December 18, 2013

2014 Corvette hits 200 mph on Texas tollway (with video)

HOUSTON--The newly completed Grand Parkway toll road section got quite the test run this week as Hennessey Performance brought their 2014 Corvette Stingray over to test the toll system. On a closed portion of the tollway, Texas DPS State Troopers clocked the speedster at 200.6 mph, making it the first 2014 Corvette to break the 200 mph barrier.

“The road is perfectly smooth and the Corvette was very stable and easy to drive at 200 mph,” said driver and company founder John Hennessey. “I’d put the Texas highway system up against any other highway in the world, including the German Autobahn. Our roads have proven to be smooth and safe at speeds well above 200 mph.”

The Parkway section, which connects Interstate 10 with Highway 290, will open to the public on Dec. 21 and just in case anyone gets any ideas, the toll road cameras were still able to get crystal clear images of the Stingray’s plates as it blazed through the toll section.

Check out the test run:

December 17, 2013

10 yrs later, another George Bush is touting his opposition to gay marriage in a political campaign

George P. Bush, the nephew of President George W. Bush and a candidate for Texas land commissioner in 2014, is trying to stake out political ground to the right of both his uncle and his grandfather. Fox News Latin reports:

...George P. Bush proudly proclaims his opposition to marriage equality in the “Beliefs” section of his campaign website:



More at http://www.lonestarq.com/10-years-later-another-george-bush-uses-gay-marriage-political-wedge/ .

December 16, 2013

Texas employee pension fund could run dry without fixes

Reversing the downward spiral of Texas’ state employee pension fund could require significant increases to how much workers and taxpayers kick in as well as a possible reduction to future retirement benefits.

The $23 billion Employees Retirement System of Texas will run out of money to cover promised pension benefits by 2052 if nothing changes, the fund’s actuarial consultants reported recently. The fund’s 321,000 members include state workers (outside of higher education), elected officials and retirees.

Extending the life of the fund beyond that point would call for a one-time $4.5 billion infusion or gradually increasing the shared contribution rate to 20 percent of payroll. The contribution rate is currently 14.6 percent with the state picking up a little more than half.

Another option would be to reduce pension benefits for future hires by 90 percent even while they would be on the hook for the same level of contributions.

More at http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/texas-employee-pension-fund-could-run-dry-without-/ncLt3/ (subscription required).

[font color=green]The ERS went from having nearly all of their liabilities funded to only having 77% of liabilities funded. It should also be noted that in the fourth paragraph above, the statement most likely should say that pension benefits for future hires would be reduced to 90% instead of reduced by 90%.[/font]

December 15, 2013

Longhorn Network: Mack Brown will resign as Texas head coach

Texas coach Mack Brown will resign as Texas head coach, according to the Longhorn Network.

Talk of Brown’s departure from Texas have been ongoing for the better part of this season as well as the past couple of years with results slipping.

In addition, Texas’ hiring of Steve Patterson to replace longtime athletic director DeLoss Dodds created more whispers about the future of the 62-year-old coach.

Brown compiled a 158-46 record in 16 seasons with Texas, winning 10 bowl games, six Big 12 South titles, two conference titles and the 2005 BCS National Championship.

More at http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/texas-longhorns/20131214-longhorn-network-mack-brown-will-resign-as-texas-head-coach.ece .

December 13, 2013

A Perry-Sharp Rivalry at Texas A&M?

As UT president Bill Powers is waiting to hear from the UT System Board of Regents at this very minute, another drama is gripping yet another university president--and readers won't be surprised to know that Rick Perry is in the middle of it.

The Bryan-College Station Eagle is reporting that as Texas A&M seeks to find a new interim president to succeed the departing R. Bowen Loftin, a split has opened on the A&M Board of Regents between supporters of Mark Hussey, vice chancellor and dean of the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, and supporters of Perry's candidate, Guy Diedrich, a longtime Perry pal and A&M lobbyist who has held a number of strategic positions at A&M. There is concern of pushback from faculty members, who prefer candidates with experience in teaching, research, and university administration. Hussey meets that description; Diedrich does not.

The split among the regents could reflect a strong difference of opinion between Perry and Chancellor John Sharp, with Perry likely to support Diedrich, and Sharp siding more with the academic side of the university. Perry usually gets his way in these matters, particularly at his alma mater.

http://www.texasmonthly.com/burka-blog/perry-sharp-rivalry-texas-am

December 13, 2013

The name is: The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley

The new university of South Texas will now be known as the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley.

The University of Texas Board of Regents announced the name this morning at its December meeting.

In November, the UT System shared five possible names for the school and asked for community feedback as well as ideas. The community responded by commenting on Facebook posts, tweets, emails and phone calls.

According to the UT System, an estimated 22,000 people were reached through Facebook posts, and more than 500 people on Twitter responded to the campaign.

More at http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/local/article_df22baf4-6342-11e3-84d5-0019bb30f31a.html .

December 13, 2013

American Family Assoc. Director Bryan Fischer Hails India Supreme Court Ruling Outlawing Gay Sex

Yesterday, the Supreme Court of India reinstated a law dating back to the 1860s which mandates that anyone who "voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal" be punished by up to 10 years in prison.

This decision outlawing consensual homosexual sex was predictably hailed by Bryan Fischer who rejoiced that the ruling demonstrates that making homosexuality illegal "can be done."

"This is entirely right and entirely appropriate," Fischer said of the law. "Same-sex behavior is unnatural, it is against the order of nature: you just look at the plumbing and you can tell that, what body parts are designed for what use and you can see right away that this is contrary to nature."

"So that shows," he continued, speaking of the court ruling,"ladies and gentlemen that it can be done. It shows that this cultural trend that we're dealing with can be reversed, because for four years it was open season for homosexuals in India and now that drift away from cultural norms and moral norms, that's been reversed in the country of India ... Good law in India upheld by the Supreme Court":

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/fischer-hails-india-supreme-court-ruling-outlawing-gay-sex-entirely-right-and-entirely-appro

December 13, 2013

Improper withdrawal notice forces mother-daughter face-off in Lubbock GOP primary

Incomplete paperwork filed after hours has triggered an unintentional race between a mother and daughter.

Despite Incumbent Lubbock County Justice of the Peace Jean Anne Stratton’s last-minute effort to pull out of the race to make way for her daughter, Stratton will be on the ballot for the Precinct 4 seat after Republican party officials realized her withdrawal statement was not notarized, according to officials.

“There is no way for me to withdraw her name,” said Lubbock County Republican Party Chairman Carl Tepper. “I regret that I cannot get her off the ballot and reopen filing ... Right now our hands are tied, and those two names are in the ballot.”

Margaret Anne Brown — Stratton’s daughter — filed her candidacy for the same position just ahead of the 6 p.m. Monday filing deadline.

More at http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2013-12-11/improper-withdrawal-notice-leaves-judicial-incumbent-race-against-daughter .

at Republicans and filing deadlines.

December 13, 2013

Tea Party lawsuit says Brazoria County officials kicked them out of courthouse

A Tea Party group in Brazoria County that claims it's been kicked out of the county courthouse is suing county officials.

The suit was filed Dec. 10 in Brazoria County's 239th State District Court by the Alvin Tea Party Patriots and the Lake Jackson Tea Party.

Defendants are Brazoria County commissioners and Jeri Yenne, Brazoria County district attorney.

According to the plaintiffs' petition, the Alvin group met for more than three years in public space in the Alvin county courthouse annex.

More at http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/bayarea/crime-courts/article/Tea-Party-lawsuit-says-Brazoria-officials-kicked-5059502.php?cmpid=hpbn .

[font color=green]What's that sound I hear in the distance?[/font]

December 12, 2013

Federal judge sets hearing for February in lawsuit challenging Texas’ bans on same-sex marriage

A federal district judge has set a hearing for February in the lawsuit challenging Texas’ bans on same-sex marriage.

Federal District Judge Orlando Garcia will hear arguments on the plaintiffs’ motion seeking a preliminary injunction that would bar the state from enforcing the bans pending a trial.

The plaintiffs — gay couple Mark Phariss and Victor Holmes of Plano, and lesbian couple Cleopatra DeLeon and Nicole Dimetman of Austin — filed the lawsuit in October alleging that the marriage bans violate the U.S. Constitution. The motion for a preliminary injunction was filed in November.

The hearing will be at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 12 at the John H. Wood, Jr. United States Courthouse in San Antonio. Even if Garcia, a Bill Clinton appointee, grants the motion, the decision could be immediately appealed to the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

Defendants in the lawsuit include Gov. Rick Perry, Attorney General Greg Abbott, Bexar County Clerk Gerard Rickhoff and David Lackey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Service.

More at http://www.lonestarq.com/judge-sets-hearing-february-lawsuit-challenging-texas-bans-sex-marriage/ .

Cross-posted in Texas Group.