SXSW street fight – Drunk bully gets knocked out on 6th Street

Station locations may determine high-speed rail's future in North Texas

ARLINGTON - The fate of a proposal to build a high-speed rail line connecting Dallas-Fort Worth to Houston may rest on whether North Texas leaders can agree on where to put a station.

The Regional Transportation Council about two years ago adopted a policy stating that if an entity wants to bring bullet trains to the region, there should be three stations -- one in downtown Fort Worth, one in either Arlington or the CentrePort area near DFW Airport, and another in downtown Dallas.

But in recent weeks word has begun to spread that a group known as Texas Central High-Speed Railway Llc., which is collaborating with Central Japan Railway Co. to bring high-speed rail to the region, wants to open only one station on North Texas' outskirts, in southeast Dallas County.

Five state senators responded by sending a letter to the Texas Department of Transportation urging Executive Director Phil Wilson to "facilitate" the location of that station at DFW Airport.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/03/14/4703315/locating-stations-may-determine.html#storylink=cpy

Socorro City Rep. Jesse Gandara Jr., police Sgt. Refugio Orta indicted on theft (updated 3/18/13)

Socorro City Rep. Jesus "Jesse" Gandara Jr. and police Sgt. Refugio Orta were indicted Thursday on state felony theft charges.

Gandara, 31, and Orta, 39, are accused of stealing property of more than $1,500 and less than $20,000 in June 2011, county records show.

Their indictment was handed up eight months after El Paso County Sheriff's Office investigators raided the Socorro Administration Building on Horizon Boulevard and Gandara's home looking for evidence related to possible false claims for travel expenses.

The investigation involved Gandara, other council members and city employees, including Orta.

More at http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_22799332/socorro-city-rep-jesse-gandara-jr-police-sgt .

[font color=navy]Socorro city Rep. Jesse Gandara Jr arrested on suspicion of stolen property

Socorro city Rep. Jesus "Jesse" Gandara Jr., who is indicted on state felony theft charges, was arrested after he turned himself in Monday afternoon.

Gandara, 31, and Socorro police Sgt. Refugio Orta, 39, are accused of stealing property of more than $1,500 and less than $20,000 and misapplication of fiduciary property over $1,500 between June 2011 and January 2012, according to the indictment.

Orta was arrested Friday afternoon after he turned himself in to the Precinct 6 constable in Clint.[/font]

Source: http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_22816604/socorro-city-rep-jessie-gandara-jr-arrested-suspicion.html

George W. Bush Presidential Center opening won’t be impacted by sequestration

The much anticipated opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Center won’t be impacted by sequestration, even as the federal cuts have forced the National Archives and Records Administration to reduce public hours at its flagship facilities in the Washington area.

Alan Lowe, director of the Bush Center’s library and museum, confirmed Friday that the sequester won’t affect plans to dedicate the complex on April 25 and then open it to the public on May 1. There won’t be any curtailed operating hours, either, he said.

“The opening is proceeding as planned,” he said. “We are just being very careful, as always, with the taxpayers’ dollars. We’re looking at that and making sure we are efficient as we can be in running this place.”

The National Archives and Records Administration announced this week that it would no longer extend public hours at exhibits and research rooms at the National Archives Building in Washington and the research rooms at the National Archives at College Park, Md.

More at http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2013/03/george-w-bush-presidential-center-opening-wont-be-impacted-by-sequestration.html/ .

Wacko birds and patronizing freshmen: Ted Cruz responds to McCain and Feinstein

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, ruffling feathers in both parties, is taking a sticks-and-stones approach.

On Fox News this afternoon, he responded to Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s assessment that he was arrogant and patronizing toward her at a committee hearing over the assault weapons ban, and to Arizona Sen. John McCain’s comment that he is one of the “wacko birds” of the tea party right.

“Listen, other Senators can choose to hurl whatever insults they would like my direction, I have no intention of reciprocating. Twenty-six million people in Texas expect me to come here every day and represent them and in particular to raise the sorts of questions that I raised at that hearing which is what are the limits of the Constitution. I have got to tell you there are a lot of politicians in Washington both Democrats and Republicans who have lost sight of the Constitutional limitations,” Cruz said of Feinstein.

As to whether he is breaching the decorum of deference expected of a newcomer to the Senate, he said: “Well I think there are several other Senators who have decided to insult me personally and my consistent pattern is I am not going to do the same, they can throw any insults they want. My focus has been and will remain on the substance.”

More at http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2013/03/wacko-birds-and-patronizing-freshmen-ted-cruz-responds-to-mccain-and-feinstein.html/ .

Document gives new details on legislator’s DWI charge

A state representative arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated Thursday told police she had two drinks before a crash left three people injured, according to an arrest affidavit.

Rep. Naomi Gonzalez, D-El Paso, crashed the BMW she was driving into another car that then struck a bicyclist near the downtown area shortly before 2 a.m., Austin police officials have said.

Gonzalez, 34, was traveling south on Congress Avenue at about 50 mph when her car rear-ended a Fiat near the Barton Springs Road intersection, police and Austin-Travis County EMS officials have said. The Fiat, which was also in a southbound lane, then hit a woman on her bicycle, officials said.

Gonzalez, the bicyclist and a passenger in the Fiat were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries, an EMS official said. The bicyclist suffered scrapes and bruises.

<<<snip>>>

According to the arrest affidavit, her blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.164 — more than twice the legal limit.

More at http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/documents-give-new-details-on-legislators-dwi-char/nWskH/

[font color=green]Two drinks and she blows a 0.164? That bourbon drink must have been in a Big Gulp cup.[/font]

Pantex, feds vow improvement

Top Energy Department and Pantex officials vowed Thursday to improve worker-management relations after reports of poor working conditions, cronyism and workers’ fears of retaliation for reporting safety issues at the nuclear weapons plant.

Members of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, a watchdog agency that monitors safety at U.S. nuclear weapons facilities, grilled top National Nuclear Security Administration and senior Pantex officials Thursday at Amarillo Civic Center about plant safety and employee concerns and plant infrastructure.

Pantex, located about 17 miles northeast of Amarillo, dismantles retired nuclear bombs and modifies weapons for the U.S. atomic arsenal.

In 2011, the nuclear safety board learned about an incident when warhead disassembly work proceeded beyond authorized operations, a serious safety issue that also sparked an internal investigation by contractor B&W Pantex. As part of the internal probe, the contractor surveyed personnel in its nuclear explosives safety division. According to the survey, “eight out of 10 employees believe it is a career-limiting move to raise concerns.”

More at http://amarillo.com/news/2013-03-14/pantex-government-officials-vow-improve-plant-conditions .

Zippo withdraws lighters sold on extremist website

Zippo's German distributor is withdrawing a number of lighters bearing militaristic designs after they showed up on an extremist website that sells anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi clothing and accessories.

Zippo Manufacturing Co., the venerable Pennsylvania company that produced the offensive lighters, said it had no idea the designs carried a negative connotation and apologized for bringing them to market.

One lighter bears the image of a soldier and the word "Landser," an old German word for infantryman but also the name of a German neo-Nazi rock band whose members were convicted of hate crimes a decade ago.

Other lighters feature an iron cross — a German military decoration first awarded in the 19th century and appropriated by Adolf Hitler — combined with excerpts from German folk songs.

More at http://www.kvue.com/news/Zippo-withdraws-lighters-sold-on-extremist-website--198376551.html .

At CPAC, Gov. Rick Perry denounces Romney, McCain, Obama and socialized medicine

OXON HILL, Md. – In a swipe at Mitt Romney and Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Gov. Rick Perry told a huge conservative gathering Thursday that Republicans can’t blame the right for President Obama’s two victories.

“The popular media narrative is that this country has shifted away from conservative ideals, as evidenced by the last two presidential elections,” he said. “That might be true if Republicans had actually nominated conservative candidates in 2008 and 2012.”

The nation’s longest serving governor hasn’t said whether he plans to seek the presidency again after his disastrous bid last year. But the Conservative Political Action Conference at a resort near Washington has drawn a parade of 2016 contenders. And Perry’s 20-minute speech sounded like a manifesto, or at least a trial balloon.

The ballroom at the Gaylord National had hundreds of empty seats as Perry spoke, though — a far lighter crowd than the one that packed the house two hours earlier for tea party Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky.

More at http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2013/03/at-cpac-gov-rick-perry-denounces-romney-mccain-obama-and-socialized-medicine.html/ .

Islam, Communism, And Black Panthers Are Indoctrinating Texas Children -- Fingers Crossed!