TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalIrving 9th-grader arrested after taking homemade clock to school: 'So you tried to make a bomb?'
IRVING — Ahmed Mohamed — who makes his own radios and repairs his own go-kart — hoped to impress his teachers when he brought a homemade clock to MacArthur High on Monday.
Instead, the school phoned police about Ahmed’s circuit-stuffed pencil case.
So the 14-year-old missed the student council meeting and took a trip in handcuffs to juvenile detention. His clock now sits in an evidence room. Police say they may yet charge him with making a hoax bomb — though they acknowledge he told everyone who would listen that it’s a clock.
In the meantime, Ahmed’s been suspended, his father is upset and the Council on American-Islamic Relations is once again eyeing claims of Islamophobia in Irving.
Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/northwest-dallas-county/headlines/20150915-irving-9th-grader-arrested-after-taking-homemade-clock-to-school-so-you-tried-to-make-a-bomb.ece
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1&v=3mW4w0Y1OXE
Snitch-Ass Feral Hogs Lead Cops to Huge Northeast Texas Marijuana Farm
In 2011, the Texas Legislature passed an awesome law allowing people to shoot feral hogs from helicopters, which was both the first and last time that feral hogs (to say nothing of the bill's sponsor, current Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller) produced anything good. Otherwise, the creatures are a scourge upon nature and humanity.
The evidence:
According to the Texas Department of Agriculture, feral hogs "wreak havoc on property, livestock, crops, and pastures across the state," to the tune of $500 million per year. Thanks to a lack of natural predators, their numbers — and the havoc they wreak — are likely to grow.
Feral hogs have been known to dine on endangered and threatened species such as sea turtles and red-cheeked salamanders, which isn't an issue locally but serves to highlight that these creatures have no consciences.
Feral hogs once inspired Dallas City Hall to pay gun-toting yahoo Osvaldo Rojas good taxpayer money to eradicate the city's hog problem, which didn't work.
Feral hogs are documented cannibals.
Feral hogs are filthy reservoirs of pestilence.
But wait! Feral hogs are even more awful than than that. We learned today that feral hogs are also punk-ass snitches who just led state law enforcement officials straight to a $6 million marijuana farm 70 miles northeast of Dallas.
According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, hunters at Cooper Wildlife Management Area, a 15,000-acre spread a bit north of Sulphur Springs, were tracking hogs when they "stumbled upon a sophisticated marijuana growing encampment having more than 6,500 mature plants with a street value estimated at more than $6 million."
Read more: http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/snitch-ass-feral-hogs-lead-cops-to-huge-northeast-texas-marijuana-farm-7594371
Governor Abbott’s “LIFE” Initiative is Outrageous—and Pointless
On Friday, Governor Greg Abbott unveiled his latest attack on Planned Parenthood called the “LIFE” initiative in response to a series of heavily edited videos that strongly imply that Planned Parenthood and its affiliates are profiting from the sale of fetal tissue.
Through this “LIFE” initiative, Abbott wants to:
Eliminate all taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood
Further expand the availability of adoption services so people can better understand their “options”
Make it illegal for abortion doctors to alter procedures to preserve fetal body parts
Criminalize any exchange of fetal tissue “for any purpose whatsoever”
Here are my top two reasons why Governor Abbott’s “LIFE” initiative is outrageous:
Read more: http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/30991/governor-abbotts-life-initiative-outrageous-pointless
Rep. Jonathan Stickland (Regressive) avoids prosecution for alleged rules violation
State Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford
A Texas Ranger investigation has concluded that state Rep. Jonathan Stickland’s staff filled out witness affirmation forms last spring for numerous witnesses who had no intention of testifying before the House Transportation Committee on his legislation banning red-light cameras but that the House’s rules were not specific enough to warrant prosecution.
The investigation was prompted by a confrontation between Stickland, R-Bedford, and state Rep. Joe Pickett, the El Paso Democrat who chairs the Transportation Committee and ordered Stickland out of an April 30 hearing after voicing his suspicion that Stickland’s office had padded the witness lists for the hearing in violation of House rules.
The common understanding of House rules is that people wanting to testify need to be physically present and register at electronic kiosks outside the hearing room.
An extensive report by the Department of Public Safety released Tuesday afternoon confirmed that Pickett’s concerns were warranted and that Stickland’s office had signed up witnesses who were neither in the Capitol nor in Austin but concluded that, nonetheless, “no prosecutable offense was committed.”
Read more: http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/jonathan-stickland-avoids-prosecution-for-alleged-/nnf6d/
Over Ken Paxton’s objection, judge OKs gay marriage settlement
Turning aside objections from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Travis County judge approved an out-of-court settlement Tuesday that recognizes the eight-year relationship of two Austin women as a common-law marriage.
The settlement accepted by Travis County Probate Judge Guy Herman ended an estate fight between Sonemaly Phrasavath and family members of the woman soon to be legally acknowledged as her wife — Stella Powell, who died of cancer in June 2014.
Reached last week with the help of a mediator, the agreement divided Powell’s estate roughly in half between Phrasavath and members of Powell’s family. It also acknowledged Phrasavath as Powell’s spouse from a common-law or informal marriage — a legal distinction that doesn’t require a marriage license.
An Oct. 5 hearing has been set to formally declare Phrasavath as Powell’s heir due to marriage — the first common-law marriage finding for a same-sex couple in Texas history, lawyers said.
Read more: http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/over-ken-paxton-objection-judge-oks-gay-marriage-s/nnfyj/?icmp=statesman_internallink_referralbox_free-to-premium-referral
Missouri Transgender Teen Crowned Homecoming Queen
Oak Park High School in Kansas City, Missouri made history by crowning its first transgender homecoming queen last week.
Landon Patterson had always dreamed of being part of the homecoming court, as she told KCTV 5 News:
“I’ve dreamed about it since my freshman year, but I never knew it was possible for me,” Patterson said. “Just knowing that I did this, and that I just broke some barriers, I can’t even put it into words what I’m feeling right now. I’m just excited and hope this is going to help others out there.”
Her classmates said they nominated Patterson for her “spunk” and “tenacity.” Fellow homecoming queen nominee Orie Agbaji said, “She has so much strength that I just envy. She’s just beautiful and I love her.”
Patterson had identified as a gay male but as she grew up she felt there was something “deeper inside”: “There was always something so much deeper inside me. I finally realized, I am female. I feel like I’m a girl on the inside.”
Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/2015/09/missouri-transgender-teen-crowned-homecoming-queen-watch/
Bobby Jindal Stokes Fears that Gays and the Government Will Soon ‘Assault’ Christian Pastors
Speaking on Family Research Council hate leader Tony Perkins’ radio program yesterday, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal stoked fears that the government will soon use the guise of gay rights to go after Christian pastors who speak out against homosexuality.
Said the GOP presidential long-shot:
“They don’t believe in our First Amendment rights. This is an assault, this is discrimination against Christians who want to live their lives according to their sincerely-held beliefs….what I worry about is our own government coming against Christian business owners and individuals. They’re going to soon be coming for Christian schools and one day the pastors and churches. It is time for us to stand up for our beliefs and remind folks that America did not create religious liberty. Religious liberty created America.
Jindal added that despite the Left and some of his GOP colleagues’ desire to see the issue to go away, “religious liberty” will continue to play a big part in this election.
Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/2015/09/bobby-jindal-perkins/
Texas A&M to build McAllen campus
Texas A&M University is set to open a satellite campus in McAllen.
System Chancellor John sharp told the McAllen Monitor in an interview Tuesday that the campus will be an extension of the flagship school in College Station and it will share funding from the Permanent University Funds and be run by Texas A&M President Michael Young.
According to the Monitor’s story, a facility will be built on 100 acres in north McAllen and will offer programs in engineering technology, biomedical sciences, agriculture and lab sciences.
A press conference for a “groundbreaking announcement” is slated for 3:30 p.m. today in McAllen.
http://www.theeagle.com/news/a_m/texas-a-m-to-build-mcallen-campus/article_bf5c583c-5be4-11e5-82af-0b18036f5a03.html
ETA: There is a more detailed story at http://www.texastribune.org/2015/09/15/texas-m-open-satellite-campus-near-mcallen/ .
Update: Dallas DA may remain out of office longer than announced
DALLAS – News 8 has learned Dallas County District Attorney Susan Hawk may be extending her leave of absence.
Three weeks ago, Hawk announced she was taking one month of unpaid leave to deal with issues related to serious depression. Hawk was expected back at the courthouse next Tuesday, when the leave ends.
But now, it may be longer before she returns to the courthouse.
A source close to the situation says Hawk will be meeting with her doctors soon to determine when she can return to work. The source said there is no firm date for Hawk's return, and that she remains in an inpatient facility getting treatment for depression.
Read more: http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/local/dallas-county/2015/09/14/dallas-da-may-remain-out-of-office-longer-than-announced/72285114/
Earlier threads:
Friends, colleagues say Dallas County DA Susan Hawk spent time in drug rehab March 27. 2015
Dallas County DA absent for three weeks; addiction rumors start swirling August 23, 2015
Dallas Democrats: DA Susan Hawk ‘needs to do her job or resign’ August 24, 2015
Dallas County DA Susan Hawk takes leave to battle depression August 25, 2015
Dallas County DA Susan Hawk is at Texas facility for depression treatment August 26, 2015
Dallas County DA Hawk battled paranoia, had ‘break with reality,’ friend says August 27, 2015
2 Houston ISD students dead, 2 others and bus driver injured as school bus plummets from 610 Loop
Two students died and two others were hurt along with their bus driver Tuesday morning when a crash caused their school bus to plunge from Loop 610 in southeast Houston, officials said.
The bus landed on the eastbound frontage road of the South Loop near Telephone Road about 7 a.m., Houston police said. It appears to be the first death of a student in a public school bus accident in Texas since 2008, according to state data.
The two killed have not been identified. One was a 17-year-old girl who attended Furr High School. She died at the scene. The other was a 14-year-old girl who attended REACH, a charter school for dropout recovery located on the Furr campus. She died at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. The bus was en route to the campus, school officials said.
Of the other two injured, both boys who attend REACH, one was taken to Children's Memorial Hermann and the other to Texas Children's Hospital. The bus driver, later identified as Luisa Pacheco, was taken to Ben Taub Hospital. She had non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/houston/article/School-crash-along-South-Loop-6505292.php
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Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
Home country: United States
Current location: Bryan, Texas
Member since: Sun Aug 14, 2011, 03:57 AM
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