Texas Seizes Polygamist Group's Ranch in West Texas by Terri Langford April 17, 2014

Texas Seizes Polygamist Group's Ranch in West Texas

• by Terri Langford, The Texas Tribune
• April 17, 2014

Seven years after Texas officials removed hundreds of children from their polygamist parents, state and local authorities seized the sprawling 1,700-acre Yearning For Zion Ranch this week outside Eldorado, bringing to a close a bizarre chapter involving fundamentalist Mormons whose leaders were eventually convicted for their participation in marriages to teen girls.

In a statement released Thursday, Texas Department of Public Safety officials said they seized the property and that the few remaining residents living there had agreed to leave.

The property was forfeited to the state because it was used in criminal activity, according to a seizure warrant in the case.

“At approximately 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 16, the Schleicher County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety met with current residents of the property and provided them with copies of the court orders applicable to the forfeiture,” the statement said.

On April 3, 2008, caseworkers with the Texas Department of Child Protective Services, operating on a tip, entered the ranch to question members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as FLDS, about reports that teen girls were married to adult men in the community.

Hundreds of FLDS members had relocated to West Texas in 2003 from Utah and Arizona. The group, a sect disavowed by the Mormon Church, practices polygamy.

Although the call that led Texas investigators to the ranch was proven to be a hoax, CPS removed 439 children as a precaution. The subsequent litigation to reunite the children with their families and the prosecution of 11 church members, including leader Warren Jeffs, dragged on for years. Ten of the 11 were convicted on child sexual assault charges. The child abuse investigation cost state taxpayers more than $12 million. 

The Texas Attorney General's Office filed for the seizure of the property in 2012. The FLDS did not fight the action and the 51st District Court entered a default judgment. Jerry Strickland, a spokesman for the Texas Attorney General's office declined to say what the state will do with the property. 

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://www.texastribune.org/2014/04/17/texas-seizes-polygamist-groups-ranch-west-texas/.

new-lawsuit-filed-against-hospital-in-wake-of-texas-abortion-law APR 17, 2014

http://www.aclutx.org/2014/04/17/new-lawsuit-filed-against-hospital-in-wake-of-texas-abortion-law/

North Dakota abortion ban ruled unconstitutional 04/16/14 01:27 PM—UPDATED 04/16/14 08:36 PM

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Pharrell Williams Cries On 'Oprah Prime' Watching People Around The World Dance To 'Happy' (VIDEO) Posted: 04/15/2014 12:28 pm EDT Updated: 04/16/2014 4:59 pm EDT http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/15/pharrell-williams-oprah-crying-happy_n_5153464.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

Latino State of the Union 2014

TribCast: Immigration, a Grand Jury and Libertarians by Reeve Hamilton April 16, 2014 http://www.texastribune.org/2014/04/16/tribcast-immigration-a-grand-jury-and-libertarians/

TribCast: Immigration, a Grand Jury and Libertarians

• by Reeve Hamilton, The Texas Tribune
• April 16, 2014

Reeve, Ross, Evan and Alexa discuss a televised debate on immigration policy, recent scrutiny of Gov. Rick Perry's handling of Travis County's Public Integrity Unit, and the Libertarian Party's state convention.

Download audio file

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://www.texastribune.org/2014/04/16/tribcast-immigration-a-grand-jury-and-libertarians/.

Abortion Providers' Request for Preliminary Injunction http://www.texastribune.org/2014/04/16/judge-denied-relief-abortion-clinic-lawsuit/

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Judge Denies Relief for El Paso Abortion Clinic by Cathaleen Qiao Chen April 16, 2014 Texas Tribune

Judge Denies Relief for El Paso Abortion Clinic

• by Cathaleen Qiao Chen, The Texas Tribune
• April 16, 2014

A federal judge on Wednesday denied an El Paso abortion clinic temporary relief from a new state requirement that physicians who provide abortions obtain admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of an abortion facility.

As part of a second lawsuit filed by a coalition of abortion providers against strict abortion regulations passed by the Republican-led Legislature in July, the Center for Reproductive Rights and its allies sought a temporary restraining order for the Reproductive Services clinic in El Paso.

Earlier this month, doctors at the clinic lost admitting privileges at a nearby hospital, forcing the clinic to cancel future appointments.

At Wednesday's court hearing, District Judge Lee Yeakel rejected the abortion provider’s claim that women in the area now face an "undue burden" by having to travel across the state border to New Mexico to obtain abortions.

“We can slice it and dice it any way we want and talk about the exceptions and differences,” Yeakel said at the hearing. But he added that the evidence presented to him did not satisfy the “full elements necessary” for temporary relief from the admitting privileges rule, which supporters say improves safety standards.

Stephanie Toti, a senior staff attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is representing the coalition of abortion providers, argued that the admitting privileges rule would force abortion seekers in El Paso to travel to New Mexico, where providers are not required to have privileges.

“It’s the very definition of arbitrary,” said Toti, adding that many impoverished women in El Paso have limited access to transportation.

State attorney Jimmy Blacklock argued that the 5^th Circuit Court of Appeals already rejected these claims in another lawsuit — filed by the same coalition of abortion providers — that challenged the hospital admitting privileges provision.

“It feels like we were just here,” Blacklock said. “We’ve got the same parties, the same lawyers, and the 5th Circuit has just ruled and we’re all bound to follow that decision.”

Following Yeakel's decision, the abortion providers withdrew a request for temporary exemption that involved another clinic, Whole Woman’s Health in McAllen, which recently closed as a result of the new regulations.

“We’re disappointed that the judge denied our request for temporary relief,” Toti said. “But we’re still hopeful that ultimately justice will prevail in this case and that safe, high-quality abortion services will continue to be available for women in Texas.”

The coalition of abortion providers will proceed with the lawsuit, which also challenges new regulations that require abortion facilities to meet the same structural standards as ambulatory surgical centers.

There are currently six ambulatory surgical centers that perform abortions in five of the state's major cities: Austin, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth and San Antonio. To continue providing abortions, the remaining 22 licensed abortion providers in the state — only 18 of which still perform the procedure — must upgrade their facilities to meet ambulatory surgical center requirements by September, when the rules go into effect.

Several other lawsuits that involve similar admitting privileges provisions are making their way through federal courts in other states. Yeakel said it’s likely that at least one of the cases will reach the U.S. Supreme Court. In his final remarks, he encouraged both parties to expedite their litigations plans.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://www.texastribune.org/2014/04/16/judge-denied-relief-abortion-clinic-lawsuit/.

PAC to Shut Down After Name Draws Furor Texas Tribune

PAC to Shut Down After Name Draws Furor

• by Aman Batheja, The Texas Tribune
• April 16, 2014

A Texas political action committee called Boats 'N Hoes PAC will be just a memory by Thursday, according to the Republican political consultant who is the boss of the man who started it.

Houston consultant Allen Blakemore confirmed Wednesday evening that his firm’s bookkeeper, Shaun Nowacki, started the PAC, which is a reference to a song from the 2008 film Step Brothers. The committee will be dissolved on Thursday, Blakemore said.

Blakemore said Nowacki was contrite about the controversy created by the PAC’s name, which surfaced on social media Wednesday afternoon. Nowacki filed paperwork with the Texas Ethics Commission to create the PAC on April 1 and named himself treasurer. The PAC has not filed any fundraising reports since its creation two weeks ago. It is the only PAC Nowacki is listed with on the Texas Ethics Commission’s website.

Nowacki did not respond to several requests for comment Wednesday.

The Texas Democratic Party immediately denounced the PAC and noted the tie to Blakemore, who has consulted for several high-profile Republicans and is the senior strategist for state Sen. Dan Patrick's campaign for lieutenant governor. 

“Texas Republicans say they want to reach out to women, to be more inclusive, but actions like this reinforce a pattern of disrespect,” Texas Democratic Party spokeswoman Lisa Paul said in a statement. “There’s no defending the use of a derogatory and offensive term like ‘hoes’. How can women possibly take the GOP rebranding effort seriously? Their consistent contempt towards women is simply unforgivable.”

Both leading candidates for governor, Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott and Democeratic state Sen. Wendy Davis, denounced the PAC's name. A spokeswoman for Davis' campaign referred to Blakemore & Associates as "Greg Abbott's consultants." State records show Texans for Greg Abbott last hired Blakemore & Associates in 2004.

Ross Ramsey contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://www.texastribune.org/2014/04/16/boats-n-hoes-pac-shut-down-after-name-draws-furor/.

Selena The Last Concert 1995-Completo

Davis Continues Attacks on Abbott's Education Proposals by Aamena Ahmed April 14, 2014

Davis Continues Attacks on Abbott's Education Proposals

• by Aamena Ahmed, The Texas Tribune
• April 14, 2014

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis on Monday accused Republican opponent Greg Abbott of proposing increased testing and denying equal access to pre-kindergarten education. 

“We cannot afford another political insider like Greg Abbott,” Davis told supporters at the Texas State Teachers Association in Austin. She said Abbott "believes it’s a good idea to impose outdated, backward-thinking standardized tests onto 4-year-olds so that he can pick and choose which of our children get a fair shot and which do not.”

Abbott, the state’s attorney general, has been under fire from Democrats and education advocates for language in a policy proposal that appears to call for the biannual testing of pre-kindergarten students. Although Abbott’s campaign said last week that his plan does not call for such tests, Davis hasn't let up on the attacks.

Appearing with several Democratic lawmakers — state Rep. Donna Howard of Austin and state Sens. José Rodríguez of El Paso and Kirk Watson of Austin — Davis framed her criticism of Abbott in the context of recent legislation that drops the number of required state standardized tests for high school students, and said his proposal would deny pre-K education to many students.

“Under that plan, only some children would get a chance,” Davis said. “Other children in the state would simply lose out.”

The Republican's campaign has said his proposal would not require those tests. “Greg Abbott’s plan does not impose standardized testing, and it removes the mandates from Austin and gives genuine local control and flexibility to school districts,” Matt Hirsch, a spokesman for Abbott, said in a statement. Hirsch told The Texas Tribune last week that assessment methods mentioned in the attorney general’s plan were “there for informational purposes only.” 

In the past, Davis has also criticized Abbott for defending — in his role as the state's lawyer — $5.4 billion in cuts lawmakers made to public education in 2011, including $200 million for pre-K programs.

Davis, who has attempted to make her support of education a key factor in the governor’s race, discussed her proposal to increase access to full-day pre-K programs. Her plan would restore the 2011 education cuts, add full-day pre-K and step up recruitment of quality teachers. Abbott has criticized her for not putting a price tag on the proposal.

Davis previously unveiled other education ideas, including a proposal to increase the number of teachers in Texas and a proposal to make college more accessible through early college high schools and dual credit programs. 

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://www.texastribune.org/2014/04/14/davis-continues-attacks-abbotts-education-policy/.