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World Music
1:37 pm
Tue January 8, 2013

Le Vent Du Nord: Not Fooling Around on 'Tromper Le Temps'

Le Vent Du Nord, a music group from Quebec, Canada, celebrate ten years of playing music with their latest release, "Tromper Le Temps."

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Texas State Capitol
11:32 am
Tue January 8, 2013

Legislative Interns Get A Leg Up On Texas Politics

Dressed uniformly and walking in a large group, students from the Texas Legislative Internship Program learn the halls of the Texas State Capitol building and find out where the cafeteria is located.

They will soon become very familiar with the offices, and even more with proposed bills. But Tina Tran, who runs the program, said their job is also somewhat stereotypical of an intern.

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Texas House of Representatives
9:20 am
Tue January 8, 2013

Straus Needs 76 Votes to Hold Speaker Seat

Credit State of Texas
State Rep. Joe Straus, Dist. 121 is seeking re-election as speaker of the house.

When the 150 members of the Texas House of Representatives gavel into session Tuesday, Republican Speaker Joe Straus will be looking to keep his seat as the top man; to do so he only needs a simple majority: 76 votes.

However, he does have a challenger: Republican David Simpson from Longview. It is only Simpson's second term as a representative, but the former businessman was also mayor of the City of Avinger in 1993.

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Texas Legislature
7:23 am
Tue January 8, 2013

Lawmakers Begin 83rd Legislature Mindful Of Last Session

Credit Wikipedia Commons

Lawmakers are back under the dome of the Texas Capitol for a new session for a new age in politics, with the reminder of what happened two years ago in the back of their minds.

Two years ago, education funding was slashed by $5.4 billion, the use of the state’s emergency "rainy day" fund was frowned upon, and a controversial Voter ID bill got through both chambers but was found unconstitutional against minority voters by the court system.

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Classical Spotlight
4:42 pm
Mon January 7, 2013

Nicola Benedetti's New Release, 'The Silver Violin,' Is Pure Gold

State Budget
3:44 pm
Mon January 7, 2013

Combs Estimates $100 Billion In Revenue For 2014-2015 Budget

Credit State of Texas
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Susan Combs

According to State Comptroller Susan Combs, Texas lawmakers will have will have $101.4 billion to work with during the next legislative session. Combs said the estimated $96 billion in revenue from taxes, fees and other sources is up nearly $20 billion from previous years.

"General revenue collections in 2008 and 2009 -- leading into the [legislative] session -- totaled $79.6 billion," Combs said.  "In 2010 - 2011, as we hit bottom and began to climb out the revenues were $4.5 billion less."

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Craft Brewers
1:13 pm
Mon January 7, 2013

Branchline Brewing Company Introduced To San Antonio Beer Scene

Credit Laura Ard
(From Left to Right) Jason Ard, head brewer Les Locke and employee JC Norris all pose inside the brewery where Branchline beer will be made.

Craft brewing companies have provided plenty of fun to beer fans, and according to a report by University of Texas at San Antonio economics professor Scott Metzger (who also happens to run his very own brewery, Freetail Brewing Company) have generated $608 million in the Lone Star State.

Metzger estimates that by 2020, the industry will generate $5.6 billion, a figure he calls conservative.

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8:30 am
Mon January 7, 2013

Lance Armstrong Considers Doping Admission To Limit Damage

Lead in text: 
A New York Times article reveals that the cyclist is facing mounting pressure from his support network -- which includes wealthy donors to his Livestrong foundation -- to clear his conscious and admit to using performance-enhancing drugs. The article also points out that Armstrong has been wanting to compete in triathlons and other events; events that usually adhere to World Anti-Doping Code regulations, from which he has received a lifetime ban.
Lance Armstrong, who this fall was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping and barred for life from competing in all Olympic sports, has told associates and antidoping officials that he is considering publicly admitting that he used banned performance-enhancing drugs and blood transfusions during his cycling career, according to several people with direct knowledge of the situation.
KPAC Blog: Itinerarios
3:43 pm
Sat January 5, 2013

Olivia Gorra: Still The Pride Of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz

It was 10 years ago that I met the remarkable Mexican soprano Olivia Gorra, at the 2003 Festival Internacional de Cervantino. She had just made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Turandot, with more performances to come.

The pride of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Olivia performed an outdoor program at Guanajuato's Alhondiga which was capped off by a rousing set with her fellow Veracruzanos, the folkloric ensemble Tlen Huicani. Despite her numerous opera house successes, I doubt she has ever had them dancing in the aisles at the Met.

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World Music
4:30 pm
Fri January 4, 2013

World Music Celebrations: Epiphany

Credit Wikipedia
Italian "Befane"

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 weekend marks the official end of the Christmas season for many cultures.

The Epiphany is celebrated around the world in many different ways. This day marks the manifestation of the Son of God as a human being in Jesus Christ. It’s also the day marked by the visitation of the Three Kings to the infant Jesus.

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