The manufacturer of the B-2 bomber and unmanned aircraft used by the U.S. military says about 210 people working at the company's facility in Fort Hood will be laid off in February.
Herndon, Va.-based Northrop Grumman Technical Services, Inc. says in a letter to the Texas Workforce Commission the employees will lose their jobs around Feb. 29. The company was required under the Worker Adjustment Retraining and Notification (WARN) Act to inform the commission of the layoffs.
The company manufactures and produces an array of aerospace, navigation, radar and other systems used by the U.S. military.
It's unclear how many people work at the company's Fort Hood facility.
AP
Gov. Perry Highlights Election Importance In Iowa
Governor Rick Perry is making one last swing through Iowa before tomorrow’s Republican presidential caucuses. At the day’s first stop in Sioux City Monday, Perry told the crowd that they were making their choice for a G-O-P presidential nominee at a critical time for the country.
Rick Perry: “Our country is on the precipice. We’re sitting there with a 15-trillion dollar national debt. We’ve got 130-million Americans out of work. We’ve got almost 50-million Americans on food stamps. We need to have a president who is going to project our values abroad, not spending time apologizing for the United States, a president who will stand up and say, ‘America is an exceptional country.’”
The governor was joined in Iowa by Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, Comptroller Susan Combs, and other high profile supporters. Perry’s campaign staffers have already announced that the governor will be in South Carolina for a major announcement Wednesday, the day after the Iowa caucuses.
Suspect charged in Texas airport explosives case
Authorities have charged a member of the U.S. military arrested after trying to go through a security checkpoint at a Texas airport with explosives in military-grade wrapping.
The FBI says the suspect is 30-year-old Trey Scott Atwater.
Atwater was stopped at Midland International Airport about 9 a.m. Saturday.
FBI spokesman Mike Martinez said Sunday that Atwater is at the Midland County jail and charged with trying to bring explosives onto an airplane.
He will remain in custody at least until his arraignment Tuesday.
Atwater and his family had been visiting relatives and were on their way back to his base in North Carolina. Atwater had a reservation on a Saturday flight to Dallas-Fort Worth.
It's unclear whether he was in military uniform or how many explosives were in the bag.
AP
Exxon Mobil: $908 M awarded in Venezuela dispute
Exxon Mobil Corp. says an international arbitration body has awarded the company nearly $908 million in a dispute with Venezuela over compensation for the nationalization of its assets.
Exxon Mobil says the International Chamber of Commerce has confirmed that the state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA "does have a contractual liability."
Company spokesman Patrick McGinn says in an email that the award is for $907,588,000.
Venezuelan government officials did not respond to messages on Sunday seeking comment.
The Irving, Texas-based oil company turned to international arbitration after President Hugo Chavez's government nationalized an oil project in 2007.
AP
Pope names US cleric for ex-Anglicans
Pope Benedict XVI has named a married priest who converted from Anglicanism to head the first organizational structure in the U.S. for converts wanting to retain some of their Anglican heritage.
The Vatican said Sunday that the Rev. Jeffrey Neil Steenson, a former rector at an Episcopal church in Texas, will lead the Personal Ordinariate, the equivalent of a diocese.
Benedict in 2009 issued an unprecedented invitation for Anglicans to join the Catholic Church in groups or as parishes. Formerly, converts were accepted case by case.
The Vatican created the first such ordinariate in Britain last year. Married Anglican priests who convert to Catholicism can stay married, an exception to the Vatican's celibacy rule.
AP
Principal accused of pinching gets reassigned
A Texas high school principal accused of pinching some students is being reassigned for the rest of the semester.
Fort Worth schools spokesman Clint Bond said Monday the investigation found no evidence of sexual impropriety. But he says Douglas Williams' leadership effectiveness at Dunbar High has been compromised.
District officials say Williams was disciplined after admitting he pinched some male students' nipples. He was placed on leave last month amid other allegations.
Fort Worth police spokeswoman Sharron Neal says officers found the pinching was related to enforcing Dunbar's dress code. She says there was no sexual misconduct.
Some students told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that Williams was known for pinching teens in a playful way.
Williams couldn't be reached for comment. It's unclear where he's being reassigned.
AP