News

Texas lawmakers are looking to save Texas state parks from closing down by making sure that taxpayer funds intended for state parks get there. 

When you go to a sporting goods store and buy a canoe there is a little tax that supports the Texas park system, since a person would be likely to enjoy paddling that canoe on Texas state waterways.

Over the years the state diverted that park tax money and held it in order to balance the state budget on paper.

In the current state budget, $184 million pegged for parks was diverted to help balance the overall budget.

State Senator Carlos Uresti’s proposed SB313 would change the legal smoking age in Texas from 18 to 21. Uresti said his bill is about saving lives and saving money.

"On average, over 24,500 Texas die every year from smoking related illnesses," the senator said, referring to a fact sheet provided by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.

There is still speculation that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will run for President in 2016, but if she does decide to pursue the White House, a new poll finds that she would win in Texas.

No Democrat has been able to claim the electoral votes of Texas since Jimmy Carter squeaked out a victory over Gerald Ford in 1976, but according to the data gathered by Public Policy Polling, Hillary Clinton would win in Texas if that election was held today.

Residents are opposed to the densely-designed neighborhood, saying it would adversely affect the water supply and endangered species. Last year, County Commissioners postponed their approval to do further research and to put pressure on the developers to address the concerns of the surrounding property owners.

Residents and water conservationists had expressed concern that the property over the Edwards Aquifer had a high impervious cover ratio that would cause harm to the water supply.

We often speak of certain Brazilian composers suffering in the shadow of Heitor Villa-Lobos. After all, he was the one who possessed not only musical genius, but also the ability to attract attention.

He was, in many ways, bigger than life, which made it a struggle for other very able composers to be seen and heard. These others included Camargo Guarnieri, Franciso Mignone and Claudio Santoro. The music of these composers is still struggling to be heard outside of Brazil.

Each week on World Music (Saturday nights from 8-10 on KSTX 89.1 FM), I take a look at celebrations happening around the world. This week, Poland celebrates "Greasy Thursday," and there's a Devil's Carnival in Bolivia. Read more about these unique festivals below, and see video of the celebrations!

TŁUSTY CZWARTEK

On the heels of President Obama’s statements on immigration and a plan from the Gang of Eight bi-partisan Senate committee, two national lawmakers from Texas are offering their input on what immigration should look like over the coming years.

This week the president introduced his plans for what could become comprehensive immigration reform, which include:

The organizers of the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon had thought they fixed their hot weather issues when they moved the race date from November to December.

Now they are racing to return date back to November after a contract dispute with the Dallas Marathon which would have been run on the same date. This is the second time the footrace organizers have moved the date of the popular running event.

The Rock and Roll Marathon has been running the streets of San Antonio for the last five years and has been transformational for the city’s get-fit efforts.

Governor Rick Perry addressed the State Board of Education on Friday, urging the education leaders to expand technical classes and charter schools.

During his State-of-the-State address earlier in the week, Perry trumpeted evidence of improvements in public education and did so again when speaking to the State Board of Education.