Texas Legislature Ends Session Without Toll Road Bill

State lawmakers quickly wrapped up a two-day special session Thursday by approving $2 billion in highway bonds and extending the operations of five agencies – but they spiked Gov. Rick Perry's continued push for toll roads. Although Perry pressed hard for legislation to allow use of public-private toll roads across the state, both the House and Senate were cool to the idea. More

Special Session: That's a Wrap

With plenty of time to spare before the July 4 festivities kick off, state lawmakers wrapped up work on the transportation issues Gov. Rick Perry called them to the Capitol to resolve. They passed two of the three measures on the agenda before ending the special session and heading home. Now, five state agencies that had been in danger of having to shut down found their existence extended and the state was given the go-ahead to issue $2 billion in road bonds that voters had already approved. More

Economy Putting Dallas Spec Homes in Check

A few years ago, the sight of a house going up near Lower Greenville Avenue wouldn't have prompted a second look. But these days, a foundation being poured or lumber being raised is a lot less common in Dallas. The recession and housing market woes have put a lid on most teardown home building. More

El Paso Annexation Policy Goes to Council

Developers who want the city to add their new subdivisons into the city limits would have to pay their fair share for services like police and fire, parks, and libraries under a proposed new annexation policy before the City Council today. The city has spent more than a year developing new annexation rules, which if adopted, would determine how new land on the West Side and East Side fringes of the county would be added to the city's tax roll. More

State Ethics Panel Fines Eversole $75,000

The Texas Ethics Commission has imposed a $75,000 fine on Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole for violations of campaign finance laws. Eversole, commissioner of Precinct 4, has been a subject of investigations over the past two years concerning the expenditure of money from his political account. The Harris County District Attorney’s office and the FBI reportedly have been looking for evidence of potential corruption in his political finances, and Eversole said last year that he expected the latter probe could force him from office. He said he was innocent of any ethical or criminal wrongdoing. More

Other Governors Come and Go, But Not Perry

Sex and bribery scandals have rocked three governors; four have resigned or announced they won’t seek re-election because of aspirations for higher office - and term limits are about to terminate California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. But Texas Gov. Rick Perry is starting to look like the happy warrior among the nation’s governors, running for an unprecedented third term un-plagued by scandal and un-tempted by the allure of higher office. More

Austin Builders Pick Up the Pace on New Home Starts

Austin-area homebuilders picked up the pace in the second quarter, a sign that the new home market might be poised for a rebound and prices could be headed up, some observers say. Although the 1,861 second-quarter starts were down nearly 35 percent from a year ago, they were almost 53 percent higher than in the first quarter, according to market research firm Residential Strategies Inc. Activity typically picks up from winter to spring, but the increase was more than twice the jump between the first and second quarters of 2008. More

Gas Prices May Have Peaked for the Summer

The heat may be here to stay, but gasoline prices may actually be cooling off. After rising with crude oil prices in recent months, pump prices have halted their march to $3 a gallon - and may not go any higher this summer, analysts said. “The demand for gasoline just hasn’t been there,” said Dan Ronan, spokesman for motor club AAA-Texas, citing the weak economy. More

Service Sector Gauge Hints at Recovery

The U.S. service economy - from retailers and restaurants to real estate brokers - contracted less than expected in June in its best showing since before the financial crisis began last fall, according to a private trade group's gauge. But with rising unemployment and constrained credit driving consumers to spend less, one analyst says a sustained economic recovery likely is years, not months, away. More

El Paso County Criticizes Central Appraisal District's Budget

The Commissioners Court on Monday voted 5-0 for a resolution to reject the $12.4 million budget of the entity that appraises residential and commercial property in El Paso County. Members of the court criticized line items of the Central Appraisal District's spending plan that included pay increases for nonmanagement workers and a legal defense fund of about $500,000. More