Free Republic

The U.S. Census forms arriving in Texans' mailboxes next week will start the decennial dance over whether cities such as Houston or San Antonio get new seats in Congress through redistricting. While the Census is nonpartisan, the redistricting process is highly political. How districts are drawn can determine whether they are competitive or are solidly Democratic or Republican. Texas currently sends 20 Republicans and 12 Democrats to Congress. If the state gets four new seats, they likely will be split: two Republican and two Hispanic Democratic. ....,P> 152,000 short By some estimates, Texas on July 1, 2009, was an...

DAYTON, Texas – Two Liberty County deputies were shot Tuesday morning while responding to a shots fired call in a neighborhood just outside of Dayton. According to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, the deputies arrived at the Woodland Hills subdivision just after 5 a.m. and were immediately fired upon. Both deputies were struck in the head and torso area with shrapnel and bullet fragments, officials said. They were wearing protective vests at the time. The deputies were taken to Memorial Hermann by ground ambulance. Sources told 11 News the deputies were both "doing OK." The circumstances surrounding the shooting...

EAGLE PASS — As the sun dips toward the horizon, Shelby Park becomes an idyllic place, a rare patch of manicured green along the Texas-Mexico border. Kids practice soccer on the expansive sports fields, and joggers make their afternoon revolutions. A couple of Border Patrol trucks hover in the parking lot alongside the dense stands of cane that hide the Rio Grande from view. Above, two international bridges funnel traffic between Eagle Pass and its Mexican counterpart, Piedras Negras, Coahuila . Jose Luis Zuniga, watching his two sons practice soccer kicks, takes in the park's newest addition: an $11...

The Texas Public Safety Commission is expected to vote in about three months on reducing fines for poor assessed under Driver Responsibility Program. The Texas Department of Public Safety is hoping proposed new rules will make it easier for low-income drivers to pay fines related to a state law that doles out surcharges for certain violations. Since 2003 , drivers who commit certain Class C misdemeanors must pay penalties or have their licenses revoked. Last year, lawmakers amended the law, called the Driver Responsibility Program, to require a reduction in fines for those who can't afford to pay, public...

NEWS 8 INVESTIGATES DALLAS — Clever con games apparently aren't just the stuff of movies. Three Texas lawyers were all targets of a sophisticated scheme using distance, the Internet and the quirks of American law to steal money. While two of them escaped, one did not. It started with a cashier's check over $100,000. It was the most enticing piece in a con game designed to deprive ethical lawyers of their money. "It's funny," said Raul Loya, an attorney. "You would think that lawyers would be smarter, but it's funny they fall victim." All three attorneys lived in different...

Passenger rail in Austin — for 40 years the subject of speculation, argumentation, elections and, finally, construction — will leave the station early in the morning on March 22, Capital Metro officials announced just after noon. Federal rail regulators, in town the past several days as Capital Metro did on-schedule testing of the 32-mile line from Leander to downtown Austin, gave their blessing this morning, Capital Metro interim chief executive officer Doug Allen said. The line, which was to have opened a year ago (and even earlier under original predictions), had been plagued by glitches in its signal and...

The following are the totals for early voting in the 15 largest Counties in Texas. Remember there are 239 additional counties in which the data isn't provided. It appears that Texas is having a large turnout this primary. Some observations: 306,422 GOP votes - 62.3% of EV votes cast 184,694 Democratic votes - 37.6% of EV votes cast 655,919 GOP total votes cast statewide 2006 gov primary Early Voting Totals - Feb. 26, 2010March 2, 2010 Early Voting Cumulative Totals Thru Close of Business February 26, 2010 County Reg Voters Party # In Person On 2/26/2010 Cumulative In-Person Voters Cumulative...

HOUSTON — U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison rode a quarter horse with a heavy winter coat down the middle of Texas Avenue on Saturday morning, diligently waving to the thousands of Houston-area families that lined each side of the street. Her appearance in the annual parade preceding the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was like a number of Hutchison's campaign appearances on the final weekend before she tries to unseat Gov. Rick Perry in Tuesday's Republican primary: She met — or at least waved to —Texans where they were, whether they were eating, shopping or watching the horses parade...

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry has bragged this week about making fundraising history by bringing in a record $1.3 million in one day, intimating that it came from tapping grassroots support. It turns out that the money mostly came from those who own the field. Only 43 donors provided the first $1 million, and the total $1.28 million was netted from just 123 givers, including lobbyists and long-time political players, reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission showed Friday. On Thursday, Perry announced the fundraising total in a press release, saying the "Money Cannon" had included "numerous Texans donating...

Despite the countless press releases, Twitter posts and television spots that have flooded the landscape for more than a year, five critical sound bites have defined this election and put Perry in strong position to retain his party's nomination: • "I will be looking at what is best for Texas," Hutchison told Texas Monthly in October 2007 when asked whether she would resign her Senate post to run for governor. Her indecision about resignation, still not resolved to many Republicans' satisfaction, hindered Hutchison's message and left many wishing she had stayed put.• "I could not give a blank check...

Regardless, Gov. Rick Perry has fared relatively well, perhaps because of his anti-Washington rhetoric and his careful immigration stance, a recent poll indicates. It shows more than half of Texas Hispanics call themselves conservative, and a surprising 23 percent say they might participate in Tuesday's GOP primary. Among those, Perry leads Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison by 2 to 1, according to the poll, commissioned by an Austin consultant for a national group of Hispanic legislative leaders... Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, said the poll hints at a little-noticed facet of Perry's political persona: He doesn't frighten Hispanics...

Is energy merger the first domino? Deal between Schlumberger and drill bits maker may be a catalyst for diversification among companies here Schlumberger, the world’s largest oil field services company, announced an $11 billion merger Sunday with Houston-based drill bits maker Smith International, in a mammoth deal for the sector that could touch off a new round of mergers with the potential to reshape Houston’s corporate landscape. With the all-stock merger, Smith International, which employed more than 3,700 people in Houston around this time last year, will be subsumed into the giant international conglomerate because of its expertise in...

FORT WORTH -- Hoping to fire up supporters as early voting in the gubernatorial race begins today, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison kicked off a "Declare Your Independence" tour Monday, encouraging Texas voters to declare their independence from Republican Gov. Rick Perry. Hutchison will be among several candidates casting their ballots today to bring attention to early voting. March 2, the date of the primary election, is also Texas' Independence Day. "I'm asking for your vote and I'm asking for your help," Hutchison told a crowd of more than 40 gathered in a back room at Billy Miner's Saloon...

Gov. Rick Perry heads into the start of early voting Tuesday with a comfortable lead over his two Republican primary challengers, but he could be in for a tough November fight against the Democratic nominee, a poll commissioned by the Austin American-Statesman and other Texas newspapers shows. Perry has the support of 45 percent of likely Republican primary voters, while 29 percent back U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and 17 percent support Wharton activist Debra Medina. Just 8 percent are undecided. The telephone survey was conducted Feb. 2-10, before Medina said important questions had been raised about whether the...

3,000 jobs may be cut WASHINGTON — The Houston-area economy suffered a second blow Friday, with the U.S. Army rejecting a Sealy-based company's appeal to keep combat truck production in Texas, where it has been for 17 years. The Army's action to award the contract to a Wisconsin firm — following a review ordered by Congress' watchdog Government Accountability Office — could claim an estimated 3,000 jobs at the Texas plant in suburban Houston, with layoffs beginning later this year. Coupled with President Barack Obama's proposal last week to cancel NASA's $108 billion back-to-the-moon Constellation program, the Houston area...

Which Rick Perry will appear? The right one, for any occasion Why has Rick Perry never lost an election? It could be because there are four of him. First, there is Chamber of Commerce Rick Perry. He wears suits that are nice enough, but not extravagant — probably purchased off-the-rack and a little big for him. He loves to attend corporate groundbreakings, he can grin his way through a grating cable-television interview, and he can work a hotel ballroom full of contractors, Realtors or doctors. There is Natural Disaster Rick Perry. This Perry almost always wears a beige work...

Critics say eliminating all property taxes would reduce local control. Debra Medina, the feisty Republican running for governor, promises Texans that she will liberate them from their property taxes. "I talk about that for freedom reasons first," Medina said at the Jan. 29 gubernatorial debate. "We've surrendered private property ownership to the ever-growing state — we lease our property in the form of ever increasing rents known as property taxes," she wrote on her campaign Web site. "We've forgotten that ownership is an essential element of freedom." A call to eliminate property taxes might resonate with many taxpayers, beleaguered...

Texas House members facing challenges from Tea Party-affiliated candidates in March or potentially in November: Ralph Hall, R-Rockwall: Five GOP challengers, including Tea Party-linked candidates Steve Clark and Jerry Ray ("Tea") Hall. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands: Three GOP challengers, including Tea Party-tied Tyler Russell.Ron Paul, R-Lake Jackson: Three GOP challengers, including Tea Party-linked Tim Graney.Kenny Marchant, R-Coppell: One challenger, Tea Party-affiliated GOP challenger Frank Roszell. Pete Sessions, R-Dallas: One challenger, Tea Party-linked GOP challenger David Smith. Chet Edwards, D-Waco: Will face the winner of a five-way GOP nomination that includes Tea Party-linked Republican Timothy Delasandro. Others listed at the...

Hutchison brings grown-up approach to working on behalf of Texans and gets endorsement in GOP race Kay Bailey Hutchison might not be the flashiest or the most beloved politician Texas has ever produced, but it's a mistake to discount or denigrate her accomplishments and record. As an institution, we have disagreed with the senator on various issues, but we recognize her effectiveness. We also appreciate the fact that she acts like an adult, talks like an adult and treats Texans like adults. No, Hutchison is not the flashiest politician in the race, but she is nonetheless the best choice...

Sarah Palin’s appearance at a Sunday campaign rally with Gov. Rick Perry in suburban Houston on Sunday could be the single biggest event of the 2010 Republican race for governor. This is not a campaign marked by big crowds or raucous events for any candidate, but the Palin event could well draw several thousand people just a few hours before the Super Bowl. But the run-up to the event has not been good for Team Perry. After Palin harshly criticized White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel for his use of the word “retarded,” it came to light that...