Free Republic

Worker uninjured; lawyer jailed on aggravated assault charge. Williamson County sheriff's officials have charged an attorney with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, saying she fired five shots when a U.S. Census Bureau worker visited her home Saturday , court records show. Carolyn M. Barnes , 53 , could face up to 20 years if convicted of the second-degree felony. She was being held in the Williamson County Jail on Wednesday afternoon with bail set at $50,000 . Williamson County sheriff's office Sgt. John Foster said the census employee, Kathleen Gittel , went to Barnes' home on Indian Trail, just...

My '94 S-10 took a [series] beating in the [hugh] hail storm we had here about one month ago, and I am looking at a used 2007 Chevrolet Colorado pickup as a replacement. My S-10 has a 4.3 liter V-6 that gets about 22 MPG in stop & go driving and 25 MPG on the highway without a load. Now, I am looking for some advice on the 5 cylinder engine Chevrolet uses in their Colorado pickups. I've seen many engines, but never a V-5. Is anyone familiar with this engine and have either good or bad comments about it?...

Task force seeking ways to divert non-emergencies away from emergency rooms. By Mary Ann Roser AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Wednesday, April 01, 2009 In the past six years, eight people from Austin and one from Luling racked up 2,678 emergency room visits in Central Texas, costing hospitals, taxpayers and others $3 million, according to a report from a nonprofit made up of hospitals and other providers that care for the uninsured and low-income Central Texans. One of the nine spent more than a third of last year in the ER: 145 days. That same patient totaled 554 ER visits from 2003 through...

By Ben Wear | Tuesday, January 6, 2009, 09:07 AM The death of the Trans-Texas Corridor was apparently not exaggerated. Outgoing Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick had created a stir a few months ago by declaring in an election forum that the Trans-Texas Corridor was dead. TxDOT officials at the time said, well, no, not exactly. This morning, at the Texas Transportation Forum at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Austin, TxDOT executive director Amadeo Saenz said exactly that, according to spokeswoman Karen Amacker. “Amadeo told folks at the forum that the Trans-Texas Corridor, as it was originally envisioned, is no...

WASHINGTON – Freddie Mac secretly paid a consulting firm $2 million to kill legislation that would have regulated the mortgage finance giant and its sister company, Fannie Mae, three years before the government took control to prevent their collapse. Republican senators and a regulatory overhaul bill sponsored by Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., were targeted by the firm DCI of Washington. All GOP members of the committee supported it; all Democrats opposed it. During DCI's yearlong effort, Mr. Hagel and 25 other Republican senators pleaded unsuccessfully with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., to allow a vote. --------- Mr. McCain, R-Ariz.,...

Three people charged in case. Two Austin health care workers and the daughter of one of them have been charged with stealing from a 96-year-old man under their care. Austin police said Monday that John Oatman was the victim of theft and credit card abuse. Cynthia House, 36, and her daughter, Myesha Harper, 20, were arrested May 13 on charges of theft, a third-degree felony. There's a warrant out for a third suspect, Latasha Mae Hill, on a charge of credit card abuse, a felony in Texas. Police say she also financed a car in Oatman's name while working for...

Campbell Soup Co. on Thursday announced a voluntary recall of more than 72,000 cans of a variety of its Chunky soup because they may contain pieces of hard plastic that present a choking hazard and could cause injury if swallowed. The recall involves 18.8-ounce cans of Campbell's Chunky Baked Potato with Cheddar & Bacon Bits. No other products are affected by the recall, the company said. Campbell said three consumers have reported minor injuries in and around their mouths. The recalled soups were shipped to 24 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi,...

Sausage is the secret to the oldest 'cue restaurant in state By Kitty Crider AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Wednesday, May 30, 2007 ELGIN — Twice a week for 42 years, cotton gin owner Jimmy Sybert has made the 32-mile round trip from Taylor to Southside Market & Barbeque here for what he considers the best sausage around. "I used to order a yard of it," he says, extending his arms to a 36-inch length. Now, he has cut back to 18 inches or so of the juicy fresh beef sausage. But why drive to Elgin for lunch? Taylor is known for its...

Gallegos legislating from bed near Senate despite warnings from his transplant doctors. By Mark Lisheron AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Tuesday, May 22, 2007 Despite a growing threat that his body will reject a transplanted liver, Sen. Mario Gallegos Jr. said Monday that he was determined to stay in the Senate long enough to block a bill that would require Texas voters to provide identification at the polls. "If not for voter ID, I wouldn't be here; that's how serious the issue is for me," said Gallegos, D-Houston. "It's very important for my community that we block this legislation." Gallegos, who spent most...

Houston senator didn't want his attendance 'to appear to be an endorsement' Nothing is more routine on the floor of the Texas Senate than the morning prayer. Unless the prayer is delivered during Passover, four days before Easter, by a Muslim cleric whose background is questioned by conservative radio talk show hosts, one of whom happens to be a senator. The senator, Dan Patrick, who has from his first day in office challenged tradition, may have become the first senator ever to leave the floor in protest of the prayer. The invocation itself was a first for the Senate, delivered...

Chase reached speeds over 130 mph; suspect could face up to 20 years in jail. AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Friday, March 30, 2007 A woman is in jail after officials say she stole a sheriff's deputy's car and drove it at speeds exceeding 130 mph before crashing it into a fence in East Austin. Candice Marie Asdahl, 23, is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, evading arrest, escape from custody — all felonies — and a misdemeanor charge of failing to stop and give information after an accident. Other charges might be made, officials said. Asdahl could face up to...

Texas Ranger discovered it in 2005 Youth Commission officials shocked by allegations that a former assistant superintendent was having sex with incarcerated teenaged boys might have had an early clue: The accused official was living with a 16-year-old boy on school grounds. Confidential investigation reports obtained by the Austin American-Statesman reveal the teenager was found to be living with Ray Brookins, then 39, when his state-owned house was searched for evidence in February 2005 by a Texas Ranger. Brookins was under investigation at the time for having sex with boys, after Ranger Sgt. Brian Burzynski received a tip about the...

Toll-paying 'transponders' that mount on front bumper could fall under court ruling. AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Friday, February 16, 2007 First came the distressing news that many Texas vehicles are operating illegally, with license plates partially obscured within frames that violate the law. Now comes word that a state agency may be contributing to the delinquency of drivers. Texas transportation officials are studying the impact of a Wednesday court ruling that apparently renders certain toll road tags illegal. If a vehicle cannot adequately display the TxTag stickers on the inside of the windshield, then the tag must be mounted on the front...

Mayor proposes strongest policies of any American city. Austin will attempt to take the lead among the nation's cities in the race to curb global warming with an aggressive climate protection plan unveiled Wednesday. Mayor Will Wynn and several other city officials said Austin will cut its emissions of polluting carbon dioxide to almost nothing by 2020, increase the use of renewable energy sources, boost energy conservation, and require better efficiency for homes and commercial buildings. Elements of the proposal could be controversial. "Climate change may be the most critical issue we face today," Wynn said. "That may seem like...

Sometime during the afternoon of Wednesday, January 24, 2007, a suspected burglar met a family dog inside a residence. Evidence indicates that the dog showed his displeasure in having a stranger in the house and caused significant injuries to the suspect. The incident occurred in East Travis County, at 13213 Wine Cup Mallow Trail. Detectives believe that the suspect had already broken into another residence in the neighborhood and saw one of the owners leave. The suspect then went into the second residence and met the family dog, who did not receive any injuries in the incident. Detectives say that...

Convenience store operator defrauded credit card customers. An Austin convenience store operator admitted Friday in federal court that he collected credit card information from hundreds of customers and made charges to their accounts without their consent. Muhammad Aslam, a 31-year-old native of Pakistan, admitted that from April 2004 to August 2006 he illegally used 250 credit cards to steal $105,000 at three stores he operated: the Convenient Food Mart at 6710 Loyola Lane, Corner Quick Stop at 1425 E. 12th St., and Austin Food Mart at 7612 Bluff Springs Road. For part of that time Aslam also was a federal...

Major delays and cancellations at the Austin Airport Most flights have been cancelled or delayed at the Austin Bergstrum International Airport. If you have a flight - check www.abia.com for information on your flight. This winter weather has forced many central Texas school districts and businesses to call it a snow day. ************************************************ My addition to the article. A spokesman for ABIA called the KLBJ morning show and said the shipment of de-icing chemical did not arrive on time. 90% of all flights may be cancelled. It may be this afternoon before any flights will be arriving or departing.

Several blocks of Congress Ave are closed as police investigate the death of dozens and dozens of birds lying in the street. KLBJ spoke to the APD's Toni Shovenitz, She says they are speculating it is some type of posioning. Right now police are using leaf-blowers to clean the road. They hope re-open this area before rush hour traffic.

TYLER, Texas — Carjacked at knifepoint while pumping gas, a 75-year-old woman didn't give in without a fight. Mary Gean Smyth opened the door of her sport utility vehicle and doused the assailant in gas. "I'm sure he was burning like mad," Smyth said of the Tuesday carjacking. "I mean, I drowned him right in the face." (.......excerpted) Smyth said police told her the suspect had apparently taken a shower because he had a bag with fuel-soaked clothes and a bar of soap, the Tyler Morning Telegraph reported in its Wednesday editions.

Smoking in bars, restaurants and other public places in Texas would be banned under legislation offered by a lawmaker from Houston. Senator Rodney Ellis today announced he'll file the proposed ``Texas Smoke-Free Workplace Law.'' His bill would ban smoking in all public places and work sites. Ellis timed his announcement to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout. Ellis says even though cities all over the state - including Houston, Austin, El Paso and Laredo - have strong ordinances, many Texans remain unprotected from second-hand smoke. His office says 47 Texas cities have passed...