January 28, 2015

'Gargantuan' wild hog weighing nearly 800 pounds caught in Texas

A ginormous hog that tipped the scale at 790 pounds is living carefree, and getting fed and watered down in his corral – for now.

The hog was bagged after what could be a catch of a lifetime for Blaine Garcia and Wyatt Walton on a ranch Jan. 16 in De Leon, a town about 35 minutes west of Stephenville and 95 miles southwest of Fort Worth.

That Friday was an ordinary day of hunting on land owned by Comanche County Commissioner Jimmy Dale Johnson, until Garcia found the signs of a large hog in the area.

“I did a double take. I couldn’t believe his size, and he took off running down a draw. I tried to walk up and get a better look but he kept running off as I approached,” Garcia told The Flash Today.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/sports/outdoors/article/Nearly-800-pound-hog-caught-in-Texas-6043871.php#photo-7445088

January 28, 2015

Video: UPS driver throws box, urinates against Texas house

HOUSTON (AP) — A UPS driver has been fired after a Houston homeowner posted security video that shows the delivery man throwing a parcel over a gate and urinating against a house.

UPS officials apologized to homeowner Ben Lucas for the Jan. 8 incident.

Lucas said Tuesday that he checked his surveillance video after finding that the parcel was broken open and some of the items inside damaged, including ammunition and a gun-cleaning device.

The video shows the delivery man hurling the package over a gate, then unzipping his pants and relieving himself on the property.

The video will not embed, the remainder of the story is at http://www.theeagle.com/news/texas/video-ups-driver-throws-box-urinates-against-texas-house/article_df98cc0c-87c2-584f-a8eb-869b7133d77b.html .

January 28, 2015

Perry says exploration of presidential bid “moving right along,” in spite of legal setback

Former Gov. Rick Perry says a setback this week in his efforts to quash a criminal indictment won’t deter him from stumping in the early primary states as he explores whether to run for president again.

“We’re moving right along as we had expected to,” Perry said at an Austin news conference. “We’ll make a decision {on running} and I’ll actually make an announcement in the May-June timetable, just like we had intended to before this.

Perry, a 14-year Republican governor, said he is finding crowds “very supportive” of his stand in favor of “the rule of law.”

Criminal defense attorney David Botsford said Perry’s legal team would try to knock down the former governor’s indictment for alleged abuse of power in connection with a 2013 veto threat involving Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, after her drunk-driving conviction. Perry demanded she resign or lose a two-year, $7.5 million budget allocation to her office’s Public Integrity Unit, which among other things investigates state government corruption.

Read more: http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2015/01/perry-says-exploration-of-presidential-bid-moving-right-along-in-spite-of-legal-setback.html/

Related thread:
Rick Perry loses second request to dismiss case against him
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014999360

January 28, 2015

Dell Family Foundation Makes $25M Donation to UT Hospital

The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation is donating $25 million in a challenge grant to pay for Seton Healthcare Family’s new teaching hospital in Austin.

Susan Dell, who announced the decision today, says they want the community to get involved in donating the remaining $25 million. The $50 million combined will go toward the Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas.

"We will have state-of-the-art treatments for our patients, we’ll be able to attract the best talent in the country to our team here in Central Texas," Dell said. "One of Michael and my biggest goals is always about elevating the level of care for the entire community here in Central Texas, and this project helps us do that."

The new hospital will replace the roughly four decades-old University Medical Center Brackenridge and will continue to offer care to low-income and uninsured patients. It'll be surrounded by the University of Texas Dell Medical School, which opens next year.

Read more: http://kut.org/post/dell-family-foundation-makes-major-donation-ut-hospital

January 28, 2015

Islamic Tribunal Confirmed in Texas; Attorney Claims ‘It’s Voluntary’

[font color=green]Note: I know that this article is from Breitbart Texas and it is not my intention to advertise their Website. However, since people might hear from conservatives about the infiltration of Sharia law into Texas I am providing this article so that people are aware of the contents. Thank you in advance for understanding why I am presenting this information for educational purposes.[/font]

An Islamic Tribunal using Sharia law in Texas has been confirmed by Breitbart Texas. The tribunal is operating as a non-profit organization in Dallas. One of the attorneys for the tribunal said participation and acceptance of the tribunal’s decisions are “voluntary.”

Breitbart Texas spoke with one of the “judges,” Dr. Taher El-badawi. He said the tribunal operates under Sharia law as a form of “non-binding dispute resolution.” El-badawi said their organization is “a tribunal, not arbitration.” A tribunal is defined by Meriam-Webster’s Dictionary as “a court or forum of justice.” The four Islamic attorneys call themselves “judges” not “arbitrators.”

El-badawi said the tribunal follows Sharia law to resolve civil disputes in family and business matters. He said they also resolve workplace disputes.

In matters of divorce, El-badawi said that “while participation in the tribunal is voluntary, a married couple cannot be considered divorced by the Islamic community unless it is granted by the tribunal.” He compared their divorce, known as “Talaq,” as something similar to the Catholic practice of annulment in that the church does not recognize civil divorce proceedings as ending a marriage.

More at http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2015/01/27/hold-islamic-tribunal-confirmed-in-texas-its-voluntary-says-attorney/ .

January 28, 2015

Rick Perry Continues Making Weird Comments About Jewish Life

Former governor Rick Perry (say it with me) has been swinging through Iowa like every other white Republican man running for president. This weekend, he stopped in at Maccabbee’s Deli in Des Moines (try the corn kasha), which produced the picture you see above, to speak with less than twenty members of the tribe who cared to hear what he had to say. Of course, he laid it on heavy about how much he relates, and mentioned a trip he made to Poland.



Hmm. While it’s discernible what Perry meant to convey, it’s also clear that Perry likes to use facets of Jewish existence to make political points. This president-on-the-border thing one of his most public gripes with the White House: the chief executive won’t agree to a Perry-led tour in the Rio Grande Valley. Astoundingly, such a great “friend of Israel” seems utterly unaware that no Jew would ever compare Auschwitz to the border. Few would be comfortable with a fundamentalist Christian making that comparison, given that Perry’s belief in end times rests on Israel’s existence so Jesus can destroy it, kill all Jews and other non-Christians, and take the fundamentalists with him to hang out with a deity.

It’s not the first time Perry has said something similarly strange about Jewish life. Late last year, Perry compared Hannukah to the Boston Tea Party, which he certainly appears to think has something to do with the current astroturf conglomeration. In so doing, he managed to misunderstand both stories while striking a very strange tone.

In Texas or outside of it, Rick Perry will be somewhere making news, at least until he (probably, but who can be certain) loses the presidential primary again early next year.

Source: http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/29412/rick-perry-continues-making-weird-comments-jewish-life

January 28, 2015

Burkablog: A New Day on Guns

By Erica Grieder

I wrote a preview of the 84th Legislature for the February issue, and among my predictions was that Democrats should be stoical about the push to legalize open carry of handguns, because it’s a) not that big of a deal and b) such a bill would pass easily: Republicans have enough votes and Greg Abbott had already said he would sign it.

But by the end of the first day of session, my prediction was looking dubious. A group of advocates from Open Carry Tarrant County, advocating for their cause around the Capitol, confronted Rep. Poncho Nevarez in his office. In theory, they were asking for his support, but in practice, as is clear from a video of the encounter posted by the group’s leader, Kory Watkins, they were harassing him in personal terms because he told them, clearly and calmly, that he wasn’t planning to vote yes on the bill. As a result of their efforts, Watkins et al spurred the Lege to immediate action, which is more than many advocates can say: the next day the House approved rules letting members install panic buttons, so they could call for help in the event of such confrontations. The advocates had, somewhat poetically, shot themselves in the foot; it was probably still possible for the Lege to pass open carry, given how large the Republican majorities are, but there would be more resistance.

As of today, the effort might well be dead. At a Texas Tribune event this morning, Dan Patrick told Evan Smith that he doesn’t think there are enough votes to pass open carry in the Lege at this point, and, beyond that, that he wasn’t concerned about it: “Second Amendment rights are very important, but open carry does not reach to the level of prioritizing at this point.” Instead, he said, he—and by extension, the Senate—would prioritize issues like education reform and tax relief.

This was surprising, considering that Patrick has done nothing to ruffle conservatives during his first week on the job (although not surprising if you consider that Patrick has always been less predictably conservative than his rhetoric and persona would suggest.) It was also the most sobering one-two punch a conservative has dealt his own side since Giovanni Capriglione told the Northeast Tarrant Tea Party that he would support Joe Straus for speaker because Scott Turner couldn’t muster enough votes to win and, incidentally, wasn’t qualified for the job.

Read more: http://www.texasmonthly.com/burka-blog/new-day-guns

January 28, 2015

American Airlines reports $4 billion in 2014 profit

Companies often have a tough time revving up the profit machine immediately after a merger. At the start of 2014, American Airlines Group had the additional burden of a just-ended two-year stay in bankruptcy court.

But coming out of bankruptcy and merging two companies apparently hasn’t been a problem for American.

Riding strong demand and falling fuel costs, Fort Worth-based American reported Tuesday that it earned $1.1 billion in the fourth quarter and $4.2 billion for all of 2014 — the best quarter and best year in its history.

The industry’s biggest air carrier since the merger of American and US Airways in December 2013 also reported the industry’s biggest profit, surpassing No. 2 Delta Air Lines by $1.35 billion.

Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/business/airline-industry/20150127-american-airlines-reports-4-billion-in-2014-profit.ece

January 28, 2015

Longview police shooting victim ID’d as 17 year-old girl with knife; Anonymous vows retaliation

Kristiana Coignard, 17, was reportedly shot to death by Longview police officers in the lobby of the police station, Jan. 22, 2015.

Three Longview police officers were put on paid leave Friday after the shooting death of a Longview teenager in the lobby of the Longview Police Department.

Officials identified the victim in the Thursday night incident as Kristiana Coignard, 17, a former Pine Tree ISD student. Police say she was shot after brandishing a weapon at officers.

Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace James Mathis, who declared her dead, said Coignard was shot “multiple times.”

Beyond those details, other questions remained unanswered about the teen’s death about 6:30 p.m. in the lobby of the central police station at 302 W. Cotton St. and the overnight lockdown of the station. Among them: What led Coignard to enter the station and ask to speak to an officer? What did she say? What sort of weapon did she have in the station’s lobby before being shot and taken to Good Shepherd Medical Center?

Read more: http://www.news-journal.com/news/local/police-shooting-victim-id-d-as-longview-teen/article_c40b74d2-781f-5754-8cb0-50526edddc56.html

Aunt says Longview teen killed at police department suffered from ‘mental illness’

Kristiana Coignard’s family declined to comment to a News-Journal reporter Monday, saying they would reserve statement until after they receive an update from the Texas Rangers.

Coignard’s aunt, Heather Robertson, told the political blog ThinkProgress that her niece had been struggling with mental illness including depression and bipolar disorder.

“She had been hospitalized twice in recent years after suicide attempts. ... Since arriving in Longview in December, Coignard had been taking medication and regularly seeing a therapist. She had no criminal record and ‘was only violent with herself,’ ” ThinkProgress reports.

***

A preliminary autopsy released today shows a 17-year-old girl killed by police last week died of gunshot wounds to her trunk and upper body.

Read more: http://www.news-journal.com/news/police/aunt-says-longview-teen-killed-at-police-department-suffered-from/article_1a4d1a4a-a576-11e4-b878-7fc2f2b702ea.html

Official confirms city of Longview targeted by hackers

Longview’s website went offline briefly this weekend, likely due to cyber attacks.

“The website did go down temporarily, but as far as we are aware nothing was compromised,” city spokesman Shawn Hara said.

A YouTube poster who claimed to be part of hacktivist organization Anonymous took credit for the alleged attack.

“We would like to say that we did shut down the Longview Texas city website, of course it’s back online, trust us when we say we wouldn’t have made this video if we knew the op wouldn’t be a success,” the poster, who goes by AnonSec 101, commented on a video uploaded Saturday.

Read more: http://www.news-journal.com/news/local/official-confirms-city-of-longview-targeted-by-hackers/article_576d78a6-a581-11e4-a5d4-cbf0dbce7890.html

Anonymous threatens retaliation after Texas police kill 17-year-old girl

Three Longview police officers have been placed on administrative leave after a 17-year-old girl was shot to death in the police station lobby, according to the Marshall News Messenger.

Officials have identified the teenager as Kristiana Coignard, a former student in the Pine Tree school district. She was shot multiple times about 6:30 p.m. Thursday, the News Messenger reported.

The hacker group Anonymous has threatened retaliation against the city for the shooting and claimed to have already attacked the city's website, according to Inquisitr.

The Longview Police Department's Facebook page has this entry about the incident:



Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/houston-texas/texas/article/Reports-Teenaged-girl-fatally-shot-by-Longview-6042931.php#photo-7442962

January 27, 2015

Texas Senate budget includes billions for tax cuts

The Texas Senate unveiled a first draft budget proposal on Tuesday that includes $4 billion in tax relief for the 2016-17 budget cycle, including $3 billion for property tax cuts and $1 billion for cuts to the business franchise tax.

That is different from the House’s biennial budget proposal, released Jan. 15, which does not yet include tax relief. The two budgets, which will eventually have to be reconciled, include some other key differences. The House’s budget, for example, provides funding for the Public Integrity Unit, currently housed in the Travis County District Attorney’s office, while the Senate’s does not. The Senate budget also defunds the Texas Racing Commission, while the House’s does not.

The budgets include several key similarities, however, including additional funding for more graduate medical education slots and also operations along the Texas-Mexico border. They also both fund enrollment growth for schools and end the diversion of some $1.2 billion in transportation funding, creating more money for roads. (The Senate budget also includes a “one-time dedication” of $1.2 billion from the motor vehicle sales tax to the state highway fund).

State Sen. Jane Nelson, a Republican from Flower Mound who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, noted during a Tuesday new conference that the budget — contained in Senate Bill 2 — spends more than the House budget on transportation.

Read more: http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/texas-senate-budget-includes-billions-for-tax-cuts/njxsH/?ref=cbTopWidget