November 30, 2017

Court tie means Louisiana Planned Parenthood keeps funding

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A deeply divided federal appeals court in New Orleans refused Tuesday to reconsider a ruling that lets Planned Parenthood facilities in the state continue to receive Medicaid funding.

The vote was 7-7 among the 14 active judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which currently has three vacancies.

The money in question goes to health services other than abortion for low-income women. However, abortion opponents have opposed any government funding for the organization.

In 2015, then-Gov. Bobby Jindal moved to block the funding. Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, the group's Louisiana affiliate, and three of its patients challenged the funding cutoff in federal court.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Court-tie-means-Louisiana-Planned-Parenthood-12390200.php

November 30, 2017

Jeb Hensarling backs former campaign manager Bunni Pounds to replace him in Congress

Jeb Hensarling has endorsed his former campaign manager and fundraiser to replace him in Congress.

The Republican lawmaker gave his backing to Bunni Pounds in an announcement that will be released Wednesday to 5th Congressional District voters and was obtained by The Dallas Morning News.

"For over a decade, Bunni Pounds has served as one of my most able and trusted confidantes in serving the people of the 5th Congressional District so I know her well," Hensarling said in the news release. "She is committed to the conservative cause like few others I have ever met and her integrity is unmatched. I trust her not only with my liberty but the liberty of our great nation as well. I am excited she has chosen to run for the congressional seat I hold and I proudly endorse her candidacy."

Pounds has officially filed her candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission.

"We must elect someone who will not waver on the fight to protect the unborn, defend traditional marriage for future generations, and protect our families from government encroachment that is clamping down on our rights to worship, petition, assemble, and bear arms," she wrote voters in the district.

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas-politics/2017/11/29/jeb-hensarling-backs-former-campaign-manager-bunni-pounds-replace-congress

I almost have some sympathy for this woman. Not only does she have a name that leads to chuckles, but she also bears some resemblance to Sarah Huckabee Sanders.


Bunni Pounds

November 30, 2017

Former A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel's misdemeanor assault charge is dismissed

Johnny Manziel's 2-year-old assault case is now a thing of the past, court records show.

This month, records show, a judge dismissed a misdemeanor assault charge against the former Texas A&M quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner.

Manziel was accused of kidnapping, beating and threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend in January 2016. The ex said the alleged abuse, during a fight over another woman, left her deaf in one ear.

The maximum punishment for a conviction on the misdemeanor charge would have been a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/news/2017/11/29/former-am-quarterback-johnny-manziels-misdemeanor-assault-charge-dismissed

November 29, 2017

Pressure mounts on Rep. Joe Barton to drop 2018 re-election plans

This story is developing.

WASHINGTON -- Pressure is mounting on Ennis Rep. Joe Barton to drop his re-election plans.

On Wednesday, state Sen. Konni Burton, R-Colleyville, joined a number of key Republicans in his district calling for him to abandon his 18th congressional campaign.

"We must hold public officials to a high standard and recent publicized incidents demonstrate those standards were not met,” Burton, an influential Tea Party leader, said in a statement.

She said Barton should not seek re-election “so that Tarrant County can move forward in making sure we send a strong conservative to Congress.”

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2017/11/29/pressure-mountson-rep-joe-barton-drop-2018-re-election-plans

Burton's seat has been targeted as a possible flip for Democrats. Perhaps Konni believes that she will find greener pastures (and a huge pay raise) if she runs for U.S. representative instead? Maybe Konni Burton could purchase some cheap second-hand campaign signage from Joe and alter it so that "Barton" becomes "Burton" instead?

November 29, 2017

Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez resigns to run for Texas governor

Lupe Valdez has resigned as Dallas County sheriff and is expected to soon file her candidacy for governor.

Valdez, who has led the department since 2005, is expected to file in the Democratic primary as early as next week.

Dallas County Commissioners would pick a person to replace Valdez until a special primary and general elections to fill her unexpired term.

"We're going to make sure the voters rights and opportunity to make selections are upheld," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, a Democrat.

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-politics/2017/11/29/lupe-valdez-resigns-candidates-scrambling-replace-dallas-county-sheriff

November 29, 2017

Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez resigns to run for Texas governor

Source: Dallas Morning News

Lupe Valdez has resigned as Dallas County sheriff and is expected to soon file her candidacy for governor.

Valdez, who has led the department since 2005, is expected to file in the Democratic primary as early as next week.

Dallas County Commissioners would pick a person to replace Valdez until a special primary and general elections to fill her unexpired term.

"We're going to make sure the voters rights and opportunity to make selections are upheld," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, a Democrat.

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-politics/2017/11/29/lupe-valdez-resigns-candidates-scrambling-replace-dallas-county-sheriff

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If elected, Valdez would be the first openly lesbian governor in Texas.

November 29, 2017

Texas Democrats unveil 2018 slate for top state courts

Texas Democrats on Tuesday unveiled their slate of candidates for the state’s two highest courts — a prize the party has not captured since the 1994 election.

Four are state district judges in Houston, one is a lawyer practicing in Houston, and all five face an uphill battle in 2018 as they vie for seats on the important, though little-known, Texas Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals — particularly with Democrats still lacking a well-known candidate for governor to lead the ticket and stir attention.

“We all know it’s a stretch goal,” said District Judge Steven Kirkland, running for the Supreme Court.

Still, the Democratic slate represents an increasingly diverse state, said Kirkland, who introduced himself as a gay man while standing at the Democratic Party’s state headquarters in downtown Austin with his fellow candidates, two African-American women, a woman born in Taiwan and man of South Asian descent.

Read more: http://www.mystatesman.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/texas-democrats-unveil-2018-slate-for-top-state-courts/Q9F9aUZOnoZKLYCEb08OiP/

November 29, 2017

Centro San Antonio Staffer Under Investigation For Embezzlement; Longtime CEO Resigns

The board of directors of Centro San Antonio, which is a public-private partnership that oversees downtown development, announced Wednesday it has accepted DiGiovanni’s resignation following the “discovery of a fraudulent 2015-16 audit of the organization and its Public Improvement District, as well as monies that had been embezzled by a staff accountant.”

The accountant was not named in the release. But Don Frost, board chairman, said in the statement DiGiovanni “had absolutely nothing to do with the financial indiscretions.”

“The board and he both felt his resignation was in the best interest of Centro San Antonio," Frost said.

According to Frost, the fraud was discovered after meeting with an accounting firm said to have been contracted to conduct the audit.

“When it became apparent the accounting firm had not been associated with the audit, an investigation was immediately launched,” the statement read.

-snip-

According to the release, roughly $175,000 had been embezzled over a two-year period. The San Antonio Police Department confirmed a criminal investigation has been launched but no arrests have been made.

Read more: http://tpr.org/post/centro-san-antonio-staffer-under-investigation-embezzlement-longtime-ceo-resigns

November 29, 2017

Sutherland Springs Family Files Wrongful Death Claim Against Air Force

A mass shooting Nov. 5 in a Sutherland Springs church claimed 26 lives. More than half a dozen of those killed came from one family, the Holcombes, who are now taking legal action.

Joe Holcombe and Claryce Holcombe, parents of visiting pastor John Bryan Holcombe, have filed an administrative claim against the U.S. government saying their son's death was the result of Air Force negligence. They're seeking wrongful death damages.

Sutherland Springs shooter Devin Patrick Kelley received a bad conduct discharge from the Air Force after a 2012 court martial for domestic assault. On Nov. 6, the Air Force admitted it failed to submit Kelley's fingerprint card — and the outcome of his court martial — to the FBI, as required by law.

Had that information been filed, it should have prevented Kelley from buying guns.

Read more: http://tpr.org/post/sutherland-springs-family-files-wrongful-death-claim-against-air-force

November 29, 2017

If Congress Doesn't Fund CHIP, Thousands Of Pregnant Texans Will Lose Health Insurance, Too

If Congress doesn’t reauthorize funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) soon, it's not just Texas children who could lose access to health insurance; thousands of pregnant women could lose coverage, too.

Texas doesn't run the program without federal funding, and officials say it's set to run out of money Jan. 31. By law, state officials must give families 30 days' notice that the program is shutting down, so families could be getting letters next month.

Besides the 450,000 children in Texas who receive health care through the program, about 35,000 pregnant women here also rely on CHIP for prenatal and postpartum care. These are mostly women who don’t make a lot of money, but who don’t qualify for Medicaid.

Anne Dunkelberg, an associate director with the Austin-based Center for Public Policy Priorities, says the program covers mostly immigrant women – both undocumented and documented.

Read more: http://kut.org/post/if-congress-doesnt-fund-chip-thousands-pregnant-texans-will-lose-health-insurance-too