Politics
Paul out pushing his book, ideology
By John Tompkins, Brazosport Facts, 29 April 2008
BRAZOSPORT – Though he’s been campaigning for almost a year and a half for the Republican presidential nomination, Ron Paul finally has identified a stopping point — September, just in time for the Republican National Convention.
Congressman uses train to travel vast Texas district
Waco Tribune-Herald, 28 April 2008
WASHINGTON – Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, whose district covers 20 vast counties in south and west Texas, is boarding a train to criscross his district.
Morales announces bid for Dingus' vacated council seat
Midland Reporter-Telegram, 28 April 2008
MIDLAND – Midland businessman Jerry Morales announced Monday his candidacy for the Midland City Council at-large position in the upcoming election, a seat left vacant earlier this month by Bill Dingus.
Undoing America's Ethanol Mistake
BY SEN. KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Investor's Business Daily, 25 April 2008
The Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman once said, "One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results."
Earmarks help define candidate choice
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, 29 April 2008
LUBBOCK – As a campaign issue, pork-barrel funding requests highlight significant differences in the spending philosophies of the top three presidential candidates.
Government
Affirmation of voter ID law enthuses Texas Republicans
By Gary Scharrer, San Antonio Express-News, 29 April 2008
AUSTIN – Texas Republicans say a U.S. Supreme Court ruling Monday legalizing a stringent voter identification law in Indiana will inspire them to push even harder for similar legislation — drawing a warning from Democrats who promised to block such efforts just as they did last year.
SUPREME COURT RULING
By KAREN BROOKS, Dallas Morning News, 29 April 2008
AUSTIN – Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has cleared strong voter ID requirements, saying they are good for honest elections, at least in theory, Texas Republicans say there's nothing to stop them from making it the law here in 2009.
Dewhurst hails Supreme Court ruling, state fight likely
Waco Tribune-Herald, 28 April 2008
AUSTIN – Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst hailed Monday's Supreme Court ruling that approves states' efforts to pass a voter identification law and said he looks forward to passing such a measure when the legislature meets again next year.
Berman Boosted by Voter ID Validation
Tyler Morning Telegraph, 28 April 2008
TYLER – The Supreme Court ruled today that states can require voters to produce photo identification without violating their constitutional rights, validating Republican-inspired voter ID laws.
Supreme Court: States can require photo IDs from voters
Dallas Morning News, 28 April 2008
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court ruled Monday that states can require voters to produce photo identification without violating their constitutional rights, validating Republican-inspired voter ID laws.
Border Fencing Comments
By Kevin Sieff, Brownsville Herald, 29 April 2008
BROWNSVILLE – Construction of the U.S.-Mexico border fence might only be a few weeks away, but in Washington, D.C., the barrier continues to be a hot button issue.
Vitiello: Valley will benefit from failure of Arizona's 'virtual fence'
By Joey Gomez, Rio Grande Guardian, 28 April 2008
BROWNSVILLE – A top official with Customs and Border Protection in the Rio Grande Valley says the region will reap the benefit of what was learned from the failure of the much-hyped "virtual fence" on the Arizona-Mexico border.
Lawmakers get hostile reception at border fence hearing
Dallas Morning News, 28 April 2008
BROWNSVILLE – One of Congress' strongest border fence proponents received a hostile reception Monday in the city that has become the epicenter of fence opposition.
Its future uncertain, barrier on the border going up quickly
Waco Tribune-Herald, 28 April 2008
WASHINGTON – The U.S. fence along the Mexican border is less a wall than a stuttering set of blockades: half barrier, half gaps.
Congressman introduces bill to expand the Big Thicket
By NICK WADE, Lufkin Daily News, 28 April 2008
LUFKIN – Congressman Kevin Brady, of The Woodlands, introduced a bill over the weekend, H.R. 5891, to expand the Big Thicket National Preserve by as much as 100,000 acres, doubling the area of the preserve and allowing more public recreational use and additional protection.
State commission begins reviews of 27 agencies
By Enrique Rangel, Lubbock Abalanche-Journal, 28 April 2008
AUSTIN – State Rep. Carl Isett takes pride on being a reformer.
Lampson looks into VA clinic complaints
By Marty Schladen, Galveston County Daily News, 29 April 2008
TEXAS CITY – U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson on Monday visited the veterans medical clinic in Texas City to look into complaints about care there.
Some press to 'modernize' Texas law on when liquor can be sold
By ANNA M. TINSLEY, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 April 2008
FORT WORTH – Michael Allen knows that if he wants liquor on Sundays, he needs to run to the store another day of the week.
Perry request ignites ethanol debate
Austin American-Statesman, 28 April 2008
AUSTIN – When Gov. Rick Perry last week asked the federal government to reduce its mandate for higher percentages of ethanol in gasoline he joined a national conversation about ethanol that this country needs to have.
Food for fuel
Houston Chronicle, 28 April 2008
HOUSTON – Using a global staple such as corn for biofuel rather than food seemed to make sense when there was a surplus of cheap grain and worsening U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
Texas legislators eye tough immigration laws
Corpus Christi Caller-Times, 29 April 2008
CORPUS CHRISTI – Last year, the Texas Legislature managed to avoid the worst aspects of immigrant bashing.
Legislature, keep focus on colleges
Dallas Morning News, 29 April 2008
DALLAS – Every lawmaker in the state needs to hear the point that education consultant Aims McGuinness made to the House Higher Education Committee last week.
Supreme Court upholds worthy voter ID law
Kerrville Daily Times, 29 April 2008
KERRVILLE – Monday the United States Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision concerning an Indiana voter identification law requiring each voter to provide a photographic identification card before voting.
News
31 of 53 teen girls from polygamist sect are pregnant or have children
By ROBERT GARRETT, Dallas Morning News, 28 April 2008
AUSTIN – Texas child welfare officials say that more than half the teen girls — 31 of the 53 under the age of 18 — swept into state custody from a polygamist sect’s ranch already have children or are pregnant.
CPS, lawyer differ on two boys' status
By Dan Kelley, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, 29 April 2008
CORPUS CHRISTI – Child welfare officials and a Corpus Christi lawyer who claims the state cannot account for two children taken from the West Texas polygamist compound are in disagreement whether she has provided the agency with the names or ages of the children.
Court declines to interfere sect custody dispute
By Lisa Sandberg, San Antonio Express-News, 28 April 2008
AUSTIN – The 3rd Texas Court of Appeals has refused to immediately intervene in the custody dispute involving the 462 children seized three weeks ago from a West Texas polygamist sect.
Eldorado mothers push for new hearings
By Corrie MacLaggan, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 29 April 2008
AUSTIN – Lawyers for 48 mothers of children who Texas officials removed from a polygamous ranch near Eldorado are pushing for something they say never happened: a fair hearing on whether the children should have been taken in the first place.
More than half of teens from sect have been pregnant
By LISA SANDBERG and TERRI LANGFORD, Houston Chronicle, 29 April 2008
AUSTIN – More than half of the teenage girls seized from a West Texas polygamist sect are pregnant, have children or both, state officials said Monday.
Donations overflowing for polygamist sect children
By RICHARD STEWART and CINDY HORSWELL, Houston Chronicle, 29 April 2008
HOUSTON – Instead of sending out water bills or notices for municipal court Monday, the two-person City Hall staff of the tiny Brazoria County town of Liverpool were putting together tricycles Monday.
31 sect girls moms or pregnant, state says
San Angelo Standard-Times, 28 April 2008
SAN ANTONIO – More than half the teen girls taken from the Schleicher County polygamist compound have children or are pregnant, state officials said Monday.
Sect kids' diet simple
Corpus Christi Caller-Times, 29 April 2008
CORPUS CHRISTI – Pure vanilla. Pure honey. Real maple syrup and whole milk. Fresh fruit. Large black or white hair scrunchies and all white bed linen.
Boot camp officials face lesser charges
By Mary Ann Cavazos, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, 29 April 2008
CORPUS CHRISTI – A judge Monday lowered charges against two Christian boot camp officials accused of dragging a teen behind a van in Banquete from a felony to a misdemeanor because of an issue with the indictment.
Report: Texas insurance premiums jump 40 percent from 2001 to 2005
By Mary Ann Roser, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 29 April 2008
AUSTIN – Texas families saw their health insurance premiums soar 40 percent in five years — 10 times faster than their incomes increased, according to a report being released today by a national foundation that promotes health care improvement.
Whole Foods says regulators against action over Web postings
Waco Tribune-Herald, 28 April 2008
AUSTIN – Whole Foods Market Inc. says federal securities regulators are recommending that no action be taken against the grocery chain over anonymous postings on financial-news Web sites by its chief executive.
American Airlines to charge $25 for 2nd checked bag
By TERRY MAXON, Dallas Morning News, 28 April 2008
DALLAS – American Airlines Inc., the last holdout among major U.S. network carriers, announced Monday that it will begin charging its coach passengers $25 if they check a second bag.
Flying solo
Houston Chronicle, 28 April 2008
HOUSTON – After considering a merger with United Airlines, the management of Continental Airlines recommended that the company remain independent.
People
Was Guerrero a victim of Mission Superfund site, ask local residents
By Steve Taylor, Rio Grande Guardian, 28 April 2008
MISSION – Mission residents say they are surprised that in all the tributes to Lena Guerrero no one has speculated that her early death may be connected to the fact that she grew up living near the highly contaminated Hayes Sammons chemical plant.
Perjury charge dismissed against Celis
By Denise Malan, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, 28 April 2008
CORPUS CHRISTI – A judge on Monday dismissed a perjury charge against former law firm operator Mauricio Celis because of improper venue.
Wright has lots to say in Dallas sermons
By AMAN BATHEJA, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 April 2008
DALLAS – Urging the black community to stand up to injustice and show more respect for women, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright delivered two spirited sermons at a large church in south Dallas on Sunday morning.
Dallas County inmate to be freed following DNA testing
By JENNIFER EMILY, Dallas Morning News, 28 April 2008
DALLAS – Another Dallas County inmate is expected to be freed Tuesday because of DNA testing.
DNA clears another wrongly imprisoned Dallas man
Houston Chronicle, 28 April 2008
DALLAS – A man who spent more than 27 years in prison has been cleared of a 1980 murder and is expected to be released as early as Tuesday, which would make him the longest-serving wrongly convicted man in the nation to be exonerated by DNA testing, his lawyers said.
Letters from Dallas inmate likely to be exonerated
Waco Tribune-Herald, 28 April 2008
James Lee Woodard is expected to be released from prison as early as Tuesday because a DNA test showed he is innocent of the 1980 murder that put him behind bars.
Gonzalez knows importance of surrogacy
By Daniel Libit, Politico, 29 April 2008
WASHINGTON – It was a Tuesday in 1994 when John Michael Gonzalez lost his smug for good.
Report: Clemens had relationship with Mindy McCready
Waco Tribune-Herald, 28 April 2008
NEW YORK – Roger Clemens had a decade-long relationship with country star Mindy McCready that began when she was a 15-year-old aspiring singer and the pitcher was a Boston Red Sox ace, the Daily News reported.
