Texas News: June 1-15, 1996

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Texas News Archives (searchable)

• 6/15 - Texas Supreme Court Rules DA's Internal Files Closed Records: In a decision deemed a "blow to open records," the Texas Supreme Court on Friday ruled that district attorneys may keep any internal records of a criminal case from the public, even after the case is closed.
  ..."The attorney general's office has held for years that once a case is closed and there is no potential for further litigation that most of those documents are then public," said Ron Dusek, a spokesman for Texas Attorney General Dan Morales.
  ..."Now, if the DA determines that he doesn't want to release such basic information as a person's name, address or the nature of their crime, he can withhold that."
  ...The unanimous decision by the state Supreme Court came in a case involving Harris County District Attorney Johnny Holmes, who argued that his internal files weren't subject to disclosure, even if a case was considered closed.
  ...The case began when Holmes asked Morales for a legal opinion on whether the Harris County district attorney's office was obligated to disclose information pertaining to 14 separate open records requests. Those requests sought entire files on cases ranging from murders to misdemeanors.
  ...Morales ruled that the state's Open Records Act required prosecutors to open their files to the public once a case had been fully litigated. A lower court and the 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin sided with Morales.
  ...The Supreme Court, however, reversed the decisions of the lower courts, saying in its opinion: "Because the statute's plain language does not discriminate between 'open' and 'closed' files, we find that (the law's) blanket exemption protects Holmes' files from disclosure beyond the subject litigation's termination."
• 6/15 - Congressmen Under Pressure to Sign Anti-Abortion Pledge: U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith says he won't bow to political pressure to sign an anti-abortion pledge in order to become a delegate to the Republican National Convention.
  ...The San Antonio Republican, whose name was submitted by Bob Dole's organization for ratification as a national delegate from his congressional district, has supported abortion rights.
  ...Anti-abortion activists want national delegates from Texas congressional districts to sign a pledge supporting the strong anti-abortion language of the 1992 Republican platform and vowing to back only a "pro-life vice presidential nominee."
  ..."Most, if not all, members of the Texas congressional delegation have decided not to sign the pledge," Smith was quoted as saying in Friday's San Antonio Express-News.
  ..."It's just inappropriate to tell our presidential candidate what he can do or not do. You just don't win elections by threatening people," he said.
  ...Dole has advocated a platform "declaration of tolerance" for those who differ with the Republican Party's anti-abortion stance.
• 6/15 - Dallas Electric Left the Station: With an exuberant send-off and a gentle lurch, a electric train pulled away from downtown Union Station on Friday, launching the Southwest's first public local rail system.
  ..."I think it's terrific. The air conditioning works," said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison as she squeezed onto a sleek yellow-and-white rail car after an outdoor dedication ceremony in sweltering heat.
  ...The opening of the downtown "light rail" electric system marked Dallas' first capital investment in mass transit beyond road-based systems like buses and car-pooling.
  ...Under a federal mandate to reduce air pollution, Dallas had tried for a decade to win public support for the $870 million project, named DART, for Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
• 6/14 - Drought Forcing Communities to Look Elsewhere for Drinking Water
• 6/14 - Ground Broken for State's First Public/Private University Partnership
• 6/14 - Commuter Trains Arrive in Dallas: There have been no local passenger trains in Dallas since the 1950s, although now the city is on track with a new transit system that's ready to roll.
  ....On Friday a shiny new 40-car fleet of commuter trains mobilize, and the big question is whether car-lovin,' pickup truck-huggin' Texans will climb aboard.
  ...."In Texas everybody likes to be independent, to have their own car, have their own truck, be their own boss," said Chad Beattie, who works as a furniture salesman near downtown.
  ....But even Beattie said he'll give the train a try. And that is the kind of adventurous spirit the Dallas Area Rapid Transit is counting on. DART hopes suburban commuters will board trains just as nonchalantly as livestock.
• 6/13 - State Senator Wants Some of Lottery Money Back to Communities
• 6/13 - Black Pastors Around State Don't Fear the Flames
• 6/13 - Home Owners Bearing the Brunt of School Taxes
• 6/12 - Santa Anna is Bison Headquarters: It's official. Santa Anna is now the state headquarters of the Texas Bison Association.
  
  
  ....In ceremonies Tuesday, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Rick Perry helped Santa Anna community leaders welcome the association.
  ...."I think what we're doing here today falls right in line with what we've been preaching about for a long time - that the Texas natural resource industry is the base of this state," Perry said.
  .....Alvin Jones, association president, said the group's goal is the preservation of the North American bison.
  ....."Our number one priority is to get as many people interested and involved in raising the animals as possible so that the number of the herds will grow," Jones said.
• 6/12 - Derailed train free of hazardous materials: A 23-car derailment east of Baird Tuesday afternoon gave nearby residents some anxious minutes until authorities determined no hazardous material was spilled.
  
  ....The Santa Fe Railway train lost 23 of 102 cars about 3 p.m. six miles east of Baird. A passerby phoned 911 from a cellular phone to bring sheriff's deputies, Department of Public Safety troopers and Baird firefighters to the scene.
  ....It appeared the tracks were ruined for at least a quarter of a mile, and some cars were crushed almost flat. None of the train crew was injured, however.
  ....Cargo of the broken box cars included cattle feed, compressed cardboard and plastic pellets. Wheels and springs were scattered in all directions. Firefighters quickly put out a small grass fire started by the wrecked cars.
  ....East-west traffic on the rails could be halted for 24 to 30 hours, based on past experience with derailments. Cause of the derailment was still under investigation.
• 6/12 (early) - FUGINET to Keep Track of Suspects: Gov. George W. Bush has set up a net he says will help round up the most likely suspects in local crimes.
  
  ....Bush on Tuesday unveiled the FUGINET, a computer system with detailed information about every person paroled from Texas prisons.
  ...."FUGINET tightens the law enforcement web around those who would violate our laws and threaten our children," Bush said. The new system was announced in remarks prepared for a news conference at the Tarrant County Sheriff's Department in Fort Worth.
  ...."The names, addresses and histories of thousands of parole violators and registered sex offenders will literally be at law enforcement's fingertips," the governor said.
  ....Law enforcement officers now can look up criminal histories for people they suspect of crimes through a Department of Public Safety database.
• 6/12 (early) - Fire Suspects Released: Three men who were questioned in fires deliberately set at two black churches were released without charges Tuesday, Police Chief Barry Paris said, citing a lack of evidence.
  
  ...."A decision was made by all participating agencies to release all three individuals pending further investigation," Paris said. "At this point, no charges will be filed concerning the fires at the local churches."
  ...."The investigation is not going away. ... We will go however long it takes to bring this case to closure."
  ....The fires at New Light House of Prayer and the Church of the Living God, about a mile away, have been ruled arson, said Steven Steele of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
• 6/12 (early) - Liquor Ads Coming to TV: A nearly 50-year-old voluntary prohibition on TV commercials for hard liquor is on the rocks with a decision by Seagram to advertise in Texas.
  
  ....Seagram's ads are a first for a major U.S. liquor company since the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States created a voluntary ban in 1936 for radio and 1948 for television.
  ....With liquor sales lagging, other distillers are sure to measure the reaction to Seagram's monthlong series of 30-second Crown Royal whiskey commercials on a Corpus Christi NBC affiliate.
• 6/11 - Neighboring Churches Burn in Texas
• 6/11 - Lawmakers Looking at Reworking Handgun Permit Requirements
• 6/11 (early) - Drought Dries Up Business: The drought has quite literally dried up Beth Garcia's business.
  
  ....For the past decade, Garcia has earned her living by sending raft-loads of excited travelers drifting down the Rio Grande to explore the awe-inspiring canyons that slash through the Big Bend wilderness.
  ....But in recent weeks the river has become so depleted that such trips are now all but impossible, leaving Garcia to scramble to sustain even a portion of her livelihood.
  ...."We've dipped into reserves until there aren't any," she said. "Now we're just waiting on the water."
  ....Until water levels rise, Garcia's company, Big Bend River Tours, will be virtually shut down, as will the other river outfitters that offer tours into the network of canyons accessible from the Rio Grande.
  ....Of four companies operating around Terlingua, some 300 miles southeast of El Paso, only one, Far Flung Adventures, is still offering any kind of river trips.
• 6/11 (early) - Governor Now a Girl Scout: Texas now has a Girl Scout for a governor.
  
  ....Gov. George W. Bush was presented Monday with a lifetime membership in the Girl Scouts after speaking at an awards program in the Texas Capitol's House Chamber.
  ....The program recognized more than 200 young women who received the Girl Scout Gold Award, the group's highest honor. To earn the award, the girls had to complete a series of requirements including a community service project.
  ....Bush praised the scouts as future leaders, and talked of serious matters such as young women and men taking responsibility for reducing out-of-wedlock births.
• 6/10 - Cemetery Objects Becoming Black Market Items in State
• 6/10 - Democrat's Convention Over; Morales Leaves in Truck
• 6/10 - Drought Becoming Part of Everyday Life in Texas
• 6/9 - Officials Involved in Prison Food Deal Given Big Raises
• 6/9 - Victor Morales Wows 'Em at Democratic Gathering
• 6/8 - Democrats Tout Diversity as Convention Opens
• 6/8 - Hispanics are Political Force This Year
• 6/8 - A Lotto Wedding Present: Roland Salazar of San Antonio, who's marrying Minerva Alvarado today, got an early wedding present. He claimed a $17.2 million Lotto Texas jackpot Friday.
  
  ...."I didn't think it would happen to me. I had to look at the numbers twice," said Salazar, 30.
  .....Salazar, who said he'd been dating Alvarado for about four years, purchased a quick-pick ticket for the Wednesday night drawing.
  ....His was one of two that matched the six numbers and earned him half of the $34.4 million prize. He receives 20 annual installments of $863,000 each.
  ...."We were getting ready to start building a house," he said. "Now, it's on hold - new plans."
  ....The second winning ticket was sold in Snyder.
• 6/8 (early) - Computers Missing in Fort Worth: More than 15 percent of the city's personal computer inventory is unaccounted for in an audit that has triggered a police investigation.
  
  ....More than $158,000 in equipment, from a personal computer inventory reportedly worth more than $1.03 million, could not be reconciled through records, according to the internal audit of the city Information Systems and Services.
  ....But inadequate records make it hard to determine if the PC equipment was lost or stolen during the audit period from Oct. 1, 1994, through Dec. 31, 1995, the city said.
  ....The shortage is the largest in recent city history, Fort Worth Internal Auditor Costa Triantaphilides said. Materials include computer-related equipment ranging from software to monitors, keyboards and other accessories.
• 6/8 (early) - Thunderstorms Dump Much-Needed Rain: Thunderstorms brought as much as 4 inches of rain to some parts of North and Central Texas overnight, improving the outlook for corn, cotton and hay crops and encouraging farmers not to give up on cattle.
  
  ....Near Waco in McLennan County, 0.78 inch of rain fell in the 24 hours ending at 7 a.m. today, said Michael Mach, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth. That put the month's rainfall-to-date at 2.14 inches, compared with the normal of 0.91. The normal total for June is 3.28 inches.
  ....However, some 4 inches fell between Waco and Brownwood, with 3-inch downpours from Denton to Sherman; north of Abilene and Mineral Wells; and near Paris and Quitman in East Texas, Mach said.
• 6/8 (early) - Ex-Mayor Wanted for Murder: Former Ingleside Mayor Mark Crawford is wanted in the slaying of a Houston business partner found this week entombed in a large tool box in a shallow grave.
  
  ....Crawford, mayor of the South Texas town from 1988 to 1992, is charged with murder in the slaying of George Brueggen, who was sealed in the box and asphyxiated by a garden hose attached to an exhaust pipe on May 6, authorities said.
  ....Crawford, 40, is wanted on both state and federal charges. He was last seen in Ingleside on Monday.
  ....The two men were indicted in a California federal court on 28 counts of fraud and embezzlement on May 30, four days before Brueggen's body was found near Aransas Pass.
• 6/7 - Snyder Group Wins Half of $35 Million Jackpot
• 6/7 - Search Continues for Body Parts in Area
• 6/7 - Drought Takes Tragic Toll on Illegal Immigrants
• 6/6 - Recycler Gives Away Beer, but State Not Amused
• 6/7 (early) - Exxon Trial Goes to Jury: An Exxon Corp. attorney argued Thursday in Houston that the energy giant deserves a $250 million insurance payment regardless of whether Joseph Hazelwood, captain of the ill-fated tanker Exxon Valdez, was drunk when his ship ran aground in Alaska.
  
  ....The lawsuit pitting Exxon against its insurers, Lloyd's of London and some 250 other underwriters, went to a Houston jury after attorneys summed up the month-long trial with closing arguments.
  ....Exxon is hoping to recoup a portion of the $2.4 billion it claims was spent cleaning up after the Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound. Some 470 miles of coastline were spoiled when 11 million gallons of oil gushed from the supertanker.
• 6/7 (early) - Texas Guard Members Headed to Bosnia: Eighteen Texas National Guard troops, members of a public affairs unit, have been mobilized to take part in the multinational peacekeeping effort in Bosnia.
  
  ....The 100th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment will first go to Fort Benning, Ga., for preparation. They then are expected to report to Tuzla Air Base in Bosnia, where they will provide information about the 1st Armored Division, said Lt. Col. Ed Komandosky, Guard spokesman.
  ....The Texans are scheduled to remain on active duty with Operation Joint Endeavor for up to 270 days, Komandosky said Thursday.
• 6/6 - Thousands of Democrats Meet in Dallas
• 6/6 - Texas Students Show Gains on TAAS Scores
• 6/6 - Children March to Protest West Texas Nuclear Waste Dump
• 6/6 (early) - Beware Spiny Catfish in Galveston: County officials are warning beachgoers to be careful around thousands of dead catfish that have been washing ashore for the past three weeks.
  
  ....Some people have suffered painful injuries after stepping on the spiny fish, which carry a mild poison, said Lance Robinson, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Galveston Bay ecosystem leader.
  ....The head of the beach patrol on Galveston Island, Vic Maceo, said anyone injured should refrain from removing the spines because they are like serrated knives.
  ....Instead, the spines should be clipped off. The wound should be wrapped and treated with heat, Maceo said. He said patients should go to a medical emergency room for removal of the spines.
• 6/6 (early) - Public Universities May Set Own Rates: Texas public universities and colleges would be allowed to set their own tuition rates under a recommendation approved Wednesday by a panel of state lawmakers.
  
  ....But the lawmakers said the freedom of setting tuition on a school-by-school basis should come with a requirement that more money be set aside for "need-based" scholarships if schools are going to increase rates beyond those established by the state.
  ....Undergraduate tuition for Texas residents currently is $30 a credit hour, or $360 for a 12-hour class load. That is set by the state.
  ....University governing boards already determine graduate student tuitions. Those cannot be more than two times the undergraduate rate.
  ....Under Wednesday's recommendation, approved 6-3 by the Senate Education Committee, public universities and colleges could use the state undergraduate rate as a base and set their tuitions up to two times the state rate.
• 6/5 - Galveston Residents Assured City Ready for Hurricane Season
• 6/5 (early) - West Texas Becoming "Tired": Used tires are piling up in West Texas, causing health and safety concerns for the state with few solutions in sight.
  
  ....The Senate Natural Resources Committee heard testimony about the problem during a public hearing Tuesday.
  ....Under Texas law, consumers pay $2.00 to the state every time they buy a new tire. Of that, 80 cents per tire goes to processors who pick up the used rubber for recycling.
  ....But the lack of a market for recycled rubber and the great distances needed to travel to pick up tires across West Texas has caused the number of tire processors from El Paso to Amarillo to all but vanish.
  ....West Texas tire retailers are now stuck with mounds of tires cluttering up their property, drawing the ire of landlords and neighboring retailers as well as health officials who decry tire piles as fire hazards and nesting places for disease-carrying pests like mosquitos.
• 6/5 (early) - Cities to Develop Conservation Plan: Twenty cities in Travis and Williamson counties have agreed to develop a regional water conservation plan.
  
  ....Officials say it will make it easier for residents and businesses to carry out voluntary conservation measures as the Central Texas region continues to experience the drought.
  ....A key part of the conservation plan will be a single outdoor watering schedule that is consistent for the area's cities.
• 6/5 (early) - State Adding Parole Officers: The state is adding 113 parole officers, more than a 10 percent increase, to supervise the 75,000 parolees in Texas, the Department of Criminal Justice announced Tuesday.
  
  ....The new officers will be on the job by early July. They will bring to 1,178 the number of officers in 67 district parole offices around the state.
• 6/4 - 50-year-old Irony at Mexia Graduation
• 6/4 - Brownwood Officer Investigated by Rangers: A Brownwood police officer remains on paid administrative leave pending an investigation by the Texas Rangers.
  
  ....Brownwood Police Chief Virgil Cowin said an investigation into an arrest made by Lt. John C. Harper is "out of his hands," and is being handled by the Texas Rangers.
  ....Harper was placed on paid administrative leave after the April 19 arrest of a local man at the Lady Lions softball field.
  ....No charges were filed against the man, and it was determined through voluntary DNA testing that he could not have committed the sexual assault for which he was arrested.
  ....Cowin said he does not know when the investigation will end. Cowin defeated Harper in a runoff for police chief on May 25.
• 6/4 (early) - Drought Hurts Land Prices, Too: The prolonged drought is hurting not only crops but the land they grow on, according to a Texas A&M University study.
  
  ....Rural land values in some parts of the state are dropping because of the dry weather, said Charles Gilliland, a research economist with A&M's Real Estate Research Center.
  ....Land values in the High Plains, San Antonio area and Lower Rio Grande Valley are weak, Gilliland said.
  ....According to rural land price statistics collected by the center, land along the Canadian River breaks averaged $193 per acre, down 16 percent from 1994. Land north of that area is $364 per acre, down 9 percent from 1994 median prices, and south of that area is $301, down 7 percent.
• 6/4 (early) - Fourth May be Affected by Drought: Fourth of July celebrations from the Panhandle to the Mexico border may fizzle as the severe drought has compelled several counties - and even the Texas Pyrotechnic Association - to ban certain fireworks.
  
  ...."We're as concerned about the drought as anyone else," Royce Trout, secretary-treasurer of the pyrotechnic association, said Monday. "We don't want there to be a lot of fires. It's bad publicity for us. We also want to protect our interests. This is our business."
  ....The drought, forecast to be one of the worst natural disasters to hit Texas this century, has meant the land is parched and flammable.
• 6/4 (early) - Aggie First to Use Pre-Paid Program: A Texas A&M freshman is the first student to use the state's new pre-paid college tuition program to pay for her tuition and required fees.
  
  ....Comptroller John Sharp, whose office oversees the Texas Tomorrow Fund program, said the first user is Nicole Rich, 17, of Grapevine, who plans to major in biomedical sciences. She started summer classes on Monday.
  ....Sharp said Miss Rich is one of approximately 100 Tomorrow Fund participants who will use their prepaid contracts for the 1996-97 school year.
• 6/3 - Rain Brings Relief, but Not End to Drought
• 6/2 - Study Shows Texas Auto Insurance Rates Often Exceed Standard
• 6/2 - Officer Acquitted Of Murdering Motorist: A police officer who fired from a moving vehicle and killed a motorist has been acquitted of murder charges.
  
  .....A jury on Friday decided Gregory Wayne Brooks acted in self-defense when he killed Keith Uecker in 1993.
  ....An October trial ended in a mistrial when jurors deadlocked 10-2 for conviction after 20 hours of deliberations.
  .....After the verdict was read, Brooks' supporters in the courtroom erupted in tears and applause. His mother and father looked up and thanked God.
  ....Brooks testified Uecker was harassing him. The state argued that Brooks could have made a U-turn, pulled off the road or pulled on to the shoulder at any time during the four-mile incident.
  .....This case was the second time in May that a San Antonio police officer has been acquitted of criminal charges. Previously, a jury found former detective Steven Espinosa innocent of aggravated assault in the shooting death of a 17-year-old vandal.
• 6/1 - Attorney General Asks for Tobacco Suit to be Thrown Out
• 6/1 - Caller ID Becoming a Way of Life in Texas
• 6/1 - Warnings Didn't Prevent Child Care Death
• 6/1 - Hamlin Chief Arrested: Hamlin Chief of Police Benny Utley is out of jail on a $10,000 bond following his arrest Thursday.
  
  ....Jones County Sheriff Mike Middleton said Utley was arrested Thursday morning on an outstanding warrant from Presidio County.
  ....The warrant was for a Class A misdemeanor theft charge, Middleton said.
  ....Presidio County Judge Jake Brisben said Utley is charged with the theft of an air conditioner and porch swing from a Marfa residence a year ago.
  ....Utley was serving as chief deputy with the Presidio County Sheriff's Department when the alleged incident occurred.
• 6/1 (early) - Drought Isn't Over in Panhandle: The second spate of thunderstorms to affect the South Plains in the past week didn't mark the end of the drought in this region, but weather officials say it certainly helped.
  
  ....Many sections received 1-2 inches of rainfall Thursday, including agriculture-intensive areas in Floyd, Hale and Lubbock counties.
  ....The 0.7 inch the Lubbock officially received Thursday meant the city has had 2.46 inches of rain this month, which is actually above the 2.17 inches Lubbock gets on average.
  ....Storms last weekend dumped rain as well, but devastating hail and winds destroyed thousands of acres of newly planted cotton.
• 6/1 (early) - 'Hay Hotline' Going Live: The Texas Department of Agriculture's "hay hotline," a service to help drought-stricken ranchers find feed for livestock, is going on the Internet.
  
  ....Agriculture Commissioner Rick Perry said Friday that hotline information, including a list of dealers with hay to sell, would be added to the agency's World Wide Web page.
  ....The TDA hay hotline phone number is 800-687-7564. The Internet site is http://www.agr.state.tx.us/
  hayhot/hayhot.htm.
• 6/1 (early) - Disease Investigated in Houston: Health officials are investigating the outbreak of a disease-causing agent called cyclospora that apparently struck 18 of 20 executives in a group meeting in Houston this month.
  
  ....If authorities confirm the outbreak, it would be among just a few such clusters of cyclospora-related illnesses identified in the United States.
  ....The 20 gas company executives from around the nation and Canada were gathered in Houston on May 9. When three of them returned to Canada, they became ill with diarrhea.
  ....A doctor confirmed that cyclospora, a protozoan parasite only recently recognized as capable of causing disease in human beings, was to blame.