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At this point in the legislative calendar many bills are facing a looming demise, but Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, said he has found another way to get money for transportation needs.

"One of the obvious ways is to take some money in the budget and devote it to our energy related zones that have borne the burden of most of the oil and gas production. They are just simply deteriorating and they’re not safe anymore," Darby said.

After meeting for hours behind closed doors, House Democratic leaders declined the Republican deal on the state’s budget bill.  

Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, the vice-chair of the Democratic Caucus, said House Democrats are unified in their stance against the budget in its current form, which promises $3.2 billion for education funding.

A bill that provides $630 million worth of tax incentives has already made its way out of the House, and is now heading to the Senate floor for a vote.

The bill has been altered from its original wording, streamlining those benefiting down to one business group.

"I explained to my colleagues as we’ve been trying to work through this in the last couple of days: It’s almost like I have to pick which three of my kids gets something and which do not. It’s almost impossible," said Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, who is carrying the bill in the Senate.

Beginning Saturday, May 18, listeners to KTXI 90.1 FM in the Hill Country will experience signal loss as KTXI is taken off-air to allow additional antennas to be installed on the tower the station is broadcast from.

These antennas are not for KTXI use, but are being installed by a cell phone tenant that leases space on the tower, just as Texas Public Radio does.

At this late stage in the legislative session, most bills that haven't made it out of at least one chamber are left to the wind, but there is still a chance for a bill with bipartisan support that proposes to provide immigrants without legal documentation a driver’s permit.

Rep. Roberto Alonzo, D-Dallas, is carrying the bill, which was authored by Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands.

In the first segment:

When cities and counties try to attract big businesses, they have several tools in their toolbox.  Tax abatements or breaks to businesses that bring jobs have become the new normal, so are they worth it?  

Today we talk with Brian Kelsey, professor at the University of Texas, Austin and principle at Civic Analytics, and with David Marquez from Bexar County Economic Development about what these all mean and why cities and counties are going this route.

Ásgeir Trausti hoped to be a professional track and field athlete but his plans were detailed by various sporting injuries. He became a professional musician instead and quickly rose to to top of the Icelandic music scene.

All the words to his songs are composed by his 72-year-old father and are filled with lyric romanticism.

His first album, "Dyrd I Daudathogn," (In The Silence) is sung completely in Icelandic, he hopes to reach a broader audience with an all English version of the album currently in the works.

As part of National Police Week, San Antonio Police Department and Bexar County Sheriff's Department are honoring their slain officers and deputies.

SAPD held a ceremony earlier this week and Sheriff Susan Pamerleau will hold a special candlelight vigil Thursday evening for members of her department - the first time Bexar County has held such a private event.

On Friday deputies will gather for the annual public ceremony, where Sgt. Yvonne Vann, wife of Sgt. Kenneth Vann, who was shot and killed while on duty in May 2011, will speak.

Lydia Mendoza has been called the first lady of Tejano and Conjunto Music and Wednesday the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a forever stamp in her honor as part of a music legends series.

La alondra de la frontera (the lark of the border) was honored at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center on the West Side.

Mendoza was born to a musical family in Houston in 1916 and she progressed in her talents, eventually mastering the 12-string guitar.

Mendoza is one of several pioneering musicians being honored in the postal services' Music Icon stamp series.

The Senate has passed a bill that prohibits the state’s transportation department from turning free roads into toll roads, but the "do-or-die" deadline is approaching fast for it to clear the House in time.

Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, authored Senate Bill 1029, which addresses the conversion of existing state roads into tollways. She said there are several highways throughout the state being eyed for this type of tolling, one of which is Hwy. 281.