Former Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle filed Dec. 18 for Lieutenant Governor, the number two statewide elected office.

Gov. Rick Perry today announced a new appointment to the Texas Forensic Science Commission, the agency recently at the center of a controversy regarding the 2004 execution of capital murder convict Cameron Todd Willingham.

Now, Perry has appointed the chief medical examiner for Tarrant, Denton, Johnson, and Parker Counties: Nizam Peerwani. He is a member of the National Association of Medical Examiners, the Texas Medical Association, the Tarrant County Medical Society, and, interestingly, Amnesty International, a global organization known for its opposition to the death penalty.

In today's weekly issue, we not that Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Victor Carrillo filed for re-election. The release from Carrillo's campaign announcing his bid included an update on Carrillo's medical condition, which we post below:

Early last month, Carrillo underwent surgery in the Texas Medical Center in Houston to remove a benign brain tumor. The procedure, performed by an expert medical team, was successful. Carrillo returned to work full-time last week. Chairman Carrillo and his wife of 25 years, joy, greatly appreciate all of the genuine concern and prayers offered up by colleagues, friends and family.

Moments ago Houston Mayor Bill White announced that he is running for Governor of Texas.

White's statement included one veiled jab at Gov. Rick Perry in particular:

I am proud of the people of Texas, and as Governor I will move us forward as America's great state of opportunity. I'll be a Governor who challenges Texans to lead, not leave, the United States.

And another veiled jab at both Republican candidates Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison:

His name is Van Taylor, and he is an Iraq War veteran who served as a U.S. Marine Captain captain, a businessman and a seventh-generation Texan. The announcement released yesterday describes him thus:

A pro-life conservative and Lifetime member of the NRA, Van received the endorsement of the National Right to Life Coalition, the Texas State Rifle Association, and numerous conservative organizations. Taylor has a long history of serving the Republican Party, including attending national conventions, serving as a delegate to Texas Republican State conventions, volunteering on Republican campaigns across Texas and providing financial support to Republican candidates. In Plano, he is a Republican Precinct Chairman and serves on the Collin County Republican Party Executive Committee. Taylor also serves as the state chairman for the National Defense Committee as well as a state Vice Captain for Vets for Freedom.

Said he:

The Austin American Statesman reported today that the Texas Youth Commission's Ombudsman, former Dallas state district judge Catherine S. Evans, has been indicted on a felony criminal charge in Houston County of smuggling a weapon into an East Texas lockup.

Spokeswoman Allison Castle tells LSR that Gov. Rick Perry has accepted Evans' resignation. Said Castle:

Rep. Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi), who chairs the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee, today announced that he will be running for re-election to the Texas House. He represents HD 32, which includes Aransas, Calhoun, San Patricio and part of Nueces County.

Said House Speaker Joe Straus:

On behalf of the staff here at LSR, we would like to wish our readers a Happy Thanksgiving. (Please note that we will not be publishing an issue this week, Nov. 27. Our next issue will be Dec. 4.)

The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts "Welcomes the Competition" from Democrats in the race for re-election, and an El Paso House member has chosen not to run for the Senate.

Today one candidate for Texas Governor unveiled an education plan, another unveiled an education funding plan, and the actual Governor told the Commissioner of Education not to change Texas' education standards in hopes of attaining the federal government's stimulus carrot on an stick.