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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — University of Texas President Greg Fenves has approved rules that will allow concealed handgun license holders to bring their weapons into classrooms.
State law requires public universities to allow concealed handguns in classrooms and buildings starting Aug. 1, but also gives campuses some leeway to carve out gun-free zones.
The rules approved by Fenves on Wednesday were recommended by a study panel in December.
The Austin campus has been a flashpoint of protests from faculty, students and staff who want to keep guns out of classrooms. Fenves has said he doesn't want guns on campus but the school must comply with state law.
Gun-rights advocates insist the right to have weapons on campus falls under the Second Amendment, and they call it a critical self-defense measure.
CRYSTAL CITY, Texas (AP) — The mayor of a remote South Texas town who faces federal corruption charges was led from a city council meeting in handcuffs late Tuesday night after an apparent scuffle ended the gathering in pandemonium.
Mayor Ricardo Lopez was "inciting a riot" at the meeting Tuesday, Police Chief Jesus Lopez told the San Antonio Express-News. The chief is not related to the mayor, the newspaper reported.
Photographs and TV footage showed Lopez being handcuffed and put in a police car.
The incident came after Lopez and two council members were indicted in a bribery and conspiracy investigation earlier this month. The indictment accuses the town's leadership of using their positions "to enrich themselves by soliciting and accepting payments and other things of value."
One of those council members has resigned. Another faces human smuggling charges, leaving only one council member not under indictment.
"I think the whole town has gone crazy. This has never happened before," Dora Paloma, a former municipal judge, told the Express-News.
A dispute began at the meeting when City Clerk Selina Ramos told the council a five-day period for Lopez and two other council members to resign or face recall elections had ended.
The mayor, however, argued the five-day period only began on Tuesday. After more discussion, Lopez recessed the meeting so he could go home to collect documents that he said supported his position.
After he returned, Lopez faced an angry crowd. After some shoving and angry words, the mayor was clapped in handcuffs. "Only in Crystal City," Lopez told KSAT-TV in San Antonio as police led him to a patrol car as cameras rolled.
The meeting was recessed for at least 24 hours.
"I'm just sorry it's such a fiasco," former mayor Frank Moreno told the Express-News. "It's not good for our community.
The Zavala County Sheriff's Office said the mayor would remain in custody overnight until a magistrate sets bond.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Early voting starts this week for the March 1 Texas primary election.
Texas Secretary of State Carlos Casco says early voting begins Tuesday and runs through Feb. 26.
Casco says Texans can cast their ballots at any early voting location in the county where they are registered.
Voters must present one of seven acceptable forms of photo identification, including a Texas driver's license.
Other forms of approved ID are a Texas election identification certificate, a personal identification card or a concealed handgun license — all issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The other acceptable forms of photo identification are a U.S. military ID, a U.S. citizenship certificate or a U.S. passport.
The general election is Nov. 8.