02/25/2010

Obama picks Beaumont judge to be U.S. attorney for Collin, Denton, East Texas
The selection of John B. Stevens Jr. gives hope that a political impasse over judicial nominees in Texas may have been broken.

Officials rule arson caused fire at Austin suicide pilot's house
Authorities previously have said they believed Richard Stack started the blaze, drove to a nearby airport and then piloted the suicide flight into the complex that houses Internal Revenue Service offices.

Roll of dice decides deadlocked Sealy city council race
Texas election law calls for lots to be cast if a runoff election is tied. Dice were used in Sealy, with the winner rolling the highest number.

ATF investigates after guns missing from Texas evidence room found in shop
CLEVELAND, Texas – Federal investigators are trying to determine whether 500 weapons missing from the evidence room of a southeast Texas police station are part of a firearms trafficking ring.

Kinky Friedman bringing animal welfare concerns into agriculture commissioner's race
Friedman wants to use his Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch in Medina as a prototype for state-run facilities across Texas.

Agriculture commissioner candidate Hank Gilbert would make people think Texas when they eat beef
It's not so much a question of what's for dinner as where it came from.

02/24/2010

Perry, Hutchison spar before crowd in Houston

Houston Chronicle

Republican gubernatorial candidates Kay Bailey Hutchison (left), Rick Perry and Debra Medina traded barbs Wednesday night at a Republican Party event in Houston.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison shared a stage with Gov. Rick Perry and made the case that Republicans should think twice before putting him on the ticket again.
Minuteman Project founder endorses Perry
Voter Guide: Compare candidates
Blog: Politics

02/25/2010

Texas & Southwest briefs

Keith Olbermann turns down invitation to Saturday's Dallas Tea Party anniversary rally
At least one invited guest will not be coming to Saturday's Dallas Tea Party anniversary rally.

Hutchison, Perry spend more than $14 million in advertising
AUSTIN – Kay Bailey Hutchison and Rick Perry poured more than $14 million into television and radio advertising in the last month as they escalated spending in their GOP primary showdown.

Ex-officer pleads guilty in inquiry into Katrina deaths
NEW ORLEANS – A former police lieutenant pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiring to obstruct justice after federal officials say he helped cover for officers who killed two people on a bridge in the chaos following Hurricane Katrina.

02/24/2010

State District Judge Mark Stoltz faces accusation ahead of primary
State District Judge Mark Stoltz, facing a re-election fight in Tuesday's Democratic primary, was accused of not telling "the whole truth" by another judge while testifying about whether or not he knew the victim of a man on trial for a string of purse snatchings in Stoltz's court.

Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist endorses Rick Perry for Texas governor

COURTNEY PERRY/DMN

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (left) accepts the endorsement of Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist Wednesday at the Crescent Hotel in Dallas.

"I had to come 1,200 miles to find a governor who believes in a simple principle called the rule of law," Gilchrist said Wednesday at the Crescent Hotel in Dallas.
Blog: Trail Blazers
Early voting sites for March 2 primary
Issues Watch: Where the Texas gubernatorial candidates stand
Voter Guide: Compare candidates, build your ballot

Politics blog: Disgraced legislator Terri Hodge urges residents not to vote for her
State Rep. Terri Hodge issued a statement today asking District 100 residents not to vote for her on March 2.

New punishment hearing ordered for Texas death row inmate Charles Dean Hood
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, in its ruling, declined to address the issue of a romance between the trial judge and the prosecutor.

IRS worker's widow sues Austin suicide pilot's widow
Attorney Daniel Ross says the lawsuit against Sheryl Stack seeks to determine if Richard stack, who deliberately flew his plane into a building housing IRS offices, left behind insurance policies or other assets.

02/23/2010

Atheist books, guns found at home of suspect in East Texas church fires
TYLER – One of two East Texas church arson suspects kept books on demon possession and atheism as well as assault rifles and guns, and may have left graffiti offering inside information about one of the attacks in a local store bathroom, according to court records.

02/24/2010

Texas orders treatment, not just release, of mentally ill young offenders
Mentally ill juvenile offenders released because they can't be treated in custody will now receive court-ordered psychiatric treatment under an emergency measure adopted by the Texas Youth Commission.

Texas politics briefs
AUSTIN – Hit with accusations of spreading "cronyism" throughout state government, Gov. Rick Perry is hitting back, arguing that the law firm where Kay Bailey Hutchison used to work with her husband, Ray, was found by a federal civil jury to have defrauded investors in a 1990s-era private prison deal.

Issues Watch: The Border
Where the major candidates for governor stand on placing Texas Guard troops on the border with Mexico:

Atheist books, guns found at home of arson suspect
TYLER – One of two East Texas church arson suspects kept books on demon possession and atheism as well as assault rifles and guns, and may have left graffiti offering inside information about one of the attacks in a local store bathroom, according to court records.

Louisiana woman pleads guilty to selling two children for a cockatoo, $175
NEW ORLEANS – A Louisiana woman has pleaded guilty to selling two children for a cockatoo and $175.

02/23/2010

Hutchison says she is the true conservative in Texas governor race
Four more years of the incumbent, she says, will mean more taxes and more out-of-control spending.

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
Get Texas, Southwest news

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.

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

Most Popular Stories