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Rick Perry To Make A Halloween Appearance In Court

Bob Daemmrich
/
Texas Tribune
Gov. Rick Perry leaves the Blackwell-Thurman Justice Center in Austin after his booking on Aug. 19.

Five stories that have North Texas talking: Gov. Perry’s defense team tries to quash two counts of abuse of power; Greg Abbott calls Wendy Davis’ wheelchair ad “offensive;” the Dallas nurse with Ebola is a 26-year-old from Fort Worth; and more.  

Indicted Texas Gov. Rick Perry will make his first court appearance on Halloween as his defense team tries to quash the two felony counts of abuse of power against him on both constitutional and technical grounds. The Texas Tribune reports: “Visiting Judge Bert Richardson outlined plans to take up two matters raised by the governor's legal team on Oct. 31. But because this next hearing involves more than scheduling, the judge has ruled that he wants Perry to be present. … Perry is charged with abusing his official power by threatening to veto $7.5 million in state funds for the state's public integrity unit unless Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, a Democrat, stepped down following a 2013 drunken driving conviction.” Read more here. [Texas Tribune/Associated Press]

  • Greg Abbott, the Republican running for governor, says opponent Wendy Davis' TV ad that uses a wheelchair to represent him is "offensive." KERA’s Shelley Kofler reports: “On Monday, Davis appeared in her hometown of Fort Worth with three disabled supporters, two in wheelchairs, and said the ad was about one thing: hypocrisy. ‘Greg Abbott rightly got his justice,’ she said. ‘Why doesn’t he believe a rape survivor or a person with a disability or a victim paralyzed forever should get justice too?’ Read more here.

  • The Dallas nurse who tested positive for Ebola is Nina Pham, a 26-year-old graduate of Texas Christian University. She also attended Nolan Catholic High School in Fort Worth. Officials say Pham wore protective gear as she cared for Thomas Eric Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital after he was diagnosed with Ebola and put in isolation. He died last week. She's now in isolation and in stable condition. It's the first known case of Ebola being transmitted within the U.S. Catch up on Monday’s Ebola developments here.

  • Dallas Love Field has been unleashed. KERA’s Courtney Collins reports: “Wright Amendment restrictions were lifted Monday, which means a new era of non-stop flights for Southwest Airlines and a new North Texas home for Virgin America. Not surprisingly, passengers are excited to spend a little less time in the friendly skies on the way to their final destination. … As of Monday, Love Field offers non-stops to Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, L.A., San Francisco, Orlando, D.C. and Baltimore. Eight more direct routes are coming in the next few weeks.” Read more here.

  • The Dallas Architecture Forum opens its 2014-15 Panel Discussion series tonight with “The Connected City: Next Steps." Brent Brown is the moderator. The free event is at 6:30 p.m. Dallas Architecture Forum, 1909 Woodall Rogers Frwy, Suite 100, Dallas. A reception is at 6:15 p.m. No reservations are necessary. “The Connected City Design Challenge was developed to focus on bold design solutions to connect Downtown and Trinity River and overcome the physical, psychological, and economic divide currently existing,” the Forum says. “See several bold solutions generated by The Challenge. Hear how these solutions are being investigated and moving forward. Learn how you can get involved to shape this area of our city.” Learn more here.
Eric Aasen is KERA’s managing editor. He helps lead the station's news department, including radio and digital reporters, producers and newscasters. He also oversees keranews.org, the station’s news website, and manages the station's digital news projects. He reports and writes stories for the website and contributes pieces to KERA radio. He's discussed breaking news live on various public radio programs, including The Takeaway, Here & Now and Texas Standard, as well as radio and TV programs in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.