November 18, 2018

Entergy Arkansas reaches deal to stop using coal at 2 plants

LITTLE ROCK—Arkansas' largest electric utility says it will eventually stop using coal at two power plants and shut down a natural gas plant under a settlement reached with environmental groups.

Entergy Arkansas announced Friday it's reached a settlement with the Sierra Club and National Parks Conservation Association.

Under the deal, Entergy says it will stop using coal no later than the end of 2028 at its White Bluff plant and by the end of 2030 at its Independence plant. The utility says it will cease operation of its Lake Catherine natural gas plant by the end of 2027.

The Sierra Club has said the White Bluff and Independence plants cause air pollution in some of Arkansas' most pristine areas.

Read more: http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/arkansas/story/2018/nov/17/entergy-arkansas-reaches-deal-stop-using-coal-2-plants/752781/

November 18, 2018

Julian Castro: Beto's future not a factor for 2020 bid

SAN ANTONIO—Julian Castro said Friday that his decision about running in 2020 won't be influenced by whether Texas' other high-profile Democrat, Congressman Beto O'Rourke, also makes his own bid for the White House.

Texas is a pipeline of presidential contenders, churning out several major Republican candidates since 2000 alone, including former President George W. Bush. But not since 1976 has a Texas Democrat made a serious run.

Now, however, Texas has two Democrats whose names are being tossed around: Castro, the 44-year-old former housing secretary under President Barack Obama, and O'Rourke, whose surprisingly close loss to U.S. Sen Ted Cruz last week has Democrats believing that the GOP's decades-long grip on Texas is starting to slip.

Castro has said his candidacy is "likely" and has begun talking to potential donors. O'Rourke, on the other hand, said late in his Senate campaign that he wouldn't run for president , but his narrow defeat has reignited speculation.

Read more: http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/texas/story/2018/nov/17/julian-castro-betos-future-not-factor-2020-bid/752769/

There has never been a shortage of good Democrats in Texas, only a shortage of voters to elect them to office.

November 18, 2018

Hospital system allegedly held patients illegally

FORT WORTH, Texas—A Texas corporation that runs behavioral health hospitals is accused of illegally holding four patients, two of whom were voluntary patients who were allegedly prohibited from leaving.

SAS Healthcare Inc. was indicted Wednesday on nine counts of violating the Texas Mental Health Code, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.

The indictment alleges the corporation known as Sundance Behavioral Healthcare System detained two patients involuntarily at its Arlington facility longer than the 48 hours allowed without a court order. It also accuses the company of not allowing two voluntary patients to leave.

The health care system offers inpatient and outpatient treatment specializing in mental health, chemical dependency and detoxification, according to its website.

Read more: http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/texas/story/2018/nov/17/hospital-system-allegedly-held-patients-illegally/752768/

November 18, 2018

2 dead after WWII vintage plane crashes in Fredericksburg, officials say

Two people who were flying in a vintage World War II fighter plane on Saturday afternoon are dead after the aircraft crashed into the parking lot of a Fredericksburg apartment complex, officials said.

Gillespie County sheriff’s officials said they were called to the crash at 3:15 p.m., which occurred at the Friendship Place Apartments on the 700 block of South Creek Street.

Two people were reported to be on board the aircraft, Federal Aviation Administration officials said. Texas Department of Public Safety officials said both died in the crash.

The victims have not been identified, but the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, which was hosting a reenactment show that appears to have featured the WWII vintage P-51D Mustang fighter plane, said on a tweet Saturday that one of the victims was a veteran.

Read more: https://www.statesman.com/news/20181117/2-dead-after-wwii-vintage-plane-crashes-in-fredericksburg-officials-say

November 18, 2018

Gilmer jury awards $260 million to parents of man killed in 2016 wreck with tractor-trailer

Jurors in Gilmer awarded a $260 million verdict Friday in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the parents of a man who died in a February 2016 collision with a tractor-trailer on U.S. 271.

The Gilmer-based law firm of Goudarzi & Young reported the parents of Riley McPherson, 21, sued Jefferson Trucking, driver Eric Wayne Jefferson and Timothy Wayne Jefferson before 115th District Judge Lauren Parish.

According to the firm, McPherson was driving south on the highway when his vehicle collided with a flatbed tractor-trailer carrying steel pipe and blocking lanes in both directions as it backed into a private driveway.

The firm quoted an investigation indicating the truck’s driver had been returning home from Ohio in a 17-hour drive, “well in excess of the daily allowable hours” under state and federal laws.

https://www.news-journal.com/news/county/upshur/gilmer-jury-awards-million-to-parents-of-man-killed-in/article_91440ef0-e6be-11e8-a96b-c3acce2db862.html
(no more at link)

November 18, 2018

Ingram police chief's report says election judge had 'odor of alcohol'

The Ingram elections official who was hauled before a county judge on Election Day and removed from her post had “an odor of alcohol about herself” when Ingram police Chief John S. Doherty roused her that morning, according to his report.

Following the removal of Michelle A. Paulin, 48, of Ingram, as a judge of election, Chief Doherty declined to provide details of his encounter or specify what specific concerns other polling place workers brought to his attention.

But the report he filed about his encounter with Ms. Paulin noted his observation that he smelled alcohol, and a court order by Allegheny County Common Pleas Senior Judge Joseph M. James said that there were “credible reports” that Ms. Paulin was “under the influence.”

Ms. Paulin, 48, a judge of election, denies she was impaired on Nov. 6.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/west/2018/11/14/ingram-allegheny-county-judge-elections-michelle-paulin-alcohol-police/stories/201811090151

November 18, 2018

Pennsylvania Senate GOP wants Democrat Lindsey Williams to prove she meets residency rule

HARRISBURG — Republicans who control Pennsylvania’s Senate want a Democrat who is the apparent winner in the race for an open suburban Pittsburgh seat to prove she meets the residency requirement to serve in the chamber, senators said Wednesday.

Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre, said Republicans plan to ask Democrat Lindsey Williams, who represents Pennsylvania’s 38th Senate District, to show how she meets a constitutional requirement that newly elected senators must have lived in Pennsylvania for the prior four years.

“She needs to have the ability to come in and lay out that she does meet the requirements and, if she does, that’ll be the end of it,” Corman said. “If she doesn’t, then we’ve got an issue that we need to deal with.”

Corman would not say how Republicans will handle it if they decide that Williams doesn’t meet the requirement. Republican senators discussed the matter for the first time Wednesday during a closed-door caucus meeting.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2018/11/15/Senate-GOP-Democrat-lindsey-williams-allegheny-county-residency-rule-Pennsylvania-38th-District/stories/201811150091

November 18, 2018

School District of Lancaster employee placed on unpaid leave after calling Michelle Obama a 'monkey'

School District of Lancaster employee placed on unpaid leave after calling former First Lady Michelle Obama a 'monkey' on social media


A School District of Lancaster employee has been placed on unpaid leave after describing former First Lady Michelle Obama as a “monkey” on social media.

The district did not identify the employee, but a screenshot of the post indicates it was made by a Facebook user named Cindy Eachus, who identified herself as a school district employee.

A district directory lists a Cindy Eachus who works as a personal care paraprofessional.

District spokeswoman Kelly Burkholder confirmed the employee worked at the McCaskey High School campus.

The district acted swiftly after the screenshot spread rapidly on social media.

Read more: https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/school-district-of-lancaster-employee-placed-on-unpaid-leave-after/article_df760380-e9e8-11e8-a8e6-63b4f1ccdbbe.html

November 18, 2018

Barack Obama Surprise Guest At Michelle Obama's Book Show

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Barack Obama practically brought the house down at Michelle Obama's book show in Washington.

The former first lady is currently touring the country promoting her memoir, "Becoming," and participated in a conversation Saturday night moderated by her longtime friend and former Obama White House adviser Valerie Jarrett.

When the conversation shifted toward Mrs. Obama's feelings about her husband, Jarrett announced a "special guest" and Barack Obama came on stage carrying a bouquet of pink roses for his wife.

The crowd at Capital One Arena leapt to its feet.

Read more: https://hosted.ap.org/thetimes-tribune/article/93e359726b6d4a55915ded1e9bed3681/barack-obama-surprise-guest-michelle-obamas-book-show


Former first lady Michelle Obama speaks to the crowd as she presents her anticipated memoir "Becoming" during her book tour stop in Washington, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

November 18, 2018

Explosion at Idaho Waste Site Injures 3, Leaves 1 Missing

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An explosion Saturday at a hazardous waste site in southwestern Idaho heavily damaged a building, injured three workers and left one man missing, officials said.

The company US Ecology said 15 employees were working at the time of the explosion, which occurred in a building at the facility about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Boise.

"Most of the skin has been blown out, and much of the metal has been bent," Simon Bell, the company's vice president of operations and chief operating officer, said of the building. "It would have been a large explosion based on the damage to the building."

There's no threat to the public, and emergency crews, including a hazardous materials team, were at the site, Owyhee County spokeswoman Angela Barkell said. The facility is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of the small town of Grand View, and about a mile from a highway.

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/idaho/articles/2018-11-17/3-injured-1-missing-after-explosion-at-idaho-waste-site