TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalTexas governor gives failed elections nominee new job
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas' former elections chief who resigned ahead of being forced out of office this week over wrongly questioning the U.S. citizenship of scores of voters is returning to a job under Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, his office told a newspaper Friday.
The Dallas Morning News reported that David Whitley's new job as a special adviser will pay him a salary of $205,000.
Whitley served less than six months as secretary of state. He stepped down Monday as it became clear that Democrats in the Texas Legislature would deny him the confirmation vote needed to continue serving.
Whitley is a longtime Abbott aide who had previously been his deputy chief of staff before the governor picked him in December to become the state's chief election officer.
Read more: http://www.startribune.com/texas-governor-gives-failed-elections-nominee-new-job/510690312/
US House committee to hear bill proposing DC statehood
WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform is set to hold a hearing on a bill proposing Washington, D.C., be recognized as the nation's 51st state.
WTOP-FM reports District Mayor Muriel Bowser and Democratic Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton on Thursday announced the July 24 hearing. The last full House committee hearing on a District statehood bill was in 1993.
The bill seeks to have the city "admitted to the Union on equal footing with the other states."
It calls for districtwide elections of two senators and one House representative. It says all district territory would be included in the declaration, save for specific exclusions of federal buildings and monuments such as the White House.
Read more: http://www.startribune.com/us-house-committee-to-hear-bill-proposing-dc-statehood/510657212/
Contracts for 13,000 nurses at Twin Cities hospitals expiring with no new deal
Labor contracts covering 13,000 Twin Cities hospital nurses expired Friday without new agreements as their union negotiators continued to press for new deals with pay increases, safeguards against workplace violence and other benefits.
The expiration was something of a formality, as the old contracts remain in effect and nurses remain on the job while talks continue between the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) and 14 hospitals.
However, it also marks a sense of futility in the citywide negotiations not seen since summer 2010, when a prolonged contract showdown over staffing led to a one-day strike by 12,000 nurses.
"It's very disappointing that we're here again," said Angela Becchetti, a registered nurse at Abbott Northwestern Hospital and part of the MNA's bargaining team with Allina Health.
Read more: http://www.startribune.com/contracts-for-13-000-nurses-at-twin-cities-hospitals-expire-with-no-new-deal/510693542/
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Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
Home country: United States
Current location: Bryan, Texas
Member since: Sun Aug 14, 2011, 03:57 AM
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