December 13, 2017

University of Montana's program "prioritization" goes off the rails

Faculty groups of seemingly all stripes are questioning the legitimacy of the controversial prioritization process used to rank University of Montana programs as interim President Sheila Stearns prepares to decide what to cut and what to punt to her successor during her final few weeks in office.

The process, conducted on an expedited timeline, prompted members of the administration and the campus task force in charge of prioritization to acknowledge its limitations at the outset. In recent days, however, task force members have doubted whether the effort has achieved even its most modest ambitions. Other critics are hinting at a legal challenge that, if successful, would invalidate the entire eight-month process.

The task force’s final report all but called the process a failure, stating that its design prevented members from locating “the most basic of inefficiencies or opportunities to restructure existing programs in ways that make our university more cost effective and dynamic.”

In the eyes of Paul Haber, task force member and University Faculty Association president, the findings, which placed 400-plus programs into ranked categories, are not reliable enough to prescribe lasting budget decisions.

Read more: http://missoulanews.com/news/um-s-program-prioritization-goes-off-the-rails/article_2874562c-dadb-11e7-bc9b-83822f33bd6b.html

December 13, 2017

Dallas Fed CEO: Two big issues for U.S. and Texas: improve workforce development and early childhood

Two big issues for U.S. and Texas: improve workforce development and early childhood literacy

MCALLEN, RGV – A great way to improve workforce development is for business leaders to spend one lunch hour a week in school reading to kids.

That’s the view of Robert S. Kaplan, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

Kaplan gave his views on improving literacy among students and the importance of workforce training at the recent Border Economic Development and Entrepreneurship Symposium. Hosted by the Dallas Fed, UT-Rio Grande Valley’s Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship, and McAllen Chamber of Commerce, the event took place at the Embassy Suites in McAllen.

Kaplan took questions from Marie T. Mora, associate vice provost for faculty diversity at UTRGV, and from those in the audience. He also held a news conference with reporters.

Read more: http://riograndeguardian.com/kaplan-two-big-issues-for-u-s-and-texas-improve-workforce-development-and-early-childhood-literacy/

December 13, 2017

Dallas Fed CEO: We must be careful not to stoke anti-US fervor in Mexico

MCALLEN, RGV – Robert S. Kaplan, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, is concerned that some of the rhetoric coming out of the United States may result in Mexico electing an anti-American president next year.

Mexicans go to the polls on July 1, 2018. According to some polls, leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who leads the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) party, is the front-runner ahead of next year’s presidential election.

Kaplan gave his views on anti-Mexican rhetoric, trade with Mexico, immigration and the value of the peso at the Border Economic Development and Entrepreneurship Symposium hosted by the Dallas Fed, UT-Rio Grande Valley’s Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship, and McAllen Chamber of Commerce. He took questions from Marie T. Mora, associate vice provost for faculty diversity at UTRGV, and from those in the audience. He also held a news conference with reporters.

Asked by Mora and renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Kaplan said: “My concern is, I think it is a constructive thing for us to be leveling the playing field and renegotiating trade agreements. I think some of these other issues and the rhetoric associated with them, my fear is, when you go to Mexico, they have an election coming up in July of 2018 and I would not want to see a situation where in order to get elected president of Mexico, you need to be anti-America, anti-American.”

Read more: http://riograndeguardian.com/dallas-fed-ceo-we-must-be-careful-not-to-stoke-anti-us-fervor-in-mexico/

December 13, 2017

Cotton exit could upend Arkansas 2018 election

LITTLE ROCK—After a string of elections that underscored just how much Arkansas has shifted from a Democratic stronghold to solidly Republican territory, next year's races for the state's top offices and legislative seats appeared likely to be a relatively ho-hum, predictable affair. The possibility of the state's junior U.S. senator stepping down to lead intelligence for the Trump administration could upend the campaign.

The possibility that Sen. Tom Cotton could leave office next year to run the Central Intelligence Agency could open the door to a nationally watched race that would overshadow any other contest before voters next year. That race could include a brutal Republican primary that would highlight the divisions within the GOP just a few years after it became the majority party here. It could also test whether Arkansas Democrats have a bench and a message to overcome long odds in one of President Donald Trump's friendliest states.

Cotton's appointment as CIA director is reported to be part of a plan considered by Trump to replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with the agency's current director, Mike Pompeo. Cotton so far has brushed aside questions about the potential move, calling it idle speculation.

The biggest question if Cotton leaves is who would replace him, and for how long. It would be up to Gov. Asa Hutchinson to appoint a successor to Cotton. If Cotton's seat is vacated by July, that appointee would serve until a replacement is elected in the November 2018 election. If the vacancy occurs later, the appointee would serve the rest of Cotton's term through the end of 2020.

Read more: http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/arkansas/story/2017/dec/10/cotton-exit-could-upend-arkansas-2018-election/703645/

December 13, 2017

Democrat announces 2018 Arkansas governor bid

LITTLE ROCK—The former head of a nonprofit group that recruits teachers to work in low-income areas said Tuesday he's running against Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson in Arkansas next year, the first Democrat to announce an uphill bid for the solidly red state's top office.

Jared Henderson, the former executive director of the Arkansas branch of Teach for America, said he'll seek the party's nomination to challenge the first term governor. Hutchinson, who was first elected in 2014, announced in May that he was seeking re-election and has reported having $1.5 million on hand for his bid. Teach for America recruits and trains recent college graduates and professionals to teach at schools.

Henderson, 39, acknowledged the challenges he faces running in a state where Republicans control all statewide and federal offices, as well as majorities in both chambers of the Legislature. But he said he believed he has a chance, noting that Arkansas only turned Republican in recent years.

"This state does have a history, and it's not a long-gone history, of voting for Democrats," Henderson told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of his official announcement. "The main way I'm going to run this campaign is I'm going to go all over the state, I'm going to meet with everyone I can sit down with over the next 11 months, look them in the eye, do more listening than I do talking. In Arkansas, we have a record that you can win people's trust if you deserve it."

Read more: http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/arkansas/story/2017/dec/13/democrat-announces-2018-arkansas-governor-bid/704015/

December 13, 2017

Texas A&M football player threatened to kill residents at apartment complex

Texas A&M starting defensive tackle Zaycoven Henderson was arrested on multiple felony charges early Sunday morning after police said he pointed a gun at residents of a College Station apartment complex and threatened to kill them, according to court records.

Henderson was arrested and charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of tampering with evidence and possession of less than two ounces of marijuana. An athletic department official said Henderson is suspended indefinitely per department policy.

Police say that at about 2:30 a.m. they received the deadly conduct call from the Campus Village Apartments, and stopped Henderson, 23, and Terry Lechler Florez Jr., 24, as they were leaving the complex off F.M. 2818.

Henderson is accused of pointing a rifle at one person and threatening to kill two others, the documents state. The gun that matched the description given by the victims had been discarded by Henderson in a nearby wooded area, authorities said.

Read more: http://www.theeagle.com/townnews/crime/police-texas-a-m-football-player-threatened-to-kill-residents/article_e432cde4-dde7-11e7-8d53-9f127293c5de.html

December 13, 2017

Alaska lawmaker bucks party, refuses to quit amid claims

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska lawmaker who has been accused by several women of inappropriate behavior refused to resign on Tuesday amid calls for him to leave his post from leaders of the House majority and the head of the state Democratic Party.

State Rep. Dean Westlake, who is recovering from heart surgery, said he sought the counsel of friends, family, native leaders, elders, and God when making his decision to remain in office. He announced his decision in a statement, and was confirmed by his staff.

"I want to once again apologize to any woman whom I have made uncomfortable with either my actions or words. I never intended to hurt anyone, but I understand now that I have. I am truly sorry for that, and I want to thank anyone who came forward. Doing so required strength and bravery," he said.

No one from the House majority was able to comment Tuesday evening, and a message left with the state Democratic party was not immediately returned.

Read more: http://www.wacotrib.com/news/ap_nation/politics/alaska-lawmaker-bucks-party-refuses-to-quit-amid-claims/article_ca1a7d3d-1276-5d40-a0ab-d4d570e83542.html

December 13, 2017

SpaceX doubles down on method for cheaper rocket launches

Elon Musk’s rocket company is about take another step toward making space flight cheaper.

Space Exploration Technologies on Wednesday will double down on the concept of recycling spacecraft that the company has flown and landed back on Earth. In a mission for NASA, SpaceX will reuse both a rocket and a capsule that it’s fired off before.

Making space missions work more like commercial airline flights dramatically reduces costs — less money gets wasted discarding rockets and spacecraft after single launches. SpaceX’s success in this pursuit has made it one of the world’s most richly valued private companies. It’s also won over customers including NASA, which President Donald Trump has directed to return to the moon and explore Mars with the help of private industry.

“At this point, the notion of reuse of hardware is almost unremarkable,” said Ernie Chung, an aerospace, defense and airline consultant at AlixPartners LLP. “What is remarkable is that SpaceX appears to be continuing to lead the march down the cost curve for space access.”

Read more: http://www.wacotrib.com/news/business/spacex-doubles-down-on-method-for-cheaper-rocket-launches/article_1456b8ab-20d5-582c-a37a-9edd5bcf8f92.html

December 13, 2017

5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denies Baylor's attempt to block release of student records in ...

5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denies Baylor's attempt to block release of student records in Title IX suit

Baylor University’s petition to protect about 6,200 current and former students’ privacy regarding records related to “sex” or “sexual conduct generally” since 2003 has been denied, according to a Monday ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The denial comes about a month after the university filed the petition to block a ruling made by U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman as part of an ongoing Title IX lawsuit filed by 10 former students. The ruling ordered Baylor to produce several years of student medical and counseling records and followed another ruling by Pitman for Baylor to produce all records related to the Pepper Hamilton LLP investigation, which examined how the school responded to reports of sexual violence.

“Baylor appreciates the court’s consideration of the university’s mandamus petition,” stated Lori Fogleman, the assistant vice president of media communications at Baylor, in an email to the Tribune-Herald on Tuesday morning. “Our ongoing objective has been to protect the confidential medical, counseling and student conduct records of students who were not involved in the Plaintiffs’ cases. We will continue to comply with the trial court’s orders regarding discovery.”

It’s unclear when current and former students will receive letters in the mail from the college, alerting them to the release of the documents.

Read more: http://www.wacotrib.com/news/higher_education/th-u-s-circuit-court-of-appeals-denies-baylor-s/article_59657c47-94b4-519e-8912-9fde5e814adf.html

December 13, 2017

Starr County justice of the peace convicted of bribery files for re-election

RIO GRANDE CITY — A Starr County justice of the peace who was suspended from office after being convicted on bribery charges last year is vying to get his seat back.

Salvador Zarate Jr. filed to run for Starr County justice of the peace for Precinct 3, the office from which he was suspended in July 2015, according to records from the Texas Secretary of State’s office.

His suspension, by the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct, came after he was arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe to lower the bonds of two defendants.

The arrest stemmed from an incident on Christmas 2014 during which an undercover informant gave Zarate $500 in exchange for lowering the defendants’ bonds from $30,000 to $5,000.

Read more: http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/article_4b330c24-dfb5-11e7-8658-7b5c93fe90f8.html