Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

For the past three years in Texas, news reports have revealed that dozens of innocent people have been convicted of violent crimes they didn’t commit. At least 38 men in Texas spent decades in prison based on wrongful convictions and the state will now make compensation payments for these exonerees.

As the morning commuter train rattled down the track, Chinu Sharma, an office worker, enjoyed the absence of men. Some of them pinch and grope women on trains, or shout insults and catcalls, she said. Her friend Vandana Rohile agreed and widened her eyes in mock imitation.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus unveiled an $856 billion health-care reform plan Wednesday that would require nearly all Americans to carry health insurance while barring insurance companies from discriminating against people based on their health status or denying coverage because of preexisting conditions.

Plastic soda bottles, Big Gulp cups and empty sour cream containers get fed into the top of the three-story machine. About 10 minutes later, out the other side comes a light-brown synthetic oil that can be converted into fuel for a truck or a jet airplane.

As health-care legislation advances through Congress, the young adults who were so vital to President Obama's election are emerging as a significant beneficiary of his top domestic priority, but they are also likely to play a major role in funding any reform.

A divided City Council on Tuesday gave $200,000 to a local nonprofit to help train hundreds of low-income residents for jobs in health care, education and technology -- all areas of high need in El Paso.

Community colleges serve a critical role as the gateway to higher education for Latino students, a federal education official stressed to a group of educators Friday.

Health department asking day cares to voluntarily report absences as health officials seek new surveillance tools uncover flu.

This past spring, the Texas Legislature chose not to expand the state's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). For those of us who are dedicated to creating communities of healthy children, this was disappointing — a detriment not only to the health of Texas' children but also to the future well-being of our entire state. While this and the current discussion about health care reform might foster cynicism, especially for the more than 9 million children and 37 million adults estimated to be lacking medical insurance, it's important to remember that organizations in the private sector are taking innovative steps to serve otherwise underserved populations.

The governor is dabbling in — meddling with, some would say — your higher education system.

In two recent examples, we believe Gov. Rick Perry was within his authority (if less than candid) on one and way out of bounds on the other.

The city government is going green to save some green.

Solar panels were recently installed at seven city-run indoor pools to heat the water. The estimated savings are $1.5 million in energy costs over 10 years, said city General Services Director Stuart Ed, whose department spearheaded the project.

UTEP students seeking master's degrees in business administration soon will be able to mingle with bankers and other Downtown executives.

Starting in October, the University of Texas at El Paso is moving its College of Business Administration MBA programs to the Chase Building.

The day after Gov. Rick Perry announced plans to deploy Texas Ranger teams to the border, local law enforcement officials said they were skeptical about whether the initiative would do any good.

Long-term unemployment can work on a man's nerves.

Being rejected time and time again can rob anyone of self-esteem, but for many this recession has hit particularly hard.

Recapturing the energy of his brightest days on the campaign trail, President Obama attempted Saturday to pull his signature health-care initiative out of the summer doldrums with a plea for help from thousands of his most dedicated supporters.

The number of immigrants applying to become U.S. citizens plunged 62 percent last year as the cost of naturalization rose and the economy soured, according to an analysis released Friday by the National Council of La Raza, a Latino advocacy organization.

House Democratic leaders plan to vote early next week on whether to formally admonish Rep. Joe Wilson unless the South Carolina Republican apologizes on the House floor for interrupting President Obama's address to Congress by yelling "You lie!"

As America endures the Great Recession, federal and state budget cuts are forcing local communities to prioritize need, optimize services, and reassess cost-sharing across governmental entities. With a $10- to 13-billion deficit facing the state of Texas next session, local communities will all need to look at doing more with less.

Dear Mr. President,

I wanted to write a few final words to you to express my gratitude for your repeated personal kindnesses to me — and one last time, to salute your leadership in giving our country back its future and its truth.

The Environmental Protection Agency says many of the air pollution rules that Texas uses to control its industry don't comply with the Clean Air Act.