Associated Press Stories
Toll road measure in limbo
Austin — The House sponsor of a measure that would allow the state to continue contracting for privately built toll roads said Wednesday he is not sure the bill can pass before Friday.
State leaders have said they want to keep the special legislative session short and hope to finish their business by Friday. But one of a trio of bills that Gov. Rick Perry wanted addressed may derail lawmakers' hopes of being finished in time for the July Fourth holiday on Saturday.
Officials said the toll road measure is only necessary to extend the timeline for toll road agreements made with private partnerships.
"The only reason we're doing this is for private toll roads? That can't be right," Rep. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco, said during a committee hearing on the bill.
"Why is that so important but insurance reform is not? Or expanding the (Children's Health Insurance) Program for 300,000 children is not?"
Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, the bill's House sponsor, said he's not sure the bill has enough support to pass, but lawmakers also could address it during their next regularly scheduled session in 2011.
- Associated Press Stories
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Wildflowers: Rainfall expected to bring Texans an abundant array
Texas should have a colorful spring, with recent rains bringing an abundance of wildflowers and blooms already popping up, experts say.
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Soldier from San Benito killed in Iraq
A 20-year-old soldier from south Texas has been killed in Iraq.
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Roof collapses at Fort Worth brewing company
Storm damage is helping keep the beer cold after part of the roof at a Fort Worth brewery collapsed under heavy snow.
- Professor charged in Alabama campus shooting spree
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Texas Supreme Court will hear strip-club fee case
The legal dance over Texas' so-called "pole tax," a $5 entrance fee at strip clubs, is going before the state Supreme Court.
- Snow snarls traffic, forces flight delays in Texas
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Ex-President Clinton undergoes heart procedure
Former President Bill Clinton had two stents inserted in one of his heart arteries after being hospitalized with chest pains, an adviser said Thursday.
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Retail gasoline prices down 3 cents in Texas
Retail gasoline prices in Texas slipped for the fourth straight week to settle at $2.48 a gallon.
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Former Texas Rep. Charlie Wilson dies at 76
The late Rep. Charlie Wilson worked tenaciously to funnel millions of dollars in weapons to Afghan rebels who fought off the Soviet Union, only to watch Afghanistan plunge into chaos and eventually harbor al-Qaida terrorists.
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Snow slows travel across North Texas
Snow blanketed parts of Texas in a winter storm that slowed traffic and led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights.
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Wildflowers: Rainfall expected to bring Texans an abundant array
