Santa Lindsay Pick Me Up

Texas Monthly 2009 Bum Steer Award

This was mentioned in the Update today. (Which is a little ironic since the news story originally appeared in the Update.) I tried to find it in the archives, but couldn't. Edit: Found it. Sixth entry down. Edit: Faithful reader Allen W. points out that Wise County had two entries this year: Edit: Joe Duty remembers the guy

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Attending a criminal docket call will suck the Christmas spirit out of you.
• NASCAR driver Jimmy Johnson has been named "AP Athlete of the Year." I think the voters forgot that the word "athlete" was in the title.
• Fox News this morning dedicated a segment to a "shocking case" of a man beating a DWI case because of the defense that he was "too fat to perform the field sobriety tests." That's nothing shocking. The official manual that all of the cops use specifically says the tests may not be reliable for people 50 pounds or more overweight.
• I suppose former Cowboy kicker Nick Folk, who lost his job yesterday, woke up this morning and asked, "How did that happen?"
• Stay classy Philadelphia: Eagle fans pelt 49er fans with snowballs this past weekend, and the security guard didn't get much respect.
• And I'll say it again, Fox and Friend's Gretchen Carlson is horrible. Judgmental, not very smart, and a horrible journalist (as she opined yesterday that Brittany Murphy's death was "probably drug related.") Edit: I want to apologize for calling her "not very smart". My buddy Keith directed me to this.
• I watched the ESPN documentary "The U" over the weekend about the rise of the University of Miami football program. It was fantastic. And the 1991 Cotton Bowl where the 'Canes figuratively mugged the University of Texas was a big player in the film.
• My source of the "officer shooting self" rumor yesterday (hey, I said unconfirmed) is actually a pretty good one. And they still believe something happened that isn't being reported.
• I found my bank card. Yay me.
• A Houston judge was found guilty of "official oppression" for trying to get a pretty hawt DWI defendant to enter into a relationship with him in exchange for getting her a different court appointed attorney.
• Impersonator Frank Caliendo not as funny as he used to be?
• The footage of the owner of the donut shop in Dallas who was shot a couple of days is chilling. That was senseless.
• Holy cow. Personal injury lawyer Brian Loncar has a commercial showing him arriving in a helicopter at the scene of a fake accident. Shockingly disgusting.
• Santa and Baby Jesus instability.
• My 1-4 prediction for the Cowboys to end their season is still possible but looking dicey.
• I was wrong when I predicted the lady accused of killing her husband in the Fort Worth case would be found not guilty. But the jury did give her probation yesterday.
• But they deliberated over 15 hours before returning the guilty verdict. I never understand that. How can 12 people debate it for that long and then walk out of the room and say, "We don't have any doubts that are reasonable about her guilt."
• Obscure sports note: Baylor's new female basketball star Brittney Griner is an absolute beast. (That's all I've got to cheer for.)

I've Never Been More Confused

Jessica Simpson. A candle. Reference to ear wax. A guy who might be gay singing a Christmas song. A Pappa John's pizza box as a protective device. Tony Romo, how could you leave this girl?

Texas Parents Battle For The Constitutional Right To Have A Hippie Child

It's kinda hard to argue with dad on this one. How is he supposed to cut his kid's hair against the kid's will?

Look What My Office Gave Me

Yep, an autographed copy.

Odd Comment From District Court In Decatur This Morning

In a hearing before the judge: Attorney: Ma'am, are you the mother of [baby's name]? Lady: (In all seriousness) Yep. No epidural or no nothing.

Update on below post. Oops.

From the Sheriff's Office: NO trooper was shot. At 7:02 we responded with Rhome to a elderly mental subject at the Valero. No trooper made scene and no officers / Deputies were injured. The mental subject was placed into custody and taken to WRHS….. Barry (from iPhone)

Unconfirmed Breaking News Via Email

Oh, my.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Channel 8 has a video on the Runaway Bay condo fire with an interview of victim/former Wise County Fire Marshal Mike Bement. His teeth burned up. Really.
• Is the girl above a repeat? I either posted it before or I was married to her. I lose track.
• I know a lot of people are beaten down by talk of Twitter, but it is always first with breaking news. I got a tweet about Brittany Murphy's death two hours before CNN reported it. And how can I live without knowing about stuff like that first?
• Avatar grossed $73 million over the weekend. I've read good reviews, and it's supposed to be a technical masterpiece, but the previews look like a beating.
• Something happened with the health care bill last night with some Nebraska senator getting "paid off." (That's the Fox News version. Check it out to find out what really happened.)
• Now I've lost my replacement bank card. I'm dying here.
• I caught Simon and Garfunkle's performance of The Boxer on cable for some recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert recently. I've underrated them.
• I'm two "chapters" into the Inglourious Nasterds DVD. Yeah, it's good, but I've seen this formula before. People sit around and talk about crazy crap (why do we love a squirrel but hate a rat when a rat is nothing but a squirrel without a tail) followed by over the top violence.
• Note to D.C. cop: Be careful admitting that you pulled a gun during a snowball fight when you are surrounded by guys with cellphones.
• I bought a leather jacket for myself over the weekend. Not a biker leather jacket, but a Macy's kind of leather jacket. I never buy stuff like that for myself.
• Somehow you won't see any changes, but the owner of WBAP and KCSC filed has filed for bankruptcy.
• Speaking of WBAP, they tried a Fake Wade Phillip's bit at 8:10 this morning. Fail.
• Saw a lady snap back curtly with "Merry Christmas!" after a security guard wished a crowd, "Happy Holidays." Sheesh.
• Saw the cutest little girl dressed up as Cindy Lou The Littlest Who yesterday. Working on a pic.
• I think www.wisecounty.com is down this morning. Ugh.
• Regarding my "no White Christmas in Wise County" post from Friday, I arbitrarily define "White Christmas" as snowing on Christmas morning or waking up on Christmas Day to a new blanket of snow. I don't think that's ever happened.

More Gold This Week

Wise County crime reports.

Developing

Apartment fire in Runaway Bay sounds like a big one. Several fire departments responding. Developing . . . Edit: Thanks emailer for the pics. Looks like the condos. Edit #2: You guys can stop dogging the Messenger, they've got some incredible pictures up of this fire.

Kinda Fun

With the major snowstorm going on in the northeast, it's kinda fun to see what pictures folks are uploading on twitter. You can go here, refresh often, and click on the twitpic links in each of the posts.

Double Hex: Home Burglarized Of Bridgeport Locker Injury Boy

Although it's a little confusing that the home is in Azle. Story.

Bush and Chaney Cheney Would Have Never Let That Happen

We would have had tanks rolling into Tehran by sundown. You can do lots of things, but don't take our oil. Story.

Breaking: Local Democratic Party Has Been Taken Off Life Support

Coming into next year's elections, there were only three Democrats holding office in Wise County. (This list doesn't include those not on next year's ballot who are also Republican: District Attorney, Commissioner #1 and Commissioner #3). Earlier this year, JP #1 Jan Morrow switched from Democrat to Republican. Since then, Mark Autry announced his retirement and only Republicans have filed to fill his position. That left District Clerk Christy Fuqua. But no longer. Today she filed as a Republican. In the comments, don't personally attack Christy because I like her. (Yeah, that's unfair, but it's Friday.) In her defense, it's the only way she could retain that office. The shocking number of straight ticket Republican voters - 1 out of every 4 voters - make it impossible to win as a Democrat in the land of Liberally Lean. Edit: I have confirmed, that as of today, there is not a single Democrat that has filed for any of the local races. Edit #2: Local Republican Chair Allen Williamson stands over the bloody battlefield and proclaims, "I am pleased."

News That Confuses Me

Mall "officials" can just seize my merchandise simply because they find it offensive? And what's up with this sentence: "[T]he kiosk owner could pick up the confiscated shirts later but probably would have to pay a fine." A fine? What the what?

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• The locker-falls-on-kid-in-Bridgeport story was on Fox 4 News last night. (Video). I'm surprised school administrators talk to the press so freely about it. Edit: Whoever gave the hot legal opinion in the comments, you're wrong. There is limited immunity, but not in the way you state.
• I've never experienced a White Christmas. And I've never experienced a Christmas Day outside of Wise County.
• Did you see the guy named Kenneth Bain testifyduring his trial before a judge in his accidentally killing two cyclists with his car? I felt sorry for the guy. He received 2 years in a state jail in one case followed by 10 years of probation in the other.
• The case had some problems: Although the defendant had marijuana in his system, his blood alcohol level was only .05. Edit: A commentor tried to school me on retrograde extrapolation. Sorry, hoss, it ain't that easy.
• The judge did something interesting: Since he had the right to access 180 extra days in jail as a condition of the probation, he broke that down to 18 days a year to be served, in part, around the birthdays of the victims.
• A camera's megapixel capacity doesn't seem to be a big selling point anymore.
• I've got a female friend who traveled last night to Vail where she will spend three nights alone in a nice cabin until her family arrives. I'm envious.
• Heck of a tanker truck fire on the tollway last night. (Amateur video which always seems better than professional video).
• I've not seen one crazy and unstable Santa-giving-the-baby-Jesus a present yard display this year. That makes me sad.
• I've got a case that involves three Wise County DPS troopers, three arrests, and firetruck and ambulance personnel who were called out to check on one of the arrested folks when he became light headed. And what crime prompted this massive taxpayer expenditure: A misdemeanor amount of marijuana.
• The indictment referenced in today's Update happened a week ago.
• For Ticket fans only.
• Only nine death sentences in Texas this year. What? Are we no longer barbarians?
• Why can't wallets and purses come with cheap GPS tracking devices to locate them if lost? Note to self: Patent that.
• Bad Metroplex Police: Alleged-intoxicated-manslaughter-cop and provide-alcohol-to-minors-and-watch-porn cop.
• Update on my "not guilty" prediction in a Tarrant County murder trial: The jury has not reached a decision after nine hours. They reconvene today. Edit: Verdict reached. Prediction = Fail.
• This has been criminal news intensive.
• Is there a word that describes when-I-do-this-with-hyphens?