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Monday, July 7, 2008
Officials say falling wall caused Teague firefighter’s death
State fire investigators Monday said Teague Volunteer Fire Chief Robert Knight died after a brick wall fell on him while he was battling a downtown Teague blaze Saturday.
Knight was taken at 5:30 p.m. Saturday by medical helicopter to a hospital in Tyler, where he died three hours later. He was 42.
The fire took place at an auto body shop in downtown Teague, said Teague City Administrator Don Doering. The fire was intensified by various chemicals kept at the shop, said Jay Evans, an investigator with the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Knight, a railroad employee, had served on the Teague Volunteer Fire Department for the last 19 years. He is survived by his wife, a son and two daughters.
A visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at Bowers Funeral Home in Teague. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at First Baptist Church in Teague with burial following in Greenwood Cemetery.
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What a difference an area code can make
We had a brief in today’s paper about a meeting from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. today for those interested in The Waco Scrabble Club. The meeting is at at Taco Bueno, 801 S. Fifth St., where the club meets each Monday.
We also told readers they could call one of the club’s founders, Kayla Wood, for more information. Unfortunately, the number we published did not include the area code. So, for those of you ready to Scrabble, you may call Kayla at (832) 656-3177 or e-mail good2bewood @yahoo.com.
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2 restaurants sign up for space on Waco Town Square
Two well-known local restaurants will be the first retail tenants of Waco’s new Town Square, the restaurant owners and developers said Monday.
By the end of September, the downtown Olive Branch cafe and bakery will move to Fourth Street and Austin Avenue, while Rosati’s Pizza will open a second Waco-area location at Third and Franklin.
The restaurants will be part of a $75 million development around Heritage Square that also includes more than 100 loft condos, a student housing complex and spaces for two dozen businesses.
“We’re tickled to death having two local success stories, two strong local brands to anchor Town Square,” said Michael Wray, managing partner of the Town Square project.
Olive Branch owner Leah Stewart said the Town Square location, with indoor and outdoor seating, will mean more drop-in business than her current digs at Sixth Street and Franklin Avenue.
The cafe will now open on Saturdays and will prepare desserts and upscale “tapas” or appetizers for an adjacent nightspot called the Square Bar. Wray himself is planning to own that business.
Stewart said she will benefit from the combined marketing efforts of businesses at Town Square.
“I like being part of something that’s bigger than just my business,” she said.
Pete Futris and Scotty Hermann opened Rosati’s on Hewitt Drive two years ago and have been looking for a second location for the Chicago-style pizzeria.
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West 18-year-old pleads guilty in cousin’s death
Lacy Leann Kutscherousky, 18, pleaded guilty this morning in Waco’s 54th State District Court to second-degree felony intoxication manslaughter in the March 10, 2007 death of her cousin.
Authorities have said that Kutscherousky, of West, was driving a 1998 Ford pickup on Old Dallas Highway when it left the roadway and overturned in a ditch. Her cousin, Ashton Marek, 19, also of West, was killed.
Police said tests showed Kutscherousky had a blood-alcohol level of 0.17, which is twice the legal limit.
A jury will be chosen this afternoon so that the sentencing phase can begin Tuesday morning. She could receive probation up to 20 years in prison.
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State office probing death of Teague fire chief
Investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s Office are at the downtown Teague building today where the city’s volunteer fire chief died after fighting a blaze Saturday.
Robert Knight, 42, died in a hospital in Tyler Saturday where he was being treated for his injuries. The investigation is now solely being conducting by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
After this morning’s investigation, representatives from the office are expected to hold a press conference at 2 p.m. today in front of Teague City Hall.
Knight was a longtime resident of Teague and a 1988 graduate of Texas A&M University, his obituary said. He joined the Teague Volunteer Fire Department in 1989 and became chief in 1999, it said. He also had volunteered as a paramedic. Knight is survived by his wife, son and two daughters.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at First Baptist Church in Teague followed by burial at Greenwood Cemetery. Visitation will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Bowers Funeral Home in Teague.
The family has requested memorials be made to the Teague Volunteer Fire Department or First United Methodist Church in Teague.
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New words added to dictionary
When you’re in the news business, we’re all about words and sharing information in the most exacting way. Well, we strive for exactness and don’t always succeed.
But the news today is that Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary has officially added about 100 new words, including “mondegreen,” which describes words mistaken for other words.
Read more about the new words in this fun story.
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Update: Obama’s plane makes unscheduled landing
The airplane carrying Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama made a safe, unscheduled and precautionary landing in St. Louis today after a flight control problem arose en route from Chicago to Charlotte, N.C.
The plane, an MD-80 Midwest charter, experienced a problem maintaining the proper pitch, or control over keeping the nose at the proper angle, as it was taking off from Chicago, the pilot said.
Laura Brown, an FAA spokeswoman, said the plane did not declare an emergency, but simply “requested a diversion for mechanical issues they called a flight control problem.”
As the plane was being evaluated on the ground here, Obama was reading the paper in the front of the plane, but ventured briefly to chat with the press at one point.
“I just thought we’d spice things up a little bit today,” Obama said, smiling and joking.
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We’ve got your July 4th pics
I know. The Fourth of July has come and gone as quickly as a firecracker explodes. But you can relive the Independence Day spirit online through our many photographs taken at parades and celebrations.
While you’re there, take the time to vote on our “Star-Spangled Snapshots,” with categories that include “Most patriotic,” “Cutest baby,” “Cutest smile,” “Dandiest dog,” “Best hat,” and even “Enough already!”
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Kidman gives birth to baby girl
A publicist for Keith Urban says his wife, Nicole Kidman, has given birth to a baby girl in Nashville.
We know how you love to keep up with the latest births to celebrities in the entertainment world.
In a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press, the publicist said, “Nicole and Keith Urban are delighted to announce that Nicole Kidman gave birth to a baby girl on Monday morning, July 7, 2008, in the United States. Sunday Rose Kidman Urban weighed 6 pounds, 7 ½ ounces. Husband Keith was by Nicole’s side and mother and baby are very well.”
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Obama’s plane makes unscheduled landing
Just was sent an Associated Press news alert that that the airplane carrying Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama made a safe, unscheduled landing in St. Louis because of a maintenance issue.
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Bertha becomes Atlantic’s 1st hurricane
Tropical storm Bertha has strengthened to become the first hurricane of the Atlantic season.
As of 4 a.m. CDT today, Hurricane Bertha was about 845 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center say it is too early to say if or where the storm will hit land.
Maximum sustained winds have increased to speeds of 75 mph with higher gusts. Some strengthening is expected during the next couple of days.
Bertha is headed west-northwest at about 17 mph.
The first named storm this year, Arthur, formed in the Atlantic the day before the season officially started June 1 and soaked the Yucatan Peninsula.
— The Associated Press
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South Carolina plans license plate for Christians
CNN has this story today that South Carolina drivers may soon be able to profess their Christian faith with a state-issued license plate.
The state plans to issue plates featuring a Christian cross and the words “I Believe,” but a group advocating the separation of church and state says that goes too far.
A similar design had been considered by Florida’s lawmakers (shown at right), but it was rejected there because of concerns over separation of church and state.
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Train derailment dumps coal into Yellowstone River
Authorities in Montana say high water eroded part of the ground beneath railroad tracks and caused a train derailment near the town of Forsyth.
Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railway spokesman Gus Melonas says nine of the train’s 123 coal cars and one of its locomotives derailed early today in a rural area of eastern Montana.
Some of the coal has spilled into the Yellowstone River. No injuries have been reported.
Melonas says about 125 feet of track collapsed under the weight of the train.
He said the derailment would not delay any passenger rail travel.
— The Associated Press
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A-Rod’s wife alleges infidelity in divorce papers
The wife of New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez has filed for a divorce in a Miami court. Cynthia Rodriguez cited the All-Star’s alleged infidelity in her Miami-Dade County Family Court filing today. She said Rodriguez has “emotionally abandoned his wife and children.”
The filing comes days after the Yankees third baseman was linked to Madonna in several media reports. His wife later visited the Paris home of rocker Lenny Kravitz, who said she came to France to escape the media frenzy in New York and denied anything improper happened.
Alex Rodriguez has refused to comment on his relationship with Madonna. The pop star has denied any romantic involvement with him.
Cynthia Rodriguez is seeking primary custody of the couple’s two children. The two have been married since November 2002.
— The Associated Press
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Bush, new Russian president begin talks
President Bush and new Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stood united today on issues like Iran and North Korea. But for all their handshakes and smiles, it is clear that thorny issues like missile defense are in a holding pattern until a new U.S. president takes office, the Associated Press writes today.
In their first sit-down as heads of state, Bush called Medvedev a “smart” guy who is well versed in foreign policy. Medvedev casually referred to Bush as “George.” Yet they inched no closer on the missile defense issue during their more than hour-long discussion on the sidelines of a summit here.
A Kremlin aide described the private meeting as open and constructive, but said it led to no progress on the missile-defense issue.
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Deadly blast in Afghan capital kills 40
A car bomb ripped through the front wall of the Indian Embassy in central Kabul on today, killing 40 people in the deadliest attack in Afghanistan’s capital since the fall of the Taliban, officials said.
The massive explosion detonated by a suicide bomber damaged two embassy vehicles entering the compound, near where dozens of Afghan men line up every morning to apply for visas.
The embassy is located on a busy, tree-lined street near Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry in the city center. Several nearby shops were damaged or destroyed in the blast, and smoldering ruins covered the street. The explosion rattled much of the Afghan capital.
— The Associated Press
Here’s a list compiled by AP of major insurgent attacks in Afghanistan since 2001.
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Good morning, Waco; back to workweek
After a long July 4th weekend, it’s back to work from most of us. We should reach a high around 97 degrees, which was Sunday’s official high. There is a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon, but those will be popping up isolated spots.
The heat index will be in the low 100s, but a south wind of 5 to 10 mph increasing to between 15 and 20 mph might make it feel a bit better. Maybe.
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