Breaking: Wise County Sheriff Hanging Out With Country Music Star

I'm not sure I have the energy to start a TMZ: Wise County site, but I may just have to.

Lubbock Journal This Morning

Next playoff game this afternoon. I keep telling the metroplex media, with the Cuban connection and with absolutely no history of basketball success, there's a story here.

And I have no idea it this link works from Facebook, but here's a dunk from last night.

DPS to Legislators: Look Out For Those Glitter Bombs Coming From Them Gays

Story.

Hot Girl Making Other People Uncomfortable With Selfies Taking You Into The Weekend

Let's Check In On The #1 Golfer In The World Today

That's on the ninth hole at Doral in the Cadillac Championship.

Teacher Of Sixth Graders Drunk In Class?

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa —An Iowa teacher has been arrested and charged with public intoxication after she was allegedly drunk while teaching students earlier this week. Carissa Bryant, 33, is a sixth-grade teacher at Lenihan Intermediate School. The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office arrested Bryant Wednesday afternoon after the Marshalltown School District received a tip from a staff member that an employee may be under the influence of alcohol. Chief Deputy Steve Hoffman said the incident happened the same day a county deputy was at the school for DARE anti-drug and alcohol classes. “The irony is not lost,” said Hoffman.Sobriety tests were administered and she was charged with public intoxication. Authorities said Bryant had blood shot eyes, slurred speech, and a blood alcohol concentration of 0.19 percent.

Two quick thoughts: (1) The cops were called? Whatever happened to the days when a co-worker/friend would take control of a situation and help a girl out? Yeah, you shouldn't be drunk. And you probably deserved to be fired or suspended, but arrested?  (2) I've got her defense lined out: "You who have taught sixth graders throw the first stone."

I Followed This Guy On Twitter . . .

So much to wonder about. pic.twitter.com/9GvqQY1q79
— Ben Montgomery (@gangrey) March 6, 2015

. . . during the George Zimmerman trial because he is a reporter for at Tampa Bay paper. He posted this today.

The letter is like Christian Brothers Automotive but more direct.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• "The Tarrant County district attorney’s office has asked Grapevine police not to release dash-cam video of last month’s police shooting that killed an unarmed North Richland Hills man because it is considered evidence." Man, how bad is that video? And I bet DA Sharen Wilson didn't "ask". She demanded. 
• I wanted to rent a Rug Doctor again to clean the carpets yesterday but thought I should ask Mrs. LL beforehand since I was going to make a lot of noise. Her response, "Knock yourself out."
• I'm still working on "mindfulness" concept. At this point I just have my toe in the water and thinking "this really feels great". 
• I'm not saying I busted my arse yesterday working from home, but the concept is amazing. I have a paperless office and store everything in the "cloud" so I have every document and all case information at my fingertips. And, with Westlaw, I have the greatest law library in the world on my laptop. 
• I went all out last weekend with walking in the snow at night and sledding with the Family Unit until I was exhausted. On Thursday night at around 11:00 when the snow really came down the Junior In The House was looking out the window with me and (maybe seriously) said, "You wanna go make a snow angel?" I should have said "yes".
• Ran across a tweet by Houston judge Ryan Patrick last night who posted the cover of the most recent Texas Bar Journal which has a cover title of "The Vanishing Jury Trial". He wrote: "Um, not in the 177th. Criminal law is where the action is."  That sends me over the edge. He presides over felony cases which impact lives forever and he flippantly considers it to be "where the action is".  Quick research revealed he was appointed to the job to fill a vacancy, just happens to be the son of  Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick , and describes himself as "Christian, Husband, Father, Baylor Bear & Judge of the 177th Criminal Dist Ct. Youngest Dist Ct judge in TX". Since Harris County is a Democrat county, he'll be out of a job soon. 
• This isn't the best quality Vine, but it's a video of a one car crash this morning which resulted in a huge fire by the Texas Motor Speedway.
• Breaking: Unemployment is down to 5.5% -- the lowest in seven years. And that's without invading a couple of countries.
• BagOfNothing's dog in the snow is pretty cute. Ours loved it but were more cautious.
• Ringling Brothers has decided to phase out elephants from its circus. Donald Trump said he would never go again because "they probably used the animal rights stuff to reduce costs."  Interesting to think that he was invited to speak at CPAC a couple of weeks ago along with every other potential Republican presidential hopeful. 
• Ticket Fans: The Fake Michael Irvin's school closing song yesterday to the tune of In Da Club made me laugh out loud yesterday morning. 
• Former MLB pitcher Curt Schilling is reaching martyrdom status for defending his daughter against cyber-bullies. That's better press than he received two years ago when he was accused of defrauding the government of Rhode Island out out a $75 million loan for his private business that may have never had any chance to survive.

Big Loss For DA Even In Conservative Palo Pinto County

Do you remember this case? A lady high on drugs falls into a freezer and ends up locked in it and dying.  So what does the DA do? Prosecute the gal's husband because he admitted to providing her meth. But it wasn't just a "delivery charge", he charged the guy with causing her death because of the delivery. Really? (I know I yelled about this when I first learned about the charge.)

The defendant was dumb enough to admit to smoking meth with his wife earlier but that's about it. But is there any way in the world a prosecutor could think he could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this particular instance of smoking meth caused her death?  What if her "toxicology report also indicated other substances found in the body included marijuana, hydrocodone and a prescription anti-anxiety medication"? And what if we have an honest medical examiner who actually knows his limitations and ruled the death an "accident"?

Not guilty on causing her death. Guilty on providing her meth. And it's hard to be found not guilty of anything in Palo Pinto County.

Meanwhile, In Bridgeport

@DFWscanner @WCMessenger ...snakes and snow!!! This is one tough snake pic.twitter.com/qwsQ1YuWWT
— Bridgeport Fire Dept (@Br1dgeportFire3) March 5, 2015

Snow Morning Reading

A Dallas Morning News columnist recounts his experience when a a product he purchases doesn't include a component part that is supposed to be included.

I thought this was interesting and a bit odd.  First, Sony is to blame, not Target. Secondly, I'd just buy the missing component part. Sure, there has to be a price that would be unacceptable to me, but I'm not spending two to three hours jacking with that problem unless I absolutely have to.

(And why did he throw in there his speculation of the salary of the Target employee? Especially from a guy who works in maybe the lowest paid industry in the nation.)

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• What an insane snowstorm that turned out to be. I can look out the window forever at that stuff coming down. And I did even after everyone else in the house went to bed. 
• If one more local TV reporter tells me, "If you don't need to go out, stay inside", I might lose it.
• That being said, the live news shots of metroplex traffic this morning show that it is worse than anything over the last two weeks.
• Local Government Awards: Offices of the City of Decatur and the Wise County Appraisal District open later this morning. All others are closed. 
• I owe Alvord ISD and Paradise ISD an apology from last week. I dogged them a little bit for announcing their school closings almost at 8:00 a.m. I didn't realize that they had already delayed opening until 10:00 a.m. so parents actually had plenty of notice instead of being caught off guard at the last second. 
• Even though it is not going to get above freezing until after noon, this stuff will start melting  this morning pretty quickly.  Even when the temperature is below freezing, an unobstructed sun will melt it. (I think it has something to do with science.)
• I'm a fan of the flowering crape myrtle trees, and I've figured out that they bloom generally around March 10th. I hope this weather doesn't ruin that. Edit: Dang it. I meant Bradford Pears.
• There is nothing worse than visiting with a client who is about to agree to a plea bargain that requires prison time even it is the smart and wise thing to do. They are, in a bizarre way, the most intimate of conversations. And I'm devastated afterwards each time.
• There was an argument in the Supreme Court yesterday about the meaning of a phrase within the thousands of words in the Obamacare statute. From a legal standpoint, I'll admit to being clueless because it would take me an hour of serious study to understand exactly what's going on. 
• Pete Delkus was doing a bit on Twitter last night by announcing school closings with the phrase, "I've decided that I will close [name] I.S.D. now".  His comedy is not any better than his forecasting. 
• A radio caller the other day identified himself as a retired forensic hypnotist. I hadn't thought about that in years. DPS used to actually have "experts" that they would use to "hypnotize" witnesses in an attempt to produce repressed memories. I don't think the Texas courts were ever dumb enough to allow such testimony. 
• Does a postal delivery worker smile if he delivers an actual handwritten envelope that looks like it includes an actual handwritten letter? Ninety nine percent of his deliveries have to be junk mail and bills. 
• My obligatory shot at Mark Cuban: Forbes annual list of billionaires lists him at #603 with a net worth of $3 billion dollars. Didn't he have a little more than that in the 1990s after Yahoo! buried him in cash? It's been over fifteen years and he's not been able to increase his net worth?
• GOP Golden Child Ben Carson presidential aspirations slid off into a ditch after voicing his theory on gays. It's not the gay issue that dooms him, it's the fear of his ability to reason. If he sees x there is no telling what his y conclusion will be.
• Jane McGarry now has a full time job at Good Morning Texas. She's an odd bird. Online she is shockingly funny and witty but if you ever hear her interviewed she seems to be boringly normal.
• Commercial disguised as a newscast/broadcast:  I noticed a few months back that various radio hosts on WBAP, The Ticket, and others would casually throw in Fandango, the movie search engine into a conversation. I heard it at least four times in one week. I haven't heard it since.

Official Decatur ISD Twitter Account Causes Comedy For Some And Question Marks For Others

Decatur ISD will be CLOSED tomorrow due to icy conditions. Stay safe & warm! pic.twitter.com/GTsX2PUBJ7
— Decatur High School (@Decatur_HS) March 5, 2015

This made me laugh out loud but will probably cause a question mark form over a lot of heads. The graphic is a reference to The Ticket's George Dunham who does a Fake Michael Irvin on snow days when he announces which schools are CLOSED.

Saw This Being Reported In Various Places

Mexican national killed by Grapevine police had aggrav DWI 3 months ago in Lewisville @wfaachannel8 pic.twitter.com/oNlb6HUZLP
— Todd Unger (@ToddWFAA8) March 4, 2015

I've got a question: What difference does it make?

(And I think I know what he means -- misdemeanor penalties can greater if the alcohol concentration is greater than .15 , but I've never heard of the term "aggravated" DWI.)

Random Newscast Silliness

Pretty funny line.  And, man, that initial look from the gal.

Too Many Cops -- Houston Version

The cops opened a fake modeling studio?

(Credit: Fake Justice Willett)

"Why Do You Think They Call It Dope?"

Someone mentioned this PSA from the 1970s yesterday, and I was able to find it. Pretty bizarre.

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• I've been somewhat in the dark about why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was so intent on speaking before Congress yesterday but I finally figured it out: He's in a heated election set for March 17th and the speech was broadcast in Israel.
• I had someone pretty politically connected tell me yesterday that if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down same sex marriage laws that some Texas county clerks might refuse to issue marriage licenses to gays for religious/moral reasons.  That potential had never crossed my mind. I mentioned that it would seem analogous to a Southern governor standing in front of a school house door after segregation laws were struck down.
• A Fort Worth police officer was arrested for DWI after going out Monday night. (And the Mansfield jail allowed him to exit out the back door to avoid reporters.)
• Bridgeport's basketball team won last night and gets the great joy of traveling to Lubbock for Friday's game as they continue their playoff run.  It's a story with many multiple angles if the metroplex press would pay attention.  
• Far right Republicans tried to block the funding of the President's "amnesty by executive order" action by not funding the Department of Homeland Security yesterday. They failed. Almost all Texas Congressmen voted not to fund it but one who did was Wise County's own Kay Granger. We might want to check her birth certificate because she obviously doesn't love America.
• Some think Speaker John Boehner scheduled the vote on the same day as Netanyahu's speech in order to distract the heat he will take from the Far Right for not strong arming the moderate Republicans into voting no. Not a bad theory.
• I was stunned to see that in a Wise County Criminal Case I'm handling that the officer, after the arrest, notified the arrestee's employer of her arrest and notified a licensing board of it as well.
• Someone in my office has Fleetwood Mac tickets for tonights show in Dallas. And an ice storm is threatening not to be a fan of their music.  
• What happened to all those stories about the U.S. Postal Service being in financial dire straits?
• My commercial-described-as-a-newstory-theory took a twist yesterday when the Ticket's Hardline spent an entire segment promoting a sport website with nothing but glowing praise and with no snark and no criticism.  Trust me, when Corby Davidson says, "It is so easy to navigate", there's a paid commercial going on. 
• Ferguson police officer email about President Obama's first term: “what black man holds a steady job for four years.” I told you having one of those .gov emails could get you in trouble. 

Update From The National Weather Service

My own high tech maps project it to start around 3:00 p.m. tomorrow.

Commercial Disguised As A News Story

I know I may be the only one bothered by this continuing topic, but it drives me crazy. In my opinion, Fox 4 was guilty of it a week ago and now I believe Channel 8 has done it as well.

Video here. It's just weird. A new "lip filler" drug? That can't be newsworthy. The name of the product is prominently featured and we even get to see "before and after" photos showing how great the product works. It is a glowing review. And there is not a single mention of any side effect which you would think would be a no-brainer in an news story. Wait a second. That may be what's going on. If a drug company advertises in print or on TV, they are required to bombard you with warnings required by the FDA. You've heard them -- they are almost comical.  But that requirement wouldn't possibly apply if a company could "convince" a station to run a "news" story about the product. Hmmmm.

I did a quick Google News search for the product and found on the first page alone that there are four other TV stations which have also presented stories about the product. That's a coincidence?

And it is interesting, although I have no proof the two are connected, that the WFAA medical reporter in that story above, Janet St. James, announced she is leaving the station today after nearly 19 years.

If You Need Any Proof That The Nina Pham Lawsuit Is Nothing More Than A Lawyer Publicity Stunt

Look at the lawsuit that was released to the press two days ago by Pham's lawyer before it was even filed -- a tactic which amazingly makes Gloria Allred seem like Atticus Finch.   It has graphics, quotes, and it reads like an article out of People.  Hey, it's been a long time since I've done anything but criminal law, but I'm pretty sure this pleading isn't made for a court -- it's made to get publicity.  And, sadly, it worked. Every local (and national) media outlet was sucked in.

I almost have more respect for those Texas Hammer commercials.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• It's amazing that the federal lawsuit over those ticket holders who did not get a seat at the Super Bowl in Jerry World has gone to a jury trial. Federal. Jury. All over that? The NFL lawyers yesterday told the jury that they are willing to pay for the cost of the tickets as well as all hotel and travel expenses. 
• I'm predicting a Double Not Fake Ice Storm Alert for Wise County tomorrow afternoon.
• Get ready for an insane amount of potholes. (Still love that "Because I'm a pothole!" commercial that has been retired). 
• I'm still not sure what I think about Hillary using a personal email account instead of a government email account when conducting business as Secretary of State. (It sure is big news this morning.)  First, if I'm a high ranking government official, I'm not using email for business at all. Secondly, the last thing I want is an email account that ends in .gov  (or co.wise.tex.us for that matter.) 
• Another police chase last night in Fort Worth with a twist. A cop car was hit as he was headed to the location where the chase had ended without emergency lights. "He stopped at a stop sign and then was hit by a car as he made his way through the intersection." Riiiiiigggghtttt. Injuries ensued. 
• The rescued Family Pup #2 will only walk to the left (her perspective) of the person opening the door for her to go outside. If you move to give her a lot of room to go to the right, she'll just sit there. 
• And there was kind of a disturbing moment with the pup over the weekend when I picked up a spare PVC pipe from the flute project, slightly popped it against my palm, and she took off running to another room. 
• It's behind a paywall (at least for me) but the Star-Telegram elaborated on that crazy murder/suicide yesterday in Benbrook.  A guy goes to an acquaintance house who was dating his former girlfriend. The homeowner goes to the door. Words are exchanged. For some reason, the homeowner fires through the door eventually killing the man. The homeowner calls 911 and then shoots and kills himself. And the woman at the center of this controversy was in the house the whole time.
• DPS just revealed how many new troopers it wants to hire for border security: 250.  And what happens once they are pulled off the border? You know they'll just be assigned to regular duty.  I'd go on my regular rant about Big Government and Too Many Cops but I think we are past the point of no return. 
• I've diagnosed my weird skin condition as an allergy attributable to new shampoo or an excessive amount of jalapeno peppers lately. Or leprosy. 
• Fifty-three Democrats will skip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to a joint session of Congress today. 
• Question heard on the radio yesterday: Is Nina Pham the hottest woman to ever contract Ebola?
• The briefest and most unspectacular "brawl" in the Baylor/Texas game last night ended up with seven players being ejected. (I was fascinated by an assistant Texas coach who ran into the brawl and acted like he was trying to stop a prison riot.)

Grapevine's Fellowship Mega-Church Never Ceases To Amaze

BagOfNothing had a post a couple of days ago about the 25th anniversary of the Church of Bits and mentioned that someone could win $25,000. That certainly got me interested so I had to go and try to find out the details. Yep. a half court basketball shot. I think only five people were selected (probably based upon faith donations and not works) but I'm not exactly sure.

But how bizarre is this? I'm truly stunned.

And You Guys Yell About Jerry Jones Having Too Many Distractions

You know, I've got no problem with this. Cuban is slowly evolving into a bit. Coulter has always been doing a bit.  And those Sharknado movies are so bad that you can't even say "they are so bad they're actually good."

Yes, this pleases me.

I

Watch A College Kid Almost Get Crushed By A Collapsing Goal

My Favorite Stranded Motorist From Over The Weekend

Friday night/Saturday morning. Weather will not stop this girl from getting her party on.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• I ran the Cowtown Half Marathon of Sunday (being caught off guard on Saturday night when they announced it was still on).  The initial part of the race took us through Trinity Park and the ice on the road was insane. After that obstacle course, it was pretty clear. Loved it. 
• It's been a couple of years since I've participated in one of those races and there's a huge change: At the starting line, it looks like Selfie City. 
• To get to the race I had to drive I-30 over Camp Bowie which is where only hours earlier an oral surgeon and two of his assistants slid off the road into a creek. He and one assistant died. 
• Something that should get more press: DPS, right before it asked the legislature to shower it with bags of money for more border security, completely changed the way they calculated the value of drug seizures to demonstrate what a great job they are doing. Overnight, they changed the value of drugs seized because of"Operation Strong Safety" from $181 million to $1.8 billion. 
• I've had a crazy rash develop. It looks like fingernails have been drug across my skin over a four inch area and then, within two hours, it will disappear completely only to show up somewhere else. And then disappear once again just as quickly. It's like a horror movie. 
• Good lord, I saw the headlines last night of LAPD shooting a homeless man, but I just watched the unedited video. (Very Graphic.) Have the cops lost their collective minds in the last two years? Deadly force is the last option. And nine cops can't subdue a guy living on the street? 
• I had the best time sledding on Saturday after we found a fantastic high and sloped hill. Watching kids doing that will make you smile. (And huge credit to the Family Unit for getting up early to go do it.)
• Nina Pham is suing Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas because she contracted Ebola. That's disappointing. (And for you civil lawyers, why isn't she limited to a worker's comp claim?)
• Brian Cuban sent me a tweet on 8:02 a.m. on Sunday telling me I should get a life since all I do is obsess about Sean Hannity and "his family".  Hey, buddy, I'm not the one sending tweets to strangers at 8:02 on Sunday morning.  (I would have responded but my life caused me to be in line for the aforementioned half marathon start at that moment. And why does he care about Hannity?)
• I mentioned last week that ESPN writer Ivan Maisel's son was missing. Check out this tweet from Peter King: "I once lost my daughter in a NJ mall for 3 minutes. Worst 3 minutes of my life. I so feel for the @Ivan_Maisel family. #FindMax".   He was summarily roasted for being tone deaf.
• Texas Republican State Representative Tony Tinderholt was so angry that a Travis County judge authorized the marriage of a same sex couple last week that he filed a (handwritten) judicial complaint. He got so many things wrong that it is laughable. Then I learned this man defending the sanctity of marriage has been married five times. 
• Finally watched the Modern Family episode "shot completely on iPhone 6 and iPad Air 2." I thought it was brilliant. 
• Facts are just coming in, but an attempted murder-suicide in Benbrook last night has to have a crazy back story behind it. 

I Mentioned I Separated My Shoulder A Few Years Back

I'll be dang if that BagOfNothing guy didn't find the video Mrs. LL shot that day and created a gif.  That's some X-Games type air I caught on that jump. I'm lucky I survived.