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  • Ellis keeps tax exemption review alive

    Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, has had a hard time getting a vote on his bill for a periodic review of the tax breaks that the Legislature has awarded over the decades.On Tuesday night, however, Ellis found two vehicles to keep his idea alive.Ellis attached his language to House Bill 500, which address cuts in the franchise tax, and to House Bill 3390, which offers tax breaks to companies ...

  • Senate continues school tax breaks for companies

    Capital-intensive businesses relocating to Texas or expanding here would face greater scrutiny to qualify for school property tax breaks under the Senate's version of House Bill 3390 that passed Tuesday night.The Texas Economic Development Act reduces school property taxes up to 90 percent for companies such as Samsung Electronics in Austin and Toyota Motor Works in San Antonio _ as well as ...

  • Lawsuit pending over Williamson County constable interviews

    A Central Texas civil rights group is threatening legal action after Williamson County commissioners interviewed candidates for a constable job and asked about their views on abortion, gay marriage, religion and politics.Such questions violate the Texas Constitution, as well as the First Amendment, said Jim Harrington, director of the Texas Civil Rights Project. "It's just astounding ...

  • City holds hearing on code violations at Casa De Luz

    A South Austin community center is back before the city's Building and Standards Commission for a series of long-standing code violations.The commission is set to hear from representatives of Casa De Luz, 1701 Toomey Road, at its 6:30 p.m. meeting Wednesday, as commissioners consider issuing an order to repair, demolish, vacate or secure the ...

  • Rangers unable to back Darvish blanked by As

    OAK@TEX: Andrus dives and tosses Young out at first ARLINGTON -- Yu Darvish didn't get his usual run support in a pitching duel against Dan Straily, and the Rangers lost to the Athletics, 1-0, on an unusually cool Tuesday night at the Ballpark in Arlington. Darvish allowed just a third-inning home run to Yoenis Cespedes, but ended up with his second loss of the season. The Rangers have ...


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Movie Review

You, Me and Dupree

You, Me and Dupree

Like any other genre, comedy tends to run cycles, and for the past decade American comedies have gotten stuck into a rut that future film historians will most likely label the comedy of arrested development. Emasculated men have frequently been the center of comedy (see, for ex ... ...

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  • Local storm chaser hits the road

    AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin firefighter Randy Denzer has a serious hobby on the side. "I fell in love with it,"Denzer said. "After the first season,I was hooked." Every spring, Denzer chases severe weather thousands of miles in a Subaru he has outfitted with the latest weather technology. In this laptop I have probably 10 or 11 different specialized programs, everything from street ...

  • House OKs ban on Medicaid expansion

    The Texas House gave final approval Tuesday to a Medicaid reform bill that includes an amendment rejecting Medicaid expansion under the federal Affordable Care Act.Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, said his amendment takes away authority for the head of the state's Health and Human Services Commission to negotiate Medicaid expansion with the federal government -- potentially providing coverage for ...

  • Tense budget standoff in Capitol will continue Wednesday

    The budget standoff at the Texas Capitol continued into a second day Tuesday as a lack of trust between the House and Senate kept key bills stalled.Under House rules, one key piece of legislation -- a proposed constitutional amendment creating a fund to help pay for water projects across the state -- had to pass by midnight to keep the complicated budget deal from falling ...

  • Central Texans aid in tornado relief

    Several Central Texas groups and agencies have answered the call to help tornado victims in Moore, Okla.Those heading north to lend a hand include five members of the Austin Fire Department in conjunction with the Texas Task Force 1; two staff members with the American Red Cross of Central Texas; members of the Austin Disaster Relief Network and the Celebration Church disaster relief ...

  • Turf battle threatens safety investigation at West

    More than a month after the devastating explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, a turf battle between two federal agencies threatens to impede the safety investigation aimed at preventing such disasters in the future.Officials with the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, called the CSB, say the ongoing criminal investigation at the West site has restricted their own ...

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