June 21, 2013

Aransas Pass police officer faces monkey business during traffic stop (Video at link)

ARANSAS PASS — Aransas Pass police officer Keith Moore stopped a man for what he thought was going to be a routine traffic stop.

The driver's pet monkey greeted the officer with a bite to his hand. The surprised officer still wrote the the driver a ticket for speeding.

The encounter was captured by a camera attached to the officer's sunglasses.

The Aransas Pass Police Department uploaded the video to its Facebook page on Thursday.

The video was shown on NBC's "The Today Show" on Friday.

More at http://www.caller.com/news/2013/jun/21/aransas-pass-police-officer-faces-monkey-business/ .

June 21, 2013

Embattled Paula Deen a no-show on Friday's 'Today'

NEW YORK —

Celebrity cook Paula Deen was a no-show Friday at the "Today" show, where she was scheduled to appear to answer questions about past use of racial slurs.

"Today" host Matt Lauer told viewers he had spoken with Deen the day before to arrange what NBC had promoted as an exclusive, live appearance.

But shortly before the show went on the air Friday, Lauer said he was told by a Deen representative that she was pulling out.

Phone calls from The Associated Press to a representative for Deen weren't immediately returned.

More at http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/entertainment/embattled-paula-deen-a-no-show-on-fridays-today/nYRK3/ .

[font color=green]Was her diabeetus causing problems or was she choking on something?[/font]

June 21, 2013

Texan guilty in porn case offers to mentor youth

CORPUS CHRISTI (AP) — A South Texas man who pleaded guilty in a child pornography case then sought leniency by offering to mentor youths must serve nearly 13 years in prison.

A federal judge in Corpus Christi on Thursday sentenced 70-year-old Jose Luis Salazar. Salazar in March pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of minors by distributing child pornography.

Salazar during sentencing told Senior U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack that he never physically hurt anyone, had a lot to offer society and he could be useful mentoring children.

The judge told Salazar he didn't understand the gravity of his crime and that's why he was being sentenced to 151 months behind bars.

More at http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2013-06-21/texan-guilty-porn-case-offers-mentor-youth

[font color=green]What could possibly go wrong?[/font]

June 21, 2013

Alito tells Dallas lawyers about highest court

DALLAS (AP) — Samuel Alito came to the Supreme Court with two ideas about how he would conduct himself when questioning lawyers. He would try to ask real questions — “with a question mark at the end” — and he would wait for the lawyer speaking to at least conclude a paragraph.

-snip-

“Trying to get in a question at oral argument is really like trying to grab an item that’s on sale at Walmart the day after Thanksgiving,” Alito said Thursday.

Alito appeared at the State Bar of Texas’ annual meeting to deliver a talk called, “Ten Things People May Not Know About the Supreme Court.” In a 40-minute speech, Alito took a few gentle digs at some of his colleagues on the nation’s highest court and the perception commentators and the public have of them.

-snip-

Instead, he talked about how justices generally evaluate cases and how they work together. While theories on evaluating the Constitution and the law matter, Alito argued that the high court’s previous rulings on an issue mattered more.

More at http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2013-06-20/alito-tells-dallas-lawyers-about-highest-court

June 21, 2013

Alito tells Dallas lawyers about highest court

DALLAS (AP) — Samuel Alito came to the Supreme Court with two ideas about how he would conduct himself when questioning lawyers. He would try to ask real questions — “with a question mark at the end” — and he would wait for the lawyer speaking to at least conclude a paragraph.

-snip-

“Trying to get in a question at oral argument is really like trying to grab an item that’s on sale at Walmart the day after Thanksgiving,” Alito said Thursday.

Alito appeared at the State Bar of Texas’ annual meeting to deliver a talk called, “Ten Things People May Not Know About the Supreme Court.” In a 40-minute speech, Alito took a few gentle digs at some of his colleagues on the nation’s highest court and the perception commentators and the public have of them.

-snip-

Instead, he talked about how justices generally evaluate cases and how they work together. While theories on evaluating the Constitution and the law matter, Alito argued that the high court’s previous rulings on an issue mattered more.

More at http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2013-06-20/alito-tells-dallas-lawyers-about-highest-court

June 21, 2013

Georgetown might pull out of Lone Star Rail District (updated 6/26/2013)

GEORGETOWN —

A majority of Georgetown City Council members are balking at the cost of remaining in a transportation collaborative that would build a commuter rail system from Bexar to Williamson County.

If it backs out, Georgetown would not be a stop on the line being planned by the Lone Star Rail District, which aims to link the city to Austin and San Antonio within the next six to 10 years.

More at http://www.statesman.com/news/news/georgetown-might-pull-out-of-lone-star-rail-distri/nYQ4h/#
(subscription required)

[font color=green]I also read in the Williamson County Sun that the annual commitment to remain in the project is $50,000 per year. However, if Georgetown pulls out of the project, then it may cost millions of dollars in order to join the rail system at a later date. (link no longer available)

I am in favor of the rail project going to Georgetown. While there are public transportation options available on weekdays at the Greyhound terminal in Austin four times a day in the morning and early evening, there is no service available on weekends other than via taxi and at a significant cost ($30 taxi fare to Round Rock if the rail line is extended there). The population in Georgetown is over 50,000, many of those people are residents at the Sun City development for people over 55. The projected enrollment at Southwestern University is expected to reach an all-time record of greater than 1,500 students with more than 500 first-year students who could also benefit since some of them may not have transportation.[/font]

[font color=navy]Update:

GEORGETOWN —

The Georgetown City Council voted late Tuesday to withdraw from a transportation collaborative proposing to build a commuter rail line from San Antonio to Georgetown.

Georgetown City Council Member Rachael Jonrowe cast the lone vote against withdrawing, saying that more than 900 people had signed an online petition supporting the rail line.

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/georgetown-residents-speak-in-favor-of-rail/nYWMK/

[/font]

June 21, 2013

Texas Legislature: Emotional 10-hour abortion hearing ends without a vote on bills

After more than 10 hours of testimony, and one loud protest that led to a brief recess so order could be restored, the House State Affairs Committee closed its hearing on two abortion bills at 3:40 a.m. Friday without taking a vote on either measure.

Around midnight, as the hearing that began around 4:45 p.m. continued without a break, Chairman Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, announced that the committee would receive only one more hour of testimony on House Bill 60, a sweeping abortion regulation measure, saying the comments had become repetitive and unhelpful to the committee’s decision.

The news was greeted with increasingly angry shouts from several hundred people in the audience, most of them opponents of the bills. Several shouted that that they had been waiting to speak since 1 p.m., the original start time of the hearing that was delayed about four hours by extended House debate on three redistricting bills.

After an audience member commandeered the microphone to address the committee, only to be led away by officers, the crowd loudly chanted, “Let her speak.” Cook recessed the committee, returning about 20 minutes later after several Democratic representatives helped restore calm.

More at http://www.statesman.com/news/news/emotional-10-hour-abortion-hearing-ends-without-a-/nYRGB/ .

[font color=green]They may call another meeting today to force the two bills under consideration through to a vote. The committee probably won't allow any further testimony.[/font]

June 21, 2013

Marital Catters

[font color=#9400D3 size=3]With the purrfect moderate temperatures of early summer blending with glorious natural floral displays, it's no wonder that June weddings ever go out of style. Planning a traditional June wedding is easy if you take a cue from Mother Nature and decorate with seasonal blossoms and serve fresh, summer dishes at the reception. But plan ahead since June wedding venues book fur in advance.[/font]


[font color=#9400D3]
[div style="width:60%;"]
Accepting the propawsal.

[div style="width:32%;"]
…and advise on mewsical purrformers.


[div style="width:33%;"]
It’s cat time of the year!


[div style="width:33%;"]
Speak niaou or furever hold your peace.
[/font]

June 21, 2013

Annie's List: "Put a Woman in the Governor's Mansion"

Between vetoing the our state's own equal-pay act and calling a special session on limiting choice for women, Rick Perry has started some sort of renaissance for sexists across Texas.

Naturally, many women (and modern-thinking men) have become upset. Shelby and Katherine clearly articulated their outrage over the past week. And Shelby pointed out that you can do something about it -- just this evening.

Annie's List, the excellent organization dedicated to electing Democratic women, proposed a new, extremely tempting long-term solution during their latest fundraising ask:



That brings to question: can we make that happen in 2014? One has to wonder who Annie's List has in mind. The most notable female Democrats in Texas are State Senator Wendy Davis and Houston Mayor Annise Parker, but both have indicated that they will not run statewide, focusing on reelection, instead.

More at http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/13670/annies-list-put-a-woman-in-the-governors-mansion

From the Annie's List fundraising e-mail:

June 21, 2013

Karnes County: Flowline rupture contaminates property

KARNES COUNTY – Adrian Opiela, Jr. has learned the hard way that having oilfield pipes buried beneath his property is risky business.

And it is a lesson he has learned twice.

Last week Opiela made a very unpleasant discovery on his ranch located about 8 miles north of Karnes City in rural Karnes County when he found a major saltwater oil spill that contaminated a large area of land, at least one large stock tank, and killed many large oak trees on the property.

-snip-

It was heartbreaking, Opiela said, to see the dead trees, and the mess that the contaminants left on his property. He said his sister was crying as she videotaped the pond and surrounding area knowing that two huge oak trees, one with a circumference of 130 inches and the other with a circumference of 161 inches are in danger and possibly might die as a result of the most recent spill. Opiela estimated the age of the trees to be greater than 150 years old and his family consider them irreplaceable.

The complete story at http://mysoutex.com/view/full_story_landing/22937057/article-Flowline-rupture-contaminates-property?instance=karnes_regional_news .

Photos: Joe Baker

[div style="width:40%;"]
Like a thick coat of orange slime, waste fluids from an area oil well production coat a dry creek bed on property owned by Adrian Opiela, Jr. A feeder line carrying the fluids from a well to a disposal facility ruptured on the property located about 8 miles north of Karnes City, contaminating a large area of the property and filling a large stock pond with waste fluids.

[div style="width:20%;"]
A huge oak tree that the Opiela family estimates is more than 150 years old stands in danger near the site of a feeder line rupture.

[div style="width:20%;"]
White squares of absorbent material float in a ditch filled with waste fluids from an area drilling operation that spilled when a two-inch fiberglass feeder line ruptured on property.