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CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) —
A Texas man facing charges of killing his Dallas-area teacher girlfriend in New Mexico initially claimed she disappeared after threatening to leave with a man who "treated her right," according to a newly released 911 call.
The recording released Thursday reveals that Robert Glenn Earley, 33, of Euless, initially claimed Emily Rebecca Lambert vanished when they parted at a Carlsbad bar on Sunday morning following an argument.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) —
Texas troopers have stepped up patrols to watch for drunken drivers and help keep travelers safe during spring break.
The Texas Department of Public Safety says increased patrols began Friday and will run through March 23. A Texas Department of Transportation grant will help pay for the enhanced patrols targeting intoxicated drivers. DPS troopers during 2013 spring break made more than 1,000 DWI arrests.
Troopers issued more than 11,400 speeding citations, 1,600 seat belt/child safety seat tickets and about 12,000 other citations. Troopers also made 552 fugitive arrests and 463 felony arrests during last year's spring break enforcement period.
JAMIE STENGLE, Associated Press
RICHARDSON, Texas (AP) —
A smattering of green sprouting through brown leaves blanketing the ground among barren trees at a North Texas park signal the colorful display that will soon come with the spring wildflower season, which experts say should feature good showings in parts of the state.
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) —
The boyfriend of a Dallas-area teacher found dead in southeastern New Mexico was arrested Wednesday after telling investigators they fought before he bludgeoned her and then used his car to drag her unconscious body with a rope tied around her neck, police said.
Gallego Announces Marathon and Presidio Will Receive Grants for Water Infrastructure Projects
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Pete P. Gallego (D-Alpine) announced today the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) has awarded Technical Assistance grants to Marathon and Presidio, Texas. The grants will fund project development activities in both communities. The Marathon Water Supply & Sewer Service Corporation’s proposed project will rehabilitate its aging wastewater system and add new connections and improve the City of Presidio’s water system.
“Upgrading our infrastructure in West Texas is important to me - especially where getting water is still a challenge,” U.S. Rep. Gallego said. “These projects will not only create jobs and bring money into the local economy; they will also conserve water and help ensure a healthy water supply for years to come. I will work closely with the Border Environment Cooperation Commission, local governments and constituents on these projects to meet water needs for the region.”
Marathon Water Supply & Sewer Service Corporation serves the Town of Marathon, Texas, located approximately 50 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, and has about 300 sewer connections. Its current system, constructed in the late 1960s, is degrading and causing sewage to back up. The local utility has been reluctant to add new connections due to the system's current condition. Because of this, residences in part of Marathon have no sewer service and rely on site-systems that are failing. The proposed project will identify and replace segments of the system that are causing wastewater overflows and expand service to those residences in need of them.
“With a technical assistance grant, project sponsors such as Marathon and Presidio can get the support needed to move these projects forward. This funding goes towards helping small communities complete the development and planning of proposed projects in order to meet certification requirements,” said Maria Elena Giner, BECC General Manager.
Under BECC’s Project Development Assistance Program, Marathon's technical assistance grant of $98,400 will be used for a Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) which will provide background information on the current problem, and past attempts to address the issues, and Environment Information Document (EID). The PER will be used to identify ways to rehabilitate the current system, and options for adding new services.
Located on the U.S.-Mexico Border, the City of Presidio’s proposed water system improvement project has the expanded benefits of adding service connections to Las Pampas Colonia, situated approximately three miles from the border along Highway 67. This area had previously tried to establish its own water system, but currently residents must haul water from Presidio to their homes. The proposed project would also include the addition of a second water storage tank to insure continued delivery. This project will provide first time water services to residents of Las Pampas, and contribute to the sustainability to Presidio’s existing water system.
Presidio's BECC TA grant of $80,000 will be used for the PER that will describe the current situation, analyze alternatives and propose a specific course of action from an engineering perspective. Along with this report, the city needs to complete an environmental report (ER) and a facility plan which will examine alternatives and provide recommendations for the Las Pampas water system extension, and for the sizing and location of the new tank. The EID will be based on the recommendations of the Facility Plan. BECC staff, along with project sponsors, will host kick-off meeting in the upcoming weeks for each project.
Both TA grants can potentially lead to project certification by BECC and financing by North American Development Bank (NADB) or other sources. BECC identifies, develops, evaluates and certifies environmental infrastructure projects with a bi-national team through an open public process in order to access financing through the NADB and other sources. To meet its objectives, BECC manages technical assistance funds that provide financial assistance to border communities, such as Marathon and Presidio, Texas.
For more information on U.S. Rep. Gallego, visit www.gallego.house.gov. Learn more about U.S. Rep. Gallego by liking his Facebook page or follow him on Twitter.
Schools: Texas' public ed funding still 'broken'
WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — An extra $3.4-plus billion in funding is a mere Band-Aid that leaves classrooms still hurting and hasn't fixed fundamental flaws in the balance for students in rich and poor parts of Texas, attorneys representing 600-plus school districts across the state argued Friday.
Closing arguments before state District Judge John Dietz wrapped up a sweeping case that began in October 2012 and put school finance in Texas on trial. But a final ruling isn't expected until next month.
Dietz declared in February 2013 that $5.4 billion in cuts to public schools imposed by the Legislature two years earlier violated the Texas Constitution's guarantees of a "general diffusion of knowledge" with an "efficient system of public free schools." He also ruled that the "Robin Hood" system, where districts in wealthy areas share a portion of the local property taxes they collect with those in poorer areas, meant funding was unfairly distributed.
However, last summer, lawmakers restored more than $3.4 billion in classroom funding and cut the number of standardized tests high students must pass from 15 to five — easing tough graduation standards that school districts argued they no longer had the resources to prepare students to meet.
Dietz reopened the case last month to hear evidence on how the funding increase and testing shake-up would affect his initial ruling. He will issue a final ruling after mid-March.
Richard Gray, a lawyer for the Equity Center, which represents about 400 school districts, many of them in poor areas of Texas, said "all the Legislature did was appropriate money into the system and, unfortunately, it did not even appropriate as much money as it stripped."
"The Legislature, for whatever reason, has faced this issue time and time again," Gray said. "They have put a Band-Aid on a Band-Aid on a Band-Aid."
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott's office has defended the system as constitutional, though Abbott himself is running for governor and hasn't argued the case.
Lisa Dawn-Fisher, deputy associate commissioner for school finance at the Texas Education Agency, testified that average per-student funding has increased this school year and that gaps between school districts in wealthy and poor areas has actually declined since 2006.
The plaintiffs counter that funding has declined overall, even though Texas' population has boomed and the number of low-income students has skyrocketed. Students from poor families generally cost more to educate because many require instruction to learn English or participate in remedial programs outside the classroom.
The school districts that filed suit are responsible for educating around three-quarters of Texas' 5 million-plus public school students.
Schools in rich and poor parts of the state are on the same side in the case because those in economically disadvantaged areas say "Robin Hood" shortchanges them while wealthier districts note local voters that would otherwise support property tax increases fail to do so since they know much of the revenue raised will be sent to schools elsewhere.
Legal battles over school finance have been raging for decades: This case is the sixth of its kind since 1984. If the state Supreme Court ultimately declares the system unconstitutional, it will be up to the Legislature to devise a new funding plan.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
FRISCO,
Texas (AP) —
North Texas woman charged with killing her 10-year-old son cried as she joined dozens of mourners at a candlelight vigil for the boy.
Pallavi Dhawan attended Wednesday night's gathering outside her family's home in Frisco, 25 miles north of Dallas. Dharwan was charged with murder after police officers making a welfare check at the house Jan. 29 found the body of her son, Arnav, in an empty bathtub. The body was wrapped in a cloth up to the neck, and there were empty plastic bags in the tub next to him.
Toxicology results are pending.
Dhawan remains free on $50,000 bail. Her attorney, David Finn, said she has denied killing the boy.
Arvan was a special-needs child, born with a brain cyst and microcephaly, a condition characterized by an abnormally small head, Finn has said.
The mother and her husband, Sumeet Dhawan, both shed tears during the vigil.
"When you lose a child, you lose a child. You really don't have time for those things," Pallavi Dhawan said, responding to the allegations against her. "Forget his ailments and everything, you know. Other than that he was a boy, a little kid."
One mourner sang "Amazing Grace." Some of Arnav's friends also attended. Cards and toys, including a stuffed bear, were left at the yard.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press
HOUSTON (AP) —
Investigators are baffled by the fatal shootings last week of a "quiet family" of four, including two young boys, at their suburban Houston home.
JUAN CARLOS LLORCA, Associated Press
EL PASO, Texas (AP) —
A high-level gang member gave the order to kill in a 2010 attack that killed a U.S. consulate employee and others, prosecutors said Monday during opening statements in the trial of Arturo Gallegos Castrellon.
Defense attorneys waived their statement as proceedings began in the El Paso trial of Gallegos Castrellon, who prosecutors say is a member of the Barrio Azteca, a border gang affiliated with a drug cartel.
Gallego Votes for Passage of 5-Year Farm Bill
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Pete P. Gallego (D-Alpine) today supported the 2014 Farm Bill. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representative by a vote of 251 to 166, and now heads to the Senate for consideration. He is a member of the House Agriculture Committee.
“This is a bill that should have been passed by the last Congress two years ago,” U.S. Rep. Gallego said. “I am happy that common sense prevailed and that leadership came to a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on a bill so important to Texas.”
The farm bill is an important piece of legislation. It deals with diverse issues from insurance for farmers and ranchers to research and education to food stamps and free school lunches and assistance for rural communities across America.
“It is important that our agriculture community have safety nets in place to produce the food we need,” he said. “It’s also important that, in the greatest nation in the world, people are able to feed their families with good and healthy food.”
The farm bill makes reforms to current programs that will save billions of taxpayer dollars over the next 10 years. Many programs are streamlined or consolidated. The bill eliminates direct payments to farmers, but still encourages access to healthy foods for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients.
“While this is a good step forward, the bill is not perfect,” U.S. Rep. Gallego said. “Provisions regarding Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), which have been widely opposed and have strained relations with Mexico and Canada, were neither clarified nor removed. This issue must be addressed so that trade relationships with our neighbors can continue to prosper.”
About 4 million people will not lose their SNAP benefits.
“Originally, the House version of the bill, which I opposed, would have cut SNAP by $40 billion,” he said. “The compromise cuts the nutrition by only $8.6 billion – returning $31.4 billion to the program – and removes restrictive language that would have made it more difficult for families to put food on the table.”
For more information on U.S. Rep. Gallego, visit www.gallego.house.gov.
