Tyler PD and TJC join forces, 7 arrests made

Tyler PD and TJC join forces, 7 arrests made: "The Tyler Police Department Narcotics Unit, in conjunction with the Tyler Junior College Police Department, concluded a 2-month undercover drug operation involving one current student and 4 former TJC students along with several other non-students."

Update: Earthquake rocks Eureka, damage widespread - Times-Standard Online

Update: Earthquake rocks Eureka, damage widespread - Times-Standard Online: "

Update: Earthquake rocks Eureka, damage widespread - Times-Standard Online

Update: Earthquake rocks Eureka, damage widespread - Times-Standard Online


A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck Eureka at around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, leaving much of the city without power and police scanners buzzing with reports of damage and injuries.
The quake, which lasted for around 30 seconds, had power poles waving back and forth along Eureka streets and brought panicked residents out of their homes.
The Bayshore Mall, as of 5:30 p.m., had been closed off to customers and employees. It was unclear how many people were injured there, but one employee reported that several people were picked up by ambulances.
Employees also reported light fixtures falling out of the ceiling and floor tiles popping up off the ground. Another employee reported seeing chunks of the ceiling fall onto customers.
Employees

"

Tyler under hiring freeze with low sales tax revenue

Tyler under hiring freeze with low sales tax revenue: "Information from the Texas Comptroller indicates that City of Tyler sales tax revenues have decreased 8.41 percent as compared to this period in 2009."

East Texans Plead Guilty To Federal Drug Trafficking

East Texans Plead Guilty To Federal Drug Trafficking: "US Attorney John Bales announced today that two East Texans have pleaded guilty to federal drug violations in the Eastern District of Texas."

A New Contract with America

A New Contract with America: "

Grab a bowl of popcorn, kick back in your favorite chair and get ready to watch your (least) favorite incumbent congressman squirm. Another election year is upon us. The campaign year promises to be entertaining, passionate—maybe even revolutionary. It feels long overdue.

Republicans have an opportunity that seemed unattainable this time last year. They can reverse many of their 2008 election losses, possibly even reclaiming congressional majorities. But capitalizing on this opportunity will require them to learn from their own past failures—and the recent failures of Democrats.

In 2008, a new wave of Democrats was elected as much for who they weren’t as who they were. Americans were tired of the war, worried about the economy, and cynical about Republicans who said one thing and did another. They allowed themselves to be lulled into thinking that Democrats would be more responsible with the nation’s finances, and they threw their support behind nebulous offers of “hope” and “change.”

Unfortunately, elected Democrats proved to be different animals than candidate Democrats. In 2009, Americans discovered the real Democratic agenda: a big spending, high tax, anti-free market nanny state. The President’s and Congress’s approval ratings have since tanked as many Americans have grown concerned about the new direction of the country.

Let’s face it. Republicans could probably win many elections seats this year based purely on the fact that they aren’t Democrats. But they must do more than merely accept these default victories. Otherwise, their gains in 2010 will be as tenuous as the Democrats’ 2008 victories proved to be.

Republicans need to think about who they are, what they stand for, and what they want to accomplish for America. They need specific goals. They need a vision. And then they need to communicate that agenda to Americans in a simple, straightforward fashion. Importantly, they need to keep their promises once they are elected.

Revisiting the 1994 idea of a Contract with America could accomplish all these purposes. Republicans should propose a New Contract with America.

The writing of the contract would force Republicans to work out, in their own minds, who they are. The presentation of the contract would tell voters what they are getting if—when—Republicans win huge victories in November. Republicans will be most successful if this contract is based on the conservative, small government principles that have served America so well in the past. It should include some of the following, basic ideas.

Repeal Democrats’ health care reform (if passed) in its entirety. Start over. The health care reform bill pending before Congress is an unwieldy assortment of mandates, taxes, giveaways, and bribes, none of which make sense for the fiscal or physical health of the nation. There is no sense in attempting to fix the legislation. It should be repealed. The next Congress should start over, from scratch.

Ensure that House and Senate votes take place on two long-sought, common-sense constitutional amendments: Term limits and a Balanced Budget. The language of this promise needs to be couched in terms of “ensuring a vote.” Vague promises of support for the idea of term limits or a balanced budget are insufficient. Many candidates pay lip service to these proposals because they know that such statements are popular with voters who want to be governed by fiscally sound principles and by senators and congressmen who remember what it is like to live outside the Beltway. Unfortunately, candidates often fail to act on their words once they are elected to office. Legislators know that the “yes” vote they have promised will go against their own self-interest. Unsurprisingly, their actions (or lack thereof) behind the scenes prevent these issues from ever coming up for a vote. A pledge promising best efforts to obtain an up-or-down vote might be the only way to force legislators to finally approve these amendments and place them where they belong: In the hands of the American people, who can choose to ratify the amendments.

Ensure that House and Senate votes take place on a new Federalism Amendment. Some commentators have recently suggested that the “legislatures of two thirds of the several states, [should] call a convention for proposing amendments,” as provided by the Constitution. The idea is well-intentioned, but such a convention would undoubtedly open up a whole can of worms. Some groups would work overtime to ensure that they are overrepresented at such a convention. The convention would inevitably produce many amendments that would harm American exceptionalism more than they would help the current fiscal crisis. Imagine the proposals that are sure to be made. Repeal the Electoral College. Enshrine new “rights” (to abortion? to health care?) into the text of the Constitution. It would be much better simply to propose, in Congress, the few amendments that are really needed. Along with the amendments discussed above, a federalism amendment could provide valuable benefits. It would reinforce the rights of states to decide issues for themselves rather than dealing with unfunded, unwieldy, one-size-fits all mandates handed down by the U.S. Congress.

Return unused stimulus funds to taxpayers. Government can’t spend its way out of a recession. For those who doubted this truth before, the unsuccessful stimulus efforts of 2009 should confirm it. Republicans should commit to reverse course. The accumulation of more and more debt does nothing but handicap this and future generations. Government needs to quit spending taxpayer money and reduce its demands, thus allowing hard-working Americans to help themselves and each other. Republicans need to show that they are committed to such a path.

Restore all tax cuts allowed to expire under this Congress. On January 1, 2010, dozens of taxes were raised due to congressional inactivity. Another tax, the Estate Tax (a.ka. Death Tax) will also return, in its entirety, on January 1, 2011, unless Congress acts between now and then to make the tax cut permanent. This Democratic Congress is unlikely to let this immoral tax die a peaceful death. (No pun intended!) Republicans should pledge to re-repeal all taxes that have expired. Where possible, they should make their decision retroactive. Americans do not need higher tax burdens in the midst of a recession.

Other ideas can be added to this list, perhaps to eliminate earmarks or to ensure that fiscally unhealthy mandates such as cap and trade never become law. But Republicans will be most successful if they keep the list as simple and straightforward as possible. They should avoid social issues, which tend to be divisive, and focus on the unifying, big picture economic items. (Enactment of a federalism amendment would cure many of the social issues anyway, because it would return these decisions to state and local entities.)

Such a strategy worked with great success to focus and unify Republicans in 1994. It could work again now.

"

Lindale Teen's Death Being Investigated

Lindale Teen's Death Being Investigated: "The death of a Lindale High School senior is being investigated by the Anderson County Sheriff's office after the 18-year-old was found dead in a home where she spent the night."

Bullard Chamber Of Commerce Banquet Is Jan. 25

Bullard Chamber Of Commerce Banquet Is Jan. 25: "By KELLY GOOCH"

Wood County Hands Up 29 Indictments Dec. 15

Wood County Hands Up 29 Indictments Dec. 15: "A Wood County grand jury handed up 29 indictments Dec. 15. True bills released this week are:"

A Group of Gideons hand out Bibles to public school students. The ACLU says 'No."

A Group of Gideons hand out Bibles to public school students. The ACLU says 'No.": "

Tyler---

Do you think it's okay for copies of the Bible to be handed-out to public school studens?

read more

"

Phantom zip codes also found in Virginia

Phantom zip codes also found in Virginia: "

VIRGINIA - As much as $9.5 million in federal stimulus dollars went to 14 zip codes in Virginia that don’t exist or are in other states, Old Dominion Watchdog (http://virginia.watchdog.org) reports. The fake zip codes were listed on Recovery.gov, the federal Web site that is supposed to track how the stimulus money is being used.

read more

"

3 key Democrats ditch re-election plans

3 key Democrats ditch re-election plans: "

WASHINGTON – With the 2010 election year barely under way, two senators and one governor — all Democrats — ditched plans to run for re-election in the latest signs of trouble for President Barack Obama's party.

Taken together, the decisions by Sens. Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Byron Dorgan of North Dakota as well as Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter caused another bout of heartburn for Democrats as they struggle to defend themselves in a sour political environment for incumbents, particularly the party in charge.

read more

"

Hackney Joins District 11 Race

Hackney Joins District 11 Race: "Cherokee County native, Dr. Richard Hackney, filed as the lone Democratic candidate for State Representative in District 11 held by former Democrat Chuck Hopson, R-Jacksonville."

Grand Saline Doctor Facing Assault, Public Lewdness Charges

Grand Saline Doctor Facing Assault, Public Lewdness Charges: "GRAND SALINE -- A doctor is facing charges of assault and public lewdness after an alleged incident at a local hospital."

Winona's natural gas shut down

Winona's natural gas shut down: "The natural gas system for the city of Winona is down this morning."

It's Raining Stimulus Money

It's Raining Stimulus Money: "

The federal stimulus package has been controversial to say the least.

So, where did it go and specifically, how did East Texas fair in the stimulus sweepstakes?

The American recovery and reinvestment act totaled $787-billion.

Texas got $8-billion of that, and Smith and Gregg counties together received a little over a hundred million dollars.

The overwhelming majority of that money went to roads, but the two counties had very different priorities.

Smith County received just over $90-million, and $74-million of that went to Loop 49.

read more

"

Preparing for record temps

Preparing for record temps: "

TYLER-The coldest temperatures in more than a decade are on there way and there are a couple of things you should do to get ready.

'What we're worried about is the fact that there's such cold temperatures behind this front,' KETK Meteorologist Katie Green said. 'We haven't seen temperatures this cold in fourteen years.'

The last time it was this frigid was back in February of 1996, when we hit a record nine degrees. And according to Green, we maybe just as bad this week.

read more

"

Tyler Water Utilities issues warning to protect pipes

Tyler Water Utilities issues warning to protect pipes: "

***NEWS RELEASE***

Weather predictions for this week are indicating Tyler may experience severe freezing conditions from late Wednesday through Saturday which can damage exposed plumbing and piping. Tyler Water Utilities urges customers to protect exposed piping and exterior faucets by:

• Insulating piping using split pipe insulation or heat tape. (Wrapping with layers of newsprint, taped in place can also provide a level of insulation);

• Covering or wrapping outside faucets;

• Allowing exterior faucets to drip during freezing conditions; and/or,

read more

"

DNA matches solve few crimes, police admit

DNA matches solve few crimes, police admit: "

Spokesman seeks to defend controversial database before Commons home affairs select committee

Only 33,000 of the 4.9m crimes the police recorded last year were solved as a result of a match on the national DNA database, police admitted today .

However, Chief Constable Chris Sims, the Association of Chief Police Officers' spokesman on the DNA database, told MPs it had played a much more significant part in the detection of serious and specific offences. He said DNA matches had played a crucial role in solving up to 40% of detected burglaries.

Sims, the West Midlands chief constable, was defending the rapid growth of the police DNA database in England and Wales, and the continued retention of DNA profiles of innocent people who have been arrested but never convicted of an offence.

He was giving evidence to an inquiry by the Commons home affairs select committee inquiry into the DNA database, which is the largest in Europe. Sims admitted there wide variations in the approaches of the 43 chief constables across England and Wales to requests from innocent people for the removal of their DNA profiles.

Keith Vaz, the committee chairman, challenged senior police officers over the 'negligible' rate of DNA detections, saying this amounted to only 0.67% of recorded crime.

He also raised concerns that the government's latest crime and security bill, which will put the deletion from the database of DNA of innocent people on a statutory basis, may not reach the statute book this side of the general election.

In the face of such criticism, the Home Office minister, Alan Campbell, defended the record of the DNA database. He said it had played 'an absolutely critical role in the fight against crime', and been crucial in cases such the murder of Sally Anne Bowman, who was stabbed to death outside her Croydon home in 2005.

Campbell said he was hopeful the crime and security bill, which includes the new retention regime for the DNA database, would have its Commons second reading later this month and would make significant progress before the election.

The Equalities and Human Rights Commission said yesterday it had 'grave concerns' that the government's proposals to keep DNA data from convicted people indefinately, regardless of the seriousness of the crime, remains incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

The commission's legal director, John Wadham, said: 'Winning that fight must not come at the expense of the violation of the rights of innocent people.'

• DNA database
• Crime
• Surveillance

Alan Travis

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

"

Fire at Peete Elementary School

Fire at Peete Elementary School: "

***NEWS RELEASE***

read more

"

Lawsuit for food stamps

Lawsuit for food stamps: "

AUSTIN - A group of legal aid lawyers is suing the state for allegedly taking too long to decide whether needy families will receive food stamps or not.

The Health and Human Services Department is being ordered to comply with the rules that require decisions on food stamp applications to be made within 30 days.

The state only processed about half of all applications in time in one recent month.

The group of attorneys suing claims some families are having to wait up to six months before being told whether or not they will receive assistance.

"

Saving money on energy expenses

Saving money on energy expenses: "

TYLER - Last winter consumers got a break at the gas pump as gasoline prices plunged.

Now this year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, consumers will pay less to heat their homes.

According to a report by the U.S. energy information administration, the average U.S. household will see its heating bill fall by eight percent, due mainly to less demand for energy from a recession-ravaged economy, and a build up of energy supplies.

Though this bit of relief will give your wallet a little break, many hope to try and save a lot more.

read more

"

Wreck causes power outage

Wreck causes power outage: "

TYLER-Hundreds of Tyler residents will be waking up this morning to no power. An early morning car accident near the Old Delek Refinery has caused a mass power outage in the area.

Oncore officials are on scene trying to restore power.

More details to come.

"