By Deanna Boyddboyd@star-telegram.com An alligator found dead earlier this month in the Trinity River was shot by a fisherman after it attacked the man and his friend in their boat, according to a 911 call from one of the men."We've just been attacked by an alligator, and my friend just shot the alligator, a male caller, sounding alarmed, tells dispatchers, according to a recording released by police. "We need the police down here bad. This is a huge alligator in a creek out here."Although initially unsure of his exact location, the man was eventually able to tell dispatchers that that he and his friend had set their two-person boat in waters off Ten Mile Bridge Road near Robertson Road, upstream of the Fort Worth Nature ... Continue reading →
Fort Worth-Arlington gasoline prices have skyrocketed 17 cents a gallon in just a week, with the average price for a gallon of regular at $3.31, according to a report Tuesday Continue reading →
Parker County BlogPolitics is politics, and incumbents running for re-election in conservative Parker County, Texas, where the local economy is fueled entirely by shale-gas production, want to look like champions of the industry. But what if you're a judge? And what if, at the very moment you put up fliers of Rush Limbaugh's beaming mug, asking, "Why is Rush Limbaugh congratulating Parker County's own Trey Loftin," and it's because he thinks you donkey-punched "Obama's EPA" in a watershed fracking lawsuit ... what if, at that very moment, you're still supposed to be the impartial arbiter in that case? Should Steve Lipsky, who is a party to the lawsuit, and who Loftin has ruled against repeatedly, have much faith in a judge who brags about these ... Continue reading →
A new company - the NOLA Media Group, which will include The Times-Picayune and its affiliated web site NOLA.com - was announced today by Ricky Mathews, who will become its president. The change is intended to reshape how the New Orleans area's dominant news organization delivers its award-winning local news, sports and entertainment coverage in an increasingly digital age. NOLA Media Group will significantly increase its online news-gathering efforts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, while offering enhanced printed newspapers on a schedule of three days a week. The newspaper will be home-delivered and sold in stores on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays only. A second new company, Advance Central Services, will print and deliver the newspaper. Both of the new companies are owned ... Continue reading →
By Bob Coxrcox@star-telegram.com Striking workers at Lockheed Martin shouldn't count on getting support from Pentagon officials worried about the F-35 joint strike fighter program.There have been no discernible signs that Pentagon officials or military leaders are worried that the Machinists union strike -- now in its fifth week -- will affect development and production of the high-profile F-35."I have not heard anyone in the Obama administration expressing concern about the strike, but that may be because a Democratic administration doesn't want to be seen as pressuring or criticizing the Machinists union," said Loren Thompson, defense industry analyst and F-35 advocate.Thompson, an executive with the pro-defense Lexington Institute think tank and also a consultant to Lockheed, recently wrote a blog post that said the administration's pressure ... Continue reading →
Nine out of 10 Texans agree: Congress is the least liked branch of government, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll.They trust the judicial branch of the federal government more than the executive or legislative branches, and more than half of likely voters want the courts to overturn all or part of the federal health care law."Those are thoroughly political views," said Jim Henson, who teaches government at the University of Texas at Austin, runs the Texas Politics Project and co-directs the poll. "Nobody trusts Congress. Democrats trust the president. Republicans trust the courts."Congress is the favorite of only 9 percent of the likely voters in the poll. The judiciary led, with 39 percent choosing it as their favorite part of government, followed by ... Continue reading →
4:52 pm ET - As in Arizona and Alabama, the Justice Department wants to stop an anti-illegal-immigration law from taking effect – this time in South Carolina. The stable of states challenging federal immigration authority is growing. 4:43 pm ET - Chinese hackers sought to steal designs, formulas, and processes from chemical companies in the US and elsewhere, according to a report by cybersecurity firm Symantec. It's the latest example of Chinese hackers targeting a sector of the US economy. 4:42 pm ET - Both the prosecution and the defense rested in the involuntary murder trial of Michael Jackson's physician as Dr. Conrad Murray declined to testify. Cross examination would have been brutal, analysts say. 4:11 pm ET - Two apps, available early next year, ... Continue reading →
By SETH BORENSTEINAP Science Writer WASHINGTON — A privately built space capsule that's zipping its way to the International Space Station has also launched something else: A new for-profit space race.The capsule called Dragon was due to arrive near the space station for tests early Thursday and dock on Friday with its load of supplies. Space Exploration Technologies Corp. - run by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk - was hired by NASA to deliver cargo and eventually astronauts to the orbital outpost.And the space agency is hiring others, too.Several firms think they can make money in space and are close enough to Musk's company to practically surf in his spaceship's rocket-fueled wake. There are now more companies looking to make money in orbit - at least ... Continue reading →
By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTIAssociated Press HOUSTON — The Astrodome was once the envy of other cities, a fully air-conditioned stadium that had a translucent roof to keep out the heat and humidity, the first synthetic grass - and the power to make Houston into a sports-entertainment destination.Walt Disney, according to local legend, was so blown away when he stood under the dome that he dubbed it the Eighth Wonder of the World.Then stadium designers began building venues with retractable roofs. And the Astrodome, in its heyday the proud host to everyone from Muhammad Ali to Madonna, rapidly became a relic of the past.Now, after years on the sidelines, the Astrodome is in the spotlight again. The agency that runs the facility planned to render a recommendation ... Continue reading →
