Almost News

I think I speak for all of us when I say, "There's an Oklahoma Panhandle State University?"

All Wise County Teams Lose For Third Week In A Row -- Consider Abandoning Football

Grandview (3-0) 24 Boyd (1-3) 6 Bridgeport (1-2) 14 Argyle (4-0) 44 Chico (0-4) 12 Henrietta (3-0) 65 Decatur (0-3) 10 Prosper (4-0) 49 Nocona (2-2) 56 Paradise (0-4) 35

Friday Afternoon Pick Me Up

Not The Best Way To Start A Day

In Fort Worth this morning.

The Face Of A Criminal Mastermind?

Pic from the Star-Telegram of the goofy kid that got sucked in by three FBI agents. The illegal alien had been arrested on 9/11 for no driver's license.

From The Update

Let me continue to rant on "rulings" by the Medical Examiner. Heck, it probably was accidental. And so far there is no evidence of foul play or suicidal tendencies. (notes, evidence of depression, health issues). But how can a doctor rule it accidental by simply looking at the bodies? A criminal investigator may make that conclusion, but how in the world can you reach that conclusion just because you performed an autopsy? He knows the death was by carbon monoxide poisoning but that's all he knows. Edit: Ok, after a few comments from the haters, here's this scenario. Tomorrow I'm found dead on my couch with my car running in the garage. Accident or suicide? Or would the best conclusion be "undetermined."

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• There's a Michael Jackson Funhouse at the State Fair this year. I wonder if the carnies obtain the appropriate licensing to use his likeness?
• Jennifer's Body looks horrible but has received very good reviews. But I hate horror movies.
• Tony Romo might be a modern day Danny White.
• The "clouds" off of Eagle Mountain Lake, visible from Rhome this morning, were gorgeous.
• One of the convicted Charles Manson family members has died after 38 years in prison. Still probably the most fascinating crime story ever.
• "Imagine the Byron Nelson Pavilion on steroids. And ecstasy. Then, about every 10 minutes, a fight breaks out." - Dallas Observer article describing UFC 103 at American Airlines Center last Saturday night.
• It probably looked like an Affliction T-Shirt convention.
• The State Fair of Beat Down opens today.
• The UN speakers this week proved the world is crazy.
• Why male runners should put band-aids over their nipples before running a marathon: What?
• I've got a buddy that wants me to feature more "thick girls" on the Random Girl of the day pics.
• I saw an energy drink in a convenience store in Fort Worth called "Drank." No kidding.
• Here's a picture of the lone NCAA female football official. I bet she'd clean up pretty well.
• Every girl on Facebook was talking about Grey's Anatomy last night.
• Is that synthesized voice box contraption used on every song on the radio?
• Man, the news coverage of the "thwarted terrorists attack" (see post below) makes you think we almost had a 9/11 on our hands. By a teenager. By a teenager that the FBI was able to discover in a public Terrorist Chat Room.
• The courthouse still plays that goofy "screeching bird" tape to scare of, uh, birds. It pierces the peaceful morning air every day.

Still Trying To Figure Out . . .

. . . if this is huge news or typical government over-hype. Developing.

Edit: I can't tell you how much this is EXACTLY like an episode reported on NPR's This American Life. In today's news, you have a nutcase that hates America but with no support group and no real means to do any damage. So the FBI meets with him, invests a ton of time and effort, gets him to talk about how much he wants to blow stuff up, and then supplies him with a fake car bomb that the guy could never put together himself.

In that This American Life episode, it was the same thing but with a fake hand held missile that the government provided instead of a fake car bomb. It's all part of the government's new role of being pro-active in stopping terrorism. But things are not always as they seem. Instead of catching those which might do us harm, they spend time chasing those who, although they have evil intentions, are so inept and isolated that they could never pull anything off (in addition to being ignorantly oblivious to the fact they are in the middle of a sting operation.) I know none of you will listen to the hour long episode of This American Life. I understand. But it was so eye opening for me, I've listened to it twice.

Thursday Afternoon Pick Me Up

(You have a brief commercial to suffer through.) But the "public reaction" comments are pretty funny.

She's Ok! She's OK!

This is a couple of days old, but it'll stop you down like nobody's business. Watch for the little girl on the sidewalk and prepare to gasp. Those poles next to her saved her life. And I bet those poles are there to keep people from breaking into the place by smashing through the cinder blocks.

50,000 Muslims Expected In Washington D.C.

This sure is getting everyone riled up on talk radio.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• When did Dennis Miller turn into an angry old man?
• Anybody else have weird audio issues with Cowboy game on NBC last Sunday night? It sounded like the crowd was drowning out the announcers.
• I like the Cowboys playing on Sunday night. Waiting until Monday, not so much.
• The right wing is complaining about all the Obama "Czars" but the first one I ever heard of was the "Drug Czar" under Ronald Reagan.
• Uh. Oh. I just did one of those "Oh, yeah? What about you!" arguments, didn't I?
• I haven't had a home printer in three or four years. With cell phones doing what they do, anything I need I simply email to myself and look at it later.
• Richie Whitt of the Dallas Observer suggested that Kayne West interrupting Taylor Swift at the VMAs to praise Beyonce's video was all pre-planned by West, Swift, and Beyonce. You know, I don't rule that out. At all.
• Got a few emails yesterday alerting me to a Tyler teacher stabbed to death by a student.
• The anti-big government folks have been complaining about how detailed the census questions are this year. That's why it's so disturbing that a census worker in rural Kentucky has been found hanged with "Fed" written on his chest. Good lord.
• Hot Sports Prediction: Clemson beats TCU this weekend.
• Viral Video Yesterday: A guy at Texas A&M throws a basketball off the upper level at Kyle Field and through a basketball goal. Fake? Everyone is split on it. It could be done by first throwing the ball and see where it lands, move a goal to that spot, and then try again until you pull it off.
• I'm 100% certain that the opening of Fox 4 News was different last night: Steve Eagar opened the show with the normal teases but in a very dramatic hushed tone.
• In case you think your day is pretty tough, just remind yourself there's some Indonesian woman that just gave birth to a 19 pound baby.
• I blew by Glee last night and saw a high school football scene. They had a #34 on an offensive lineman. I was out.
• Oh, and if you've never seen Glee, all you need to know is that a football team, on the last play of the game with the play clock running, can break into a full dance rendition to Beyonce's "Put A Ring On It" and then still have time to throw a touchdown pass. Yep.

Different Kind Of Afternoon Pick Me Up

Plane Crash At Bridgeport Airport?

As with all my breaking news, this is extremely unconfirmed.

Star-Telegram Story

Link.

Mayor Outlaws Police Chases And Blesses Reporter

More Decatur Dining Carnage

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• The "Estrada" commercial makes me laugh. (It's hard to explain if you haven't seen it.)
• The new FBI "terror warning" about stadiums being hit seems silly since there isn't any "specific threat." Haven't we always assumed that stadiums would be one of the most likely targets?
• Ant killer granules always work for me. And when I spread them, I always like watching the little suckers pic them up and taking them down into the ground.
• There probably is a Swine Flu case in every single school in the county.
• There was an 80+ year old Wise County woman arrested last week on a Class C (equivalent of a traffic ticket) offense of Assault-Offensive Touching. Normally, that's an assault that didn't cause any pain. (I've got her book-in photo. Should I post it?)
• NFL: The two year prison sentence for ex- NY Giant Plaxico Burress for shooting himself in the leg at a club seems incredibly excessive.
• Just try to watch Ann Curry and not cringe. (And you get the extra video bonus of watching cops execute a search warrant by playing video games on the suspects TV.) Credit: BagOfNothing.com
• During Attorney General Child Support Court up at the courthouse the other day, I saw a young girl sitting in the hallway with a baby. And she was pregnant.
• Did a double-take on the suspect arrested yesterday in Dallas for capital murder. His name was Gary Green.
• I don't have the links, but I'm 100% sure that in the last month there have been three separate incidences in the U.S. where 4 or more family members have been killed in the same home by an acquaintance.
• I post a picture of the "Low On Funds" truck and somebody wants to make an Obama comment? Sheesh, man, give it a rest.
• The 17 year old girl that The Knack's My Sharona was written about is now a high tone real estate agent in Los Angeles. (Back story.) And at 47, she's smoking hot. (But it's more shocking that My Sharona was released 30 years ago.)
• Pick up a Messenger today and you'll see the Bridgeport Bulls with play Argyle this weekend at "XXX Stadium."
• Happy Denton County DWI suspect?

The Internet Is Gold Today

Man, it would be so easy to be a parent these days. I'd just plop Barry Jr. down in front of the computer and show him this clip. And then, bam! The kid's never going to be abducted. He also may be socially retarded the rest of his life because he would fear every other human, but at least I'd know where he was. But I'd would have to make one change. If a chick like the one at the :16 second mark needed help, Barry Jr. would be instructed to lead her to daddy for assistance -- you just can't be too careful.

Burned Decatur Apartments Being Leveled

But I'm not sure what the "Low On Funds" is about --- it's written in red paint on the base of the bed of the truck. (Thanks, Jenny.)

More Proof Of Economic Apocalypse In Decatur

Thanks emailer, Matt.

This Was Played On The Big Screen Before The Baylor Game

Edit: Video has been removed. I'll try to track down another copy. Edit: It was a version of this but better produced. I try not to whip you with Baylor football stuff because I know, well, it's a whippin'. But just a tad bit of background: For long over a decade Baylor has been awful. Just awful. Year after year I refuse to get my hopes up because I'm tired of them being dashed upon the shores of the Jordan River. (The last time I had my hopes up was in 2002 and then Cal hung 70 on Baylor in the opening game. Good call on my part.) All that said, this year was supposed to be different. A stellar coach in his second year. The second coming of Vince Young at QB. And a win in the first game of this season over Wake Forest who had beaten Baylor the year before and then went on to a bowl. All was right in the Baptist world. And then came last weekend. Connecticut flew into Waco a 10 point underdog and, in a three short hours, Baylor was 1-1 and looking as bad as they always have. (I stayed in depression until Decatur PD woke from a drunken stupor, handed me my blood and tear soaked Baylor pennant, and told me that someone had posted my bond.) But now I've learned what went wrong last weekend: Baylor actually played the above video on the big screen before the game. And now the Evil Empire has discovered this embarrassing fact and the beat down has begun. Have I not suffered enough?

What The Party Pass Got You Sunday Night

Tuesday Afternoon Pick Me Up: Katy Perry In Honor Of The Rain

More Family Fun At The Ol' Game

It's almost four minutes long, but I promise you won't be able to take your eyes off of it. Never have a white girl and a black man taunted each other so much for so long. And what happens in Obama's America? The white chick gets arrested. Change has truly come. Mrs. Green #9? Link. (Language warning.)

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Can you imagine if the Cowboys had opened the stadium last night on Monday Night Football with the left-outside-Party-Passers stuck in the thunderstorm?
• Speaking of the thunderstorm, I have no idea how it missed Decatur around 6:00 yesterday but it looked like Bridgeport got very, very wet.
• The new Fox 4 morning gal is a Baylor graduate. Yeah, it's only Day Two but she better loosen up in a hurry.
• Fox 4's Dan Henry lost his mind last night saying DFW had the potential for "80 to 90 mile per hour winds."
• If you want to see Tom Delay perform on Dancing With The Stars, here ya go. Awk. Ward.
• One kid runs a go cart into another kid at Texas Motor Speedway, so the Speedway is ordered to pay $11.4 million. (Cue "Little Pink Houses For You And Me")
• I took some heat about posting the pics of the lady fainting in the courtroom last week. I agree with one of the comments: It wasn't the pictures that upset people, it was the captions that appeared to be a bit too flippant.
• There's a new Movie Tavern opening up on W. 7th in Fort Worth? And if you haven't driven that stretch of 7th between downtown and University, you'll be amazed. (Link is to "Hawkeye's" blog from KSCS who I haven't listened to in 10 years, but remember him to be funny.)
• OK, I've got to update my blog list over to the right since Anobiter and Jarhead have reportedly fled to Rio together. I've deleted them and added Crazy Texas Mommy (who has no Wise County connection but has earned a double fake exception because she's funny.) There were a couple of other local blogs you guys mentioned yesterday, but I'm open to suggestions.
• Prosecutors across the state of Texas are headed to Corpus Christi right now for their annual seminar. After they get all worked up about convicting people, they always celebrate with a free kegger on Friday night with a live band. (And I'm not making that up.)
• I think I heard Fall begins today. At least the weather cooperated. And then I powered down when I saw it was going to be 90 again this weekend.
• The Texas Rangers are in dire financial straits (sp) so what happened last night was weird: They allowed Kevin Millwood to pitch, he reached 180 innings for year, and that activated a clause in his contract that guarantees him $12 million next year. For perspective, that's 16% of this year's payroll.
• TCU had a female official, Sarah Thomas, working their football game last Saturday night. I've never seen that before.
• The Ticket talked about the death of the Boyd pastor and his wife yesterday afternoon, and they assumed that it was murder/suicide. Sheesh.
• What exactly is the objective in Afghanistan and how exactly does the mission "fail" if we don't send in more troopers?
• I continue to believe the 9/11 was the result of the equivalent of gang members. It's hard to declare war on a gang.

I'm Predicting Rain In Decatur at 5:44 PM

Edit @ 5:45: Probably should back that time up just a little bit. But this looks nasty.

Channel 11 Here To Cover Boyd Pastor's Death

Credit: Denney Crane

Anobiter R.I.P.

First Jarhead and now Anobiter (formerly Comment4U). What in the heck is going on out there? We've got blogging emotional meltdowns everywhere!

Those Crazy Girl Cage Dancers From The Cowboy Game

I'm sure there's a better pic from last night, but I haven't seen it yet.

Rockwall Bus Goes All James Bond Like

Story and more pictures here.

Press Release: Shocking Boyd News

September 20, 2009 at approximately 6:15p.m. Boyd Police responded to a welfare concern at 457 W. Rock Island, Trinity Baptist Church parsonage. The caller notified Wise County Communications Officers that they were attempting to get in touch with Pastor Robert Worley and his wife Jerry, after they did not show up for evening church service. The caller reported that they had knocked on all the doors, and that they could hear something running inside the garage, possibly a vehicle. Boyd Police Officer Vince Estel was able to make entry with a key to the residence. Estel immediately smelled the odor of vehicle exhaust and discovered a female in the living room area. With assistance from Boyd Fire Department searching the residence, a male victim was located in a back bedroom. CPR was administered to both the male and the female victims at the scene, and were subsequently transported to Wise Regional Hospital in Decatur, by Wise County EMS. The male victim identified as Pastor Robert Worley was pronounced dead at the hospital. Worley’s wife, Jerry, was flown by LifeStar Air Ambulance to Harris Methodist Hospital in Ft. Worth. Although there were no signs of foul play, the investigation continues as a questionable death. Assisting in the investigation with Boyd Police, are the Texas Rangers, and the Wise County Sheriff’s Office. Edit: Channel 11 has a little bit more info, but not much.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Beer theft at a Baylor game (link is to a guy taking photos of a gal caught in the act on Saturday.) Edit: Sheesh. They took the post down. Edit (again): Someone grabbed a couple of the pics before the link was taken down.
• A guy or guys snuck into the Wade Phillips post-game press conference last night and asked him if he missed Jessica Simpson. That was an ender.
• Shocking and shockingly random: There are only two district courts in Waco to handle criminal cases.
• Football for Wise County high schools is not-a-good this year.
• Someone told me that Tech quarterback Tyler Potts looks 35 years old.
• I had a rare "I love my life" moment after jogging on Saturday morning and then walking around the block to cool off.
• Went to Bone Daddy's in Grapevine on Saturday. I like that place. But does every girl under 30 have a tattoo?
• Fox 4's morning show debuted Megan Henderson's replacement this morning. I'm not sure what I think about her.
• John Madden and George Bush sat together at the Cowboy game last night. I would have liked to have heard that chit chat. Or not.
• I think Cowboys Roy Williams is spare, but he sure does block down field.
• There were reports this morning that a ton of folks who bought the "party pass" to the Cowboys game did not even get to go into the stadium but had to watch the game on the big screens outside. That's just strange -- something has to be going on.
• Although the judges on the Texas Supreme Court are elected (how silly), as soon as Gov. Perry makes his next appointment to fill a currently vacant seat, it will make six of the nine judges that have originally began their seat on their court by appointment.
• Wade Phillips has a new act: He no longer cheers on the sideline after a touchdown or a field goal. I'll bet money that he has consulted with a PR guy.
• About those attendants that take your money to park around Cowboys Stadium: If you're Jerry Jones, how do you prevent them from robbing you blind?
• The interception that went off Jason Witten's foot last night was bizarre.
• No offense to the the Evil Empire, but your home crowd of 90,000+ is the quietest bunch of 90,000 people I've ever seen.
• The Cowboys have the "Rhythm & Blues Dancers" (read: strippers who don't strip) dancing on platforms above the crowd?
• And 41 people were arrested at the Cowboy game for Public Intoxication? Wow.

The Evil Empire Becomes Evilererer

The best look is at the 45 second mark. Is that a helmet to helmet hit?