Managing editor, Austin American-Statesman
John Bridges is the managing editor of the Austin American-Statesman. An American-Statesman employee for more than 20 years, he previously served as the newspaper's senior editor for local and state news, national editor, news editor, metro editor and sports editor. His duties include oversight of PolitiFact Texas.
The latest Truth-O-Meter items from John Bridges
Says it's "estimated that 300 babies a year are sent home from the hospital with an unrecognized congenital heart defect; it is the most common birth defect in America."
Says Texas high school graduates must pass Algebra II to be eligible for automatic admission to state's public universities.
Says that according to a report, "the tech sector now drives more than one-quarter of Austin’s economy."
Says nearly 1 million people are "coming to town" in the next 20 years.
Says "we" have put more boots on the U.S.-Mexico border "than at any time in our history, and illegal crossings are down by nearly 80 percent from their peak in 2000."
"The economy added more jobs during four years under Obama than it did in the entire eight years under George W. Bush."
"Over the last 10 years, Texas created 33 percent of the net new jobs nationwide."
Says that under Rick Perry’s plan, "Texas has cut funding for public schools by 25%."
Says only about 250 Texans have been killed in action since 9/11.
Says proponents of a bond package for the Austin school district say the district has the second-lowest bond tax rate "among the Central Texas area school districts."
Recent stories from John Bridges
Rick Perry, Sam Houston, slavery--and the Boy ScoutsRick Perry, exhorting the Boy Scouts to continue excluding gays, analogized to Sam Houston and slavery on the eve of the Civil War. We wondered about that.
Mayor warns of 1 million people “coming to town”Lee Leffingwell said 1 million additional people are "coming to town." We took that to mean Austin.
UPDATED: Grading Texas claims by, and about, Barack ObamaThe president’s one-day swing to the Austin area gave rise to fact checks of, and about, him.
Mailbag: PolitiFact Texas's pants are on fireWe blew it, readers say, in rating Pants on Fire a claim about science and greenhouse gas emissions.
Obama, Perry, Hinojosa and jobs, jobs, jobsBarack Obama came and went. Rick Perry and a leader of Texas Democrats took the occasion to loft jobs-related claims--now fact-checked.
Top 10 PolitiFact checks of claims by, and about, Barack Obama as he hies to TexasWhat better way to welcome Obama to Central Texas than walking through the most popular PolitiFact fact checks of, or about, him this year--plus they include a 2012 check of Romney.
Mailbag: PolitiFact Texas proves facts ‘are irrelevant to what you do’A Texas congressman is silly, one reader writes. PolitiFact Texas writes as if facts are irrelevant, another says. Let’s open the mailbag.
Cartoonist incorrect about last state inspection of Texas plantA California editorial cartoonist said the state of Texas last inspected the plant in West in 2006. That’s not so.
More voters turned out for Austin election of '73 than for latest election with mayor's race?Bee Moorhead tweeted about Austin's local voter turnout being worse of late than in, say, 1973. Get out!
Most Texas government workers got no pay raise from 2009 to 2012An employees group says most state workers got no raises from 2009 to 2012. That checked out.
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