Freakish Death in Bridgeport

Photo copyright Wise County Messenger and Joe Duty. Posted while they have temporary web site issues. Thanks guys.

Channel 11 Website

Location of incident through Google Street View

Edit -- From the comments at 5:15 pm: I just walked over to Halsell Street in Bridgeport, one block from my office and apparently an awning fell on two teenage girls that were doing cross training and both were trapped and one unfortunately did not make it. I will issue more updates as I... find out more information. Debris was scattered half way across the street and part of the building actually came off as well. There was a burgundy SUV trapped under the debris also. I have my camera with me at work, but didn't take it, but I'll be walking back over there in just a couple of minutes and I will see if I can get some photos for all my wise county friends. You will not believe it when you see it. It is bad, please pray for the families and friends of those involved in this horrific accident. Edit: The two girls were cross country training running downtown. Edit -- From the comments: "A grisly scene unfolded in downtown Bridgeport today as an awning collapsed on two high school seniors walking down the sidewalk. The impact killed one of the girls. The other girl sustained serious injuries and was transported to John Peter Smith in... Fort Worth. The freak tragedy occurred in front of Club Barbell on Halsell Street. A spokesperson with the city of Bridgeport said they don’t know why the awning fell." -Wise County Messenger (WCMessenger site is down currently due to issues with the webhost) Any photos to blog2@wisecounty.com

Confusing Pick Me Up Pic Of The Day

I had already written how hot Linda Hamilton looks at 52 and then I figured out that I was looking at Carmen Electra.

Courthouse News

Looks like Kimberly Lynn Patterson, who was indicted in March, just agreed to a 10 year prison sentence to the offense of Manslaughter in the death of Bobina Begley in April of last year in Wise County. (Messenger background story here and more background here). I didn't see it, but I'm told the courtroom scene was "tense" when the agreement was approved this morning. It also appears that she had a dope probation revoked in what might be the worst performance by a probationer ever. The records indicate she pled guilty and received probation on October 27, 2008 with a Motion to Revoke the probation filed three days later when she didn't show up at the probation department.

Have At It

From the Update. Bridgeport, you gonna let them get away with that? Decatur taxpayers, are you?

Worst Cowboy Seats Revealed

Via Deadspin. (Other than Fox 4, I don't think any other local news outlet has picked up on this.)

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• I bought tickets to the Cowboys' preseason game on Saturday --- found them on Stubhub for about $30. I probably won't even sit in them since I just want to walk around that place and take it all in. I'll be gone by halftime.
• Can you believe all the Swine Flu stuff on TV. Half the population to be infected? Up to 90,000 deaths? Is the CDC the biggest fear-monger on the planet?
• Tony Romo seems troubled.
• Movie Ridiculousness: The bus jump over the uncompleted freeway in Speed.
• When I was a kid, all of us had to get some type of vaccinations that would scab over and cause a dime size scar that would last for 20 or 30 years. What was that?
• If you have HBO you must, and I mean must, watch the current edition or Real Sports which documents this gut wrenching event. Four athletes in the water after their boat overturns, and 46 hours later only one remained. He now talks about it.
• Faithful reader Justin emailed me to tell me he live is Cairo, Egypt and sent along this pic to prove that the Evil Empire even stretches to that land.
• Saw a phenomenon on Facebook yesterday: Every momma was posting a pic of their kid(s) as they headed off to the first day of school.
• Remember when no one knew how to upload a picture?
• Kids: Is the Cost vs. Benefit ratio really worth it?
• I think it's silly that a medical examiner, whose sole duty is to examine a body and determine the cause of death, can label his findings as "Homicide." I understand his conclusion of death by "bullet to the head" or "knife wound through the heart" (paraphrased) but to conclude another person did it "intentionally, knowingly or recklessly" seems a little far fetched in most cases.
• Sometimes this blog is hard to write. Sometimes it's not. I can't tell you how entertaining it would be if I could tell you everything.
• Jarhead?
• In case you wonder why we on the Left are still ecstatic that W is gone: I was reminded of this 17 seconds of gold.
• Everyday I walk by a Decatur office that has a "Don't Tax Me BHO" bumper sticker on the door. Makes me laugh.
• Is it a bad sign that 8 workers and two City of Decatur employees are staring into a deep construction hole on the street outside of my office this morning?

Denton PD Gone Crazy?

By the way, I think I'm board certified in Sidewalk Law.

Monday Afternoon Pick Me Up

She was hanging out at the Azure pool in Vegas this weekend. Wherever that is.

And To Think Once He Was A Little First Grader Heading Off To His First Day Of School

OMAHA, Neb. – A Nebraska man who stole a painting of the Virgin Mary to finance an abortion for a teen he was accused of raping has been convicted of first-degree sexual assault and felony theft. I normally wouldn't dedicate a post to some crime in Nebraska, but it's been quite a while since the first sentence in a news story stopped me down like that. I understand all the Christian theology about salvation but, man, if this guy didn't punch his ticket to the Underworld with that series of crimes, then I don't know what would. But the story does have a positive side. If any of you out there have been feeling a little guilty about some big sin you've been engaged in, this guy has to make you feel a little better about yourself. Right?

Funny Way To Launch A New Web Site

Come see our new web site at 10 p.m. when our site will not be working.

Morning Crime Blotter News

• Skeletal remains of two infants found in Tarrant County
• Dirk Nowitzki's ex sentenced to 5 years in the hoosegow
• Some guy earned himself 3 days in the Wise County Jail this morning for not following through with the terms of a divorce decree. (He represented himself and seemed well prepared. Didn't change the facts, but well prepared nonetheless.) Edit: I really don't have any details since I only caught the end of the hearing.
• Steven York had a second court appearance today. Looks like a second lawyer is involved in the case and it might be Larry Moore out of Fort Worth (but I'm not sure.)

Miss Universe 2009

Apparently this chick won the title on Saturday night but, I was thinking, isn't the title of Miss Universe just a bit cocky? I mean, I'm pretty sure there are a couple of girls in Cottondale that live in the backwoods which are unknown to civilization. For all we know, one of them may be hotter than this girl. And if we can't rule out other gals from the good ol' USA that haven't been discovered yet, how can we rule out hot alien life forms? Or, as Kip Dynamite would say, "Like anyone could possibly know that."

From The Weekend

I think we're slowly becoming a nation of barbarians. Edit: That was quick. No one uses the copyright hammer more quickly than Major League Baseball.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• They tell me this is the first day of school. They also tell me there are young mothers of First Graders everywhere crying this morning.
• Saw some Decatur High Schoolers driving up to DHS this morning. Trust me kids, it's not the best time of your lives.
• I think mandatory school uniforms would be a good idea.
• Two motorcycle deaths yesterday and one on Saturday.
• I didn't know Texas has had "death panels" since 1999 and that Gov. Bush signed it into law. (Hat tip to Bud Kennedy.)
• MzChief and Anobiter argue over whether life should be lived "for another".
• For the craziest of reasons, I discovered "Screaming Bridge" between Paradise and Decatur on Friday night.
• My sources tell me that heard on the police scanner in Wise County last night, at around 9:30, law enforcement was dispatched to a "possum in a bedroom."
• The craziest story of the weekend was about the "Reality TV Star" from VH1's "Megan Wants a Millionarie" who killed model Jasmine Fiore, stuffed her body in a suitcase in a dumpster after removing her fingers and teeth, and then was found dead on Sunday of suicide in a Canadian hotel room.
• The Spin will be a little delayed, but this could be a substitute in the meantime.
• Sports Point: Lots of talk about the Cowboys video screen being hit by a punt on Friday night. Since the rule is that the play is simply a "do over", I would think most coaches would tell their punter "don't hit the scoreboard" since a false start by the coverage team would wear them out in a hurry.
• I'm excited about my Baylor Bears which may have the best team in years. But, sheesh, they play in the Big 12 South where THREE of the six teams are in the AP Top 10 (Texas, OU, Oklahoma State.) The best team in the Big 12 North? Kansas at 25.
• Janeane Garofalo standup, "The shortest 10 minutes in the world: After hitting the snooze button. The longest: On the Stairmaster."
• Did you see that those crazy Mexicans in Mexico legalized drug possession for personal use?
• Sports Point #2: What in the world has happened to Vince Young? And did you know that before Chris Simms and Young, the Evil Empire never had a quarterback go on to start an NFL game. Edit: Ugh. The link refers only to the "modern era" which, for some reason, begins in 1966.

Denton's Arrest Of The Night

Oh, my.

Nerd Humor

I run Windows Vista on my laptop at home and, stay with me here, I always get a warning that my "recovery drive D:" is close to capacity. In searching for a way to make the error message go away, I was told that I might want to consider "compressing the drive". I did so, and then got this message about the status as to how long it would take. I did a screen grab to capture it.

Saturday Morning Pick Me Up . .

. . . as I wonder how a fantasy football draft turned into a journey into a forest on an amphibious vehicle with eight wheels that overheated and then could not turn to the right. Good times. But I think I broke my coccyx.

From The Email Bag:

If I've ever needed the Liberally Lean Army to come through with a pic, this is it!! Don't fail me people!! Edit: Faithful reader "E. R. Slade" sends in this effort (good try): But I sent that photo into my CSI lab and the magic of technology revealed this enhanced image: A reader now sends in a pic of the new tattoo parlor.