11/07/2009

Perry visits shooting victims, applauds their bravery

Some of Fort Hood's wounded return home
As the nation grieved for the 13 people killed in Thursday's attack at Fort Hood, there was a glimmer of encouragement on Saturday as some of the people wounded in the shooting were able to leave one hospital near the Army base.

East Texas legislator switching to GOP
State Rep. Chuck Hopson says he's leaving the Democratic Party and becoming a Republican.

Lubbock State School worker turns himself in
The fired Lubbock State School worker accused in the death of a resident has turned himself in.

11/06/2009

First responders: 'Controlled chaos' after Fort Hood shootings
The first crackle across the radio of "shots fired" didn't provoke much concern.

11/07/2009

Texas and Southwest news briefs
Agosto won't run for education board again

Heroes were at every turn during Fort Hood shootings
FORT HOOD, Texas – From the first frantic 911 call that a shooter was rampaging through the Soldier Readiness Center on this sprawling Army base, it took police officer Kimberly Munley just four minutes to get there.

Fort Hood shooting poses complications for Muslims in the military
Army Spc. Naveed Ali Shah was at his base in Iraq when he got a disturbing e-mail. His wife, Angela, said she and their toddler son were in lockdown at Fort Hood because of a shooting rampage.

Texas forensic science agency's new chief calls for changes as arson inquiry continues
AUSTIN – The new chairman of the Texas Forensic Science Commission has called for several key changes at the agency, including new confidentiality requirements, to ensure that its future reviews of criminal cases are credible.

Dallas-area residents pause, reflect, donate blood for soldiers
The bloodshed at Fort Hood continued to resonate Friday in North Texas, where residents showed support in words, deeds and silence.

Stepfather of 'Baby Grace' found guilty in her murder
GALVESTON – A southeast Texas man was convicted Friday of capital murder in the 2007 beating death of his 2-year-old stepdaughter, whose body was found in a container that washed up on an island in Galveston Bay.

11/06/2009

Neighbor: Fort Hood suspect emptied his apartment

TOM FOX / DMN

Sgt. 1st Class Noval Alexander reads condolences from high school students on a banner left at a makeshift memorial at Fort Hood.

Live coverage: Updates on shootings
Victim profiles | Leave condolences
Blog: Obama to visit Fort Hood on Tuesday
Interactive graphic: Details emerge
Suspect told 'There's something wrong with you'
Army: Shooting suspect taken off ventilator
Nurse anesthetist never thought he'd see such trauma outside war zone
Perry visits shooting victims, applauds their bravery
Contrasting images of shooting suspect emerge
Twitter updates: Austin American-Statesman
Photos: Thursday | Friday

Fort Hood shooting victims recovering from serious injuries
It was too early to tell whether the 10 Fort Hood shooting victims brought to Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple would survive, the medical center's chairman of surgery said today.

Neighbor: Suspected Fort Hood gunman had cleaned out apartment
Patricia Villa says Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan came over to her apartment on Wednesday morning and told her he was going to be deployed on Friday.

11/05/2009

13 slain in soldier's Fort Hood ambush, Army says

AP/AFP

Fort Hood was locked down Thursday after a shooting rampage left 13 dead and 30 wounded. Authories shot Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan (inset) and took him into custody.

Relatives of Fort Hood victims worry, wait
Accused Fort Hood shooter dreaded deployment, cousin says
Military family worries together, grieves together
Soldier-on-soldier violence is rare, but it has a history as old as the U.S. military
Photos: Tragedy at Fort Hood
Editorial: Massacre at Fort Hood
Reports from the Web
Leave your condolences

11/06/2009

Politics blog: State Rep. Chuck Hopson dumps Dems for GOP
Hopson, a pharmacist, has represented Texas House District 11 since 2001. The district includes, Cherokee, Houston, Panola and Rusk Counties.

U.S. MASS SHOOTINGS
Here is a glance at some of the worst U.S. mass shootings:

Conservatives step up fiery rhetoric at health care rally at Capitol in Washington
WASHINGTON – Thousands of conservatives from Texas and around the country converged on the Capitol on Thursday to denounce the Democratic health plan, accusing the president of a march toward socialism and demanding that Congress resist a government takeover of health care.

Relatives of Fort Hood victims worry, wait
People in battle zones were among those anxiously trying to reach loved ones in Texas.

Accused Fort Hood shooter's name appears on radical Internet postings
Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan dealt with some of the invisible wounds from the conflict. He counseled soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder, perhaps getting a preview of the horrors of war that he had yet to see.

Multiple deployments take toll on military families, experts say
One day back from a year's tour in Iraq, Army Capt. Nick Jefferson had just come home after running errands when he flipped on the TV and heard about the shootings at Fort Hood, where his wife, Erica, was working.

Military family worries together, grieves together
Soldiers and military family members pull together.

Dallas-Fort Worth blood donors ready to help

MARK HANCOCK / Special Contributor

The Red Cross is operating a blood drive at its Farmers Branch location at 1 Medical Parkway until 8 p.m. today.

11/05/2009

Soldier-on-soldier violence is rare, but it has a history as old as the U.S. military
Thursday's mass killings at Fort Hood stand out as among the worst ever.

Iraq veteran feared for wife, child during Fort Hood lockdown
Spc. Joshua Branum, just recently back from his second long tour in Iraq, was at the Killeen courthouse taking care of a minor traffic issue when he heard of shootings and death at Fort Hood.

Fort Hood shootings not Killeen's first brush with tragedy
On Oct. 16, 1991, George Hennard killed 23 people and wounded more than 20 before committing suicide at a Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen.

SMU professor named new EPA regional chief for Texas, four other states
Dr. Al Armendariz, an El Paso native, has found fault with Texas’ efforts on Dallas-Fort Worth smog, saying the state’s programs did too little and that the EPA erred in approving them.

Texas death row inmate heads for execution in case that involved Bible
A man convicted of using a rifle to fatally beat and shoot an east Texas man during a burglary almost 12 years ago headed for execution Thursday in a case that became focused on whether jurors improperly consulted a Bible to justify their decision to send him to death row.

Sex-assault case involving West Texas sect member could go to jury soon
The defendant, 38-year-old Raymond Jessop, faces a charge of sexual assault of a child. If convicted he could be sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Texas senators speak out on detainee swine flu vaccines
WASHINGTON – Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn are demanding assurances that detainees at the Guantánamo Bay terrorist prison won't receive the swine flu vaccine until all 159 million Americans at elevated risk have access to a vaccination.

Texas lawmakers try to give doctor-owned hospitals a dose of help
Texas House members are mounting a late effort to delay new limits on physician-owned hospitals, putting them at odds with Democratic leaders who think the facilities drive up health care costs.

11/04/2009

Texas setting aside 20 percent of swine flu doses for county health departments
The bump-up for health departments probably means a drop in the percentage sent to private providers in many counties because the total number of doses offered to each county – based on population – will not change. But the change may also create an opportunity for the general public to get access to the vaccine.

11/05/2009

Texas & Southwest briefs
Hair exec shelling out

Ramping up the war on smuggling
SAN MIGUEL, Ariz. – A pickup in Mexico pulls up to the 5-foot vehicle barriers that make up part of the multibillion-dollar border fence. A retractable ramp is extended from the truck, forming a bridge up and over the barriers.

DNA test helps solve 55-year mystery of woman's disappearance
PHOENIX – Dorothy Gay Howard's family spent 55 years not knowing where she was, if she was dead or alive.

Man's execution for 1998 Nacogdoches slaying set for tonight
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Khristian Oliver is scheduled to be executed this evening for killing a 64-year-old East Texas man who was beaten, then shot during a 1998 burglary at his home.

11/04/2009

Houston businessman says he'll spend $10M in Democratic primary bid for governor
Hair care executive Farouk Shami says he plans a formal campaign announcement Nov. 19.

Transportation blog: Kinky Friedman says, 'I don't want any toll roads in Texas'
The Demcoratic candidate for governor also says he has an "excellent" chance of winning.

Texas' stimulus impact report counted summer jobs, had errors
Reports that Texas has created or saved 19,752 jobs so far with stimulus funding appear to overstate the impact of the program, according to interviews and an analysis of government data.

11/03/2009

Eminent domain, top-tier research fund, other propositions passed
Texas voters on Tuesday passed a proposition limiting the government's eminent domain powers and another creating a fund for more top-tier research universities, along with nine other constitutional amendments on the ballot.

11/04/2009

Police: 2 stole hundreds of bags from Phoenix airport
PHOENIX – Two people suspected of stealing up to 1,000 pieces of luggage from baggage claim carousels at Phoenix's airport have been arrested by police who found heaps of stolen bags strewn throughout their home.

JP who refused to marry interracial couple resigns
BATON ROUGE, La. – A Louisiana justice of the peace who refused to marry a couple because the bride was white and groom was black resigned Tuesday, after weeks of refusing to step down despite calls for his ouster.

Tight Houston mayor's race heading to runoff
HOUSTON – City Controller Annise Parker and former City Attorney Gene Locke are headed to a runoff to become mayor of America's fourth-biggest city.

New Orleans project aims to head off the next flood
HARVEY, La. – Mindful that the suburban West Bank of New Orleans has regained its pre-Hurricane Katrina population and is primed for growth, the Army Corps of Engineers is launching a $1 billion effort to keep the surge from the next storm at bay.

11/03/2009

Parents sue fraternity, Prairie View A&M over Dallas student's death in possible hazing
The lawsuit stems from the Oct. 20 death of Donnie Wade of Dallas, a 20-year-old transfer student who collapsed during an early-morning exercise session near the university, northwest of Houston.

$7 million Lotto Texas prize goes unclaimed
This particular Lotto Texas ticket, purchased at the Big Country Mart in Burleson in early May, would have won its buyer a cash payout of $7,131,735.60. Trouble is, the buyer never claimed the prize.

Texas families find it harder to keep ranches together
VALENTINE, Texas – Albert Miller drives an ancient, heavy-duty Ford truck on a bumpy, dirt road and talks about how his family tries to overcome a multitude of ranching hardships and still cling to the cowboy culture and what some fear is a fading way of life.

Gov. Perry plans to wait and see on opting out of federal health plan's public option
AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry, who has heaped criticism on health care legislation in Congress, said Monday that he will wait to see what a federal health plan looks like before determining whether Texas should "opt out" of a government-run insurance choice.

Daylight savings plan was bright idea after all
WASHINGTON – When Congress decided a few years ago to add four weeks of daylight saving time to save energy, farmers griped about disruptions to feeding schedules, airlines warned of missed flight connections, and parents worried about children walking to school in the dark.

Top-tier research fund and other propositions pass
Proposition 4, a heavily pushed constitutional amendment to help create more top-tier research universities, has won approval from Texas voters.

Usual polling places may not be: Number of Dallas County sites cut
Voters in today's local elections may want to check where they should vote before they head to their usual polling places.

11/02/2009

Regional Briefs
Search for missing

Proposition 8 would let Texas contribute money, property toward building VA hospitals
McALLEN, Texas – With more than 1.7 million military veterans in Texas and just nine Veterans Affairs hospitals, long drives are not uncommon in some parts of the state with large veteran populations.