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Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Chet Edwards to speak Wednesday at Democratic National Convention
U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, is scheduled to speak Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention.
Edwards, who was on the short list of contenders for the Democratic vice presidential nomination before Sen. Barack Obama endorsed Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, is to speak between 8 and 8:30 p.m. at the convention in Denver, Colo.
According to his office, Edwards will speak about the service and sacrifice of America’s troops, veterans, and their families. He will also highlight Sen. Barack Obama’s record on issues important to veterans and military families.
Convention coverage will be broadcast uninterrupted on C-SPAN, as well as network and cable news television broadcasts during the prime time hour.
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Sisters testify about how Coble tied them up, told them he and their mom were ‘deceased’
Three sisters have testified this afternoon about how Billie Wayne Coble tied them up with their cousin before kidnapping their mom and killing three other relatives.
Anne Marie Tidmore, Tracy Tidmore and Heather Moss said Coble told them after securing them with handcuffs they should consider him and his then wife, their mom Karen Vicha, “deceased.”
Prosecutors are still presenting their case to determine sentencing for Coble in the murders of Karen Vicha’s mother and father, Zelda and Robert Vicha, and her brother, Waco Police Sgt. Bobby Vicha.
Coble, has spent more than 17 years in prison for the 1989 triple slaying before his death sentence was overturned by a New Orleans appeals court, but his murder conviction was upheld.
Tracy and Anne Marie Tidmore testified that when they got home from school that day in 1989, Coble was in the house with a gun, rambling and saying he was sorry for what he had done and that he knew there was no way they could forgive him as he tied them up.
A few moments later their sister Heather Moss and cousin J.R. Vicha also arrived home and were tied up, they said.
Before the day was over, Coble had killed Vicha’s dad and the four youth’s grandparents before kidnapping Karen Vicha, according to court testimony.
Prosecution testimony is continuing this afternoon.
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School board member Alex Williams testifying in Wiley injunction hearing
Waco school board member Alex Williams repeated his reasoning for fighting against the closure of G.L. Wiley Middle School while saying racial discrimination was on the rise during this afternoon’s temporary injunction hearing about Wiley’s closure.
Williams, who represents East Waco and argued bitterly against closing the school two weeks ago, has been on the stand for the past two hours, restating his case.
The hearing comes on the heels of a Monday night vote to close Wiley taken by the Waco Independent School District school board. It’s the second such vote, as Judge Jim Meyer of the 170th District Court found the school board in violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act for the way the first item to consider closure was posted on the meeting agenda.
Williams is now answering questions on the stand about those earlier meetings, including the agendas.
G.L. Wiley principal Kermit Ward took the witness stand earlier today for roughly two hours, painting a favorable picture of Wiley and also refuting, to some extent, the very reasons the school board used in the decision to close Wiley, including low enrollment and lack of programs and activities.
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No flight delays in Waco so far from FAA communications problem
Officials at Waco Regional Airport report no flight delays so far this afternoon after a communication failure at a Georgia facility that processes flight plans for the eastern half of the United States.
The Federal Aviation Administration officials say the glitch is causing delays elsewhere around the country.
FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen says there are no safety issues and officials are still able to speak to pilots on planes on the ground and in the air.
She says she doesn’t know how many flights are being affected.
Bergen says the problem that occurred Tuesday afternoon involves an FAA facility in Hampton, Ga., south of Atlanta, that processes flight plans. She says there has been a failure in a communication link that transmits the data to a similar facility in Salt Lake City.
As a result, the Salt Lake City facility has to process those flight plans, causing delays in planes taking off. She said there are no problems with planes landing.
A spokesman for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest airport, did not immediate return a call seeking comment on the impact there.
Brenda Geoghagan, a spokeswoman for Tampa International Airport in Florida, said “it may just be too soon” to determine the impact there.
Check back at wacotrib.com for updates on this developing story
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Ex-boss testifies Coble seemed like a great guy
Defense witnesses described the Billie Wayne Coble they knew as a nice guy who was ambitious and honest as afternoon testimony continued in Coble’s capital murder retrial today.
Husband and wife Joy and Thomas Marvin were brought to the courtroom out of order because of scheduling issues. Prosecutors are still presenting their case to determine sentencing for Coble in the murders of his mother- and father-in-law, Zelda and Robert Vicha, and his brother-in-law, Waco Police Sgt. Bobby Vicha.
Coble, has spent more than 17 years in prison for the 1989 triple slaying before his death sentence was overturned by a New Orleans appeals court, but his murder conviction was upheld.
The Marvins trained Coble to work in their insurance agency, handling mostly disability policies for farmers and ranchers. He worked for them from March through June of 1989, just a few months before the murders.
“You couldn’t have asked for a nicer guy,” said Joy Marvin.
Her husband later testified that word of the murders and Coble’s involvement was a jolt.
“I was in disbelief after the murders, disbelief. I didn’t think that was the same person I knew,” Thomas Marvin said.
Prosecution testimony is continuing this afternoon.
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Commissioners lift burn ban for county
McLennan County commissioners today lifted the burn ban that had been in effect since July 1.
This means outside burning of brush and other items is allowed.
But Frank Patterson, emergency management coordinator for McLennan County, cautions those burning outside to closely monitor wind conditions. He added that not all parts of the county have received the rain showers that prompted the commissioners to lift the ban.
“We will revisit this matter next week,” Patterson said.
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Headed to Waco’s airport? Don’t try to take Airport Drive today
Airport Drive between Steinbeck Bend Drive and Lake Shore Drive is closed today for street repairs, the city reports. Crews are working on the bridge and repairing base failures near the bridge. The work is expected to be complete by the end of this week.
Those traveling to and from Waco Regional Airport can use North 19th Street as an alternative route.
For more information, call Street Services at 750-8690.
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G.L. Wiley principal takes stand for school closure injunction hearing
G.L. Wiley principal Kermit Ward took the witness stand for roughly two hours this morning as the temporary injunction hearing regarding the closure of Wiley got underway.
The hearing comes on the heels of a Monday night vote to close Wiley taken by the Waco Independent School District school board. It’s the second such vote, as Judge Jim Meyer of the 170th District Court found the school board in violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act for the way the first item to consider closure was posted on the meeting agenda.
During Ward’s lengthy testimony, he painted a favorable picture of Wiley and also refuted, to some extent, the very reasons the school board used in the decision to close Wiley, including low enrollment and lack of programs and activities.
Members of the Wiley families who are suing the district also took the stand. Jana Bonner spoke about her son’s experience at Wiley and William Lewis spoke about his granddaughter’s love of the school.
The hearing continues at 1:30 p.m.
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Former county commissioner dies
Don Cantrell, 69, a former McLennan County commissioner, will be laid to rest tomorrow in Groesbeck. He died Saturday at a Conroe hospital after suffering with cancer for several months.
A Vietnam War veteran, Cantrell also served 14 years as district attorney for Limestone County.
Please click here for his obituary.
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Accident shutting down Franklin Avenue
We’re hearing that Franklin Avenue is closed in both directions at 26th Street because of an accident.
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Trial update: Detective recalls Coble threat
Proceedings in the capital murder retrial of Billie Wayne Coble in Waco’s 54th State District Court took a lunch break after testimony from police detective James Head, who recalled what he perceived as a threat to Waco Police Sgt. Bobby Vicha by Coble before his murder in 1989.
Coble, 59, has spent more than 17 years in prison for the slayings of his mother- and father-in-law, Zelda and Robert Vicha, and his brother-in-law, Bobby Vicha, before his death sentence was overturned by a New Orleans appeals court, but his murder conviction was upheld.
Head testified this morning that he had gotten a call from Bobby Vicha on Aug. 4, 1989, asking him to help pick up Coble on a warrant for false imprisonment for kidnapping Vicha’s sister, Karen, who was married to Coble at the time.
He said Coble was surprisingly quiet on the way to jail, and menacingly stared at them from the backseat window.
As Coble was being taken into the jail, Head said Coble muttered something under his breath that sounded like, “They’re going to be sorry. They’re going to pay.”
He said he asked Coble to repeat it, but he wouldn’t.
“It sounded like a threat to me,” Head testified.
The comments concerned him enough that he sought out Bobby Vicha later, he said, and told him that he’d better watch himself because Coble was dangerous. He suggested Vicha keep a gun handy.
Vicha replied, “Don’t worry. I’ve got one,” Head testified.
Other testimony this morning came from Naomi Rodriguez, a Kaybee Toys employee, who recounted a visit by Coble to the Richland Mall store five days before the murders. Coble had bought two packs of toy handcuffs and became agitated with her when she couldn’t provide more.
Testimony from Coble’s 1990 trial showed that he used those toy handcuffs to restrain Karen Vicha’s daughters after killing her parents and before kidnapping her.
Rodriguez said that when she testified in 1990 she looked over at Coble and he made a slashing gesture across his throat that made her feel threatened.
She said she didn’t sleep well for months after that and she didn’t want to come back today to testify.
The second day of testimony began by calling Coble’s second wife, Candy Ryan, to the witness stand.
Ryan said she and Coble were married in September 1983 when she was 18 and he was 35. Ryan said the two met when she was 16 and worked for a fried chicken restaurant in Robinson, and his welding shop was located nearby.
She said Coble was initially fun to be with and had a good sense of humor. But Ryan said that Coble began to abuse her about a year into their marriage. In the first attack, she said Coble backhanded her across the face. Ryan said the violence progressed, and about every three months, he would physically abuse her.
She said she kept going back to him because he would apologize and tell her he would not hurt her anymore.
Ryan said Coble was very manipulative and controlling, and even told her how to eat the food on her plate.
In one instance, he threw a heavy hammer at her, Ryan said, and on another occasion, he threw rocks that struck her in the back.
Ryan said one night when she came home late, Coble accused her of having an affair and slammed her head into the cabinet and on the floor.
She said she fled the house after that incident with only the clothes she was wearing, and did not return to him.
In August 1987, she got an apartment and Coble called her and stalked her, she said.
Ryan said she is still scared of Coble, and she believes he will continue to be violent.
Ryan was cross-examined by defense attorney Alex Calhoun.
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Watch party for Clinton speech tonight
Don’t forget that McLennan County Democrats are sponsoring a watch party for Sen. Hillary Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention at 7 tonight at Poppa Rollo’s Pizza, 703 N. Valley Mills Drive.
For more information, call 855-4878.
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British police make arrest in plot to kill prime minister
British counterterrorism police arrested a 25-year-old man today during an investigation into threats to kill Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Britain’s Press Association reported.
Lancashire Police said the man was arrested on suspicion of committing offenses under Britain’s terror laws. The man, whose name has not been released, was the fourth person to be arrested on terror charges in northern England in the past two weeks. Police are still questioning three men they arrested Aug. 14.
Police declined to comment when asked about the case by The Associated Press.
— Associated Press
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Bollywood sued over ‘Hari Puttar’ movie title
I guess the lesson here is “Don’t mess with the boy wizard.” Or his owners, Warner Bros.
A lawsuit has been filed by Warner Bros. that claims the title of the Bollywood movie “Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors” is a little too much like its franchise “Harry Potter” movie series.
While Bollywood films often borrow liberally from Western movies, producers of “Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors” say their movie bears no resemblance to any film in the “Harry Potter” series, the Associated Press reports.
The film is the story of an Indian boy left home alone, who fights off burglars when his parents go away on vacation. That sounds a lot more like “Home Alone.” Whadda ya think, Macaulay?
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Hurricane Gustav: This one could be trouble
Gustav grew to hurricane strength early this morning — less than a day after the first advisory on then-Tropical Depression Seven — and now threatens the southwest peninsula of Haiti. But it’s what happens after that that’s giving a lot of Gulf Coast weather watchers pause.
Gustav’s forecast course has it traveling ripe waters for hurricane intensification, the channel between Jamaica and Cuba. The deep, warm waters provide plenty of fuel, and right now there’s little in the way of wind shear to offset that.
After that — as we get into the much shakier forecast territory four to five days out and beyond — if Gustav gets into the warm central Gulf, things could get real interesting. As in Katrina interesting: Gustav is now expected to reach at least Category 3 strength, and some of the more reliable computer models are aiming it toward New Orleans. As Jeff Masters points out on his Weather Underground blog, though, right now anywhere on the Gulf Coast could be a target.
Here’s the latest from the Associated Press.
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Michigan governor to decide fate of Detroit mayor
Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s office said today she will hold a historic hearing next week to decide whether Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick should be removed from office.
Granholm turned down a request by Kilpatrick’s lawyers to stop the process, and her office posted an order confirming the Sept. 3 hearing.
The date had been proposed for weeks, but the Democratic governor still had the right to scratch it.
Kilpatrick, 38, once a rising star in the Democratic Party, is charged with 10 felonies in two criminal cases. But the most immediate threat to his political future is Granholm’s constitutional authority to remove an elected official from office for misconduct.
— Associated Press
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Bolivian truck plunge kills 21, injures 53
Bolivian police say a truck plunge high in the Andes killed 21 people and left 53 injured.
Maj. Roger Kenton tells The Associated Press that the truck loaded with passengers plunged off a 900-foot cliff Sunday night near the small town of Times, about 75 miles northwest of the Bolivian capital of La Paz.
The driver was among those killed, and police were investigating the cause on Tuesday. The truck was destroyed, and the surviving passengers were brought to several hospitals. Some were badly injured.
Trucks are commonly used to transport people in Bolivia.
— Associated Press
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Governor presents $1 million check to Waco ISD
Gov. Rick Perry visited Waco’s Cesar Chavez Middle School this morning to award more than $1 million in funding to the Waco Independent School District through the District Awards for Teaching Excellence grant program.
Technically, the check read $1,005,307.
We have images from Perry’s visit in an online slideshow.
According to a news release, DATE supports school districts in creating or maintaining a system of awards for educators who improve student achievement. DATE grants combined with Texas Educator Excellence Grants represent the largest teacher incentive programs in the nation.
“There is no financial measure for a young life that is changed, inspired and set on course to fulfill its potential,” Gov. Perry said. “We must reward those teachers that break away from the pack and make a positive and lasting influence on our students’ education and lives.”
The governor was joined by Texas Education Agency Commissioner Robert Scott, Waco ISD Superintendent Roland Hernandez and principal Alfredo M. Loredo.
Available for the first time in the 2008-09 school year, the DATE program begins with a $147.5 million appropriation, the news release notes. DATE grants differ from other incentive programs by distributing awards to entire school districts rather than one campus. All school districts are eligible to participate and award amounts are determined by dividing the total appropriation by the number of students educated in the districts.
At least 60 percent of the DATE funds must be used to reward teachers who positively impact student academic improvement, growth or achievement. The remainder may be used for approved activities such as recruitment and retention of teachers and master teachers, and incentives to principals and other school staff who increase student performance.
The more than 200 districts participating in the program educate and employ almost 50 percent of the students and teachers in Texas. They also educate 60 percent of the economically disadvantaged students in the state and 62 percent of the state’s (English as a Second Language) students.
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Ark. firefighters find own station ablaze
Funny story out of De Queen, Ark., about firefighters going to get their gear to answer a fire call, only to find smoking pouring out of their fire station.
Check it out here.
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Bank failures loom for FDIC
A Cox News Service story says that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., you know the government agency that promises that your money in the bank is safe up to such-and-such amount, is bracing for a flurry of bank failures because of the economy and loan problems.
Some industry experts predict that hundreds of banks could go under, leaving the FDIC to take up the slack.
Read the story here.
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Russia recognizes breakaway Georgian regions
Russia formally recognized the breakaway Georgian territories at the heart of its war with Georgia today, heightening tensions with the West as the United States dispatched a military ship bearing aid to a port city still patrolled by Russian troops.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Georgia forced Russia’s hand by launching an attack targeting South Ossetia on Aug. 7 in an apparent bid to seize control of the breakaway region.
In response, Russian tanks and troops drove deep into the U.S. ally’s territory in a five-day war that Moscow saw as a justified response to a military threat in its backyard and the West viewed as a repeat of Soviet-style intervention in its vassal states.
“This is not an easy choice but this is the only chance to save people’s lives,” Medvedev said today in a televised address a day after Russia’s Kremlin-controlled parliament voted unanimously to support the diplomatic recognition.
The United States said Russia is behaving “appallingly” by granting formal diplomatic recognition.
— Associated Press
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New-home sales show surprising gain in July
Sales of new homes posted an unexpected gain in July as heavily discounted properties enticed cautious house hunters to become home buyers.
The Commerce Department says sales of new single-family homes rose by 2.4 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 515,000 units, the most since April.
But sales in June turned out to be much weaker than the government previously estimated. Sales sank to a pace of just 503,000, the worst showing since September 1991.
Economists were expecting sales to drop in July.
— Associated Press
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North Korea stops work to disable nuclear reactor
North Korea said today it has suspended work to disable its nuclear reactor in anger over Washington’s failure to remove it from the U.S. list of terror sponsors. The North said it will soon consider a step to restore the plutonium-producing facility.
The announcement poses the biggest hurdle yet to the communist nation’s denuclearization process under a landmark deal last year.
“The U.S. postponed the process of delisting the (North) as a ‘state sponsor of terrorism,’” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. “Now that the U.S. breached the agreed points, the (North) is compelled to take” countermeasures, it said.
The Foreign Ministry also said the government will “consider soon a step to restore” the nuclear facility at Yongbyon, but it did not elaborate. The disablement was suspended as of Aug. 14, it added.
— Associated Press
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Chemical plant explosion in China kills 11
Explosions ripped through a chemical plant today in southwest China, killing at least 11 people, injuring dozens and forcing the evacuation of thousands of nearby residents, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
The first explosion occurred at around 6 a.m. in Yizhou city in Guangxi province, Xinhua said. Eight people were reported missing following the accident and another 57 people injured.
The explosions continued until 1 p.m., spreading fire over a nearly 108,000-square-foot area, Xinhua said, citing an unidentified firefighter in the rescue operation.
— Associated Press
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Feel the heat
This was a busy morning for me with dropping off a child at school (Midway campuses started today) and then taking my sister-in-law to Waco Regional Airport to catch a plane as she leaves for New York City after visiting with our family.
It’s a pleasant morning, but it will heat up quickly. Expect mostly sunny skies with a high near 96 degrees. The heat index will be around 100. An east-southeast wind around 5 mph won’t do much to cool us down.
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