WEEKLY REPORT

December 30, 2011

 

Funding lawsuit gathers steam

In the Battle of the Maps, Republicans Win Either Way

For some candidates, the 2012 elections will be decided in court.

(View complete article here.)

Texas’ voter ID law may not be implemented in time for 2012

Seven months ago, Gov. Rick Perry stood at a lectern in the Texas Capitol flanked by dozens of fellow Republican state lawmakers to celebrate a new state law.

(View complete article here.)

Legislature prepares for next session

Few state legislators command as much attention as Steve Ogden, the outgoing chairman of the Texas Senate Finance Committee.When the Bryan Republican suggested at a recent business forum that Texas voters should weigh in on some critical issues the lawmakers will face in the next session, his audience paid close attention.

(View complete article here.)

Texas State Board of Education races promise fireworks

Just because no redistricting brouhaha is calling attention to 2012 races for the State Board of Education doesn’t mean voters shouldn’t pay attention.

(View complete article here.)

‘Abstinence-plus’ emerging in more Texas schools

A shift is occurring in Texas as more school districts move from abstinence-only programs to a comprehensive approach that teaches about condoms and other contraceptives, according to an advocacy group’s study of state data.

(View complete article here.)

Texas’ 2012 job forecast: A lot like 2011

Mary Mentesana sees the stats: Texas continues to generate jobs, far more than any other state.

(View complete article here.)

Opinion: Salud America working to combat obesity among Latino children

Obesity causes more than 15 percent of this country’s preventable deaths more than alcohol, toxins, care accidents, gun-related deaths, drug abuse and STDs combined and it causes a huge financial strain on the health care system. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity affects approximately 34 percent of adults and 17 percent of children in the United States. The agency recently estimated the costs of obesity at almost $150 billion per year, attributable to the impact of obesity on other chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Dangers of fracking still becoming clear

The word “fracking” may sound funny, but it describes a drilling practice that has created a serious boom in natural gas production in Texas and elsewhere, and with the boom has come serious worries about fracking’s effects on the environment.

(View complete article here.)

Feds bust alleged scam to sell stem cells to the dying

Steven Watters sat in a cushy leather arm chair in the Houston living room of a fellow ALS sufferer and asked the man across from him hawking stem cell therapy if there was a cure for his disease.

Texas ‘pill mills’ skirt law by playing name game

Pain management clinics targeted for prescribing drugs illegally are finding a simple way to skirt a new law that requires them to register their businesses: They’re just not calling themselves pain management clinics.

(View complete article here.)

Five political stories to watch in 2012

The year in Texas politics played out pretty much the way we expected. A wave of Republicans who pledged to slash government spending won seats in the Legislature in November 2010, then arrived at the Capitol in early 2011 and slashed government spending.

(View complete article here.)

As San Antonio Grows, So Does Its Confidence

In 2008, after 15 years as the Alamo City’s largest corporate resident, AT&T announced it was moving its headquarters to Dallas — and taking 700 executives along with it. In the past, that San Antonio’s first Fortune 500 company had outgrown its home might have seemed an insurmountable blow for this city with a pre-existing inferiority complex. But these days, it is not easy to shake the city’s confidence.

(View complete article here.)

Signs point to healthier Central Texas housing market in 2012, experts say

The new year should usher in a healthier Central Texas housing market, experts say, thanks to job and population growth, high apartment occupancies and an anticipated uptick in consumer confidence.

 (View complete article here.)

Primary Opponents Hunt for Signs of Double Dipping

In politics, one man’s mistake is another’s opportunity. Now that state Rep. Joe Driver, R-Garland, has been sentenced for “double dipping” — billing both his campaign and the state Legislature for the same expenses — opposition researchers in this primary season are scrambling for other examples.

(View complete article here.)