Topic: Texas

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Modern Parenthood Pointing to God excessive: Teen athlete barred from state track tourney (+video)

After crossing the finish line in first place, Derrick Hayes gestured toward heaven to show thanks to God, his father said. But that motion was deemed excessive celebration by officials and Hayes was disqualified, barring him from competing in the state championship.
Energy Voices Drive to make energy cleaner has stalled. Shale gas could help.

Average unit of energy is 'basically as dirty' as two decades ago, says new IEA report, despite boom in renewables. Among its recommendations: Encourage move from coal to gas by developing unconventional gas.
Fertilizer plant blast: how lax security hints at regulatory gaps in Texas

The Texas fertilizer plant, targeted for years by thieves who wanted anhydrous ammonia to produce drugs, reportedly had no fence, alarms, or guards. Yet state regulators raised few security concerns before the deadly blast.
California wildfire: 1,900 on the lines as firefighters labor to limit damage (+video)

Saturday's more favorable weather and the heroic work of 1,900 firefighters have limited damage from a fast-breaking California wildfire in Ventura County. State outlook is for an active fire season; elsewhere in the US conditions are less ominous.
As NRA meets, Great Gun Debate intensifies America's culture war (+video)

Both sides in the debate over gun policy are indulging in stereotypes and name-calling, fueled by a distrust bred from previous culture war fights. As the NRA convention continues this weekend, are red and blue America really so far apart?
Boston bombing fallout: US moves to close security gap on student visas (+video)

Student visa snafu involving a Kazakh friend of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston bombing suspect, prompts US to beef up security checks. Will the episode undermine chances for comprehensive immigration reform?
Homeland security orders new student visa checks

A student from Kazakhstan, allowed to return to the US in January without a valid student visa, is accused of hiding evidence in the Boston Marathon bombing case. On Thursday, Customs and Border Protection ordered new checks for student visas.
Sarah Palin: Chewing tobacco is her latest prop (+video)

Sarah Palin chewing tobacco? Speaking at the NRA annual meeting, Sarah Palin pulled out a tin of chewing tobacco to tweak NYC Mayor Bloomberg for his proposed ban on displaying tobacco products.
Fertilizer plant blast: Does post-9/11 secrecy make your life riskier?

Following the fertilizer plant blast, Texas cited terror concerns in withholding information on dangerous chemicals. Some say that secrecy deprives citizens of the ability to make decisions about their safety.
Decoder Wire NRA 'Stand and Fight' convention: Political big guns will be there (+video)

The NRA's annual convention begins Friday, and the theme this year is 'Stand and Fight.' In the line-up to speak to the 70,000 attendees: a host of likely 2016 GOP presidential hopefuls.
Energy Voices What determines energy abundance? Flow.

Energy abundance depends entirely on the rate of the flow of oil, gas and other resources, Cobb writes. It is not, as many suggest, dependent on supposed, but often unverified, fossil fuel reserves in the ground.
Decoder Wire Ted Cruz presidential race 2016: Whose worst nightmare?

Some conservative leaders reportedly are urging Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas to run for president in 2016. That could be a nightmare for either Democrats, other Republicans, or even Cruz himself.
A part of immigration reform even critics like: integrating new Americans (+video)

Proposals to help immigrants integrate into US culture take up only 30 pages in an 800-page immigration reform bill, but they are winning broad support – even among some critics of the overall legislation.
Energy Voices Sally Jewell: How 'green' is the new Interior secretary?

Sally Jewell's first moves as secretary of the US Interior Department show so far that she's embracing her dual legacy as an environmental steward with rare ties to the oil industry, Graeber writes.
Opinion Smoking gun in West, Texas, fertilizer blast: lack of government oversight

While the cause of the blast in West, Texas, is still undetermined, what is clear is that the West Fertilizer Company stored large quantities of reactive products in the middle of a small town with little state or federal oversight. Citizens must be empowered to act when regulators don't.
George Jones funeral at Grand Ole Opry (+video)

George Jones: The country music star, George Jones, will be honored with a funeral at the Grand Ole Opry on Thursday.
Palin: 'Nerd prom' slam targets White House press dinner (+video)

Palin: 'Nerd prom' denigrates the White House Correspondent's dinner, where President Obama joked Saturday. Sara Palin wasn't invited, and according to The Atlantic, she wasn't the first to label the event a 'nerd prom.'
White House correspondents' after-dinner jokes: Best zingers from the 'nerd prom' (+video)

Saturday night was the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. Here are some of the best jokes, plus a menu designed especially for Washington and Hollywood celebrities.
What's in the Internet videos posted by Tamerlan Tsarnaev?

The videos do not show ties to any specific group, but do hint at a deeper yearning in the alleged Boston Marathon bomber for a heroic jihadi persona.
Did Boston Marathon bombing suspects’ mother push them toward jihad? (+video)

Zubeidat Tsarnaeva says her sons were framed by US authorities in the Boston Marathon bombing. But in recorded conversations, she discusses jihad with her son Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
Mormon Church to accept gay Boy Scouts

In a major step regarding openness in the Boy Scouts of America, Mormon Church officials have approved the Scout organization's acceptance of gay Scouts. Still, the new ruling remains controversial because it bans gay Scout leaders.
Perry disgusted: Cartoon depicts 'booming' business

Perry disgusted by cartoon in California newspaper showing an explosion. Texas Gov. Rick Perry wants an apology from the Sacrament Bee for the cartoon that shows him boasting that 'business is booming' in the state.
Reader recommendation: Texas Got It Right!

Monitor readers share their favorite book picks.
George Jones dies: Country music legend sang about life he lived

George Jones dies: The Texas native recorded over 150 albums. By the time George Jones died Friday, his career had spanned eight decades.
2013 NFL draft: Bring on the beef

The 2013 NFL draft started with beefy lineman Eric Fisher. Then came beefy lineman Luke Joeckel, also an offensive tackle. The quarterbacks didn't show up in the 2013 NFL draft till the No. 16 draft pick, Florida State's EJ Manuel.