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21 May 2009 09:15

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Offbeat: Love, immigration status tear mayor apart from Texas city

  • It’s true love, but his gay lover needs a visa. J.W. Lown, the mayor of San Angelo, Texas, stepped down from his position abruptly yesterday, preferring not to use his power to help his boyfriend in Mexico make it to the U.S. before others. Lown was a very popular mayor in San Angelo, and was last elected to office with 89% of the vote. He holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and Mexico. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Apr 2009 10:30

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U.S.: Could part of the Voting Rights Act get flipped over?

  • At some point you have to say we’ve come far enough. Why do we and the other affected jurisdictions have to have the federal government looking over our shoulder?
  • Gregory S. Coleman • Attorney for the Northwest Austin, Tx. Municipal Utility District, who argues that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is too archaic and outdated. The section requires that the Justice Department approve changes in voting procedure for jurisdictions covered by the law (essentially, those with a history of disenfranchised voters). Coleman and the district will be arguing the case in front of the Supreme Court today, and many will be watching closely. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Apr 2009 20:33

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Politics, U.S.: Texas governor Rick Perry is talking secession. Pssh, whatever.

  • Tea parties make you say the craziest things. Perry, who spoke at a number of tea parties today, was in Austin when he loudly proclaimed, “Secede!” He said Texas could get so riled up that they might want to secede, but probably won’t. Well, why did you say it, then? Every state could want to secede. And you guys aren’t even Quebecers with your weird dialect of French. You have no good reason to secede. We don’t want to have to bring a passport when we go to SXSW, OK? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 4 Comments • Permalink

02 Apr 2009 10:39

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Offbeat, U.S.: Austin’s hospital system is working well for a handful of folks

  • nine people keep visiting the emergency room in the Austin area source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

26 Mar 2009 19:02

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Sports, U.S.: Officer McJerk had no remorse for a NFL player’s mom-in-law

  • What happened? On the night of March 17, Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats was in a race against time to go see his dying mother-in-law at a hospital in Plano, Tx. He ran a red light. Unfortunately for him, he was stopped in the hospital parking lot by the meanest cop ever. source
  • What happened? On the night of March 17, Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats was in a race against time to go see his dying mother-in-law at a hospital in Plano, Tx. He ran a red light. Unfortunately for him, he was stopped in the hospital parking lot by the meanest cop ever.
  • No sympathy Officer Robert Powell, who did not seem to care about the situation, kept Moats waiting for 20 minutes while he performed a background check and said things like “I can screw you over.” Not even hospital staff could stop him. When Moats finally got to see her, she was dead. source
  • What happened? On the night of March 17, Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats was in a race against time to go see his dying mother-in-law at a hospital in Plano, Tx. He ran a red light. Unfortunately for him, he was stopped in the hospital parking lot by the meanest cop ever.
  • No sympathy Officer Robert Powell, who did not seem to care about the situation, kept Moats waiting for 20 minutes while he performed a background check and said things like “I can screw you over.” Not even hospital staff could stop him. When Moats finally got to see her, she was dead.
  • He’s in trouble Powell was placed on administrative leave. His boss, Dallas Police Chief David Knuckle, put it best: “It’s hard to find the right word and still be professional in my role as the police chief. But the behavior was not appropriate.” We recommend “@$$hole.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Mar 2009 13:53

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U.S.: Texas Judge Sharon Keller: Heartless about an execution?

  • They did not tell us they had computer failure. And given the late request, and with no reason given, I just said, ‘We close at 5.’ I didn’t really think of it as a decision so much as a statement.
  • Judge Sharon Keller • A Texas judge who is facing heavy criticism, along with a number of charges, including incompetence, after not allowing a defendant facing execution extra time to submit their last-minute appeal in 2007. Opinions on Keller, and her handling of the situation, are mixed. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Feb 2009 22:36

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Biz: This newspaper industry quote just made us cry. :(

  • Newsrooms become like families, but companies in every industry reach a point where they face fundamental, sometimes harsh change in order to preserve their viability. We are at that point.
  • Robert Rivard • Editor of the San Antonio Express-News, in a memo to employees. The Express-News just laid off 75 people in their newsroom today. Seventy-five. Seventy-five. Seventy-five. Do I need to write it again? Seventy-five. It’s not even the only news-industry layoff today. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

19 Feb 2009 21:13

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U.S.: R. Allen Stanford: He could run, couldn’t hide

  • Where they found him FBI agents found the Texas-residing Stanford hiding out in Virginia, evading authorities trying to serve him with civil suit papers. He vanished Tuesday and somehow made it to Fredricksburg, because every alleged Ponzi schemer with a mustache goes there. Clearly. It’s the place to be. source
  • Where they found him FBI agents found the Texas-residing Stanford hiding out in Virginia, evading authorities trying to serve him with civil suit papers. He vanished Tuesday and somehow made it to Fredricksburg, because every alleged Ponzi schemer with a mustache goes there. Clearly. It’s the place to be.
  • He’s kinda like Waldo When found, we imagine Stanford was wearing a striped red shirt, glasses and a wool cap, trying to hide from authorities with his billions of dollars and tarnished reputation. He hasn’t been charged with any crime, but neither was Waldo, and everyone was looking for him, too! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2009 17:41

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Offbeat: Hackers warn motorists of a zombie uprising in Texas

Either that, or a George Romero film is shooting up ahead. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jan 2009 11:00

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Offbeat, Sports: A 100-0 loss in girls’ basketball? Pssh, we really won!

  • My girls never quit. They played as hard as they could to the very end. They played with all their hearts at 70-nothing, 80-nothing and 100-nothing.
  • Jeremy Civello • Dallas Academy athletic director, on a 100-0 high school girls’ basketball loss that he’s way too freakin’ optimistic about. The Texas school, which deals with students with a variety of learning problems, pulled the team from the league shortly thereafter, and the opposing team calls the score an embarrassment – on their part. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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