Updated 6:58

By Matthew Waller
Scripps Newspapers

AUSTIN — A new lawsuit aims to force the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association get $600 million from insurance companies, money that the suit says has been wrongfully levied against policyholders.

Attorney Mark Kincaid said he filed the suit Monday morning in Travis County on behalf of Corpus Christi resident Ramiro Gamboa, and Gamboa is also seeking up to $100,000 in damages.

The lawsuit may be among the first of its kind.

“Plaintiff Ramiro Gamboa seeks relief because TWIA and its board of directors have failed to properly assess the excess loss resulting from Hurricane Ike, in the amount of approximately $600 million, and have shifted that cost onto policyholders instead of the member insurance companies,” the lawsuit states.

The windstorm association did not respond Monday to calls with requests for comment.

Texas legislators...

By Matthew Waller
AUSTIN — Fighting news reports, a leading lawmaker on transportation funding asserted he isn’t calling for a fuel tax increase and he does favor straight-forward budgeting.

State Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, said Monday a radio journalist misrepresented him while he spoke to the San Antonio Mobility Coalition as advocating for a gasoline tax hike. The reporter corrected the story.

After the story ran on WOAI-AM’s website, tea party advocate Terri Hall, who specializes in anti-toll road efforts, wrote a blog post for the San Antonio Express-News that attacked Darby for wanting an increase in fuel taxes and disparaging diversions.

“Darby sits on the House Appropriations Committee so he and his fellow budget writers want to increase taxes to make up for the shortfalls rather than discipline the use of the taxes we already send to Austin or cut spending,” Hall wrote.

...

AUSTIN — If Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, the Republican candidate for governor, is elected, he may be the first Catholic governor the state has had in more than 150 years.

The first Catholic governor of the state was Sam Houston in 1859, and he was baptized into the Catholic Church because of Mexican law requirements before Texas was a state. (He also joined a Baptist church before becoming governor).

Frank Lubbock, who got the governorship in 1861, was baptized into the Catholic Church to marry. He was waiting for the public wedding announcement, or “bans,” to be published when he made his decision.

“My wife’s family were all Catholics,” he wrote in his memoir. “When we waited upon the priest for arrangements to have the bans published in the church, he questioned me as to my faith and certificates of baptism. I told him my father was brought up in the Church of England and my...

By Matthew Waller
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas is a state that loves its history. From the heroes of the Alamo to the founding dates of churches, the stories of how Texans have lived and died spell pride for its residents.

Sometimes, however, the facts that grace a Texas historical marker are wrong.

After at least one error was found on a recently unveiled marker in Corpus Christi, a Texas Historical Commission staff member said about three or four of the 300 plaques that go up across the state annually might have errors.

The state has about 16,000 plaques detailing everything from famous figures to battle scenes, which works out to about 160 factual errors over the years. Each plaque costs about $1,800 to replace entirely.

Errors can run from misspellings of people’s names to incorrect dates.

“It does happen from time to time that someone will come up with information that wasn’t...

The Huffington Post took aim at Beth Cubriel, the executive director of the Texas Republican Party, who said women should be better negotiators for their jobs rather than worry about getting equal pay through legislation. The remarks come after RedState Women, an activist organization of GOP women lobbyists and staffers, said Texas doesn’t need more laws either.

State Rep. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, pulled away from a Houston C Club debate with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst over the lieutenant governor’s race because he doesn’t think the debate should be private. Bob Garrett reports here.

Down in California, meanwhile, Gov. Rick Perry has gone back to gunning for California companies, trying to get them to come to Texas.

A new group is pushing to get Republican Party support among Texas women, an organization born out of a reaction to the gubernatorial campaign of Fort Worth Democrat state Sen. Wendy Davis.

The RedState Women PAC (RSW) launched Wednesday, and the group plans to “highlight the personal stories and experiences of women while also communicating the important role that Republican women play in the success of the Lone Star State,” a release states.

The group may tackle topics including education, health care and the economy.

“RSW represents a variety of life experiences and reflects the Texas spirit of strength and independence,” RedState Women Executive Director Cari Christman said. “From entrepreneurs to CEO moms who manage households, Texas’ women are influential to our state’s business success, social environment, and political arena. Clearly, the core principles of the Republican...

Texas governor candidates lashed out at each other Monday with accusations against the Republican of dodging equal pay for women concerns, and claims against the Democrat of muddling financial ties between work and public service. My story here.

A state representative is asking the Texas attorney general whether cities’ plastic bag bans are legal. The Texas Tribune story here.

Speaking at a SXSW event, “National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden blasted the U.S. government Monday for "setting fire to the future of the Internet” with its massive data-collection program that has triggered a worldwide debate over online snooping,“ Mike Ward reports for the Houston Chronicle.

By Matthew Waller

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas governor candidates lashed out at each other Monday with accusations against the Republican of dodging equal pay for women concerns, and claims against the Democrat of muddling financial ties between work and public service.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate state Sen. Wendy Davis, of Fort Worth, said Republican candidate Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott had dodged the question of whether he would’ve done as Gov. Rick Perry and vetoed a bill aimed to strengthen equal pay for women.

“Greg Abbott needs to stop dodging and give a straight answer about his opposition to the Texas Equal Pay Act,” Davis said in a statement. “Hardworking Texans deserve to know if he believes in this simple principle: a full day’s work is worth a full day’s pay no matter what your gender. With more families than ever before relying on two incomes, they can’t afford...

The Texas Tribune looks into documents it was given, alleging that Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and at least one other lawmaker believed that money going to attorneys who were representing storm victims was getting funneled to Democrat causes. Dewhurst also wanted the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association wanted to try more cases than settle them.

Peggy Fikac in the Houston Chronicle asks {here](http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/texas/article/Does-lackluster-primary-turnout-signal-soured-5302378.php): “Does lackluster primary turnout signal soured dreams for Democrats?”

Democrats are hoping, meanwhile, that Republicans will make themselves unappealing by going too far right, but it doesn’t seem to be happening yet. The Dallas Morning News has the write-up here.

The New York Times surmises that the tea party still has strength in Texas, this week’s election night showed.

Two more abortion clinics closed in Texas as a result of abortion restrictions and regulations passed in the last legislative session. The Texas Tribune story here.

State Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, may have work to do in South Texas, given that a virtually unknown candidate, Ray Madrigal, beat her in some counties. Davis’ crew, however, have noted that she still got more votes there than Republican gubernatorial candidate Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. Houston Chronicle story here.