Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• WBAP reported that the Sunset Inn in Decatur sustained heavy damage last night. They even had a reporter up here to report "live at the scene." The same Sunset Inn that was bulldozed last month? (Although I think one of the buildings remained.) 
• Well I'll be: The story even made the AP with reports of a woman being taken to the hospital who was staying at the fabulous Sunset Inn. (And a roof was blown off a four unit condo in Runaway Bay.)
• Edit: Now it sounds like every news outlet is headed to Wise County. 
• How times change: Saw a bit of  the movie "Up In The Air" last night (made in 2009) and noticed George Clooney's character questioned whether a new employee was a technology expert "just because she has a myspace account." Myspace?
• A dirty Mesquite cop was sent to the slammer for stealing fake drug money yesterday. And the federal judge who did the sentencing went on a bit of a rant about how cops in trouble tend to get a slap on the wrist these days.
• Even with all the quality closed circuit cameras these days, 7-11 still has the tape measure strip on its doors so the height of a robber can be seen once he flees. That never made me feel particularly safe to see that when I was leaving. 
• I don't think I remember a (now) 51 year old actor from "The Green Mile" who married a, uh, sixteen year old over the weekend. Talk about getting younger at that position. Very younger.
• It's the longest day of the year. 
• The Longhorns were booted from the College World Series yesterday and the same thing can happen to the Aggies this afternoon. (Why are those games on in the afternoon.) 
• The first big rain after the still-in-progress Flower Bed Project of 2011 showed very minimal drainage damage.  That topic has been a big player in the household. 
• President Obama sent in a 30,000 troop "surge" in Afghanistan in 2009. Today he will announce that number will be withdrawn by the end of 2011. That's a start. 
• The death of the kid at the "rave" in Dallas over the weekend was treated completely differently last night by the media. Channel 8 took the sensational angle by having a kid on talking about the "chaos" of the rave. Fox 4, on the other hand, had three young girls on who spoke of how the vast majority of those attending were there for a good time and weren't high or drunk. (And a great review of the event by an "old man" who attended the event is here.) 
• Defeated Dallas mayoral candidate David Kunkle wouldn't go on the air with Richie Whitt and Greg Williams of The Fan prior to voting day. I think that's odd. (Williams' first interview with Kunkle is legendary.)
• A high profile case in Brownsville was resolved yesterday (below). Two things: The victim has the same name as the Dallas Morning News' sports media reporter, and the judge allowed the defendant to plea "no contest."   That kind of plea basically means, "I'm not saying I'm guilty, but I'll agree that the State has enough evidence that, if believed, a jury could find me guilty beyond a reasonable doubt." Considering the plea bargain was for life in prison, I'm surprised the judge accepted the plea unless the defendant admitted his guilty.