Tarrant County is reporting its first human case of West Nile virus.
Officials at Tarrant County Public Health say with fewer than five cases, any information about the victim is not released in order to protect confidentiality.
The county has five mosquito pools testing positive for the virus so far. They are in Hurst, Euless, Bedford and Richland Hills.
Yesterday, Dallas County reported its first human case of the mosquito-transmitted virus. Denton County reported a case late last month.
BJ Austin, KERA News
DISD's Assistant Superintendent Comes From Seattle
An Executive Director in the Seattle Public School system is coming to Dallas as DISD’s Assistant Superintendent. In a farewell to colleagues posted online, Aurora Lora said her last day in Seattle is July 6th.
Lora is best known for creating and running the Harriet Tubman all-girls Leadership Academy in 2007. That was in Portland Oregon. She began as a 4th grade teacher in Houston through Teach for America after graduating from UT Austin. Lora holds several advanced degrees, including a Harvard PhD in Education.
DISD Superintendent Mike Miles is expected to officially announce Lora’s appointment in several days. That’s when he’ll likely announce the rest of his executive team.
Bill Zeeble, KERA News
Gas Prices Continue to Slide
Gasoline prices across Texas are down five cents. The latest weekly AAA Texas Gas Watch puts the statewide average at $3.28. Analysts say lower crude oil prices and economic concerns at home and abroad are the primary reasons for the steady decline in prices over the past few months.
Drivers in Fort Worth are seeing the cheapest gas, $3.22 a gallon. It’s 2 cents more in Dallas. El Paso has the most expensive, at $3.46.
BJ Austin, KERA News
Fort Worth Man Gets Life In Prison For Deadly Robbery
A Tarrant County jury has sentenced a 31 year old man from Fort Worth to life in prison without parole for killing the owner of a convenience store a year ago. 66 year old Azmi Elqutob was gunned down inside Smokies Paradise on East Rosedale last June.
The crime was caught on store surveillance cameras. Frederick Jones and two other men were identified and arrested.
Prosecutors say Jones entered the store and shot the owner twice without warning; raided the cash register, then shot the victim two more times as he lay on the floor.
Jones confessed to the robbery and murder. The two other suspects await trial.
AP
Jury selection begins for Saudi in US bomb plot
Jury selection is under way in the trial of a Saudi man accused of gathering bomb components with the intention of targeting sites across the United States, including the home of former President George W. Bush.
Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari has pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. The 22-year-old man faces up to life in prison if convicted.
During jury selection Thursday in the Texas Panhandle, Aldawsari's attorney asked potential jurors if they would have any issue with Aldawsari's Muslim faith or Saudi citizenship. Dan Codgell asked if jurors would worry about sitting next to a Saudi citizen on an airplane. A few said yes.
A jury is expected to be picked Thursday afternoon. Opening arguments are expected Friday.
AP
American Airlines pilots reject contract offer
The pilots' union at American Airlines has rejected the company's latest contract offer. The move could clear the way for a judge to decide whether American can impose its own cost-cutting terms, including layoffs.
The union board voted 11-5 on Wednesday to reject the company's offer.
A federal bankruptcy judge is scheduled to rule Friday on whether American can break its current contracts with pilots and other union workers. The pilots' union wants a delay in that ruling.
American and parent AMR Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection in November.
AP
High court throws out Southern Union's $18M fine
The Supreme Court has thrown out an $18 million penalty against a natural gas company convicted of violating an environmental law.
The court on Thursday voted 6-3 in favor of Texas-based Southern Union Co. in an appeal of a penalty imposed for its improper storage of mercury in a building in Pawtucket, R.I.
The case turned on whether a series of cases limiting judges' discretion in increasing prison sentences also applies to criminal fines. Justice Sonia Sotomayor said in her opinion for the court that the same limits apply.
AP