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Topping our list of news headliens from across the great state of Texas: DPS implements new security measures at the Texas Capitol building. Gov. Rick Perry has named the Texas Secretary of State as the Texas Census Ambassador. And state officials are prediciting an 11-billion dollar state budget shortfall.

Starting in Austin, at the state capitol: The American Statesman reports that new security measures are now in place at the capitol building, some of which will be obvious, and others which will be much less obvious. Visitors to the Texas capitol building will probably notice an increased police presence, including bomb-sniffing dogs on patrol, and bicycle patrols around the outside of the capitol. But internally, other measures have been taken by DPS, which is in charge of security at the capitol, including additional training for officers and a new email alert system for all employees inside the building, designed to notify them of any emergency. DPS and other state officials are still debating whether metal detectors and x-ray machines need to be added to the entrances of the capitol building. DPS is also recommending that all but 2 entrances into the building be closed to the public, and that the metal detectors and x-rays be used at the 2 public entrances. The new security measures began following an incident last month when a man fired several shots outside the capitol building after he was asked to leave a state senator’s office.

In other state news: Texas Governor Rick Perry announced yesterday that he’s naming Texas’ Secretary of State, Hope Andrade, the ambassador for the 2010 Texas Census. Andrade will now travel the state over the next few weeks and months, encouraging residents to fill out the census forms they receive in the mail. Perry says it’s in Texas’ best interest to have as many residents as possible counted in the Census, since those numbers are then used by the federal government to allocate tax dollars back to the state. Plus there are political implications from the census, which will likely cause at least 2 new congressional seats to be created, once the new population data is used for redistricting. Census officials are calling on residents to take 10 minutes to answer 10 questions that will be used for the next 10 years, and you should start seeing those census forms in the mail as early as this week.

Experts say more jobs are being created and sales tax revenues are increasing in Texas, but higher-than-estimated Medicaid caseloads will likely exacerbate a state budget shortfall. The State Comptroller’s office says early figures show sales tax collections dropped nearly 9% last month compared to February of 09. But that dip is smaller than the double-digit decreases that hurt Texas for the last few months of 09. And Texas added over 30-thousand jobs in January. But House Appropriations Committee members Monday said an 11-billion dollar budget shortfall is predicted for the next two year budget cycle.

Out of San Antonio: As spring approaches, the Texas AgriLife Extension Office is encouraging residents in this region to get out and garden. And they are offering a free program on how to spruce up your lawn, which is probably full of weeds after the wet winter, among other tips on greening up the space around your home. That free program is set for March 30th, from 6 to 8pm, at the AgriLife Extension Office in northwest San Antonio, on Cherry Ridge Drive. The program will cover lawn maintenance, common turf diseases, lawn pests and pesticide, and fertilizing tips. To RSVP a seat, call 210-467-6575.

And finally: If you’re planning a fishing trip for this weekend, you may want to avoid the Neches River in East Texas. A fish advisory is now in effect for portions of the Neches River that run through 7 east Texas counties. The Texas Department of State Health Services issued the advisory on Monday, warning fishermen to limit their consumption of flathead catfish, freshwater drum, gar, largemouth bass, spotted bass, and white bass from the Neches River. The advisory area runs through Angelina, Hardin, Houston, Jasper, Polk, Trinity and Tyler counties. The advisory was issued after lab testing showed elevated levels of mercury in fish samples from those 6 species. And regular ingestion of those mercury compounds can harm the human brain and nervous system. 

Topping our list of South-Central Texas news: Seguin Firefighters are taking the civil service issue back to the voters, despite a failed effort several years ago. We’ll also look at a 6-year South-Central Texas drug-bust operation, the Texas Attorney General is warning parents about a dangerous website for kids, and San Marcos is the home this weekend of the “World Series of Barbershop Singing.”

Starting in Seguin: The Gazette reports that the issue of Civil Service for Seguin city firefighters will be headed to a vote this May, after the Seguin Professional Firefighters Association successfully turned in enough signatures on a petition before yesterday’s 5pm deadline. Voters in Seguin have already turned down civil service once before in 2004, when the issue was defeated by nearly 750 votes. And firefighters may be climbing an uphill battle this time around, with Seguin officials fighting the proposal, saying it would cost between 600 and 700-thousand dollars to implement, and would put 50 city employees in a different class than the rest of the city’s 300 workers. And city officials say that if voters approve civil service for firefighters, it would amount to a 6-cent increase on their city property tax rate. But firefighters maintain that civil service is the best way to create fairness for department employees when it comes to hiring, firing, and promotions. Seguin City Council will now have to formally approve the May 8th special election, which will likely come at their March 16th regular council meeting.

Now to Austin: The American Statesman reports that Operation Kumbaya is nearing its end. The 6-year, multi-agency operation has made 17 arrests over the years, plus 14 kilograms of cocaine, multiple firearms, and nearly 400-thousand dollars in cash. A total of 13 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies have helped throughout the 6-year operation, and now a federal grand jury has issued indictments for the 17 people that have been arrested, as part of a drug operation that moved the cocaine and cash through Austin, Dallas, Mexico, and Birmingham Alabama. The operation also uncovered 13 safe-houses through South and Central Texas, including 11 in Austin, 1 in Pflugerville, and 1 in Hays County.

The Texas Attorney General’s Office is warning parents about an increasingly popular website that gives users, including possible sex offenders, the opportunity to video chat live with randomly selected participants. Officials say ChatRoulette.com users are paired with a random stranger for a video chat, and a login and registration are not required to come face-to-face with a total stranger. The AG’s Cyber Crimes Unit investigation revealed that nearly half of the randomly selected users immediately expose themselves and conducted sexually explicit acts on camera. The Texas Attorney General’s Office says parents should prohibit their children from accessing ChatRoulette.com.

And finally, out of San Marcos: The Daily Record reports that a host of barbershop quartets and other choral groups will gather this weekend at Texas State University for the Heart of Texas Chorus convention and competition. This Friday and Saturday, the 12th and 13th, at Evans Auditorium at Texas State, you’ll be able to hear dozens of choral groups trying to harmonize their way to a win in what’s often called the “World Series of Barbershop Singing.” The highlight of the convention and competition is Saturday night’s Showcase of Champions featuring the winners of the quartet and chorus contests. That show starts at 7:30 Saturday night at Evans Auditorium on the Texas State University Campus. Tickets are $15in advance, $20 at the door. Log on to swd.org for more information.