October 29, 2015

Social media tip leads to arrest of former patrolman that menaced 37 police officers and Pres. Obama

PRESCOTT – Nevada County’s Fairgrounds looked like a law enforcement convention Monday, Oct. 26.

According to a release from the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, a social media tip led to the arrest of 55-year-old John (William) Vickers of Prescott, who was charged with terroristic threatening in the first degree. The release states threats were made on social media towards police officers. Because the threats were made using social media, the Arkansas State Police were contacted. The ASP activated its tactical unit and responded to the scene. Vickers was arrested at his home without incident.

The arrest was a multi-agency effort with the NCSO, Prescott Police Department, ASP, ASP’s criminal investigation division and federal officers.

http://www.hopeprescott.com/social-media-tip-leads-to-arrest/

Different article from the Texarkana Gazette:

Former patrolman accused of online remarks that menaced police, president

A retired Arkansas Highway Police officer was arrested Monday after Nevada County authorities received information he threatened the lives of 37 law enforcement officers...

http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2015/10/29/threats-lead-to-arrest-of-retired-office-972996.php

Another article is at http://www.fox10tv.com/story/30355392/swar-man-accused-of-making-threats-towards-police .

Finally, his Facebook Page has a graphic of the Confederate flag in the shape of Arkansas.

October 29, 2015

Katy student alleges school activity called faith into question

The seventh grader's head barely reached the top of the podium Monday night as she told Katy ISD board members about a classroom exercise that she felt wrongly called her religious faith into question.

Two days later, during a Wednesday afternoon news conference held in the same meeting room, Superintendent Alton Frailey praised the student's courage but said a school investigation had found aspects of her description of what happened in the West Memorial Junior High school class not to be corroborated.

Jordan Wooley's testimony had spread like wildfire across Facebook and other social media platforms after she shared her story during the video-recorded school board meeting.

"Today I was given an assignment in school that questioned my faith and told me that God was not real," the 12-year-old began.

Read more: http://m.mysanantonio.com/neighborhood/katy/schools/article/Katy-student-complains-to-school-board-after-6595512.php

October 29, 2015

Judge blocks Alabama from ending Planned Parenthood funding

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday ordered Alabama to restore Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, money the state tried to cut off in the wake of undercover videos shot by abortion opponents.

U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson issued an order that temporarily bars Alabama from cutting off Medicaid contracts with the group's clinics in Alabama. Planned Parenthood Southeast and a Medicaid recipient filed suit in August, days after Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley announced he was ending the Medicaid agreements with the two clinics.

"Today's ruling is a victory for the women who rely on Planned Parenthood for quality, compassionate affordable health care," said Staci Fox, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Southeast. "It's outrageous that Governor Bentley is trying to take care away from women and families in our communities who need it the most."

In his 66-page opinion, Thompson said Alabama did not identify a legal reason to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood and that the state's action likely violated a free-choice-of-provider provision of the federal Medicaid Act that limits a state's ability to bar family planning providers for reasons unrelated to quality of care.

Read more: http://amarillo.com/news/latest-news/2015-10-28/judge-blocks-alabama-ending-planned-parenthood-funding

October 29, 2015

Halloween Trick-or-Treat GOP Style

October 29, 2015

Texas Asks Permission to Cut Therapy Budget

Texas health officials have asked an appeals court for permission to proceed with cutting payments to a therapy program for children with disabilities — the latest development in an ongoing lawsuit over the budget state lawmakers crafted this year.

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is seeking to override an order by state District Judge Tim Sulak in September that temporarily stopped health officials from implementing the cuts, saying the move would jeopardize children’s access to necessary care. But lawyers for the state now say Sulak overstepped his bounds and had “no statutory- or rule-based right” to keep the state from cutting payments.

State lawmakers earlier this year ordered the health commission to cut $100 million in state funding by slashing payments to speech, physical and occupational therapists through Medicaid, the federal-state insurance program for the poor and disabled. Therapy providers cried foul, saying the cuts would cause businesses to shut down and limit children's access to care, and won an early but temporary victory in district court.

Now, state health officials are hoping the 3rd Court of Appeals will nix that decision. The health commission's motion, submitted Tuesday, argues that any complaint about how Texas sets its Medicaid payments to providers is the federal government’s concern, not a state judge’s.

Read more: http://www.texastribune.org/2015/10/28/texas-asks-permission-cut-childrens-therapy-progra/

October 29, 2015

Feds: Kicking Planned Parenthood Out of Medicaid May Be Illegal

The Obama administration has warned state officials that pushing Planned Parenthood out of the state’s Medicaid program could put Texas at odds with federal law.

Officials with the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services contacted the state Medicaid director on Tuesday to give notice that removing Planned Parenthood from the program "may be in conflict with federal law" because poor women who obtain family planning services through Medicaid would be limited from receiving health care from the qualified provider of their choice.

"Longstanding Medicaid law prohibits states from restricting individuals with Medicaid coverage from receiving their care from any qualified provider," a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services representative said in a statement. "Every year, millions of women benefit from critical preventive services, such as cancer screenings, that Planned Parenthood provides. State efforts to restrict women from using qualified providers puts these important health care services at risk.”

The feds' intervention comes a week after Texas health officials announced they were working to boot Planned Parenthood from Medicaid, the joint state-federal insurer of the very poor and disabled. This would cut off taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood clinics that provide well-woman care, like cancer screenings, birth control and pregnancy tests. Planned Parenthood clinics that accept Medicaid dollars are already barred from performing abortions.

Read more: http://www.texastribune.org/2015/10/28/feds-kicking-planned-parenthood-out-medicaid-may-b/

October 29, 2015

Okay, after tonight I can't resist...

October 29, 2015

Trump says firms' bankruptcy record better qualifies him for handling debt problems

Donald Trump says his firms’ record of declaring bankruptcy shows he’s good at dealing with debt problems.

Four of Trump’s Atlantic City companies have filed for bankruptcy. Trump is defending that at the third Republican presidential debate. He says the problem is the economic collapse of Atlantic City.

Trump adds that he had the legal right to file bankruptcy.

Trump concludes by noting the nation’s financial woes and saying, “Boy, am I good at solving debt problems.”

More coverage of the GOP debate at http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/national-politics/20151028-gop-debate-trump-says-firms-bankruptcy-record-better-qualifies-him-for-handling-debt-problems.ece .

October 29, 2015

A reminder for the debate tonight - #2

Threads concerning the Republican candidates, primaries and the debate belong in the General Discussion forum.

The General Discussion: Primaries forum is for discussion of the Democratic primaries and candidates.

Thank you in advance for assisting the forum hosts with their duties.

October 28, 2015

Bears notified Cowboys of Jeremiah Ratliff release as a security precaution

One of the first calls Chicago made after releasing Jeremiah Ratliff was to the Cowboys to alert the club that he may be returning to his home near Valley Ranch.

Sources stressed that Ratliff made no specific threat against the Cowboys or anyone in the organization. Still, given the tumultuous circumstances under which Ratliff left the Cowboys, the Bears wanted to be sure the club was notified as a security precaution.

One week ago Ratliff engaged in what has been characterized as erratic and hostile behavior at the Bears practice facility. After several arguments and confrontations, including one with Chicago general manager Ryan Pace, the nose tackle was released. Lake Forest police were called to the team's practice facility as a precaution and there's a report that a heightened state of security was in place on Oct. 22 when the release became official.

Sources said Ratliff has not attempted to come by the Cowboys facility in the past week.

Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-cowboys/20151028-sources-bears-notified-cowboys-of-jeremiah-ratliff-release-as-a-security-precaution.ece