Texas Governor Rick Perry has spent almost $600,000 in public money during the past two years to live in the exclusive Estates Above Lost Creek subdivision. more ›

Rasmussen Reports found in its recent survey of Texas voters that Perry has 48% to White's 44%. There's a rather large margin of error with this poll of 4.5%. Perry has led White in every poll by Rasmussen since he won the Republican primary. But -- and this is a big but -- he has yet to break 50%. In a press release about the new poll Rasmussen wrote, "Any incumbent who earns less than 50% support at this stage of a campaign is considered potentially vulnerable." more ›

Perhaps the most intriguing race this primary season takes place in a mostly unfamiliar territory to Travis County voters: the GOP Gubernatorial Primary. The state of the Republican Party, while still perceived as Texas’ dominant party, is undergoing a sort of identity crisis at the moment, largely characterized by three internally warring factions each led by a specific candidate more ›

Common knowledge says that the race should be close: a popular Republican Senator running against a Republican Governor who only received 39% of the vote in 2006. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is running against Governor Perry after all, the guy who brought on the TransTexas Corridor, the mandatory HPV vaccine order, and anything TxDOT. But federal decisions from the last decade had put the federal government, economy, and foreign relations in a free-for-all, and Senator Hutchison supported most of them. more ›

Although Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's new website has removed hidden text that said "rick perry gay", the remaining 2,000-plus hidden words and phrases could get the site banned from search engine results. more ›

• City Council was told today that Austin faces a $30 million budget gap in the next year.
• Waco lawmaker suggests moving the governor to the Pease Mansion, as buying that property would cost much less than restoration for the current mansion is expected to cost.
• Legislation to accept the federal stimulus money for unemployment insurance passed in State Senate and moving to the House; Gov. Perry not happy.

Sunday morning at the First Unitarian Universalist Church in north Austin found Richard S. “Kinky” Friedman preaching to the choir: like-minded voters seeking a change at the Governor’s Mansion. In 2006, Kinky Friedman, billed at this public affairs forum as the “The Cowboy Philosopher,” ran as an Independent. He lost to Rick Perry. He said, “I made a mistake not running as a Democrat” and strongly hinted he would correct that misstep this time. Taking aim at Governor Perry, he began by telling the crowd of 150 that he was getting older and had been working on his will. He said, “I have requested that when I die, I am to be cremated and the ashes are to be thrown into Rick Perry’s hair. A “listening tour” throughout Texas is his plan to get the grass roots excited. He also talked about his animal rescue efforts at the Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch and wants to make Texas a no kill state. Kinky even read a story about his mother from one of his books. more ›

Only about 4% of the $24 million recommended for Gov. Perry's office budget still remained after the House voted Friday. Democratic Rep. Jessica Farrar proposed using $4 million for veterans programs instead of that money going to Perry's office. A House Republican (Rep. John Davis of Houston) proposed taking $18.7 million from Perry's planned budget, to go instead towards community "crisis services" which aid the mentally ill. Both proposals passed the House with little debate. more ›

Tom Schieffer, brother to Bob (host of ) and friend to Dubya, will be traversing the state over the next few months to gauge interest in his possible run as a Democrat for the governor's office. Schieffer most recently served as US Ambassador to Japan, after he served as US Ambassador to Australia from 2001-05. He made an announcement of sorts today, on Texas Independence Day, commenting on the disappointing state of Texas' educational system and saying that he is filing paperwork to form an exploratory committee towards joining in the race for governor. [KUT] more ›

Anita Perry announces a fund (not yet non-profit) to raise money for mansion restoration. Man related to feet found at Lake Travis has been identified. Oklahoma paper to sue UT staffer for his fake news story. Sen. Cornyn far outpacing Democratic candidate Noriega as far as campaign money goes. Texas Public Utilities Commission deciding how much more money to invest in wind energy. Sunset Advisory Commission suggests that public (instead of the governor) should choose head of TxDOT. more ›

Another interview with our governor: he tells the Washington Post, "just because you're a liberal doesn't mean that you can't be loyal, trustworthy and kind and obedient." Good to know. Federal judge decides to suspend the law preventing groups from raising funds to lobby for the ouster of the Texas Speaker. Is Craddick soon to be outta here? Dukes campaign manager complains about Thompson's big donors; Dukes herself has received a chunk of change from GOP donor Bob Perry. Double homicide on East Sixth Street early this morning. Firefighters fighting garage fire in Northwest Austin this morning find a body inside. more ›

I left you somewhat in the lurch last week concerning my plans for a weekly column devoted to guests (that would be you), and that was a bit rude of me. But honestly, at the time I wasn’t convinced that I knew exactly what I was looking for. more ›

• Russian Premier, er, we mean President Putin using Soviet-style measures to suppress political opposition? The evidence just keeps on rolling in...
• Yesterday, British forces formally handed the province of Basra to the Iraqi government. This is the ninth province transferred to Iraqi control by American-led forces since July 2006.
• The week-long U.N. climate-change conference, held in Bali, ended last Friday. A ranking has been released showing which countries have the most proactive greenhouse gas emissions policies in the works. Mexico was ranked fourth. The U.S. came in second to last, beating out only Saudi Arabia.

Photo of Rick Noriega by Matt Wright on flickr After the muggy weekend, some Central Texas counties (not Travis) are under freeze warnings tonight. Today Rick Noriega officially launched his campaign against Cornyn for the Senate seat. Cedar Park police going after drivers who skip out on paying 183A tolls. House State Affairs Committee to review TxDOT's "Keep Texas Moving" ad campaign. Gov. Perry is now heading up the Republican Governor's Association. AT&T is leaving... more ›

Photo of Z. Bechtol from statesman.com Man found dead under car at a Round Rock Walgreens. Zenobia Bechtol, 14, has been missing since last night around 10pm. More than half of the state's school districts pass on the teacher merit pay plan. Smoking ban started today at some Central Texas hospitals. The two suspects who broke into McBrides earlier this week weren't after guns. State Rep. Dawnna Dukes receives a $10,000 donation from Bob Perry's... more ›

Governor Rick Perry today announced his official support of Republican presidential candidate and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, whose pro-abortion stance has enraged many conservatives. Perry, in today's declaration, admitted that reconciling the hot-button issue was the biggest obstacle in his endorsement. Giuliani, in turn, pledged to nominate hard-line "strict constructionist" judges to the Supreme Court. Perry replied that he was "comfortable" with this answer. "For the last six months, I have cogitated,"... more ›

After Alicia Silverstone's spicy commercial for PETA—where the Clueless star delivers a PSA in the nude, save for some strategically positioned limbs—was deemed unsuitable for broadcast in Houston, PETA took matters into its own hands. Their newest video takes the viral route, and features a so-called "lone Lettuce Lady" delivering a rather innuendo-heavy message directed to Governor Rick Perry: Luckily for the Lone Star State, the sexy Lettuce Lady created an easy plan to help... more ›

Your tax dollars at work: while the Governor's Mansion is being worked on, the Perrys will be renting a million dollar home in a Barton Creek gated community. 500,000 gallons of wastewater per day could be put into Bear Creek if Belterra developer's permit gets approved. Fifteen people were involved in a multi-car collision on Mopac early this morning. Tx Dept. of Health Services Commissioner tries to convince the feds our state is prepared... more ›

There will always be chatter about Austin's changing landscape, much as there will always be supporters for both developers and the environment. We want the privilege of taking a dip in a glistening spring-fed pool, but we also want to have a robust economy that allows us to continue working and living in this city. Some would argue that the two desires aren't mutually exclusive, but we all know that it's a sticky subject.... more ›

As Kenneth Foster was facing execution tonight (and as his execution finally started receiving national media coverage), Governor Perry accepted the recommendation of the Board of Pardons and Paroles and this afternoon commuted Foster's death sentence to one of life imprisonment. Kenneth Foster had been put on death row for his involvement in a murder in San Antonio over ten years ago: he drove the car the murderer was in, and received the same sentence as the murderer. more ›

A woman who shared a jail cell with Laura Hall, an accomplice in the 2005 murder and mutilation of Jennifer Cave, testifies that Hall justified dismembering Cave's body by saying, "Intelligent people are able to compartmentalize things." The 3-year-old girl whose throat was cut by her mother's disgruntled ex-boyfriend in an attempted murder-suicide is going to be okay. Meanwhile, Assistant Police Chief David Carter declares that Officer Metcalf, who shot and killed the suspect,... more ›

In Texas, one arrest for possession of marijuana costs the taxpayer $2,000, takes the police officer off the street for about three hours, and fills a space in an already overcrowded jail system for at least one night. However, once House Bill 2391 goes into effect on September 1st, you'll no longer get immediately carted off to jail—it's now up to the officer's discretion to cite individuals found in possession of four ounces (a quarter-pound)... more ›

Tonight, unless an unlikely eleventh-hour reprieve is granted, Texas will execute its 400th inmate since the state resumed the practice in 1982. Johnny Ray Conner32-year-old Johnny Ray Conner was convicted for murdering Houston resident Kathyanna Nguyen during a grocery store robbery in 1998. Nguyen, the store's owner, had been trapped behind the counter and was surrounded by a bulletproof enclosure; the killer reached his gun through the change slot and shot her in the head.... more ›

Yesterday, Governor Rick Perry announced that the Texas A&M University System will receive a $5 million grant from the state's Emerging Technology Fund. The stated purpose of the grant is to support research into the development of "next-generation biofuels" and other renewable energy sources. Specifically, the $5 million in taxpayer funds will go to the Texas A&M Agriculture and Engineering Bioenergy Alliance. This alliance is essentially a collaboration between the Agricultural and Engineering Departments at... more ›

The Cabela's hunting/fishing/outdoors outfitter superstore located in Buda, Texas, is apparently not doing so well. For the second year in a row, the store has missed mandatory employment targets set as a condition of subsidies given to the store by the City of Buda, Hays County and the State of Texas (via Governor Perry's Texas Enterprise Fund). In a nutshell: To date, Cabela's has received over $61 million in government subsidies (read: taxpayer money) as... more ›

Days since rains began: 44 Homes destroyed by flooding: 1,000 Flood-related deaths: 11 Estimated cost of damages in Burnet County alone: $30 million Number of emergency Texas National Guard soldiers activated by Governor Perry throughout the state: 250 Total impacted area, spanning North Texas to the Rio Grande Valley, in square miles: 48,000 Height, in feet above sea level, of Lake Travis when considered "full": 681 Height of Lake Travis on July 4th: 701... more ›

Last Friday, Governor Rick Perry's office made it public that our Governor has vetoed -- among many other laws that have come to his desk from the Legislature this year -- House Bill 3457, a simple bill that sought to grant the State of Texas the power to prohibit the drivers of diesel school buses from allowing the engine to idle while the bus is parked "at a school or school event." The bill was... more ›

Today, Governor Rick Perry officially recognized that when it comes to filmmaking, cash does indeed rule everything around us. After months of determined effort from the Texas Motion Picture Alliance, the Texas Film Commission, Rep. Dawnna Dukes and Sen. Bob Duell, Perry signed the dotted line on House Bill 1634, freeing up some $20 million in incentives to lure production crews--and the myriad jobs they generate--to the Lone Star State. The gaming industry also scores... more ›

The current battle over the Trans Texas Corridor (“TTC”) – essentially a fight between rural Texas, Governor Rick Perry’s office and the urban developers that Perry is backing – appears to be approaching its endgame this week. Certainly this story has all the obvious implications for the State’s infrastructure, but it could also have other consequences that may be less obvious: It could change how millions of Texans vote. more ›

Hot on the heels of the Austin City Council rolling out the incentive red carpet to keep Friday Night Lights turned on, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1634 this weekend, also known as the Texas Film Incentive Program. The bill, authored by Rep. Dawnna Dukes (Austin, represent!) and spearheaded by Sen. Bob Deuell (R-Greenville) along side our very own Governor Rick Perry, will set aside $20 million worth of incentives to entice future productions... more ›