NEW YORK TIMES: Even as a panel of educators laid out a vision Wednesday for national standards for public schools, the Texas school board was going in a different direction, holding hearings on changes to its social studies curriculum that would portray conservatives in a more positive light, emphasize the role of Christianity in American history and include Republican political philosophies in textbooks.

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SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS: A year after Texas ports of entry were snubbed in the federal stimulus package, a coalition of border officials lobbied lawmakers Monday to provide $6 billion for infrastructure improvements and more personnel. Texas led all states in trade with Mexico last year, but a General Services Administration report found land ports of entry need repairs. Border mayors and other local officials say the government has failed to provide the money for upgrades and staffing.

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THE HILL: A group of Hispanic lawmakers on Thursday will tell President Barack Obama that they may not vote for healthcare reform unless changes are made to the bill’s immigration provisions. The scheduled meeting comes as Democratic leaders and the White House are struggling to craft a final bill that will attract 216 votes in the lower chamber.

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THE DAILY IOWAN: Health-care reform as we know it would be more accurately described as health-insurance reform. I say this because, for the most part, Americans and politicians in favor of the current legislation have focused on changing regulations on medical benefits and insurance companies. They haven’t made much of an effort to control rising health costs.

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SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL: Eight journalists were kidnapped in a northern Mexican border city over a period of two weeks in a wave of abductions unprecedented in the Western Hemisphere, the Inter-American Press Association reported. The group said Wednesday that only three of the journalists kidnapped between Feb. 18 and March 3 in Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas, have reappeared: Two were released alive and one was found dead with signs of torture. Five are still missing.

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