28
|
29
|
|
30
|
31
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 2008 Archives
3:24 PM Tue, Dec 30, 2008 | Permalink
|
I got a few emails from fellow reporters asking about KVUE anchor Quita Culpepper and photographer Kenneth Null. They were involved in a wreck earlier today on I-35 when our live van's tire blew out. But fortunately, both were taken to the hospital, checked out and they're doing okay. Thanks for the concern, readers/viewers! ...
1:33 PM Tue, Dec 30, 2008 | Permalink
|
State Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, was kind enough to call while unloading bags from a baggage claim in an undisclosed location. The conversation that followed was a little vague and esoteric, as this whole speaker drama goes. 
Eissler, the House Public Education Committee Chair, publicly broke from Speaker Tom Craddick last week. ...
2:43 PM Mon, Dec 29, 2008 | Permalink
|
WFAA and KVUE, (in the spirit of Texas), caught up with Will Hartnett and Dan Gattis today to let them gauge the situation in the ever-changing race for House Speaker next session. All these numbers being tossed about -- 76, 64, 11, Jan. 2nd -- have me kind of turned around. But here are some snippets from what they had to say:
Gattis (former loyalist now challenging Craddick) on the situation:
I went and talked to Tom [Craddick] the day after the [November] elections, talked to him about my concerns about the House and where we were headed, I've expressed to him what my concerns were...
8:38 AM Mon, Dec 29, 2008 | Permalink
|
Hope you and yours had a great holiday. Sorry for being AWOL last week, I needed to tune out for a bit and focus on family and my Fantasy Football championship game. I lost. -Elise
A lot of developments in the race for House Speaker to note, notably that Public Ed Chair and state Rep Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, broke away from Tom Craddick to join the "ABC (Anybody But Craddick) Republicans", as they are called. Also House Democratic Caucus head Jim Dunnam must have been up early this morning; he released his list of 64 Democratic members which some have called the UNC's (Under No...
9:59 PM Thu, Dec 18, 2008 | Permalink
|
Governor Rick Perry appeared with Texas Alliance for Life and other pro-life groups at the Capitol, to signal his support of "Choose Life" specialized license plates. This measure has failed in five previous legislative sessions, but Perry says he hopes he will sign the bill into law in 2009. (Video story here.)
 >> Continue reading: The Politics of Perry's Pro-Life Plate Pushing
10:51 PM Tue, Dec 16, 2008 | Permalink
|
Republican Joan Huffman will join Democrat Wendy Davis as the two freshwomen in the state Senate next session. Voters picked the person for the final undecided seat in the Texas lege in a special election runoff tonight, in the Houston-area. Huffman defeated former Congressman/gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell by a 56% to 44% margin, of about 40,000 votes cast.
State Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie sent out a terse...
4:00 PM Tue, Dec 16, 2008 | Permalink
|
Houston Mayor Bill White is doing what other candidates - notably, Hillary Clinton - have done before. Our sister station KHOU is reporting he will announce for US Senate via web video at 4:30pm. White's website JUST went active. Click here to watch the announcement.
Photo from Bill White site
White's know...
1:13 PM Tue, Dec 16, 2008 | Permalink
|
Thank you, Twitter. RR Commissioner Michael Williams declared his US Senate candidacy today, and I found out through his Twitter update.
"We are at a critical juncture in time, and the likelihood of a special election to replace Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison provides an historic opportunity for Texans to rekindle our can-do spirit and offer forward-looking solutions to the great challenges posed by an economic crisis, record debt, two simultaneous wars, and our dependence on foreign energy," Williams said in a prepared stateme...
9:40 AM Tue, Dec 16, 2008 | Permalink
|
It's December 16th, which means Democrat Chris Bell and Republican Joan Huffman are facing off in a special election for the seat of retired state Senator Kyle Janek, R-Houston. Senate District 17 includes six Houston-area counties, including Fort Bend and Brazoria.
Bell and Huffman were the top vote getters in a multi-way race on November 4th. Since no candidate finished with more than fifty percent of the vote, here we are.
Polls are now open. They close at 7pm.
Joan Huffman's site
Chris Bell's site...
6:05 PM Fri, Dec 12, 2008 | Permalink
|
According to the H-Chron... Mayor Bill White has decided to seek the U.S. Senate seat held by Kay Bailey Hutchison, should the two-term Republican run challenge the sitting governor next year, the Houston Chronicle has learned.
Ending months of speculation about his political future, White plans to announce the plans at an event next week, according to two knowledgeable sources, who would only speak on condition of anonymity.
White, a third-term mayor and former state Democratic Party chair, has been discussed for years...
10:32 AM Fri, Dec 12, 2008 | Permalink
|
Former Secretary of State Roger Williams joined the hunt for US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison's Senate seat this morning -- announcing the formation of his Senate exploratory committee. He joins state Senator Florence Shapiro, who formed an exploratory committee this summer, and former comptroller John Sharp, who announced he's in the race last week.
Photo by...
8:23 PM Mon, Dec 08, 2008 | Permalink
|
Outgoing House Administration committee chairman Tony Goolsby and interim State Preservation Board Director John Sneed gave a media tour of the renovated House Members Lounge Monday. Below is quick look at what the $140,000 in taxpayer dollars went to upgrade, and click here for who took credit/blame for the project after much circular blame gaming over who made the decisions.
8:45 AM Mon, Dec 08, 2008 | Permalink
|
In a quick city politics-related update, City Councilmember Brewster McCracken makes his mayoral bid official today at noon. (Current Austin Mayor Will Wynn is term-limited next year.) The two-term councilmember was long rumored to enter the race. He will make his announcement at the Heliovolt factory on E. Stassney. From McCracken's letter to potential supporters: Austin has always done best by leading with our values. We are a community with the vision to take on the big challenges and the foresight to protect what we love. By innovating while remaining true to our community values, we will achieve th...
12:07 AM Fri, Dec 05, 2008 | Permalink
|
The self-proclaimed "finest news source" of America, The Onion, recently ran this story parodying the Texas lege: New Texas Legislation Would Require Whiskey Bottles To Be Shot Out Of Air Immediately After Being Emptied
AUSTIN, TX--A new piece of legislation proposed yesterday on the floor of the Texas Legislature would require that all whiskey bottles be tossed overhead and shot clean out of the air the moment they are emptied. "Every Texan is responsible for...
1:11 PM Wed, Dec 03, 2008 | Permalink
|
File this one under "only a tiny percentage of you will care":
The Texas House members have picked their 2009 offices, desks and parking spots, and I got a handy spreadsheet of the new selections. Lots of returning members have opted to keep their old desk and office locations, so the changes won't be noticeable to many folks.
Download the office selections here.
And >> Continue reading: Moving On Up... To A New Office
11:03 AM Wed, Dec 03, 2008 | Permalink
|
Expect intermittent blogging for the next couple of days, as I burn off a few vacation days.
But since I'm here, a heads up for anyone interested in the Texas Supreme Court -- the Texas Ethics Commission will hold a public hearing to discuss the complaint Justice Nathan Hecht got an improper discount on his legal expenses while defending himself against judicial admonishment a few years ago.
Hecht hasn't spoken publicly about this ethics trouble. In August, he slipped our cameras when he went...
10:30 AM Tue, Dec 02, 2008 | Permalink
|
The meeting of governors from around the country with President-elect Barack Obama is going on now. The agenda includes a few set topics, and a handful of governors will present particular topics before opening up the topic to wider discussion. Governor Perry doesn't have a set speaking role.
"But his intention is to talk about the Texas economy, what we're doing right here to foster a strong economic climate," said Perry spokeswoman Allison Castle.
Other governors are expected to ask for increased federal aid for infrastructure and programs like Medicaid, in the face of massive state budget shortfa...
9:20 AM Mon, Dec 01, 2008 | Permalink
|
President-elect Barack Obama is formally announcing his national security team this morning, featuring former rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, as his pick for Secretary of State, according to multiple news organizations. Obama and VP-elect Joe Biden will hold a 9:40am CDT press conference.
Hillary Clinton, the new secretary of state, will join them on stage.
|
|
