Waco area under wind advisory
The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory until 6 pm for all of North Texas, including Waco and surrounding counties. Winds from the north to northwest of 25 to 30 mph are expected, with stronger gusts during daylight hours.
Home > Waco Breaking News > Archives > 2008 > August > 25
Monday, August 25, 2008
WISD trustees vote again to close Wiley
Once again, in an identical 4-3 vote, the Waco Independent School District board of trustees voted to close G.L. Wiley Middle School.
The vote, however, is subject to Judge Jim Meyer’s ruling on the temporary injunction to keep the school open that is being sought by two families and a group of East Waco supporters.
The school opened today due to a temporary restraining order signed by Meyer on Thursday. The school will remain open pending Meyer’s further rulings. The hearing for the temporary injunction to keep the school opens begins Tuesday at 9 a.m.
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Hewitt City council postpones vote on halting home construction
The Hewitt City Council tonight tabled a motion to stop issuing home construction permits temporarily to prevent further strain on its sewer system.
Council members said they needed more time to study the issue and consult with area builders.
The fast-growing suburb is getting close to overloading its sewer system as it waits for the construction of new lift stations and a controversial proposed treatment plant at Bull Hide Creek. The council will consider the suspension of home permits among other options at a 6 p.m. special meeting tonight.
“It’s something that has come to a head,” said Paul Holroyd, Hewitt community services director. “We knew that at some point, we were going to start experiencing some difficulties. At this point, we’re not experiencing overflows, but we’re trying to take some action to see that doesn’t happen.”
Homebuilders were taken off-guard by news of the proposed suspension of permits. The proposal would apply to developers who don’t yet have water and wastewater infrastructure built.
“It could make a huge impact on people developing out that way,” said Kay Vinzant, executive officer of the Heart of Texas Builders Association. “We want to see if we can sit down and come up with a better solution.”
Builder Woody Butler has built and sold 75 homes in his Imperial Estates subdivision on Sun Valley Drive and has preliminary approval for the next phase of 52 homes. He worries that the city could force him to wait another two or three years to build on the new lots.
“In the middle of the process they’ve decided they have a sewer problem,” Butler said. “I was never made aware of that problem existing. Economically this is going to affect me quite a bit. I already have a huge investment in land and construction design. I really think the city council can come up with an alternative plan.”
Holroyd said the city doesn’t want to halt construction but has run into obstacles in building the infrastructure to get Hewitt wastewater to the regional sewer system for treatment.
Currently, a lift station along Interstate 35 pumps most of Hewitt’s waste north to Waco for treatment. Hewitt is planning to rebuild that lift station and expand another lift station that would reroute some of Hewitt’s flow to the new Bull Hide Creek plant, which the regional sewer system is hoping to build.
However, the lift station plan is stalled as Hewitt waits for word from the Texas Department of Transportation on its expansion plans for Interstate 35. Meanwhile, neighbors along Bull Hide Creek in Lorena are fighting the plan for a sewer plant, creating uncertainty about that project. Holroyd said construction probably won’t begin on the plant until late 2009.
Vinzant said she understands the obstacles to getting the infrastructure ready, but that crimping development would be bad for Hewitt. She said homebuilders are urging Hewitt leaders to consider alternatives such as building a temporary pump-and-haul facility until the new plant is built.
Holroyd said the city wants to work with builders to find a solution. However, he said a pump-and-haul system would be expensive and there might be other options.
For updates on this story, check back at wacotrib.com or pick up Tuesday’s Tribune-Herald.
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Coble murder retrial begins
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- link: Trial preview
Testimony continued Monday afternoon in the capital murder retrial of convicted murderer Billie Wayne Coble, 59. The case is being heard in Judge Matt Johnson’s courtroom in 54th State District Court.
Coble spent more than 17 years on death row before a federal appeals court overturned his death sentence but left intact his conviction in the deaths of Robert and Zelda Vicha and their son, Waco police Sgt. Bobby Vicha in August 1989.
Following this morning’s testimony, three more women, including two former neighbors and Coble’s niece testified that he displayed inappropriate sexual behavior toward them in the 1970s.
His niece said besides inappropriately touching and kissing her, a family member caught Coble peeking into the niece’s window after she took a shower and was getting dressed.
The three women who testified Monday afternoon were all in their early teens at the time that Coble’s inappropriate sexual interest was directed at them.
Earlier today, Coble’s former sister-in-law and his first wife testified against him regarding inappropriate sexual behavior.
The sister of Coble’s first wife testified this morning in his capital murder retrial that Coble acted inappropriately with her on at least four occasions.
Patricia Woolley, whose sister Pam was married to Coble for 10 years, said the first instance was when she was 13. Her sister had not yet married Coble, but while they were in the back seat of a car returning from a trip, Coble rubbed her thigh, she said. Patricia Woolley said she slid away from Coble after his advance.
The next time was when she was 15, she testified. She and Coble had pretended to wrestle, but then he fondled her breast.
One year later, while swimming in Lake Waco, Coble touched her inappropriately, she said.
Patricia Woolley then recounted a time when she was 17 or 18 and taking a shower at home. She said Coble slid open the shower door, made lewd comments about her body and then held the sliding door open and wouldn’t let her close it.
She also told the court she was struck by Coble once when he came to pick up his son, Gordon. Coble wasn’t allowed inside the house and Patricia Woolley said she blocked his path at the gate. Coble, she said, grew agitated and hit her in the mouth, busting her lip.
During earlier testimony her sister, Pam Woolley, told jurors that she still considers Coble to be “dangerous.”
Pam Woolley, who was married to Coble from 1971 to 1981, was the first witness called by the prosecution.
Pam Woolley said the beginning of their marriage was fine. Coble had a job at Texas Ironworks and they later co-managed the Circle Drive-in for two years. But she also described him as very possessive; he constantly called to check on her whereabouts.
She said he abused her, recalling one time that Coble threw a baseball and hit her in the back while she had an arm around her son. The impact made her lungs swell and she sought medical treatment at the hospital, she testified.
“We were just scared of him all the time,” Pam Woolley said.
She said Coble would apologize after the abuse but would it say it was her fault the abuse occurred.
In opening comments, McLennan County District Attorney John Segrest said Coble seems to be a good guy until things go wrong for him. Then he transforms into an abusive, violent individual, Segrest said, adding that the prosecution will present evidence from Coble’s three failed marriages to show that.
Segrest said testimony will be offered that Coble sexually abused four young girls during his first marriage, including his 13-year-old sister-in-law and 16-year-old cousin.
That marriage lasted 10 years, the prosecutor said. Coble then married an 18-year-old when he was 35. During that four-year marriage, Coble sexually assaulted his niece, Segrest said.
Coble’s third marriage, to Karen Vicha, was in July 1998. Coble married into a close-knit family and Karen already had three daughters, ages 15, 13 and 9, who thought the marriage was too good to be true, Segrest said.
But that relationship soon soured, Segrest told jurors, and Karen Vicha filed for divorce. Coble was arrested kidnapping his wife in August 1989 and her brother, Bobby Vicha, was one of the arresting officers.
“The thing that (Coble) wanted was Karen Vicha and the thing that stood between him and her was Bobby Vicha and the Vicha family,” Segrest said.
Coble then hatched a plot to kill the family to get Karen back, Segrest said.
Coble’s defense attorney, Alex Calhoun, asked the jury to consider the full measure of the man. Calhoun noted that the prosecution was talking about actions many years in Coble’s past, and he plans to show jurors the man Coble has been the past 18 years and who he is becoming.
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Code red for DFW, Houston pollution
Houston and the DFW metroplex are under a level-red air quality watch for tomorrow, meaning conditions are expected to produce unhealthy levels of ozone. The TCEQ air quality page shows Austin at level orange (unhealthy for sensitive groups) and Waco at yellow (moderate).
So what do you do if you’re in DFW or Houston tomorrow? Says the advisory: “Elevated concentrations of ozone can act as a lung irritant. Individuals with chronic lung disease, such as asthma and emphysema, as well as the elderly and young children, are particularly sensitive to ozone and should attempt to avoid exposure. To avoid exposure, minimize exertion outdoors during the mid-day to early evening hours or stay indoors in an air-conditioned room during this time.”
There are two levels above red, by the way: purple (very unhealthy) and maroon (hazardous).
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And now it’s Tropical Storm Gustav
A hurricane hunter flight into Tropical Depression Seven indicates top winds of around 60 mph, putting it over the threshold to become Tropical Storm Gustav. It’s set to move over Haiti tomorrow, and is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane by then.
Where it goes after that is still up in the air. This Associated Press story will be updated throughout the day.
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Political blog: Edwards may speak at convention
According to a political blog on the Dallas Morning News Web site, U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Waco), said this morning that he will likely to speak to the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night.
His topic? Saying that U.S. Sen. John McCain has not served veterans well.
“While we revere Senator McCain’s service and sacrifice for the country, major veterans’ organizations give him a failing grade when it comes to supporting veterans’ health care and benefits,” Edwards said before popping in to the Texas delegation breakfast, the blog reported.
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Judge accepts 15-year plea deal for boy in stabbing death
State District Judge Alan Mayfield this morning accepted a plea agreement of 15 years for a 13-year-old charged in the stabbing death of his teen friend.
Attorneys met at the Bill Logue Juvenile Justice Center, where the boy has been held since his arrest in the June 6 incident in which his 14-year-old friend was stabbed in the heart during a dispute at the Kate Ross Apartments.
Mayfield told the youth that if he continues to show good behavior, he could be released on parole in three years.
The youth pleaded “true” to the first-degree murder charge. He was 12 when the attack occurred. County officials have said the former Provident Heights Elementary School student is the youngest person in McLennan County charged in a murder.
He will serve his sentence at a Texas Youth Commission facility. Mayfield earlier this month rejected a 10-year plea agreement.
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Waco High, Lorena cheerleader pics online
Gimme a “W!” Or an “L!” Those letters will start the cheers for Waco High and Lorena, whose 2008-09 cheerleaders can be found on our Web site. Check out the images here for Waco High (like the shot at right) or go here for Lorena’s cheerleaders.
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Pakistan’s ruling coalition collapses
Pakistan’s ruling coalition collapsed today, torn apart by internal bickering just a week after Pervez Musharraf’s ouster and underscoring fears that the government would be distracted from its fight against Islamic extremists.
Militants have stepped up their campaign of violence in recent months, prompting the government today to ban the Taliban. The move came after the Islamic militant group claimed responsibility for twin suicide bombings against one of Pakistan’s most sensitive military installations that left 67 dead.
The breakdown of the fragile 5-month-old civilian government clears the way for the party of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to tighten its hold on the government; the West hopes it will make good on pledges to combat terrorism.
Nawaz Sharif (seen at right), another former premier, announced that he was pulling out of the coalition because it failed to restore judges fired by Musharraf or agree to a neutral replacement for the ousted president.
He blamed Bhutto’s widower and political successor, Asif Ali Zardari, for the breakup, and named a retired judge to run against Zardari in the Sept. 6 presidential election by lawmakers.
However, Sharif vowed to play a “constructive” role while in the opposition.
— Associated Press
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Iraq demands deadline for pullout of U.S. troops
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said today no security agreement with the United States could be reached unless it included a “specific deadline” for the withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq.
Last week, U.S. and Iraqi officials said the two sides had agreed tentatively to a schedule which included a broad pullout of combat forces by the end of 2011 with a residual U.S. force remaining behind to continue training and advising the Iraqi security forces.
But al-Maliki’s remarks today suggested that the Iraqi government is still not satisfied with that arrangement. An aide to the prime minister said today that Iraq remained adamant that the last American soldier must leave Iraq by the end of 2011 — regardless of conditions at the time.
— Associated Press
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Tropical Depression Seven forms in Caribbean
Hot on the heels of Tropical Storm Fay in the central Caribbean comes Tropical Depression Seven, expected to become Tropical Storm Gustav within the next several hours. TD7 is following much the same course as Fay did, at least in the early going, but the computer models are all over the place and confidence in the forecast track, especially four to five days out, is not high.
A Hurricane Hunter flight is scheduled for later today to check out TD7.
Fay, meanwhile, is bringing some much-needed rain to the parched Southeast after having dumped as much as 26 inches of rain on parts of Florida. President Bush has declared four Florida counties disaster areas for major flooding, and more may be added to the list.
Here’s the latest from the Associated Press.
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Kennedy to appear at Democratic convention
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy prepared to attend, and possibly speak, at the opening day of the Democratic National Convention today as presidential nominee-to-be Barack Obama unleashed a hard-hitting television commercial linking GOP rival John McCain with President Bush.
The ad was a sign that the Democratic gathering would be just as much about skewering McCain as it would be about unifying the Democratic Party following a protracted primary season that split the party between Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.
Kennedy, who is being treated for a malignant brain tumor, is a beloved figure within the Democratic Party, and the Massachusetts senator’s last-minute appearance at the Pepsi Center is a way to unite the fractured party as the four-day convention opens amid signs of acrimony between Obama and Clinton delegates.
Kennedy arrived in Denver Sunday night and got a checkup at a local hospital. He plans to attend to watch a video tribute to him and may even address the convention if he feels up to it, said a senior Democratic official who talked on the condition of anonymity.
— Associated Press
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Elegant Bride photos online
The Event for the Elegant Bride was held Sunday at the Waco Convention Center. We have a photo album’s worth of images from the fashion show (seen below) as well as shots of people who attended the event.
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Cheney heading to Georgia war zone
President Bush is dispatching Vice President Dick Cheney to Georgia, setting up a high-ranking diplomatic mission to an ally reeling from a short, intense war.
The White House announced today that Cheney will head abroad on Sept. 2 for stops in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and Italy.
The vice president’s office described Cheney’s trip only in the broadest terms, saying Bush wants his No. 2 to consult with key partners on matters of mutual interest.
The dominant attention will likely fall on Georgia, where conflict with Russia has reignited Cold War tensions. Cheney will hold talks in Georgia with President Mikhail Saakashvili, as he will meet with presidents and senior officials in the other countries.
The news comes as Russia’s parliament voted unanimously today to urge the country’s president to recognize the independence of Georgia’s two breakaway regions, a move likely to stoke further tensions between Moscow and the small Caucasus nation’s Western allies.
— Associated Press
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G.L. Wiley students arriving for class
PHOTOS
- gallery: First day of school at G.L. Wiley
The kids are pouring into G.L. Wiley Middle School this morning as if none of the controversy of the last few weeks ever took place. By 7:45 a.m., a total of about 30 kids were standing in line to get signed in or were already in the cafeteria eating breakfast.
“That’s actually more than I expected this early,” said Wiley principal Kermit Ward. School begins at 8:30 a.m.
However, only one bus had arrived on campus by 8:30, and most of the students get to the school via bus.
On Thursday Judge Jim Meyer of the 170th District Court signed a temporary restraining order overturning the Waco Independent School District board vote to close Wiley. Waco ISD staff worked furiously after that to get the school ready for today.
Ward was fielding hugs from students and parents alike on the front steps of the school.
Some parents said their children were already registered at Carver, which enrolls a large number of Wiley-zoned students, but they chose to return to Wiley when they heard it would be open.
Central office administrators were ready to man classrooms and a few familiar faces, former Wiley teachers, had even been rounded up to be with the kids today.
Area pastors and school board members lingered at the front of the school to welcome families back to the reopened campus.
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China opens registration to adopt quake orphans
Eighty-eight children who were orphaned after a massive earthquake struck central China earlier this year have been made eligible for adoption, state media reported.
The orphans have been deemed eligible for adoption from Sichuan province, the China News Service said. Chinese authorities began processing registrations today.
The children are among the survivors of China’s worst natural disaster in a generation — the May 12 earthquake that killed 70,000 people and left 5 million homeless.
There were 532 children left unaccompanied after the quake, according to an official count, the report said.
The eligible orphans are 14 or younger, with some suffering from physical or other disabilities, the report said. It did not say if the disabilities resulted from the quake.
— Associated Press
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Ex-prime minister Sharif quits Pakistan coalition
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif says he is withdrawing his party from Pakistan’s ruling coalition.
The move will likely concentrate power in the hands of the main ruling Pakistan People’s Party, which wants to maintain the country’s close ties with the United States.
Sharif said today that he is pulling out of the five-month-old alliance because it has failed to restore judges ousted by ex-President Pervez Musharraf.
Lawmakers are expected to choose People’s Party leader Asif Ali Zardari as Musharraf’s successor on Sept. 6.
— Associated Press
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School starts; Olympics ends; it’s hot …
Welcome to Monday, Waco. It’s the start of classes for Waco ISD and numerous other public schools, as well as Baylor University, McLennan Community College and Texas State Technical College.
Kind of hated to see the Olympics end. I enjoyed watching the pageantry of the opening and closing ceremonies and much of the competitions.
But life continues, especially with the return to school and various fall schedules for us.
One constant, however, remains the heat. It’ll be mostly sunny today with a high near 95 degrees. The heat index will push us to around 99.
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