Free Republic

A Leander man pleads guilty to having child porn on his home computer, and is sentenced to forty years in prison. Investigators say William Jonathon Young, 47, had thousands of explicit images of children on his home computer. They testified a female friend of Young’s alerted them to his collection. She says she became concerned when she saw a pornographic screen saver on Young’s monitor. Young pleaded guilty to ten counts of possession of child pornography – and will serve out a forty year sentence. Court documents say Young admitted to collecting child pornography for decades.

For more than a century and a half, men and women of The Associated Press have had the privilege of bringing truth to the world. They have gone to great lengths, overcome great obstacles – and, too often, made great and horrific sacrifices – to ensure that the news was reported quickly, accurately and honestly. Our efforts have been rewarded with trust: More people in more places get their news from the AP than from any other source. In the 21st century, that news is transmitted in more ways than ever before – in print, on the air and on...

A federal program paying rent for an estimated 330 "Katrina" families in Austin ends today, after being extended several times since February. The program, run locally by the City of Austin, has foot the bill for almost 2,000 families over the past year. "The deadlines have continued to be extended, and we have not been notified of an extension of the deadline for the "403" program for another month, so we're anticipating that the program actually ends today," the city's Paul Hilgers says. Hilgers says FEMA has contacted those families to tell them the free rent program is ending and...

The Austin High School Art teacher at the center of a national controversy over topless photos of her that were published on-line is resigning from the school district. In a statement on her web site on MySpace.com, Tamara Hoover says she is settling out of court with AISD and stepping down from her position. The school board had upheld Hoover's termination after they found out that her friend, photographer Celesta Danger, had posted topless photos of her on-line. Hoover vowed to appeal that decision, but writes on her web site that the high cost of the continuing legal challenge played...

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Maurice Clarett was arrested early Wednesday after a highway chase that ended with police using Mace on the former Ohio State running back and finding four loaded guns in his truck, a police spokesman said. Officers used Mace to subdue Clarett after a stun gun was ineffective because the former Fiesta Bowl star was wearing a bullet-resistant vest, Sgt. Michael Woods said. "It took several officers to get him handcuffed," Woods said. "Even after he was placed in the paddy wagon, he was still kicking at the doors and being a problem for the officers." Clarett...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans promised they wanted Vince Young, the third pick overall and the first quarterback taken in the draft, under contract before they opened training camp. They avoided any lengthy holdouts Thursday, agreeing to terms with both Young and LenDale White a day before the first practice Friday afternoon. Young, the No. 3 overall pick out of Texas, agreed to a five-year deal, with an option for a sixth, with $25.7 million guaranteed and an overall value that could reach $58 million with option and roster bonuses and salary. The contract includes a $12.3 million option...

Four men accused of using the Internet to solicit sex from minors were arrested during a two-week undercover operation by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott's office. Arrested in July were: 25-year-old William Noel Shrum of The Woodlands; 26-year-old Guadalupe ``Wally'' DeLaGarza the third of College Station; 40-year-old Robert Wayne Ramirez of Needville; and 51-year-old Calvin Hoddy Hannah Junior of Owasso, Oklahoma. That's what the A-G's office announced in a news release Tuesday. All four were lured to Shenandoah, Texas, by investigators in the A-G's office who posed as minors on the Internet. De La Garza allegedly engaged in sexual conversations...

Supporters of red light cameras say project should be low-cost 7/26/2006 Austin City Council members who support red light cameras say they want to find a system that won’t cost the city much money or effort. City Council Member Lee Leffingwell says the goal of a red light camera system would not be to boost the city’s revenues, but he also wants to avoid draining city funds for a network of cameras at busy intersections. “What I would be looking for in a proposal that comes back to us is one that has zero or minimal up-front costs to the...

CLINTON, Mo. (AP) - Rescuers saved nine people trapped in the rubble of a three-story building that partially collapsed during an Elks Club dinner, but the club's leader was found dead early Tuesday, about 12 hours after the roof fell in, officials said. Tony Komer, the 32-year-old "exalted ruler" of the Clinton Elks Lodge, had been on the top floor preparing to give a speech when the century-old brick building began to collapse Monday night. Clinton Police Lt. Sonny Lynch said early Tuesday that crews were trying recover Komer's body but part of the building would have to be taken...

A woman who accused her doctor of molesting her and having his identical twin impersonate him to assault her must pay the doctor $2.8 million because she fabricated the allegations, a judge ruled. Judge Katherine Stolz dismissed Perla Saldivar's lawsuit against her doctor, Dr. Dennis Momah, and his twin, Dr. Charles Momah, a gynecologist, saying her allegations were inconsistent with evidence. "The contradictions and inconsistencies in Ms. Saldivar's testimony were some of the most pronounced this court has ever seen," Stolz wrote Wednesday. The ruling is the latest in a saga involving the Momahs. Charles Momah was sentenced in November...

Customs officers in Laredo seized 23.5 million dollars worth of cocaine in two large seizures. That's what U-S Customs and Border Protection said today. Officers yesterday found 152 pounds of cocaine valued at four-point-eight (m) million dollars hidden in a shipment of tiles at the World Trade Bridge linking the U-S and Mexico. The seizure came barely 24 hours after agents found 18.7 million dollars worth of cocaine in a bus.

By MIKE KELLY VICTOR MANUEL CABALLERO says he only wanted a decent job when he sneaked across the border from Mexico five years ago. Thanks to a ruling last week by the state Supreme Court, he has achieved a special American status even though he still lives here illegally: He can collect damages for being hurt in an auto accident. We hear much these days about illegal immigrants -- how desperate they are for good jobs here, how many risk their lives to slip across the border, how so many now hope to pursue their lives in America with some...

A majority of Americans initially support a controversial National Security Agency program to collect information on telephone calls made in the United States in an effort to identify and investigate potential terrorist threats, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. The new survey found that 63 percent of Americans said they found the NSA program to be an acceptable way to investigate terrorism, including 44 percent who strongly endorsed the effort. Another 35 percent said the program was unacceptable, which included 24 percent who strongly objected to it. A slightly larger majority--66 percent--said they would not be bothered if NSA...

Civil Rights Project Takes Up Cause of Arrested Student Protesters Attorneys for the Texas Civil Rights Project say the arrest of 200 Round Rock area students was unlawful. The students were arrested after they skipped school to protest Immigration Reform. Some of those students and the parents of those kids charged will join the Civil Rights Project to let city council members know that they were exercising their rights of free speech, and that these charges are off base. Round Rock area high school and middle school students walked out to protest Immigration Reform proposals that they thought were unfair...

There was speculation Casserly would be fired in the wake of the Texans' 2-14 season and their controversial choice for the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. "I have an interest in doing other things right now," he said. "This was not an easy decision, but it was a decision I felt I had to make at this point in time." The Texans passed over Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush and hometown favorite Vince Young to take defensive end Mario Williams with the top choice in last month's draft. Many fans were outraged, but Texans owner Bob McNair said...

Should Moussaoui have received the death penalty(Texas)