January 15, 2014

Gay man’s killer claims ‘AIDS panic’

The suspect in a gay man’s murder in San Antonio claims he was driven to kill after the two had sex and the victim told him he’d been infected with AIDS.

As I reported earlier, 35-year-old Ivan Aguilar is charged with murder in the death of 42-year-old Vincent Diaz. Diaz, who had been visiting San Antonio for a funeral, was found dead in his hotel room on Dec. 23.

Aguilar was arrested after security footage showed him accompanying Diaz to his room, then leaving with the victim’s belongings a short time later.

According to an arrest warrant released Tuesday, Aguilar confessed to the murder, telling police he and Diaz had sex.

More at http://www.lonestarq.com/gay-mans-killer-uses-aids-panic-defense/ .

January 15, 2014

Houston Community College clears way for anti-gay leader Wilson to take office

Houston Community College has cleared Dave Wilson to take the District 2 seat at this week's board meeting despite legal uncertainty raised by Harris County officials about the trustee-elect's residency and prior to a possible court ruling on Wednesday that could prevent him from serving.

"Right now, Mr. Wilson has been elected and has taken an oath of office, and there is no prohibition from any court that would prevent him from taking his seat, so - from the perspective of Houston Community College - there is no legal basis at this time to deny him the opportunity to sit as a trustee," HCC special counsel Gene Locke said on Tuesday.

The HCC board is scheduled to convene and elect officers at noon Thursday.

A restraining order prohibiting Wilson from taking the oath of office until questions about his residency can be resolved remains in effect until Jan. 27, a judge ruled Monday, but the decision didn't clarify the legality of a private swearing-in reported by the trustee-elect.

More at http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/HCC-clears-way-for-Wilson-to-take-office-5143082.php?cmpid=htx .

January 15, 2014

Morning Joe piles on the Christie love

Everyone is raving about his state of the state address and how he is handling the crisis.

January 15, 2014

North Texas Earthquake Swarm More Centralized Than Previously Thought

Another minor earthquake shook the North Texas community of Azle on Monday. It’s one of dozens to hit the region over the last few months that have residents on edge and complaining of property damage.

Many see a link between the quakes and increased oil and gas activity. But challenges confront scientists researching the quakes for the U.S. Geological Survey and Southern Methodist University. For one, they’ve needed to more accurately pinpoint the epicenters of the Azle quakes.

“The closest seismograph station used by the National Earthquake Information Center to locate the Azle earthquakes is over 60 miles to the south, the next closest is 125 miles to the West,” USGS Seismologist Williams Ellsworth explained in a letter to Azle Mayor Alan Brundrett in a December letter obtained by StateImpact Texas.

In that same letter, Ellsworth explains how he has produced a more accurate map of the quakes, one that shows them clustered in a more concentrated location than previously thought.

More, including an interactive map, at http://kut.org/post/north-texas-earthquake-swarm-more-centralized-previously-thought .

January 15, 2014

Julian Assange to Speak at SXSW Interactive

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will speak via satellite at SXSW Interactive in March. In a rare public interview, Assange will discuss the "pervasive spread of surveillance, advantages and abuses of the digital age, and the future of democracy," according to a statement from the festival.

Assange will speak with Benjamin Palmer of New York-based web marketer The Barbarian Group at 11 a.m. on Mar. 8, the second day of the Interactive portion of the festival.

Palmer told KUT that his conversation with Assange at South By will be more of a conversation about the future of the Internet and international communication, and less of a formal interview.

"This is where everyone that's inventing all the next platforms goes to kind of hear thought leadership, you know?" Palmer said. "And I feel like Julian's point of view — where the Internet has come from, where it's going and what's generally happening — is a really important conversation to have at a place like South By Southwest."

More at http://kut.org/post/julian-assange-speak-sxsw-interactive-update .

January 14, 2014

Beanie Babies creator gets probation, no prison

Source: AP

CHICAGO (AP) — The billionaire creator of Beanie Babies was sentenced to two years of probation, but no prison time, on Tuesday for tax evasion on $25 million in income he had stashed away in Swiss bank accounts.

H. Ty Warner, 69, appeared somber but composed as he made a brief statement before receiving his sentence in a Chicago federal courtroom, apologizing and saying he felt "shame and embarrassment" for what he had done.

He could have been sentenced to up to five years in prison, and prosecutors were seeking prison time for Warner, who pleaded guilty last year to a single tax evasion count.

U.S. District Judge Charles Kocoras, however, sentenced Warner to probation and 500 hours of community service, praising the toy magnate for the charity work he's done.

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/crime/article/Beanie-Babies-creator-gets-probation-no-prison-5140435.php

January 14, 2014

Look for Wendy Davis to report more than $10 million in governor’s race

Look for Wendy Davis this week to report more than $10 million raised in the latest fundraising cycle for her uphill battle against Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott in the governor’s race.

Word from inside the Davis camp is that her fundraising haul over the last six months will be north of $10 million — and will include some big-dollar donors whose contributions are crucial to a successful statewide candidate.

While some of her money will come from a dwindling pool of wealthy Democratic donors capable of writing checks of $25,000 or more — people like Houston trial lawyers Steve and Amber Mostyn — much of Davis’ money is expected to come from small contributors from across the country.

Those donors are attracted by Davis’ headline-grabbing filibuster for abortion rights last year and her personal story: teenage mother in a trailer park to Harvard Law School grad. The Davis camp believes those small-dollar donors constitute a network of contributors she can go back to to fund her campaign through the year.

More at http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2014/01/look-for-wendy-davis-to-report-more-than-10-million-in-governors-race.html/ .

January 14, 2014

One Down 49 to Go: New Mexico Progressives Kick The Koch Brothers Out of Their State

Image: ProgressNow New Mexico

Progressives scored a big win in New Mexico as the Koch Brothers have laid off staff and closed down their Americans For Prosperity political operation in the state.

A new report by ProgressNow New Mexico has found that the Koch Brothers have shut down their political arm, laid off staff, packed up and left the state.

According to ProgressNow New Mexico,


The Koch brothers spent over $6.1 million in New Mexico in 2012, including $500,000 on a failed attempt to defeat a bill that would raise the minimum wage in Albuquerque. New Mexico was one of 34 states where the Kochs tried to build a field organization to support the Republican agenda.

The Koch effort was a complete failure. Besides the minimum wage, the Kochs also lost on marriage equality, and two attempts to ban abortions. They didn’t have any success at all as a wave of liberalism has swept through the state.

More at http://www.politicususa.com/2014/01/13/49-go-mexico-progressives-kick-koch-brothers-state.html .

January 14, 2014

Atty: Former Cowboys player Josh Brent wasn't drunk in crash that killed teammate

DALLAS (AP) - Former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent wasn't drunk, as police contend, when he wrecked his Mercedes in a crash that killed a teammate, Brent's lawyer told jurors Monday at the start of his trial.

Brent was "guilty of being stupid behind the wheel of a car," not driving drunk on the night of the December 2012 crash that killed his close friend and teammate, Jerry Brown, defense attorney George Milner said.

Milner's opening remarks signaled that he would try to discredit evidence of Brent's drinking central to the state's case, including a blood test that allegedly pegged Brent's blood alcohol content at more than twice the legal limit and dash cam video that jurors saw Monday showing Brent failing a field sobriety test at the scene.

If convicted of intoxication manslaughter or manslaughter, Brent could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

More at http://www.elpasotimes.com/latestnews/ci_24902624/atty-former-cowboys-player-josh-brent-wasnt-drunk .

[font color=navy]For some odd reason this story was not posted on The Dallas Morning News or Fort Worth Star-Telegram Websites.[/font]

Cross-posted in Football Group.

January 14, 2014

Atty: Former Cowboys player Josh Brent wasn't drunk in crash that killed teammate

DALLAS (AP) - Former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent wasn't drunk, as police contend, when he wrecked his Mercedes in a crash that killed a teammate, Brent's lawyer told jurors Monday at the start of his trial.

Brent was "guilty of being stupid behind the wheel of a car," not driving drunk on the night of the December 2012 crash that killed his close friend and teammate, Jerry Brown, defense attorney George Milner said.

Milner's opening remarks signaled that he would try to discredit evidence of Brent's drinking central to the state's case, including a blood test that allegedly pegged Brent's blood alcohol content at more than twice the legal limit and dash cam video that jurors saw Monday showing Brent failing a field sobriety test at the scene.

If convicted of intoxication manslaughter or manslaughter, Brent could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

More at http://www.elpasotimes.com/latestnews/ci_24902624/atty-former-cowboys-player-josh-brent-wasnt-drunk .

[font color=navy]For some odd reason this story was not posted on The Dallas Morning News or Fort Worth Star-Telegram Websites.[/font]

Cross-posted in Sports Group.