Cruz, Rubio Gang up on Trump in Raucous Brawl at UH Debate

DEAR BOB, PART II: FANS HAVE SOME ADVICE OF THEIR OWN FOR TEXANS OWNER PAGE C1

Friday, February 26, 2016 | HoustonChronicle.com and Chron.com | Vo l. 115, No. 136 | $1.50 xxx Sunny: High 65, Low 42

CAMPAIGN 2016 HISD: Deep Cruz, Rubio gang up on Trump cuts are in raucous brawl at UH debate coming $107M shortfall could mean positions lost

By Ericka Mellon

Houston’s deputy su- perintendent on Thursday presented the school board with the deepest round of proposed budget cuts since 2011, leaving principals to decide between slashing staff, supplies, field trips or other activities. Ken Huewitt, who transitions to interim su- perintendent next week, called for teachers’ jobs to be spared but said an undetermined number of other positions — some vacant — may be lost to curb a projected $107 million shortfall driven by the state’s funding system. “These cuts will affect the campuses. There’s no way around that,” Huewitt told the board. Gary Coronado / Houston Chronicle Each school in the state’s Marco Rubio, left, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz talk over one another as they all try to answer a question during Thursday night’s largest district would lose Republican presidential primary debate at the University of Houston. $179 per pupil — the equiv- alent of three employees at a 1,000-student campus — ON STAGE: Last chance to confront SCENE: Protesters converge with and funding for gifted stu- front-runner before Super Tuesday cameras in red, white, blue spectacle dents would drop. ›› See additional The proposed cuts also By Kevin Diaz tion,” Cruz said, noting that photos from By Mark Collette “Hey, Trump, let’s be target some of the Hous- while he fought against im- the debate at and Rebecca Elliott clear. Immigrants are ton Independent School Texas Sen. Ted Cruz migration reform in the HoustonChronicle. welcome here,” a group of District’s major reform ef- came in to Thursday Senate, Trump “was firing com/UHdebate While Marco Rubio marchers yelled, breaking forts, indicating a shift at night’s Republican debate Dennis Rodman on ‘Celeb- and Ted Cruz slugged it the quiet of a sunny after- the end of outgoing Super- at the University of Hous- rity Apprentice.’” More stories out with front-runner noon. intendent Terry Grier’s six- ton knowing it might be The CNN debate at the inside Donald Trump during Orlando Lara, a profes- and-a-half-year tenure. For his last, best chance to stop University of Houston’s ›› A panel of the fi ery GOP debate in- sor of Mexican-American example, the teacher bonus Donald Trump before next Moores Opera House also independent experts side the Moores Opera studies at Baytown’s Lee program, once heralded as week’s critical Super Tues- saw ascendant GOP rival convened by the House, protesters heaped College, clutched his among the nation’s largest, day showdown in Texas. Rubio attack Trump on Chronicle analyzes the on plenty of acrimony out- 6-month-old daughter, would all but end, with the He dug in. an array of topics, includ- debate. Page A8 side. Catalina, comforting her last payouts in early 2017. The result was a feisty ing immigration, recalling Crowds numbering in against the shouting. In addition, the extra three-way cage-match fea- that Trump was once fined ›› Poll shows Trump’s the hundreds toted signs Lara, an immigrant, wore money allocated for tutor- turing Cruz and Marco Ru- $1 million for using undoc- negative rating with about guns, immigration, a T-shirt with large block ing and longer hours at a bio tag-teaming on Trump umented foreign workers. Hispanic voters is disabilities, Social Secu- letters: “They can’t deport few dozen low-performing in often personal exchang- “If we build a (bor- rising. Page A4 rity, raising the minimum us all.” campuses, part of Grier’s es that spun out of the mod- der) wall the way he built wage, and health care, but He said Trump’s rheto- signature turnaround erators’ control. Trump Towers, we’ll use ›› Trump hires foreign ire toward Donald Trump ric about raising border program, now would be “I think it’s amazing that illegal immigrant labor to workforce for his seemed to overshadow it walls even higher and spread across the district. Donald believes that he’s do it,” said the U.S. senator Florida club. all, even hours before the shutting out Muslims That change, meant to the one who discovered the from Florida. candidates inside took the had taken him aback, not help a greater number of Page A4 issue of illegal immigra- Cruz continues on A11 stage. Protests continues on A8 HISD continues on A13

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire Ribs, one of three judged categories in Barbecue contest hint of a smile. And maybe an evaluating brisket, ribs and Saturday’s pits teams ardent audible “mmmm” escapes, an chicken. But these smoked- World’s involuntary response when a meat scholars know immedi- Champion about perfect meat judge tastes a succulent hunk ately when a pitmaster is mak- ship Bar-B- of meat. ing magic, said Hunnicutt, a Que contest, By Greg Morago Technically, the judges for longtime judge at the Houston are sampled the World’s Championship Livestock Show and Rodeo’s Thursday at Hap Hunnicutt III can al- Bar-B-Que contest — which premier event. NRG Park. ways tell when a barbecue takes place Saturday at NRG “It gets quiet and you open Brisket and judge encounters an exception- Park — aren’t supposed to up that first box,” he said. “If chicken are al piece of smoked meat. communicate with each other it’s really good, you can tell.” the other Eyes close. Mouth forms a or voice their opinions while Barbecue continues on A12 Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle categories.

NATION WORLD BUSINESS under the radar. U.S. advisers OIl bust causes • Texas Western’s Gunman,3 victims to help Nigeria more cutbacks shining moment, fight militants at companies 50 years later: HoustonChronicle killed in Kansas The Pentagon is Halliburton says it .com/E-Edition Three people were killed at a poised to send dozens will cut 5,000 more e tra of Special Operations jobs worldwide, as manufacturing plant in Kansas by Online: Lisa Gray advisers to the front Apache Corp. and EOG a man who drove through at least Sports Weekend: shares her life with lines of Nigeria’s fight Resources plan to two towns shooting a gun out his car • San Antonio’s Kawhi cowboy boots at against Boko Haram. slash capital spending. window, police said. The gunman was Kansas police search the Leonard reaches new HoustonChronicle Page A6 Page D1 killed in a shootout. Page A6 area of the shootings. heights while flying .com/boots

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