Joan Huffman has defeated Chris Bell in the SD 17 State Senate special election!

From the Houston Chronicle:

HOUSTON — A former Harris County felony court judge won a runoff with former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell on Tuesday to fill a state Senate seat left open by a retiring Republican.

Joan Huffman, 52, a Republican, had 24,431 votes, or 56 percent, in complete, unofficial returns. Bell, a Democrat, had 19,104, or 44 percent.

KBTX has the story:

Dr. Emily Sparvero, a sports finance professor in the Department of Health & Kinesiology, will serve as faculty adviser. Sparvero volunteered for the position after the group's adviser John Fike resigned.

From a news release I received today:

Today 710 KURV joins the massive effort to petition President George W. Bush to commute the sentences of Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean before he leaves office.

710 KURV believes that these decorated agents have been punished enough for the shooting of an admitted and now convicted drug smuggling illegal alien.

We've got concealed carry.

One group wants concealed carry on campus.

But what about the idea of OPEN CARRY IN TEXAS?  Personally, I'm all for it.  I never felt safer during my internship in the DC area than the time I went to dinner with a dear friend in Alexandria, Virginia and strapped right on his side was his most prized posession...a handgun!

WOAI has the story:

State Rep. Joe Straus (R-Alamo Heights) has filed a measure that would ban straight ticket voting in the state of Texas.  In the status quo it's common for voters to pay little to no attention to down ballot races like judges, county commissioners, city commissioners, mayoral races and even state representatives!

Voters should be encouraged to learn about CANDIDATES not to vote straight ticket.

On November 19, Dallas City Council members will meet and vote on proposed new restrictions on the city's smoking ordinance. This is the second time in half a decade that anti-smoking proposals have been brought before the council to be voted on. The fundamental problem with smoking bans is their infringement on the free market, and the rights of both business owners and consumers. Not to mention the negative effect further restrictions will have on the local economy.

It's not all about McCain-Palin and Obama-Biden, folks! 

Some of the most important races are happening in your house districts!

At UTPA students rocked the vote with an event to boost voter turnout and meet the candidates.

Escamilla, 36, said he looked at both candidates carefully before he cast his ballot, deciding McCain was the better choice.

From San Antonio's WOAI:

Perry blasts federal inaction, announces new programs to fight Mexican drug gangs in Texas

Colleges students have been eager to complain about the rising cost of tuition, but students at the University of North Texas last week voted to hike their per-hour fees to pay for a new football field. Of course, they actually voted for a fee that won’t go into effect until at least the fall of 2011 – when most of them will be long gone.

There's a lot of buzz about the national elections this year, but don't forget about the important statewide races, too!

YCT is proud to announce our endorsement of Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson, for re-election as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas.

Chief Justice Jefferson has done a great job serving the people of Texas and is an inspiration and history maker as the first African American Justice and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas.

His experience makes him an outstanding candidate for the Supreme Court of Texas.