Five stories that have North Texas talking: a small Texas high school reports a chlamydia outbreak; a worshipper at a Richardson mosque is attacked; former Gov. Perry chimes in on the Jade Helm controversy; and more.
An outbreak of chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease, has been reported at a small West Texas high school. KOSA-TV of Odessa and Midland reports the Crane Independent School District sent a letter recently to parents of Crane High School students informing them that 20 cases of chlamydia had been confirmed at the school. Crane High School has an enrollment of about 300 students. State health officials had notified the district of a significant number of chlamydia cases reported in Crane County and adjacent Upton County. District officials planned to meet with the school's advisory committee of teachers, parents and school officials to discuss the situation. Chlamydia is curable, but if left untreated can cause permanent damage to women's reproductive systems. The San Antonio Express-News reports: "The high school has three days of sex education in the fall semester for students, with the curriculum including abstinence. Crane ISD Superintendent Jim T. Rumage cited abstinence as a useful methodology for keeping kids away from sexual activity." [KOSA-TV/Associated Press/San Antonio Express-News]
- Police say a worshipper leaving a prayer service at a Richardson mosque was slightly hurt after being attacked in the parking lot by two men who fled. Richardson police Sgt. Kevin Perlich says investigators are trying to determine a motive in Monday night's attack. He says no words were exchanged, no property was taken. Other worshippers at the Islamic Association of North Texas scared the attackers off. Leaders of the Council on American-Islamic Relations want the attack investigated as a hate crime. Perlich says police are looking at all possibilities for a motive, including a possible hate crime. The attack came a day after two men were shot and killed in Garland after opening fire outside a provocative cartoon contest featuring images of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad. [Associated Press]
- Former Gov. Rick Perry has chimed in on the brewing Jade Helm controversy. The Texas Tribune reports: “Perry said Tuesday citizens should trust the military amid concerns about a training exercise scheduled to begin this summer in Texas that has riled conspiracy theorists. ‘I think it’s OK to question your government — I do it on a pretty regular basis,’ Perry told reporters before a luncheon for the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. ‘The military's something else.’ … Perry's successor, Greg Abbott, has asked the Texas State Guard to keep an eye on the exercise, known as Jade Helm 15. The two-month simulation is slated to start in July in states throughout the Southwest. Its skeptics believe it is a covert effort to institute martial law.” Read more here. [Texas Tribune]
- Maria Shriver has overcome her grudge against Dallas. The Dallas Morning News reports about John F. Kennedy’s niece: “Shriver, who was in town as the speaker at the annual Genesis Women’s Shelter fundraising luncheon, said she grew up knowing what happened in Dallas changed her family forever and for years she nursed a grudge against the city. For instance, when she covered the Republican National Convention in 1984, ‘I remember being real nervous to come here and I remember just going straight to my hotel and convention center, back and forth. I never met anybody, didn’t want to meet anybody.’ Then a couple of years ago ‘I decided why am I so mad at Dallas? That like happened so long ago, it means nothing.’” [The Dallas Morning News]
- A beloved Fort Worth man who greeted folks in downtown has died. Charlie Joyner had pancreatic cancer. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports: “Mr. Joyner made everyone his friend. He smiled at passers-by. He never begged, but many gave him money and food. He always had a kind word. Mr. Joyner died Saturday in hospice care in Fort Worth, moments after friends held a phone to his ear so he could hear from an estranged daughter from Nashville — and just after friends played him a recording of The Ballad of Charlie Joyner. He opened his eyes and smiled before taking his last breath, they said.” Read more here. [Fort Worth Star-Telegram]
