Influential Texans helped underqualified students get into UT

AUSTIN — Dozens of highly influential Texans — including lawmakers, millionaire donors and university regents — helped underqualified students get into the University of Texas, often by writing to UT officials, records show.

Among those who wrote directly to then-President Bill Powers and then-Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa, bypassing the admissions office, were famed golfer and UT grad Ben Crenshaw, former UT regent H. Scott Caven Jr., Austin lawyer Roy Minton and Sens. Kevin Eltife and Carlos Uresti, records obtained by The Dallas Morning News show.

Dozens of other famous Texans, many of them UT alumni, also helped tip the scales. They include House Speaker Joe Straus, former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, former Regents Jess Hay and Tom Hicks, former chairman of the state University Coordinating Board Larry Temple and former UT quarterback Randy McEachern.

The letters surfaced through an outside investigation into the admissions process, known as the Kroll report. The investigation highlighted 73 students from 2009 to 2014 who entered the state’s premier campus despite relatively low high school grade averages (less than 2.9 on the 4.0 scale) and SAT scores of less than 1100. Such marks would usually have precluded their admission.

Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20150720-influential-texans-helped-underqualified-students-get-into-ut.ece

Houston’s NRG Stadium to Host 2015 UIL Football Championship Games

AUSTIN— The University Interscholastic League (UIL) announced today that the 2015 UIL Football State Championship games would be played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

All 11-man UIL Football Championship Games will be played December 17-19, 2015 at NRG Stadium. Houston last hosted the UIL Football Championship Games for the largest conference in 2008 at the formerly named Reliant Stadium.

“The UIL Football State Championships are truly a marquee event with a legion of fans dedicated to the best football in Texas,” said UIL Executive Director Dr. Charles Breithaupt. “The League looks forward to bringing the football finals to Houston’s NRG Stadium for a great championship experience.”

The 2015 football state championships will mark the fifth year all 11-man championship football games will be played at one pre-determined location. AT&T Stadium began hosting all 11-man games in 2011. The UIL has determined the site for the largest conference football state championship games since 2006.

Read more: http://www.kbtx.com/sports/home/headlines/Houstons-NRG-Stadium-to-Host-2015-UIL-Football-Championship-Games-317596071.html

Former Beaumont ISD electrician seeks $22M in defamation lawsuit

In a lawsuit filed in federal court, former Beaumont ISD electrician Calvin Walker accuses 32 individuals and organizations, including the school district board of managers, media outlets, federal prosecutors and a local union, of conspiring to paint him "as a crooked business man out to defraud BISD."

Walker, 54, is seeking at least $22 million in damages. He claims defamation, including libel and slander, breach of contract and interference with existing and prospective contracts, civil rights violations, civil conspiracy, racketeering and conspiracy.

The suit, filed last Friday, asserts that several media organizations - the Beaumont Enterprise, Beaumont Examiner, SETInvestigates.com and Watchdog.org - made defamatory statements and did not retract, correct or clarify the statements at Walker's request.

The media outlets are "members of the Conspiracy" that acted with "actual malice, knowledge, negligence and/or recklessness."

Read more: http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Walker-filed-civil-suit-against-32-people-and-6394762.php

SpaceX says 2-foot strut snapped, brought down rocket

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX suspects a 2-foot steel strut snapped inside its rocket and led to last month's launch accident.

The company's founder and chief executive, Elon Musk, said Monday that hundreds of these struts had flown many times before without any problem. But two minutes into the June 28 launch, one of the struts in the second stage of the unmanned Falcon 9 rocket likely broke loose.

The strut was holding down a high-pressure helium bottle in the liquid oxygen tank. If the strut snapped as engineers believe, according to Musk, the bottle would have shot to the top of the tank at high speed, dooming the rocket and its Dragon supply ship for the International Space Station.

It was the third lost shipment for the orbiting lab in eight months. Russia has resumed deliveries, while SpaceX and Orbital Sciences Corp., NASA's contracted suppliers, remain grounded.

Read more: http://www.reporternews.com/news/state/spacex-says-2-foot-strut-snapped-brought-down-rocket (Abilene Reporter-News)

Austin's 'Most Invasive Species' Isn't the One You Might Think

Central Texas is under attack. No, not Jade Helm, or even the summer swarms of mosquitoes. We’re talking about an invasive species. Zebra Mussels? Nope. Fire ants? Try again. We're talking about an even more supposed "invasive" species: Californians.

They arrive with their telltale license plates, often heading straight to In-N-Out Burger and Trader Joe's. As Austin continues to grow at a rapid pace, plenty of anecdotal blame has fallen on people moving here from California. Except … they’re not?

Turns out the net total of Californians moving to Travis County each year is only about 1,000 people.

"So, in a county that’s 1.1, 1.2 million people, that is a tiny, tiny, almost unnoticeable portion of the growth here. You know, in overall terms, it’s a very, very insignificant driver of population growth," says Brian Kelsey, a principal with the economic research and planning firm Civic Analytics.

Read more: http://kut.org/post/austins-most-invasive-species-isnt-one-you-might-think

Gay Austin Teen’s Horrific Murder Highlights Hidden Problem Of LGBT Domestic Violence

On Sunday, we told you about the horrific murder of Stephen Sylvester (above), an 18-year-old Austin resident who was allegedly beaten to death by his 20-year-old boyfriend.

Since then, new details have emerged in the case, including that Sylvester’s boyfriend, Bryan Canchola (right), was extremely intoxicated and angry that Sylvester had apparently cheated on him.

Also, Canchola allegedly continued to attack Sylvester even after he was bleeding profusely from the head and as their roommate was leaving with him for the hospital. And after Sylvester left the hospital without seeing a doctor and returned to the apartment, Canchola reportedly cleaned Sylvester’s body and changed his own clothes. Canchola even attempted to choke Sylvester’s Yorkshire Terrier during their fight.

The New York Daily News reports:

“I can’t imagine why somebody would try to hurt him or his dog,” Sylvester’s ex-boyfriend, Taylor Shirley, told the Daily News.

Sylvester and Canchola had not been dating long before Friday’s fatal assault, Shirley said.

“Stephen was a very big hearted and trusting person and so whenever he met people, he trusted them way too easily and I think this was just one of those things. He trusted the wrong person and it cost him his life,” Shirley added.

Gay Austin Teen’s Horrific Murder Highlights Hidden Problem Of LGBT Domestic Violence

On Sunday, we told you about the horrific murder of Stephen Sylvester (above), an 18-year-old Austin resident who was allegedly beaten to death by his 20-year-old boyfriend.

Since then, new details have emerged in the case, including that Sylvester’s boyfriend, Bryan Canchola (right), was extremely intoxicated and angry that Sylvester had apparently cheated on him.

Also, Canchola allegedly continued to attack Sylvester even after he was bleeding profusely from the head and as their roommate was leaving with him for the hospital. And after Sylvester left the hospital without seeing a doctor and returned to the apartment, Canchola reportedly cleaned Sylvester’s body and changed his own clothes. Canchola even attempted to choke Sylvester’s Yorkshire Terrier during their fight.

The New York Daily News reports:

“I can’t imagine why somebody would try to hurt him or his dog,” Sylvester’s ex-boyfriend, Taylor Shirley, told the Daily News.

Sylvester and Canchola had not been dating long before Friday’s fatal assault, Shirley said.

“Stephen was a very big hearted and trusting person and so whenever he met people, he trusted them way too easily and I think this was just one of those things. He trusted the wrong person and it cost him his life,” Shirley added.

Texas AG Drops Lawsuit Seeking To Block Gay Workers From Caring For Sick Spouses

Earlier this year, we told you how bigoted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was trying to prevent gay workers from taking unpaid leave to care for their sick spouses.

It was a particularly heartless example of Paxton’s vigorous defense of the state’s same-sex marriage ban, but he somehow succeeded in convincing a federal judge to block the benefits that had been extended to gay couples by the Obama administration under the Family Medical and Leave Act.

However, in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, Paxton has quietly conceded the FMLA lawsuit. Last Friday, Paxton and attorneys general from four other states who joined the case filed a voluntary dismissal.

The Texas Tribune reports:

The federal rule change applied to federal and state employees and private sector employees at workplaces with 50 or more employees. When the rule change was first made, only Texas couples who were legally married in other states would have been eligible for the benefits. …

Asked for comment on the dismissal, Cynthia Meyer, a spokeswoman for the AG’s office, said, “Our filing speaks for itself.” The state had spent at least $26,881 on the case, according to legal costs obtained from the AG’s office.

This is the second case related to same-sex marriage that Texas has dropped in light of the high court’s ruling. This month, Paxton’s office ended its defense of the state’s now-defunct ban on same-sex marriage.

'Breaking Bad' actor runs for Albuquerque seat

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Citing the growth of urban sprawl and a need for more Mexican-American elected officials, "Breaking Bad" actor Steven Michael Quezada said he is jumping in a heated race for county commissioner in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Quezada, who played DEA agent Steven Gomez in the hit AMC-TV series, told The Associated Press on Monday that he will make a formal announcement on Tuesday that he's seeking a commission seat in Bernalillo County — the state's most populous county.

The 52-year-old actor and comedian said he's joining in the race because he feels someone like him can make a difference in the district that includes the historic Hispanic South Valley and an area in Albuquerque's west side where developers are seeking to build homes.

"I think I bring a new face to the Democratic Party," said Quezada, a Democrat who is a member of the Albuquerque school board. "We need to reach out to our young people — the young Chicanos, the young Latinos — and get them involved in this process and let them know this is important."

Read more: http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/entertainment/ap-exclusive-breaking-bad-actor-runs-for-albuquerq/nm3fK/

Greeks will find banks open, but restrictions still in place

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greeks will finally see their banks reopen at 8 a.m. local (0500 GMT) Monday morning, but many restrictions on transactions, including cash withdrawals, will remain.

Also, many goods and services will become more expensive as a result of a rise in Value Added Tax approved by Parliament last Thursday, among the first batch of austerity measures demanded by Greece's creditors.

The parliament also agreed to deep reforms in the pension system including a gradual phasing out of all early retirement options.

In a decree published Saturday, the Greek government kept the daily cash withdrawal limit at 60 euros ($65) but added a weekly limit. For example, a depositor who doesn't withdraw cash on Monday can withdraw 120 euros ($130) on Tuesday, and so on, up to 420 euros ($455) a week.

Read more: http://kdhnews.com/news/world/greeks-will-find-banks-open-but-restrictions-still-in-place/article_4da2006b-51ae-504a-89a9-a88720b84b71.html