GED sees big drop in testing

The number of Texans taking GED tests has dropped significantly since the exam was privatized in 2014, with area educators blaming higher costs, the lack of a pencil-and-paper alternative and more rigorous subject requirements.

In 2012, 50,476 state residents took the test, compared with 20,400 this past year after the exam was revamped.

"It has changed the scope of what we're teaching. It has made it more difficult and less accessible to our students who don't have computer access at home and have limited computer abilities," said Jennifer Slade, executive director of the East Texas Literacy Council. "The testing rate has decreased significantly."

Slade said the literacy program in Longview helps students with one-on-one preparation for the GED test, but the number of people taking the exam has declined dramatically.

Read more: http://www.news-journal.com/news/2015/jul/19/ged-sees-big-drop-in-testing/

State Seeks to Dismiss Lawsuit Over Birth Certificates

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday asked a federal district judge to dismiss a lawsuit that claims a state agency violated the U.S. Constitution by denying birth certificates to U.S.-citizen children of immigrant parents.

Attorneys with Paxton’s office said that the Texas Department of State Health Services, which is being sued by 17 families living in Cameron, Hidalgo and Starr counties, has sovereign immunity under the 11th Amendment and cannot be sued in federal court because it has not waived that right, according to court documents.

The immunity extends to interim DSHS Commissioner Kirk Cole and State Registrar Geraldine Harris, who are also named as defendants in the suit, Paxton's office argues.

A spokesperson in Paxton’s office would not discuss the filing further, saying the “motion speaks for itself.” A spokesperson for the health agency was not available to comment.

Read more: http://www.texastribune.org/2015/07/22/state-asks-court-dismiss-lawsuit-over-birth-certif/

Earlier thread:
Parents sue state over birth certificates--children indirectly denied benefits

NBA impersonator sets his hilarious sights on Tim Duncan

Brandon Armstrong, a former D-League player for the Reno Bighorns turned Internet comedian, became a viral sensation last week with his spot-on impersonation of Russell Westbrook that drew nearly 20,000 views on Twitter.

Having already done Tony Allen and Derrick Rose as well, he turned his comedic skills to the Big Fundamental, Mr. Tim Duncan. The bank shot, the modest fist pump, the passive stare…Armstrong has him down cold.

Watch the video at http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2015/07/21/twitter-impersonator-sets-his-hilarious-sights-on-tim-duncan/#5096101=0

[font color=330099]This will probably get me put on someone's ignore list.[/font]

Loose bull on Texas State's campus proves why being a student in the Lone Star State is awesome

Texas high speed rail passes major milestone with first fundraising announcement

A revolutionary project to connect Dallas and Houston by bullet train just took a major leap forward.

Texas Central Partners, which aims to build the nation's first bullet train between Texas' two biggest cities, announced Wednesday they'd raked in $75 million in private investments in the company's first round of fundraising. That money will allow the ambitious $10 billion project to move forward from feasibility studies to development planning.

The company also hired a new CEO: Tim Keith, former CEO of RREEF/Deutsche Bank Infrastructure Investments.

"It's an enormous boost for the project. The first capital to raise is the hardest to raise," he said in an interview. "It's a terrific day for me but it's a historic day for the project and for Houston."

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/transportation/article/Texas-high-speed-rail-passes-major-milestone-with-6400089.php

Maypearl police chief surrenders on four felony charges alleging sexual relationship with teen

A step closer to returning, Blue Bell turns on the machines for test runs at Alabama plant

Blue Bell creameries announced late Wednesday that machines in its Sylacauga, Ala. plant are back up and running as testing continues to bring the company back from a Listeria outbreak that forced the company into a recall of all of its products.

Earlier this month we reported the company’s announcement that it would begin test runs for production at its Alabama plant as soon as the week of July 20.

Blue Bell’s official Twitter account announced the news on Wednesday much to the public’s excitement.

Blue Bell will have health officials on hand to monitor the test runs at the Alabama plant.

Read more: http://bizbeatblog.dallasnews.com/2015/07/a-step-closer-to-returning-blue-bell-turns-on-the-machines-for-test-runs-at-alabama-plant.html/

Mom of McKinney pool party organizer faces eviction from Craig Ranch

La Shauna Burks — the mom of the young woman who organized the infamous McKinney pool party at Craig Ranch — is facing eviction from the neighborhood.

But Burks said Tuesday she hopes to pay her back rent and solve the issue by the end of the month.

Burks, her husband and children live in a $237,000 home in the Craig Ranch North subdivision. The owner of the house, Mary Huang, said in court records that Burks is delinquent on her July rent, or $1,620.

The eviction lawsuit was filed Monday. Huang asked Burks to vacate on July 8, according to court records.

Read more: http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2015/07/mom-of-mckinney-pool-party-organizer-faces-eviction-from-craig-ranch.html/

[font color=330099]Note: The comments that appear after this article are vicious.[/font]

DPS tries to ease concerns over dashcam video in Sandra Bland stop

The Texas Department of Public Safety has been working Wednesday to ease concerns about the authenticity of the dashboard camera footage showing the arrest of Sandra Bland, who died in custody last week in a Waller County jail cell.

The department issued a statement that bluntly said: “The video has not been edited.”

The originally released dashcam video from the cruiser of Trooper Brian Encinia appears to skip around in a few places, leaving moments out of the recording, though not during the stop and arrest of Bland. The audio did not appear to be affected. The department said portions of the video were affected when it was uploaded.

DPS re-released another version on Wednesday afternoon.

Read more: http://www.statesman.com/news/news/dps-tries-to-ease-concerns-over-dash-cam-video-in-/nm4xY/?ref=cbTopWidget

Social Security: What Would Happen If the Trust Funds Ran Out?

Almost everyone who addresses this question assumes that the answer is pretty simple: if either of the Social Security Trust Funds goes to zero than benefits will automatically drop from ‘Scheduled’ to ‘Payable’ which translates to a 22-25% overnight cut depending on which Trust Fund we are talking about. But I had an interesting conversation with Andrew Biggs some years back. Andrew is a very prominent advocate of Social Security ‘reform’ which he sells on the basis that the system is ‘unsustainable’. As such he and I and Coberly and he have had some vigorous debates over the years, and mostly he is firmly in the ‘bad guy’ category on policy. For all that he is a nice guy and really, really knows the numbers and laws in play. Not least because he spent some time as the Principal Deputy Commissioner of Social Security (the no. 2) during the Bush Administration.

With that as background Biggs told me that the situation at Trust Fund Depletion was not as clear-cut as almost everyone assumed and had been the topic of some high end discussion at SSA. And their conclusion as related by Biggs to me mirrored that of the Congressional Research Service in this Report from last year.