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Wednesday, January 7, 2009
A&M-Commerce welcomes former Baylor coach Morriss
Former Baylor coach Guy Morriss was named head coach at Texas A&M-Commerce today.
Morriss accepted the job at the NCAA Division II school after serving as offensive line coach at Kentucky State for one season. He replaced Scotty Conley, who coached at Texas A&M-Commerce for five seasons, and finished 5-5 in 2008.
Morriss, 57, was contacted by Texas A&M-Commerce athletic director Carlton Cooper last month.
“The quality of football is good, and as a coach you really appreciate that,” Morriss told The Dallas Morning News. “And it afforded me a chance to be the head coach. I think this can be a heck of a program, and I’m here to help Mr. Cooper grow it into a heck of a program.”
After finishing 9-14 in two seasons at Kentucky, Morriss coached five seasons at Baylor after replacing Kevin Steele on Dec. 11, 2002. The Bears finished 18-40 during Morriss’ tenure from 2003-07.
The Bears came close to becoming bowl eligible in 2005 when they finished 5-6. He was fired after finishing 3-8 in 2007, including an 0-8 Big 12 record.
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Waco’s Chet Edwards on Financial Services Subcommittee
U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards’ office has sent out a news release about the Waco congressman’s new committee appointments. The release follows:
As the new session of the 111th Congress begins this week, U.S. Representative Chet Edwards has received a new committee appointment to the House Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee. The subcommittee oversees funding for the nation’s financial services agencies including the U.S. Treasury Department, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the IRS among others. The committee will focus much of its initial efforts on overseeing the execution of the economic recovery legislation expected to pass Congress in the next month.
“As the new 111th Congress convenes, our highest priority has to be putting our economy on solid ground with passage of a responsible economic recovery plan, which has to be followed with strong oversight to protect taxpayers,” said Edwards. “This committee plays a key role in overseeing federal agencies, including the SEC and FTC, which have failed to do their job to protect our overall economy. Going forward, I intend to see that they fulfill their commitments to the American taxpayer.”
In light of the devastation to the financial services industry, Edwards believes this new role will help ensure taxpayer protections are in place on the economic recovery package as well as the Treasury Department’s Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP).
“I will also work hard to ensure that federal funds committed to stabilize the financial services industry are spent wisely, and if they are not, I intend to hold the Treasury Department, Wall Street banks, and their CEOs accountable,” said Edwards.
Edwards remains the Chairman of the powerful Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee. Edwards’ influential subcommittee has jurisdiction over the entire Department of Veterans Affairs, including benefits and health care, as well as the Pentagon’s military construction projects on all U.S. military installations throughout the world, including Fort Hood in Killeen.
“As the son of a World War II veteran, it is a privilege to chair this committee, and I will continue to fight aggressively for the soldiers and veterans who defend our nation,” said Edwards. “I will also continue my work to promote the Waco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Bryan-College Station Veterans Clinic, and ensure the new Fort Worth VA outpatient clinic remains on track to open in 2010.”
In the 110th Congress, Edwards authored an historic $16.3 billion increase in funding for veterans health care and benefits, a larger increase in two years than the previous 12 years combined in Congress.
Edwards also retains his seat as second-ranking Democrat on the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee.
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Baylor makes Kiplinger’s best-value list
Baylor University is No. 40 on the Kiplinger’s list of 100 Best Values in Private Colleges for 2008-09 being released today.
Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine hand-picks the list each year, and notes that with the current state of the economy, getting a top-notch private education at an affordable price is more important than ever.
The list ranks the 100 schools that exemplify excellent academics while keeping their costs to a minimum. The story appears in Kiplinger’s February issue — on newsstands now — and online at www.kiplinger.com/money/collegevalues.
Baylor is one of three Texas private universities on the list. The others are Rice at No. 3 and Trinity in San Antonio at No. 23. The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., is No. 1, ahead of Yale and Princeton.
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No joke: Porn magnates seeking bailout
In a word: Wow! The Huffington Post Web site has this bombshell: Hustler magazine owner Larry Flynt and “Girls Gone Wild” king Joe Francis plan to ask the federal government for help keeping the porn industry afloat.
Oh, my stars and garters (which I heard someone say once, probably on TV), if the porn business can’t survive the recession, is there any hope for the rest of us?
Please note that the above comment is dripping with sarcasm.
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U.S. blames Russia for Ukraine gas dispute
The United States blamed Russia today for the gas dispute with Ukraine that has led to a cutoff of supplies to Western Europe.
Russia shut off all its gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine on Wednesday, but said it was Ukraine’s fault because Kiev had shut down the last pipeline carrying gas from Russia. Gazprom also says it is reducing to compensate for the gas it accuses Ukraine of diverting. About 80 percent of Russian gas to Europe is shipped through Ukraine.
But State Department spokesman Robert Wood put the blame on Moscow.
“Cutting off these supplies during winter to a vulnerable population is just something that is unacceptable to us,” Wood said, referring to Moscow’s move. “What we want to see is that this situation be resolved in a transparent, commercial manner. And we want to see that happen as soon as possible.”
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Obama has lunch with four presidents
President George W. Bush continues to be extremely welcoming to the man about to take his place in the Oval Office, hosting a rare lunch for Obama and three former presidents.
President-elect Barack Obama stood in the Oval Office on Wednesday with President Bush and three former presidents: Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter. The president-elect said all of them understand the pressures of the job and he looks forward to sharing time with them.
Obama says coming together with all the U.S. presidents is an “extraordinary gathering.”
Bush told Obama that all the presidents want him to succeed. Obama and Bush held a private meeting before they were joined by the three former presidents.
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Bad economy claims another suicide victim
CNN is reporting that a Chicago real estate mogul has apparently killed himself because of the current state of the economy.
The body of Steven L. Good was found in his Jaguar on Monday in a parking lot of a wildlife preserve in Kane County, Ill., just outside Chicago, authorities said.
Police say they do not know how long the 52-year-old had been in the vehicle. No suicide note was found.
Good was the chairman and chief executive officer of Sheldon Good & Co., a major U.S. real estate auction company.
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Yule Never Believe who won this contest
Before we completely forget about the Christmas season (though I’m still eating ham from the Christmas Day meal), we need to announce the winner of our online “Yule Never Believe What I’m Wearing” photo contest.
We received only a few entries (I’m guessing that most of you are just too embarrassed to be seen in some of those outfits), but there definitely was a standout shot among the bunch, and it’s this one:
If you got a truly hideous sweater this year, you might want to keep it in mind for next year’s contest.
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Waco soldier writes thanks to President Bush
This story from an Australia Web site, which appears to be rewritten from a White House press release, has a local angle in that one of the soldiers who wrote to President Bush is from Waco.
Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joined Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates in praising Bush during an armed forces farewell ceremony at Fort Myer, Va., yesterday.
Mullen shared the thoughts of deployed service members who wrote in a journal that he and his wife, Deborah, carried with them during recent troop visits overseas.
Among those highlighted was this one from Army Sgt. 1st Class Claude Cory from Waco, who wrote: “Sir, you truly set the standard to uphold the peace and our very way of life so our kids can grow up in a peaceful world,” he wrote. “We will always stand tall, one great nation and one great state, Texas.”
I’m curious if anyone knows this soldier.
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Burris may get Obama’s Senate seat after all
Former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris is closer to taking President-elect Barack Obama’s seat in the Senate, say knowledgeable officials in both parties, despite Democratic leaders’ vows to reject any appointee of Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
After being rejected Tuesday when he tried to join the class of incoming freshmen senators, Burris is finding new support on Capitol Hill as Democratic leaders scramble for a way to defuse the standoff with growing racial, political and legal complications.
The likelihood that Burris, a Democrat, eventually will prevail and become the Senate’s only black member after Obama’s resignation from the seat, increased Tuesday evening when a key chairwoman got behind him, cracking what had been united public front by Senate Democrats against a Blagojevich appointee.
Burris was scheduled to meet with the Senate’s top two Democrats — Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and assistant leader Dick Durbin of Illinois — on Wednesday, a day after his paperwork was rejected at the opening of the 111th Congress.
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6-year-old drives car after missing school bus
You hear stories about kids being more advanced at younger ages than we were, but yesterday I posted this item about a 4-year-old in Ohio wounding his baby sitter with a shotgun, and today there’s this CNN story about a 6-year-old in Virginia who drove his parents’ car nearly 10 miles toward his school after missing the bus.
Check out that wild story below:
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Hoover Library meetings today, tomorrow night
Hopefully, we haven’t confused you further with today’s editorial about the public input meeting for the R.B. Hoover Library. It has the wrong day for the 7 p.m. meeting. That meeting is Thursday night, not today.
There is a meeting today at the library, but that’s a 1:30 p.m. time. The library is at 1428 Wooded Acres Drive, across from the H-E-B.
We’ve had a host of problems with this news. The original release had the days wrong, but we were sent a correction; however, the corrected version didn’t somehow get to the reporter who wrote Monday’s story. And then that original, incorrect version got repeated in today’s editorial.
To repeat: The public meetings on the R. B. Hoover Library project to move across the street into the old Dunlap’s building are at 1:30 today and 7 p.m. Thursday. The architects for the project will be present.
If you are unable to attend the meetings, you can share any ideas with Library Director James Karney at referencewaco@ci.waco.tx.us or 750-5990.
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Dow off to rough start on jobs report
Fresh worries about escalating unemployment, sparked by aluminum producer Alcoa Inc.’s decision to slash jobs, sent stocks sharply lower on Wednesday.
Alcoa said late Tuesday it is reducing its global work force by about 13,500, or 13 percent, by the end of the year and lowering total output by more than 18 percent annually. The announcement was a harsh reminder that the economy both domestically and abroad remains in rough shape.
Alcoa’s news also underscored growing anxiety over the Labor Department’s upcoming report Friday on the December job market. Moreover, investors got a disappointing harbinger Wednesday in the form of the ADP National Employment Report, an unofficial gauge that the market has been increasingly monitoring as U.S. job losses mount. The report said private sector employment fell by 693,000 in December, worse than expected.
When people lose their jobs, they tend to spend less and fall behind on their debt payments. Investors fear that further declines in consumer spending will prolong the recession.
In the first half hour of trading, the Dow dropped 118.28, or 1.31 percent, to 8,896.82.
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Reports: Ex-Baylor coach Guy Morriss to take A&M-Commerce job
Two television stations are reporting that former Baylor head football coach Guy Morriss will be returning to the college football ranks in Texas by taking over the Texas A&M-Commerce program.
The reports come from KXII-TV in Sherman and KWTX-TV, Channel 10, here in Waco.
The school has scheduled a news conference to announce the move at 3 p.m. today, reports the Greenville Herald Banner.
Texas A&M-Commerce is a Division II school that plays in the Lone Star Conference. The Lions were 5-5 in 2008.
Morriss coached Baylor from 2003-07, going 18-40 in five seasons. He was previously at the University of Kentucky.
This past football season, the former NFL offensive lineman was an assistant coach at Kentucky State University.
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Cool start, but warm afternoon ahead
It’s the first “hump day” of 2009 and we should have a nice day once it warms up. Skies will be sunny with a high near 66 degrees. A southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph will blow.
With those clear skies, temperatures will drop like a stone overnight, falling to about 41 degrees. At least that’s not as cold as the 33 degrees currently recorded at Waco Regional Airport. We dipped officially down to 31 around 3 a.m. today.
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Waco man fatally shot late Tuesday
Gregory Lewis, 48, of Waco died early this morning after suffering multiple gunshot wounds late Tuesday in the 800 block of North Ninth Street.
According to police reports, officers were sent to North Ninth and Bosque Boulevard about 11:30 p.m. after receiving a call about several gunshots.
Officers found Lewis alive but unresponsive, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the lower torso, according to Waco Police spokesman Steve Anderson.
Lewis was taken by ambulance to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, where he died about an hour later, Anderson said. Lewis was pronounced dead by Justice of the Peace Kristi DeCluitt.
Anyone with information about the shooting should call the Waco Police Department at 750-7500 or Waco Crimestoppers at 753-HELP.
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