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Former TX chief justice & wife sued over alcohol-related teenage death
 Posted 9/3/2010 3:16:00 PM
A wrongful death lawsuit has accused Tom Phillips, former chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, and his wife of routinely allowing teenagers to drink at their Bastrop home, leading to a 2 a.m. accident that killed a 17-year-old girl in 2009.
Filed by the parents of Audrey King, who died in a single-car wreck, the lawsuit accuses Tom and Lyn Phillips of allowing son Daniel, then 20, to throw numerous parties at their home, which the lawsuit claims was "well known in the Bastrop community as the location of frequent underage drinking parties."
"Mr. and Mrs. Phillips were home during the party and were well aware that minors were getting drunk in their backyard," said the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified monetary damages. "The kids made no effort to conceal the beer or the fact that they were drinking."
Under Texas law, adults can be held liable for damages if ...
Fans brawl in stands at US Open
Posted 9/3/2010 3:10:00 PM
Police had to escort three fans out of Arthur Ashe Stadium after a fight in the upper stands that caused a short delay in Novak Djokovic's match against Philipp Petzschner at the U.S. Open.
U.S. Tennis Association spokesman Chris Widmaier says it was a ''disagreement over verbiage,'' that took place Thursday night during the first set of the second-round match.
According to the New York Post, that "verbiage" consisted of a male fan's repeated F bombs, which caused a female fan to confront him. He reportedly challenged her to hit him, then retaliated when she did just that.
A second man then jumped in to defend the woman, before the skirmish was quickly broken up by security.
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Austinites among nation's worst drivers
Posted 9/2/2010 3:22:00 PM
Only 30 U.S. metros have worse drivers than Austin, according to a ranking by Allstate insurance.
The report compiles collision data from policy holders in 200 cities. Austin came in 170th worst, with motorists getting in an accident every seven and a half years on average. The insurer calculated that Austin motorists are 34 percent more likely to get in an accident than the national average.
Brownsville drivers were ranked the safest in Texas and 36th best nationwide, averaging an accident every 10.8 years. They are 7.6 percent less likely to get in an accident than the national average. Drivers in the Dallas suburb of Garland were the worst ranked in Texas and 186th overall. Drivers there get in an accident about every seven years and are 43.6 percent more likely to crash than the national average.
Governor’s Mansion work permit approved
Posted 9/2/2010 3:20:00 PM
More than two years after an arsonist torched the Texas Governor’s Mansion, Texas Historical Commission officials today signed a permit allowing restoration work on the white-columned landmark to finally begin.
Historical Commission officials said the permit is for exterior work only and was reviewed by the agency’s architectural staff “to ensure the building’s historic integrity is preserved.”
The circa-1856 mansion, the oldest executive mansion west of the Mississippi River that is still in use as a governor’s home, was severely damaged by fire in June 2008. No one has been arrested for tossing a Molotov cocktail-type device onto the front porch.
The mansion was at the time undergoing a $10 million renovation project to upgrade mechanical systems.
Lax security by the Texas Department of Public Safety and broken surveillance equipment was later blamed for allowing the arsonist to get onto the fenced grounds.
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Local Dance teacher accused of rape
Posted 9/2/2010 3:16:00 PM
A local hip-hop dance instructor faces sexual assault charges after two women reported that he attacked them, police said.
Stacey Aldridge, 42, is accused of raping a woman in June 2010 - forcing her to have sex with him at his studio after they had met through mutual friends at a night club.
Another woman told police that he had sexually molested her forcibly after dancing with her at a club in September 2006.
Aldridge faces a charge of sexual assault, punishable by two to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.
Aldridge is an instructor at The Dance Zone in Austin, a studio that bills itself a fitness and dance studio with an adult atmsophere. The studio is located in the same building as The Castillian dormitory on the University of Texas campus on San Antonio street.
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Study - Staying Sober Shortens Your Life
Posted 9/2/2010 3:13:00 PM
It runs counter to decades of medical advice, but again and again, researchers are finding that those who drink moderately, and in some cases even those who drink heavily, outlive their sober counter-parts.
In a recent study from the University of Texas, Austin, researchers followed middle-aged subjects into old age and found that while nearly 70 percent of abstainers were dead within twenty years of starting the study, only 60 percent of heavy drinkers and 41 percent of the moderate drinkers had died by that time.
Findings such as this have met with much controversy in the medical community, less because it supports the health benefits of modest drinking, and more because it suggests that those who say no to that evening glass of wine are substantially more likely to die sooner.
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Botox Maker Agrees to Pay $600M Settlement
Posted 9/2/2010 3:10:00 PM
Allergan Inc., the maker of wrinkle-smoothing Botox, has agreed to pay $600 million to settle a yearslong federal investigation into its marketing of the top-selling, botulin-based drug.
The Justice Department and the company said Wednesday in a statement it will plead guilty to one misdemeanor charge of "misbranding," in which the company's marketing led physicians to use Botox for unapproved uses. Those included the treatment of headache, pain, spasticity and cerebral palsy in children.
Companies are prohibited from promoting drugs for unapproved, or "off-label," uses.
Allergan said it will pay $375 million in connection with the plea, which includes the forfeiture of $25 million in assets. Additionally, the company will pay $225 million in civil fines — $210 million to the federal governments and the rest to several states — related to the investigation, although the company denies liability for the civil claims.
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Leander ISD Restricts Elec Communication Between Teacher and Student
Posted 9/1/2010 3:19:00 PM
Austin, (TX) - When it comes to things like texting, e-mailing and social networking, Leander Independent School District has new guidelines for their teachers.
The new guidelines were put into place to avoid inappropriate relationships between students and teachers.
Texas Association of School Boards came out with the guidelines and it is up to the districts to decide whether to adopt them.
Basically the guidelines state that teachers cannot communicate with students by phone, Facebook, or e-mail.
Leander Independent School District has decided to add these guidelines to their teacher's manual.
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Promoter unveils F1 track layout
Posted 9/1/2010 3:14:00 PM
Austin's Formula One race track will be fast, have a signature start, pay homage to some of the world's best Grand Prix circuits and offer plenty of good sight lines for fans, according to race promoter Tavo Hellmund.
"It should be nice," Hellmund said Tuesday as he looked at plans for the track. "I think drivers and fans should really like it."
Since May, when the race was announced, fans have been eager to see drawings of the track.
Hellmund, head of Full Throttle Productions, unveiled the track layout Tuesday in a meeting with the American-Statesman.
The 3.4-mile track has 20 turns, a maximum elevation change of 133 feet, a back straightaway that is three-quarters of a mile long and a width that will vary between 39 and 52 feet.
Hellmund said the F1 cars should be able to reach a top speed of 200 mph on the track.
He ...
Teen who zapped nipples during shop class sues
Posted 9/1/2010 3:10:00 PM
DOVER, N.H. — A New Hampshire high school student shocked so severely in shop class that his heart stopped beating is suing his teacher, the school district and the city of Dover.
Kyle Dubois and his parents claim teacher Thomas Kelley did not warn Dubois and other students of the dangers of the electrical demonstration cords in their electrical trades class.
On March 11, Dubois attached an electrical clamp to one nipple while another student attached another clamp to the other. A third student plugged in the cord.
Dubois was critically injured.
The New Hampshire Union Leader says Dubois' suit contends he suffered permanent brain damage.
Kelley resigned from his teaching position about a month after the incident. He declined to comment on the lawsuit.
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