Calling All Restaurant Accountants

From the Update:

If my meal at Pizza Hut is, say, $8.00.  How much is the "per meal profit" of which 20% goes to the "Eagle Dolls."  And what do you think the average daily sales are for a Thursday?

Breaking: Car Just Got Hit By A Train In Boyd

That's all I know. (Thanks emailer, Shawn.)

Developing . . . .

War On Drugs Horsecollars Ex-Dallas Cowboy

Sam Hurd Being Pursued By Undercover Agent

The Feds have nabbed Sam Hurd: 

According to the complaint, Hurd told an undercover operative that he wanted up to 10 kilograms of cocaine and a half ton of marijuana per week "for distribution in the Chicago area."

 Hurd told the undercover that he was willing to pay $25,000 per kilo of cocaine and $450 per pound for the marijuana, the document states.

Well, if you gotta go. Go large.

Very Quiet Political Season In Wise County

Today is the deadline for filing.
DA - Greg Lowery. I haven't heard of an opponent.
CA - James Stainton. Ditto.
Constable in Decatur - Tom Bishop.  I think Dennis Hudson has filed for the position he once held.
County Court at Law #2 - Stephen Wren.  There was news that Marilyn Belew was going to file but I'm not sure that has happened. Edit: Ms. Belew has filed.

Edit: The deadline has been extended to Monday because of a bunch of liberal judges who, no doubt, are trying to make law from the bench instead of interpret law have been meddling with Congressional redistricting.

And Another

Story. We've got a strong charge at the end of the year.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Great lightning show this morning. (Hey, I spelled it correctly!)
• More about it later, but the guy on trial in Wise County for a sex crime received probation yesterday. Absolutely the right and measured verdict in a case with unique facts.  Common sense lives.
• I wonder how business is in the new CVS in Decatur?
• I like high school football, but the "controversy" over the Southlake onside kick against Dallas Skyline gives me Tired Head. It's over. Let's move on. But I did laugh about Dallas City Councilman Dwaine Caraway calling for an investigation because of the "children". (Ticket callback joke.)
• We are officially out of Iraq: Final U.S. Soldier death count is 4,487.  I'm proud to say I was against it from the start. (But on September 10, 2002 I wrote that I didn't think we would invade the country because the public support wasn't there.)
• What would happen to a Poolville man who was on parole after a 25 year sentence for his fifth DWI conviction and then got arrested for DWI again in Parker County and had an alcohol concentration of .32? Mr. Foreperson of the jury, have you reached a verdict?
• Bud Kennedy loves Boyd's Gogo Gumbo.
• Wasn't "High School Musical" a big Christmas player just a couple of years ago? What happened? Everyone graduate?
• What happened to the Boyd child death investigation from two days ago? I haven't heard a word. 
• That wreck in Arlington (post below) was insane yesterday. And it really can't be classified as a wreck. More like a maniac on the loose.
• One guy was killed in that incident while trying to be a Good Samaritan. The risk these days of coming in contact with a nutcase seems to be getting greater and greater, and I wouldn't blame anyone for keeping their distance and calling for help on a cell phone. 
• Sports intensive: Tim Tebow is on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and if you haven't followed his story in the NFL this year you are missing some bizarre entertainment. I first pointed him out to Mrs. LL when he was in college. I knew she was locked into his story when, during the UT/Alabama Championship game, Colt McCoy went down with an injury. She laughed out loud when she read an immediate post-injury tweet of, "Maybe McCoy's shoulder can be cured with Tim Tebow's tears." 
• Starting today, nine (!!!) Texas State Championship High School games will be played in Cowboys Stadium and all of them will be televised. 
• Of all the kinds of death I fear, an Elevator Death had not been on the list . . . 

This sounds crazy in Arlington

Edit: Star-Telegram is doing updates.

Birthers Target Closed Stadium

From last weekend. Story.

Full Cover I Mentioned In Random Thoughts

My view at courthouse while waiting. I do a lot of waiting.

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Stolen from Newsweek: "Every time I look at the economy I think President Obama can't win. And ever time I look at the Republican field I think he can't lose."
• The Kids In The House accused me of having "frown smile."  That's when I try to express displeasure at their shenanigans but I can't suppress that I think a particular event was funny. "Your mouth goes frown-smile-frown-smile-frown-smile!"
• Former SMU runningback and ESPN commentator Craig James is running for the U.S. Senate.  By doing so, he just proved he is living in a fantasy world because he's about to learn what the public thinks of his Helicopter Parenting techniques. (Back on March 7th he floated the idea of running on WBAP, and I wrote then about how he just got roasted by callers.)  Edit: The blow back has already begun.
• A Bridgeport player, Trent Shuett, made the Associated Press 3A All-State High School Football Team. (That name reminds me of "Dwight Shrute.")
• Maybe my favorite character in any movie is Gary Oldman brief appearance playing Drexl Spivey in True Romance (1993).  The movie, which has never received its due, was a precursor to Pulp Fiction.
• I hate the word "gotten" when it is spoken. To see it in print makes me insane.
• I attended a Christmas middle school band concert last night. And I'm still here. 
• College football at the Division III level has a playoff. Sound good? This weekend the same two teams will play for the championship for the seventh year in a row.
• Time announced its Person Of The Year this morning. Who is it? "The Protester".  How generic can you get?
• When Hal Jay on WBAP learned of the Time announcement at 8:04 a.m. he said, "They are a bunch of nuts and low life scumbags that don't want to work."  I'm sure those protesters of the Arab Spring appreciate his characterization. (Have I asked "how does that man have a job?" enough?)
• If you haven't heard about Jerry Sandusky's lawyer's "1-800-REALITY" gaffe yesterday, you've got to read about it. 
• The Update will tell you today, I think for the seventh day in a row, that some changeover on highway 380 east of Decatur is again delayed. Hey, it's a road change. Not the opening of a bullet train to Denton. 

Messenger Above The Fold

Facebook and News

Rest of story.

Mother's facebook page. She has not been charged. Excerpt:

His.

This Can't Be Real, Can It?

Oh, but it is. DPS is launching their own little Navy with six boats at a cost of $580,000.

Insane.

Wise County Trial Ongoing

Pretty small jury panel but they had enough

As far as sex abuse cases go, this one seems pretty routine.  Allegation is inappropriate touching by a stepfather of (I think) a 14 years old stepdaughter while camping at the Grasslands.  The defendant has pled not guilty and is being represented by Paul Belew and David Singleton (who are doing a good job).  Prosecutors are Jay Lapham and Lindy Borchardt (ditto).

The defendant has pled not guilty and that phase of the trial is going on now.  If found guilty, the range of punishment would be 2 to 20 years but with probation as an option for the jury.

I did learn that the jury got a "don't read the blog" instruction from the judge. I suspect their reaction was, "What blog?"

Comments off. Once we have a final verdict, I'll turn them back on.


(For you legal types: I can't say that it's the most riveting trial in the world, but it was academically interesting with regard to the issue of the admissibility of the alleged victim's statements to a nurse when she was sent to the nurse by law enforcement. Does that prevent Rule Of Evidence 803(6) from being applicable?)

Related To The "No Body" Denton Murder Case?

More.

My rant of the year had to be about the murder prosecution of Charles Stobaugh over in Denton when there was no evidence of a death, much less a murder, much less a murder by Stobaugh. He was convicted and given 25 years in prison. The case is on appeal.  I continue to believe that the case will be reversed for insufficient evidence (something that never happens) and an acquittal entered. It's still the silliest prosecution I've ever heard about and a horrible exercise of judgment by the DA's office.

And you know what? If these remains turn out to be the "victim" of Stobaugh (highly, highly unlikely) with Stobaugh's monogrammed knife, confession, and a gift wrapped vial of his DNA left at the scene, it doesn't matter anymore. The prosecution had one shot. And any evidence found in the future indicating guilt is absolutely irrelevant.

But I bet the news today is totally unrelated.

Lohan Making A Comeback! Wins "Afternoon Pick Me Up" For First Time In Years!

And to think you people wanted to see her in jail over the holidays.

Times Are Tough: Drunk Girl Cries Because She Has No Alcohol For Her Formal

I don't want to be a busybody, but you might want to ratchet back on the liquor. What's the line? "Drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son."

But two parts of the video jump out at me. First is the wise guy behind her who tells her, "You can borrow some of mine. No. You can buy some of mine."  That's a business major right there. No need to help the needy when you can make an (inflated) buck on some chick whose concept of  "supply and demand" is undoubtedly out of whack at the moment.

The second line, uttered by the girl, almost made me come around and feel sorry for her.  Brown alcohol makes her sick. But, as she put it, "Brown makes my tummy sad."  You almost don't hate her after that. Almost.