Texas News: June 16-30, 1996

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Texas News Archives (searchable)

• 6/30 - Poll: Texans Oppose Efforts to Sue Tobacco Companies
• 6/29 - Texans Send Mixed Signals in Affirmative Action Poll
• 6/29 (early) - Mother Indicted for Sons' Deaths: A Dallas County grand jury today indicted a 26-year-old mother in the June 6 stabbing deaths of her two sons at the family's upscale suburban home.
  
  ....Darlie Routier, who claimed that a male intruder killed her sons Damon, 5, and Devon, 6, was indicted on two counts of capital murder, a court official said. The charges carry a possible death sentence but prosecutors have not announced whether they will seek capital punishment.
  ....The homemaker is being held on $1 million bond at the Lew Sterrett Justice Center.
  ....Her husband, Darin, who said he was asleep upstairs with their 8-month-old son, Drake, during the attack in the downstairs family room, has steadfastly proclaimed his wife's innocence as has she.
  ....The lead detective in the case testified earlier this week that he was unaware of a motive in the two boys' deaths but was confident that an intruder never entered the Routier home in Rowlett.
  ....Police said they noted inconsistencies in Mrs. Routier's statements from the start of the investigation.
• 6/29 (early) - Scout Delivers on Literacy: Heeding Gov. George W. Bush's call to get involved in his effort to boost literacy in Texas, Boy Scout Erik Wofford delivered more than 1,000 books to an elementary school Friday.
  
  ...."I read an article in the newspaper about Governor Bush's campaign about literacy and the need for every child to be able to read. This gave me the idea of collecting books for you," Wofford, 17, told children at Harris Elementary on Friday. "Over the past two months, I've collected over a thousand books just for you because reading is so important to education. I hope that all of you will enjoy these books and learn how important reading is."
  ....Bush and Texas First Lady Laura Bush began their campaign to increase literacy in Texas earlier this year. The governor said he was happy to see the effort produce such a resounding response.
• 6/28 - Morales Wants Independent Redistricting Commission Formed
• 6/28 - Kickapoo Tribe Strives for Progress; Opens to Outsiders
• 6/28 (early) - Voluntary Ban on Fireworks Working: The Texas Pyrotechnic Association said Thursday that roughly 98 percent of the state's 5,000 registered fireworks retailers are carrying out a voluntary ban on most aerial fireworks due to drought conditions.
  ...."We are doing everything we can to make sure Texans have a safe Fourth of July," said Chester Davis, who owns American Fireworks in Bastrop and is a member of the industry association.
  ....Despite the efforts of retailers, some fire officials say it's not enough. They want all fireworks banned because of the dry conditions and are encouraging Texans to attend professional displays.
• 6/28 (early) - State Overtime Rising: Overtime billed to taxpayers by state employees has risen 114 percent over the past six years even though most are not entitled to receive it, state records show.
  ....Overtime pay increased twice as fast as the overall payroll. And state officials said most of the state's 265,000 employees are exempt from overtime requirements.
  ...."I'm not sure what's excessive, but this is something I want to look into," Rep. Rob Junell, D-San Angelo, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Thursday's editions.
  ....One Department of Public Safety trooper who worked in the license and weight division whose annual salary was $37,884 was paid $70,239, records show, and the 85.4 percent increase was the result of overtime pay.
• 6/27 - Police: No Intruder at Site of Double Murder of Children
• 6/27 - Group Says Texas Taxes Are Hardest on Poor, Middle Class
• 6/27 (early) - Texas Personnel at Bombing Site Named: Air Force Bases in Texas with personnel assigned to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, where a truck bomb killed at least 19 Americans on Tuesday:
  ....Brooks, San Antonio - five people stationed at Khobar Towers reported safe, according to base spokesman Maj. Peter Kirk.
  ....Dyess, Abilene - a "few" minor injuries among the 22 stationed in Dhahran, according to Staff Sgt. Jeremy O'Bryan.
  ....Goodfellow, San Angelo - 9 unhurt, one treated for minor injury and released, according to Lt. Kris Gifford.
  ....Kelly, San Antonio - 21 unhurt, according to base spokesman Warren Domke.
  ....Lackland, San Antonio - 13 safe, according to base spokeswoman Irene Witt.
  ....Randolph, San Antonio - 17 people, "majority" unharmed, some with status undetermined, according to base spokesman Sgt. Steve Smith.
  ....Sheppard, Wichita Falls - 2 unhurt, 1 treated for minor injury and released, according to spokeswoman Sandra Sanders Mauk.
  ....Reese, Lubbock - 5 unhurt, according to spokesman Bill Tynan.
• 6/27 (early) - Student Fees Rising at State Universities: A sharp rise in student fees at colleges and universities in Texas has state lawmakers studying if the increases are justified and just what the money is paying for.
  
  ...."There's page after page after page of fees," Rep. Steve Ogden, vice-chairman of a House higher education subcommittee, said Wednesday. "The Legislature is confused. The students and parents are confused, and I wouldn't be surprised if most university presidents are confused."
  ....Officials with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board told the subcommittee that 16 universities in the state have increased fees to the point where they exceed tuition, including the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UT-El Paso and the University of North Texas.
• 6/27 (early) - Parched State Gets Rain: The grass may be a touch greener and the lakes a tad higher, but meteorologists said Wednesday that recent downpours in many areas of Texas don't mean the severe drought gripping the state is over.
  
  ....Some coastal areas have received more than 6 inches of rain over the past four or five days, and even the Rio Grande Valley and thirsty West Texas have gotten several inches of the wet stuff.
• 6/26 - Dan Morales Files Lawsuit Against Republic of Texas Members
• 6/25 - Discrimination Case in Big Spring before Judge: A black man claiming a Big Spring pizzeria passed him over for promotion because of his race failed to get anyone to back his story in federal court Monday.
  
  
  ....Each of the eight witnesses Kenneth McVea, representing himself, called to the witness stand blamed his bad attitude and temper tantrums for his failure to earn a promotion to shift manager at Pizza Hut.
  ....U.S. District Judge Sam Cummings is expected to rule on the case later this week.
• 6/25 (early) - Texas Man Dies at Hoover Dam: A Texas man fell 598 feet to his death at Hoover Dam may have passed out from dizziness before he fell, authorities said.
  
  ....George Brady Jr., 45, of Houston, fell from the Arizona side of the dam about 2 p.m. Saturday. His body was discovered on the roof of a power plant below.
  ....Colleen Dwyer, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, said the victim was sitting on the edge of an observation area, posing for a photo for his girlfriend.
  ...."She took the photo, looked down to adjust the camera and looked up, and he was gone," Dwyer said.
  ....Police are still investigating the death but it appeared accidental, Dwyer said.
• 6/24 - Parched Texans Turn to Science for Relief
• 6/24 - Anti-Abortionists Claim Victory at Texas GOP Convention
• 6/24 - Republic of Texas Advocates Take Show on the Road
• 6/23 - Anti-Abortionists Take Control of State GOP Convention
• 6/23 - Texas Poll Show Texans feel Safe in Their Homes
• 6/23 - Stuck in a Vent, and All He Wanted Was a Beer
• 6/22 - Kay Bailey Hutchison Vows to Fight For Delegate Status
• 6/22 - Husband of Wife Accused of Murdering Sons Stands by Her
• 6/22 - KKK Plans Rally Near Burned Black Churches
• 6/22 - Gov. Bush Delivers Impassioned Plea to Republicans
• 6/22 (early) - Texans Trying to Keep Cool: With temperatures topping 100 degrees across the state and rain only a distant memory for most regions, Texans tried their best to keep cool Friday.
  
  ....In San Antonio, residents and tourists wore broad-brimmed hats, scurried toward spots of shade and ate cherry snow cones as they sought relief from the searing summer heat.
  ...."You can really do nothing about it," said Herminia Bermudez, 36, a home health care worker on her way to visit patients. "I sure wish it would rain - and rain hard."
  ....The National Weather Service forecast called for temperatures to climb near or above 100 on Friday in San Antonio, Austin, Dallas-Forth Worth, El Paso and other Texas cities.
  ....Record-setting heat swept the state Thursday, the first day of summer.
  ....Amarillo's 105 degrees tied the 1935 record high for the date; Austin broke the 1953 record of 100 degrees with a reading of 102 degrees; Del Rio's 106 broke the 1969 record of 105; San Antonio's 103 degrees eclipsed the 101 set in 1953; and Wichita Falls tied the 1934 record of 105.
• 6/22 (early) - Austin Working to Keep Trees Alive: The city of Austin planted 3,853 trees last year. Now, it's trying to keep them alive.
  
  ....Because of the drought, two full-time Parks and Recreation Department workers water 1,500 trees, one-by-one, each week. Neighborhood associations, concerned citizens and other volunteers are helping take care of the rest.
  ...."The trees are a big investment. We're trying to keep them alive," said parks spokesman Jim Halbrook. He said that in most parks, the trees are the only things being watered.
  ....Six years ago, the parks department began a tree-planting campaign that costs the city about $185,000 a year. Last year, trees were planted in parks, highway medians and greenbelts.
• 6/21 - Texas GOP Convention Comes Down Hard on Abortion Advocates
• 6/21 - Texans Send Mixed Signals on Abortion in Poll
• 6/21 - Will a Texan be GOP VP Candidate?
• 6/21 (early) - Man Dies in Deer-Related Accident: A 53-year-old man is dead after a deer ran into heavy traffic, smashed through the windshield of his truck and thrashed around inside the vehicle, causing the motorist to lose control and slam into a tree.
  
  ....Robert Shields was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident Wednesday on Texas Highway 3 in Webster, just southeast of Houston.
  ....The deer also was killed in the accident.
• 6/21 (early) - Gang Activity on the Rise: (But Not in Abilene) Gang activity is on the rise in 48 percent of both urban and rural communities across all 50 states and decreasing in just 10 percent, according to the first large-scale gang survey by the Justice Department.
  
  ....The figures were released Thursday by Attorney General Janet Reno. She was to have unveiled the findings during a morning speech to a National Youth Gang Symposium in Dallas, but canceled the appearance.
  ....In the report, Reno said preliminary findings of the survey showed that approximately 652,000 gang members are members of 25,000 gangs in communities throughout the country.
• 6/21 (early) - Texas Exports Up Substantially: With the state's NAFTA partners leading the buying binge, Texas notched its highest-ever level of exports during the first three months of this year, the state Department of Commerce reported Thursday.
  
  ....Mexico and Canada, participants in the North American Free Trade Agreement, ranked first and second as Texas exports set a quarterly record of $17.98 billion.
  ....That was up 5.6 percent from the first quarter of 1995, when exports totaled $17.02 billion.
• 6/21 (early) - Body-Snatching Still Mystery: A behavior expert is helping investigators solve the 1994 body snatching case of former Texas Tech student Melinda Ann Lee.
  
  ...."This offender, whoever he or they were, wanted it to be know he stole the body and wanted it to be found in a very graphic way," said Clinton Van Zandt, a former supervisor at the FBI behavioral science unit in Quantico, Va.
  ....Ms. Lee, 20, died Dec. 7, 1994, from injuries suffered in an October 1994 car accident. Three days later, her body was snatched from Restland Memorial Park and dumped near a road.
  ...."I'm trying to help identify the true victim of this, then suggest behaviorally the type of person who would act out against that true victim," Van Zandt said Thursday.
  ....Restland has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to arrests and convictions in the body snatching.
• 6/20 - Mother Accused in Stabbing Deaths of Sons
• 6/20 - West Texas MHMR Center to Be in Big Spring
• 6/20 (early) - Clinton Closes Texas Gap: President Clinton has closed a 16-point lead by Bob Dole and thepresidential election in Texas would be a toss-up if it took place today.
  
  ....The March Harte-Hanks Texas Poll found that the former Republican senatorfrom Kansas led the president by 16 percentage points among Texas voters.
  ... But the gap has narrowed and is too close to call, according to the randomtelephone survey conducted June 3-13.
• 6/20 (early) - State Republicans Begin Convention: Texas Republicans are calling for unity today as they begin a state convention expected to be divided by political squabbling over divisive issues such as abortion and family values.
  
  ....Nearly 15,000 Republicans are attending the three-day event marked by the fact that the only major GOP presidential candidate not attending is the one with enough delegates to win the nomination - former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole.
  ....What happens at the convention could determine the direction of the state party for years to come as Republicans determine how far the GOP will go in welcoming pro-choice advocates.
• 6/20 (early) - Civilian Volunteers to Issue Tickets: Civilian volunteers in El Paso will soon be armed with the power to issue tickets to anyone parking illegally in handicapped spaces.
  
  ....Police expect to field a small civilian parking patrol unit by July 26.
  ....Volunteers will be able to call police in case of trouble, but Assistant City Attorney Dan Lopez said the philosophy of the program will be to avoid confrontation.
  ...."If someone decided they want to get a little huffy about it, the ticket's not worth the risk," Lopez said.
  ....City Council representatives voted 8-0 Tuesday to approve the volunteer patrols. Five other Texas cities have similar programs.
• 6/20 (early) - Disabled Texans Sue Postal Service: Disabled Texans who allege the U.S. Postal Service is violating a federal handicapped accessibility law sued Wednesday for a court order that would force the agency into compliance.
  
  ....A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in El Paso charges the agency discriminates against the disabled statewide by failing to consistently provide ramps and not making other accommodations for wheelchair users.
• 6/19 - Lottery May Be Used To Pay School Property Taxes: Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock, one of the state's most powerful leaders, Tuesday said the Texas Lottery is such a winner that it could pay for a two-year school property tax freeze for homeowners.
  
  
  ...Bullock proposed using a combination of administrative savings and additional lottery profits to provide $527 million more for schools while holding the line on tax rates.
  ..."Let me tell you something, a half a billion dollars is nothing to sneeze at when it comes to our public schools," Bullock said.
  ..."There will always be doubting Thomases. There will be many people in Texas, and probably legislators and other state officials who do not agree with doing this. But dang it, somebody's got to start moving."
  ...While state law allows 10 percent of lottery sales revenue to run the lottery games, Bullock said the agency only spends about 7 percent on operating costs.
  ...The extra money there will leave a surplus of $176.5 million in administrative funds at the end of the current two-year budget cycle on Aug. 31, 1997, he said. In addition, profits should rise $103 million more in 1998-99, and another $247.5 million in administrative savings could be found in those years.
  ..."It just makes darn good business sense," Bullock said of his proposal.
• 6/19 - Speed Limits Hit 70 on Farm-to-Markets: Texas motorists got the green light Tuesday to drive 70 on nearly 30,000 miles of farm-to-market roads - or nearly 40 percent of the state highway system.
  
  "Workers will be putting up new signs soon," said Randall Dillard, spokesman for the Texas Department of Transportation. "Some districts already have a few signs up. But it could take a couple of months to get all the signs up. It's a huge task."
  Some signs are already in place along the 1,845 miles of farm-to-market roads in the Abilene area.
  When President Bill Clinton signed a bill repealing the national 55 mph speed limit, limits in Texas reverted to 70 miles per hour. The increase was phased in to allow the highway department to replace signs.
  Since the repeal, transportation officials have evaluated all of Texas' roads. Speed limits automatically increased to 70 mph unless the department could show why they shouldn't - such as a high accident history, winding roads, or approaching towns.
  So far, the department has spent $6.2 million on replacing speed limit signs and reviewing road conditions. Officials estimate that replacing all the signs will cost a total of about $10 million.
• 6/18 - Drought Costs Near $800 Million: Drought has cost the Texas cattle industry nearly $794 million so far this year, further exacerbating what already would have been a bad year for beef, a state reporte concluded Monday.
  
  
  ...Three dry years have combined with the industry's natural business cycle and inadequate price-reporting techniques to fuel a "wrenching price slide" since 1993, the report from State Comptroller John Sharp's office said.
  ..."One industry official told me he can't remember when so many things were out of kilter at the same time," Sharp said.
  ...The report requested that studies of cattle marketing methods be available for the Legislature before it convenes next year.
  ...Feedlot owner Pat Shepard said the cattle industry generally works on a 10-year business cycle. However, the three years of drought plaguing much of the region has turned a natural recession into a brutal depression.
  ..."The shortage of grain is an extra burden on that cycle," said Shepard, owner of the Shepard Feed Lot, 4 miles east of Hale Center in the southern Texas Panhandle.
  ...Texas' approximately $6 billion cattle industry accounts for about half of the state's annual agricultural sales. Last year, record cattle receipts ranked it ahead of natural gas production.
  ..."The beef cattle industry plays a critical role in a strong Texas economy, so it's important to separate fact from fiction and identify the true long-range trends in these temporary setbacks," Sharp said.
  ...Shepard's father, Grady Shepard, said everyone anticipated a recession because of the industry's cyclical nature. The weather is another story.
  "This is the worst drought I've seen in my lifetime," said Shepard.
• 6/17 - Fast Fast Fast Farm-to-Market: Just how fast you are supposed to drive on farm-to-market roads will be decided by state transportation officials Tuesday.
  ...The state's nearly 20,000 miles of farm-to-market roads, including about 1,800 in the Big Country, are the last to have speed limits set. Already, speed limits on nearly 23,000 miles of interstate, U.S. and state highways have been raised above 55 mph, according to the Department of Transportation.
  ...But transportation officials warn that higher speeds and motorist responsibility come hand-in-hand.
  ..."Just because you have the authority to travel at a higher speed, it doesn't mean you have to travel that speed," said Randall Dillard, spokesman for the Department of Transportation. ..."Certainly, motorists in many areas have a right now to go at a speed that legally they couldn't drive before. But a responsibility (for safety) comes with that."
  ...Critics of raising speed limits say higher speeds will cause more traffic injuries and deaths. Transportation officials disagree, saying the limit increases should reduce speeding.
• 6/16 - Entomologists Bugged by Government Raid: A West Texas insect expert and his wife don't know why federal authorities have been bugging them, and the law officers aren't saying.
  ...But 22 agents have raided the Davis Mountains resort home of Terry and Diana Taylor, who import and export insects.
  ..."It was like they were descending on the Freemen," attorney Tom Hirsch, who is representing the couple, told The Odessa American. "Obviously, it's over some dead bugs - they're not even alive. It is kind of crazy."
  ...He said that while the Taylors were attending a funeral in California June 3, agents searched their home in remote Fort Davis, seizing business records and bugs - even their computer.
  ...Hirsch said it's possible the wildlife agency believes the couple possesses or once possessed bugs that are on the endangered-species lists in other countries.
• 6/16 - Fireworks Merchants Bracing For Dud Holiday Sales