No motherly love here

She's looking at up to 20 years in prison.


Mother takes plea for son's beating death
By Craig Kapitan - Express-News

With jurors waiting in an adjoining room and testimony for her trial about to begin, Janie Altamirano, 25, decided at the last minute Wednesday to plead no contest to contributing to the death of her severely abused 3-year-old son.

Prosecutors were prepared to show jurors graphic autopsy photos of Ethan, who at the time of his death in December 2010 had bruises on his back, arms, face and penis, as well as a bite mark on his arm.

He died of an infection of the abdomen that occurred after he was struck with enough force that his internal organs hit his spinal column, an autopsy report states.

The rest of the story:

Still faces the Death Penalty

You know I am really okay with that.


Hasan loses another bid to dump the death penalty
By Sig Christenson - Express-News

FORT HOOD — An Army judge Wednesday rejected a bid by Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan to escape the death penalty in the November 2009 rampage here that killed 13 people and wounded 32.

At a hearing in a small Fort Hood courtroom, Col. Tara Osborn quickly swatted down a motion by Hasan's military defense team to throw out capital punishment.

She did it in a businesslike fashion after hearing arguments from both sides, and quickly moved onto other issues as the paralyzed Hasan sat silently in his wheelchair wearing a long, scruffy beard, which he grew in violation of Army regulations.

The rest of the story:

A cautionary tale

He is dead, she is not.


All is well.

Well, maybe not, from his point of view.


Woman fears for her life as details revealed in deadly Canyon Lake shooting
By Dalondo Moultrie New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
 
NEW BRAUNFELS — Hers, Joanna De La Garza said, is a cautionary tale about how abusive relationships so can go terribly wrong — and why it’s best to get out of them at the first sign of trouble.

When her live-in boyfriend of several months got physical with her, De La Garza said she ended the relationship and his behavior quickly spiraled out of control. He broke into her home, she said, and held her at gunpoint and might have killed her at a later encounter had she not avoided her home.

And had her neighbor not taken definitive action.

The rest of the story:

A last minute stay of execution

A reprieve for now.


Texas woman's execution halted, DA won't appeal
By Michael Graczyk - Associated Press

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — The first woman scheduled to be executed in the U.S. since 2010 won a reprieve Tuesday, mere hours before she was scheduled to be taken to the Texas death chamber.

State District Judge Larry Mitchell, in Dallas, rescheduled Kimberly McCarthy's punishment for April 3 so lawyers for the former nursing home therapist could have more time to pursue an appeal focused on whether her predominantly white jury was improperly selected on the basis of race. McCarthy is black.

Dallas County prosecutors, who initially contested the motion to reschedule, chose to not appeal the ruling.

The rest of the story:

What a way to go

Just a horrible way to die.

Weren't there any safety devices to prevent this?


Head injuries killed worker at seat belt plant
By Michelle Cassady - Express-News

A man was killed at a far West Side seat belt factory when his head became stuck in a stamping machine, a police report released Tuesday indicates.

Abel Rodriguez, 52, was the second person killed at the Takata Seat Belts Inc. manufacturing facility since 2006, according to San Antonio Express-News archives.

The medical examiner confirmed Rodriguez's death Monday was accidental and that he died of head injuries.

The rest of the story:

Baby death case mistrial

Jury deadlocked apparently at 11-1 for acquittal of the defendant.

Unknown at this time whether the State will proceed with another trial in the future.

Hung jury derails baby death trial
By Craig Kapitan - Express-News

The baby death trial of Indiana resident Johnnie Ray Byrkett was derailed Tuesday after jurors sent a note indicating they were hopelessly deadlocked 11-1 in favor of acquittal.

State District Judge Melisa Skinner declared a mistrial after about 10 hours of deliberations over two days.

Prosecutors said they will re-evaluate the case to determine if they will press forward with another trial.

The rest of the story:

Patient man

That was a long wait.

I was about 14 months old when the return letter was sent.


Minn. man receives candy 60 years after complaint
Associated Press -

T. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) — It took 60 years, but a Minnesota man finally has his free candy bars.

Seventy-four-year-old Dave Bell of St. Cloud received a package of candy last week after sending an email reminding Pearson's Candy Co. in St. Paul of the complaint he made as a teenager.

In 1952, Bell was 14 when he bit into a nut roll and discovered a twig. He tells the St. Cloud Times (http://on.sctimes.com/YpAANQ ) he sent a letter to Pearson's "to obviously get some candy."

The rest of the story:

Jury Still Deliberating

The jury continues their deliberations today in a baby-death case.



Jury undecided in baby death trial
By Craig Kapitan - Express-News

Jurors deliberated about six hours Monday in the baby death trial of Johnnie Ray Byrkett before state District Judge Melisa Skinner sent them home for the evening without yet having reached a verdict.

The group will resume deliberations today.

Byrkett, 29, could face up to life in prison if he is found guilty of causing serious bodily injury in June 2009 to 1-year-old Cruz “Ethan” Combs, his girlfriend's son.

The rest of the story:

Testy Police Exam

From the sounds of it it would appear the Judge made the right decision here.


Judge rules to reinstate fired cop

Lieutenant fired in 2010 over conduct allegations.

By Eva Ruth Moravec - Express-News


A judge on Monday ruled in favor of a former San Antonio police officer, upholding an arbitrator's decision to reinstate him after he was accused of improper conduct on a promotional exam and fired.

Visiting Judge Martha Tanner verbally ruled in favor of Lt. Joe Salvaggio, a 23-year SAPD officer fired in 2010, and against the city's motion that an arbitrator, who had found in Salvaggio's favor, exceeded his jurisdiction.

“This is not a simple legal issue,” said Kyle Watson, a lawyer assisting City Attorney Michael Bernard on the case. “We'll be huddling up in front of the judge to get a clarification on the ruling, and we will seek a motion to reconsider.”

The rest of the story:

Having it your way

One funeral to go please.

Hold the pickles and mayo, please.


Pa. man gets drive-thru send-off after funeral
Associated Press -

YORK, Pa. (AP) — Mourners at a Pennsylvania fast-food fan's funeral wanted him to have it his way, so they arranged for his hearse — and the rest of the procession — to make one last drive-thru visit before reaching the cemetery.

David Kime Jr. "lived by his own rules," daughter Linda Phiel said. He considered the lettuce on a burger his version of healthy eating, she said.

To give him a whopper of a send-off Saturday, the funeral procession stopped at a Burger King where each mourner got a sandwich for the road.

The rest of the story:

WTH?

What a crappy way to treat kids.


Students at PA. school must ask for toilet paper
Associated Press -

MAHANOY CITY, Pa. (AP) — An eastern Pennsylvania high school says vandalism forced it to create a policy in which toilet paper has been taken out of the boys' bathrooms.

Boys at Mahanoy Area High School now must go to the school office to request toilet paper and sign it out. Principal Thomas Smith says that's helped solve a major problem of intentionally clogging toilets that's been going on for two years.

Smith says boys must sign out the toilet paper and then sign it back in. But the Republican-Herald of Pottsville reports (http://bit.ly/X3shAR ) some parents are protesting the policy.

The rest of the story:

West ... oops, I mean East Side Story

And the beat goes on .....


Three stabbed in East Side fight
By Hollie O'Connor - Express-News

A squabble among neighbors on the East Side turned violent Sunday evening when three people were stabbed, according to San Antonio Police officials.

A group of neighbors whose ages ranged from the early 20s to mid-40s were fighting in the 2600 block of Bermuda Street around 8 p.m. when at least one of the people pulled a knife, said Sgt. Tina Jones.

Three people were stabbed, but their wounds were superficial, Jones said. Two were taken to San Antonio Military Medical Center and one was taken to Baptist Medical Center, she said.

The rest of the story:

End of tour

Now they're killing bands on tour?


8 bodies found in Mexico where band went missing
By Porfirio Ibarra - Associated Press

MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — At least eight bodies were pulled from a well in northern Mexico on Sunday near the site where 20 people went missing late last week, including members of a Colombian-style band, according to a state forensic official.

The Nuevo Leon State Investigative Agency was still working late into the night at the well in a vacant lot in the town of Mina near the northern city of Monterrey, and the body count could rise, said the official.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case.

The rest of the story:

Sucks to be him

A very brave daughter.

Who stabbed the gunman in the back.

So not only is he in the hospital he faces aggravated assault charges.

Ouch.


Man charged in gun threat
By Hollie O'Connor - Express-News

A man who police say threatened to shoot a man but was stopped by a teenaged girl was arrested Saturday.

Manuel Avila, 39, was dropping his daughters off at his ex-wife's house Friday when Armando Zapata, 24, came outside and pointed a gun at him, according to a San Antonio Police Department arrest warrant affidavit.

One of the daughters, an 18-year-old girl, jumped between her father's car and Zapata to stop him, but he continued to point the gun at her father, the affidavit says.

The rest of the story:

Shreiff Parmeleau has her work cut out for her

What an unmitigated disaster Ortiz proved to be as Bexar County Sheriff.

Lurching from one mismanagement crisis to another.  Lack of management skills don't cut it.

Some of this would seem to almost border on being deliberate acts, maybe criminal negligence in some instances?


Failure to fill spots worsened jail staffing crisis
By Nolan Hicks and Joe Yeradi - Express-News

The Bexar County Jail's staffing crisis has been exacerbated by chronic absenteeism among a handful of jailers that was mishandled by former Sheriff Amadeo Ortiz, forcing more deputies to work extra shifts and causing a huge increase in overtime costs.

Over a three-year period, just 2.7 percent of the jailers accounted for 12 percent of the department's 861,842 hours of absenteeism — or more than 21,500, 40-hour weeks — a San Antonio Express-News analysis of jail records shows.

The newspaper found much of the absenteeism was recorded by jailers who serve in the military reserves or the National Guard and were activated for extended tours of duty. Among the 30 most-absent jailers, at least 24 were reservists who were put on extended duty.

The rest of the story:

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

So sayeth Chicken Little.


Climate change: Can we change in time?
By Carolyn Lochhead - SF Chronicle

In his inaugural address last week, President Barack Obama made climate change a priority of his second term. It might be too late.

Within the lifetimes of today's children, scientists say, the climate could reach a state unknown in civilization.

In that time, global carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels are on track to exceed the limits that scientists believe could prevent catastrophic warming. CO2 levels are higher than they have been in 15 million years.

The rest of the story:

Another supected teacher/child molester indicted

If convicted he is looking at a minimum of 25 years and up to life for this offense.


Brackenridge High teacher indicted for molestation
By Craig Kapitan - Express-News

A recently retired Brackenridge High School science teacher now faces the possibility of life in prison without parole following his indictment this week for continuous sexual abuse of a child.

Reyes Deleon, 57, a 33-year San Antonio Independent School District employee, was two weeks shy of retirement last May when the allegation surfaced.

He was immediately placed on leave until the end of the school year, district spokeswoman Leslie Price said Friday, adding that the allegation “had nothing to do with his working here.”

The rest of the story:

That poor family

OMG what a terrible tragedy for this family.

My prayers and condolences go out to them.



Boy buried in sand by brother dies
By Michelle Cassady - Express-News

A 7-year-old boy who was buried in sand by his 5-year-old brother while playing in rural North Bexar County died Friday evening.

Wyatt McDaniel, 7, was pronounced dead at University Hospital about 5 p.m., according to the county medical examiner.

Paul Berry, spokesman for the Bexar County Sheriff's Office, said deputies responded to a call shortly after 4 p.m. at a horse training facility in the 400 block of Specht Road, near the Specht Road Soccer Complex.

The rest of the story:

Taking advantage?

Not a good thing for her if proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


Police: New Braunfels woman arrested for sexual assault
By Dalondo Moultrie New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
 
NEW BRAUNFELS — A New Braunfels woman took advantage of her relationship with a family and sexually assaulted a boy last month in the city, local police said.

Police arrested Valorie Martinez Baker, 38, about 10 a.m. Friday at police headquarters, said Capt. John McDonald of the New Braunfels Police Department. He said officers arrested Baker on a warrant and took her to Comal County Jail.

A jail spokeswoman said Baker was charged with sexual assault of a child before she posted $100,000 bond and was released from the facility the same day.

The rest of the story:

Possibly the most-hated teenager in San Antonio this morning

This is a family's worst nightmare.

A beautiful afternoon, a clear blue sky, warm temperatures, and so you let your child go outside to play.

He's a good boy, he listens to everything you've told him, your warnings to not ride in the street, to ride on the sidewalk, to keep an eye out, and it's all for naught.

Because some 17-year old kid, without even a driver's license, gets drunk, gets into a pick-up truck and drives off, talking on his cell phone.  At some point he claims to have dropped it so what does he do?  Does he stop?  Does he stop to bend over and get it?

No, of course not.

So he drives up on the sidewalk and takes out your child killing him.

Your love, your hopes, your dreams and hopes for him shattered like a dropped glass by the selfish actions of a drunk teenager.  Too young to drink, not even licensed to drive.

Welcome to Bexar County and the nightmare of drunk driving.

My condolences to the family and prayers that they receive solace and comfort in this time of tragedy.

Boy on sidewalk dead after getting struck by distracted driver

By Michelle Casady - Express-News

A 7-year-old boy who was riding his bike on the sidewalk in a far Northwest Side neighborhood Thursday evening was struck by a distracted, possibly intoxicated driver and died en route to the hospital, police said.

The driver of the Ford Ranger, a 17-year-old boy, doesn't have a license and faces a charge of intoxication manslaughter, police said.

Sgt. Daniel Gonzalez said the driver told police he dropped his cellphone and was reaching to pick it up as he drove down the 9300 block of Autumn Sunrise when he drove onto the sidewalk and struck the boy.

The rest of the story:

Semper Fi!

Congratulations Sergeant Thaddeus Herber!

Thank you for your service.

Thank you as well for your three brothers who are also currently serving in the military.

Oorah!


New Braunfels Marine awarded Bronze Star
By Lance Cpl. Joseph Scanlan U.S. Marine Corps 

PENDLETON, CALIF. — A New Braunfels Marine serving with 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion received the Bronze Star with combat distinguishing device during a Wednesday ceremony at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Sergeant Thaddeus Herber, an infantryman, was given the Bronze Star by Maj. Gen. Ronald Bailey, the commanding general of 1st Marine Division, for his actions in Helmand province, Afghanistan in 2011.

The Bronze Star is the fourth-highest combat decoration in the United States military. It is awarded with a combat distinguishing device for acts of valor in a combat zone.

The rest of the story:

Crazy as a loon

Are they fricking crazy?

North Korea to carry out third nuclear test 'aimed at US'

North Korea has announced plans to carry out a third nuclear test as part of "upcoming all-out action" against America. 

The Telegraph - 

Defying a resolution issued by the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday that condemned Pyongyang for test-firing a missile in December and tightened existing sanctions on the regime, North Korea's National Defence Commission said the new nuclear test would be part of its action against the "sworn enemy of the Korean people".

North Korea also vowed to push ahead with launches of more long-range rockets.

Describing the UN Security Council as "a marionette of the US," North Korean state media claimed the resolutions are "products of its blind pursuance of the hostile policy of the US.

The rest of the story:

No Union victory here.

They may not even get re-hired.

Stupid folks are they, particularly in the economic quagmire we appear to be in.


Guenther strike is off but workers not back
By Lynn Brezosky - Express-News

After 21 months on the picket line, unionized Guenther & Son Inc. flour mill workers said they called off their strike to be able to vote on the next contract.

The current contract expires April 30. The union on Tuesday offered to return its members to work.

“We felt like we should take the fight inside with the law the way it is and the contract coming up,” said Frank Perkins, president of Teamsters Local 657, which represents the workers. “The guys didn't give up.”

The rest of the story:

Now being judged in a different jurisdiction

How ... ummm ... convenient.



Mexican millionaire tied to money scheme is dead
By Guillermo Contreras and Jason Buch - Express-News

A Mexican businessman embroiled in a high-profile fight in San Antonio over the government's seizure of more than $4 million of his assets has died.

Jose Villarreal Saldivar, was declared dead Dec. 22 at University Hospital, two days after police went to his home in The Dominion in response to reports of a possible suicide attempt.

The medical examiner has not made a ruling yet on his death.

The rest of the story:

More Keystone Pipeline delay

Just what the eff is their problem?

Get it done, now.

Are you fricking stupid?


Final Keystone pipeline decision still months away
By Matthew Daly - Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman's approval of a revised route for the Keystone XL oil pipeline puts the long-delayed project back in the hands of the federal government.

But don't look for a quick decision on the $7 billion project, which would carry oil from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast if allowed to move forward.

State Department officials said they do not expect to complete a review of the project before the end of March.

The rest of the story:

Beautiful again

It really is an amazing restoration.


New Braunfels project launches love for courthouses campaign
By Zeke MacCormack - Express-News

NEW BRAUNFELS — Dick Robinett's eyes twinkled while recalling his first visit to the Comal County Courthouse, in 1952, when he received permission to wed sweetheart JoAnn Ehlers.

Her dad, Leslie Ehlers, was the agricultural extension agent and worked on the third floor of the 1898 building which, thanks to an $8.6 million restoration, looks new again.

“They even got the stairwell painted correctly,” Robinett, 85, said before Tuesday's rededication ceremony that drew a crowd of about 400. “It's excellent.”

The rest of the story:

Wheels of Justice

The wheels of justice are just starting up in this matter.

Grand jury indicts man in sex assault of child case

By Dalondo Moultrie New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung 

NEW BRAUNFELS — A Comal County grand jury found that enough evidence existed to try Alvaro Perez for the crime of sexual assault of a child.

Perez, 24, is one of more than two dozen suspects in similar predicaments, according to the January list of grand jury indictments released by District Attorney Jennifer Tharp. The jury convened and handed up the indictments Jan. 16, and Tharp’s office released the list two days later.

According to his indictment, Perez had sex or sexual contact with a girl younger than 17 on or about July 1, 2012. District Judge Jack Robison ordered Perez have no direct or indirect contact with the girl.

The rest of the story:

Why is this woman smiling?

She was just sentenced to death.

Perhaps it hasn't sunk into her pea brain yet?


Indonesia sentences UK woman to death over drugs
Associated Press -

BALI, Indonesia (AP) — An Indonesian court sentenced a British grandmother to death on Tuesday for smuggling cocaine worth $2.5 million in her suitcase onto the resort island of Bali — even though prosecutors had sought only a 15-year sentence.

Lindsay June Sandiford, 56, wept when judges handed down the sentence and declined to speak to reporters on her way back to prison, covering her face with a floral scarf. She had claimed in court that she was forced to take the drugs into the country by a gang that was threatening to hurt her children.

Indonesia, like many Asian countries, is very strict on drug crimes, and most of the more than 40 foreigners on its death row were convicted of drug charges.

The rest of the story:

He

is someone's brother or son.

is maybe someone's lover or father.

is someone's friend.

is dead.


Bullet-riddled body found on roadside
By Ana Ley - Express-News

A man was found shot to death this morning alongside a Southwest Bexar County road.

Sheriff's Capt. Martin Molina said a motorist spotted the body about 7:20 a.m. on the side of Somerset Road about a mile south of Loop 410.

Molina said the man, who hasn't been identified, had bullet wounds all over his body.

The rest of the story:

Welcome, everything old is new again!

114 years to the day it was first opened.

Courthouse rededication ceremony today; Main Plaza will be closed from 9 a.m. to noon

From New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung staff reports

NEW BRAUNFELS — Today’s rededication ceremonies for the restored Comal County Courthouse will be open to the public, county officials say.

The festivities will begin at 10 a.m. on the front steps of the courthouse facing Main Plaza in downtown New Braunfels.Main Plaza and its traffic circle will be closed from 9 a.m. to noon to better accommodate the expected crowd, Krause said.

The rest of the story:

Fruity!

Odd, very odd.

Check out the local fruit shops, get the fruit DNA, find the fruit bomber(s)!!

When you outlaw fruit, only criminals will fruit!!

Search On For Drive-By Fruit-Throwing Vandal Who Damaged Cars In New Rochelle

17 Vehicles Pelted By Pumpkins, Papayas, Pineapples; Residents Perplexed

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — Police in New Rochelle on Sunday were searching for a vandal who has damaged numerous vehicles by hurling fruit at them.

As 1010 WINS’ Gene Michaels reports, the vandal has damaged at least 17 vehicles in the drive by fruit-throwings – nine of them early Sunday morning.

“I’m not happy this happened in this neighborhood,” said one resident, Scott. “I mean you know, this is a good neighborhood, and it’s not something that we like to see around here."

The rest of the story:

TAKE AWAY THEIR GUNS, yells the crowds

More howls from the Anti-Gun crowds in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...

NM shooting victims are chaplain, wife, 3 kids

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A 15-year-old boy remained in custody Sunday night as detectives tried to piece together what led to the shooting of his parents and three of their children who were found dead in a New Mexico home.

The teenager was arrested on murder and other charges in connection with the shootings, which happened Saturday night at the home in a rural area southwest of downtown Albuquerque, the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department said.

Authorities identified the victims late Sunday as Greg Griego, 51, his wife Sara Griego, 40, and three of their children: a 9-year-old boy, Zephania Griego, and daughters Jael Griego, 5, and Angelina Griego, 2. The suspect was identified as Nehemiah Griego.

The rest of the story:

Lawsuit coming

The lawsuit is in drive as well.


Runaway truck at car wash kills woman, 72
By Anita Hassan - Houston Chronicle

A 72-year-old woman died when her family's out-of-control truck ran her over after exiting an automated car wash in Conroe, authorities said.

An attendant accidentally put the truck in drive instead of neutral before sending it through the wash, Conroe police said. Juana Gonzalez, who reportedly was in town from Mexico to visit relatives, was waiting with her family about 50 feet away as the truck barreled off the track.

Local media reports said a man shoved his pregnant wife out of the way as he jumped to safety, but the truck hit Gonzalez and then a tree.

The rest of the story:

Throw away the jailhouse keys

Pig.


Man accused of repeated sexual assault of girls, 12 and 9
By Michelle Casady - Express-News

A 34-year-old man remained in the Bexar County Jail on Saturday, accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl and her 9-year-old sister, according to police.

Jay Gregory Sarabia was arrested on one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child and his bond was set at $100,000 for the first-degree felony offense.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, the girl told police Sarabia had been assaulting her for about six months, usually twice a day while her stepmother was at work.

The rest of the story:

Empowering words

More grievances over words and recriminations.

Only empowering the words initially said by the boy who aggrieved the black student.

The white student was an ignorant cracker who now, no doubt, is sitting back watching the show.

His words were denigrating and wrong, but so was the player who got into the altercation with the name-caller and now the trainer is on suspension for telling his player he shouldn't have reacted the way he did.


W. Texas trainer suspended for criticizing student
Express-News


LAMESA, Texas (AP) — An athletic trainer at a West Texas high school was suspended with pay for five days after he criticized a football player on a school blog for getting into an altercation during a game after an opponent used a racial slur.

The student's mother, Vickie Williams, had asked that the trainer be fired for saying her 16-year-old son, who is black, should not have felt denigrated by the white student's racial slur.

But the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported (http://bit.ly/UEfVRG) Lamesa school district officials say while trainer Ray McCall's comments were out of line, he shouldn't be fired. Lamesa is located about 60 miles south of Lubbock.

The rest of the story:

Drink up!

The magic 2 a.m. bar closing time.


Driver faces 2 intoxication manslaughter charges
By Hollie O'Connor - Express-News

The driver of an SUV was facing charges Sunday after allegedly causing a double-fatal crash on the West Side.

The SUV driver faces two charges of intoxication manslaughter, officials said.

The driver was westbound on U.S. 90, but veered into the eastbound lanes near 36th Street around 2 a.m., hitting another car head-on, San Antonio police officers said.

The rest of the story:

OMFG People, get a grip!!

Hello?

Really?

REALLY?

<=== BTW it was NOT the gun in the photo!


Pennsylvania girl, 5, suspended for threatening to shoot girl with pink toy gun that blows soapy bubbles

By Edmund DeMarche - Fox News

A 5-year-old Pennsylvania girl who told another girl she was going to shoot her with a pink Hello Kitty toy gun that blows soapy bubbles has been suspended from kindergarten.

Her family has hired an attorney to fight the punishment, which initially was 10 days for issuing a 'terroristic threat.' But her punishment was reduced to two days after her mother met with school officials and had the incident dropped to 'threatening to harm another student,' which apparently carries a lesser punishment.

"It's laughable," Robin Ficker, the girl's attorney told FoxNews.com. "This is a girl who had no idea about killing or what happened in Connecticut."

The rest of the story:

Congratulations Julian!

Very nice Mr. Mayor.


Mayor makes cover of Parade
By Tricia Schwennesen - Expresss-News

Mayor Julián Castro is among a group prominent Latinos featured on this Sunday's cover of Parade magazine.

Castro is featured along with state Rep. Larry Gonzales, R-Round Rock; Linda Alvarado, president and CEO of Denver's Alvarado Construction and a co-owner of the Colorado Rockies; and Cristina Jiménez, managing director of United We Dream, a nationwide network of youth-led immigrant rights groups.

The four were part of a roundtable discussion in December hosted by NBC “Today” show anchor Natalie Morales.


The rest of the story:

Its as easy as ABC

A.  Put her out of business

B. Take away her children

C. Put her away in prison


Mother accused in kids' arrest arrested again
By Ana Ley - Express-News

A former day care owner accused of abusing her three adopted children has been arrested again after authorities said she violated the terms of her release.

Iliana Archuleta, 40, was arrested Thursday after a motion to revoke her probation was issued, jail officials said.

Authorities didn't disclose the alleged violation.

The rest of the story:

Collecting the dime?

Can be a tough business.


Man arrested on attempted murder charge
By Michelle Casady - Express-News

A man accused of attempted murder in an East Side shooting Thursday was arrested Thursday night.

Police weren't releasing the name of the 23-year-old suspect, saying he hadn't been formally charged.

Officer Matthew Porter, spokesman for the San Antonio Police Department, said the victim, a 24-year-old man whom police were not identifying, went to the suspect's home in the 1400 block of Hicks Avenue to try to collect a debt.

The rest of the story:  

Never ever bring a bat to a gun fight; it will not end well for you

Another one bites the dust.

People are just becoming fed up.


Fatal shooting in Comal County investigated
Express-News

A man was shot and killed early Thursday, possibly while attempting to burglarize homes, officials said.

According to the Comal County Sheriff's Office, about 4 a.m. someone reported a burglary in the 100 block of Chapman Parkway at Canyon Lake.

Soon after, another call came in from a man who said he had just shot a man in that block after he confronted him with a baseball bat.

The rest of the story:

Turning back the hands of time

The newly restored courthouse looks amazing.

Please attend if you can.

Courthouse rededication will be open to the public

By Greg Bowen The New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung

Tuesday’s rededication ceremonies for the newly restored Comal County Courthouse will be open to the public, Comal County Judge Sherman Krause said Thursday.

The ceremonies had been previously announced as by-invitation-only because of the capacity limits of some 200 in the courthouse’s District Courtroom, where the ceremonies were to be held.

But Krause said the large numbers expressing interest in attending and the expected pleasant weather allowed officials to open the ceremonies to the public. The festivities have been moved to the front steps of the courthouse facing Main Plaza.

The rest of the story:

Untolerable situation

My heart goes out to this poor Mother.

I hope they catch her son's killer(s).

Someone knows who did this.


Shooting victim dies on stranger's porch
By Ana Ley - Express-News

Hours after his first night shift ended at The Rim's Staples store, Christopher Hinojos died on a stranger's front porch where he frantically tried to get help after being shot by a man who stole his beat-up Toyota Camry.

Droplets of blood stained a witness' front door and sidewalk as yellow crime tape dangled from a nearby fence Wednesday, a day after the fatal shooting.

Police have released few details but said Hinojos, 18, may have known his killer.

The rest of the story:

Losing losers

They just sound . . . . well, pathetic.



Heist foiled at new Braunfels Kohl's
By Drew Stone New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
 
NEW BRAUNFELS — Two Austin men were arrested for trying to steal kitchen appliances from the New Braunfels Kohl’s, police said.

Ross Landry and Robert Scales, both 27, were arrested in the parking lot of Kohl’s on Tuesday afternoon after trying to steal a pair of mixers, valued at around $550 each, said New Braunfels Police Department Capt. John McDonald.

McDonald said police were called by the store’s loss prevention department at around 1 p.m. According to police, Landry was attempting to steal two mixers and take them out through the building’s emergency back door.

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Can Ban suit settled

About time its done and over.




City settles river fee suit for $691K
By Greg Bowen New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
 
NEW BRAUNFELS — The City of New Braunfels will pay three river outfitters and their attorneys a total of $691,063 to settle a 2007 suit over a flawed early version of the city’s “tube tax.”

The settlement, approved by city council this week, follows a November decision by the Texas Supreme Court not to hear the city’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling that the initial rendition of the city-imposed river management fee, or tube tax, was invalid because of procedural flaws.

City Attorney Val Acevedo said settlement funds will be distributed as follows to the river outfitters who sued in 2007: Rockin’ R River Rides, $190,853; Texas Tubes, $141,090; and the then-owner of Corner Tubes, which is now under new ownership, $141,172.

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WTF?

Is it part of Obama Care now?

Obama Asks Doctors to Help Deal With Guns

By DANIEL HALPER - The Weekly Standard

  

According to a background briefer provided by the White House, President Barack Obama is asking doctors to help deal with guns. Here's the relevant passage:

PRESERVE THE RIGHTS OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS TO PROTECT THEIR PATIENTS AND COMMUNITIES FROM GUN VIOLENCE:

We should never ask doctors and other health care providers to turn a blind eye to the risks posed by guns in the wrong hands.

 Clarify that no federal law prevents health care providers from warning law enforcement authorities about threats of violence: Doctors and other mental health professionals play an important role in protecting the safety of their patients and the broader community by reporting direct and credible threats of violence to the authorities. But there is public confusion about whether federal law prohibits such reports about threats of violence. The Department of Health and Human Services is issuing a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits these reports in any way.

 Protect the rights of health care providers to talk to their patients about gun safety: Doctors and other health care providers also need to be able to ask about firearms in their patients’ homes and safe storage of those firearms, especially if their patients show signs of certain mental illnesses or if they have a young child or mentally ill family member at home. Some have incorrectly claimed that language in the Affordable Care Act prohibits doctors from asking their patients about guns and gun safety. Medical groups also continue to fight against state laws attempting to ban doctors from asking these questions. The Administration will issue guidance clarifying that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit or otherwise regulate communication between doctors and patients, including about firearms.

Judge told them she's not obligated to show them leniency

Ow!  Telegraph much Judge?

Good thing he's an ex-cop, we wouldn't want a convicted felon on the force.

What?  I'm just sayin'


Ex-HPD officer faces 25 years for running drug money
By Dane Schiller - Express-News

A former Houston police officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to running drug money as a courier for an organization that laundered as much as $27 million collected from around the United States, then pumped through Houston and on to Mexico.

Anthony Foster, 47, faces up to 25 years in federal prison without parole for his role in the conspiracy, but could serve less time if he cooperates with authorities still looking for members of the organization, including the boss, who are believed to be in Mexico.

U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal warned Foster and co-defendant Sarah Combs, 48, a former office manager who also pleaded guilty Tuesday, that she is not obligated to show leniency when they are sentenced in May.

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