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Judge hears new TAB indictment Travis district attorney hopes for different result this time around. By Laylan Copelin AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Thursday, June 07, 2007 Travis County prosecutors urged a judge Wednesday to look at the conduct of the Texas Association of Business in reconsidering whether the group should be tried on charges that it violated election laws during the 2002 campaign. Last year, State District Judge Mike Lynch dismissed a felony indictment accusing the state's largest business group of breaking the law by using $1.7 million in corporate money to send 4 million mailers to voters in two dozen legislative...

AUSTIN -- The Texas Senate passed its second bill this session creating a two-year moratorium on privately funded toll roads Friday, a sharp rebuke of Gov. Rick Perry's plan to solve the state's transportation problems. Senators voted 27-4 to approve the bill, which would prevent the creation of toll roads made by public entities contracting with private companies. The Senate passed a similar bill earlier, but that version appears dead in the House. The version approved Friday easily passed the House this month by a vote of 137-2. The bill's Senate sponsor, Republican Tommy Williams of The Woodlands, said he...

FORT BENNING, Ga. (Army News Service, May 9, 2006) – He calls himself “Capt. Arkan.” Arkan is his first name, and he prefers not to have his picture taken. More than a year ago, Arkan arrived at Fort Benning, Ga., to attend the Infantry Captain Career Course and Airborne School – the first Iraqi soldier to do so. Last week, Arkan also became the first Iraqi to attend Ranger School and earn the coveted Ranger tab. As the aide to a three-star Iraqi general, Arkan is aware that divulging too much of himself puts others at risk. But he's effusive...

I am writing this under the influence of my favorite drug. Caffeine. Not from coffee (far too predictable). Not from tea (much too serene). I'm doing TaB. The new TaB. Repackaged, reissued and reformulated as an "energy" drink, it's Red Bull meets Hilary Duff. An instant buzz for the instant-messaging set. It's cosmo pink, a little fizzy, and candy sweet. Nothing like the TaB of yore. I'm not sure how I feel about the makeover. Anybody old enough to remember the bad old days of diet drinks knows that original TaB holds a sacred spot in cola history. As one...

Coke to phase out Vanilla Coke in U.S NEW YORK (Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co., the world's largest soft drink maker, said on Friday it would phase out its Vanilla Coke, Vanilla Diet Coke and Diet Coke With Lemon beverages in the United States by end of this year. Coca-Cola shares were down 1.1 percent in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The announcement came a day after Coca-Cola said it would phase out Vanilla Coke and Vanilla Diet Coke in the United Kingdom early next year. The company said sales have declined. Coca-Cola added that it plans to...

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