January 6, 2018

Florida Attorney Who Calls Same-Sex Marriage 'An Abomination' Could Be Named Family Court Judge by

Florida Attorney Who Calls Same-Sex Marriage 'An Abomination' Could Be Named Family Court Judge by Gov. Rick Scott

A Florida attorney who unsuccessfully ran for Congress two years ago could be appointed as a family court judge by Gov. Rick Scott. Lathika Mary Thomas, a staunch conservative Republican, has called same-sex marriage "an abomination." She also has strong ties to Florida's GOP governor.

In 2015 Thomas called Supreme Court decisions supporting the Affordable Care Act and right of same-sex couples to marry "an abomination," saying they "tear at the very fabric of American society. We must repeal Obamacare and defend the constitution. Nothing less will suffice," a Florida newspaper, the Tallahassee Democrat, reported.

(Defending the Constitution means supporting the right of same-sex couples to marry, as the Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell.)

Thomas began working in Gov. Scott's administration in 2010. She is now "the director of policy for a U.S. Department of Justice office that provides community grants. Thomas’ legal expertise includes land use, administrative, environmental and insurance defense law," The Times notes.

Read more: http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/davidbadash/florida_attorney_who_calls_same_sex_marriage_an_abomination_could_be_named_family_court_judge_by_gov_rick_scott

January 6, 2018

Right Wing Pundit Tries to Discredit Author of Trump Bombshell Book by Saying He Might Be Gay, Has a

Right Wing Pundit Tries to Discredit Author of Trump Bombshell Book by Saying He Might Be Gay, Has a 'Gay Face'

A co-founder of VICE Media and head of a far right wing "fraternity" that's been associated with the alt-right is trying to discredit Michael Wolff, the author of "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," by suggesting he might be gay. Gavin McInnes also says that gay people who have not come out "tend to be sociopaths."

“Why are we assuming that Michael Wolff is good at his job? Have you ever seen Michael Wolff?" McInnes, who has a show on the online far right wing network CRTV, asks in a Facebook post.

"Now, this isn’t a fact, this is just my theory, but he has a gay face," he continues, as Right Wing Watch first reported Wednesday.

It's unclear what being gay or not, or having a "gay face" has to do with being good at your job. It's also unclear what "gay face" is.

Read more: http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/davidbadash/right_wing_pundit_tries_to_discredit_author_of_trump_bombshell_book_by_saying_he_might_be_gay

January 5, 2018

Woman Who Says Roy Moore Sexually Abused Her as a Child Is Now Suing Him for Defamation

Last year in November Leigh Corfman told the world Roy Moore sexually abused her when she was just 14 years old. Moore, a veteran of Alabama politics for most of his life, went into action, and along with his political machine, attacked Corfman.

Now she's suing him and his campaign for defamation.

"Corfman is not seeking financial compensation beyond legal costs," The Washington Post reports Thursday afternoon. "She is asking for a declaratory judgment of defamation, a public apology from Moore, and a court-enforced ban on him or his campaign publicly attacking her again. She said in a statement that the suit seeks 'to do what I could not do as a 14-year-old — hold Mr. Moore and those who enable him accountable.'"

One month before Alabama's special election in December, Corfman had told The Washington Post she was just 14 years old when Roy Moore, then 32, drove her to his home, removed her clothes and his clothes, touched her over her underwear and tried to get her to touch him over his. She says she told him she was uncomfortable and he drove her home.

Read more: http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/woman_who_says_roy_moore_sexually_abused_her_as_a_child_is_now_suing_him_for_defamation

January 5, 2018

Sean Spicer Returns to Try to Repair His Credibility. Fails.

Sean Spicer's short tenure as White House Press Secretary began with questionably false statements about the size of the crowd one day earlier at Donald Trump's inauguration. Spicer infamously barked at reporters, “this was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe.”

In an exceptionally lengthy investigation at the time USA Today concluded, "Trump and Spicer argued that the media misrepresented the size of the crowd at the inauguration, and we don’t find any evidence of that. To the contrary, it was Trump and Spicer who provided false information to feed a false narrative about crowd size."

The Atlantic reported, "Trump's Press Secretary Falsely Claims: 'Largest Audience Ever to Witness an Inauguration, Period'," and added, "In his first official White House briefing, Sean Spicer blasted journalists for 'deliberately false reporting,' and made categorical claims about crowd-size at odds with the available evidence."

Almost a full year later and six months after ending his stint as press secretary, Spicer has returned, trying to salvage his credibility and reputation.

Read more: http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/sean_spicer_returns_to_try_to_repair_his_credibility_fails

January 5, 2018

Goliad county judge gets warning from state commission

Goliad County Judge Pat Calhoun (R) (Bachelor's, Texas A&M; J. D. Texas A&M) admits he should not have told county officials he planned to get human hunting tags for them - even if it was just a joke.

In early December, Calhoun visited Austin to answer to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, which investigates misconduct by judges in Texas, the county judge said.

"They said, 'The colorful language needs to stop,'" Calhoun said. "I said, 'That's a fair enough deal.'"

Although the commission's executive director, Eric Vinson, said he could not confirm the existence of such an investigation, Calhoun admitted he received a private warning, which was downgraded from a private reprimand after his visit.

Read more: https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2018/jan/04/goliad-county-judge-reprimanded-by-state-commissio/

Reading through the remainder of the article it appears that the judge has issues in many of his personal relationships.

January 5, 2018

FEMA changes policy to allow churches to get disaster aid

AUSTIN – Churches will now be eligible for federal disaster relief after three Texas houses of worship were part of court action that was filed after Hurricane Harvey and other major destructive storms struck last year.

Under revised guidelines handed down this week by the Federal Emergency Management Administration, houses of worship hit by natural disasters “will not be singled out for disfavored treatment.”

“We’re delighted that FEMA will start treating us like other charitable groups,” said Charles Stoker, whose Hi-Way Tabernacle Church of Cleveland, Texas, was among the three Texas churches and two Florida synagogues that sued the federal agency over its policy. “And we look forward to continuing to help our neighbors as they recover from Harvey.”

FEMA announced the updated policy with the release of its Public Assistance and Policy Guide. It cited the June 2017 Supreme Court ruling that said a Missouri state agency violated the First Amendment when it denied assistance to a church that was available to other entities.

Read more: http://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/texas/state-bureau/2018/01/03/fema-changes-policy-allow-churches-get-disaster-aid/1001343001/

January 5, 2018

US Figure Skating Championship Results - Womens, Mens & Pairs Short Program

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Nathan Chen made it look easy on the ice and in the standings Thursday night, running away with the short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

The defending champion and America's best hope for an Olympic gold medal next month at the Pyeongchang Games, the 18-year-old Chen spun his usual quad magic, hitting two of the four-rotation jumps, one in competition. His energy lit up the SAP Center, and though his triple axel was funky, Chen earned 104.45 points.

That's territory none of his countrymen can reach.

Coming closest was veteran Adam Rippon, who had a career-best 96.52. Jason Brown, a 2014 team bronze medalist at the Sochi Olympics, was third heading to Saturday's free skate at 93.23.

Grant Hochstein put on the performance of his life, nailing every element and drawing the first standing ovation of the competition to wind up fourth at 92.18.

Read more: http://www.valleymorningstar.com/sports/chen-takes-men-s-short-program-knierims-win-pairs-short/article_236ef97d-c3f0-5525-8731-828b56aaa489.html


Bradie Tennell highlights unpredictable U.S. figure skating championships short program

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Skating never, ever disappoints. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, or seen it all, everything changes.

Take the women’s short program Wednesday night at the 2018 U.S. figure skating national championships. Veteran Ashley Wagner, the heavily promoted face of the fall Olympic preview season, is in trouble.

Another veteran, Mirai Nagasu, flubbed her big jump, but still was rewarded for her efforts. Last year’s national champion, Karen Chen, rebounded from a difficult season with an elegant skate at just the right moment.

And a star is born — or close to it, anyway. Bradie Tennell, the 19-year-old with the highest international score of any U.S. woman this season, continued her rise with a technically impeccable short program.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2018/01/04/bradie-tennell-usa-figure-skating-championships-short-program/1002748001/


Womens Championship
Place Start Name Score
1 7 Bradie Tennell, Skokie Valley SC 73.79
2 13 Mirai Nagasu, Pasadena FSC 73.09
3 22 Karen Chen, Peninsula SC 69.48
4 2 Angela Wang, Salt Lake Figure Skating 67.00
5 17 Ashley Wagner, SC of Wilmington 65.94
6 12 Mariah Bell, Rocky Mountain FSC 65.18
7 1 Polina Edmunds, Peninsula SC 63.78
8 5 Starr Andrews, Los Angeles FSC 62.55
9 11 Amber Glenn, Dallas FSC 61.62
10 18 Caroline Zhang, All Year FSC 60.29
11 3 Courtney Hicks, All Year FSC 57.81
12 6 Hannah Miller, Lansing SC 57.57
13 16 Tessa Hong, Los Angeles FSC 55.82
14 14 Franchesca Chiera, Panthers FSC 53.85
15 10 Katie McBeath, Westminster FSC of Erie 48.53
16 19 Vivian Le, Los Angeles FSC 46.65
17 20 Kaitlyn Nguyen, Los Angeles FSC 46.30
18 15 Emmy Ma, SC of Boston 45.55
19 4 Emily Chan, Dallas FSC 44.79
20 8 Brynne McIsaac, Broadmoor SC 43.97
21 9 Ashley Lin, Dallas FSC 42.33
22 21 Megan Wessenberg, SC of Boston 40.90

Mens Championship
Place Start Name Score
1 16 Nathan Chen, Salt Lake Figure Skating 104.45
2 19 Adam Rippon, SC of New York 96.52
3 20 Jason Brown, Skokie Valley SC 93.23
4 11 Grant Hochstein, SC of New York 92.18
5 14 Vincent Zhou, SC of San Francisco 89.02
6 13 Ross Miner, SC of Boston 88.91
7 9 Timothy Dolensky, Atlanta FSC 85.06
8 8 Aleksei Krasnozhon, Dallas FSC 82.58
9 18 Andrew Torgashev, Panthers FSC 81.32
10 10 Alexander Johnson, Braemar-City of Lakes FSC 79.60
11 15 Jimmy Ma, SC of New York 75.28
12 4 Max Aaron, Broadmoor SC 74.95
13 6 Sean Rabbitt, Glacier Falls FSC 73.22
14 7 Emmanuel Savary, University of Delaware FSC 64.65
15 21 Tomoki Hiwatashi, DuPage FSC 63.48
16 1 Sebastien Payannet, Los Angeles FSC 61.29
17 17 Scott Dyer, All Year FSC 60.17
18 3 Daniel Kulenkamp, FSC of Southern California 60.15
19 12 Ben Jalovick, Centennial 7k SC 56.12
20 2 Jordan Moeller, Northern Ice SC 55.35
21 5 Kevin Shum, SC of Boston 52.04

Pairs Championship
Place Start Name Score
1 2 Alexa Scimeca-Knierim, DuPage FSC
Christopher Knierim, Broadmoor SC 71.10
2 5 Tarah Kayne, Southwest Florida FSC
Danny O'Shea, Southwest Florida FSC 68.93
3 8 Deanna Stellato-Dudek, Southwest Florida FSC
Nathan Bartholomay, Southwest Florida FSC 67.84
4 12 Haven Denney, SC of New York
Brandon Frazier, All Year FSC 63.63
5 4 Chelsea Liu, Orange County FSC
Brian Johnson, Detroit SC 62.35
6 13 Marissa Castelli, SC of Boston
Mervin Tran, SC of Boston 60.75
7 10 Jessica Pfund, Southwest Florida FSC
Joshua Santillan, All Year FSC 60.52
8 15 Ashley Cain, SC of New York
Timothy LeDuc, Los Angeles FSC 60.03
9 14 Nica Digerness, Broadmoor SC
Danny Neudecker, Seattle SC 53.78
10 11 Winter Deardorff, Northern Kentucky SC
Max Settlage, Broadmoor SC 51.15
11 3 Erika Choi Smith, SC of New York
AJ Reiss, Los Angeles FSC 50.95
12 6 Jessica Calalang, DuPage FSC
Zack Sidhu, Las Vegas FSC 50.43
13 9 Caitlin Fields, Indiana World Sk Acad FSC
Ernie Utah Stevens, Indiana World Sk Acad FSC 45.49
14 7 Allison Timlen, Columbia FSC (MD)
Justin Highgate-Brutman, St. Clair Shores FSC 41.70
15 1 Alexandria Yao, Peninsula SC
Jacob Simon, Skokie Valley SC 40.97

January 5, 2018

Ex-Texas basketball star Kevin Durant to donate $3 million to UT

Former Longhorn basketball star Kevin Durant is giving back to the Texas basketball program in a big way.

Texas Athletics announced Thursday morning Durant will donate $3 million in total to the school. $2.5 million will go straight to the basketball program, while the remaining $500,000 will go to UT’s Center for Sports Leadership and Innovation. It’s the biggest donation by a former Texas basketball player in UT history.

“My time as a Longhorn helped build the foundation for who I am today as a player and a person, and the UT team will always be my family,” Durant said in a statement. “It’s important to me to continue to give back to the University and ensure that future student-athletes have all the opportunities they need to succeed. It’s an honor to have such a close and unique relationship with Texas Basketball, and I’m grateful to be able to contribute.”

Texas’ current basketball practice facility for both the men’s and women’s teams, Denton A. Cooley Pavilion, will get a new title for its entrance as a result — The Kevin Durant Texas Basketball Center — while the men’s facility will get its own separate title, The Kevin Durant Basketball Facility for Men.

Read more: http://www.dailytexanonline.com/2018/01/04/ex-texas-basketball-star-kevin-durant-to-donate-3-million-to-ut

January 5, 2018

Route being finalized for $4.5B Oklahoma wind farm project

TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The route for a 350-mile power line that's part of a $4.5 billion wind farm project in Oklahoma is being finalized.

The Wind Catcher Energy Connection project, which also includes two substations, is a joint effort by the Public Service Company of Oklahoma and Southwestern Electric Power Co.

The wind farm would be built on 300,000 acres in Cimarron and Texas counties in the Oklahoma Panhandle, with a power line connecting the farm to Tulsa. The wind farm would include about 800 wind turbines.

The project would bring 2,000 megawatts of energy to customers in eastern and southwestern Oklahoma, and to parts of Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.

Read more: http://www.tylerpaper.com/TP-Business/318176/route-being-finalized-for-45b-oklahoma-wind-farm-project

January 5, 2018

Corpus Christi company must pay $11M settlement in wrongful death case

A Corpus Christi company must pay $11 million to settle a lawsuit stemming from a 2015 crash near Odessa that killed two men.

The families of John Reynolds, of Mississippi, and Tommy Rivers, of Fort Worth, sued Corpus Christi-based Sage Enviro Tech and a driver for the company, Hector Botello Jr., earlier this year.

The lawsuit alleges the company knew Botello had a history of alcoholism and mental illness when it hired him, according to a news release from Hare, Wynn, Newell & Newton, one of the law firms representing the plaintiffs.

“A simple background check could have prevented such a tragedy,” said Jamie Moncus, one of the attorneys representing the families. “We recently marked the third Christmas that the families of John Reynolds and Tommy Rivers were without their husbands and fathers, all because of a company’s failure to be careful in hiring drivers.

Read more: http://www.caller.com/story/news/local/2018/01/03/corpus-christi-company-must-pay-11-m-settlement-wrongful-death-case/999961001/