March 12, 2018

Kathmandu airport crash: At least 40 dead as US-Bangla plane veers off runway

Source: BBC

A plane carrying 71 passengers and crew has crashed on landing at Nepal's Kathmandu airport, killing at least 40 people. At least 23 survived.

Rescuers pulled bodies from the charred wreckage of the plane, operated by Bangladeshi airline US-Bangla, after a raging fire was put out.

Flight BS211 veered off the runway while landing on Monday afternoon.

All flights in and out of Tribhuvan International Airport have been cancelled, according to local media.

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43369179

March 12, 2018

How did a pastor with a spotty business record get a $825K gig with Dallas City Hall? He knew a guy

The house is brand new, but water leaks through a wall, soaking the bedroom carpet. Rain gutters are missing along the edges of the roof. A blank spot in the bathroom marks where a walk-in shower was supposed to be.

“It’s been a nightmare,” said Jimmy Isbell, who owns the one-story house in southeast Dallas.

At age 75, he is afraid he’ll hurt himself stepping in and out of the bathtub. He and his wife have had to sleep on a mattress in the living room. “I’ve actually called this a demon house,” he said.

Courtesy of the city of Dallas, his new house was built as part of a program to demolish and rebuild dilapidated houses owned by people with limited incomes — mostly older and disabled residents.

But at least eight of the houses have had problems — and all of those homes were built by the friend of a city official who sought special permission to help get his pal some work, a Dallas Morning News investigation has found.

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/investigations/2018/03/11/pastor-spotty-business-record-get-825k-housing-dallas-city-hall-knew-guy

March 12, 2018

State of Texas rolls a lucky 7 on Selection Sunday

In a year when the Final Four is in San Antonio, nobody holds more lottery tickets for a trip to the Alamodome than the state of Texas.

Texas placed a state-record-tying seven teams in the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday. Only twice before has that happened: California in 2002 and Texas in 2010.

Texas Tech, one of seven Big 12 teams to make it, is the only premium seed, a No. 3. There are a bevy of middle seeds, such as No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 10 Texas, and the Lone Star State roll call goes all the way down to No. 16 Texas Southern, the only team in the 68-team field with a losing record.

Yet there is no joy in Waco, where Baylor just missed the cut, designated as one of the committee’s “first four out.” The Bears will play in the NIT. Oklahoma State also was left out, despite two victories over Kansas, while stumbling Oklahoma made the grade. Trae Young, anybody?

Read more: https://www.mystatesman.com/sports/college-basketball/state-texas-rolls-lucky-selection-sunday/xjcg95fJ0Yi1qzy7ANnAhJ/

Congratulations to the University of Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Texas Southern, TCU, Stephen F. Austin and the University of Houston for advancing to the tournament. Better luck next year to Baylor.

March 12, 2018

Lawmakers reject plan to rename Utah scenic highway after Trump

Utah lawmakers have backed away from a proposal to rename a scenic highway after President Donald Trump.

Several Republicans supported naming the southern Utah road that connects several well-known national parks after Trump to recognize his move to shrink two national monuments that were fiercely opposed by state leaders.

Democrats pushing back against the idea suggested naming a ramp for porn actress Stormy Daniels, who alleges she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006.

Rep. Mike Noel, the sponsor of the Trump highway proposal, said he shelved the idea because he received too much blowback and negative attention from Trump critics.

Read more: https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nation-and-world/lawmakers-reject-plan-to-rename-utah-scenic-highway-after-trump/

March 12, 2018

No more hugs, California legislature tells lawmaker

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California state senator has been told to stop hugging people after an investigation concluded that his trademark embraces made multiple female colleagues uncomfortable.

However, the investigation released Thursday found Sen. Bob Hertzberg’s frequent hugs are not intended to be sexual and more often than not are not unwelcome.

Hertzberg, a Democrat from the Los Angeles area, has earned nicknames such as “Hugsberg” and “Huggy Bear” for greeting men and women alike with giant hugs.

The Senate Rules Committee formally reprimanded him on Tuesday and told him not to hug people anymore, but he will not otherwise face discipline.

Read more: https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/no-more-hugs-california-legislature-tells-lawmaker/

March 12, 2018

Kihuen faces credible claims of sexual harassment. He still has nothing to lose by running for re-

Kihuen faces credible claims of sexual harassment. He still has nothing to lose by running for reelection.


Defying abortion groups, union bosses and Rep. Nancy Pelosi isn’t a great way for a Democrat to save his political career. It’s the only choice Rep. Ruben Kihuen has left, however, and it just might work.

In December 2017, Kihuen announced that he wouldn’t be running for re-election after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. Kihuen vigorously denies that he did anything inappropriate, and a House Ethics Committee investigation is under way.

Kihuen’s seat strongly favors Democrats, and many Democrats pounced at the chance to run. Former-Rep. Stephen Horsford, who lost the seat in 2014, said he would quit his job in D.C. and come back to Nevada to seek his old office. State Sen. Pat Spearman, D-North Las Vegas, and Medicare-for-all proponent Amy Vilela are also running. North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee is considering the race, although he’s yet to make a final decision.

What a difference three months makes. Candidate filing opened last week, and a Democratic operative in D.C. now says Kihuen is “keeping all his options open” when it comes to seeking re-election. Candidate filing ends this Friday.

Read more: https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/opinion-columns/victor-joecks/kihuen-faces-credible-claims-of-sexual-harassment-he-still-has-nothing-to-lose-by-running-for-reelection/

March 12, 2018

Clark County schools run up legal bills fighting court rulings

Aimee Hairr and Mary Bryan wanted the Clark County School District to acknowledge mistakes in handling their sons’ bullying in 2011. They sued the district and were each awarded a $200,000 settlement.

Dan Burgess was hoping to return to work with the school district police after acting as a whistleblower in a corruption investigation. When the district disagreed with an arbitrator’s order to reinstate him, the battle landed in court.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal wanted to shed light on complaints against Trustee Kevin Child, a publicly elected official whom the district had quietly investigated for alleged improper behavior. The newspaper sued for related documents.

The common thread in these cases: The school district chose to continue fighting in court after initial decisions went against it. The fights have already cost more than $160,000 — much of it in outside attorney fees — and that figure will grow as the cases drag on.

Read more: https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/education/clark-county-schools-run-up-legal-bills-fighting-court-rulings/

March 12, 2018

Democrats accuse Nevada's Hardy of misusing campaign funds

Democrats are accusing former U.S. Rep. Cresent Hardy — who has filed to run for Nevada’s 4th Congressional District, the seat he won in 2014 — of using nearly $4,000 of campaign funds for personal use.

The 11 expenditures in question span Jan. 3 to Aug. 8 of last year, after Hardy had left office. The Republican lost his 2016 re-election bid to Democratic Rep. Ruben Kihuen. Federal election laws prohibit the personal use of leftover campaign funds but allow officeholders six months to spend the money on “winding down” the office.

Campaign finance filings show Hardy spent $395 on an Alamo rental car, $210 at The Orleans, $297 at Hotels.com, $788 on airfare and nearly $80 for phone and internet services with Cox Communications.

“This is potentially more troubling evidence of Cresent Hardy’s history of shady dealings to line his own pockets,” said Drew Godinich, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “We deserve leaders who put the needs of Nevada first, instead of themselves.”

Read more: https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/nevada/democrats-accuse-nevadas-hardy-of-misusing-campaign-funds/

March 12, 2018

Bernie Sanders in Phoenix: Senator encourages supporters to fight for change, riles opponents

Source: The Arizona Republic

Bernie Sanders returned to Arizona on Sunday, highlighting the delayed successes his 2016 presidential run secured for the Democratic Party and urging voters in the predominantly red state to keep fighting for change.

The 76-year-old independent senator from Vermont rallied supporters — and riled opponents — alongside Democratic Arizona Congressmen Ruben Gallego and Raúl Grijalva at the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix.

The self-described democratic socialist has maintained a following among liberal Democrats in the nearly two years since he dropped out of the presidential race. He drew a young and diverse crowd Sunday, filling the 1,200-capacity theater.

"People said my ideas were too radical, but now look all over the country," Sanders said, pointing to the uptick in states proposing higher minimum wages and decriminalizing marijuana. He also mentioned the $1 trillion infrastructure plan unveiled by Democrats last week.


Read more: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2018/03/11/senator-bernie-sanders-phoenix-encourages-supporters-fight-change-riles-opponents/414576002/

March 12, 2018

Bernie Sanders in Phoenix: Senator encourages supporters to fight for change, riles opponents

Bernie Sanders returned to Arizona on Sunday, highlighting the delayed successes his 2016 presidential run secured for the Democratic Party and urging voters in the predominantly red state to keep fighting for change.

The 76-year-old independent senator from Vermont rallied supporters — and riled opponents — alongside Democratic Arizona Congressmen Ruben Gallego and Raúl Grijalva at the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix.

The self-described democratic socialist has maintained a following among liberal Democrats in the nearly two years since he dropped out of the presidential race. He drew a young and diverse crowd Sunday, filling the 1,200-capacity theater.

"People said my ideas were too radical, but now look all over the country," Sanders said, pointing to the uptick in states proposing higher minimum wages and decriminalizing marijuana. He also mentioned the $1 trillion infrastructure plan unveiled by Democrats last week.

Read more: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2018/03/11/senator-bernie-sanders-phoenix-encourages-supporters-fight-change-riles-opponents/414576002/