Old Farts Abusing Young Girls

Straight from the Chron:

Authorities suspect that adult men belonging to a West Texas polygamist sect used beds inside their temple to have sex with underage girls, court records released Wednesday indicate.

Investigators who conducted an initial raid last week of the desert compound known as the Yearning for Zion Ranch outside Eldorado found beds inside the temple. On one unmade bed, they discovered a long strand of hair they believe belonged to a female, the records stated.

The allegations were released in an affidavit that detailed the suspected sexual abuse of underage girls at the compound belonging to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Kidnapper Of 7 Year Old Charged

They caught the scumbag:

Kenneth Stewart was charged with aggravated kidnapping and indecency with a child in the abduction of a 7-year-old from a school bust stop in northeast Harris County.

One more sicko off the street.

Senator's Stalker Indicted

A Weatherford man has been indicted for allegedly stalking U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. A Dallas County grand jury indicted 57-year-old Michael Ralph Kleysteuber, who remained jailed Tuesday on $5 million bond.

A warrant says Kleysteuber was arrested March 21 outside the Dallas home of Hutchison and her husband, Ray. Kleysteuber was indicted Monday on a charge of felony stalking, a third-degree felony. If convicted, Kleysteuber faces up to 10 years in prison.

Charter Schools Owe Texas $26 Million

Will the state of Texas collect from these deadbeat schools?

The Texas Education Agency, which oversees public education in the state, is working to recover $17 million of the $26 million from nearly half of the charters now operating in Texas. TEA records show that 20 schools went out of business before the state could recover its money, leaving taxpayers holding a $9 million bag of debt.

These charters collected state funds either by inflating the number of students in their classrooms or by making accounting mistakes.

If they collected state funds by inflating student numbers, then they should face criminal charges. If it was the result of an accounting mistake, they should face civil charges. Either way, the state should not be left holding the bag.

Houston Touts Its Own Horn

Discovery Green, the 12-acre, $122 million park that opens April 13, represents Houston's changing self-image as its leaders embrace the green qualities that so often impress visitors arriving by air for the first time.

Visitors can sprawl in the grass for a concert, race model boats or splash in an interactive fountain. Runners can try out the jogging path while more sedate visitors can read a magazine in a small library or have a drink at The Grove restaurant.

The park is attracting development that's bringing energy to east downtown. And the city's $41 million investment in Discovery Green, coupled with twice that sum in private funding, has set a standard for parks that will influence public officials and donors for generations, park advocates say.

Toll Road Cameras Upgraded To Help Catch Criminals

Harris County Toll Road Authority cameras are now on the lookout for more than just those drivers who blow through EZ Tag lanes without paying. County authorities promise new, upgraded cameras can help catch murderers and other violent criminals.

The cameras have the capability to search their databases and issue alerts to county dispatchers when a wanted criminal crosses their lenses.

The system, which has been operating for about a month, has proved so promising that the Houston Police Department wants a piece of the action. Harris County leaders next week will consider an agreement that would include the HPD in the county system at no cost.

Yolanda Adams Surrenders Files To IRS

Houston gospel singer Yolanda Adams has turned her financial records over to Internal Revenue Service investigators, prompting the government to withdraw its request for a judge to intervene.

The IRS requested details about a pair of million-dollar mortgage loan applications and sought more information about the singer's endorsements and royalties as well as music companies and foundations with which she is affiliated.

The Meaning Of 'Honest Services'

What does 'honest services' really mean? That is the question convicted Enron CEO, Jeff Skilling would like answered.

Prosecutors used the honest services theory to convict Skilling of conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud. While an instruction to the jury linked only 12 counts of securities fraud to that conspiracy count, Petrocelli argued that all 19 counts on which he was convicted — including a count of insider trading and five counts of lying to auditors — should be thrown out because the theory taints everything.

Do you think Jeff Skilling's conviction should be overturned?

Jeff Skilling Could Win His Appeal

Yes, it is true. Jeff Skilling of the Enron debacle, could wind up being a free man. His conviction could be thrown out based on the so called "honest services" theory:

An appeals panel rejected the "honest services" theory prosecutors used in gaining convictions against participants in Enron's sale of three barge-mounted power plants, which the government alleged was a disguised loan.

The 2-1 ruling said that the "honest services" issue didn't apply because the defendants didn't steal, embezzle or otherwise take money or property, and their actions were aligned with corporate goals.

It will be interesting to see how this all play out in court.

Supreme Court Rejects Killers' Appeals

President Bush tried to intervene but it got him nowhere. The following was the only just decision that could have been made:

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the appeals of seven Mexican-born prisoners condemned to die in Texas, including two who had committed murders in Houston in the 1990s.

The action followed a high court ruling last week in which the justices rebuffed President Bush for directing the state of Texas to abide by a world court ruling and rehear the case of another Mexican on death row.

The prisoner, Jose Medellin, had been convicted of the 1993 rape-murders of two Houston teenagers — Jennifer Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Pena, 16 — who had stumbled upon a gang initiation.

Mexico, which opposes the death penalty, sued the United States in the International Court of Justice in the Hague on behalf of some 50 Mexican citizens, including Medellin, on death rows in the United States.

The Mexicans said American officials violated the 1963 Vienna Convention when they failed to allow the citizens of another country access to its representatives after arrest. The world court agreed.

But in a 6-3 ruling on March 25, the Supreme Court said the president overstepped his bounds when he ordered states in a memo to abide by the world court's ruling. The U.S. court said a president must consult Congress before issuing an order based on a treaty.

May they rot in hell for what they did.