By DD Ismail , Gallery Watch.com

Austin, TX – After Gov. Rick Perry officially declared insurance issues and medical malpractice reform emergency items to be addressed by the state legislature, Sen. Troy Fraser (R-Horseshoe Bay) filed the first insurance related bill in the Senate this session. SB 310 aims to regulate insurance company claims and decrease the cost of homeowner's coverage.

By Maxine Shapiro, KERA 90.1 business commentator

Dallas, TX – So what's going on now; the progress and follow-up on some stories that caught our eye. I'm Maxine Shapiro with KERA Marketplace Midday.

By J. Lyn Carl , Gallery Watch.com

Austin, TX – - It's gut-check time in the Texas Senate.

There was a lot of posturing and a lot of rhetoric during the fall about how to handle the state's budget problems. "This is where the rubber meets the road," says Austin political consultant Tony Proffitt.

The legislature now knows the state revenue estimate...and knows that through the remainder of the current fiscal year and for the next biennium, the state faces a nearly $10 billion shortfall. The hand wringing is over and the #2 pencils are out.

By Maxine Shapiro, KERA 90.1 business commentator

Dallas, TX – TV ads: we love 'em, we hate 'em, we watch 'em, and we usually discuss them more than the programming. Do they work? Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. I'm Maxine Shapiro with KERA Marketplace Midday.

By Maxine Shapiro, KERA 90.1 Commentator

Dallas, TX – It's Friday, so "It's Only Money," a review of the big and not-so-big stories of the week. I'm Maxine Shapiro with KERA Marketplace Midday.

By James Mardis, KERA 90.1 Commentator

Dallas, TX – There are two factors that make the President's stance against considering ethnicity as a factor in the admissions process so offensive: history and clarity.

By Suzanne Sprague, KERA 90.1 Reporter

Dallas, TX – Suzanne Sprague, KERA 90.1 reporter: As workers prepare the galleries at SMU's Meadows Museum for the colossal sculptures of James Surls, the artist is perched on a metal ladder, making the final touches to some of his drawings that adorn the galleries' walls. On a very large sheet of white paper, Surls is using a plain ol' magic marker to draw an array of symbols: spirals, a woman's face, and forms that could be flowers or pinwheels. He works deliberately, since he can't erase or start over.

By Maxine Shapiro, KERA 90.1 Commentator

Dallas, TX – "The smile known around the world." That's what they say about Ronald McDonald. Not much to smile about today. I'm Maxine Shapiro with KERA Marketplace Midday.

It was 40 years ago in 1963 when that goofy clown Ronald first started enticing children to pester parents for a burger and fries. It's also when Willard Scott debuted as the first Ronald McDonald. According to McDonald's, Ronald "is second only to Santa Claus in terms of recognition."

By Suzanne Sprague, KERA 90.1 Reporter

Dallas, TX – Suzanne Sprague, KERA 90.1 reporter: Fort Worth political insiders like to distance themselves from their counterparts in Dallas. They describe city council meetings east of the Trinity River as raucous. And, they take pride in "the Fort Worth way," which, by reputation, is a more agreeable style of governing.

Bud Kennedy, columnist, Fort Worth Star Telegram: You know, the Fort Worth city council usually goes along and people go along and get along.

By James W. Walton, D.O.