November 13, 2015

Texas A&M sues Indianapolis Colts over use of '12th Man'

Texas A&M University sued the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday for what the school is calling unauthorized use of the "12th Man" phrase.

Lawyers representing Texas A&M claim the NFL team used the phrase in ticket and merchandise promotions after several cease and desist letters dating back to 2006.

"We bear no ill will toward the Indianapolis Colts," said Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp in a statement. "We simply want them to respect our trademark rights. Our actions are consistent with our previous trademark enforcement efforts in this regard."

A spokesperson at the Colts did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read more: http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/texas-a-m-sues-indianapolis-colts-over-use-of-th/article_774dba17-b2ce-5d72-878a-5d76a9f0cd25.html

November 13, 2015

The things that you can find only at a Dollar General in Texas...

November 13, 2015

Texas officials cancel North Texas transit agency's Medicaid contract, launch fraud investigation

SHERMAN, Texas -- Texas Health and Human Services Commission Executive Commissioner Charles Smith notified TAPS CEO Tim State officials canceled their multimillion-dollar Medicaid contract with financially troubled TAPS Public Transit on Thursday and launched an investigation into the possibility of fraud.

Sherman-based Texoma Area Paratransit System won the three-year contract in July 2014 to provide non-emergency medical trips to Medicaid recipients in a 16-county area, including Collin County. The service is in addition to its mission of providing on-demand and fixed-route bus service in a seven-county area.

TAPS had created a separate unit for the Medicaid contract called TAPS Access, which worked with multiple subcontractors to provide the rides. But the handling of those subcontracts has recently come into question.

Payment is based on the number of trips provided. In the fiscal year that ended in September, TAPS received an average of $480,000 per month under the state contract, officials said.

Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/mckinney/headlines/20151112-state-cancels-taps-medicaid-contract-launches-fraud-investigation.ece

An article from two days ago also appeared in the Dallas Morning News:
http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2015/11/taps-public-transit-holds-final-public-hearing-thursday-in-mckinney-service-cuts-to-be-announced-friday.html/

November 13, 2015

Days After Beating Jaywalker, Austin PD caught on Video Beating a Minor and Kicking Tiny Dog

Austin TX – A video uploaded to Facebook this evening is once again putting a spotlight on the arrest practices of the Austin police department.

As the video begins, an officer can be seen attempting to force a man out of his house. When the man asks the officer if he can exit of his own accord, the officer simply replies “no” and continues to needlessly struggle with the non violent man.

Within seconds, more officers arrive and proceed to struggle with the man and attempt to place him in different arm and head locks all while the man is insisting that he is not resisting and trying to comply with the officers’ demands.

As soon as the officers wrestle the man from his home, they immediately throw him to the ground and begin violently assaulting him. When a child comes out to see what is going on, one of the officers proceeds to forcefully shove him back.

Read more and watch video at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/days-beating-jaywalker-apd-caught-video-beating-minor-kicking-dog/#rqEFLrz0A5AkoqPu.99

November 13, 2015

Travis County DA candidate Gary Cobb has court-ordered debt

With the Dec. 14 candidate registration deadline approaching and no challenger in sight, prosecutor Gary Cobb is positioned to become Travis County’s next district attorney without a fight.

One fight Cobb has been unable to avoid is a two-decade dispute with his ex-wife, who is pursuing him over a legal bill stemming from their divorce that has grown from about $22,000 to more than $163,000.

Though they split in 1994, the saga shows no signs of ending, meaning Cobb is running to be the top prosecutor in a county where a court-ordered debt hangs over him. A judge this week appointed a debt collector who has frozen Cobb’s bank accounts and put a family property in Mississippi in receivership.

Documents from the divorce obtained by the American-Statesman illustrate a vitriolic separation between Cobb and Gigi Bryant, who last year was elected an Austin Community College trustee, followed by years of animosity over the debt. Over the years, Cobb has made conflicting statements in sworn depositions about how he has handled his finances.

Read more: http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/local/da-candidate-gary-cobb-has-court-ordered-debt/npL8H/?icmp=statesman_internallink_referralbox_hp-rightrail_free-to-premium-referral

November 13, 2015

University of Texas Professors Say They'll Sue Over Campus Carry Law

A group made up of professors, and a few others, rallied behind their common goal of a gun-free UT on Monday at the University of Texas at Austin. This pushback against a state campus carry law passed last session has been building for months. The new law is set to take effect next year.

The protesters' message was loud and clear: ban guns or we could sue. Law professor Ken Williams from South Texas College of Law in Houston says their main claim will center around how universities will ensure a safe environment for both students and faculty.

"What the professors will argue, and the students will argue, is that having so many students with guns on campus actually makes it an unsafe environment for them," Williams says. "That at any moment students could become upset at a professor or another student and end up shooting someone."

Williams says the group most likely will sue the individual state university, in this case the University of Texas at Austin.

Read more: http://kut.org/post/texas-professors-say-theyll-sue-over-campus-carry-law

November 13, 2015

Sources: U.S. Rep. Hinojosa to Retire From Congress

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, D-Edinburg, will retire from Congress, according to three congressional sources, with an announcement expected to come on Friday.

First elected to Congress in 1996, Hinojosa has largely had a dormant campaign operation for most of this cycle, and he drew a Republican challenger this year in former Rio Grande City Mayor Ruben Villarreal.

Hinojosa's office didn't immediately return a request to comment for this article. The Monitor, a McAllen newspaper, reported the retirement earlier Thursday. It said that Hinojosa had scheduled an announcement for Friday in McAllen.

Hinojosa is the 12th U.S. House member and second Texan to announce a departure from Congress this term. U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Lubbock, announced in September that he would not seek re-election.

Read more: http://www.texastribune.org/2015/11/12/ruben-hinojosa-retire-congress/

November 13, 2015

UT/TT Poll: Cruz, Trump Tied; Clinton Well Ahead

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and businessman Donald Trump are in a dead heat for the Republican presidential nomination in Texas, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.

With four months to go before the March 1 primary, each had the support of 27 percent of likely Republican voters. Surgeon Ben Carson and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida were well back of the leaders at 13 percent and 9 percent, respectively.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the first choice of 61 percent of Texas Democrats, building on her earlier support in the state and remaining well ahead of her rivals, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. Sanders, running second, has been unable to change the fundamental dynamics of a primary where Clinton has the political advantage, as Barack Obama did in 2008.

“I just don’t see any signs of weakness,” said Daron Shaw, co-director of the poll and a professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin.

http://www.texastribune.org/2015/11/12/uttt-poll-cruz-trump-tied-clinton-well-ahead/

November 13, 2015

The Same People Who Killed Houston's HERO Are Now Working To Repeal Dallas' Nondiscrimination Law

A week after scoring a major victory in Houston, anti-LGBT groups and Republican Texas lawmakers are threatening to try to overturn Dallas' 13-year-old nondiscrimination ordinance, which the City Council unanimously amended Tuesday to strengthen transgender protections.

The Dallas City Council's vote came just one week after Houston voters overwhelmingly rejected an Equal Rights Ordinance, or HERO, based largely on the debunked "transgender bathroom myth" — with opponents falsely claiming the measure would lead to sexual predators entering women's restrooms to prey on victims.

In the wake of the Houston vote, LGBT advocates said they feared anti-LGBT groups would attempt to replicate their fear-mongering Houston strategy in other places across the country, and now it appears their first target could be Dallas. However, Dallas has a significantly higher bar than Houston for repealing ordinances by referendum, which would make opponents job that much harder.

The anti-LGBT hate group Texas Values, which was part of the anti-HERO campaign, issued a statement Tuesday calling the Dallas ordinance “a threat to safety and freedom.” Texas Values also accused the City Council of fast-tracking amendments to the ordinance, which were added to its agenda on Friday and discussed by a committee in executive session Monday.

Read more: http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/johnwright/anti_lgbt_groups_vow_to_repeal_dallas_nondiscrimination_ordinance

November 12, 2015

Drudge Manufactures Ridiculous Controversy About Hillary's Hair

Political blogger Matt Drudge has alleged in a series of tweets to his 321,000 followers that Hillary Clinton wears a wig – a claim her hairstylist is calling "ridiculous."

"You guys are so funny," Santa Nikkels, owner of Santa's Hair Salon in Chappaqua, New York, where Clinton lives, tells PEOPLE.

"She has the most amazing hair in the world."

Drudge sent a series of five tweets on his account @Drudge Wednesday morning, each with a different photo zoomed in on Clinton's hair, accompanied by captions.

Read more: http://www.people.com/article/does-hillary-clinton-wear-wig-hairdresser