Children from polygamy sect to reside in group homes

Some of the 437 children from a polygamist compound in arid West Texas soon may be bound for group homes in green, tree-shaded locations in Harris, Montgomery and Brazoria counties.

Buses carrying the first 114 children left San Angelo on Tuesday after state District Judge Barbara Walther issued a placement order telling officials to make every attempt to place sibling groups together.

The order listed facilities from the Panhandle to Southeast Texas, including Kidz Harbor in Brazoria County, Boys and Girls Country near Hockley, and Arrow Child and Family Ministries in Montgomery County.

Texas and the "me speak no english" problem

Have you ever walked into a store, in Houston, and was greeted by an employee who did not speak English? Well, the following may shed some light:

"We have a disease in Texas — our students do not know how to write and speak English well," Garner said. "We need to treat the disease aggressively.

"The skills need to build upon each other as the student progresses from one grade level to the next. Learning the basics of the English language will provide students with a strong foundation upon which to write sophisticated papers and upon which to base clear communication," she said.

The integration of grammar with writing has been taught in Texas for the past 15 years without much success, Garner said, citing statistics showing half of Texas college freshmen are in need of remedial education, compared to only 28 percent nationally. Teachers, parents and employers are appalled by the lack of speaking and writing skills, she said.

Now this is really pathetic.

Texas Delegates Still Looming

They called the Democratic primaries and caucuses the "Texas two-step," but it is more like a long waltz as Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton continue the fight for the state's presidential nominating delegates.

While Clinton won the March 4 primary, Obama gained a projected 37-30 lead in delegates allocated by the precinct caucuses held later that evening. Holding that lead will depend on whether Obama or Clinton can get supporters to turn out again March 29 for about 260 regional conventions around Texas.

Texas Praised for Prison Reform

Long known for its tough-on-crime image, Texas on Thursday was hailed nationally for a package of reforms designed to curb its wildly growing prison population. But even as lawmakers were lauded for innovative programs for drug and alcohol abusers, Texas pushed past California to become the nation's leader in putting people behind bars.

Texas, said the new Pew Center on the States report, had 171,790 prisoners on Jan. 1 — down 326 inmates from Dec. 31, 2006. California, which long had led the nation in inmates, reduced its prison rolls by 4,068 during that period.

Nationwide, the study found one in every 100 adults is locked up in state and federal prisons or local jails. Of the states with the largest prison systems — those with 50,000 or more inmates — Texas, California, New York and Michigan reduced their offender populations in the past year.

Optimism Increases For Obama In Texas

Democrat Barack Obama's first foray into South Texas on Friday showed signs that rival Hillary Rodham Clinton may win the region's popular vote but that he may break even with her in securing delegates for the presidential nomination.

While Obama's noontime crowd of about 3,000 at the University of Texas-Pan American was mostly made up of students who showed little enthusiasm, Obama drew about 6,000 supporters to the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi.

Another troubling sign for Clinton's South Texas hopes is that one of her main South Texas supporters, state Rep. Aaron Peña of Edinburg, appeared backstage at Obama's Pan American event and told a local news organization that Clinton would win the popular vote but Obama was strong in the fight for delegates.