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Texas Prison Agency Looking To Replenish Dwindling Supply Of Execution Drugs

Texas Tribune
Texas prison officials are scurrying to find a supplier to replenish a dwindling inventory of execution drugs.

Five stories that have North Texas talking: more reward money offered in the case of the Iraqi man killed in Dallas; what are the most charitable ZIP codes in North Texas?; beware of the glitter bomb; and more.

Texas prison officials are scurrying to find a supplier to replenish a dwindling inventory of execution drugs. The nation's most active death penalty state has enough pentobarbital for executions scheduled this week and next week. But prison officials don't yet know about lethal injections of four others scheduled for April. Texas Department of Criminal Justice Executive Director Brad Livingston says it's a challenge facing not only his agency but prison departments nationwide. Their search is taking place amid a pending court order that would no longer allow the state to protect the supplier's identity. Texas officials have cited security concerns for withholding the name of its execution drug supplier. A judge in Austin last year ordered the name disclosed, but state attorneys are appealing that ruling in the courts. [Associated Press]

  • The reward has grown for information about the young men believed to be responsible for the death of an Iraqi man shot in Dallas while taking photos of the recent snowfall. Alia Salem, executive director of the Dallas/Fort Worth chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Monday that $7,000 has been raised to help in the investigation into the death of 36-year-old Ahmed Al-Jumaili. CrimeStoppers previously announced a separate $5,000 reward. Salem says Al-Jumaili had escaped violence in Iraq and was in Dallas just 20 days when he was shot late Wednesday night. He was outside his apartment with his wife and brother-in-law witnessing snow for the first time. Police say four suspects in their late teens and early 20s fired multiple shots, but it's not clear if Al-Jumaili was targeted. The Washington Post reports the shooting has some Texas Muslims on edge. [Associated Press]

  • What are the most charitable ZIP codes in North Texas? The Dallas Business Journal crunched some data and determined the top three were 75070, 75093 and 75025. Those are in McKinney and Plano – in Collin County. “The DFW metro area ranks eighth on the list of the nation's 50 largest cities with a giving rate of 3.7 percent, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy,” the Business Journal reports.

  • Beware of the glitter bomb, state public safety officials say. The Texas Tribune reports: "In an email forwarded to legislative staffers on Thursday, a Department of Public Safety captain warned of 'glitter bombs' being sent to state lawmakers and attached a document titled 'Glitter Bombing: Weapon of Choice for Gay Rights, Pro Choice Advocates.' According to the DPS email, passed along to Senate chiefs of staff by Patsy Spaw, the secretary of the Senate, state Rep. Debbie Riddle's district office in Spring recently received such a parcel — a spring-loaded tube filled with glitter. 'Glitter bombing is a relatively recent phenomenon and has been adopted as a form of protest, particularly (but not exclusively) by gay rights activists and supporters,' the document attached to the email reads. It goes on to list several prominent politicians who were glitter bombed, and says, 'The common denominator among these political figures is a conservative orientation and opposition to gay rights, especially marriage equality.'" [Texas Tribune]

  • The country’s best bilingual teacher is in Dallas ISD. KERA’s Dianna Douglas reports: “Irma De La Guardia is a third grade teacher at Withers Elementary in Dallas ISD, and she jetted off to Las Vegas to pick up the honor Friday from the National Association for Bilingual Education. … Connie Wallace, principal at Withers, says De La Guardia is dedicated not just to her students, but to parents, fellow teachers, and to the success of the dual language program. ‘While I know that there are great teachers in the world, Irma stands out,’ Wallace said.”
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.