And Another

Carrollton ISD. 33 years old.

Story.

Center Of "The Thin Blue Line" Has Died

Long before DNA exonerations, there were reckless and/or crooked cops and prosecutors who caused the innocent to go to prison. One such man was Randall Dale Adams out of Dallas County who came within 72 hours of execution and spent over 12 years in prison.

Adams, the subject of the documentary The Thin Blue Line  (which is a must see by the way), has died. He had tried to live in obscurity and did a great job of it: The Dallas Morning News has discovered that he died last October.

New York Approves Gay Marriage Last Night

Friday Morning Pick Me Up: Saved By The Bell Edition

Jessie?

I guess she finally got off the drugs:

The Sunset Inn Gets A Reference In A Court Case Decided Yesterday

When Martin found the family, they were about to be evicted from the Grasslands because they had stayed too long and were not able to pay the Park Service fee. The tent was a tight fit, but the family told Martin that some were sleeping outside or in the car because it was warm. She met with them one more time in the Grasslands; she did not have any more contact with them after the end of July because they had moved again. She finally tracked them to the Sunset Inn in Wise County through a relative. Father agreed to sign a family group contract to start services with CPS, but he called back a few days later and said he did not want to do so anymore because he did not think he could get any family support. Martin still wished to offer services, so she set up an appointment at the Sunset Inn for late July; the family was not there because they had gone to the lake . . . 

And so begins the long factual recitation of a CPS case affirmed today on appeal where the parental rights to five children were terminated. 

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Alvord school trustees vow to start using Facebook according to the Update. To be discussed in the next meeting: "Is there a way we can stop people from putting those nasty comments on there about us?"
• The Longhorns had three players selected in the first round of the NBA draft last night. Now I think I know why there is so much grumbling about coach Rick Barnes.
• Still an amazing site: People in Texas prisons (not the local jail) who committed crimes in Wise County. (Although I think it's not totally up to date.)
• After the Fort Worth motorcycle chase yesterday, one cop comes in and throws two punches. Now he's under investigation. Hey, you might want to realize there's a couple of news helicopters above you.
• I do it all the time in relation to criminal cases, but I always feel weird standing on the side of a Wise County road taking pictures in a shirt and tie.  But it's amazing what you can learn by simply going to a location -- even in a DWI case. 
• Uh, oh. President Obama tells the troops he remembers the first time he gave the Medal Of Honor to a soldier when it wasn't in a posthumous situation. Other than the fact the soldier was dead, and he gave the award to the his parents, that story was spot on. 
• That can probably be forgiven, but I'm not sure what he was thinking when he decided to play golf on Memorial Day. Say what you will, but he's smarter than that. 
• The government is releasing oil from the Strategic Oil Reserves? Now? Really? 
• The Star-Telegram finally gets around to covering the TXI/Hughes civil verdict today. And the Update did the same. 
• The Ten Most Powerful People In Dallas list. Very inadequate list.
• Following through on an earlier hint, an African-American will run to try and represent a portion of Wise County in Congress. Maybe the locals will at least listen to him because he's a Republican. 
• "And Another" but once again it was only for solicitation with no contact. Is that the new trend?
• Some mob boss from Boston who has been on the run forever was captured in California. It's big news in the northeast, but the only thing I know is that Jack Nicholson's character in The Departed was based upon him. (The headline made me wonder if any of his associates ever saw The Jerk and then would say, "Remember, don't trust Whitey.")

What The Heck Did I Just Watch?

We've got the poor 7-11 guy trying to make buck only to to be launched through a plate glass window, and then on the reverse angle video (just like football), we see the driver take off after said launching. To top it off, there's this passenger chick who casually gets out to apparently go find the nearest Whataburger.

This country is getting weirder and weirder.

Story.

Going On Now

Edit: Why do they always just give up?  Stopped northbound on Loop 820 headed towards Northeast Mall area.

Houston Bus "Split In Two"

Happened this morning, but I wonder if it is one of those buses that is extra long and has the middle accordion-type connection. Not that it makes a difference to the victims.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• George Lopez is in the metroplex this weekend and, as predictable as the sun rising in the east, there are still tickets available. As awful as Jay Leno and David Letterman are (have you watched them lately?), Lopez has jokes written by fourth graders. And that may be an insult to fourth graders.
• "Gays, Grannies, and Grandes" - A Southwest Airlines pilot with an open mic is not pleased with the selection of flight attendants. (Uncensored audio here.) I kind of feel for the guy -- he thought it was a private conversation with another pilot. 
• But no company does a better job of scrambling to do damage control than Southwest.
• There's not a whole lot of time in the evening, is there?
• Another In-N-Out Burger was opening in Dallas this morning and the news stations were all over it. But unlike the one in Plano (?), there wasn't the initial rush at all. I saw one poor reporter in an empty parking lot at around 6:30 a.m. 
• I'm coming up on my one year anniversary. I wonder how many bets will have to be paid off? I wonder if Mrs. LL will have to pay of her I-Love-You-But-It-Was-Just-A-Little-Hedge-Bet? (Kidding. I think.)
• A Dallas attorney shoots an 880 pound alligator in the Trinity River in Leon County. And he says his testosterone level has been "very high" since the kill. Please. You picked up a gun and pulled the trigger. You didn't exactly win a UFC match, hoss.
• The Masonic Lodge in Decatur is installing new officers this weekend according to the Update. The highest ranking title to be awarded: "Worshipful Master." I think I found my new household nickname.
• Cops can obtain a search warrant for your blood after a DWI arrest if you refuse to provide one voluntarily. Normally, prosecutors don't want the cops to tell the arrestee they have that right because they want a voluntary sample to be truly voluntary and not the product of coercion or a threat. So what does the legislature do? As of 9.1.11 the cops now must threaten that person with a blood draw whenever they ask for a voluntary sample. 
• Still not a lot of publicity about half of Wise County becoming part of a newly created Congressional district. We've probably become part of a different district from time to time due to redistricting, but have we ever become part of a new district? (Texas picked up four because of the census.) 
• Wise County has declined to issue a fireworks ban.  But for the recent rain,the lack of a ban would have been the equivalent of  issuing a box of matches to every child in the county.
• There was a horrific robbery of a pharmacy in New York that left four people dead. An arrest was made yesterday with police saying that the motive of the shooter was to obtain hydrocodone for his wife. She looks a little loopy in her wedding photo.

Breaking Courthouse News

The jury in the Hughes civil case being tried for the second time has ruled in favor of TXI. No money damages will be awarded based upon the verdict (unless there was some side agreement). The jury's decision came in shortly before 5:00 p.m. in the 271st Judicial District Court in Decatur.

In a long legal history, the case was first tried in 2004 in Decatur to a jury which led to an award of $15,787,190 in compensatory damages and $6,658,000 in exemplary damages. The Second Court of Appeals took away the exemplary damages on appeal but otherwise affirmed the verdict. However, the Texas Supreme Court then heard the case and overturned the verdict and sent the case back to Decatur for retrial. That occured over the last two weeks.

From one of the opinions: "Several members of the Hughes family were killed when their vehicle collided with an eighteen wheel tractor-trailer rig heavily loaded with gravel. The accident occurred outside the city of Paradise on Highway 114, a two-lane highway. At the time of the accident, Kimberly Hughes was driving west toward Paradise with four other family members in her GMC Yukon. Ricardo Rodriguez, who was driving the gravel truck for TXI Transportation Company ("TXI"), was traveling east in the opposite direction. For reasons in dispute, the Yukon crossed the center line into the eastbound lane, collided with the gravel truck and careened down the length of its trailer. At the gravel truck's tail end, the Yukon spun sideways into the path of an eastbound Ford pickup. The resulting collision killed everyone in the Yukon except Hughes's infant grandson."

Edit: This didn't make the Messenger's Update on the following morning?

Edit:

Cockiest Motion For Summary Judgment Ever?

2011-06-22 WC Mavs and Radical Mavs Mngt MSJ

Source.

"Today (today, today, today)....I consider myself (myself, myself, myself) . . . .", happiest) . . . "

Looking at a police report that just came across my desk, it dawned on me that the police sure are getting young these days.

(Clarification for you young 'uns.)

Faces In The News

Does this look like a man who would try to rob a bank of $1 so he could get free medical care in jail and won't post bond even when it was reduced to $2,000?

Does this look like a "And Another" out of the metroplex? (Although it looks like the student refused her alleged advances.)

Random mug shot.

Oh, my!

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• In the Messenger's story about the guy allegedly trying to run down a trooper with a tractor, the property owner said that he was "gesticulating" at the suspect prior to the incident to try and get his attention. Yep, correct usage.
• The Weatherford Democrat used the headline that the man "Fled Like A Deere."
• Both stories report that the trooper fired twice at the man before he exited the tractor. I wonder if any of the cop cars, all with video cameras, recorded the incident? 
• Does any town have more electricity outage issues than Decatur?
• It's odd how I just assumed that the body found in Wise County yesterday was a male. That was wrong. 
• The Rangers crowd set a world record last night of most people to wear sunglasses at night. Silly.
• The Aggies, like the Longhorns, got booted from the College World Series after going 0-2.
• Gov. Perry says you can follow him on "Tweeter" (@ 2:30 mark - link takes you right to it) in a taped, pre-produced message.
• Speaking of, I woke up this morning to see Mrs. LL tweeted last night that I was "singing in [my] sleep."  Some wise arse responded with, "Let me guess: He's singing, 'It's Raining Men'". 
• Ok, that was funny.
• "For what?" - WBAP's Hal Jay's quote of the morning regarding the sports director's assertion that Roger Clemens may be in trouble in his upcoming trial.
• Third Grader In The House: "Mom says you snore and wants you to wear those nose strips she bought you." Me: "Really?" Her: "Don't tell her I told you." 
• Lots of people discussing my sleeping habits.
• If you are the criminal defense attorney in the Corpus Christi case where your client got five years probation for "spanking" a two year old, family lawyer Abby Ewing of Dallas called you a "bad lawyer" on KLIF this morning (and then moments later said the case makes her think there may be more to it than what has been reported.)
• In the Northeast they are debating the potential impact of "fracking" and not a day goes by where a story doesn't say that in Wise County, Texas the practice caused property values to drop 75%.
• Isn't that QR Code that is popping up everywhere pretty close to the defunct and much criticized  CueCat?
• Get me this Kelly Kapowski shirt that Justin Bieber wears!!! (Side note: The girls in the house have never heard of Saved By The Bell.)

Breaking: Cops On Way To Body Found Off CR 4421 In Wise County

Developing . . .

That's Where CR 4421 Is At Least

Edit: It's been awfully quiet after news of this broke. I'm 99% sure we've got a body. But I'm wondering if it may be a suicide since that's when everyone clams up. 

Edit again: Current status is 'questionable death'.

This Is The 16 Year Old Bride Of The Green Mile Guy?

That's her.

Don't Light A Match

About the only place to launch a boat on the south side of Lake Bridgeport has been closed. It looks like the floating gas pump at Runaway Bay floated out of its designated location due to high winds. And they are checking to see if the gas line running to the pump is secure.