02/22/2010

2 suspects, 10 fires, but 'no motive whatsoever' in East Texas church arsons
Childhood friends Daniel George McAllister and Jason Robert Bourque are each charged with one count of arson, a first-degree felony.
Phone tip led to arrests
Map: East Texas church fires
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02/23/2010

Texans turning out in big numbers for primaries
AUSTIN – Texans are turning out in big numbers in this year's primaries, buoyed by a high-profile race for governor with candidates crisscrossing the state and spending millions on TV.

Texas panel aims to use education to prevent new Holocausts
Peter Berkowitz hopes he can help students across Texas learn lasting lessons from the Holocaust and more modern genocides – to choose right over wrong and good over evil.

Texas congressman wants drone patrols along Rio Grande
WASHINGTON – A Texas congressman is pushing for the federal government to use an unmanned aerial vehicle – or drone – to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border to combat narcotics trafficking and potential threats of terrorism along the Rio Grande.

Arizona Great Dane is tallest dog ever, according to Guinness
TUCSON, Ariz. – Guinness World Records said Monday that Giant George is the tallest dog ever.

02/22/2010

Social conservative faces tough battle for state ed board seat
The battle will largely be determined by GOP primary voters in 4 races, including for a seat that represents parts of Collin County and East Texas.
Texans turning out in big numbers for primaries
Voter guide: Compare candidates

02/23/2010

Chaining school doors a 'fairly common' fire hazard, state officials say
Dallas' Samuell High School violated fire codes and created a potential firetrap for students when it chained a school exit door last week, fire officials say. But Samuell's action wasn't unusual.

Supreme Court ruling means no Lake Fastrill reservoir for Dallas
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday drained the last bit of life from the city of Dallas and Texas Water Development Board plan to build a massive reservoir called Lake Fastrill along the Neches.

Extremists laud pilot's attack on Austin IRS building
Flames were still shooting from the building when the suicide pilot who crashed his plane into the IRS office in Austin was being hailed in some corners as a hero who struck a courageous blow against the tyranny of the U.S. tax code.

02/22/2010

Daughter says pilot who targeted Austin IRS offices was a hero for anti-government views
The daughter of a man who crashed his small plane into a building housing offices of the Internal Revenue Service called her father a hero for his anti-government views but said his actions, which killed an IRS employee, were "inappropriate."

Alamo's stewards launching membership drive
Nearly 175 years after the famous siege at the Alamo began, the shrine's defenders once again are making a call to arms.

Advocates envision Texas as solar power leader
Texas already leads the nation in producing wind power, and given its sunny climate, scientists say it has the capacity to dominate solar, too. The PUC is considering a plan to give solar power a boost.
More energy news
Blog: Texas Energy and Environment

Phone tip leads to 2 arrests in East Texas church arsons
Two men were arrested Sunday in connection with 10 church arsons and three attempted church break-ins since the first of the year. Officials said DNA evidence linked one of them to a fire.
Map: East Texas church fires

Texas and Southwest news briefs
IRS crash pilot faced audit, accountant says

Outside money pours into Texas House race in Irving
The race for Texas House District 105 is drawing a lot of green as Republicans fight to keep Irving red and Democrats try to turn it blue.

02/21/2010

Texas exonerees aren't free from income taxes on compensation

FILE 2004/Special to DMN

John Michael Harvey, jailed for 12 years, says as the state tries to make amends, the IRS aims to seize it.
Blog: Crime | More crime news

02/22/2010

Bill White refers to GOP rivals for governor as 'forces of darkness'
Former Houston Mayor Bill White on Saturday called on Dallas County Democrats to rally around his candidacy for Texas governor in order to stop the Republican "forces of darkness."

02/21/2010

Two arrests made in East Texas church arsons
The East Texas Church Arson Task Force will hold a news conference in Tyler at 4 p.m. today to identify the two men arrested early this morning, according to reports.

Son praises Austin IRS worker killed in suicide plane crash
He was alarmed by reported comments from the pilot's friends who said he was a good person and by Internet postings calling the flier a hero.

Son of IRS building plane crash victim praises his father
AUSTIN – Relatives of a longtime Internal Revenue Service employee killed by the plane crash into the IRS offices remembered him Saturday as a devoted family man.

Officials, others disagree on whether plane crash was terrorism
AUSTIN – When a man fueled by rage against the U.S. government and its tax code crashes his airplane into a building housing offices of the Internal Revenue Service, is it a criminal act or an act of terrorism?

Austin suicide pilot follows long line of tax protesters
WASHINGTON – Joseph Stack's methods were unthinkable – he is accused of ramming a plane into an Internal Revenue Service building in Texas – but his views on taxation follow those of a long line of protesters who believe tax laws don't apply to them.

02/20/2010

GOP rivals for Texas governor vie for votes

DMN Staff

By bus, car and plane, three Republican candidates cut swaths through the state, on the path – each hopes – to becoming the next Texas governor. Here's a look at their journeys.
Photos: Kay Bailey Hutchison | Debra Medina | Rick Perry
Video: On the campaign trail
Blog: Politics
50 facts about each candidate
Early voting locations
More election news
Link: Compare candidates

02/19/2010

Calls still urge voters to support disgraced Rep. Terri Hodge's defunct campaign
Residents of Texas House District 100 have received automated telephone calls this week urging them to vote for disgraced state Rep. Terri Hodge.

02/20/2010

VA leader pledges 'full court press' to help homeless veterans
EL PASO – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki on Friday promised a "full court press" to alleviate homelessness and other critical issues facing the 23.4 million veterans in the U.S.

State briefs
Perry, Hutchison each

Sweat-lodge deaths suspect fights bail
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – A man who built a multimillion-dollar empire with a motivational mantra that teaches people to create wealth contends he's broke and cannot post bail in a criminal case.

Are smaller planes a threat? Little security in place, but some fear stifling of commerce, freedom
GEORGETOWN, Texas – After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, cockpit doors were sealed, air marshals were added and airport searches became more aggressive, all to make sure an airliner could never again be used as a weapon.

After crash, Iraq war veteran sprang to action with ladder to help 5 get out of building
AUSTIN – Robin De Haven was driving his truck to another job for the glass company he works for when he saw it – a small plane, flying low over a heavily congested area.

At a Glance: Private planes

Pilot's decision to crash plane reflects despair of many in U.S., Medina says
AUSTIN – Republican Debra Medina said Friday that the decision of a man fighting the IRS to crash his airplane into a building in Austin reflects "the hopelessness many in our society feel."

02/19/2010

Even stimulus opponents sought funds for Texas
With critics calling the year-old package a colossal waste of money, Democrats have fought back by leveling charges of hypocrisy. Not one Republican voted for the $787 billion plan, but many have tried to wangle funds for the folks back home.
Blog: Trail Blazers
More politics

Since 9/11, little has been done to guard against attacks with small planes
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, cockpit doors were sealed, air marshals were added and airport searches became more aggressive, all to make sure an airliner could never again be used as a weapon. Yet little has been done to guard against attacks with smaller planes.

Career-oriented courses at Texas schools get with the times

RON BASELICE/DMN

But changes to the curriculum come at the same time as new state graduation requirements, causing some confusion.
Video: Class teaches TV production
Blog: The Education Front
More education news

Texas Gov. Rick Perry says he intends to win GOP primary outright
But he says that if he's forced into a runoff with U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison after the March 2 primary, "it's not the end of the world."

Army vet helped rescue people after pilot crashed into Austin IRS offices
Robin De Haven was driving his truck to another job for the glass company he works for when he saw something that didn't look right – a small plane, flying extremely low over a heavily congested area of Austin.

Wife of pilot in Austin suicide attack expresses sympathy for victims
Rayford Walker, who identified himself as a spokesman for Joseph Stack's family, read a statement from Sheryl Stack while standing in front of a house across the street from the Stack family's burned home.

It's official: Drought is thing of past in Texas
Drought conditions are officially gone in Texas, ending a brutally dry period that forced millions of residents to limit water use, evaporated waterways and shriveled up crops.

Other technical professionals oppose tax law pilot detested, lawyer says
In the anti-government letter he posted on the Internet before flying his plane into an Austin IRS office, Andrew Joseph Stack III cited a 1986 tax law as a major motivation.

Shooting divides small Louisiana town
HOMER, La. – For the past year, many residents of this tiny town in the northern Louisiana hill country waited in anger.

Dick Armey calls Obama 'shallow,' 'incompetent' in speech at Conservative Political Action Conference
WASHINGTON – Dick Armey, former House majority leader and a force in the Tea Party movement, issued a scathing critique Thursday of President Barack Obama.

02/18/2010

Man who crashed plane into Austin building targeted IRS offices

AP/Austin American-Statesman

Officials investigate the crash scene Thursday.

In a note posted online, Joseph Stack cited run-ins with the IRS and wrote that violence "is the only answer."
See the note | Photos
Video from KVUE-TV
Austin American-Statesman coverage
Map:See the location
Updates on Twitter
DMN Investigates blog: Send your tips

02/19/2010

Texas & Southwest briefs
$8.6M awarded in injury case

Galveston hopes census count hits 50,000
GALVESTON – Galveston residents were cautiously hopeful Thursday that this year's U.S. Census count won't mean more bad news for their island community, which lost thousands of residents after Hurricane Ike battered the city in 2008.

Pilot spent months on diatribe that became his suicide note

AP/Austin American-Statesman

Officials investigate the crash scene Thursday.

Andrew Joseph Stack III focused his rage on the U.S. tax system, accusing the IRS of damaging his career.
IRS office targeted
See the pilot's note
Crash photos
Austin American-Statesman coverage
More on Joseph Stack
Blog: DMN Investigates

02/18/2010

Texas Energy blog: Health department studies impact of natural gas facilities on Dish residents
The Texas Department of State Health Services collected blood and urine samples from residents in the Dish area to test whether natural gas activity is affecting their health.

Prosecutors seek to revive case against Texas judge
SAN ANTONIO – Prosecutors urged a state panel Wednesday to punish a Texas judge for refusing to keep her court open past 5 p.m. to hear a last-minute appeal by a death-row inmate, and to ignore a key report that says she had been humiliated enough.

University of Texas task force proposes 10-semester time limit on most bachelor's degrees
AUSTIN – Jokes about being on the five-year plan to complete four years of college could become a reality.

Roving retirees get free camping space for volunteering at parks
ROMA, Texas – A cold wind whipped down the Texas plains on the night last month that Sharon Smith, 68, and her husband, Bill, 73, arrived here to be work-campers.

Texas briefs
2 from Amarillo die in twin-engine plane crash

More of Shami's campaign staffers quit, citing 'strategic differences'
AUSTIN – Houston businessman Farouk Shami's bid to be governor saw another day of turmoil Wednesday, with yet another shuffling of campaign staff.

Texas governor Perry won't say if he'd seek 4th term
AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday that he wouldn't address yet whether the four-year term he's seeking would be his last as governor.

With population lowered after Ike, Galveston worries census could bring funding drop
GALVESTON – Nearly 1 ½ years after Hurricane Ike battered Galveston, this southeast Texas island community fears the natural disaster could land another harsh blow.

02/16/2010

Agency budget cuts small in face of Texas' gaping shortfall
Lawmakers and state leaders face a daunting task to close the budget gap, and few have offered substantive ideas for dealing with the state's structural deficit.

02/17/2010

New Baylor president Kenneth Starr eager to move beyond past as Clinton prosecutor
WACO – Baylor University's new president, Kenneth Starr, said Tuesday that he is excited to promote the world's largest Baptist university and pleased that his time as an independent prosecutor investigating the Clinton White House is long past.

Family requests pardon for man wrongly convicted of rape
Attorneys for a man who died in prison after he was wrongly convicted of rape have filed for a pardon with the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.

Issues Watch: Gubernatorial candidates on the budget shortfall
Where the major candidates for governor stand on the state budget shortfall:

Texas universities identify possible budget cuts
Texas' public universities and colleges have already taken financial hits from declines in endowments and in private giving. Now, they have been asked to identify cuts that make up 5 percent of the state-funded portion of their budgets. Here are some campuses plans.

Clements throws support to Perry despite sponsoring a Hutchison fundraiser
Former Gov. Bill Clements is backing Gov. Rick Perry in the Republican primary, even though he sponsored a fundraiser for Kay Bailey Hutchison last year.

At A Glance: State agencies' proposed cuts
State agencies offered potential budget cuts of 5 percent Tuesday, at the request of state leaders who are worried about a big budget shortfall when lawmakers convene in January. Here are some highlights:

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