Bill White’s Wife Talks Up Husband’s Tour

TYLER � Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White�s wife, Andrea, is talking up her husband�s trip to East Texas this week. Mrs. White says the campaign is going well, but her husband is still trying to introduce himself to Texans. She says, �A lot of people still haven�t heard of him, so that�s one reason he�s working so hard � but then, he works hard all the time.� Mrs. White is also promoting �Expectation Graduation� � a program Bill White started in his hometown of Houston, where he once served as mayor. The object is to get kids to re-enroll in school. Mrs. White explains that in September, project workers go door-to-door and ask kids who have dropped out to consider returning. So far, she says, the program has gotten over 8,000 Houston-area kids back in school � and has now spread to other towns.

Bill White�s East Texas swing includes stops Thursday in Tatum, Carthage, Longview and Henderson. He�s set to host education town hall meetings at 2 p.m. in Carthage; 4:30 p.m. at the Greggton Community Center; and 7 p.m. at the Henderson Civic Center on Thursday. He kicks off the day at noon, when he tours Tatum Independent School District facilities before a community lunch of grilled burgers at the Tatum High School Cafeteria. On Wednesday, White plans stops in Palestine, Rusk and Jacksonville before a stop Thursday in Tyler prior to his Tatum visit. White faces Republican Rick Perry in the Texas governor�s race in November. Perry has been governor since 2000.