By BJ Austin, KERA News
Dallas, TX – The population of Texas grew 20.6% over the past decade to 25 million residents. The new, 2010 Census figures were released today.
The growth means Texas will get FOUR additional seats in Congress - more than any other state.
Dallas Republican Party Chair Jonathan Neerman says North Texas will likely get a new congressional seat -- Collin County and the area "north". And all other districts will change in some way.
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Neerman: I mean there will be downstream effect and I don't think there's any congressional seat that will go untouched. You can't have four new seats in Texas without lines being redrawn statewide. The question will be where the new seats are drawn and where the new districts will be. And my guess is it will be in the north, in Central Texas and then in South Texas.
Dallas Democratic leaders say the Texas Speaker's race is all important in the play for political power during redistricting. The Speaker directs state lawmakers in the redrawing of the election maps after every Census.
McKinney conservative Republican Ken Paxton is among those challenging moderate Republican Joe Strauss for the Speaker's job.
Farmers Branch Council To Consider New School District
Farmers Branch City Council members are expected to decide tonight if they will put creation of a "Farmers Branch School District" before the voters.
Mayor Tim O'Hare introduced the idea. State law requires a new school district to have eight thousand students. Preliminary census figures put Farmers Branch nearly three thousand short. O'Hare says that could be overcome.
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O'Hare: I believe if you have the excitement and energy and the hope of a new school district being formed here in Farmers Branch over the next couple of years, I think you would see an influx of people with school age children who would want to be part of a new district. If not, then you can always look at changing things through the Legislature on what the threshold requirements are.
O'Hare has disagreed with what he calls "far-left" policies of the current district.
School Board president Lynn Chaffin says it's a bad idea to split the district, which earned "recognized" status this year, the second highest rating.
The school district referendum would be "non-binding" - meaning it would not "legally require" the city to create the district.
Toy Roundup Needed To Help FW Cowboy Santas
Fort Worth's Cowboy Santas are in trouble, and asking for help.
Program director Carol Brown says the toy shelves are nearly bare, and there are at least five thousand children still in the pipeline to get gifts. The distribution began Monday.
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Brown: We're serving more children and families this year. And I guess because of the economy most of our major donors have had to cut their major donations in half. We're just not getting toys and donations in like we've done in the past.
Toys and books for children under 12, as well as monetary donations can be dropped off at any Fort Worth police or fire station - and at the Cowboy Santas warehouse at Grove and E. 7th downtown.
The deadline is 7pm December 23rd. Brown says they're depending on the generosity of citizens.
Highway Interchange Re-Do Forces Closure
The main lanes of Highway 114 will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday nights between Loop 12 and Cistercian Road - near the old Texas Stadium site.
TxDOT crews will place new bridge beams for the Tom Braniff U-turn. Traffic will be routed to the frontage roads. The work is scheduled from 9pm to 6am.
It's part of the 224 million dollar re-make of the Loop 12/114 interchange - to be completed in March 2013.