Texas Matters

Family and friends of the Kaufman County district attorney and his wife who were killed last weekend are starting to move on following a public memorial service. Evidence of a motive is driving the investigation in the direction of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. Rick Perry is offering a reward for tips that lead to arrests in the case and says authorities should also look at drug cartels; one expert doesn't think that cartel involvement is likely. Finally, an update on the Texas Legislature's budget, which passed the house last night.

Is CSCOPE an education resource designed to help struggling school districts? Or is it a vast anti-American conspiracy that uses Texas classrooms to convert children to Islam and communism?

CSCOPE is an online curriculum management resource developed by the Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Collaborative (TESCCC), a group made up of the 20 education service centers in the state. The group develops their curriculum framework through several sources.

Four major players square off in the fight to save whooping cranes; one side wants to save the birds, while the other side sees an invasion of state's rights. Water management is one of the large items on the table for this session of the Texas Legislature, the question then is: What is the best way to solve the problem?

As Oil Revenue Rises, Cost Of Living Follows

Ted Cruz and Steve Stockman have quickly established themselves as vocal and active members of Congress, and their gusto is ruffling some feathers. How much do we know about the cost of state lawmaker pensions? Apparently not much, but why not? Debate about changing the way electric utilities get paid; should they be paid for capacity? Quail hunting used to be a part of everyday life, but quail populations have been declining for the past 25 years.

Texas education funding is ruled unconstitutional, and Attorney General Greg Abbott is expected to appeal the case to the Texas Supreme Court. There are opposing views in the legislature on whether to immediately act to address the issue, or wait until the court forces it. Gov. Perry is causing a stir with his radio ads in California that try to lure companies to the Lone Star State, and one columnist from San Francisco says this is generating some interesting conversation.

Texas Matters: Gov. Rick Perry uses the State-of-the-State address to propose giving tax breaks, but should the state use the extra money to restore education funding instead? A new poll shows that a majority of Texans disapprove of the job he is doing and 62 percent think he should not run for re-election. Since he is a primary torch-bearer for the conservatives in the state, what will he do next?

Texas Matters: Governor Perry continues to say he will not expand Medicaid in Texas with federal funds as several Republican governors now say they will. A new study looks at the reality of job creators. A Beaumont attorney files a class-action lawsuit against pornography sites that host "revenge porn"; explicit photos and videos of women posted by ex-boyfriends and ex-husbands. Finally, what will it take to turn Texas Democrat blue?