$21 Million And It's A Fixer Upper?

Deion Sander's home in Prosper, which is on the market, suffered some water damage during the ice storm. More.

Crazy Arizona Sheriff

I follow this guy's Twitter feed because I like to shake my head in bewilderment. (Is he going to extract the organs of the illegal aliens before they die, because certainly he'll load 'em up in his pickup truck and dump them over the border?)

Yesterday he was on Fox saying he was considering a run for the U.S. Senate. And the most recent poll puts him in the lead!

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• The  Messenger, on the second page of today's edition, has an odd story of a local high school couple who were married on Valentine's Day after they had had a baby together. It seemed to laud the guy for dropping out of school his sophomore year in order to earn money to support the child. Like I said: Odd.
• Stolen tweet from last night: The Westminster Dog Show corners the market on chubby-legged ladies to run the dogs around the ring. (The competition was on TV last night.)
• Best In Show is one funny movie.
• For probably my criminal justice friends: Check out this memo from the higher ups at the Harris County DA's office to young prosecutors regarding a "trial competition". It's all about fun and games as they jack with people's lives.
• The elder George Bush received the Medal of Freedom yesterday from President Obama. That man does not look well (and recall he didn't attend the groundbreaking for W's library in Dallas a few months back.)
• Inflation (something we haven't seen in a couple of decades) seems to be slowly creeping in. During all the stimulus bailout (as well as the Federal Reserve's own money creating bailout), I preached and preached that you can't flood the money supply without that happening. Even an economic idiot like me could predict that.
• John Wiley Price caught flak on the news last night for telling some citizens to "go to hell" during a Commissioners' Court meeting. I promise I meant to write in a bullet point last week that he had transformed himself into a 1980s wheels-off activist to the leader of the Democratic Party in Dallas County.
• But if you saw Heather Hay's interview with him last night at 9:00, you would have sworn she was being mind-controlled by the national Fox News opinion makers. It was as though she was asking questions submitted by Bill O'Reilly.
• And I'm surprised Price didn't jump her when she asked whether it would have been better if he "had just kept his mouth shut."
• Although the funniest bit was Republican election judge, Rev. Bill Lovell, whining into the camera that Price had called him a "fat boy."
• Just thought about old Dallas councilman Al Lipscomb.
• I'll keep you updated on the Intoxication Manslaughter case that is going on at the courthouse. Sorry if I won't post comments that contains purported facts about the case.
• I will point out this oddity: Normally the State and the defense get to strike 10 potential jurors with the remaining 12 jurors being comprised from the remaining jurors. But yesterday after a ton of potential  jurors were disqualified, there were only 23 left. Doing the math, if the defense and State both struck 10, there would only be three left and that's not enough. So what did the State do? They offered to go forward and exercise only one strike even though the defense got ten. That way we would end up with 12 jurors and the case could go forward.
• And our Sheriff was on the jury panel. He didn't make it to the jury. 
• "Houston - A model who had the world's biggest breasts has tried to commit suicide after doctors removed her implants."  I'm no psychiatrist, but I'm guessing she has some issues.
• Mrs. LL had her second carpal tunnel surgery yesterday. Finally, finally a light at the end of the tunnel. But, man, she was out of it last night. 
• Someone commented that the Egyptian people were inspired by the U.S.'s invasion of Iraq? Really? Not a chance. And those people may not be able to handle freedom after all. 

I Thought This Story Would Get A Little Traction

DPS is an odd bunch. The troopers follow strict protocol more than any other agency in Texas, yet at the "end" of a chase they tend to open fire with an unusual frequency.  It was just about five years ago when two separate individuals were shot dead in Wise County after a chase.

But, man, they dodged a bullet (horrible pun) when a three year old wasn't killed when they fired into a car this time. This would be nationwide news if that little kid had been killed.

And the only thing the driver was wanted for at the time was speeding.

Story.

Demi Moore Is Still Killing It

New gallery.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• The news was all abuzz over the weekend about a man dragged to death behind a pickup by three men in Milford, Texas. Then we hear last night that it wasn't true at all.
• Got home last night to a dark house, candlelights, three smiling people, and a surprise lasagna dinner. Yeah, my life is pretty much the same as it has always been.
• Courthouse Pet Peeve:  Courthouse regulars engaging in third party light hearted conversations while someone they are there to help/direct/process is looking on with anxiety because its the first time they've ever been through the court system. (If that makes sense.)
• Monday's coverage of the Denton No Body Murder Trial. Still the silliest prosecution ever.
• UTA and UNT set records for enrollment this Spring? I wonder if that's because of the slow economy. And I wonder what the total student loan figure it.
• Decatur Street Sweepers were out in force around the courthouse this morning. I think their main purpose is to blow dust in the air. 
• I'm not saying that the Wise County Courthouse bomb threat was the most exciting news in the world, but you'd think it would at least get a mention on some of the local TV stations. (I didn't see it at all.) In fact, a google news search only turned up this odd little article about it.
• Stopped by to get a haircut late yesterday afternoon and, while waiting, got to hear a 14 year old provide her mother with some hot opinions on abortion. You know, standard stuff about rape and incest that we all hear about while waiting.
• Speaking of, the proposed Texas bill that would require a sonogram before an abortion has the strange exception for pregnancies that are the result of sexual assault or incest or if the fetus has an "irreversible medical condition or abnormality."  So what's going to keep every woman from simply lying and claiming the exception?
• Back to the haircutting place, a guy getting his hair cut beside me mentioned to his "stylist" that he just got a $10,000 raise. I gathered that the last time he got his haircut there he was going for a job interview. Hmmmm.
• The Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition is out. I think it was last relevant twenty years ago. 
• Visa had a pre-Super Bowl commercial about four guys that had traveled to every game (which, incidentally, sounds like a  beating.)  Well, one of the guys became sick shortly before the "big game" in Dallas, had to miss it, and then died last weekend.
• I'm helping with jury selection in an Intoxication Manslaughter case this morning. The alleged incident occurred in 2003.

Iran Ain't Egypt

It's one thing to protest in Egypt, but it's another thing to do it in Iran. The police today coming from a distance is quite the show of force, but I don't know if they are firing weapons or tear gas.

Source.

Updated picture

Lady detained in bomb threat (title edited)

Breaking: Bomb Threat At Wise County Courthouse

Evacuation ordered.

Courthouse was notified by Decatur PD and Fire Marshal.

Developing . . .

Edit: At 10:30 people were allowed to go back in (which one have been one of the quickest bomb searches ever.)  Lots going on up there this morning: Commissioners' Court, Divorce docket (on Valentines Day) and a felony criminal docket.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• I was completely out of the loop this weekend - I may need you guys to update me this morning.
• Ate at Nuevo Leon at Northside on Friday. Not bad. But it was one of those weird experiences where we were going to try something new only to walk in the door and realize that we had been there before.
• And I'm not a complainer, but the service was bad.  I've noticed that in so many places in the last couple of months -- which is odd because with jobs at a premium, you'd think people would work hard to keep them.
• Lady GaGa arrived at the Grammy's last night in an egg. Yep, an egg. Since she arrived one time in a dress made of meat, she's halfway to a Grand Slam Breakfast. (Stolen line.)
• I don't relate to the Grammy's any more. I had no idea who Arcade Fire (best album) or Esperanza Spalding (best new artist) were.
• I actually planned Mrs. LL's Valentines's Day gift three weeks ago.
• WBAP was talking about how much the average guy spends on his significant other on Valentine's. They sited one study that said $116. Really?
• Caught some of Desperado last night. Sucks me in every time.
• Also saw an old episode of To Catch A Predator which reminded me that one time Mrs. LL left me a phone message composed entirely of drops from the Chris Hansen soundboard. Funny.
• The Messenger reported this weekend that redistricting might cause Wise County to be cut out of Rep. Phil King's district. Everyone gripes about him, but he's been unbeatable and that's the only way he won't represent us. 
• Ann Coulter thinks New Jersey governor Chris Christie could be President Obama in the next election. In all seriousness, I don't think a fat guy could ever win the presidency. It's a shallow reason, but that's the way we are.
• The No-Body-Murder-Trial in Denton was put on hold all of late last week because of weather and because the judge had "other obligations." 
• Wrong way driver in Dallas last night (but he was stopped once a cop rammed him). Man, that would be terrifying to see on a highway.

Say What?

There's some speculation that she might have actually have been having a stroke last night.

News Junkie Humor

Credit.

How Not To Push Someone Into The Pool

I've seen this a couple of times today, and keep getting drawn back into it. We, of course, don't condone people acting-like-a-fool and almost ruining the spine of their buddy, but since it's the Ruskies, it's OK.

Man, losing the Cold War has really changed that place. One minute you've got Dolph Lundgren threating to break Rocky, and the next minute they've turned into the real life cast of Jackass.

More Idiocracy

A faithful reader sent me this cell phone pic of an office sign in Denton promoting "Extreme Personal Injury."

(In the movie Idiocracy, a bad comedy about what happens to the U.S. in the future, almost every product had "Extreme" or "Xtreme" in its name to show how kick arse it was.)

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• I'm not sure how the Egyptian President has remained in office for thirty-something years because he knows nothing about public relations (That is, try anything for one day and then abandon the idea: i.e. kill the Internet, send in goons, say the protesters are instigated by foreign interests, say you'll step down, arrest journalists).
• But there is a report that he has fled Cairo this morning. And for all this talk about promoting democracy, the U.S. has supported this guy for decades. 
• Trees will be blooming within 30 days.
• There's a book coming out later this year on the Mike Leach/Texas Tech divorce called Double T - Double Cross. Hmmm, I wonder which side it will take?
• The Family Cat made a break for it out the back door so I sent the Family Pup out there to go get her last night. I'll be dang if they weren't wrestling on the back porch in about five minutes. (Yeah, it's fenced.)
• Blockbuster is putting itself up for sale. I can't imagine anyone who would want to buy it.
• DallasNews.com's paywall is now flexing its muscles. At one point this morning, of the nine "latest news" stories, seven of them were for paid subscribers only.
• The NFC has sent 10 different teams to the Super Bowl over the last 10 years. That means Dallas is one of six teams not to make it.
• The face value of Super Bowl tickets were $800 to $900 and, as greedy as the NFL is, there is no question that is significantly less than the fair market value. 
• I wouldn't call it depression, but I suffer the emotional blahs every year at this time. It's like clockwork. 
• A 77 year old woman was robbed of her $22,000 fur coat and $65,000 ring outside of Nordstrom's at the high tone Northpark Mall in Dallas. Is it wrong it those prices taint my perception of the story?
• I get a little beaten down by someone saying "pitchers and catchers" report in x number of days. Hey, they'll be running around in windbreakers for two weeks. Nothing to get excited about. 
• This is 1970s humor, but I've found the next president of Egypt.
• I couldn't find an update on the No-Body-Murder-Trial. It's the defense's turn but there's no reason for them to put on a single witness -- simply argue the State has failed to prove its case. Yeah, there's a chance a crazy Denton jury could convict but there is no way it would hold up on appeal. No. Way. 
• -28 in Oklahoma yesterday?

More School News

The Dallas ISD Superintendent  is holding a conference at this moment about planned budget cutbacks.  Like the Arlington Superintendent, he is all about gloom and doom.

Above is his preliminary budget reduction plans (just announced.)  $209 million dollars in salaries is a lot of salaries.  Assuming an average salary and benefit of $65,000 (which may be too high or too low), that's a layoff of over 3,200 people.  Or I guess you just slash the salaries of tens of thousands of employees.

Wow.  He said the worst case scenario was losing 20% of the total budget and the best case was 10%.

And how would you like to be graduating this Spring with a degree in education?

Odds

I wonder what the chances are of the "rock hauler" being from Wise County. Is 75% too high?

Full story.