AUSTIN ­—

Three Republican

gubernatorial candidates will face each other in a live broadcast debate Jan. 14.

Two-term Gov. Rick Perry, three-term U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, and former Wharton County Republican Party chair Debra Medina will engage in debate at the Murchison Performing Arts Center on the University of North Texas campus in Denton.

The broadcast will be distributed at no charge to all commercial and public radio and television stations statewide as a public service, courtesy of the Texas Association of Broadcasters.

Ruling clears way to pardon

Attorney General Greg Abbott on Jan. 7 ruled that the Texas Constitution authorizes the governor to grant a posthumous pardon, and allows the state Board of Pardons and Paroles to recommend that the governor grant a posthumous pardon.

On the day of the ruling Gov. Perry issued the following statement: “I’m pleased to learn that the attorney general’s ruling has opened the door to the ability to grant posthumous pardons. I have spoken with Tim Cole’s mother about this good news, which finally gives his family the opportunity to officially clear his name. I hope the Board of Pardons and Paroles will act swiftly in sending a recommendation to my desk so that justice can finally be served.”

In July, State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, asked Abbott for the attorney general opinion on behalf of Cole’s family.

Cole died in prison on Dec. 2, 1999, while serving a 25-year sentence for a rape he did not commit. DNA evidence proved Cole’s innocence. He was exonerated by a Texas court posthumously on Feb. 6, 2009.

Gov. Perry did not pardon the deceased man earlier, because, he said, he was prevented by the state constitution and a prior attorney general ruling.

Holocaust agency appointees

Texas House Speaker Joe Straus on Jan. 6 announced appointees to the newly formed Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission.

“I am proud of the support in the House for the creation of the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission,” Straus said in a news release.

“The Commission will honor the memory of those lost as well as help guide organizations and educators as they teach the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides to the next generation.”