Emails and correspondence from Sid Miller’s first six months as Texas agriculture commissioner show a leader involved in the daily dealings of his department, conscious of his portrayal in the press and eager to burnish his image.
Liz Crampton
Posted in
Politics
George H.W. Bush in Fair Condition After Fall
Former President George H.W. Bush remained hospitalized Thursday, the day after a fall at his home in Kennebunkport, Maine, in which he fractured a bone in his neck.
Posted inState Government
Rusk County Clerk Resigns Over Gay Marriage Ruling
The Rusk County Commissioners Court on Monday formally accepted the resignation of County Clerk Joyce Lewis-Kugle, apparently the first Texas elected official to quit office rather than abide by the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage.
Posted inState Government
Texas’ New Wedding Capital, Dripping Springs, Greets Gay Couples
When Tavanya Wright and Amber Gregg got engaged, they weren’t expecting to be able to get legally married in Texas. Now, their ceremony in the newly named wedding capital of Texas will be recognized by the state.
Posted in
Energy
Miller Defends Deep Fryers in Agriculture Address
Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller defended his new nutrition policy Wednesday, praising his department’s decision to “abolish outdated and unneeded state mandates” and allow schools to install deep fryers and soda machines.
Posted inState Government
Alamo and Other Texas Shrines Win UN Designation
The Alamo and other historic shrines known as the San Antonio Missions have been added to a list of internationally recognized landmarks that includes the Taj Mahal and the Great Barrier Reef.
Posted inState Government
United Nations to Decide Alamo Designation
After nine years of trying, boosters of the San Antonio Missions — including the Alamo — will find out early Sunday morning if the historic Texas shrines will join a list of other internationally recognized landmarks such as the Taj Mahal and the Pyramids of Giza.
Posted in
Public Education
Big Schools Don’t Fry: Not All Districts Warm to Miller’s Initiative
Soda machines and deep fat fryers are now allowed back in Texas public schools, thanks to Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller’s reversal of a 10-year ban. But many school districts say they have no appetite for reinstating the unhealthy choices for students.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas Counties’ Responses to Marriage Ruling Vary
Elated couples across Texas hurried into county clerks’ offices Friday to apply for marriage licenses following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.
Posted inState Government
Supreme Court Sides With Opponents of Texas Housing Program
The biggest federal housing subsidy program in Texas — which awarded $9.7 billion in tax credits from 1990 to 2011 — effectively has been reinforcing segregated housing, the U.S. Supreme Court found Thursday.