TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalCowboys Stadium lands first national title game of playoff era, spot in six-bowl semi rotation
PASADENA, Calif. – Get ready for another historic big event headed toward Cowboys Stadium.
The first title game of college football’s playoff era will be played in Arlington after the 2014 season.
BCS conference commissioners meetings officially approved Cowboys Stadium as the host of what will be known as the College Football Playoff Championship Game on Jan. 12, 2015.
The AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic will join the six-bowl rotation and will host the national semifinals one every three years, with its first semifinal game on Jan. 1, 2016. The other two years, the Cotton Bowl will host two other highly ranked teams as chosen by the playoff selection committee.
More at http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/2013/04/cowboys-stadium-officially-lands-first-national-title-game-of-playoff-era-spot-in-six-bowl-semifinal-rotation.html/ .
The Supreme Court Will Decide if North Texas Can Take Oklahoma's Water
With North Texas' population exploding and near-perennial drought seeming more and more like a certainty rather than a fluke, state water planners have been scrambling to secure new supplies, going further and further afield in search of waterways that haven't been tapped out.
Several years ago, that quest took the Tarrant Regional Water District to Oklahoma, where they hoped to purchase rights to 150 billion gallons from the southeastern part of the state to pipe to its customers in 11 counties. Oklahoma wouldn't mind. The state has 10 times the water it needs. Certainly it wouldn't deny a thirsty neighbor a mere sip.
Oklahoma's response was less than neighborly. It viewed the water district's request as an attempt to grab the state's natural resources, and the legislature passed laws putting a moratorium on out-of-state water sales. TRD sued in 2007 to stop the laws, and the two parties have been locked in a legal scuffle ever since.
The dispute has now made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in the case on Tuesday.
More at http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2013/04/the_supreme_court_is_set_to_de.php .
Cross-posted in Oklahoma Group.
[font color=green]The court argument centers on the Red River Compact, a 1978 agreement between Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas divvying the water in the Red River basin.[/font]
The Supreme Court Will Decide if North Texas Can Take Oklahoma's Water
With North Texas' population exploding and near-perennial drought seeming more and more like a certainty rather than a fluke, state water planners have been scrambling to secure new supplies, going further and further afield in search of waterways that haven't been tapped out.
Several years ago, that quest took the Tarrant Regional Water District to Oklahoma, where they hoped to purchase rights to 150 billion gallons from the southeastern part of the state to pipe to its customers in 11 counties. Oklahoma wouldn't mind. The state has 10 times the water it needs. Certainly it wouldn't deny a thirsty neighbor a mere sip.
Oklahoma's response was less than neighborly. It viewed the water district's request as an attempt to grab the state's natural resources, and the legislature passed laws putting a moratorium on out-of-state water sales. TRD sued in 2007 to stop the laws, and the two parties have been locked in a legal scuffle ever since.
The dispute has now made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in the case on Tuesday.
More at http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2013/04/the_supreme_court_is_set_to_de.php .
Cross-posted in Texas Group.
[font color=green]The court argument centers on the Red River Compact, a 1978 agreement between Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas divvying the water in the Red River basin.[/font]
The City of Dallas Just Renamed its Convention Center After Kay Bailey Hutchison
A couple of speakers showed up at the 1500 Marilla this morning to ask that the City Council to hold off on a fast-moving proposal to rename the Dallas Convention Center after recently retired U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Former councilwoman Sandra Crenshaw called for a public hearing before any action is taken, and council candidate Kermit Mitchell worried that attaching the name of a Republican might scare off some convention traffic. Another speaker cited a bill pending in the Texas legislature that would keep cities and the state from naming things for living politicians.
Council members themselves harbored no such reservations. They voted unanimously (four members were absent) to make the change, but not before heaping massive amounts of praise -- and a couple of bizarre extended metaphors -- on the former Senator.
Mayor Mike Rawlings kicked things off by lauding Hutchison's two decades in Washington, which he said "will positively affect our economy and quality of life in Dallas for many, many, many years.
"Let me be the first to say that much of Dallas' success ... is due in no small part to Senator Hutchison's leadership," he said.
More at http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2013/04/meet_the_kay_bailey_hutchinson.php .
Texas plant blast loss likely exceeds $100M
An insurance industry trade group estimates losses from a deadly fertilizer plant explosion in a tiny Texas town will likely exceed $100 million.
Insurance Council of Texas spokesman Mark Hanna said Wednesday that insured losses after the explosion in West, Texas, included dozens of damaged homes, businesses and cars _ as well as the costs of resettling displaced residents.
Last week's explosion at West Fertilizer Co. left a crater 90 feet wide and totaled nearby homes and buildings.
The homes closest to the plant have been kept off-limits as officials investigate the blast.
More at http://www.theeagle.com/news/texas/article_e182ce9a-7e91-55a5-99bf-9d1fed4bed19.html .
Ronnie “Reeferseed” Gjemre banned from Travis county meetings
Travis County Judge Sam Biscoe kicked out Ronnie “Reeferseed” Gjemre, a commissioners court meeting regular, and banned him from speaking there for four months.
Gjemre attended Tuesday’s meeting to speak on an item about making changes to Central Health’s budget and Biscoe asked him if he has “anything relevant” to add to the item.
“Please don’t insult me with that idiotic question,” Gjemre said.
A one-time candidate for Austin mayor, Gjemre often speaks at public meetings about topics such as voting machines, fluoride and the overreach of government. Gjemre was eventually escorted out of the room by sheriff’s deputies. This is the second time Biscoe has banned Gjemre from speaking at commissioners court meetings.
Source: http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/southwestern-university-president-accepts-job-in-v/nXT9n/ (second story).
Does attorney general’s visit to West signal gubernatorial plan?
[font color=green]An even better question: Does Perry's absence from West signal a governor who doesn't want to be tied to the tragedy brought about by his "less regulations" policies to pilfer business from other states?[/font]
When Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott visited the devastation in West after a fertilizer plant explosion, he looked very gubernatorial. And that might not be an accident.
The day after the horrific blast last week, Gov. Rick Perry held a press conference at the Department of Public Safety headquarters in Austin. He wore casual clothes with an open collar and, flanked by the lieutenant governor and other officials, talked about making sure the state sent whatever was needed to the tiny town best known as a kolache stop on Interstate 35.
A few hours later, Abbott was the first elected, statewide official on the scene, wearing a fleece and a serious expression, taking an aerial tour of the damage and returning to brief journalists. In past disasters, that was Perry’s job. The governor didn’t make it to West until the next day.
Many may ask what role does an attorney general play in responding to an industrial accident. Not much really, though Abbott did take the opportunity to warn local businesses against price gouging for food and shelter.
More at http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/does-attorney-generals-visit-to-west-signal-gubern/nXTCf/ .
Halliburton seeking settlement over Gulf oil spill
Source: AP
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — BP's cement contractor on the drilling rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 announced Monday that it is trying to negotiate a settlement over its role in the disaster, a focus of trial testimony that ended last week.
Halliburton Chief Financial Officer Mark McCollum said during a conference call to discuss first-quarter earnings that talks were at an "advanced stage." The Houston-based company says it hopes court-facilitated negotiations will resolve a substantial portion of private claims it has faced since the Deepwater Horizon rig blast spawned the nation's worst offshore oil spill.
"We are working hard to come to a reasonable settlement that would be in the best interest of our shareholders," Halliburton president and CEO Dave Lesar said on the same call.
Testimony ended last Wednesday for the first phase of a trial over London-based BP PLC's Macondo well blowout. The April 20, 2010, blowout triggered an explosion that killed 11 workers and spilled millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf.
Read more: http://www.mywesttexas.com/statenation/article_ba709d12-abbd-11e2-b37d-0019bb2963f4.html
Official suggests rail car may have led to West explosion
AUSTIN — The chairman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality raised the idea Monday that the explosion at a fertilizer plant that devastated the tiny town of West may have stemmed from a rail car reportedly loaded with ammonium nitrate.
"I would submit to you that the ammonia tank that's been a lot of people's focus was likely not what we saw exploding there," TCEQ Chairman Bryan Shaw said at a forum sponsored by the Texas Tribune.
"It's more likely — as I've done some analysis of that — that it's likely possibly a rail car with ammonium nitrate in it," Shaw said. "That's early, early — just looking at some of the visual studies."
Shaw said identifying what caused the explosion will let officials know how to take action to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again.
More at http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Official-suggests-rail-car-may-have-led-to-West-4453471.php .
Rick Perry, Greg Abbott and the politics of never letting a crisis go to waste
A casual voter might have missed that Gov. Rick Perry wasn’t actually in West when he first summoned the media in the wake of the catastrophe that killed 14 people and injured perhaps 200. Perry was wearing a drab green shirt, open at the collar and was backed by law enforcement officers, a reassuring tableau. He pronounced the explosion at the fertilizer plant a tragedy. He said he understood what residents were going through because he’s from a small town too. A photo of Perry surrounded by emergency services personnel, poring over a map of West, appeared on the governor’s web site. But Perry wasn’t in West on Thursday morning. He was in an auditorium in north Austin, near an upscale residence and shopping center. He was closer to Louis Vuitton than the Czech Stop Bakery.
Not to be outdone, Attorney General Greg Abbott actually showed up in West on Thursday, taking an aerial tour and meeting the media. He wore an open-collar shirt and a blue jacket with a gold state seal. It wasn’t immediately clear what the attorney general could contribute to the rescue effort so soon, but he reminded that he has the authority to prosecute price gougers. A photo of Abbott, stern-faced and pointing to the devastation from the window of a helicopter, appeared on his web site.
As I wrote today in a column today, tornadoes, hurricanes, an explosion at a fertilizer plant — all are opportunities for elected officials to show themselves as strong, decisive leaders, especially if there are plenty of cameras around. Perry and Abbott are potential political rivals. They could face each other in next year’s GOP primary should Perry run for reelection and Abbott decide to jump into the race. So whatever their official role, political operatives around both men understood that the duel tieless, tough-guy appearances had a political component as well.
By Friday, West was crawling with politicians. Perry showed up in person. So did Texas’ two U.S. senators, Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, and U.S. Rep. Roger Williams. It’s worth noting that Cornyn and Cruz both voted against the superstorm Sandy relief package but see a clear federal role for assisting West. Texas voters, seeing the death and destruction that the explosion caused, no doubt agree.
Source: http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2013/04/rick-perry-greg-abbott-and-the-politics-of-never-letting-a-crisis-go-to-waste.html/ .
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Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
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Current location: Bryan, Texas
Member since: Sun Aug 14, 2011, 03:57 AM
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