By Maxine Shapiro, KERA 90.1 business commentator

Dallas, TX – Can someone please come to the rescue of the Texas Homeowner? Insurance prices have doubled, policies are dropping like flies and the state legislature doesn't reconvene until the middle of January. Even the fact that the State Attorney General's office announced yesterday that Texas is suing a leading insurance company won't change the current calamity. I'm Maxine Shapiro with KERA Marketplace Middays.

By Bill Zeeble, KERA 90.1 reporter

Dallas, TX – Bill Zeeble, KERA 90.1 reporter: Lucia Alcocer, who lives in Carrollton, says she got to spend about 20 minutes at Methodist Hospital with her brother Luciano, before authorities took him into custody. He told her it was almost impossible to breathe in the sweltering truck, so the group broke open boxes looking for tubes to get air in the trailer. It worked because the compartment contained medical supplies.

By Maxine Shapiro, KERA 90.1 business commentator

Dallas, TX – My gosh, forgive my Pollyanna view, but why can't some of the cities of North Texas work together? It's a given that most communities would like to grow and a surefire way is through economic development. But at the cost of your neighbors? I don't think so. I'm Maxine Shapiro with KERA Marketplace Middays.

By Jennifer Nagorka, KERA 90.1 commentator

Dallas, TX – Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Phillips has a gift for the people of Texas. The Republican, who leads the state's highest civil court, has pledged not to raise money, or do big "media buys," during his fall re-election campaign. It's his way of protesting Texas' method of selecting judges, a process that is absurd - not to mention expensive, obsolete, unfair and prone to abuse.

By Maxine Shapiro, KERA 90.1 business 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 Middays.

By Maxine Shapiro, KERA 90.1 business commentator

Dallas, TX – A new survey was implemented this year to help us get a pulse on just what Texas Business Leaders are thinking and seeing in their own industry. It's a confidence survey and you might be mildly surprised to hear how confident or not these Business Leaders are. I'm Maxine Shapiro with KERA Marketplace Middays.

By Maxine Shapiro, KERA 90.1 business commentator

Dallas, TX – Every year the Dallas Business Journal compiles many lists that assist us in getting a better view of the Dallas/Fort Worth business landscape. You might be interested in their most recent list, The Largest Metroplex Private-Sector Employers. So, who are these companies and how has this list changed from last year? I'm Maxine Shapiro with KERA Marketplace Middays.

By Maxine Shapiro, KERA 90.1 business commentator

Dallas, TX – TV advertising. Most of us comment more on the ads then we do the programs that surround them. We love 'em, we hate 'em, we judge 'em. A lot has changed since 1945 when television entered the scene, challenging the ad agencies' control over programming. Control is gone, but the costs are running away. I'm Maxine Shapiro with KERA Marketplace Middays.

By Maxine Shapiro, KERA 90.1 business commentator

Dallas, TX – I love weekends. Besides for the obvious reasons, those two little days really help put things in perspective. And Monday comes and everything is fresh and new. Okay, I'm just talking about the stock market and I'm just talking about this week. I'm Maxine Shapiro with KERA Marketplace Middays.

By Tom Dodge, KERA 90.1 commentator

Dallas, TX – I know of someone in Arizona who needed hernia surgery, went to a doctor and bargained a reasonable fee, then paid for the surgery out of his own pocket.

I was thinking about going to Arizona as I struggled to beat my way through the virtually impenetrable bureaucratic jungle of health care in order to get an emergency appointment with a retina specialist. If I had given up after my first try I would have been justified in calling it Health Uncare.