Home Prices in 20 U.S. Cities Fell Less Than Forecast
Bloomberg via The Houston Chronicle
Home values in 20 U.S. metropolitan areas declined less than forecast in the year ended in July, a sign the housing slump that led to the worst recession in seven decades is abating. The S&P/Case-Shiller home-price index fell 13.3 percent in July from a year earlier, the smallest drop in 17 months, the group said. Adjusted for seasonal variations, the gauge rose 1.2 percent from the prior month. “The firming of prices of the last few months should allow the beleaguered U.S. consumer to take some heart that they are seeing some benefit from the end of the recession,” David Semmens, an economist at Standard Chartered Bank in New York, said before the report.More

New Home Sales Tick Up, Disappoint Analysts
The Associated Press via The Dallas Morning News
The housing market is making a comeback, but it's not impressing anybody. New home sales rose a tepid 0.7 percent last month, missing Wall Street expectations. Builders are seeing a drop-off in foot traffic because home buyers are running out of time to take advantage of a federal tax credit of up to $8,000 for first-time owners.More

Social Media Prevalent in Governor's Race
The Austin American Statesman
In something of a fireside chat for the 21st century, Gov. Rick Perry has invited his supporters to gather around their computers today and listen to him talk about Texas. "This is just another way for us to interact with people across the state," Perry said. More

Census: Plano Nation's Wealthiest Large City
The Dallas Morning News
The Associated Press has released the numbers in the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Among the nuggets in the AP story: Plano has retained its status as the nation's wealthiest large city (The reference to Plano is toward the bottom of the piece. Plano's median income: $85,003).More

Cornyn to DeLay: Don't Give Up Your Day Job, Whatever It Is
The Fort Worth Star Telegram Politex Blog
Sen. John Cornyn apparently had the same reaction to Tom DeLay's "Wild Thing" gyrations that a lot of people who knew the former majority leader did. Setting up what he really thinks of the "Dancing with the Stars" performance, Cornyn said of the hip-shaking, judge winking, air guitar playing DeLay: "He has a lot of self-confidence." And, then, the coup de grace: "He needs to keep his day job."More

Fed Data is Sign of Optimism for Texas Manufacturing
Reliable Plant Magazine
Texas factory activity showed the first signs of bottoming out in September, according to the business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey, released September 28 by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. The production index, a key indicator of current manufacturing activity, came in close to zero as the number of companies seeing increases and decreases was nearly equal.More

McNeely: Next Lieutenant Governor May Depend on Hutchison
The Abilene Reporter News
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, the Senate's presiding officer since 2003, is hankering for the United States Senate seat Kay Bailey Hutchison has said she'll relinquish late this year to concentrate on her Republican primary challenge to Gov. Rick Perry. But Dewhurst reportedly grew tired of hearing rumors that Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott would file for lieutenant governor regardless, and announced for re-election.More

Barton Outrage Over Terror Arrest
The Fort Worth Star Telegram Politex Blog
U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Arlington, sent out a statement Friday about the man arrested Thursday, suspected of trying to blow up the 60-story Fountain Place building in Dallas. The man, Hosam Maher Hussein Smadi lives in Italy, Texas, in Barton's district. More

Perry's Wealth Fueled by Land Deals, Investments
The Associated Press via The Austin American Statesman
Gov. Rick Perry never had much money growing up, and he has spent most of his adult life in public office, drawing a part-time salary as a legislator and relatively modest earnings in statewide office for the last quarter-century. But thanks to his investments and a series of private land deals, some that took advantage of his political connections, Perry has squeaked over the millionaire line, records examined by The Associated Press show.More

State GOP Chair Resigns to Work for Perry
The Austin American Statesman Postcards Blog
Tina Benkiser will leave her post as chairwoman of the Texas Republican Party next month so she can join Gov. Rick Perry's campaign as a senior adviser. In announcing her move, Benkiser called Perry the "only true conservative" in the race — a clear shot at U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is challenging Perry for the Republican nomination. More

Texas Ranks Nearly Last in Getting Stimulus Funds
The Dallas Morning News
Texas has received less funding per resident from the stimulus package so far than almost any other state, according to a Dallas Morning News analysis of federal grants and contracts. Texas lawmakers have long complained about one reason for the disparity: Federal funding formulas, often written by small-state lawmakers, disadvantage big states like Texas. More

Texas Getting $4.5M from Labor Deptment
The Austin Business Journal
Texas will receive $4.5 million from the U.S. Department of Labor to make technology upgrades for improving the operation and security of unemployment insurance systems. The funding is part of $164.5 million that the Labor Department is distributing to 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.More

Stucky Pays $200 Thousand Fine
The Temple Daily Telegram
The saga of a Williamson County homebuilder who climbed from modest means as a construction worker, to living in a $1.8 million estate, to pleading guilty to 18 felonies is finally winding down. Last week, Jarrell homebuilder Pete Stucky paid almost $200,000 in restitution and fines and received four years probation for the felonies that he plead guilty to in August in Williamson County 26th District Court. More