• Oak Cliff city councilman Scott Griggs says he has the votes to pass a resolution in support of marital rights for gay couples, and the council should vote on his motion sometime in the next six weeks. Mayor Mike Rawlings has no comment on the resolution, reports Rudy Bush at The Morning News, since he is traveling and has not seen it. Oak Cliff’s Delia Jasso, running against Griggs for the District 1 council seat, signed the letter to put the issue in front of the council. Texas, of course, bans gay marriage, and state attorney general Greg Abbott has issued an opinion that the ban means that cities, school districts, and other government agencies can’t offer benefits to same sex partners.
• Know how the home mortgage tax deduction is supposed to be part of the American dream, helping us buy houses and promote neighborhood stability? That’s not necessarily so, says a study from the Pew Charitable Trusts. The report says only a quarter of Americans use the mortgage deduction, mostly higher-income residents of urban areas on the east and west coasts. Nevertheless, it’s the third most expensive tax break in the federal budget.
• The agency that monitors Texas’ electricity grid says we almost ran out power on Monday afternoon, as unseasonably warm temperatures and an unexpected plant closing cut reserves to the minimum. The advisory lasted four hours, but is supposed to be a sign of things to come this summer, given a shortage of power generation and expected increases in demand.
