Non-Residential Activity Hurts Construction Spending in July
Mortgage News Daily
Residential construction continued on the path to recovery, but a greater-than-anticipated cutback in non-residential activity drove the total Construction Spending report down 0.2 percent in July, against expectations it would be flat. Broad advances in new and existing home sales helped residential spending see a 2.3 percent boost in July, but private non-residential construction fell 1.2 percent, marking the third straight lossMore

Friction Between Perry, Hutchison is Nothing New
The Dallas Morning News
Sometimes you have to wonder how much Texas' governor and its senior senator could have accomplished if they'd managed to set aside rivalry and actually, you know, cooperated.More

Hutchison Raps Obama's "Czarist Washington"
The Fort Worth Star Telegram Politex Blog
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's campaign is calling attention to the senator's interview on "Fox & Friends" this morning, in which she criticized President Obama's "unprecedented" appointment of more than 30 special advisers who are not subject to Senate confirmation or congressional oversight.More

Perry Knocks Hutchison for Missing ACORN Vote
The Austin American Statesman First Reading Blog
U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison did not take part Monday in an overwhelming Senate vote to withhold federal funding from ACORN, the increasingly controversial community organization. On Monday evening, she attended a fundraiser at the Dallas-area home of former Dallas Cowboy Roger Staubach.More

Medina Campaign Rollout Takes Aim at Hutchison
The Fort Worth Star Tribune Politex Blog
Saying that Texas conservatives need a "new quarterback" and not "one of the girls who's been on the field all along," Wharton Republican Debra Medina officially announced her campaign for Texas governor. Medina, a nurse and former Ron Paul campaigner, has said that she hopes to overtake U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in the race and earn a runoff spot against incumbent Gov. Rick Perry.More

Perry Plans Washington Fund Raiser
The Fort Worth Star Telegram Politex Blog
The Austin American-Statesman's Jason Embry, in his morning "First Reading" column, reports that Gov. Rick Perry, an ardent anti-Washington critic, will travel to the nation's capitol for a fund-raiser.More

New Windstorm Rules Impact Property Owners and Insurance Agents in Coastal Counties
The Brownsville Herald
Some property owners in Texas coastal counties will be required to shell out more for insurance, thanks to new rules from the Texas Department of Insurance, while others will have to jump through an additional hoop to get insurance through the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, the state-run insurer of last resort.More

Five Lessons We Could Learn from Ike
The Houston Chronicle
Our success weathering the storm depended on how prepared we were and how much we were willing to come together. Here, five lessons to remember for next time.More

Texas Embarks on $135 Million Beach Enrichment Plan
The Houston Chronicle
Texas is embarking on a $135 million in coastal protection projects, the largest initiative of its kind by the state. The commitment comes a year after Hurricane Ike made landfall at Galveston and hammered an already beleaguered coast. More

Energy Efficient Projects in Tarrant County Getting Federal Stimulus Funding
The Fort Worth Star Telegram
When Bedford unveils its long-awaited new library, it will showcase an energy-efficient reflective roof system. Tarrant County courthouses and administrative offices in downtown Fort Worth will be outfitted with new energy-efficient chillers. And other similar projects will take place in Hurst and Mansfield.Such environmentally friendly goodies are part of $45.6 million in federal stimulus money to support energy efficiency and conservation activities in Texas. The funds are pouring in from the U.S. Energy Department.More

Mansion Fundraising Drive Hits $3.5 Million
The Austin American Statesman
Donations and pledges to the private fundraising drive to restore the historic Texas Governor's Mansion, which was gutted in an arson fire 15 months ago, have topped the $3.5 million mark. Among the most recent donors are former governors and their families, who now account for $482,000 of the total raised.More

Mayor Tom Leppert Calls on CEOs to Relocate Firms to Dallas
The Dallas Morning News
Four hundred CEOs across the country will soon receive iPhones bearing Mayor Tom Leppert's pitch that Dallas is a great place for them to move their businesses. It's part of an attention-getting initiative to use the city's economic resilience to attract more corporate headquarters. More

State, Local Sales Tax Revenues Continue to be Impacted by Economy
The Houston Business Journal
Texas Comptroller Susan Combs said the state's sales tax revenue collected in August was $1.75 billion, down 12.5 percent from the same month last year. "Monthly sales tax collections continue to decline as most major sectors of the economy, including oil and gas, construction and retail trade, continue to struggle," Combs said.More